Chapter 15

“No, that’s why. As long as you broke our product, you have to at least pay for it.”

“Shut up! A sword that breaks with a trial swing is not worth the compensation!”

“No way! Didn’t I explain to you at the beginning that that sword was for decoration!?”

At the center of the crowd, a bearded man and three boys in Bildarz Academy Hero Department uniforms argued. Zeke was leading the boy’s side. Beside him were two of his cronies that I’ve seen at school.

A broken sword fell at Zeke’s feet.

“It seems that I often run into my classmates today.”

Elysia put her hand on her forehead and sighed.

“Elysia, what’s that?”

“It seems that the nobleman over there, Zeke, took the liberty of trying out a decorative sword that was in the store. The sword broke, so the shopkeeper is demanding compensation. Zeke refuses.”

“No matter what you think, it’s Zeke’s fault.”

“Yeah, decorative swords are more expensive than ordinary swords. I’m sure the owner won’t back down so easily just because he’s dealing with a nobleman.”

When I looked, I saw a broken gemstone at Zeke’s feet. Originally it must have been fitted into the sword. In commemoration of the end of the War of Heroes, a decorative sword became popular for a while, and this seemed to be a remnant of it. Although it was a leftover, it was made of expensive materials. It was obvious that it was much more expensive than the other swords here.

A groaning sound came from Elysia’s mouth. Elysia had a devilish expression on her face and her hand was on the hilt of the sword on her waist. She looked like she was about to pull out her sword and leap at Zeke.

“Calm down. Things haven’t gotten that bad yet.”

“It will get worse soon. Those aristocrats kill people with no hesitation for their own self-interest,” Elysia said in a somewhat hinted tone.

Unfortunately, it turned out exactly as Elysia said.

“Hmm. It seems people in the royal capital don’t know their place. I’ll show you what happens when you defy the nobles.”

Zeke pulled out his sword from his left hip. The shopkeeper’s face instantly paled, as if he didn’t expect him to pull out his sword in front of the public.

“Zeke!” Elysia yelled.

The voice broke the crowd. Elysia approached Zeke with a livid crease on her forehead.

“Elysia? It’s so strange to meet you here.”

Zeke said with a clear face, while Elysia told him angrily.

“What you are trying to do now is murder!”

“Murder? No, it’s a sanction. Oh, I see. Elysia is in the Hero Department, but she’s not a noble, is she? So it’s no wonder you don’t know. The nobles have a duty to discipline the commoners. So this is not a sin, it’s a necessity.”

It was an overly arrogant claim. The masses were not the only ones who got angry at the one sided words and actions. Glan and Mize glared at Zeke with sharp eyes.

“It’s not you who decides if you’re guilty or not. It’s the people around you.”

“You’re right, Glan. His actions may threaten the peace of the royal capital.”

Zeke expressed his displeasure at their words.

“…Elysia. I recognize you as a member of the Hero Department. Even if you are a commoner, your ability to defeat the teacher in the entrance exam is wonderful. That’s why I advise you clearly… It’s best not to get close to the regular students at school. They live in a different world than we do.”

“Zeke is right.”

“Stay out of this, commoner!”

His cronies verbally agreed with Zeke. At that moment, Zeke looked at me.

“Oh? Look who’s…there, you’re a loser who can’t even use D rank magic!”

Zeke said with a ridiculing smile on his face.

“Elysia, you’ve seen it. That man is the symbol of the Regular Department. If you have an incompetent like him by your side, your value will also be questioned. If you’d like, I can teach you the proper way to socialize. I’m proud to say that I’m a legitimate son of a Baron family, and I’m a good judge of character. Come on, this way.”

Zeke reached out his hand toward Elysia, as if inviting her to dance, however Elysia snorted at Zeke.

“Your confidence, I’m not so sure about that.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Tweight is stronger than you.”

Zeke furrowed his brow at that comment. Elysia, on the other hand, had a look of accomplishment on her face, as if to say, “I’ve finally said it.”

“Oh, you have a funny sense of humor. Is that guy stronger than me?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

I had a slight headache as Elysia proudly said that. I told her I didn’t want to stand out, but she probably forgot about it. Zeke glared at me sharply. Eventually, I let out a sigh of exasperation.

“…Apparently, Elysia’s eyes have been blinded because she was deceived by the Regular Department there.”

With that said, Zeke pointed his sword in our direction.

“I’m going to discipline you before that cheeky shopkeeper.”

Zeke and his cronies had their swords ready and were squirming their way towards us. Elysia didn’t seem to be the target. They were after me, Glan, and Mize.

“Interesting… If you can do it, do it.”

Glan said while cracking his knuckles. Mize, on the other hand, was shaking her shoulders a little. Perhaps Mize is not used to the rough stuff.

“Mize, stay back.”

“Tweight… no, I too, will fight.”

“Take it easy. There’s nothing to be gained by going at it with these people.”

When I told her that, Mize made a small apology, saying “I’m sorry,” and stepped back.

At the same time, one of his cronies swung his sword down at me. The sword was not drawn. If you hit the wrong spot, you’re dead, no joke. His cronies were slightly deflecting the sword angle. I guess they did not really intend to kill me. Even so, it’s a blow that could seriously injure you if you took a direct hit unprotected.

“Whoa!”

Glan jumped out in front of me and caught the sword, letting out a squeal. To my surprise, he caught the blade with his palm.

“What!? With bare hands!?”

Even his cronies were astonished by this.

It is a very dense《Tough Body Rage》. From the center of the body to the ends of the arms and legs, the magic power is spreading all over.

“Heh, I may not be as good as Tweight, but I’m pretty confident in my rough stuff too!”

With that, Glan punched the attacker who pounced on him, in the stomach.

“Argh!?”

The crony was blown back to Zeke’s side. He was crouched down, clutching his stomach.

“I’m not going to touch you, but if you’re coming at me, I’m not gonna let you get away either.”

Even though they were classmates of the same age, when a strong muscular man reveals his desire to fight, it oozes so much power that they couldn’t help but back away. The two cronies stiffen on the spot. However–

“Don’t get too cocky you Regular Department! I’ll blow you away!”

Zeke stuck out his left arm, which was not holding a sword, and put magic power into his palm. He’s not a Hero Student just for show. From the enormous magical power that converged on that palm, I predicted the range of magic that would be activated.

It’s bad.

If that magic were to be activated, it would cause collateral damage to the people around me. Immediately after making that decision, I almost reflexively pointed my fingertips at Zeke.

Bang!

A short bursting sound echoed from my fingertips. Immediately after, a thin trickle of blood dripped from Zeke’s cheek.

“What? What is it now…?”

Zeke, whose cheek was suddenly bleeding, was confused as to what had happened.

I called out to him, pointing the index finger of my right hand.

“Stop the magic, and put your sword away, or I’ll hit you next time.”

“Shut up! Don’t tell me what to do!”

“…I warned you.”

As Zeke continued to make magical preparatory movements, I let out a small sigh at the failure of my persuasion.

I gathered magic power in my palm and further condensed it into a small sphere. Then, I released a lump of condensed magic power from my index finger at once.

Again, with a short sound, the bullet was fired. The bullet that was released pierced Zeke’s palm.

“Aaahhhh!?”

Zeke let out a loud scream as a hole appeared in his palm. A large amount of fresh blood splattered from the hole. The onlookers and Zeke’s cronies were in shock at the sight.

“It hurts… what did you do…? Oh, you! What did you do to me!?”

“Come on.”

When I replied, Zeke glared at me with bloodshot eyes.

“I’m going to kill you…!”

“Zeke, you need to stop the bleeding!”

“Let’s get out of here!”

Two of his cronies panicked and persuaded Zeke to leave.

Zeke clicked his tongue and tried to leave the place with his cronies leading the way.

“Wait. There is something you need to do first,” I said to the three as they walked away.

“Pay for the sword.”

Zeke became visibly angry, but before he could attack me, he felt the pain in his hand and came to his senses. He clicked his tongue violently and pulled out a cloth bag from his pocket.

“Damn!”

Zeke took out the bag and threw it at the shopkeeper’s feet. A jingling sound came from the bag when it slammed against the stone pavement.

“You’ve humiliated me! Remember, I’ll never forgive you!”

Zeke glared at me with a grudge. After watching the two cronies carry Zeke away, I let out a breath of relief.

“What did you do just now, Tweight?”

When the commotion subsided, Elysia asked.

“No matter what you call it. I just shot a《Magic Bullet》.”

“《Magic Bullet》? No, it can’t be. That’s an E-level magic. There’s no way it could have prevented that level of magic.”

“It’s a genuine《Magic Bullet》. There are a few modifications, though. My《Magic Bullet》 specializes in speed and penetration. So to speak, it’s a medium-range sniper shot. Intended to be a point attack, not a frontal attack.”

The reason, of course, is that it is more deadly.

The long-range shooting magic《Magic Bullet》is originally a fist-sized mass of magical power that hits the opponent. Its power and speed are inferior to D-rank spells such as《Fireball》 and《Waterball》. A big man can take three shots in the flesh and withstand it.

However the《Magic Bullet》that I arranged, kills the opponent in one shot as long as the aim is right. For me, the《Magic Bullet》is a magic that will surely destroy the brain, heart, and other vital organs.

“Usually, magical arrangements are little more than a slight change in size or output. I’ve never seen such an extreme arrangement…”

“I told you I was more confident in my ability to use it, than others.”

“There is a limit to that…. Who are you really?”

I thought about it for a while and then said.

“I used to be a city cleaner.”