Chapter 71

Part 21: The False Teacher (1)

I raised my hand to object.

"Wait, wait a moment... Ouch!"

Thwack!

Even though I raised my hand, Katrin's sword didn't stop, and I was hit hard by the flat of the blade, rolling on the ground.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't see you raise your hand because I was focused."

Katrin apologized with a guilty look.

No way, how could someone of her caliber not notice my movement?

Her lips were clearly curled up!

But it was a sparring match in front of everyone; I couldn't get angry at her.

As I struggled to get up, she asked me,

"Why did you stop? I guess it was about time to stop, though."

"No, no matter how I think about it, this doesn't feel like a proper sparring match. We're not even using mana, and fighting based on sword skills alone doesn't make sense, right?"

"Ah, you're right. It doesn't make sense."

She nodded in agreement with my words. It seemed she had realized it too.

"But, well, it was fine for assessing your skills."

However, her next words made me sigh.

In the end, it didn't feel like a proper sparring match, just a bit of exercise.

Moreover, when I looked around after the sparring match, it seemed everyone had some misunderstandings.

Ugh. I wanted to show my skills to avoid being ignored, but I didn't want to end up like a cliché from a novel from my past life.

"Do you all understand your own skills? The pride of being an awakened noble should come after your skills match the name of a noble!"

Katrin climbed back onto the platform and shouted at the students.

"Our nobles are not a privileged class with inherited abilities; we are recognized by the people because we use our abilities to protect against monsters and invaders. I will personally train and improve the skills of those who, without proper skills, look down on knights and others. Be prepared for that."

Katrin, standing on the platform with her sword, looked so cool and excellent that I almost wanted to clap.

The problem was that the nobles and noble wannabes sprawled on the floor had no chance of understanding her words.

It had been hundreds of years since the Great War and the founding of the kingdom.

Duties had become formalities, and rights had solidified into privileges.

With classes determined by actual abilities, there was no chance of a revolution.

In the end, this place would continue to rot under a rigid class system.

But, well, that wasn't really my concern. I had more immediate problems to worry about.

That's how the afternoon class ended.

First day of classes.

0 friends. 0 conversation partners.

It seemed I was destined to be isolated.

With a sigh, I returned to my dorm room.

My roommate hadn't come back yet.

I would probably have to eat dinner alone. Or, even if my roommate was there, would I still eat alone?

I shook off the depressing thoughts and quickly finished my dinner.

After doing some homework, it was time to sleep.

That meant it was curfew time for the dorm.

But, Piar hadn't returned yet. Already skipping curfew?

Going out without telling me? There was no reason to hide it.

I went to the dorm office on the first floor.

"My roommate hasn't come back yet."

"Oh, Piar is out for a day visit."

"Ah, is that so?"

Why didn't you tell me earlier? Or should Piar have told me? Either way, it was a wasted trip.

I shook my head and was about to go back up when something crossed my mind.

I turned around and asked the dorm staff again.

"Is Piar the only one out? What about his cousin, Mirisa?"

"Oh, Mirisa is also out... Oops, I shouldn't have told you that. Please pretend you didn't hear it."

With the staff member looking awkward, I went back to my room.

Both were out on a visit.

The estate and the capital aren't close, and if they're from a rural village, how could their family come to the capital and let them stay out?

It seemed they would be back soon.

I returned to my room, quickly changed, and opened my bag.

I took out the dagger I had hidden deep inside.

There was a longsword leaning against the wall, but for a night outing, the dagger Katrin gave me was the best choice.

Holding the dagger for the first time in a while, it felt like electricity was running through my palm.

This dagger hadn't spoken to me since it first addressed me.

I hoped it would speak to me again someday and tucked it into my belt.

I put on the cloak I had used to great effect at the marquis's house.

I turned off the lights, made it look like someone was sleeping with a pillow and blanket, and opened the window.

I drew mana.

Hum. Hum. Hum.

A pleasant sensation enveloped my body.

I could feel the energy I had planted from a distance.

The reason I had a roommate was to plant my energy in Piar. It took some time to find the energy, but fortunately, I could sense the direction he was in.

It was an unexpected direction.

I slipped out of the window, closed it, and launched myself into the air.

A cloudy night.

A young adept in black clothes crossed the academy grounds.

* * *

The mana that allows the use of inherited abilities and the mana used in training to make knights wield swords.

This world, where I was reborn, is built on mana.

Before the Great War, the ancient empire was led by mages and knights using mana.

Although the status of knights and the practice of magic declined after the Great War, the inherited abilities that emerged during the war were also based on mana.

While the inherited abilities, with their great power, overshadowed the mana of knights, they were unfortunately not as versatile as magic or a knight's sword.

If knights and mages are compared to infantry, each inherited ability is like a specialized high-power weapon, such as a cannon or a fighter jet.

I had read in books that some mages in the ancient empire could unleash terrifying powers like inherited abilities, but the knowledge was lost during the Great War, making it a meaningless story.

Because of this, I, who possesses both a physical enhancement inherited ability and a knight's mana, can use both abilities simultaneously.

With my superior mana sensing ability, I can plant my energy in someone else and track them from a distance.

However, if they are too far away, I can't track them. Fortunately, the target wasn't too far from the academy.

After running for a while and leaping over a wall with iron bars, I saw the target right in front of me.

The target was in a commercial area not far from the academy's main gate.

A street with shops catering to visitors and academy students.

Various restaurants, gift shops, and accommodations.

It reminded me of the commercial areas near universities or military bases from my past life.

Like those commercial areas, most of the shops were dark at night.

However, a few streetlights were on, making it not completely dark.

'This isn't an inn?'

Avoiding the streetlights, I followed the scent of mana and arrived at a regular shop.

It was a souvenir shop, though I couldn't be sure since the door was closed.

"It's not an inn, and it's giving off a suspicious aura."

A not-so-small shop building, with the first floor as a shop and the second floor as living quarters.

The mana scent I planted was coming from the second floor, where the lights were still on.

"What should I do now?"

I stared at the window on the second floor, deep in thought.

* * *

In a lit room on the second floor, three people were talking.

"...So, everyone was quite surprised."

"Oh ho."

"But they didn't ignore me as much as I thought. Well, they mostly ignored me."

The girl excitedly recounted her experiences, and the man nodded.

"Who would pay attention to someone like us? With the duke's son, the marquis's heir, and the princess here."

"Ah, I heard Princess Aisha enrolled."

"Exactly. As long as I don't stick my neck out, no one cares about a commoner like me."

The boy's words were echoed by the man.

"Thanks to the teacher, I didn't make any mistakes. We didn't know anything about noble etiquette. If we hadn't listened to the teacher, we would have caused a lot of trouble."

"You're right, brother."

The boy Piar and his cousin Mirisa looked at their teacher with happy faces.

They were surprised when someone came to visit in the late afternoon, but it was their teacher.

Piar and Mirisa rushed to the main gate's visiting room.

There, they were taken to a temporary accommodation, a shop, where they had been talking until now.

Their teacher, a man with a common name, Lu, looked like he was in his late youth or early middle age.

He had a slightly cold appearance but was always warm to Piar and Mirisa.

They hadn't seen their teacher since parting in their village before coming to the capital. His sudden appearance made them very happy.

Their teacher comforted them.

"I'm glad you're holding up well."

"Teacher gave us our abilities and sent us here. This is nothing."

The teacher asked with concern.

"Has anyone said anything about your inherited abilities?"

"Some people found it interesting, but they were just curious."

"Ah, right. The person in the same room asked, too..."

"Who?"

Mirisa quickly figured out who Piar was talking about.

"Ah, that Duke Gresia's illegitimate child? People were gossiping about him."

"Well, he's not that strange. But, he doesn't seem like a normal kid either..."

Piar's words made the teacher's expression stiffen.

"Duke's illegitimate child... What did he ask?"

But Piar shrugged and answered casually.

"Nothing much. Where I'm from, what abilities I have, that kind of thing. Normal questions to ask a roommate."

"That makes sense."

"Duke's heir asking a commoner..."

"That's what made it a bit unusual. Maybe because he's an illegitimate child..."

"Ah, illegitimate child..."

Piar's words made Mirisa and the teacher nod.

It was quite unusual for a noble to pay attention to a commoner, but it was different for an illegitimate child.

"Still, I heard he's somewhat recognized..."

"Huh?"

Mirisa asked about the teacher's muttering, but he shook his head.

"Tell me more. How was the enrollment ceremony?"

"Well, that day..."

After listening to the story for a while, he got up.