Chapter 46

"Hey, wait a minute!"

Just as we were about to leave the venue, Kufa came running up.

"Ah! Master! I've been looking for you!"

Then Kaito appeared from the direction we were heading.

"What's going on? Why can you use such powerful blue magic!?"

"What's going on? You're taking the entrance exams at other academies too!"

I was at a loss with both of them talking to me at once. Fortunately, it seemed I could answer both of their questions in one sentence.

"I can use both red and blue magic."

Kaito's eyes widened.

"What? Master, you can use blue magic too!?"

Kufa shouted at him from the side.

"You can't use it at all!"

Then she turned to me.

"Hey, you absolutely need to focus on blue magic!"

"Huh? What are you talking about!?"

This time, Kaito raised his voice.

"Master is the top in the world of red magic! You don't have time to mess around with blue magic! Just now, you melted mithril with an Eruption!"

"What does that matter! Just now, I fired forty Ice Edge ice blades simultaneously and hit all of them directly! Moreover, I even pierced through mithril! No matter how you look at it, blue magic is more powerful! Did you not see it? It's a shame you missed it!"

"How could I have seen it! I just got here! Besides, those words apply to you, who didn't see Master's red magic! It's a shame for you!"

Hey, don't fight here.

"Red magic users are just a bunch of firepower idiots who only think about increasing their power! Blue magic is more strategic and artistic!"

"Hey, don't belittle red magic! Besides, what's strategic about only being able to deal minor damage because of its low lethality! Don't make me laugh!"

"Blue ice magic is more lethal than red magic!"

"Don't bring up ice magic, which is rarely used because it takes too long to cast!"

...And the argument about the superiority of red and blue magic started again.

This debate will never end.

I decided to leave them and head to the next exam venue. The closest one seems to be the Green Academy.

"Huh? That's..."

Just as I was about to enter the venue, I noticed someone crouching in the shadow of the building. I approached.

"Ugh... I can't do it... But... If I don't, I'll have to go back to my hometown alone... I don't want that..."

"What are you doing?"

"Kyaa!?"

She jumped and turned around when I spoke from behind.

It was Colette, the girl who came to this city with Kaito and Kufa. I remember she said she was going to take the Green Academy's exam.

"Ah, um... Mr. Alair, why are you here...?"

"I came to take the exam."

"Huh?"

Colette's eyes widened. But explaining everything from the beginning again would be a hassle.

"Anyway, what are you doing here? What about the exam?"

"Well... actually..."

It turns out she got scared of taking the exam and hadn't even registered yet.

But being scared of the exam...

For an examinee to hesitate to even take it, the Green Academy's entrance exam must be incredibly difficult. They must be more selective than the Red and Blue Academies.

"I've always been the type who completely falls apart when I get nervous... Mr. Alair, how do you deal with nervousness...?"

Colette asked timidly.

Hmm. Nervousness, huh.

It's a word I often hear in daily life...

"Unfortunately, I've never experienced what you call nervousness."

"Eh? You've never experienced it!?"

Is it that surprising?

"Thinking about it, I don't really understand what being nervous means."

"From the beginning! ...Well, it's a state where your body shakes and you can't think of anything..."

Your body shakes and you can't think of anything?

That sounds like a severe status ailment.

"Can't it be cured with a blessing or white magic?"

"It's not an injury or illness, so it doesn't work..."

So, there are such terrifying status ailments in the world...

"How do you end up in this state of nervousness?"

"Status ailment...? Well, I think it's probably due to the fear of failing..."

Hmm...?

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes...?"

"Have you never failed in your entire life?"

"???"

My question seemed to surprise Colette. But I'm the one who's surprised.

"Since you're trying so hard to avoid failure, it means you've never failed, right?"

This girl might have hidden incredible strength despite her appearance.

"No, no, no! That's impossible! My life is full of failures, which is why I'm so scared!"

"...?"

What's going on?

It feels like we're not on the same page.

"What do you mean? If you've experienced failure repeatedly, why are you so afraid of it?"

"Wh-What? E-Eh?"

Colette looked bewildered. I said what seemed obvious to me.

"You should know that failure isn't a big deal if you've experienced it many times..."

[Promotion] The following works will be released this month and next month! Thank you for your support!

January 13th → "With 100 Goddesses in Charge of Reincarnation, I Got 100 Cheating Skills" https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8429dj/

February 10th → "Evil God Unrivaled ~It Seems the Evil God Started Helping People with a Black Smile~" https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2123do/