Stupid Heroes ~We Draft Candidates~ (WN): Chapter 8

 

Chapter 8: The Beginning of Academy Life

 It is a country with four distinct seasons. In October, snow begins to flutter in the air, and in November, the landscape changes to a monotone with the snow that has accumulated. After the middle of December, the winter cold gradually eases and buds begin to appear through the melting snow.

 Then, in January of the new year, spring weather envelops the area at once. It is so clear that it seems as if something is controlling it. No one thinks so, though.

 It's spring now. The season for school has arrived.

 The celebrations to welcome the New Year are over, people have settled down, and life has returned to normal on the 10th. That is the day of the entrance ceremony at the Academy. The entrance ceremony is held every year, but this year was different from usual.

 The most conspicuous difference is the dark-eyed, dark-haired students who make up one-third of the new students. These students, whose appearance is rare in this world, are the hero candidates who were summoned from another world.

 And if you look around the venue, you can see knights here and there in armor and helmets that are not appropriate for school. The children of families of a certain status are sent to the school from various countries to welcome the hero candidates. They are their escorts.

 The entrance ceremony is held in a very formal atmosphere. The students who are not directly involved in the ceremony are the ones who can't stand it.

"I guess it failed."

 One of the students who had been admitted to the school muttered to himself.

"……What?"

 The silver-haired male student sitting next to him thought at first that he was talking to himself, but when he saw that the student's gaze was on him, he knew it wasn't so and returned the question.

"Enrollment in this generation"

"Ah, in this atmosphere. I'm worried if I can study calmly."

"That's right. I thought it was an opportunity to get to know the children of influential people."

 In order to determine the hero candidates, children of influential people from each country are enrolled. Even high-ranking people who they normally wouldn't be able to see.

"It's also an opportunity to get acquainted with the hero candidates."

“Well, yes. But, it doesn't mean that you can get acquainted with the hero candidates."

"Not really"

"……What do you mean?"

 The male student doesn't know what benefits there are for regular students to get acquainted with the heroes.

“Hero candidates can bring retainers or rather an assistant, with them when they graduate and goes to the country. Of course, if they are good enough to be recognized."

"If they get recognized?"

“You can work near the center of the country. If you are accepted there, you may have the opportunity to officially serve the country instead of being a hero."

"……I see"

 It certainly makes sense for those who have the ambition to work at the center of the national government.

"Well, if you're good enough."

"That's true. Are you going for it?"

"Me? No way"

"Then how did you get that information?"

 To the male student, the story just now is not something that a new student can know.

"I just heard it naturally. I'm a church member."

"I see"

 The boy who heard the explanation showed mixed emotions on his face.

“…Is the church still hated?”

"That's not true. No, it's not."

 The boy instantly became more reserved when he learned that he was a member of the church. Even if he doesn't hate him, he knows that he doesn't want to get along with him.

“I don’t need that kind of concern. I'm a member of the church, but I'm just doing church work as a live-in worker."

"Ha?"

"I'm just getting a job at the church."

"What? Then you should have said so from the beginning."

 When he learned that he was just a worker, not a priest or a church knight, his attitude returned. In the church country, there are many people who earn money from church work. It's the same as ordinary people.

"It would be strange if I explained all the details out of the blue."

"That's right... I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Mike Ressel."

"...You have a surname?"

 Commoners do not have last names. That means the student is not commoner.

"Yeah. But I'm not a nobleman or a knight. My family runs a business. I bought it with the money I made. Family status."

"Heh"

 It was the first time he heard that one could buy a family name. He doesn't want to buy one though.

"You are?"

"I'm Ren. My family works as a grave keeper at the cemetery in the church."

"...Does that mean you live near the cemetery?"

 Listening to Ren's self-introduction, Mike frowned.

"Because I'm a grave keeper."

"Aren't you scared?"

"Eh, are you scared?"

"...I'm not scared"

 If he wasn't afraid, he wouldn't ask people if they were afraid. Mike is afraid of the cemetery.

"I pushed myself too hard. Well, I'm used to it. If you stay in that kind of environment all the time, you won't mind."

"Is that the way it is?"

"That's the way it is."

 It is common knowledge in this world that people from other worlds have black eyes and black hair. Mike didn't notice that Ren, who had silver hair and amber eyes, was from another world. As far as one looks around, it doesn't seem like there are many silver hairs, but it's much more natural than black hairs.

 Even at this academy, Ren chose to erase his uniqueness.

◇◇◇

 After the entrance ceremony in the auditorium is over, the students are divided into their respective classes and go to their rooms.

 The school decided on the division of classes, but it's easy to see how they did it. First of all, the hero candidates are ranked according to the superiority of their talents and divided into three classes. The top students were placed in Class A, the next in Class B, and the last in Class C.

 After that, the other students were ranked according to their country of origin and status. The people from the major countries and royalty were placed in Class A. As a result, Class A was the best class and Class C was the least capable class.

 The disparity is based on the talent possessed. The rule in this world is also applied to the academy.

 But inequality isn't the only reason for doing so. The church has a clear will that those with high ability should be associated with great power.

 As a result of such classification. Naturally, Yuya, Shizuru, Mei, and Jin will gather in Class A.

“Shizuru, it’s been a while.”

 Mei nostalgically called out to Shizuru.

"Yes, it has been a while. How have you been?"

"I'm fine. I haven't seen Shizuru for a year."

"Did you all see each other?"

 Mei's way of saying this indicates this.

“I only see them once in a while. Yuya and Jin used to see each other often, right?”

"Yeah. Because we often practiced swords together."

 The two of them are both trained by a church knight. The training was often done in the same place, the training grounds of the Church Knights.

"Oh, I see. I was never allowed out of the monastery due to training."

"...Training. What kind of training was it?"

“Training light-attribute magic. Other than that, I do cleaning and laundry. I did all kinds of work."

“…Isn’t that just being overworked?”

 It wasn't that she was being overworked. She was just living a life as a nun.

"To learn the spirit of service. I was taught that it was the gateway to sainthood."

"I felt both convinced and deceived."

 Mei, who had received special treatment, felt that Shizuru's life, which was no different from others, was like being cheated.

"That's terrible. The Director is a splendid person. I think that she is suitable for a saint."

“After all, what is a saint?”

 This was the question of all four of them after Shizuru was given the title. They know the hero and the great mage. But what is a saint? Not only the four of them, but all the summoned students didn't have the answer.

 Shizuru opened his mouth while hesitating a little at Mei's question.

"...A being who devotes both body and soul"

"Eh?"

"The Director said that's one way to be. But that's not all."

"What do you mean?"

 Shizuru's explanation didn't give the answer Mei was looking for.

"What is a saint? The answer is different for everyone, so I have to find what is a saint for me. That, I am told, is the most important training for me."

"It's kind of like being a sage."

"Maybe that's what it means to be a saint."

"That's true."

 Saints and sages are the same. Mei thought that her own words, which she said randomly, were not wrong. However, what the saint is remains a mystery.

"How was Mei?"

"I'm just practicing magic. Lectures and practical skills from morning to night. Well, it was hard."

"And?"

"I feel like I've done it well. I've mastered most of the four-element attribute magic."

 The entire classroom was abuzz when Mei said these words. The fact that she can handle multiple attributes and has mastered all of them at an intermediate level at her age is unbelievable to the people of this world.

 This made Mei's reputation soar from the very beginning.

"I feel like I'm being left behind."

"How is Shizuru doing with magic?"

"I'm still a beginner"

"I see……"

 Mei mastered basic magic without much practice. In her mind, she was astonished by Shizuru's words.

“The Director says that there is only a few light attribute magic in the first place, so I should master it carefully. Even with healing, depending on your proficiency, the consumption of mana and effect will be different.”

"Is that so?"

 After hearing Shizuru's explanation, Mei was clearly surprised this time.

"Eh? Isn't that so?"

"I was told to master all magic..."

“I wonder if the teaching method differs depending on the attribute? And it might be because there are so many.”

 Magic was taught differently. Shizuru considered it a difference in attributes.

"I guess so. What about Yuya and Jin? Did you learn light attribute magic?"

"Yeah. I've mastered it."

"Eh?"

 Even though they have the same attribute, the magic they master is completely different. Shizuru is surprised by Yuya's words.

"Because there are few."

“…What about Jin?”

"I'm a beginner, but I've heard that there are only beginner and advanced levels of light attribute magic."

 Jin was at the same level as Shizuru.

"Suddenly you're advanced."

"Even though it's advanced, it's just about expanding the effective range. Area Heal, Area Cure Poison, etc. Other than that, it's about attack magic, Holy arts."

"What is Holy Arts?"

 Shizuru was not taught advanced magic at all. As expected, Jin seems to be a little ahead of her.

"A wide range of light attack magic. Especially effective against undead."

"...It's a magic that I heard somewhere."

"Is that so?"

"Well, but does Yuya have anything left to learn at the academy?"

 He has already mastered the magic. Then, what will he learn at the academy?

"The academy is all about building connections. At least when it comes to swords, I don't think there is a teacher who surpasses my master."

"You can say that. Me too. I don't think there is a teacher who surpasses the mages' deputy commander."

 Neither Yuya nor Mei had any intention of studying at the academy.

"If you say that, it's rude to the teachers."

"Shizuru. We are special beings. You don't need to worry about such small things."

"...Yuya?"

"Yes. I'll do my training after I get home. School is a distraction."

“Mei?”

“Shizuru, talent is everything in this world. We have special talents. We have the right to be treated accordingly."

“I see… does Jin think so too?”

"I'm different from the other two. In this world, people are discriminated by their talents just as they are discriminated by their status. It's that kind of world."

“…………”

 The friends she hadn't seen in a while were all a little different. Yuya and Mei were clearly conceited. On the other hand, Jin was feeling inferior to them. Neither of these changes made Shizuru happy.

 Discrimination based on talent. Shizuru, who had been confined to the monastery all this time, had yet to witness this world.

◇◇◇

 In terms of disparity, Class C is the lowest. It was Ren's class.

 The hero candidates in Class C are all students who have no prospect of becoming heroes. They are only as talented as the people of this world with a little color added. But, unfortunately, the Academy is a school where talented people gather from all over the country, and no one envies the talent of Class C hero candidates.

 At first, they were summoned from another world, so the students were flocking to listen to the story, but as they listened to the story of titles and so on, they realized that they were not that different from themselves, and the wave seemed to recede.

 In just a few minutes, the special view turned into a look of contempt.

"They're normal, even if they're a hero candidate?"

“It's because it's Class C. That means we've got a near-normal pool of hero candidates."

 Ren answered Mike's question without showing that he himself was a hero candidate.

"You mean dropout class?"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration. The others are not hero candidates, but most of them are general enrollment. General enrollment means they are the best and brightest, right?"

 The general enrollment students are those who have passed the exams based on their abilities and entered the school without money or connections. It can be said that they are quite excellent.

"I entered the school with money and connections. Isn't that the case with Ren?"

 Mike is not.

"I have connections, too. I'm far from good."

 And, of course, Ren is also different.

"...Could it be that the two of us are failures?"

"Apparently, maybe so."

"But why did Ren go to the academy? Does being a grave keeper require studying?"

 Mike believes Ren entered the school through church connections.

"That's terrible. But I don't need to study."

"Then what do you want to learn?"

"Sword and magic."

"Heh?"

 Mike didn't think that sword and magic were the skills needed to be a grave keeper.

"Gravekeeping isn't just about cleaning cemeteries. Especially in my place, we do spiritual work."

"What do you mean by [spiritual work]?"

"I do a lot of work with spirits, sending spirits who are staying in this world to heaven. It's the same thing, but forcibly sending spirits that are causing problems."

 Treatment of spirits that have become evil spirits. Ren does that sort of thing too.

"And the sword?"

"Swords, or rather magic, are rarely needed, but when the undead appear, we deal with them."

 The undead have physical bodies, not spirit bodies like spirits. Their weakness is fire attribute magic or light attribute magic.

"Ugh. Are you going to fight the undead? It's creepy, isn't it?"

"I haven't seen it yet. I can't fight, so I can't go to places where undead appear."

"Yeah, that's true. That's what you're trying to learn."

"Yes. Swords and magic. Magic is effective against the undead if you can acquire fire or light attributes."

"...Do you have talent?"

 If you don't have a talent such as a special skill, you can't use it in the true sense. It's common knowledge that everyone in this world knows.

"No."

"Oi!"

"It's not like I'm going to defeat them alone. To put it in an extreme way, I just need to have the power to escape when I encounter an undead."

"Oi"

"Running away sounds bad, but it's to warn people that the undead are out there. Defeating them is the job of the Knights, the Mages, or the Adventurers."

"...I see. But that's scary to think about. They live so close to the cemetery that they could show up at any time, right?"

"I'm still learning about this area, but it's not uncommon for the undead to appear in cemeteries. Most of the undead are born when someone intentionally creates them. The rest are born when they are left out in the open for a long time, and resentment and unresolved feelings are transferred to the corpse. The latter is not possible in a cemetery that is cleaned every day.”

"...Then why?"

“The cemetery is not the only place of work. Sometimes we go to places other than cemeteries on request."

"Eh? By request, are you by any chance in the adventurer's guild?"

"I'm in the guild for the time being to get a job, but I only accept nomination requests."

"You..."

 Guild nomination request. The guild's request for a mission is naturally made to the most qualified adventurers. Mike's eyes on Ren changed.

"No, that's not it. It's not that I'm a good adventurer, it's that I have a occupation as a necromancer. There are only a few people who have that occupation. Originally, the old woman was the only one who could do it, but she's getting old, so I've decided to do the easy jobs.”

"Yes. Gravekeepers also need talent."

"If it's just a grave keeper's job, it's more convenient to have one. But even merchants have special skills."

"There are various special skills."

"Eloquence, charm, illusion, and......"

"You. That sounds like a swindler."

"Was it wrong?"

“…Similar. But there is no illusion. A merchant sells a good product."

"Well. Ah, a connoisseur."

"Oh, that. That's important."

"...Well, I don't have it."

"Connoisseur is an acquired skill. It's something you acquire with experience."

 Skills are acquired through training and experience. It is called an acquired skill. It is the opposite of the innate skill that you have since you were born.

"I kind of get it. So what do you end up learning?"

“The specialties of each country. Logistics, product management.”

"...Isn't that general education?"

 General education at the academy includes mathematics, history, and practical classes such as accounting and political science. However, it is a way of choosing something that will be useful to as many students as possible, and there is no specialized class that Mike wants.

“I study by myself from the books in the library. The library has quite a collection of books."

"I see"

“And make connections.”

"It means a future business partner."

"Yes"

"If that's the case, it's correct to choose this generation. Children of influential people from each country are gathered. All of them are A class."

"...Yes. That's a miscalculation."

"Well, if we're in the same grade, there's a chance we'll get to know each other."

"We have three years. It's only the first day. It's just the beginning."

"Yeah. It's still the first day."

 From that first day, contrary to Ren's wish, everything around him became noisy.

 After the first day of classes, the students were getting ready to leave. One female student appeared at the entrance of the classroom, running down the hallway. Lightly out of breath, she looks around the Class C classroom.

“Hey, Ren. She's a great beauty. And with dark hair, she must be a hero candidate."

 Mike says this to Ren without knowing anything about it. Ren lightly brushed it off and remained motionless with his back turned to Shizuru.

"Look at her too. She's quite pretty...... huh?"

"What?"

"She's coming this way. Is this a good chance to get closer to her?"

"...Okay, Mike. Go for it."

 Ren tried to leave after saying this, but there was no way Shizuru would allow it.

"Ren!"

"Eh!? Ren's acquaintance?"

“Wrong person…… is it impossible to say that?”

 Shizuru knows Ren in his current appearance. He's exactly what he looked like when they first met.

"Ren……"

"What do you want from me?"

(TN: Ren used "Boku" here.)

 Ren coldly asked Shizuru who was staring at him.

"You still call yourself that?"

"It's up to me how I call myself."

"That's right, but……"

 Shizuru looks depressed at Ren's attitude, which hasn't changed from before.

"Hey, Ren. Don't say such cold words to a beautiful woman."

"Mike. Beautiful doesn't matter in this case."

“Then, how about being cold to women?”

"...That's correct. But this is not the time to discuss it. Tojo-san, what do you want?"

"Ah... I just want to see Ren."

"Eh!? What? Ren and... who?"

 Mike was shocked by Shizuru's statement. The words "I just want to Ren" don't come out in a normal relationship. At least Mike thought so.

"My name is Shizuru."

"Shizuru. That's a nice name."

"……Thank you"

"So Ren and Shizuru are lovers?"

"That's wrong."

 Ren immediately denied Mike's misunderstanding.

"Then how do you know the hero candidate?"

"...Haa, I didn't want to say it. It's Tojo-san's fault."

 Ren let out a sigh. His eyes are lightly glaring at Shizuru.

"……I'm sorry."

"What's going on?"

"I'm from another world too. Tojo-san and I are acquaintances in another world."

"What!?"

 Mike's surprised voice was accompanied by the surprised voices of the other students. The same is true for the Hero candidates. Many students were unaware of Ren.

"...You don't have black eyes and black hair, right?"

“Not all people from the other world have black eyes and black hair. There are people from other countries who have blonde hair, brown hair, and so on.

“…But only Ren.”

“I was born to parents in a different country. I inherited this hair and eyes from my father. They call me half."

"Half..."

 In this world, half is a child born between different races. Mike's eyes widened even more.

“Both of my parents are humans. Humans in this world. Elves and demons don’t exist in the other world. In the other world, the human race is further divided by physical characteristics."

"Ah, I see... you mean you tried to trick me?"

 Ren hid the fact that he was from another world. And Mike complains.

"Well. That's right. There is a reason for that."

"What?"

"I've declared from the beginning that I'm not going to be a hero. This is something that all the other hero candidates know."

"……Is that so?"

 Mike turned the question towards Shizuru. Because he thought that if Ren was right, she would know as well.

"Yes. Ren certainly said that he won't become a hero."

 And, of course, Shizuru affirmed Ren's explanation.

"I see"

"...Why honorifics?"

"It's a courtesy to a beautiful woman."

"Beautiful is unnecessary. Anyway, that's why I'm not a hero candidate. I decided to live in this world as an ordinary person, not in that position."

"...Hmm"

 Mike still doesn't seem convinced.

“The reason I enrolled in the academy is because the bishop insisted. Well, there's no harm in enrolling."

 Seeing that, Ren adds further explanation. He doesn't care what Mike thinks of him, but it's an action to make people around him realize that he's not a hero candidate.

"That's true."

“I don’t want to be seen as a hero candidate. That's why I identified myself as a member of the church who lives in the grave keeper's house.

"...I understand why. But that's not enough for me to forgive you."

"I don't need your forgiveness."

 It doesn't matter to Ren what Mike thinks.

"No, don't say that. Tell me you want me to forgive you."

 However, it seems that Mike is troubled.

"...What if I say that?"

“That’s right… a meal. I will forgive you if we can go have a meal with Shizuru-san."

 After some thought, Mike said this. In fact, he pretended to think about it. Mike was thinking about this when he said he would not forgive Ren.

"I don't need your forgiveness."

 Ren has no obligation to fulfill Mike's wishes.

"Ah, hey, Ren! That's not it!"

“If you want to go out to eat, you can just invite her, right?”

"That's right... um, Shizuru-san. Would you like to have a meal with me?"

"......If Ren is with you."

 Shizuru is better than Mike. She is trying to take advantage of this opportunity.

"Ren-kun. Let's go eat."

"Don't you have any pride?"

"No"

"...Then, just once. Mike's treat."

"Alright! Is Shizuru-san coming too?"

"Yes"

 There are only three classes in a school year. It does not take much time for an event that happens in one class to spread throughout the school year. Moreover, it is about Shizuru, who has the unique title of "Saint Egg" and is considered quite beautiful even in another world. It spread not only throughout the school year, but also throughout the academy.

 For Ren, it was the most annoying thing, but he couldn't come up with a way to prevent it.