Chapter 9: Can't Stop Feeling Depressed
Half of the classes at the Academy are devoted to practical skills. When it comes to practical skills, classes are meaningless. Those who have a talent for swords and those who have a talent for magic will learn different skills.
Those with both talents will have to think about how to distribute the classes. Of course, this is only for those who are eager to learn at the academy.
"Hey, is the sword class good?"
Shizuru is taking a magic class with Yuya. Jin and Mei are not here. Jin is taking a sword class and Mei is not planning to learn magic at the academy.
"I'm learning the sword properly from my master. I thought I'd only learn magic at school."
Yuya answers Shizuru's question. Yuya is the opposite of Mei. He does not intend to take classes in swordsmanship.
"But Jin is taking both sword and magic."
"Jin and I are different. I am, after all, the hero. I have a special skill that compensates for growth. I master them differently and at a different speed."
He boasts of being the hero. Recently, Yuya's comments are often like this. Shizuru does not like it.
"Since when did Yuya start looking down on Jin like that?"
"......That's not true. Jin is still my best friend."
"I don't think so."
There is something different from their previous relationship. Shizuru feels it.
"Shizuru too"
"I am what?"
“Shizuru, you should know your position properly.”
This time, Yuya warns Shizuru.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm saying you should choose your friends."
"...I don't understand what you mean."
Although Yuya was saying this in words, Shizuru knew what Yuya was saying.
"You know what I mean. What's the point of being friends with a dropout? In this world, talent is absolute. People with talent must live in a way that is appropriate for their talent. We should not associate with people without talent."
Shizuru couldn't agree with Yuya's statement.
"The Director doesn't say so."
“That Director is a bit of a heretic. I heard there was some discussion about entrusting Shizuru to her."
Yuya even criticized Shizuru's master.
"The Director is a wonderful person!"
Shizuru, annoyed by this, retorted in a loud voice. Anyway, Yuya's words and actions irritated Shizuru.
"Shizuru. I'm worried about you."
"I'm worried about you too. Somehow Yuya seems to be a different person."
"Position changes a person. If I have changed, it is only because of my awareness as a hero."
"...Enough"
"Shizuru!"
Shizuru couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with Yuya's words and actions which looked down on people. Recently, even just having a little conversation makes her feel uncomfortable and she can't help it.
And the choice Shizuru makes in such situations is.
"Ren" (蓮)
"...Now, it was Kanji. I have abandoned my old name. That kanji is not my name."
"Ren?" (レン)
"……That's fine"
"How do you know the difference?"
"Somehow"
That's a lie. He just guessed it from the flow of the conversation. The flow of the conversation was also created by him.
"What? I'm in class right now."
“It's okay if I take a practical class anywhere, right?”
"Does it have to be here?"
Practical skills are taught in mixed classes, but even so, each class is somehow divided. The place where Ren is, of course, where the Class C students are gathered.
However, Ren does not mean it in this way. He just doesn't like being around Shizuru.
"...Yuya is strange. So is Mei."
Unfortunately for Ren, Shizuru doesn't understand his feelings.
"During class"
"Listen. Once I finish chanting, I don't mind talking to you."
"Talented people say different things. But am I wrong?"
If you can't concentrate on your mana even while having a conversation, there is no way you can use it in battle. Ren showed an attitude of listening to Shizuru while concentrating on the mana circulating in his body.
"Can I talk?"
"Alright. Talk."
"He keeps talking down on people."
"Not in a condescending way, it's actually disrespectful."
"...That's right"
Yuya's mind definitely has the mindset of looking down on others.
"That's what they've been taught, isn't it? The Knight Commander and the Deputy Commander of the Mage Order, right?"
"Their two mentors."
Ren says Mei is the same as Yuya. Shizuru doesn't deny that either.
“The church is talent supremacy. The higher up you are, the more entrenched you are in it."
"Talent supremacy?"
"The idea that talent is absolute"
"It's not just the church."
It's not only the church. The students from other countries in the academy also have the same idea, Shizuru feels. The feeling is correct. That is the way of the world.
"I think it is the way of this world."
"What do you think, Ren?"
"I don't mean to deny it completely, because talent makes a clear difference. But it takes effort to develop talent. And talent isn't always so easy to find."
"I don't know about that last one."
Talent is easy to find. Shizuru thinks that talent is what is marked on the status board.
“The status board says I'm good with swords. Then it's telling you that don't have a talent for magic. The church can be said to have supremacy over the status board. They think that what is engraved on it is everything."
"Is it not?"
“Well. I wish it were different. Talent with a clear vision is no fun at all."
"I agree."
“Besides, the status board is a magical tool, made by man. It is strange to me that it can be considered an absolute."
"Ren hates people."
"No. People make mistakes. No one is perfect. That's what I mean."
"...That's right"
Mistakes. Shizuru's feelings were depressed by Ren's words. She remembered her past mistakes.
“Moreover, the mechanism of the status board seems to have been lost in our knowledge. You can make it, but you can't analyze it. Maybe that's why they think it's so great...... I'm not going to go any further. It's going to be a criticism of the Church."
"Sorry"
"It's nothing"
"You can use magic."
"...Why do you think so?"
Ren was shaken by Shizuru's sudden words. His face doesn't show it outwardly, though.
"Because your mana control is amazing. I can't believe it when you say you can't use it."
"Can you see the mana in my body?"
Ren cannot see it. He thought it was due to Shizuru's special talent.
"The opposite. Ren is supposed to be activating mana for activation, but it's not leaking out at all. That's how much complete control you have."
He was informed that not showing it was also considered superior.
"It's possible that I haven't activated it, right?"
"That's not true either. I can feel the pressure of mana when I'm this close to you. I can feel a lot of pressure from Ren right now."
He can't feel it. But Shizuru can feel other people's mana. This was unexpected information for Ren.
"...Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Can other people feel it?"
"I don't know the details, but if you're good at healing, you can definitely do it. I learned this so that when I use healing magic, I can feel the flow of the other person's mana."
"You can detect the flow of magic with healing?"
"If there is a disturbance in the flow of mana, there is something wrong with it. It's not all about the wounds you see."
"I see... can Katsuragi-san see it?"
There was no light attribute magic among Mei's aptitudes. Even so, Ren thought that Mei could do the same thing.
"Probably"
"I see……"
Shizuru's answer was as expected. It turns out that people who have an aptitude for light-attribute magic aren't the only ones to be wary of.
"Do you even want to hide that kind of thing?"
“I just don’t want to stand out. In that sense, I'm still having a hard time standing out."
"Why?"
"Why? You know, it's Tojo-san's fault that I stand out."
If one talks to Shizuru, who the male students admire, their gaze will naturally gather. That is also not a favorable gaze.
"...Call me Shizuru."
If he were to call her by her name in a more familiar manner, it would change their feelings from unfriendly to hostile. Shizuru does not understand this. She does not think about it.
“You make that kind of spoiled look again. I'm not saying you can't talk to me at all. But could you at least be as dignified as you normally are?"
"Eh?"
Shizuru didn't seem to have this awareness. She's surprised by Ren's words.
"You act like you're really twelve when we just met. We're actually eighteen or nineteen, not twelve."
"...Ren is the other person, so I don't have to worry about it either."
Even though she wasn't aware of it, she say things like this without hesitation. Anyone other than Ren would be overjoyed by these words. But the person she's talking to right now is Ren.
"Tojo-san, one of the fourth heavenly kings of Class A, and I, the dropout who was eliminated as a hero candidate in Class C. Why we get along so well is one of the seven wonders of the school."
"No way? But that's what I'm doing with Ren."
"Like I said... don't say anything strange even if it's a mistake. Even if it's to protect me. Better yet, I want you to say something about my weakness."
"I can't do that."
“This is a joke. If you really said it, I'd be in a lot of trouble."
"Ah……"
Shizuru reacts to Ren's words again.
"I'm not being bullied, and I don't see any signs of it. It's just that this world seems to be playing into more direct hands."
"Direct?"
"Like being challenged to a duel? And with your life on the line."
"...Another joke"
"This is a possibility. I'm not going to accept it, though."
"Then you're safe."
"......Why do you become silly when you talk to me?"
Neither sarcasm nor roundabout rejection will get through to Shizuru. And Ren is stunned.
"It's okay for a woman to be a little silly and cute."
"...Who said that?"
"Mike-san"
"That bastard"
There was someone right next to him who was stirring up Shizuru, which Ren was trying hard to keep away. And it's definitely half the fun.
“By the way, what about Mike-san?”
“Mike doesn’t intend to learn magic. He's only going to learn swordsmanship for self-defense."
"So he's in sword class?"
"No, I think he's self-studying today. He should be in the library. He told me to come over after the practical class."
"I see you two are close."
Shizuru said to Ren with a big smile. Ren couldn't understand why Shizuru was so happy.
"What?"
"Because I'm happy that Ren can make friends."
"He's not my friend. And the way you say that. Tojo-san, you think you're my mother?"
"…………"
Furthermore, Shizuru responds to the word "mother". For Ren, this word is troublesome and unpleasant before attracting his attention, but Shizuru does not understand.
"That's something you don't have to worry about."
"Sorry"
"No need to apologize"
"May I go too?"
And even when she's depressed, she quickly returns to being impudent, which irritates Ren.
"... Let me ask you, where to?"
"Library"
"Alone?"
"Um, maybe."
"Maybe. Also, I wonder if the other four heavenly kings will follow us around again, and we will be sarcastic all the time."
He had already experienced this. The only one who complains is exclusively Yuya, but he knows that even if the other two don't come, Yuya will definitely follow.
"……Sorry"
“You don’t have to apologize. If you say you don't care, then I want you to be more thoroughly uncaring."
"...I will."
“If you can come alone, go ahead. Mike will be happy. I mean, he'd be pissed if he knew I said no."
"Yes"
"...So act a little more mature."
The Seven Wonders that Ren speaks of may be an exaggeration, but the two of them have been the subject of quite a few rumors within the academy.
One of the reasons for this is the spoiled attitude of Shizuru towards Ren. It is hard to believe for most of the male students, but from the side, it seems that Shizuru is more interested in Ren than Ren. Moreover, Ren is also not pleased but annoyed by it.
It would be strange if they didn't find it strange.
In fact, some of the female students of the hero candidates think that the two of them are a good match. Ren's appearance is not bad, except that he is rather small and looks young, which some of the female students think is cute, but it is better.
But to the people of this world, everything else becomes meaningless simply because the talents are not balanced. In fact, none of the students know about Ren's talent.
In any case, Ren's plan to lead a low-profile academy life was thwarted as soon as he entered the school.
Then, why did Shizuru show her fondness for Ren without hiding it? There is actually a cause for that.
After the practical magic class was over, Shizuru eventually followed Ren straight to the library. She knew that once she returned to the classroom, Yuya and Mei would follow her.
What was waiting for them there was the cause of Shizuru's impatience.
"Ren! I've been waiting!"
"Huh? You've come again?"
"Because Luna is bored when I'm alone.."
It was the existence of the spirit Luna. Naturally, Ren didn't tell Shizuru that Luna was a spirit. That's what makes things troublesome.
"...Luna-chan, you came."
"Yeah. I've come."
"...Can't you wait until Ren gets home?"
Sarcasm suddenly flew out of Shizuru's mouth.
"Luna is with Ren at home and at school."
To which Luna responds with a provocation.
"...Why don't you just put up with it when you're at home?"
More sarcasm. But this sarcasm is not offensive.
"Fufu. Jealous."
"…………"
With Luna's words, on the contrary, Shizuru is subdued.
"My win"
"…………"
"Luna. There's no such thing as winning or losing, is there?"
"It's just as Ren says. She's just no match."
Luna further hits Shizuru. She is always like this. The appearance of her powerful rival makes Shizuru impatience and draws out her aggressiveness.
For Shizuru, Luna's presence is nothing but a threat. Luna is so beautiful that Shizuru, who is said to be beautiful, feels defeated. Moreover, with her silver hair and amber eyes, she and Ren look so much alike that they could almost be brother and sister.
Ren introduces Luna to Mike as his sister, and Mike doesn't doubt it at all. That is how natural it is to see the two of them side by side.
And what shocks Shizuru more than anything else.
"I'm going to study with Mike, so I won't be going home yet."
"It's fine. Luna will study too."
"I see"
Ren is talking to Luna using "ore". She has a sense of regret that Luna has taken away that privilege that used to be hers alone over the past year.
In fact, the only time Ren talked to Shizuru was for a very short period of time during the first year of middle school. Moreover, it wasn't that special for Ren, but because there were no other girls near him, Shizuru thought she was special.
"You guys are too close. Even in this world, siblings can't get married."
Mike teased them about their closeness.
"Idiot. Why are you talking about marriage?"
"That's how close you both are. But it's not right to do that in front of Shizuru-san, is it?"
"Why?"
“You insensitive. No, you're not fooling around, are you? If so, that's terrible. If you are not interested, you should tell her that you are not interested. If you do that, I bet Shizuru-san will look at another man."
"Such as?"
Knowing the answer, Ren is asking Mike this.
"Like me."
"No chance"
"No way..."
He responds to the expected answer with the words he has prepared, and the response is as expected.
“That kind of joke is good. So what is it that you called me up here for? Or are we just going to study?"
"For the time being, I have something to talk about."
"I see. What?"
"That's……"
He questioned, but Mike hesitates to speak.
"Did you want to talk to me alone?"
This is the only possible cause for that.
"Ah, well then, I"
Shizuru also notices and tries to leave her seat.
"No, it's not that. It's just that Ren is so secretive that it's hard for me to make a decision."
"I'm not that secretive. Then, talk. I'll stop you if the content seems dangerous."
"Then, let me ask. Are you sure you don't want to become a hero?"
"I don't want to"
"I see"
"Why are you asking me that?"
Mike's question was quite surprising. Ren doesn't know why Mike wants to know.
"You seem to be getting a lot of attention."
"Yeah, I'm feeling it a little."
Ren's gaze naturally turned to Shizuru. Shizuru's face turns slightly red and she turns her head down. She is aware that she is quite aggressive, after all.
"That's not it. No, that's not the reason, you know?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're being probed."
"……By whom?"
"Three people contacted me. They didn't name who or where they are, but I recognized them right away. An apprentice knight from the Luine Kingdom, an aide of the son of the Knight Commander of the Lemberg Empire, and an aide of the princess of the Izrim Magic Kingdom."
Officials of the three major powers. It is the kind of information that would make an ordinary hero candidate soar.
"It's also all influential people. So what are they looking for?"
“First of all, talent. Actual ability. And also, who you are."
"It's a background check. But why me? Oh, is it Tojo-san?"
"Shizuru."
Even at a time like this, she will not forget this obsession. She wants to be as close to him like Luna as possible.
"...Troublesome. I understand, Shizuru. In other words, they suspected that something was wrong with Shizuru who approached me."
"I thought so too."
"Look. I stand out, you know?"
"......But it's good that people like that are interested in you. I wonder if...... are they looking into me too?"
It was a statement made with confidence like he was one of the top hero candidates.
"It's not."
"Eh?"
However, it was flatly denied by Ren.
“Shizuru's talent is well known, and they didn't need to hear it again. Even if they didn't, they would put off their investigation of the four heavenly kings."
"Is that so?"
"The first thing they will do is to search for bargains. Once they find them, they immediately enclose them in their own country. Once they have done that, they then hide their abilities from the rest of the world so that no one else can find them."
"……Ren"
Ren is the one who hides his power. However, this is Shizuru's misunderstanding.
"Because I'm different"
"Yes... but it's a little early to be trying to surround themselves with people who had just enrolled."
"You know you're going to be bid when you graduate, right? It's better to be bid alone, right?"
"That's true."
"That's why. Hero candidates don't have the right to be reversed bid."
You have to go to the highest bidder. It's like a market auction.
"...I knew it. The country gets to decide regardless of our will."
"Yes. The best candidates are likely to get multiple bids. Well, the national power will determine most winners, but not without a contingency. That's why you want to make sure you have a second choice in case you lose."
"Hey, what about the idea that the chosen hero can take their friends with them?"
How to get to the country of your choice. This is one of them. It's only if they accept them, but Shizuru has no assumption that they won't be accepted.
"......Don't tell anyone about this. If you tell someone, it could get troublesome."
"I won't tell."
"The only ones who can be taken there are the candidates who were not nominated. The nominated and successful bid must go to the country from which he or she won the bid."
"…………"
"To put it simply, the four heavenly kings will never go to the same country."
"I see……"
Shizuru's idea was rejected by Ren.
"And actually, there's a chance it's better not to be chosen than to be chosen halfway."
"Eh?"
“It would be better to follow a hero who was bid by a large country than to be bid by a small poor country, right?”
“…That’s true.”
"Well, everyone has different values, and some people would prefer to have a small country to choose from."
"I do"
"It's better to leave those feelings behind."
"Why?"
"I can't tell you why. Rather than going to a small country, I recommend staying in the church country."
“…As expected, Ren knows something, right?”
Since he was making such a clear statement, he had to have a basis for it. That is what Shizuru asked.
"Everyone should know the importance of information. Even though they should know, they don't ask for it. Everyone has the confidence to live as a hero. I don't have confidence, so I refuse it and get information. That's the difference."
"…………"
What Ren said was not an answer to Shizuru's question, but a sarcastic comment about the hero candidates, including Shizuru.
"I'm done talking about this. So, Mike. What was their reaction?"
"Discouraged? Your occupation is a necromancer. Ah, I told them that."
"No problem. On the contrary, you did very well."
No country would think of recruiting a necromancer to their country. As for Ren, who has no intention of becoming a hero, he is more than happy they will lose interest in him.
"But their suspicion is not completely cleared. At least not from the Izrim Magic Kingdom."
"Why?"
"They're on to something. I just didn't know what it was."
“Did they have any questions that they were curious about......?"
What does the other person know As for Ren, he's quite curious. It is a sign of his failure.
"One question I don't quite understand"
"That is?"
"What has Ren been doing for the past year? They even asked me that."
"……I see what you mean."
Mike's story gave Ren a rough idea of what they were getting at.
"Oh, you have an idea?"
"Two things."
"What are they?"
"I can't tell you the other one. The other is probably work. It's possible that they know I'm working."
Ren is a bit of a celebrity in the guild. Even Ren is aware of it.
“…You were hiding that too, weren’t you?”
"We talked about it, right?"
He told Mike that he was an adventurer.
"I didn't think that it's a job that would attract the interest of a major power."
He has certainly heard that he works in the guild. But Mike thought he only worked as a necromancer. And Mike knows that that alone won't interest the major powers.
"...I don't think it's interesting. Is it the work of slaying spirits?"
"What else could I do?"
"Even if it was, there's no way the guild would have let it slip. Maybe..."
Guild confidentiality is pretty strict. Not just for adventurers, but also for guild staff. But, after all, they are people. Ren reconsidered that he should not trust the living.
"That's the same as saying you're doing it."
"Suppose. But even if it's a misunderstanding, it's still a hassle. I don't like people probing me."
"Everybody does."
“I'm not sure I can do anything about it. Is that all you have to say? If so, I'm leaving."
"Ha?"
Mike was puzzled by Ren's abrupt announcement that he was leaving.
"Is there anything?"
"No, there's nothing more."
"I see. See you tomorrow. Luna, let's go."
"Ah!"
Before long, Ren took Luna and left the library. The two of them looked on in amazement as they walked away.
"...As expected. Even my inexperienced connoisseur can tell."
"What?"
"Ren is a bargain."
"That's right. Ren seems to be hiding a lot of things."
“Even Shizuru-san doesn’t know his true ability?”
"If I tell that, Ren will get angry."
"In short?"
“Perhaps Ren has more mana than I do. He has special skills that compensate for his magic, so he's better than me."
"...Is that so?"
"I'm sure there's more. But Ren won't show it."
"...Is there a country that notices that? So that's how it is. It's going to make life at the academy a little more interesting."
"Yes"
When the two people are having such a conversation. Ren had eavesdropped on the conversation. Not because of a human spirit. This is Luna's power as a moon spirit.
"That talkative woman. Why is she so light-mouthed?"
"That's the extent of her."
"Luna is very hard on Shizuru."
Many people's common impression of Shizuru is that she is serious and gentle. But Luna is not like that.
"She's just a woman who wants it."
Jealousy isn't the only reason for Luna's bad feelings toward Shizuru. It is Shizuru who is jealous in the first place.
"I understand that. Even though she seems to like me, in the end, she likes herself."
"Exactly. I know it very well."
"I've forgiven her so far, but I think it's time to push her away, even if it's by force."
"On the contrary, you can make her your plaything and do your bidding."
"Oh? Luna, don't say anything too extreme."
It's pretty uncomfortable words to come out of the pretty Luna's mouth. But Ren's reaction was not so much.
"Luna can't give Ren that kind of pleasure. That's why we need such an existence."
"I'm fine now. She doesn't seem to have that kind of desire now that her body has been rejuvenated."
"Then, in a little while..."
For some reason, Luna was very active in searching to relieve Ren's sexual desire.
"...Well, we'll figure it out then. But more importantly, we need to be more vigilant. Can you widen your detection range?"
"If Ren can help me."
“Of course. We'll cover the cemetery perimeter."
"What about constant search?"
Always explore your surroundings. Luna has the power to do this. It is not a power unique to Luna, but something that any spirit can do, whether it be in a wide or narrow range.
"It's like a bush snake"
"A bush snake?"
“To pick at the bushes and let the snakes come out. It means to do something unnecessary and get a bad result. It is not normal to be constantly on the lookout for things around you. In fact, it makes you suspicious."
"Indeed."
Ren's growth in the past year greatly exceeded Shizuru's imagination.
In particular, when it comes to concealment skills, which Ren desires, he has excelled with Luna's power, the spirit of the moon, and spirit magic in his hands.
However, this is only part of Ren's ability.
thanks for the chapter
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