–Back to the present.
On this day, most of the faculty at the Magic Academy had been summoned to the royal capital, resulting in the cancellation of all classes from the fourth period onwards, starting after 2 PM.
After the third period ended, Alphonse Fried headed to the academy cafeteria to have lunch.
The Crawford Magic Academy cafeteria serves meals from morning to evening, allowing students and faculty to visit at their convenience.
Although it can be used at any time, most teachers and students typically use the cafeteria during the ninety-minute lunch break scheduled after the second period, which ends at noon.
Here’s a translation of your story into English, keeping the original tone as close as possible while ensuring it’s easy and simple to read with correct grammar:
As a result, while the cafeteria would be crowded up to the second floor during lunch break, there were few students using it when Alphonse visited after the third period. Many empty seats could be seen.
During busy times, it’s necessary to secure a seat before ordering food at the counter, but Alphonse confirmed that wasn’t necessary now and headed straight for the cafeteria counter.
“I’d like stew and bread, steamed sweet potato and sausage, and vegetable soup, please.”
“Certainly.”
When Alphonse ordered from the cook at the counter, the cook nodded and stepped back into the kitchen.
Meals in the school cafeteria are provided free of charge to students and faculty. Students and teachers order their meals at the counter and receive their ordered food without any monetary exchange.
“Thank you for waiting.”
After Alphonse waited briefly in front of the counter, the cook brought out a tray loaded with dishes.
“Thank you very much.”
Thanking the cook with a bow, Alphonse took the tray and left the counter. He placed the tray on a nearby long table and sat down.
Then,
“…Tch.”
A click of the tongue was heard from across the table, a few seats away.
“?”
Puzzled, Alphonse looked in the direction of the sound. There, a male student with greenish-blonde hair was glaring at Alphonse with obvious displeasure as he stood up roughly.
“Ah, sorry–“
Before Alphonse could finish speaking, the male student irritatedly picked up his own tray and left his seat.
Seeing this, Alphonse grimaced, thinking, “Oh no.”
The male student with the slightly spiky hair was Dezel Evans, a classmate from Year 2 Class A.
He was one of a group who habitually disliked Alphonse and talked behind his back loud enough for him to hear.
Alphonse, of course, knew this, having been the subject of their gossip just the other day after a mock battle in class.
“(Of course he’d hate it if I sat nearby… I’ve been quite insensitive…)”
Feeling guilty towards Dezel, Alphonse deeply regretted internally, “(I should have checked properly before sitting down.)”
“…Itadakimasu.”
With a bitter expression, Alphonse began to eat his lunch, his head slightly bowed.
The greenish-blonde male student, Dezel Evans from Year 2 Class A.
He always moves in a group of four with other students from the same class.
This group of four shares a common hostility towards Alphonse Fried, having formed a clique at the beginning of their enrollment. They are a group of four who boast top grades within their year.
While they aren’t particularly close friends who know each other well, the four are classmates with a common enemy, spending a lot of time together. It’s as if people with similar hobbies become friends, or those with the same aspirations form a circle.
Dezel, who spends his days acting with this group, was planning to go to the cafeteria with his usual members today, but the other three were delayed due to submitting an assignment, so Dezel visited the cafeteria alone first.
“(… It’s quite empty after the third period.)”
After confirming the sparsely populated cafeteria, Dezel decided there was no need to save seats for the other members and sat down at a convenient seat near the counter.
While Dezel was waiting for the other three to join him,
“…Tch.”
The face he least wanted to see in this school appeared in the cafeteria.
None other than Alphonse Fried.
The moment he saw Alphonse’s face, Dezel unconsciously frowned and clenched his teeth hard.
Dezel still hasn’t forgotten a certain remark Alphonse made two years ago, and the humiliation he felt at that time.
Dezel kept glaring at Alphonse as he walked through the cafeteria with his tray, but Alphonse, unaware of him, sat down at the same table as Dezel.
“…Tch.”
“Ah, sorry–“
Dezel clicked his tongue, not bothering to hide his irritation, and stood up glaring at Alphonse, taking his own tray and leaving his seat.
Alphonse seemed to be saying something, but Dezel left the place without listening at all.
Sitting down again at a seat two tables away, Dezel resumed waiting for the three he was supposed to meet.
As Dezel was moving his foot up and down as if to calm his irritation, soon the three he was waiting for visited the cafeteria. After receiving their trays at the counter, the three found Dezel, and the four joined up.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“…Yeah.”
“…? You seem to be in a bad mood. We weren’t that late, were we?”
“Ah, no. I’m not angry at you guys. It’s just…”
“Just?”
“…I just saw a face that makes me sick to my stomach.”
“?”
As Dezel frowned and looked in a certain direction, the other three followed his gaze.
“Ah, I see.”
One of them, seeming to understand the situation, nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. I was sitting at that table until a moment ago, but that guy came and sat right next to me. That’s why I moved here.”
Dezel said in an extremely hateful tone.
“Huh? Is he doing it on purpose?”
“Doesn’t he realize how much he’s disliked? There’s a limit to being insensitive.”
“Well, that’s why he’s always eating alone.”
“Heh, you’re right.”
“He’s completely different from the great hero who’s loved by the whole world, haha.”
As if resonating with Dezel’s negative emotions, the other three also started making snide remarks about Alphonse.
It seemed that speaking ill of Alphonse made them feel quite good, as the three burst into laughter.
“…”
Perhaps hearing their conversation, Alphonse’s expression visibly soured.
Seeing this, Dezel inwardly sneered, “(Serves him right.)”
…While Dezel and his friends are talking about Alphonse in a mocking manner, in reality, Alphonse Fried’s abilities are not something to be made light of.
Of course, the male students making fun of Alphonse are also students in Class A of the magic academy, and they undoubtedly possess top-class abilities within their year.
Even so, there is an absolute difference in ability between Alphonse Fried, who holds the S-class title proving his outstanding talent while being ranked second in the academy, and the other male students.
Even if they were to attack him in a group, Alphonse wouldn’t need more than ten seconds to defeat them.
Naturally, the male students mocking Alphonse are well aware of this difference in ability.
Despite understanding this difference in ability, half the reason why Dezel and his friends behave in a way that insults Alphonse is… pure “jealousy.”
Firstly, Alphonse Fried is blessed with good looks.
With beautiful blonde hair and shining blue eyes, pale skin, and a well-proportioned figure, he is a pretty boy acknowledged by everyone.
Moreover, he is blessed with a noble lineage.
The “great hero” or “hero of salvation” that frequently appears in Dezel and his friends’ conversations refers to a hero named “Sieg Fried.”
Sieg Fried is the only person in world history to be given the title of “SSS-class” and is hailed as the strongest in history.
…Four hundred years ago, there was a jet-black dragon called the “Black Dragon of the End, Schwarzdeus.”
The “Black Dragon of the End, Schwarzdeus” was the most fearsome dragon that destroyed many countries around the world with overwhelming power and plunged people into a vortex of terror.
The person who single-handedly defeated this “Black Dragon of the End, Schwarzdeus” and saved the world was the great hero named Sieg Fried, who is an ancestor of Alphonse Fried.
Sieg Fried was a half-human, half-dragon race, and compared to pure humans, he possessed an enormous amount of magical power and a strong, tough physique, able to handle many powerful magic spells.
The amount of magical power and talent for handling magic is mostly determined by genetics. Therefore, Alphonse Fried, who carries the blood of the world’s strongest man, can be said to have the most blessed lineage in the world.
Being blessed with a good lineage means that it’s not an exaggeration to say that from the moment of birth, one is promised to have more talent than ordinary people and to grow in ability several times faster than ordinary people.
Just because “they were born into a good family” or “they were just lucky,” they possess overwhelming abilities that others can never catch up to no matter how hard they try, and they can become strong much more easily than others. And on top of that, they are blessed with good looks.
It’s not unreasonable that such factors make other male students dislike them.
However, the reason why the male students in Year 2 Class A consider Alphonse Fried their enemy is not just jealousy.
The biggest reason why Alphonse is disliked is an incident that occurred during the entrance exam two years ago…
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