Chapter 2: Exploring Ancient Ruins
The day after being forced to attend a mentally draining discussion and an evening banquet I couldn’t refuse, I was walking to the academy with an exhausted expression on my face.
“Hey, Rourke, good morning!”
“…Yeah.”
“You look really tired. What’s wrong?”
Gareth, who joined me on the way to our first class, whispered with a worried look on his face.
“Ah, it’s just yesterday’s fatigue… As expected, those fancy places don’t suit a commoner like me.”
“You were hiding in the corner the whole time, weren’t you?”
“Of course I was.”
The evening banquet, held in the auditorium with third-year students, was too much for me. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the nobles in their luxurious clothes, and the solemn music played by the orchestra – honestly, it was so out of place for me that I thought I’d die from the stress. If Gareth hadn’t been there, I probably would have.
Seriously, why was I the only one forced to go? All the other students from commoner backgrounds refused to participate. It doesn’t make sense.
“Are you okay? The first period is Advanced Spirit Magic, you know?”
“Ah~ I can’t do that. I’m going to sleep.”
The academy’s lectures are elective, and basically, as long as you get the required credits, you can take whatever classes you want at any time.
However, there are some compulsory lectures that you absolutely must take. The Advanced Spirit Magic lecture we’re heading to now is one of them.
Since it’s compulsory and attended by over a hundred students, it’s held in a large classroom that takes up the first and second floors of a separate building a little away from the main building. To put it bluntly, it’s easy to sleep without getting caught.
Moreover, the Advanced Spirit Magic class is taught by an elderly spirit mage, and his voice is so sleep-inducing that, combined with the time of day, students often end up face-down on their desks before they know it.
Usually, I can endure it, but given my fatigue level today, I’ll probably succumb this time.
“If I fall asleep, wake me up, okay?”
“Sure, if I’m not asleep myself.”
“Don’t say such ominous things.”
We’re paying high tuition fees to attend these lectures. It wouldn’t do to spend all of them sleeping.
“By the way, it’s a bit late to ask, but was that really okay?”
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
“About Ogun.”
“Oh, that.”
For a moment, I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but it seems Gareth is asking about yesterday’s incident.
“Wasn’t that response appropriate?”
“No, you could have easily gotten Ogun expelled or even disowned.”
In the end, Ogun, who had unleashed water magic during the discussion, was suspended for about thirty days. Or rather, I should say I forcibly ended it that way…
“Why defend him? He’s the one who tried to humiliate you.”
“Well, everything he said was true. It wouldn’t be right to expel someone for telling the truth.”
Well, I was scared when he unleashed magic on my back and sicced a spirit on me, but I managed to end it without injury, so I’m not that angry.
I thought about making him pay for the ruined tea and sweets if they asked for compensation, though…
“Is that really the issue here?”
“That is the issue. Besides, if I could contract with spirits, none of this trouble would have happened…”
It can’t be helped, but no matter how seriously I fight, because I don’t summon contracted spirits, my fighting style ends up looking like I’m just taunting my opponent. Ogun probably still holds a grudge from when I totally beat him in the rank battle.
Back then, I had just established my fighting style and was pretty excited, so I was a bit overconfident. When I think back to my disrespectful attitude then, I feel guilty and apologetic.
Actually, Misha seemed to remember this point too, and when I used it as the main point in my persuasion, she surprisingly agreed quite easily. Additionally, the fact that she dealt with it as the student council president rather than as royalty was also a big factor.
“I always think you’re oddly conscientious about strange things.”
“It’s not strange at all. More importantly, I’m worried about the terrifying condition Misha put on me for agreeing to my persuasion – that I have to do anything she says once.”
Misha agreed so easily, but in reality, she put this terrifying condition on me that I have to absolutely do one thing she says.
“That’s reasonable, considering you argued with royalty. If anything, getting off that lightly is too lenient.”
Gareth says that, but still, one absolute command from royalty?
I mean, royalty who can usually order most things, what are they planning to command with this ‘anything once’?
“Well, it’ll probably be fine. You could even think of it as a reward.”
“A reward? Would you be happy if you were ordered to behead your entire clan under the guise of a ‘reward’?”
“Hahaha, that’s hilarious!”
“Don’t laugh!”
I’m seriously troubled here!!
As I was angrily telling Gareth off, I suddenly felt an impact from behind, and the force made me lose my balance and hit the ground.
“Oof!?”
“Yo.”
“Hey, Lily. Good morning.”
The person who was probably riding on my back ignored my cry of pain and casually greeted Gareth. Hey, at least get off my back.
“Good morning to you too, Rourke.”
“Yeah, good morning. By the way, could you get off my back?”
“That’s not possible.”
“You’re going to stay there forever?”
“Carry me around like a carriage horse.”
“You brat, I’ll crush you.”
Finally, the soft weight disappeared from my back, and as I got up, I turned my gaze to the person who had been riding on my back.
Semi-long light green hair, a beautifully sculpted face with few expressions, combined with her well-proportioned features, she really looks like a doll.
Her name is Lily Oralia. Despite being from a commoner background like me, she passed the entrance exam’s written test in first place, surpassing even Misha – a true genius. Moreover, she’s quite socially awkward and won’t talk at all unless you become close to her.
As a result, like me, she’s a bit of an outsider in the academy, and naturally, we outcasts became friends.
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“Rourke barbaric.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who tackled me from behind.”
Although we can joke around like this now, at first, even though we were both commoners, she wouldn’t respond to me at all, which was troublesome.
Still, she’s as expressionless as ever… I consider myself relatively inexpressive because I’m acting, but in her case, it’s like her facial muscles have already died.
“By the way, Lily, did you go to the recreation yesterday?”
“It was troublesome, so I didn’t go.”
I see, that was my initial plan too. But then, a question arises in my mind.
“Didn’t the student council come to you?”
“Student council? What are you talking about?”
Lily tilts her head curiously at my question. From her reaction, it seems the student council didn’t approach Lily. Considering her achievements, Lily should definitely be a student they’d want to bring to the welcome party…
“I was told by the student council that as the second-ranked second-year student, I absolutely had to participate, and they forcibly took me along.”
“I don’t really understand, but it seems Rourke is special.”
“It’s not the kind of special I want to be.”
Being targeted by the student council is definitely not a good kind of special. At worst, I’m afraid they might expose the fact that I haven’t contracted with a spirit.
“Alright, you two, that’s enough chitchat. We need to get to the classroom soon, or we’ll be late.”
At Gareth’ reminder, I check the clock and indeed, there are only a few minutes left until the start. We hurry to the lecture room, open the door, and rush inside.
Many students are already seated, and as expected, the most comfortable seats at the back are already full. Knowing we wouldn’t get back seats arriving this late, we sit down in relatively front row seats by the window, the three of us in a row.
“Good night.”
“Hey, don’t try to sleep right from the start!”
I thought the brightness of the sunlight might keep us from sleeping, but rather, its warmth seemed to affect Lily, who was already getting into a sleeping position even though the teacher hadn’t arrived yet. Stop it, don’t sleep in such a conspicuous place.
I lightly tap her head, and Lily raises her face with a dissatisfied expression.
“Don’t interfere.”
“I don’t remember raising you to be this kind of child.”
“Are you Lily’s father or something, Rourke?”
“You two are as close as ever, I see.”
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