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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: He Fights Damn Well
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The appearance of Lady Bianca Gamo froze the air in the training grounds solid.
The instructor already had his eyes half-closed, reflecting on his life, while the trainees finally realized something had gone terribly wrong.
And in the midst of it all, the most tormented was Alfredo himself.
"What in the world is this?"
"..."
He had nothing to say, even if he grew ten mouths.
But silence wasn't an option in response to Lady Gamo's question, so he forced the words out.
"W-well, we were just conducting a simple test."
"A test? You call this a test, Instructor Lunpet?"
"Yes, Lady Gamo. I'll go pack my things right away. I'll never forget the grace you've shown me. I wish you eternal peace and..."
"...?"
Her bewilderment at the enlightened Instructor Lunpet lasted only a moment.
Bianca let out a deep sigh.
"You won't be getting fired. For now, gather up the trainees and withdraw. Damian, you... head back to your room for the time being. Aster, you go with Instructor Lunpet."
At her command, Instructor Lunpet bowed his head slightly.
Having already achieved enlightenment about everything, he felt no joy even at the assurance he wouldn't be dismissed.
He simply gave up thinking altogether and, following Lady Gamo's orders, rounded up the trainees and left the training grounds.
Damian headed to his room with the servants who had brought Lady Gamo.
"Friend! See you later!"
"Sure."
Lady Gamo sighed deeply as she watched Damian and Aster exchange casual greetings.
But that lasted only a moment.
Once only Alfredo remained in the training grounds, Bianca's gaze turned icy cold.
"Alfredo."
"Yes, Lady Gamo."
"I understand your feelings. The heir? Of course you want to save him. But this time, you went too far."
"I'm sorry, Lady Gamo. I lost my reason and... I'll gladly accept any punishment."
"Good, you should."
She said as much, but Alfredo wouldn't face any real punishment.
The trainees had been beaten to a pulp, but the incident had ended without any major accidents.
Besides, Alfredo's long years of devotion to the family meant any reprimand would be purely formal.
And with that, the situation settled down.
Bianca finally got to the point.
"But what happened?"
"With what, exactly?"
"With Aster. I heard he dueled the trainees..."
When she had first entered the training grounds.
She hadn't shown it, but the sight had been quite shocking to her.
A duel against five trainees. The instructor and Alfredo... well, Alfredo didn't count since he'd lost his reason.
She'd assumed no major issues would arise with Instructor Lunpet there.
But if something happened to Aster, the Young Patriarch's guest, it would tarnish the entire Blandoga name.
That's why she'd rushed over, only to witness an unfamiliar scene.
"Maybe Damian helped him?"
That would make sense.
Damian might look clumsy for his age, but his magical talent was something the Blandoga could boast about through the generations.
But Alfredo shook his head.
"No, that's not it."
"Then?"
How could a slum rat from the Black-White Slums beat five trainees?
To that question, Alfredo's answer was this.
"Well..."
"Well?"
"He fights damn well."
"..."
The air froze cold once more.
It was that chill that snapped Alfredo's half-departed mind back to reality.
"Uh, I mean. Sorry."
"...No need. But it might be time to start looking for an heir."
"...I'd like that too, but."
The one offering the bread was full of goodwill, but the recipient wasn't keen on taking it.
What to do about that?
"Tell me again."
"...Yes, understood."
Alfredo calmly recounted what he had seen.
And when his explanation ended.
"Hmm."
Bianca had no choice but to completely revise her assessment of Aster.
She'd thought he was just talented enough to catch Alfredo's eye. But this surpassed that level by far.
'So that's how it is...'
Bianca's eyes gleamed faintly.
* * *
The place Instructor Lunpet led him to was a nearby secondary training ground.
The children gathered there, awaiting Bianca's judgment, and soon enough, Alfredo arrived.
With the blame pinned squarely on Alfredo alone, he approached me, offered a courteous apology, and departed.
After that, I had to explain the circumstances to the investigators sent by Bianca, but their demeanor wasn't aggressive at all.
After reciting the long—or short, depending on how you looked at it—chain of events.
"Phew."
I headed to the showers to wash off the sweat caked into my skin.
A few trainees spotted me, but none dared approach. They even hurried out of the showers without drying off the moment I entered.
Thanks to that, I enjoyed a refreshing shower in peace.
As the water poured down on me, a few thoughts crossed my mind.
'No matter how I think about it, my mana capacity is too lacking.'
My circuits were pristine. My mana was pure as well.
But without accumulated mana, I had to put up with the hassle of using mana bullets.
Mana bullets weren't lacking in power after compression, of course, but the regret was inevitable.
'Three times—no, even twice what I have now, and I could handle the basics...'
Originally, my specialty was combat using mana directly rather than spells. The mana utilization I meant here differed fundamentally from producing mana bullets.
It required a minimum amount of mana...
'Well, it'll sort itself out soon enough.'
I'd already mentioned it to Alfredo during our earlier encounter.
And when I stepped out of the showers.
One guest was waiting for me.
"You the one they call Aster?"
Platinum hair. Not direct lineage.
The Patriarch only had one son, Damian.
'Side branch blood relative.'
Around twenty years old, perhaps. His face still held a boyish softness.
I stared at him silently, then shook my head.
"Nope."
"What, nope?"
"Yeah, not me."
"That gloomy ash-gray hair, those annoyingly off-putting eyes—everything screams you."
I stared blankly at him.
A bad feeling of hassle brewing.
In times like these, the best was to flatly play dumb.
"Hair color can vary with the light. Look at these eyes—how are they off-putting?"
I widened my eyes as innocently as possible.
The side branch guy stared into my eyes for a while, then nodded seriously.
"Hmm, they do look kind."
"Yeah, right?"
"Sorry for the mix-up. I'll be on my way."
"Good, let's not see each other even if we cross paths again. Hope you find Aster."
As he turned to take a step, a servant hurried over to me.
The servant bowed politely and said.
"Lord Aster, Lady Gamo and young Master Damian are waiting. This way, please."
"...."
"...."
An icy silence descended.
"You..."
I spoke up.
"Ah, wrong person. I'm not Aster. Just someone who looks like him."
The servant, professional to a fault, lacked both tact and perception.
"Lord Aster, I don't understand what you mean. In any case, Lady Bianca awaits."
"...."
I decided to go full shameless.
"Alright, let's go."
It was around then that the side branch erupted in a fit.
"Those eyes! It is you! Right, eyes like a dead goblin's aren't that common!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's me."
"I'll let it slide for now, but I'll come find you tomorrow! Wait for me! I heard you got cocky today, and I'll..."
Whatever.
I left the side branch there and walked off.
The servant, apparently used to his outbursts, guided me without sparing him a glance.
* * *
As Aster followed the curt servant, he thought.
'Tch.'
Things were getting annoying.
He understood the head butler Alfredo coveting him.
Anyone with eyes would covet this talent. It was all because he was that good.
But thanks to today's duel, an annoying fly had latched on. Or rather, was about to.
'Guess it's time to leave the Blandoga household soon.'
Life in the Blandoga home was comfortable and cozy, but he couldn't stay forever.
Better to bounce before it got more troublesome.
He hadn't forged strong ties with the Blandoga, but Damian might...
'He won't pretend not to know us when we clash with the Decullans later.'
The Decullans were enemies to them too.
Of course, the best would be no friction with the Decullans until his power was sufficient.
'I should tell Bianca I'm leaving tomorrow.'
It felt a bit sudden, but staying this long was already plenty.
That's what Aster thought.
Until he met Bianca.
"You're here, Aster."
Bianca greeted him in an elegant drawing room.
Damian, seated beside her, was munching away with his mouth full of cookies.
"I heard you called for me."
"Yes, that's right. But first..."
Bianca slid a wooden box from the table toward Aster.
"This is..."
"I heard you asked Alfredo for an elixir."
- In exchange for lasting one minute, I'll give you a gift.
Aster gazed at the wooden box.
Right after the duel, he had indeed asked Alfredo for an elixir. But so quickly. And from Lady Gamo, no less.
"Go ahead and open it."
At Bianca's words, Aster opened the box.
Click.
With a satisfying hinge sound, its contents were revealed to the world.
'This is...'
The moment it opened, a fragrance filled the room.
Just the scent alone made a sweet yet bittersweet taste dance on his tongue.
It was no low-grade item at first glance. At minimum, mid-grade elixir.
But its true rank exceeded expectations.
"It's a top-grade elixir. Even in the Blandoga, it's only given to those who join the Five Great Magic Legions."
"..."
At those words, Aster's eyes narrowed.
Goodwill only went as far as a meal. Once gifts entered the equation, some agenda lurked beneath.
Even if won fair and square from Alfredo, that didn't change.
He'd have accepted a mid-grade as pure goodwill, but top-grade? A treasure reserved for the family's prized talents?
Did she sense his suspicion?
Bianca explained.
"Take it without worry. I heard you helped Damian in the Black-White Slums before. And this carries my apology for today's incident as well."
"Hmm."
Was the explanation insufficient?
Aster's narrowed eyes showed no sign of relaxing.
"Does eating this bind me to the Blandoga or..."
"No."
"Or maybe it's poisoned or..."
"...No."
"You're saying there are truly no conditions?"
"Yes, no conditions at all. So please, take it with peace of mind."
At Bianca's kind smile and urging, Aster finally accepted the elixir.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing."
Aster wholeheartedly agreed.
What kind of house was the Blandoga?
A top-grade elixir was something they could procure anytime.
Not infinitely, but nothing special.
As Aster's eyes sparkled at the unexpected gain, Bianca spoke up.
"And separately from this, I have a proposal for you, Aster."
Aster thought, *There it is*, and placed the boxed elixir from his pocket on the table, subtly pushing it back toward her.
Fortunately, Bianca's proposal didn't require returning it.
It was just odd.
"Would you consider going to the academy with Damian? We'll prepare an admission right for you."