Letting the family know I'm still in a bad position at school is part of the plan.
School uniforms are custom-ordered by the family, so if the uniform is damaged, the news inevitably reaches home. Luca wouldn't report the reason the clothes were ruined. I certainly won't either. No need to unnecessarily stir things up at home.
'...Though anyone with a shred of sense would immediately guess why the uniform was damaged.'
Still, there's no need to worry about honor. It would be a mistake to think the family would fly into a rage, considering bullying a member of Askanien an insult to the house.
I am not practically considered a member, and everyone knows it.
The explanation ends with the fact that Askanien's image has only improved thanks to 'not abandoning a demon-possessed child, consistently treating him—though with no improvement—feeding him, clothing him, and putting him in a good school.'
In short, the entire Empire views Luca and Askanien as separate entities.
Even while eagerly tearing into Luca, there are plenty who would automatically bow their heads if they met a 'real' Askanien.
So there's no need to worry about the family intervening or such issues. I only need to think about the news reaching my brother's ears.
If he learns of this, my brother...
'He'll laugh so hard his mouth might tear.'
Let me make him happy for a moment.
I took off my jacket and threw it on the ground.
"Hey, you threw it on the ground to be stepped on, right?"
Crunch!
Someone stomped hard on the jacket. Dust rose from the frivolous kick.
"Hahahaha!"
"Hey, do it properly."
Other students giggled and cheered.
'...Sigh...'
Somehow, I felt unpleasant. Watching them genuinely rejoice while kicking someone else's clothes made me feel a bit disillusioned about where I even was.
Above all... the certainty that the family would absolutely not intervene unless this matter spreads widely is something only Luca, raised in that house, could have.
Even if people think of Askanien and Luca separately, allowing them to treat Luca like vermin, crossing that line to cause physical trouble is a different matter entirely.
The reason Luca hasn't been openly bullied until now is because, as long as he bears the family name, the family could, on a 'nominal' level, impose punishment or pressure.
'So, these guys...'
They can't see even one move ahead.
It's surprising in itself that these thoughtless brutes haven't hit Luca until now.
"Hey, but look, this bastard isn't reacting at all."
Perhaps emboldened by the cheers, the guy strode over and grabbed me by the collar.
"You did as you were told, now you expect a reaction too?"
"...What..."
A flicker of bewilderment crossed the face of the student holding my collar.
This was nothing like the person they knew.
Last year, from the moment they called me here, I would have turned pale as a sheet, looking like I was about to die any second.
'...I thought he was just pretending to be tough.'
Can he keep up the act even in this situation?
Once you grab someone's collar, you'd naturally drop the pretense and reveal your pathetic nature.
The student gripping my shirt put all his strength into his hand.
I widened my eyes and brought my face close.
"You'd feel like you won if I squeezed out some tears here, right?"
"You bastard..."
"Then you'll never win in your life."
At the sneer, the student's eyes crinkled fiercely.
His hand moved to the wand at his waist.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
"Hey, you were supposed to keep it quiet!"
His attack sent me crashing into a distant wall.
The surrounding students, seemingly not expecting magic to come out, shouted in panicked voices.
"It's fine, it's too far away to be heard here."
He spat irritably on the ground and stood before me.
Shoulder pain was followed by a growing ringing in my head.
I held my head and glared at him.
'They don't know when to stop.'
Seeing they're worried about the sound carrying in this situation, the rest of them aren't normal either.
Should I just use magic? It's not a big problem since I can shut their mouths with divine power anyway.
'No.'
That's the last resort.
I slowly regained my sense of direction and got up.
The guy, thinking he had cornered me sufficiently with his earlier attack, regained his initial nonchalance, a smile spreading across his face.
"Look at his eye color. Don't you know something happened on your side a few days ago? Take a lesson from Leo and that blue whatever hunter. Ah, no. Learn from me first, you bastard."
I doubted my ears and tilted my head.
Unfortunately, he didn't repeat it.
'XX... What did I just hear...'
The surrounding students, unaware of my reaction, burst into laughter.
"This bastard just spouts nonsense."
"Hahaha, if you learn from him, your eyes will rot, XX."
The guy chuckled at his friends' words and pushed them aside.
"I'm talking. Hey, since we're at it, learn some action too and reform a bit. Actually, we all noticed."
"Noticed what?"
"You want to be like Leo or, you know, those guys, right?"
'Hmm?'
Externally, Leo and I have zero connection. It's a stupid inference based entirely on arbitrary judgment from start to finish, without a single solid basis.
'They probably don't want someone they consider lower to rise above them.'
If I, who has already far surpassed them in terms of family background, were to come to my senses and live properly, even if I can't use magic, there's plenty of room for a shift in the pecking order.
Ultimately, this mess happened to prevent me from entering the 'normal' category by any means.
"While you were busy pretending to be normal, Leo went to the Oji region with other mages and hunted demon bastards. If you want to become a normal person, you should at least do that much, right?"
"Hey, come to think of it, just the fact that Leo and this guy attend the same school means their levels are XX mismatched."
"Of course, this bastard can't even use magic."
Laughter shook my ears.
I lowered my head and clenched my fist. My nails dug into my palm.
'I didn't expect this.'
I really don't know how I'm supposed to learn from myself. At this moment, I missed my long, cut-off hair. Unable to control my expression, I sighed and frowned.
"...So, while I was doing things unbecoming of my station, he was contributing to society, is that it?"
At those words, one student twisted his eyebrows as if pitying me and snickered.
"You got it right. Know your place, a bit. I'm saying this because I feel sorry for you. Of course you'd want to be like Leo, but you can never catch up. Just spend that time..."
I waved my hand dismissively in annoyance.
"Yeah, you're saying I should just live like before. Let's assume you're right. I might not have the ability Leo has."
"It's not 'might not,' you just don't."
"Well, true. But..."
I smiled at that and nodded.
"...That doesn't mean I'll go back to how I was. Especially after hearing this from you guys, it seems even more impossible."
"...Oh?"
The student made a threatening face at that and took a step closer.
"Guess you don't get it."
"Hey, hold back. This place is empty and echoes well, so keep it quiet."
"Ah, it's fine. I'm about to finish."
He had another student fetch my bag, which had been placed far away.
"If you want to change that badly, then fine. Try hard. But... let us help you with one thing."
"No, I don't think your help will be useful."
At that, a student standing behind looked up at the sky and sighed.
"This bastard is really annoying till the end..."
"Enough. Lucas, you know the driving force of your magic is blood, right?"
"You still believe that?"
"You used magic in tiny bits during the first week. After that, you just stood around stupidly again... Do you know how sad that made us? Now you're not drinking blood again, so you can't use magic like the other Pleromas, right?"
"Your meddling is wide-ranging."
"No, it's not meddling, it's concern as classmates."
"Not needed. No matter what you do, I can't use magic."
I shook my head, trying to wrap things up appropriately.
At that moment, three students standing around him grabbed my arms. My balance was lost instantly.
"...!"
"Not needed? Funny. You don't know. How would you know without trying?"
Biting my lip hard at the unexpected situation, I thought.
'Should I blast them away with magic?'
Actually, since I have a countermeasure, using magic isn't a huge problem. Should I just go all out and shut their mouths?
No. It's right to get through this without using magic if possible.
But...
'That depends on what they do.'
If it's just a moderate beating, I should just wait it out. If it's more than that, then it's a different story.
Then, the guy laughed and pulled something out of the bag.
"What do you mean you can't use magic no matter what method you try? We'll make you use it somehow. We're just trying to help you in your own way. If only shoddy magic comes out even then, well, that's your fate."
He spouted nonsense and giggled. In his hand was a limp lump.
I frowned and observed the lump.
"What is this..."
The moment I confirmed what it was, I was at a loss for words.
An animal, hard to tell if it was a rat or a rabbit, hung limply from his hand.
"Looks like you recognized it."
I looked at the animal with questioning eyes.
Why this? It's not like he brought this unidentifiable animal for me to observe.
At that moment, an absurd hypothesis flashed through my mind. I tore my gaze from the rat and slowly shifted it to him.
The student met my gaze, sat down, and with a vile smile, thrust the limp rat in front of my face.
The sound of the ones holding my limbs snickering reached me, but soon faded from my awareness.
"Eat it."
"..."
"I caught it kindly for you. A rat bastard happened to be wandering the dorm hallway."
He's insane. I wondered how anyone could come up with such an idea directed at a person.
Judging by its appearance, the rat-like animal wasn't even contaminated. It seemed they just caught a perfectly normal animal that was wandering around.
It looked clean, but didn't move a muscle. No matter how long I watched, the rat showed no intention of moving.
"I didn't kill it."
He shrugged as if feigning innocence and lifted the corner of his mouth.
"You have to kill it. Like you did last year."
"...Last year? That's funny. Forgot that's a baseless rumor you spread?"
"It's true anyway. Just look at your changed eye color."
The claim that absorbing someone else's mana turns your mana color red is just Pleroma nonsense. I glared at them with cold eyes.
The student now thrust the rat right under my nose.
"I'm saying this because I feel sorry for you. A person should know their place. That way, they don't get useless hopes. The one who gives up first and accepts reality is the wisest, why don't you understand?"
"Know when to stop."
"Why should I?"
He instantly grabbed my jaw. Weight pressed down on my held arms too.
"What, are you scared it might be confirmed that you really can't use magic? Don't worry too much. Eating it alive might be different. Who knows? Maybe you'll suddenly become good at magic."
"That would be really fun."
"Ugh...!"
'Are they insane?'
These bastards really intend to make me eat this. My heart started pounding like crazy. One of the students pinned down my leg as I kicked. Amidst it all, the animal's body temperature transferred to the skin around my mouth.
"We're helping you use magic, right? Let's just verify that rumor firsthand."
A vile smile hung on the student's lips.
At that moment, a red flash erupted as if a light had been switched on.
Kwaaaang!
"Argh!"
"What?!"
The student clutched his dust-covered face and screamed. The momentary flash left an afterimage, blurring his vision. The students holding my arms groaned and rolled on the ground, hit by the magic that splashed onto their hands.
I freed myself from the spot, trying to steady my violently shaking vision as I gasped for breath.
"...I really don't know who the Pleroma-like bastards are. Who's looking at whom..."
"What, now?!"
"So this is how you help someone use magic? It's certainly effective, yeah..."
I let out a shaky laugh and grabbed a handful of the stones and dirt rolling on the ground.
Then I seized the collar of the student who had been holding the rat.
"Lift your head. It'd be good if you opened your mouth before I pry it open."
"Wh-what..."
The student stammered, alternating his gaze between my face and the dirt in my hand. He had a face that couldn't comprehend why I was holding dirt in this situation.
The student hurriedly shifted his gaze to his friends around him. I followed his gaze to look around, then pressed down on his chin as if to crush it.
"Don't look away. You need to leave here as a human being today."
—-----------
T/N:
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