Chapter 19
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Saint and Swindler
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【Academy First Year, First Semester Midterm Exam - Knight Department Rankings】
【1st. Valoci Vienderk
2nd. Verian Calburden
3rd. Kane….
…15th. Barus Dne
16th. Aint Armian….】
“What? Aint’s rank isn’t as high as I thought.”
“I know. Considering he beat Verian, it’s a bit…”
Aint blended into the murmuring crowd, staring blankly at his results.
- *16th place? The heir of Armian is only 16th?*
He could hear Sir Gardner Alpenparsen clicking his tongue.
“Well, it couldn’t be helped. All the exams were replaced with written tests…”
Of course, it wasn’t that Aint was stupid or completely hopeless with theory.
If he were, he wouldn’t have placed 16th out of a hundred students. It was just that the standards they held him to were incredibly high.
“Oh.”
A short exclamation came from beside him.
“16th? That’s a huge jump.”
“Valoci?”
Aint greeted Valoci warmly.
He was one of the few who neither mocked the fallen name of Armian nor kept his distance out of lingering reverence.
Though it was more accurate to say he was kind to everyone.
“Congratulations, Aint. That’s amazing. You went from 38th to 16th in one go.”
“Don’t flatter me. It’s only because it was all written exams. Besides, it’s just the midterms.”
“I don’t know, if it had been a practical exam, you probably would have ranked higher, right? You even beat Verian.”
“That’s true, but.”
Still, these were only midterm grades, not the final rankings. His final standing would depend on how he handled the final exams and the practical training that followed.
“In any case, it’s still a good score.”
“Right. From 38th to 16th in half a semester. That’s an unbelievable rate of growth.”
Just then, a youthful voice cut in.
When Aint turned his head, he saw someone he didn’t recognize.
She was a beauty with striking short orange hair and emerald eyes.
“You’re Aint Armian, right?”
- *An elf, Aint.*
“And you are…?”
Even without Sir Gardner’s warning, her pointed ears were impossible to miss.
“Aria Friedien. I’m in the Magic Department.”
“…Friedien.”
Aria extended her hand. Aint hesitated for a moment before taking it.
“I suppose your kind dislikes me?”
“I don’t really have any prejudices.”
Valoci shook his head.
“Whatever the reason, the Friediens rightfully earned the privilege of the Golden Bull.”
“Thanks for seeing it that way. To be honest, it took a lot of courage for me to approach you first.”
The established stones did not take kindly to the new ones that rolled in. That was true of any society, and the pillars of the Empire were no different.
“Courage?”
She nodded at Aint’s question.
“First-years have their first joint class after midterms, right?”
Joint classes between the first-year departments were infrequent, but they did exist.
“I’ve heard of it. The survival training, was it?”
Aint confirmed. As far as he knew, the Knight and Magic Departments would have to survive together for a week.
“Fighting each other is forbidden in that class. So, wouldn’t it be better to join forces?”
She wasn’t wrong.
- *Don’t listen to her, Aint.*
- *You can’t trust those pointy-ears.*
‘That’s the first I’m hearing of that.’
Since he was with others, Aint couldn’t voice his retort. But there was no harm in listening to Gardner, so he came up with a reasonable excuse.
“But will they even hold that class? The midterms were all replaced with written tests because of the monster rampages.”
“They will.”
The answer came not from Aria, but from Valoci.
“It’s usually held in the north, but I heard they’re moving it to the southern forest this time.”
“How did you…?”
Aint stopped mid-question and shook his head. Valoci was the heir of Vienderk. He must have countless family connections within the academy.
“That doesn’t mean we should just accept an elf who suddenly wants to team up.”
“That’s harsh. You said you didn’t have any prejudices.”
“Entrusting your back to a stranger isn’t being unprejudiced; it’s being foolish.”
“But combat between students is forbidden during the survival training.”
“Even so…”
“Both of you, stop!”
Aint put a halt to Valoci and Aria’s bickering. Then he shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of teaming up with anyone for this training.”
- *The southern forest, you say?*
- *Forget the sly pointy-ear and the opportunist, Aint!*
- *The late emperor arranged for a spirit herb to be in the southern forest. Let’s ditch everything else and go find it!*
It was because Sir Gardner Alpenparsen had presented him with a third option.
***
“Mithril. Mithril. Mithril.”
Having successfully secured the temporary teaching assistant position, Pernyan felt the need to formulate a more concrete plan.
“I can’t let him have even a speck of that Mithril.”
At the same time, Aint couldn’t find out. If he suddenly snatched the Mithril that was supposed to be Aint’s, it would be tantamount to declaring himself an enemy.
It was a terrible possibility that would bring him one step closer to the worst-case future where he met his downfall.
“Before he gets there, before he even realizes the Mithril exists, I have to intercept it.”
Without anyone knowing, as if the Mithril was never there to begin with.
“There are three mountains to climb.”
First, not getting caught slacking on his assistant duties.
Second, not getting caught by Aint Armian and Sir Gardner Alpenparsen.
‘And the third…’
*Tap, tap.* Pernyan’s fingers drummed on the table.
“Not getting caught by the spirit beast that guards the herb.”
To avoid leaving even the slightest trace, he had to be perfect. Perfection, in this case, meant that even after he had mined the Mithril and fled, Aint would remain completely oblivious.
“In other words, if there are any signs of a battle with the spirit beast, he’ll realize someone was there before him.”
And he would inevitably wonder what that person took, leaving the spirit herb behind. Taking the spirit herb as well would only provoke greater fury.
But no matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t find an answer.
He could prepare various artifacts, potions, and scrolls to aid him, but he could never achieve perfection alone.
“…In that case.”
Damn it, when the hell is Hyde getting here?
Pernyan stood up from his seat.
“Ruina, can you swear on your honor as a knight to keep what I’m about to tell you a secret for the rest of your life?”
He sought out his number one assistant, Ruina.
***
“Absolutely not.”
It didn’t take long for Ruina to answer.
After swearing an oath with a tense expression and listening intently, her eyes became firm.
“You invoked a knight’s honor, so I expected something grand, but it’s just about a spirit herb?”
“Just? What do you mean, just? How can a spirit herb be ‘just’ anything?”
Ah, did she think he was lying again?
“I’ll swear on my money. It’s a real spirit herb this time.”
“Real or not, you want me to skip class? What on earth are you thinking?”
“What do you want?”
“I will never accept any proposal that involves skipping class. I must graduate at the top of my class.”
Pernyan, who was somewhat aware of Ruina’s obsession with being the top student, let out a small groan.
“It’s a spirit herb, Ruina. A spirit herb. Do you have any idea how much that’s worth?”
“A spirit herb doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. People have different priorities.”
She added another remark.
“To become a temporary assistant just to get a spirit herb… that’s a line of thinking I truly cannot comprehend.”
Realizing he couldn’t persuade her with such a resolute response, Pernyan dismissed her.
“Fine. You may leave.”
Ruina’s help would have made things much easier, but it wasn’t essential.
What he truly needed was the other person who was scheduled to visit him shortly.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
She tilted her head, noticing that he wasn’t getting up with her as usual.
“I have someone else to meet.”
“Here?”
“Yes.”
“…Don’t tell me it’s Professor Grad?”
“That’s a pointless fantasy.”
“I don’t care what you do, but please try not to cause any strange trouble. If you get disciplined, it will affect me as your partner.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Just then, he sensed a presence outside. The moment Ruina moved to step back, the door flew open.
“……!”
Ruina, who had been standing by the door to leave, made eye contact with the newcomer.
“Well now, it seems you weren’t alone, Brother.”
“Welcome.”
“…Brother?”
Fiery red hair and green eyes. A sturdy build, unlike a typical mage, and a benevolent impression.
It was a face Ruina recognized.
“Jace Baintz?”
The Saint of the Cult.
Top of the Magic Department’s first years.
A magical genius.
A being followed by many other titles.
And from the mouth of such a Saint came the word “Brother.” Directed at Pernyan, the money-grubber.
In her mind, these were two concepts that could not coexist. Confusion flooded her brain.
“Yes. Is it strange for me to call him Brother? You are… Lady Ruina, I presume.”
Though not as renowned as Jace, Ruina was not a complete unknown.
Jace, recognizing her a moment later, smiled warmly and put his hands together in a prayer-like gesture.
“May the blessings of mana be with you.”
“Ah, yes. I…”
“You don’t need to return the gesture. It’s just a customary greeting and habit in the Cult.”
Jace sat down in front of Pernyan.
“So, what were you two discussing?”
“Ruina has nothing to do with it. She was about to leave.”
But instead of leaving, Ruina pulled up a chair next to them and sat down.
“Not leaving?”
“…You two seem quite close. How did you meet?”
“Is it that surprising?”
“Not at all. It’s only natural.”
“Natural?”
“You might not know since you’re not a mage. Shall I explain?”
Jace was right.
“Listen well, Ruina. As you know, the Dragon God Cult originally worshipped the ancient dragons who brought magic to humanity.”
To the humans of that era, magic was a miracle, and the ancient dragons were seen as gods.
But now, everyone knew that wasn’t the case.
Nevertheless, the religion endured.
It was because they had shifted the object of their worship from the ancient dragons to magic and mana itself.
Thanks to this, the Dragon God Cult survived, becoming the most powerful organization of mages, with most of its mid-to-high-ranking members being mages themselves.
“The fact that an Archmage is a mage recognized by the Pope of the Dragon God Cult says it all.”
It was easy to think of an Archmage as the mage equivalent of a Royal Knight. They were the ten great mages acknowledged by the Pope of the Dragon God Cult.
“I know that much. But I don’t see how that relates to your current friendship. Unless you studied magic at the Dragon God Cult’s headquarters?”
“No. It’s simple logic.”
Jace shook his head with a benevolent smile.
“A mage is a beast that devours money. And the Dragon God Cult is overflowing with such beasts.”
“And our family purchases the most goods from the Cult.”
“Correct. The Fallenberg family is our cult’s biggest patron.”
“A very big patron.”
Pernyan and Jace took turns rattling Ruina’s mind.
“And as the old saying goes, if someone has a lot of money, you call them ‘Brother’.”
Therefore, there was no reason for Jace not to call Pernyan “Brother.”
“Of course, he’s also actually my elder, so he really is my brother in that sense, too.”
The Saint smiled.
“Do you understand now?”
“…Uh, so.”
She understood the words. But her mind couldn’t process it.
What was this Saint, who seemed so kind and cherished people, saying with a smile on his face?
After a long moment of confusion, she blurted out her honest impression without thinking.
“…And *this* is a Saint?”
Isn’t he just money-grubber number two?