Hero
Hero
This bastard was definitely a fellow Reincarnator like me. The moment he started going on about exchange students—a concept that didn't even exist in this world—I felt like I'd been smacked in the back of the head.
But I couldn't tell the circumstances of his reincarnation.
Whether he'd possessed the body of someone originally living in this other world, whether he'd reincarnated like me, or whether he'd been thrown in after having his body reconstructed to a similar age—there were far too many variables to even guess.
At the very least, I could tell he hadn't been dragged here bodily by some dimensional transfer. His handsome, almost artificially perfect features didn't resemble any ethnicity I could remember from my previous life.
"And what the hell are you to dare block me?"
Then there was the hair-trigger temper and the obvious need to show off in the way he spoke. Judging by how attached he seemed to the title of Hero, there was a good chance he really was as young as he looked, rather than someone like me who'd already lived well into adulthood before coming here.
More than anything, this horny little shit had been late because of his own libido and still swaggered around without a shred of shame. His brain clearly wasn't fully cooked yet.
"I'm Eldmia Ega, attendant and secretary to Margrave Ragnis Lien da Levien. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hero. But as I just said, you smell, so I'd prefer we postpone the handshake until another time."
The Hero ground his teeth like he wanted to spit in my smiling face and tried to fling my hand away, but I let go first and stepped back. His hand ended up swiping uselessly through empty air.
The kingdom's position? A situation where we had to curry favor with the Hero? There was none of that. The moment we'd entered as academy cadets, I could be certain nothing about our actions would be diplomatically disadvantageous.
Because those students, mingling as one regardless of noble or commoner, were proof enough.
But what about the Hero? Could the Empire still hold its head high if someone meant to be shown off as its pride suddenly became an embarrassment?
"You must have some skill, huh? Pretty confident, aren't you?"
"Not as confident as you are, Hero."
Honestly, if someone hadn't been unjustly killed like me and handed a second life, I could understand them turning out twisted.
If I'd been living a perfectly good life only for someone to suddenly say, 'Please save the world, Hero,' run me over with a truck, kill me, and then drag me here by the scruff of my neck, forget saving the world. I'd have been willing to join hands with the Demon King and drive the whole place straight to the edge of hell.
But right now, I didn't know a damn thing, did I? Being rude was just being rude. Simple as that, you little shit.
"Interesting. You do know this class is Practical Combat, right?"
"I was already looking for you, Hero, precisely because I was anticipating that, but you appeared right before me like a member of the Demonfolk using spatial movement magic. I'm very much looking forward to it."
Unlike me, who was smiling thinly, the Hero was grinning with his teeth fully bared. How did I look in that bastard's eyes right now? A mere extra 1? A sandbag to show off his strength in front of Ragnis?
"This'll be fun for the first time in a while. Every bastard here's a total fucking chump, so nothing gets my blood pumping."
"Zeke! Watch your word choice!"
"Alright, alright."
This shithead had to be Korean. His vocabulary had the stench of a fellow hellfire peninsula-dweller.
For someone who'd bared his teeth in a hostile grin when the noble-looking woman scolded him, the Hero backed down surprisingly easily. He patted her on the head, gave Ragnis a casual wave of greeting, and headed toward the other students.
"What a frivolous man."
Oh, fuck me! It was the first time I'd ever gotten goosebumps purely from a voice, and I never imagined it would be Ragnis's!
I whipped my head around. Ragnis was glaring hard enough to look as if she'd already torn the Hero apart five times with her eyes alone, her stare drilling into the back of his skull.
"Margrave. You must manage your expression."
"Ahem! R-right. Anyway, our attendant really does his job well, doesn't he? Doesn't even care that he's dealing with the Hero."
Maybe she secretly had a bit of Sheryl in her, or maybe all nobles were like this, but Ragnis put on a rollercoaster of utterly unpredictable emotions, beaming brightly. At times like this she really was just like the idiot Levi I'd always known.
"I already grasped the atmosphere. That's why it's actually stranger. Why would the Empire bring us into a situation where they can only be at a disadvantage?"
"I didn't expect you to catch on that quickly... The first possibility that comes to mind is that the Empire actually wants the Hero to make a mistake so they can use it as leverage to control him."
As we followed Jideulli, who was pulling the chaotic atmosphere together and starting to lead the class, the content of our whispered conversation was largely unpleasant.
But with everyone already watching us, we couldn't keep whispering to each other. We decided to continue the discussion about the Hero another time and act like the temporary students we were. Ragnis went toward the female students, while I joined the men and started talking.
The first one to come running up to me was, naturally, Ethenera, approaching with a hand gesture that left no doubt he believed I would return his high five.
"Whoa! Kingdom knight! You've got some real nerve! That was cool as hell!"
I liked him too much to refuse the high five. Still, it didn't exactly fit the storybook-knight persona I was putting on. I crushed the urge to slap his hand enthusiastically like a scene from Slam Dunk, returned the high five with deliberately awkward restraint, and laughed it off.
"It was merely what had to be done. And I am not a knight."
"Whoa, you're not even a knight and you act that bold? Still, I guess you'd have to be pretty skilled to serve as Margrave's aide, right? How old are you? I'm 17."
"I'm 15. So you're older than me."
"No fucking way, seriously?! Hey, my lords and ladies! Guys! This guy says he's 15! You sure you're not really a giant?"
Call him the life of the party, maybe. Ethenera pulled nobles and commoners alike into the conversation and was basically the ultimate social butterfly. Thanks to him, everyone opened up almost instantly, and we had a genuinely fun conversation as we walked toward the stone sparring arena at one end of the training grounds.
And at the same time, I understood. These kids really hadn't shed the mark of their age. Even the nobles, who could be considered relatively mature, showed no reservations about mingling and chatting with commoners while still carrying a youthful air.
I hadn't even seen this kind of scene in the kingdom. Was the Empire always like this? If so, that was honestly kind of impressive.
"Aha. Looks like our kingdom knight friend here finds this sort of setting awkward? Do you think the commoners are being impertinent by approaching you so familiarly?"
Ethenera had read my inner thoughts, but since I was obviously not a noble, I could laugh openly.
"I am a commoner as well."
"Hahaha... Seriously?"
"What would I gain by lying?"
Well, I was pretty good at putting on an aristocratic air. Who else was I, if not Eldmia Ega, whose mental age exceeded 30? As long as I could tolerate a bit of cringe, this was a piece of cake.
While all the male students reacted with obvious surprise, Jideulli stepped onto the sparring arena and addressed us.
"You all do this every time, but I'll explain it once more today."
That was obviously for me and Ragnis. Knowing that, even the mischievous Ethenera didn't bother heckling this part, just shrugging his shoulders.
"My class is thoroughly combat-focused. That's how the teachings of my master, the Grand Battle Mage Radnelbandes, have always been, and it's also what I do best. I impose no restrictions whatsoever. However, since I can't let students die doing that, the Empire's finest library directors put their heads together and racked their brains to create this very sparring ground."
The piles of stone I'd taken for an ordinary sparring arena began to glow faintly when Jideulli infused them with Mana. Before long, the stone at the center beaded apart as if it were melting upward into the sky, transforming into a transparent crystal sphere that floated about three stories overhead. I checked the spot it had emerged from just in case, but the floor was smooth stone again, as though nothing had happened.
"Through advanced illusion magic and distortions and refractions via light magic, this sparring ground—which looks like nothing special—can be called the very essence of illusion magic, producing visions so elaborate that distinguishing weapons and wounds from reality is nearly impossible. Not just the user's own knowledge and experience, but countless records stored in that crystal orb floating above—named 'Sense of Touch'—read and interpret the situation, making the illusions even more solid. It's safe to say almost any scenario can be simulated."
While I was purely marveling at how incredible that was, another male student beside me snickered and spoke.
"Can you believe there were seniors who tried to use that thing sexually?"
"That is... utterly moronic, but I can see the logic."
"Heh heh heh. Too bad it apparently didn't contain that kind of information so it was useless, but man, human imagination sure is something."
Maybe the guy behind that remarkable attempt had graduated and was now studying the magic used here with fanatical dedication, all so he could create a virtual version of his ideal woman.
If someday something was being sold with the tagline, 'A girlfriend in your fantasies for just 3 gold coins!', I'd know to blame that guy.
"Class is the same as always! Cadets with the worst compatibility fight each other. Of course, with two new faces today, there'll be some adjustment. The order will be changed slightly to help the two of them understand, so keep that in mind!"
I looked away from Jideulli as he called students' names and turned toward the Hero. I had no idea how long he'd been doing it, but he was already staring at me. Wedged between three women, openly groping their asses while listening to whatever they were whispering to him, he still didn't look away.
His stare pissed me the fuck off, but I had to admit I was genuinely impressed by how brazenly he committed public indecency.