Birds of a Feather
Respectable people do not seek to learn dark magic.
At least, not those who receive proper support from decent families and are guaranteed to inherit their estates.
Aside from a few military households and margraves like the Erst family, that was the rule.
For ordinary nobles who managed estates or lived as bureaucrats, dabbling in dark magic was nothing but a weakness.
It was a path reserved for bastards, fallen nobles, or those driven to extremes—people who had to achieve immediate military distinction or slay giant monsters just to maintain their status.
She, too, must have been one of them.
"...I'm sorry," Claire muttered, hanging her head. "There was no reason for you to hear all that."
Perhaps realizing she had overreacted, she fell silent.
I knew she would eventually prove her worth.
Though she lacked talent, her diligence and gentle nature would carve out a place for her.
But that was only the future I knew.
To someone who had risked everything to enter this classroom and learn dark magic, telling her to "find another path" would only sound heartless.
"..."
It might have been better if we hadn't met at all. However, souring my relationship with her now wouldn't do me any favors in the long run.
Aside from a few companions I had to ruthlessly cut ties with, it was better to maintain decent relationships with all the main characters.
"I'm not skilled enough to teach dark magic to anyone either," I said. "It might be better to consult the professor rather than picking up bad habits from me."
Those words were genuine.
My knowledge was strictly about this world and the events of the future. When it came to the actual mindset needed to cast spells effectively or how to control mana, I was no different from any other freshman.
"I guess so..." Claire murmured.
"But if it's not about dark magic... I can still help you."
"Huh?"
Her small, delicate eyes wavered, filled with a desperate hope to believe my words.
"Just what I said."
It was a bit risky. Raising Claire's affection now and solving her problems might not be the absolute best choice I could make. However, the risk wasn't high.
If my starting status had been higher, or if I had mastered a specific school of swordsmanship or received the teachings of a special priest, I might have had to leverage that.
But right now, I had nothing. Although I technically held a noble title, acting like a noble with my current status at the Academy was utterly pointless.
"We're in the same year, both freshmen," I continued. "I don't know how much help I can be... but sometimes just talking about your worries can make them a bit easier to bear."
Claire wasn't a special person.
If I had tried to get close to someone like Katharine to pull her in, I would inevitably draw the resentment of those who hated her. Katharine was a woman who enjoyed dominating others through fear and was adept at plotting suspicious conspiracies. Regardless of how outstanding her abilities were, many people detested her.
Getting close to Claire didn't require that level of resolve or calculation.
If I associated with commoners, some noble students might look down on me, but avoiding her wouldn't suddenly make them respect me either.
"T-Thank you!" Claire said, bowing her head deeply. She was a kind soul.
"Well, we have another class next, so let's wrap it up here for today—"
Before I could finish, the classroom door swung open. A few men with menacing expressions walked in.
"What's this? There are still people left?" one of them sneered.
I didn't recognize any of them. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't find any reason to believe the men standing before me were anyone special.
"Look who it is..." the leader drawled. "Looks like the failures are having a cozy little chat. What have you two been doing here until this hour?"
"O-Oh, it's nothing!" Claire stammered. "I was just, um, doing some extra study..."
"Still?"
As the man in the lead shouted in mock surprise, the two men behind him snickered, mocking us.
"Hey, Claire. Don't you think it's about time you learned your place?"
"..."
This was bad. While his words weren't entirely wrong, the attitude with which he delivered them was atrocious.
"It's not like you actually plan to learn dark magic anyway, right?" the leader sneered. "Just like your whore of a mother, you're probably just looking for a man to latch onto."
"Don't... talk about her like that," Claire whispered.
It was a well-known story. Claire's father was a noble of fairly high standing, but her mother had been a concubine.
The Academy was a place where the youth of various nations gathered to study and socialize, but as always, there were those who used it to satisfy their carnal desires.
Men who sought out moderately beautiful, easily manipulated women to use as mistresses or playthings before tossing them aside.
It wasn't just men; some women sought such relationships too. People who dreamed of free love instead of rigid, arranged relationships, escaping the numerous constraints of noble families.
More calculating and desperate women actively tried to form these connections. If they could somehow get involved with the child of a high-ranking family, the gifts alone would bring them immense wealth.
"What, am I wrong?" the man pressed. "No matter what you learn or do here, isn't your ultimate goal just to find a decent guy and sell your body?"
"..."
Claire couldn't bring herself to speak.
I knew better. She hadn't entered the Academy for such a purpose.
Because I knew the future, I knew how hard she could work, and how much she could contribute to the party with her unyielding resolve.
But the current Claire might not know that.
She couldn't even cast a basic Dark Arrow properly. It wouldn't be surprising if she believed her own efforts and abilities were powerless to change her situation.
"If you have a brain, think about it," the man sneered. "What can a bitch who can't even cast a single Dark Arrow do?"
He stepped forward roughly and grabbed Claire's left shoulder with a tight grip.
"Instead of messing with some naive noble lord, why don't you just hang out with us? We can at least help you out while you're at this school."
"P-Please don't do this!" Claire whimpered.
They tried to harass Claire as if I weren't even in the room.
"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" the man smirked.
Claire couldn't find the words to fight back.
I took a step forward, sliding between the two of them.
"That's enough," I said.
"What do you think you're doing, you piece of trash?" the man barked.
"You must be incredibly considerate," I replied, "planning out someone else's life for them."
"This is none of your business, bastard."
"It's none of yours either."
This guy wasn't exactly a respectable person either. He wasn't noble, nor was he wealthy.
Dark magic was an easy magic to learn. It was a magic where commoners with nothing, fallen nobles, and bastards only had to pay a price.
The fact that respectable people didn't learn such arts didn't just apply to Claire.
"Aren't you just trash yourself?" I asked.
"Oh?" He looked at me, amused.
"You're probably just another insect who can't even cast a Dark Arrow. At least this girl can sell her body... What do you think you can do, acting all high and mighty?"
"More than you think."
"If you plan on learning dark magic... you'd better learn this quick," the man said, taking a step closer to me.
"In this line of work, knowing who's strong and who's weak is everything."
He glared at me with murderous intent, as if he could kill an ordinary man with ease.
"I was trying to keep my temper in check at the Academy..." he muttered.
From his rough appearance, I could guess what kind of life he had lived.
He was a commoner. His tone, gestures, and behavior all pointed to it.
"It's not like I've contracted with some grand demon," he continued. "I'm confident in my spellcasting, though I'm nowhere near the level of the real dark mages here."
He was probably a former mercenary, or perhaps something even worse.
Since the Academy screened its applicants, he likely wasn't an outright criminal. Or perhaps there was a noble family willing to sponsor him.
Either way, he must have proven his abilities.
For a commoner to achieve enough to enter the Academy meant he had shown talent far beyond the norm. And naturally, a commoner couldn't prove their worth just by doing chores or sweeping the yard.
"Even so, I've killed plenty of greenhorns like you," he sneered.
Killing people.
It was the most primal, relatively low-scrutiny, and highly efficient offering one could make. While dark magic didn't strictly require human sacrifice, it was a well-known fact that offering lives was incredibly effective.
This man was likely that sort of person.
"Think I won't do it?" he challenged.
I nodded.
"I don't think you can," I replied. "You don't have the ability."