Chapter 119: Heterogeneous Species (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119: Heterogeneous Species (1)
“Exchange students? Transfers? Other races?”
Boradori had malfunctioned.
“Why are they coming?”
I was at a loss for words seeing him ask back with such a stupid expression.
“I’m the one who asked you that…”
“Boradori… doesn’t know things like that…”
I wanted to ask if his life as a RoFan character was over if he didn't know, but he looked so genuinely dim-witted that I decided to let it slide.
“No, I thought it was still a long way off before other races appeared. Were there even other races at the Academy? If there were, they should have been mentioned… though with that damn author, they might have just skipped it.”
Seeing Boradori clutching her head and groaning, it seemed she was actually innocent this time.
“I’ve only heard of the Dragonkin. What are they like?”
“Huh? Why are you asking me?”
“……”
“They don't appear in the original work…”
Damn original work fanatic. He’s useless if it’s not in the original.
“Aside from them, I heard typical Elves, Dwarves, and Beastkin are coming.”
“…How many of them?”
“They said that hasn't been decided yet.”
“……Ah.”
Just then, a spark of intelligence returned to Boradori’s eyes.
“Now that I think about it, Bell said he’d come back before. Was that foreshadowing…!”
“It hasn't been that long since he was kidnapped. Do you really think the Wolfkin would send him back already?”
“I guess not…?”
He deflated again.
…It looked like I wouldn't be able to use the Boradori card this time.
Even if Boradori had become useless, I still had my connections.
“Dwarves? At the Academy? Why?”
…It seemed this connection was useless too.
“You don't know?”
“How should I know?”
I had the obvious thought that I should ask a Dwarf about Dwarves.
But that Dwarf was currently refuting that obvious thought to my face.
“How can you not know?”
“Do I live with other Dwarves? I live in a back room at the Academy.”
“……”
“You’re from Leon. Do you know everything that’s happening in Leon right now?”
“I can find out if I get in touch.”
“Well, I’m not in touch.”
“……”
“Don't look at me like that. Dwarves are just like this. We have plenty of work right in front of us. Why bother with annoying things like staying in touch?”
When he said it wasn't that he was weird but that all Dwarves were like this, I finally understood why Dwarves were just as popular as Elves back when humans used to hunt other races as slaves.
When I first heard about it, I thought there were just a lot of humans with weird fetishes.
But it seemed they were popular simply because they were happy as long as you threw work at them.
“I could send word if necessary. But you’d probably get more accurate information from the Empire than from me.”
He made it very clear how annoying it would be to get in touch, but he probably wasn't lying.
If he really hated the idea, he was the type of Dwarf who would just say he wouldn't do it because it was a hassle rather than lie about it.
“Of course, it’s not like I can’t make a guess.”
“Really? I thought you said you didn't know.”
“I don't have the information. But I know Dwarves. Unless they’ve been hooked by the bait of Magic Sword research and development like me, Dwarves don't bother with the hassle of studying abroad.”
“What if the royal family orders it?”
“The kings of those you call 'other races'—non-humans—are different from human kings. They are either symbolic figures or they won their positions through strength. Elves are somewhat similar, but for them, it’s closer to faith than authority.”
That’s why even if the Dwarf royal family tried to force them to study abroad, they could just lie down and refuse to go.
“Therefore, I know exactly who would voluntarily come to a place like the Academy to take classes.”
“Who is it?”
“Alphonse. A fellow who, despite being a Dwarf, likes swords more than axes. He’s a freak who’s more interested in swinging them than forging them, and…”
Wait, why was he trailing off and smiling so ominously?
“He’s Dwarf royalty.”
Shit.
The bar for these 'other races' had already shot up.
A Dwarf royal was coming.
That meant the other races might arrive with similar lineups.
“…Surely not.”
No matter how tolerant the Empire was of other cultures, the other races were not tolerant of humans.
Countless instances in human history involved the oppression of other races.
Among the long-lived races like Elves, there were even victims who had experienced that oppression firsthand.
Hadn't I personally confirmed the existence of a 'Human Victims Association' in the Feline Tribe village?
Furthermore, this was the Academy.
A place where Dark Mages had been showing up regularly since last year.
There was no way those bastards who declared, “I’m giving up my humanity!” would follow human laws.
Even Bell was a character destined to be captured and brainwashed by a Dark Mage.
And that guy Belex the Liberator, who was beaten to death by the RoFan party not long ago, was someone who endlessly hunted other races to strengthen his own body.
In other words, even assuming the younger generation of other races didn't harbor the same distrust of humans as the previous generation.
They couldn't help but know how dangerous Dark Mages were.
And yet, a prince was coming to the Academy?
He had to be just as crazy as a RoFan male lead.
There couldn't possibly be several of those lunatics.
Even if there were multiple RoFan male leads and new freshmen were being added…
Rational non-humans, unlike humans, wouldn't do such a thing!
“…Dammit.”
There really shouldn't be.
Please.
“Phew. I won.”
Asran, who had finished three fights today alone, let out a small sigh.
Magic has too many variables.
In the Swordsmanship Department, the outcome of most spars was usually decided in advance.
Except for a few outliers, most people used similar weapons in similar ways.
It was a structure where pure skill equaled the result.
But magic was different.
Part of it was a lack of experience, but magic simply had too many variables.
A mage who usually used fire magic might suddenly use water magic.
Or there were mages who had a low peak but raised their floor by using a vast array of spells.
That’s why, unlike a fight with a swordsman, he couldn't relax for a second because a single mistake could lead to defeat.
“As expected of the Minor Sword Emperor!”
“I knew you could do it!”
“A swordsman can't lose to those weak mages!”
“Asran! You are the third pride of our Swordsmanship Department!”
“…Shut up.”
He couldn't tell if these bastards were complimenting him or mocking him.
Of course, he was clearly in the position of the third-strongest in the second-year Swordsmanship Department.
But I can't keep losing forever!
He still couldn't beat Ellen, let alone Adam who was below him.
But lately, hadn't he been holding his own at a relatively similar level?
“Phew. Next.”
Unlike a fight with a swordsman, which was physically taxing, a fight with a mage was mentally exhausting.
Therefore, as long as he stayed focused, he could fight multiple times, unlike with swordsmen.
“Those damn sword-huggers.”
“But your number three’s reign ends here!”
“We’ve brought our secret weapon!”
The atmosphere among the mages was different than before, but it didn't matter.
There might be many variables, but the fact that the absolute value of skill existed remained unchanged.
Among the pure mages, the only one he might lose to was Arwen.
If you added a few variables, Violet could be considered a threat, but…
Violet hates this kind of thing. And Arwen has been barely active since losing to Adam.
It must be the pain of defeat.
Asran, who knew that feeling better than anyone, only hoped his friend would recover soon.
“I don't care who it is. I don't run from a fight!”
Thus, Asran shouted with a face full of confidence.
No matter who came, he was confident he would win.
“……”
However, he couldn't help but fall silent when he saw the opponent who actually appeared.
How should he even describe this?
After much thought, Asran simply asked a primal question.
“Daisy… why are you here?”
You’re… in the Swordsmanship Department…
At Asran’s reaction, Daisy gave an awkward smile and said,
“Well… I was asked to?”
“……”
Wait, why don't even you know!
Asran wanted to stop the fight right then and there, but it seemed Daisy had other ideas.
“Still, since I’m fighting as a mage right now!”
“I’m going to win!”
Watching Daisy make that declaration, Asran thought:
“……Why?”
Why are you so serious about this fight!
“……And that’s what happened.”
Asran had come to see me looking like he was having a massive existential crisis, so I listened to what happened.
Apparently, he had fought Daisy in 'Mage Mode.'
“Did you lose?”
“…I won.”
He looked so pathetic I thought he’d lost, but it seemed he’d become a pathetic winner instead.
“Then why are you like this?”
“No, the thing is…”
Asran squeezed his eyes shut as he explained the battle against Daisy.
“I knew she could use magic, but she was good. It wasn't that the power was incredible. But she used every single type of magic. It’s not that people like that don't exist, but Daisy’s average level is much higher.”
Most mages only dig into one attribute.
According to Boradori’s magic lecture the other day, magic of the same attribute is an evolved form of lower-tier magic, so it’s easier to level up.
When I asked him to explain it more simply because it was too hard, he replied that specializing in one attribute is better for employment.
But our genius Daisy had talent in every attribute, as Violet used to brag.
If Asran was talking like that, her talent must have reached a level where it was practical in real combat.
“But even that wasn't enough to beat me.”
But the opponent was Asran.
The man who was once called the Minor Sword Emperor of the Empire—no, he was still called that.
Thus, the tide of the battle had turned in Asran’s favor, but…
“She said she was in the Magic Department… then she pulled out a sword.”
“Ah.”
For a moment, I thought of the Magic Sword, but fortunately, it seemed Daisy still had a conscience.
“It was just a normal sword. That’s the problem…”
“What now?”
“Adam. Have you ever fought Daisy when she’s using a normal sword?”
“…No?”
Why would I ever fight the RoFan heroine?
Even now, officially, Daisy and I were in a 'Lover 1' relationship.
“…I won. I won, but I didn't feel certain that I’d win next time.”
“What?”
Say what you will, but Asran was strong.
He was someone who occasionally showed flashes of brilliance, to the point where there were moments I almost lost for real, not just for show.
Was that all? Although he didn't come every time because of the Flower Arrangement Club.
Among the members of the Flower Arrangement Club, Asran was the one who trained the most.
According to Boradori, even in the original work, he was a character who tried his best until the end to reclaim the number one spot from Ellen.
Even now, he was doing his best to take my spot.
To hear such weak words from Asran’s mouth was unexpected.
And it wasn't because of something absolute like a Magic Sword. It was purely through Daisy’s talent.
“Daisy’s only been in the Swordsmanship Department for about three months, right? They say growth is fast in the beginning, but at this rate… she’ll catch up by next year. And the year after that…”
Asran squeezed his eyes shut and said,
“I don't think I can win.”
If even the sword is taken from me, what am I?
Watching Asran lament like that, I couldn't offer him any comfort.