Chapter 144: Akensom (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 144: Akensom (2)
# RoFan Male Leads: Is Leon always like that?
# Ellen Leon: Do you really think so?
There is a saying that birds of a feather flock together.
Just as the RoFan heroine Daisy and her childhood friend Violet stuck together.
Just as the mages gathered to defeat the existence that was the personification of anti-magic itself.
Just as dark mages naturally gathered at the Academy!
The essential components of any RoFan, the RoFan male leads, also naturally banded together for this exam.
And the result was… the worst.
“How is it that we haven’t run into a single person?”
“We’re far too unlucky.”
The RoFan male leads were a group of individuals with statuses that ordinary students dared not even approach.
That alone made them difficult to interact with, but on top of that, their individual skills were at the very top of the Academy.
Unless they were insane, there was no reason for regular students to seek them out.
If they accidentally offended one of them, the difficulty of their lives would skyrocket, and it wasn't as if they could win in a fight anyway!
Consequently, the RoFan male leads, who were automatically bypassed by the other students, were enjoying peace on Akensom Island.
And because of that…
“I wanted to be on the same team as Daisy…”
They were incredibly bored.
“You’re being quite proactive lately, Asran.”
“I’ve just dropped the act.”
They sat in a circle around a campfire. Thanks to Ellen, who kept pulling luxurious food ingredients out of his subspace pouch, the atmosphere felt more like a vacation than an exam. Like any other men their age, they began to talk about romance.
…Of course, the object of their affection was the same person.
Because of that, they understood each other perfectly.
“…Honestly, Violet is too strong.”
At Gerard’s words, everyone nodded subconsciously.
Adam Smith was her official lover, but they didn't view him as much of a threat.
Initially, they had felt angry and a sense of crisis when she chose a third party—someone who wasn't even in the Flower Arrangement Club, and whom the non-Swordsmanship Department members only recognized as ‘Who is that?’ or ‘Ah, the guy who beats Asran every time?’
‘Wait, wouldn’t it be more dangerous if she chose one of us?’
‘He said it was just a contractual relationship…’
‘That atmosphere? Between lovers? No way.’
‘I don’t know about anyone else, but I can trust Adam.’
‘That guy, dating? Impossible.’
As time passed, and as they investigated the man known as Adam Smith, they felt more at ease.
He even seemed like an expert(?), immediately securing a contract relationship with Loreliya, the Duke’s daughter of the Empire!
Unless he was the greatest con artist of the century, there was no way he would attempt to two-time a Saintess and a Duke’s daughter.
Furthermore, with Ellen’s strong guarantee, they decided to perceive Adam Smith as merely a professional in fake relationships.
And Adam Smith actually proved it.
Not only did he have a few formal meetings that could never be mistaken for a romantic outing, but even when Daisy requested help, Adam Smith would coldly refuse unless it was absolutely necessary!
“Still. They’re both women…”
“I’ve heard it’s not entirely unheard of for noblewomen to date each other.”
“Violet is actually quite popular among the women in the Magic Department.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“But it doesn’t feel like Violet likes anyone in particular.”
“……What if it’s because the person she likes is already by her side?”
“N-No way!”
They were in the middle of a conversation that would have made Violet flip them off regardless of their status if she had heard it. It was the kind of trivial talk that would seem absurd coming from royalty and high nobility, even if it were common among ordinary students.
“So, that’s when that Adam Smith guy—!”
Esid interrupted Arwen, who was venting his frustrations while Asran nodded along violently in empathy.
“Ah, by the way…”
Since they were talking about Daisy, the topic of Adam Smith inevitably came up.
And so, a question that Esid had been curious about naturally surfaced.
“Is Leon always like that?”
Esid harbored no ill will toward Leon.
It was just a thought that occurred to him, a question born of pure curiosity.
However, even though he omitted the subject, it was a question everyone else had been pondering as well.
Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned toward Ellen.
“Sigh…”
Ellen also knew exactly what they were asking.
He let out a long sigh and answered with short but intense conviction.
“Do you really think so?”
Despite Ellen’s firm denial, the others only narrowed their eyes, their expressions full of disbelief.
“No, look, Leon and Dale aren't on the best terms. But that’s more about the pride between the sword and magic! Even so, not everyone in Leon calls people from Dale ‘Magic Spammers’!”
It was a cry of extreme injustice from Ellen, but…
“So you’re saying some people call them that.”
“Leon is terrifying.”
“If I’m being honest, we call people from Leon ‘sword-swingers’ in Dale too.”
“‘Sword-swinger’ sounds okay, but ‘Magic Spammer’ is a bit…”
Watching the group chatter among themselves, Ellen let out a deep sigh.
“No, honestly. I don’t know why Adam is like that either! He wasn't this bad before he came to the Academy!”
He shouted in frustration, but Ellen’s outcry was immediately shut down by Arwen.
“You know Marie, right? My childhood friend and attendant who enrolled with me.”
“Uh…”
“And aside from Marie, you know that the attendants of everyone here are in the same club?”
“Right?”
“Even though it only recently became an official club, they’ve been active together as a temporary club since early last year… According to the testimony I heard there, Adam Smith called Marie a ‘Fire Spammer’ from their very first meeting.”
Arwen had been firmly branded as trash by the After-School Dessert Club, Loreliya, and Princess Ruelle.
However, even to him, Marie was precious and someone he was grateful for.
She was his most cherished ‘friend’ for whom he would do anything.
It was just that he had never once perceived her as a romantic interest!
Therefore, Arwen asked Ellen with a hint of anger.
“Still… isn’t calling a girl you’ve just met a ‘Fire Spammer’ a bit much?”
“……”
All Ellen could do was avoid his gaze and look away.
But despite Ellen’s efforts, Arwen’s lamentation didn't end there.
“Even worse… I heard that now, people around her naturally start calling her ‘Fla— Marie’ instead of just ‘Marie.’”
“……”
Ellen had no choice but to keep his mouth shut even tighter.
“Ah, now that you mention it…”
“I’ve seen it myself too…”
Testimonies began to pour out from the others as well.
‘Adam! What on earth have you been doing!’
A situation had been created where even the strongest swordsman in the Academy could do nothing but take the hits.
My ears are itching.
Is someone talking behind my back?
“Ugh, damn. Who is it?”
There were so many possibilities that it was hard to guess.
For starters, many of the mages I fought this morning would still be alive since they hadn't been eliminated yet.
Then there were the RoFan male leads who thought I had stolen Daisy from them.
“This is exhausting, seriously.”
I had somehow managed to take care of all the dark mages in sight.
But dark mages and cockroaches shared a common trait: not just their persistent vitality, but the fact that there were always far more of them lurking around than the ones you could actually see.
“…Ugh. This Academy.”
I heard they had assumed the defenses would be breached.
But that doesn't mean they should actually let it happen!
“Well, I guess it would be more of a horror story if it wasn't breached at this point.”
An Academy that blocked every single dark mage.
That should have sounded like a given, but hearing it in reality would actually be terrifying.
Sleep was out of the question.
With that thought, I prepared to leave.
The cleanup… the Empire would handle it.
They’ve had plenty of practice with this kind of thing, so they better be good at it.
Thinking that, I quietly left the area.
First, I wanted to find a place where I could at least catch a nap.
“…Are you a dark mage?”
“I am the Grim Reaper sent to kill you!”
As if they had been waiting, Magic Spammers jumped out.
Fortunately, the Magic Spammers hadn't set a trap specifically for me.
Great minds think alike; a spot that looks good to me looks good to others too.
From their perspective, it probably felt like I was the one ambushing them.
Of course, there was a downside: I had to fight at a mage’s base.
Due to the nature of Magic Spammers, if they have time to prepare, they can often take down opponents much stronger than themselves.
Prepared Magic Spammers are that troublesome.
Because of that, running away might have been the better option.
“Pant. Pant.”
But I was just too tired for that.
So I beat them all up and took over their base.
“Ugh. I’m beat.”
I simply wrapped myself in a blanket and lay down on the ground.
I was technically from a Count’s family, a high-ranking noble… but I had done this in the military in my past life.
Sleeping in this kind of environment wasn't that difficult.
As long as no one came by.
“……”
In that sense, the first night—no, the dawn of the second day—allowed me to sleep much better than expected.
“…Wait, was yesterday the weird day?”
This was a long, grueling exam lasting a full week.
And yet, from the first day, I had been fighting Magic Spammers, dark mages, and then more mages in succession.
At this point, I was starting to suspect that the evil Magic Spammers had teamed up with the dark mages just to take me down.
“Well, that wouldn't happen.”
Among the eliminated was even Princess Ruelle.
Considering that Dale was doing its best alongside the Holy Kingdom to eradicate dark mages from the continent to atone for their past sins, it was only normal that the two would never join forces.
It was likely just a series of coincidences.
Thinking that, I made myself a decent breakfast. As I stood up to leave, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Do I even need to move?”
I pulled the Badges of Survival out of my pocket.
At a glance, there were over thirty of them.
I was probably the only person who had gathered this many badges on the first day.
Not only that, but I was someone who gained nothing from getting a good grade anyway.
If there was any benefit, it would be getting a better score than Prince Ellen just to taunt him.
But considering the mages who would be hunting me down with bloodshot eyes… there was no reason to bother.
“Hmm.”
I recalled the battle with the Magic Spammers from earlier this morning.
Their individual skills weren't that great, but they were quite troublesome.
“A prepared mage is strong.”
If even ordinary Academy students were like that, then if Adam Smith, the strongest mage in the Academy, were to prepare…
“I’d be invincible.”
Building the ultimate fortress wouldn't be that difficult either.