The Trash No One Expected
No one had ever expected anything from trash like him.
“Ester.”
Afternoon class. The moment the teacher called her name, she snapped her head up.
“Y-yes? Yes!”
“Come up and solve this problem for us, will you?”
Of all days, Ester’s attendance number happened to match today’s date. Startled by the sudden summons, she quickly checked the magic circle drawn on the blackboard.
“One circle. Five formula inscriptions inside it. But this is a failed circle. Tell us why it won’t activate, and what needs fixing. Come up and explain.”
After the teacher spoke, Ester’s feet dragged heavily forward. She hadn’t paid the slightest attention to the lesson, too absorbed in the magic tome Daywin had given her.
And yet—
“First… the circle’s attribute is reinforcement. It’s composed of reinforcement formulas designed to accelerate the user’s mana circulation.”
She had parsed the formulas at a single glance.
“Correct. Good eye. So why did I say this circle is a failure?”
“Because every formula pattern carries the exact same effect. Instead of multiplying the result fivefold, it creates an error in the mana circuits.”
As Ester continued, the teacher nodded in pleased approval.
“So you leave only one acceleration formula and rewrite the remaining four as supporting formulas with auxiliary traits.”
Ester picked up a stick of chalk and redrew the circle on the board. It matched the teacher’s expected answer perfectly.
“That’s correct. Well done, Ester. Now then…”
“But it isn’t completely wrong, either. The reason a circle of this form inevitably produces circuit errors is simply because we are human.”
“Hm?”
“If the target has a different mana circuit—spirits, for example—the effects can stack cleanly. A spirit can accept formulas that would overwhelm a human.”
“…That’s right. You know your material well. Contracting with spirits isn’t common, but you’re not wrong. All right—shall we try casting the corrected spell you just drew?”
“What? That’s…”
Having answered correctly, Ester wanted nothing more than to demonstrate it in front of the class. She swallowed dryly and faced the board, laying a slender finger against the chalk lines.
…Activate.
Crack—!
The circle flared with light. Only for a moment. Then the glow died like a guttering gas lamp.
“You used far too little mana.”
The teacher diagnosed it at once. Fear of mana runaway had made her feed the circle only the tiniest trickle.
“It’s fine. Go back to your seat.”
“…Yes.”
The teacher sent Ester away. On the walk back, other students side-eyed her and snickered.
“Must be nice. A Magic Department student who can’t even cast, yet she gets all the popularity just because her face is kinda pretty.”
A girl sneered under her breath.
“Hey, take that back. ‘Kinda pretty’? She’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
A boy shot back at once. The old Ester would have felt a surge of indignation, but after meeting Daywin she simply let the remarks slide. She had no time left to waste on pointless emotion.
Thud—
She sat, opened her book again—and, more precisely, hid Daywin’s magic tome beneath the academy textbook so she could keep reading.
Every formula is new to me, but none of them are actually hard…
Rustle—
Ester checked the room with careful glances and quietly turned the page.
Once I learn how to convert attributes with holy power, I can try them right away. All that’s left is to do it.
She lifted her eyes from the book and looked around. The teacher already took her practical failures for granted, and the students simply ignored her. Even while she was treated like a pitiful afterthought, someone had gone out of his way to bring her a magic tome. For the first time, someone expected something of her.
I have no choice but to succeed.
A light spirit no larger than my palm fluttered around me on translucent wings. Ever since the regression I had been testing my remaining powers in spare moments; summoning the spirit was part of that inventory.
Light spirits were gifts bestowed by the Goddess herself. Apart from me, I had only ever seen one other person who could command them. Even after returning, the fact that the contract still held was a surprise. The term ran until my death. Strictly speaking, then, I had never actually died.
“You’re quite the generous one.”
Pop—
I clenched my fist in a silent signal and the spirit vanished. Time to get up. I had an appointment with the Academy Headmaster today. Last time the man had claimed he had no interest in meeting me; now he had issued the invitation himself. Whatever his business, I needed good relations with the Academy, so courtesy was required.
I straightened my clothes and knocked on the Headmaster’s door.
“Yes, come in.”
I pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside. The Headmaster, seated at his desk and buried in paperwork, looked up. We had never met face-to-face, so he tilted his head in mild confusion.
“Daywin Hasgard. You said you wished to see me—”
“My goodness! Well, if it isn’t!”
Before I could finish he shoved his chair back with a clatter and sprang to his feet.
“You’re the man who sent us Laward!”
He approached with a deep bow, right hand extended—left hand supporting the elbow in exaggerated deference.
“Ah… a pleasure.”
I took the offered hand and gave it a light squeeze. He looked to be in his late forties, the sort who took care of himself: clear skin, no gut, and clothes chosen with real flair. The kind of man who only grew more handsome with age, like fine leather.
“Please, sit! Do you like tea? Our selection is limited, I’m afraid, but I chose every blend myself—excellent flavor, I promise.”
He swept an arm toward a plush sofa, then set about boiling water without waiting for an answer. Even for a benefactor, the hospitality was unexpectedly lavish. I watched his back as I settled into the seat and waited, glancing around the office. Presently he returned with the steeping tea and began to speak.
“I hear you discovered Laward by chance in the slums.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
More accurately, I had gone looking for him—but close enough.
“Even a place like that can hide a raw gem.”
He chuckled softly and set the cup on the table.
“As you know, Laward’s entrance scores were the highest in Academy history. And he hasn’t rested on those laurels—he’s still pushing himself further. How splendid is that? A hardworking genius!”
He laughed heartily and clapped his hands.
“I was once an educator myself, so take it from me: there is no better student. It may be early to say so, but I believe Laward will change the world. Hahaha!”
“Thank you for thinking so highly of him.”
“Lately our alumni have been underperforming and our rankings have slipped. Once Laward graduates and makes a name for himself, the Academy’s prestige will rise again. Personally, I have great hopes for him.”
“There are rankings? First I’ve heard of it.”
“Well, nothing official, but conventional ones exist. As the man in charge, public perception matters.”
In only a few exchanges the Headmaster kept circling back to “grades” and “rankings.” That alone sketched his character clearly enough. He had not summoned me merely to express gratitude.
“Tell me—can you see the old classroom building?”
Without warning he pointed out the window. My gaze followed his finger to a shabby structure that looked out of place among the newer halls.
“It’s been standing since the Academy was founded. After I took office we built the new facilities, so it sits unused now.”
So that was the story. Not just a romantic confession spot after all.
“At first I tried every way to put the old building to use, but in the end it was abandoned. No one could find a reason to use a crumbling wreck when perfectly good buildings stood empty.”
He regarded the old classroom with a complicated expression.
“Its only real charm was the flower garden surrounding it, and even that is withering now. Looking back, though, I made the right choice discarding it. The new buildings brought more enrollments and higher guardian satisfaction. What matters is selection and focus.”
Ah. So that was why the sudden talk of the old building.
“…Headmaster, it seems you disapprove of my sponsoring students other than Laward.”
He had been comparing the old classroom to the heroines.
“No, no, not at all! How could I possibly disapprove?”
“Is that so.”
I tilted my teacup and watched his reaction from the corner of my eye.
“I am forever grateful for your generous spirit, Lord Daywin. It’s only that… selection and focus are still important, are they not? I would hope you, too, might make efficient, rational judgments.”
No matter how I looked at it, he was still saying he disliked it—just in roundabout language.
“Yet the scholarships you provide are hardly small sums. If all that money were poured into raising Laward alone…”
The fact that he even knew Laward by name among so many students was already strange. He was pinning far more hope on the boy than I had anticipated. Well, of course. This was the protagonist. Whether or not he walked the path of a Holy Knight, every road Laward chose would lead to the summit. A royal road. A red carpet.
“As you say, Laward was born with once-in-a-generation talent. As his sponsor I naturally expect great things. But I have no intention of abandoning the others.”
“Even so, if you would concentrate on Laward, in many ways…”
“How about a wager?”
I turned my head and cut him off.
“A… wager?”
“Simple. If, before the vacation, any of those students produce noticeable results, you grant me one request.”
“I’m not sure you’re aware, but the closing ceremony is less than a month away.”
“That’s plenty of time. Will you take the bet?”
“Hmm…”
The Headmaster deliberated for a long while before answering.
“Very well. And in the reverse case, I trust I needn’t spell it out.”
“Yes. I abandon the other students and devote everything to Laward alone. Of course, I’ll align with the Academy’s training policies.”
I already knew Ester could master holy power and recovery magic. This was a match I could not lose.
“You said I found a raw gem in ‘a place like that.’ Those five may be nothing but underachievers right now, but Laward himself was once a delinquent no one expected anything from. Just another piece of trash rolling around the slums.”
“……”
“Have a little more faith in your students.”
“Yes… I understand. I shall watch and see…”
“The tea was excellent.”
I left the cup after only a single sip and rose.
Creak—
The moment I opened the door and stepped out of the Headmaster’s office in a bitter mood—
Pat-pat-pat!
Someone’s running footsteps echoed. I turned toward the sound just in time to see a girl-shaped silhouette vanish around the corner.
“Hm.”
Someone had been eavesdropping.
Two weeks later, night.
Ester carried the magic tome to the old classroom building. The place held her worst memories, yet it was the most suitable site for testing recovery magic. No one paid it any attention, so she could practice without being discovered.
The old classroom, abandoned once the new buildings rose. The flower garden that still ringed it.
Trying it on people or animals from the start would be too dangerous…
Her first subjects would be the withering flowers. Even if she failed, no one would mourn a gray garden growing a little more desiccated.
“…Hoo.”
She closed her eyes and gathered mana. One arm cradled the book; the other stretched toward a drooping blossom.
Kiiing—
Light bloomed from her outstretched hand. The dark night regained color, radiating outward from her palm.
How long has it been?
How long since she had truly, wholeheartedly, cast magic with everything she had? Not since the incident in her childhood, it seemed. She felt the mana draining from her body. Part of her whispered that she should stop; another part hungered to change at last. Fear and hope shared the same face as she poured the power outward.
Woooom—
Mana gathered until her right hand felt heavy. From this point she could not have stopped even if she wanted to. She poured it all out. Ester squeezed her eyes shut. The image of herself mastering recovery magic and shining in battle—the future she had imagined ever since Daywin’s words—rose before her. Tonight it felt a little clearer.
“…Heal.”
The incantation she forced past her hesitation. The mana she had gathered in her palm erupted. How much time passed after that, she could not tell. She knew by sensation alone that she had succeeded. She simply lacked the courage to confirm the result, so her eyes stayed closed.
There had been no deviation at all. Exactly as prepared, exactly as practiced. Everything perfect. So just a little longer—believe in yourself.
“Believe.”
Very slowly, she opened her eyes.
Shaaaa—!
The withered flowers of the garden lifted their heads in a single rush. Like streetlamps lighting one after another, like fireworks blooming across the sky, they all blossomed at once. The garden that had sunk into ash-gray hues was suddenly drenched as if someone had spilled an entire palette of paint across a canvas.
“Wow…”
Her vast mana soaked the parched earth and raised every broken stem. Flowers and trees revived and linked together until the old classroom reclaimed the vitality of its glory days. Ester herself had transformed the building that once gave her the worst day of her life into something beautiful.
Thud—
The unbelievable sight made her drop the magic tome. When she bent to pick it up, strength fled her legs completely. She lacked even the energy to stand again. She simply sank down and stared blankly at the garden.
“…It’s pretty.”