A Lesson in Manners

The examinees who walked away were far from few. How many people, after all, would truly stake their lives just to earn a place at the Academy?

The examiner looked over those who had remained until the very end and offered them both encouragement and a promise of what lay ahead.

"This Academy course will be unlike anything in our history, and I guarantee that those who graduate will receive privileges to match. Any commoner who pledges to serve in the Northern Region will be raised to the nobility the moment that vow is made. And for those of you already of noble birth — your entire house will be elevated in rank."

It was an extraordinary reward. Rise to the Northern Region and become a noble? Nobles themselves promoted in the peerage? Even searching five hundred years of history, there was no precedent. Only the most staggering of merits had ever been enough to earn a title, and an elevation of rank was much the same.

Even the examinees who had been wondering whether to quit then and there felt their blood catch fire. Still, a few couldn't help but ask if it was really true.

"If we graduate from the Academy and go north, will our houses truly be elevated?"

"This is a guarantee from the Crown Prince himself. You need not worry on that account."

A promise from royal blood — the kind of word that could not be taken back. The examinees delighted in what they took for a golden opportunity.

And I, who knew something of how these things actually worked, thought I understood what the Crown Prince was after.

In a way, it was a trap. The kind you couldn't claw your way out of, even in the most desperate circumstances, because the reward waiting at the end was simply too sweet.

That kind of trap.

What conspiracy was lurking behind all this, that they would go so far as to set a snare like this? At this rate, I might end up dying again. Dying to save someone.

"For today, rest. We will brief you on the detailed schedule tomorrow."

The examiner handed out keys so the remaining examinees could sleep in the Academy's dormitories. Those who had received an S-Grade were given a single room as a privilege.

There were only five S-Grades to speak of. Myself, Franc, the Hero, the Sword Star, and the Spear Star. Which meant everyone else was in a four-person room. Laeli included.

She stared at the single-room key with naked envy.

"I'm so jealous. Sleeping alone, no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠roommate — that has to be so nice."

"Yeah, it is."

Having a room to yourself was hardly a hardship. It was special treatment, plain and simple. Only five examinees had earned an S-Grade, after all.

And as I'd expected, Laeli asked about the necklace I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was wearing.

"And that necklace — how did you get it?"

I already had an explanation prepared. Laeli only knew the fragments: that I had been kidnapped, and that the Church had rescued me. I could use that. It wasn't even a lie.

"The bishop gave it to me."

"Ah...! Well, if it's a Church relic, no wonder it's good for killing demons."

She was a complete novice when it came to magic, let alone Holy Power, so she had somehow gotten it into her head that the Origin of the Star would be especially effective against demonkind.

There was no need to correct her. The power I actually possessed was far too alien for Laeli — my marriage prospect, no less — to know about. Better she keep mistaking it for the power of an artifact.

The dormitory I was headed for and the one Laeli would be staying in lay in opposite directions. She waved brightly and turned toward a somewhat shabby building.

"See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah."

I waved back, parted ways with her, and started toward the dormitory that matched my single-room key. And as I'd expected, someone was following behind me.

"Franc."

"Yes!"

She came right up in front of me. We had agreed to talk, so I'd been wondering when she would show — apparently she had deliberately hung back to avoid a collision with Laeli. Sharp. She really did think fast.

Franc was an S-Grade mage who had also been given a single room, and the singles weren't divided by gender, so we were headed the same way. We could talk as we walked.

"So. What did you want to say?"

"Well... about the Extreme... even a little..."

The question I'd expected. Any mage who could recognize the Extreme hungered for it with a desperation that bordered on madness. Even a mind as brilliant as hers hadn't bothered to scheme or negotiate — she just asked, straight out.

I said nothing, and Franc grew restless, fidgeting where she stood.

"No — even a speck, even the smallest clue, please, just tell me something!"

I could feel it. The will of someone trying to take even a single step closer to a longing she could never reach. How many mages like her had I seen?

Was it all right to show her?

After a moment's doubt, I decided.

"You want to know?"

"Yes — yes, I do!"

She wanted to know. So I would show her.

"Wooow..."

Franc's mouth hung open. An inexpressible rapture washed over her face. She was a mage who could recognize the Extreme — she knew exactly how extraordinary what she was seeing truly was. That was why the awe hit her so hard.

Snap.

"Ah—!"

The instant I flicked my fingers, the magic circles that had been unfolding so slowly vanished without a trace. She had wanted to look even a little longer, and the loss filled her with nothing but regret.

"That's enough."

"Ahhhh..."

The girl sagged as if she were drunk, both shoulders drooping, and swayed on her feet before looking back up at me with shining eyes.

As long as I didn't show her everything, it wouldn't mean much. I could show her a little more, though.

"...I'll show you the rest next time."

"Next time too?!"

"What, did you think this was the last of it?"

Joy flooded through Franc at the thought of facing again a fateful chance she might never have recaptured. At the same time, the rational mage in her felt a flicker of doubt.

"I-it doesn't make sense. You're really going to show me that, with no price at all?"

"What could you even give me?"

"Th-that's..."

Franc rolled her eyes furiously, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Or perhaps whatever she had was far too precious to offer up so rashly. Her face was turning red. So she did have something.

"I do have something, but..."

"Forget it. I'm not taking anything."

"Really?"

Something else would be better. Franc, for all that talent, was someone I believed had died young and suddenly. If I could keep her alive, she might well be useful in killing the Demon King.

"Instead, I want one favor."

"If it's something I can do, anything at all is fine."

"Accompany me on this exam."

"That much? Anytime!"

A proposal that served as both recruiting a companion and protecting someone who might otherwise die. For some reason, Franc seemed even happier about it than I was.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

...And then, unbidden, Laeli came to mind. How would she react if Franc was at my side? Would she be glad I'd recruited a powerful mage? They'd already fought once, so I doubted they were on good terms.

I didn't know. I'd think about that when the time came.

Before long we arrived at the dormitory building. Unlike the one Laeli had gone into, this was a new building — and a lavish one. I felt as though I'd walked into a hotel.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Argal."

Franc had always lived in comfort, I supposed; she headed to her room as if a place this luxurious were nothing out of the ordinary.

I unlocked my own door, and the distinctive scent of fine woodwork filled my nose. The bed was better than the one at my family's estate. No — it looked better than my own room, period. Larger, more finely furnished, with a private washroom, a dining table, and even a wardrobe for my things.

"...Tonight should be very comfortable."

Did I even need to go back to that humble little manor tucked away in the countryside?

It was the kind of night that put a question like that in your head.

Morning came, and the smell of food drifted in. Not from inside the room — from below.

I rubbed my eyes and went downstairs, and what I found nearly brought my brain to a sputtering halt.

Franc. The Hero. The Sword Star. The Spear Star.

All four of them had taken food from a buffet spread and were sitting down to breakfast.

...It was a sight that made the chest swell all on its own.

"You're here?"

Franc greeted me brightly. The two Stars, a pair of complete bastards, didn't so much as glance my way and just kept eating.

As for the Hero... let's not even start. She was treating me like I was invisible now.

Was this really the Hero I knew?

I was curious what kind of misunderstanding she was laboring under, but there was no need to approach her right now. No matter what happened, the one the Hero would ultimately stand against was the Demon King. She was a being born to kill the Demon King. So long as I steered her down the right path, I didn't need to go out of my way to win her affection.

So I picked up a plate and went to get food. Franc had already finished eating. She picked up her empty plate and followed behind me.

A lot of the dishes were unfamiliar — food from a region different from where I'd grown up — but Franc explained them as we went. She showed off a startlingly deep knowledge of cuisine.

"This is called confit de canard — duck that's been left to sit in its own fat for a long time, then fried. It's too rich to eat a lot of, but a single bite is heaven."

"And this is a stew of all kinds of seafood cooked together. Bouillabaisse, they call it — in plainer terms, a seafood hotchpotch, but it's a high-end dish in its own right. That's what happens when you throw every expensive shellfish you can find into one pot."

It was detailed enough, and refined enough, that I had to ask.

"How do you know all this?"

"I've read a lot of books. Mathematics, society, culture, history... and somewhere along the way, cookbooks too."

So that was why she'd torn through the written exam with so much confidence.

I nodded and started plating the dishes she recommended, one after another. Her descriptions had made me curious, and before I knew it a mountain of food had piled up on my plate.

...I hadn't actually planned on eating this much.

I was just about to carry the loaded plate to a table. That is, if someone hadn't carelessly knocked into it on their way past.

The Spear Star, done with her meal and cutting past me, clipped the plate in my hands. The dish spun through the air and plunged toward the floor. Food scattered through empty space — a wet splat, a thud, a pitter-patter of falling scraps.

The one mercy was that none of it landed on my clothes.

The Spear Star walked on without a word, as if this were simply how she demonstrated her character. I'd seen this from her more than once or twice, so I was prepared to let it go — but Franc, of course, was not about to just stand there and watch.

"You there. Aren't you going to apologize?"

"...Apologize?"

The Spear Star looked back as if she couldn't fathom why anyone would ask her to do such a thing.

"You're the ones blocking the path, and you're demanding an apology from me?"

"He's carrying a mountain of food and can't exactly step aside, so you should be the one to yield!"

"I don't see why I should."

A thickheaded pain in the ass, through and through.

Franc, apparently unable to tolerate another second of the Spear Star's twisted logic, spun on her heel.

"I'm not dealing with someone who has no concept of basic decency!"

That was the trigger.

"Is that an insult?"

I looked at it and sighed.

Fine. Better to give her a lesson in character now, before this kind of thing happened again.

The air had shifted toward a fight, but it wasn't as though Franc lacked confidence. She was an S-Grade mage of the highest caliber, after all.

"Hah. Just because you act however you want doesn't mean I'm going to back d—"

"Asel Montrose."

I stepped forward, and Franc fell silent. The Spear Star's gaze flicked to me. She tilted her head.

"Why?"

"Let's make a wager."

I placed a hand over my chest.

Same as before — but with the Hero watching from behind, using the Magi in the dagger was strictly off-limits.

The Spear Star had one peculiar trait. If you made a wager with her before a fight, she honored the outcome without fail. I didn't need to demand anything special from her.

She asked back,

"And if I lose?"

"From now on, you greet people when you first meet them."

The Spear Star, whose face had always been a blank mask, made an absolutely bizarre expression. From behind us came the Sword Star's voice, a poorly stifled snort of laughter.

A vast tide of mana wrapped around me.

Time for an etiquette lesson, Spear Star.