Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 258
Chapter Title: The Truth Revealed (3)
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Nade stepped forward. While he was the type to get along with everyone, he couldn't help but take Shirone's side in this situation.
“You guys should stop now. Of course, it's shocking that Shirone is a commoner, but it's not like he intentionally deceived you. If you had asked, he would have told you the truth. That's the kind of person Shirone is. It's not right for students of the same academy to attack each other over things unrelated to competition.”
“Competition? Don't be ridiculous. He's a commoner, a commoner! Do you befriend commoners outside of here? No, you don't! You're the one who's served by countless commoners in your own family, so how can you possibly accept Shirone?”
Nade let out a sigh.
There was no getting through to them; trying to persuade them was a futile effort.
Of course, James had a point, and it wasn't that he couldn't understand their feelings.
But what could he do? Shirone was already his most precious friend, and he never wanted to see him sad.
James, thinking Iruki and Nade were already blinded by their affection for Shirone, changed his target to Dante.
“Dante! You say something. You're the one who should be the most furious here. To be humiliated by a mere commoner!”
Dante wore a look of disbelief.
“Does it matter if you're a commoner or a noble when you're pissed off? I lost, so I lost. That's all.”
It was the first time he had expressed his feelings about the duel, but even then, his words were simple and direct.
James finally realized what was going on.
Neither Dante's group nor Shirone's group wanted to get involved with the mid-tier students.
It was clear they were ignoring reality, as if bad-mouthing Shirone would drag them down to his level.
James lowered his head, trembling, and then, unable to hold it in, snapped.
“So that's what this is about? You all just want to latch onto Shirone? Because no one in the academy can beat him now! You think siding with him makes you look all high and mighty, don't you? You're no different from me. In the end, we're all just losers!”
Dante swirled the ice in his iced coffee and said.
“That's going a bit too far. I'm the one who lost, so why are you the one getting worked up?”
“Don't you be a hypocrite! Honestly, you can't stand it, can you? Does it make sense to act like nothing happened after losing so miserably? Tell me. You were beaten to a pulp by Shirone and even passed out. What on earth goes through your mind?”
“These bastards, I've had enough!”
Clozer couldn't take it anymore and stepped forward. The same kids who couldn't even make eye contact with them before Dante's defeat were now running their mouths, emboldened.
“That's enough. Stop.”
Dante, stopping Clozer, looked up at the ceiling. After thinking for a long moment, he slowly opened his mouth.
“What if… I had simplified the automaton's design a bit more?”
At the out-of-the-blue remark, James's expression twisted.
“What? What kind of nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”
“Pascal's circuit should have been more intuitive. For example, it would have been better to distribute the roles, like offense for offense, defense for defense. Was the variety of basic magic too much? If I had removed Fireball and only operated with Wind Cutter, the mobility would have increased.”
The students stared blankly at Dante's ceaseless words.
Iruki and Nade listened intently.
Indeed, if things had unfolded that way, the match's outcome might have been slightly different.
James, on the other hand, kept his mouth shut tight, his body trembling with rage.
Dante stood up with his coffee and approached him.
“If you're asking what's on my mind, it's nothing but magic. I am, after all, attending a magic academy. But you—what goes through your mind? Whether Shirone is a commoner or a noble, what does that have to do with your magic?”
James's face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.
A wave of shame washed over him, making him want to jump up and run away that very instant.
But he couldn't show such a disgrace in front of the underclassmen.
Having lost the argument, he now resorted to being stubborn.
“Sh-shut up! What about you? You didn't even kneel to Shirone. You talked big, saying you'd rather die, but look at you, still alive and well!”
Clozer's eyes grew cold.
“James, you got a death wish?”
James flinched in fear, but the words were already out.
Besides, Clozer was the one who had been beaten up by Iruki, so he wouldn't be able to use force here.
“It's the truth! Tell me! What are you if not a two-faced hypocrite?”
Dante was silent for a moment.
He wasn't thinking deeply. He was just waiting for the voice of Shirone in his head to finish.
“Well…”
Dante said nonchalantly.
“I couldn't bring myself to die. Dying is scary, you know.”
“Wha-what?”
Iruki let out a chuckle.
He wasn't laughing at Dante.
Of course, dying is scary for anyone. As Shirone had said, it's because they were only human.
He didn't like Dante, but he did appreciate his straightforward personality, which was as precise as his automatons.
“I really did fight with the resolve to die, but when it came down to it, I couldn't. That's all there is to it. But I didn't want to kneel either.”
James lost his composure.
He couldn't comprehend what went through the minds of Dante's group or Shirone's. In his eyes, they all looked like psychopaths.
“Haha! Right, I get it now. You loser! In the end, you just tucked your tail between your legs for Shirone. You never had the guts to die from the start! Why don't you hurry back to that precious Royal Magic Academy of yours?”
Clozer seriously resolved to beat James to a pulp.
Until now, he'd been so dispirited from the defeat that it didn't feel right to beat someone up. But he couldn't let someone who insulted Dante get away with it.
“Dante, don't stop me this time.”
Clozer cracked his knuckles and approached James.
But once again, Dante stopped him.
“It's fine. This is the fate of a loser. It's not like I can prove it anyway.”
Clozer looked like he was going crazy with frustration.
“Dante…”
But Dante was truly fine.
James's words were just noise. Words devoid of any meaning.
Wasn't it because he hated kids who passionately argued about others' affairs without any time for self-reflection that he had quit school when he was young?
Dante responded to the agitated James with a smile.
“And James, I'm not going back to the Royal Magic Academy. I'm going to keep attending Alpheas Magic Academy, and I will graduate from here.”
Clozer, forgetting his earlier anger, widened his eyes in surprise.
For someone who hadn't said a single word about his future plans, it was a sudden declaration.
Sabina asked in disbelief.
“Dante, are you serious? Master Olivia hasn't even confirmed if she'll accept the vice headmaster position yet.”
“It has nothing to do with my master. If Shirone is here, then naturally, I must stay too.”
A light of joy filled Clozer's eyes.
“So you're planning a revenge match? Great! When is it?”
“That's not for me to decide. I've already lost, so I don't want to force it. But I still have one chance left to redeem myself. I can't just transfer and give up that chance, can I?”
“Huh? A chance?”
Dante turned to Iruki and said.
“The graduation exam. A gateway that no student of the magic academy can avoid. Of course, Shirone will take it too.”
Iruki nodded as if it were obvious.
“Of course.”
Dante finally felt a sense of relief.
There were still a few variables to consider, but making the declaration along with the flow of the situation was actually refreshing.
As Shirone had said, he was only human. There was no need to obsess over trivial win rates.
Dante planned to start over from there.
“Clozer, I'm going to take the graduation exam here. And I will definitely surpass Shirone and graduate in first place.”
Clozer flexed his muscles and shouted heartily.
“Alright! We'll definitely win this time! Let's start special training today!”
Nade pulled Iruki closer and said.
“Haha! You think you can get first place that easily? You think we're just going to sit around and play?”
Dante nodded in acknowledgment.
It was true that Nade and Iruki were rivals just as formidable as Shirone.
“Right, bring it on. First place will be mine anyway.”
Dante also spoke to James, who was standing there like a spare part.
“You should prepare hard too. After all, you have to graduate to become a mage, right?”
James didn't answer. He just lowered his head and left the snack bar.
The students who had been bad-mouthing Shirone until now exchanged glances and then stealthily followed him out. The thought of competing not only with Shirone's group but also Dante's in the advanced class was already making their future seem bleak.
Dante tossed his empty coffee cup into the trash and walked to the door.
“We're leaving. Tell Shirone I won't lose next time.”
Iruki scoffed and said.
“Why don't you tell him yourself?”
Dante paused for a moment, looked up at the ceiling, and said.
“Well, I could do that too. When I have time later.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he opened the door and left.
His cool personality, never taking anything too seriously, seemed to be innate.
Just then, the door suddenly opened again, and Sabina came in.
She glared at Nade, chewing her lip, and then strode forward with determination.
Now that Dante had decided to make a comeback, she had to shake off her fear of Nade.
As Sabina's eyes widened, Nade recoiled.
He knew she had been afraid of him ever since the lynching incident. Although it was true she had insulted his family, he felt sorry for having instilled the fear of death in her.
“N-next time we meet, I won't let you off so easily.”
He could imagine how much courage it must have taken for Sabina to say that.
Nade decided to forgive her.
He wasn't particularly interested in the mage certification, but he wanted a fair competition until graduation.
Nade smiled and said.
“Alright, let's have a proper match next time.”
“Hmph.”
Sabina, blushing, fled the snack bar as if escaping. Her heart pounded with the confidence of having done it.
Iruki watched blankly as Sabina left.
“What was that all of a sudden?”
Not knowing the full story, he couldn't understand the meaning of their conversation.
Even Nade, who would normally have spoken up first, kept his mouth shut.
“What is it? What happened? Are you… and Sabina, you know, a thing?”
Nade jumped in surprise, waving his hands.
“No! Sabina is… Ah, I don't know. It's just something.”
Seeing that he didn't want to talk, Iruki didn't press him further.
Whatever the relationship between Sabina and Nade was, it was their own business.
Of course, personally, he wanted to fully support it. He didn't like Sabina, but if she could drive out the ghost that haunted Nade's heart, it would be a good thing.
“Right. Anyway, let's hurry up and buy our stuff. Shirone must be waiting.”
@
Paranormal Research Society.
In the clubroom, after his friends had left, Shirone was lost in thought.
On the sofa lay the Spirit magazine Nade had brought, and Shirone's gaze was fixed on the page with his parents' interview.
“Haaah, why…”
Shirone couldn't believe what was happening.
Of course, he wasn't ashamed of being the son of a commoner, and he was proud to be his parents' son.
But Shirone was now old enough to understand how the world worked.
He hadn't faced any major crises so far because the magic academy was full of sensible friends, but the world's view would be different.
He wanted to see his parents. What were they feeling right now?
Even his father must have known that it wouldn't be good if his son's status was revealed.
How on earth did Killain make them confess?
If she had used coercion, he would never forgive her.
‘I hope Mom wasn't hurt.’
Now that it was published in a magazine distributed throughout the kingdom, he felt that if he submitted a request for a leave of absence, it would be approved.
Above all, the headmaster of Alpheas would surely treat it as his own matter.