Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: At the Summit (3)
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“By the way, Shirone. What have you been up to? What are you doing in the city? Working at a shop or something?”
“Huh? No, well...”
Shirone decided to tell them the truth. He knew his father had kept it quiet, but now that they were asking, he couldn't bring himself to be cold enough to lie to them.
“Actually, I'm attending a magic academy.”
“Whaaaaaat?”
The kids all shouted, their eyes wide.
It was unbelievable. Of course, they had known Shirone was different since they were young, but for the son of a mountain man to enroll in a magic academy...
“H-How did that happen? For real?”
Shirone was surprised by how much more shocked they were than he'd expected. He spoke with an easygoing charm to calm them down.
“Haha. I just got lucky. I worked as a librarian in a noble family's library, and thankfully, they took a liking to me and helped me enroll.”
Hearing that, the kids were even more dumbfounded.
No matter if he worked as a librarian, it was unheard of for a noble to go to such lengths for a commoner.
For anyone who didn't know the arduous path Shirone had taken to get here, it was naturally hard to understand.
“W-Well, anyway, that's amazing. So you're learning magic right now?”
“Whoa! Magic! Can you use magic? Huh? Do it! Show us!”
As the kids swarmed him, all shouting at once, Shirone had to struggle for a good while to calm them down.
“Well... I'm still in a low class, so I'm not very good. Besides, using magic outside of school is against the rules.”
Altor shot Shirone a skeptical glance. Honestly, he couldn't believe it. Since childhood, Shirone's delicate looks and gentle nature had inspired a sense of awe in the other kids. Despite that, the reason Altor had become the leader was because he possessed brute strength, the most important asset for a commoner.
But what about now?
Shirone was a student at a magic academy said to be attended only by the highest nobility, while he was still just Altor from the swidden village.
“If you go to a magic academy, why are you out here? Shouldn't you be busy studying right now?”
“Ah, well... I just got a vacation. I had a tough exam a few days ago, so I'm taking a little break.”
This time, he had no choice but to lie. If he said he was suspended, word would get back to his father. Even if it was for a good reason, his parents would surely be disappointed.
Most of the kids seemed to believe him. Having never attended school themselves, they easily assumed that getting a vacation was possible.
Lumina tugged on Shirone's collar.
“If it's a vacation, how many days do you have off?”
“Hmm, let's see. About three days?”
“Really? Are you going home then?”
“Haha, no. The semester is ending soon, so I'll go home then. My parents are probably busy, too.”
“True. With three days, your vacation would be over just from the travel time.”
As children of mountain folk themselves, they knew better than anyone how busy their parents were.
Martin spoke up.
“So have you decided where you're going? Where are you planning to sleep?”
“Um... well. I haven't really decided yet.”
Lumina's face lit up as she exclaimed.
“Really? Then come with us. You used to stay over all the time.”
Shirone was tempted by the offer. If he went back to the academy, he was suspended, so he couldn't even borrow books from the library. All he could do was lie in his dorm room and kill time. And he didn't want to spend the night alone in a place where he didn't know anyone.
“Would that be okay? For me to come?”
“Hohoho! What are you talking about? We still have sleepovers at each other's houses every other day.”
Shirone remembered. Accustomed to communal living, they were friends and brothers, lovers and family.
“Okay, then. I'd like to see the old folks again, too.”
“Alright! We've sold everything, so let's get going! Let's go have a big round of beers!”
Altor wrapped his arm around Shirone's head and walked toward the cart. The force was much stronger than usual, and Shirone groaned.
“Ow, ow. That hurts.”
“Hahaha! You're still such a weakling. You need stamina to be a great mage.”
Shirone knew this was Altor's way of re-establishing the pecking order and reclaiming his authority as leader. So, he wasn't offended. Having lived his whole life as a son of the mountain folk, he understood their ways.
Altor lifted Shirone and placed him onto the cart with a single heave. Despite his slender build, lifting a grown man was impossible without considerable strength. Shirone stared blankly, thinking that his childhood friend had become a monster, and Altor ruffled his hair and burst out laughing.
“It's good to see you, Shirone! Let's drink till we drop tonight!”
***
Riding the cart into the swidden village, Shirone was filled with a fresh sense of nostalgia at the long-unseen scenery. Green sprouts poked through the fields lining the mountain ridges, and smoke curled up from the chimneys of the mountain hamlets nestled along the crest. The farmers tending the fields spotted the cart coming up the path and shouted.
“Martin! You're finally back?”
“Yeah, mister! Shirone's here with us, too!”
“What? Shirone? Where's Vincent?”
“Mr. Vincent didn't come. But hey, mister, did you know? Shirone goes to a magic academy now!”
“What's that? Said he's got bad acne?”
“No! Not bad acne! A Magic Academy!”
“Hahaha! What nonsense.”
“...”
Martin shut his mouth, and the man went back to weeding his field. Altor could understand the man's reaction. Even he was having trouble believing it, so how could a man who'd spent his whole life tilling the earth?
Lumina pouted.
“What's with him? Why doesn't he believe us? Don't worry, Shirone. I'll spread the word for you later.”
“Haha. There's no need for that.”
Altor said.
“Mr. Vincent didn't say anything either, did he? Don't go stirring things up. Keep your mouth shut.”
Like a true leader of the village kids, Altor knew how dangerous words could be. If, by some chance, Shirone was lying, it would put Vincent in an awkward position.
‘If our trade with Mr. Vincent gets cut off, my family will take a hit, too.’
After putting the cart away in the communal warehouse, Altor led the kids to the only place in the village that sold alcohol. It was nothing more than a few tables set up on a dirt floor with some posts for support, a side business run by the wife of the local herbalist.
“Ma'am, I'm here.”
“Welcome, Altor. Oh my, aren't you Shirone?”
“It's been a while, ma'am. I hope you've been well.”
“Yes, look at you. Vincent said you were working in the city, so you must have met there. Anyway, it's good to have you.”
The kids expertly pushed three tables together. Altor, sitting at the head, placed the order.
“We'll start with a beer for each of us, and the usual snacks.”
Shirone felt the vast gap of time. When he used to hang out with them, they were all kids who couldn't even touch alcohol. But now, they were sitting with their legs crossed like adults, gulping down beer. Compared to them, the students at the magic academy were still just children.
“How about you, Shirone? Do you drink?”
“Huh? Ah, no. I've never had a drink before.”
“What? Look at you, still a little kid. Bet you haven't even grown any hair down there yet, huh? Puhahaha!”
The kids roared with laughter at Altor's joke. But Lumina, being a girl, kept a straight face.
“Is that any way to talk to a friend you haven't seen in ages? Honestly, your mouth is so foul.”
As she openly took Shirone's side and scolded him, a faint blush crept onto Altor's face.
‘Well... she was always like that.’
He knew Lumina had liked Shirone since they were kids. But they weren't children anymore. The one with power gets the beautiful woman. Altor believed that he, the next village chief, should be Lumina's partner. Still, his happiness at the reunion was greater, and any unpleasant feelings were quickly washed away by the alcohol. Shirone was also happy to see his friends after so long. The beer, which he was trying for the first time, surprisingly suited his palate, and the cheerful mood continued.
“Do you remember when Hauran threw herself at Shirone?”
“Hey! Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden? Stop it!”
Flushed from the alcohol, Shirone waved his hands to stop Martin.
“What's the big deal? It's all in the past. Besides, Hauran got married last year, so she's not even here.”
“Ah, really? That's a relief.”
Shirone's remark sent the kids into another fit of laughter, clutching their stomachs and slapping the table. As the atmosphere grew more lively, Lumina, emboldened by the drink, snuggled up close to Shirone.
“So, Shirone, what's your ideal type of woman?”
“Huh? I don't know. I've never really thought about it.”
Altor was displeased with Lumina's advances but had no good way to stop her, so he deliberately changed the subject to Shirone.
“Shirone. Are you really going to a magic academy? Then you should at least be able to do some simple magic, right?”
“Um. Well, the thing is, I started learning magic late, so I'm behind the other students. Magic itself is a really difficult field of study. It's not that I can't do it at all, but it's also forbidden by the school rules...”
Even if he could use magic, he was still just a student. Unless one had obtained a formal mage license, using magic outside of school was strictly prohibited by the rules. The only exceptions were in life-threatening situations or when another person's safety was at risk.
Of course, he knew that most students didn't follow the rules, and that the school had no realistic way of stopping them, but there were good reasons why those rules were made in the first place.
This was the same Shirone who had broken the arms and legs of thugs in an alley at the tender age of twelve. The time Nade used lightning magic in the restaurant could also have escalated into a huge fight if the other party had pushed things just a little further.
Magic was not simple brute force. It was a mighty power that allowed a human mind to draw upon the forces of nature.
He knew that even though his specialty, Photon Output, possessed not even a gram of physical force, the moment he displayed it, fear and awe would sprout in the hearts of his friends. He didn't want to perform magic at a drinking party and make the atmosphere strange.
Martin asked while chewing on a piece of dried jerky.
“If it's that hard, does that mean you might not become a mage?”
“Of course. In fact, far more people fail to become mages than succeed.”
“Really? Then if you don't become a mage, how are you going to earn money?”
“Huh? How...?”
He had been so focused on his single-minded goal of becoming a mage that he had never seriously considered what he would do if he failed.
Earning money to make a living was the biggest concern for kids their age, so when Shirone couldn't answer, they tilted their heads in confusion.
“Then who pays your tuition? Do the nobles pay for that, too?”
“Uh. For now, I'm receiving support.”
The kids' eyes went wide.
“Whoa! Really? How much do they give you? Have you saved up any money? How are you going to get married? Have you ever dated a noble?”
“No, I've never thought about things like that...”
“Then have you been there? You know, that place with all the women. Nobles go to places like that all the time, right?”
“Well... some do, but it's not always like that...”
Altor's face soured at the kids' enthusiastic questioning. It was as if Shirone had become their leader, wasn't it?
The pecking order in the swidden village wasn't established just for beating up weaker kids. Without a strong leader to maintain control, people would get greedy and want a bigger share for themselves.
For them, isolated from society, discord meant the collapse of the group. The reason they established a leader from a young age was to prepare for the day when they would have to take responsibility for the village.
Altor spoke in a sullen voice.
“That's enough. What are you so curious about? Are you guys envious of Shirone's life?”
“Of course we're envious. He said nobles are giving him money.”