Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: I Hope in Your Next Life You Reincarnate as a Harmless Bug
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"Tail!"
A giggling voice echoed faintly in his ears.
Familiar purple hair scattered before his eyes.
Her bright red eyes brimmed with warmth.
"Tail! What are you doing? Hurry up and come on!"
This girl, smiling with her eyes crinkled so cutely...
'Cecilia.'
Right. That's who it was. Cecilia.
Tail accepted the situation as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Cecilia flashed a wide smile and grabbed his hand, pulling him along.
"We decided to go to the mountains today, remember?"
Oh. Yeah, that's right.
She burst into giggles again.
"Are you a dummy, Tail? You even forgot our promise."
Her red lips pouted adorably.
Instinctively, he reached out to soothe her.
Cecilia dodged back lightly and let out a clear laugh.
"Tail! If you're gonna catch me, then try it!"
They dashed through the mountain paths, romping about wildly.
Yet strangely, he didn't feel out of breath or tired at all.
Maybe that's why.
Before long, Tail and Cecilia reached the summit.
Pure white lights bloomed in the darkness, creating a breathtaking scene.
He stared blankly at the sprawling night view when Cecilia softly called his name.
"Tail."
Tail turned to look at her.
"I'll keep my promise."
Her red eyes pierced straight through him.
"So..."
Those eyes seemed strangely filled with sorrow.
Cecilia's hand slowly reached toward Tail's cheek.
"Don't forget me."
The moment Cecilia finished speaking—
"Tail!"
A sharp voice rang out from empty space.
It was a familiar voice.
In that instant, Cecilia began to fade away, growing transparent.
Panicking, he flung out his arms to grab her, but she slipped through his fingers over and over.
'No!'
Even as she vanished bit by bit, Cecilia smiled at him.
She looked truly happy.
"Wake up! Tail!"
The voice called once more, and Tail's eyes snapped open.
"Hah. Hah."
A dream.
It had all been a dream.
His entire body was soaked in cold sweat.
Yujin, neatly dressed and ready, gazed at him with a worried expression.
"Bad dream?"
"Ah... Yeah."
Behind Yujin, Ricky—who was fully geared up—blinked at him.
"Tail. You okay?"
Seeing even Ricky looking concerned, Tail gave a faint smile.
"I'm fine."
He would be fine.
Despite the ominous feeling, Tail clenched his fist tight.
Tail headed straight to his classroom.
His mind was still jumbled from the dream, leaving him in a foul mood.
When he opened the door, he saw the classroom divided between nobles and commoners.
The atmosphere wasn't as murderously tense as yesterday, but there was still a clear distance between them.
Tail slipped through them and sat by the window, where he'd been yesterday.
Alice was already seated next to him.
"Good morning."
"Yeah."
Alice gave a short reply, then tilted her head slightly as if steeling herself before speaking to him.
"Um. Us..."
Her lips moved hesitantly before she finally forced the words out.
"...let's drop the formal speech."
Her blue eyes held a fear of rejection.
She looked kinda cute, gripping her fist so tightly, and Tail couldn't help but chuckle softly.
It peeled away a layer of his gloomy mood.
"Sure. Yeah, let's do that."
At that moment, the sound of a chair scraping came from behind them.
Drag.
A refreshing voice followed.
"Then, can I join that 'us' too?"
It was Ethan.
He met Tail's eyes and grinned brightly.
True to his pretty-boy looks, his smile made the surroundings feel like a flower garden.
Tail could see the female students nearby glancing at him, cheeks flushing.
Alice responded stiffly to him.
It was a total contrast to how she'd acted with Tail.
"No."
Ethan's face lit up even more at Alice's curt refusal, as if he were thrilled by it.
"Then I'll drop formalities with you too, Tail."
Sparkle, sparkle.
His eyes shone like jewels.
It was way too much.
'Just approve quick and end this conversation.'
Thinking that, Tail replied.
"...Sure."
"Yay! Thank you—!"
Before he could even finish—
Ding-dong-dang—.
The bell rang, and the front door burst open right on cue, without a second's delay.
A man with his light green hair tied back in a single ponytail strode in.
It was Jade Pennell, the homeroom professor for Class 1-A of the first years.
"Hmm. Everyone here? I trust I won't have to bother calling roll."
With that, Jade continued slowly.
"Your first-semester schedule is already set, so refer to that. Starting from second year, you'll choose your major and enroll only in the classes you want."
Jade cleared his throat with a hem and went on.
"Oh, and I'll hand out the first-year first-semester schedules after class."
His lips curved up slightly.
"Today's first class is Mana Theory Basics, which I'll be teaching."
The students nodded at his words.
Jade stood before the blackboard mounted on the wall.
"No textbook needed for Mana Theory Basics. It'll be boring, but pay attention to what I say."
His eyes crinkled.
The students all shut their mouths and listened intently.
As if ready to dive into the lesson proper, Jade assumed his stance.
"First off, mana is divided into attribute mana and non-attribute mana."
He wrote 'Attribute Mana' and 'Non-Attribute Mana' on the board.
"Attribute mana is what allows you to convert your own mana into a specific elemental mana."
"In other words, with attribute mana, you can become an elemental mage, or imbue weapons with elemental properties."
He spoke deliberately.
"For example, Cecilia from the Marquis Duvier family—one of our academy's pride and joys—is a fire mage who wields the fire element."
Cecilia.
At that name, Tail's expression hardened slightly.
The dream flashed before his eyes again.
He shook his head vigorously for no reason.
Meanwhile, Jade continued.
"That doesn't mean you can't be a mage or mana-handling swordsman without non-attribute mana."
"Non-attribute mana can't cast elemental spells, but it allows teleportation, flight, illusions, hypnosis—basically everything except elemental magic."
"Same for swordsmen. Just infusing a weapon with non-attribute mana makes it leagues stronger."
Jade slowly scanned the students.
He smiled faintly.
"A prime example close to home is Her Imperial Highness Princess Chloe, the empire's representative non-attribute swordswoman."
Chloe.
It had been a while since he'd heard that name.
'She chose the sword, huh.'
Before he could mull over the name and sink into memories, Jade pressed on.
"As you all know, mana is best cultivated by developing your mana hall and learning a cultivation method suited to you."
Jade smiled warmly at the class.
"To that end, next class we'll test whether you have attribute or non-attribute mana."
Jade took a breath and asked.
"Any questions?"
That's when it happened.
A student in front of Chromhel raised his hand.
He screamed lackey for Chromhel.
Tail felt a bad vibe instantly.
'Ugh, he's about to spew bullshit.'
As Tail thought that, Jade called on him.
"Yes. Matthew Berria. Go ahead."
At Jade's prompt, Matthew spoke with a mocking lilt.
"Can commoners even develop mana halls?"
He snickered while glancing at Tail.
His eyes dripped with disgust, like he was looking at a bug.
"Seems like a lot of them haven't."
The nobles around Chromhel burst into mocking laughs.
This wasn't just aimed at Tail.
Most commoners hadn't developed mana halls.
To be precise, they had no teachers to instruct them.
But the commoners hung their heads in shame.
'This guy's nuts.'
Tail let out a hollow chuckle.
The dude probably just wanted to dunk on the commoners somehow.
'Not the smartest way, though.'
And for good reason.
'Professor Jade looks pissed.'
His expression was utterly rotten.
"Haa."
Jade roughly raked a hand through his hair.
"Are you... insulting me while I'm teaching right now?"
His narrowed eyes widened slightly.
The classroom temperature plummeted.
A frosty aura zeroed in on Matthew.
"Matthew Berria? Speak."
"Uh? N-No, that's not what I—"
Caught off guard by the professor's fury, Matthew panicked.
He'd only done it to crush the commoners' spirits on Chromhel's orders.
He hadn't expected this level of rage.
Regardless, Jade glared daggers at him.
"I never divided commoners and nobles in my class. Where did that come from? Are you breaking the academy rule that all students are equal?"
Jade's deep green eyes seethed with killing intent.
"Explain yourself properly."
His presence was sharp and feral.
Hard to believe he spent all day buried in paperwork—his mana control was impeccable.
Watching, Tail clicked his tongue.
'Told you not to mess with half-lidded types.'
Most of them are powerhouses for real.
Tail quietly prayed for Matthew's soul.
I hope in your next life, you reincarnate as a harmless bug.