CH 21
Ex-Hero, Now Freeloader
21 â Donât Plunge Into a School Arc 2
Being a magic academy, there were many classes related to magic.
ãCan you tell me the difference between those who can use magic and those you canât~? Hmm~ Rain, please answer~ã
Louto called my name and I answered.
ãI forgot.ã
I feel like the Sage explained that to me a really long time ago, but I donât remember it.
ãYes, what a cute voice you have~ã
ãI really donât get this oneâ¦ã
Even Mika is baffled.
ãWell then, let me explain it to you all as a review~ Originally, mana is known as the power to make miracles happen. When it comes into contact with the desire of a person with a will, the natural pools of mana will move to turn that desire into reality. This is well-known~ã
A Rift can be said to be one type of such miracle.
The problematic part about pools of mana goes without saying.
If a person happens to pass by them thinkingãI want money.ãmoney will appear there, but if someone thinksãI wonder if something interesting will happenã, then we have a problem.
The mana will move to realize the something interesting in that personâs head. Even with a vague image, it will forcibly realize it.
There is a theory that the first Rift happened because a human wishedãTo connect with another world.ãand it came true.
These days, even if humans donât wish for that, the bad demons on this side will keep on wishing for it.
ãThat was a hint~ Now, please try again, Rain~ã
Is a teacher supposed to call the same student twice?
Although, after hearing that explanation, I vaguely remember something.
ãUh⦠The people who can use magic are the descendants of people from long ago whose wish ofãI want to be able to use magicãwas granted by the pools of mana.ã
ãYes, exactly~ Youâre a genius! A child prodigy! Straight As!ã
I feel sorry for my classmates.
All I wanted was to be a part of the lesson normallyâ¦
ãMs. Louto, please take this seriously.ã
Said Fripp.
ãBut I am.ã
ãOut of those weâve met from the group of seven so far, she takes the cake.ã
She does not care about the attention gets, or she just does what she wants.
ãHonestly, Fripp. Do you think Iâm just messing around with this whole conversation~? Iâm not~. What we just talked about are the basics of basics~, but with that in mind, what do you see when you consider the Saviors of mankind~?ã
Loutoâs narrow eyes opened slightly.
ãâ¦! The Saviorâs Crest⦠Could it be a form of magic that continuously grants someoneâs wish?!ã
Shouts Fripp.
ãHuh⦠Thatâs an interesting thought.ã
Even the Sage considered the various comments made about the crests and wrote them down in a notepad. She doesnât like explaining things based on incomplete theories, so I never heard anything about them.
ãDo you know anything about that, Mika?ã
ãâ¦No. When I was passed into the hands of the first generation, the crests were already there.ã
But you would need a ridiculous amount of mana to sustain such magic.
I wonder if it sucks mana out of the person the crest is engraved on, little by little.
Either way, an enormous amount of mana and a detailed image should have been essential for the very first one.
I doubt there was anyone who could have prepared all that.
ãIf it is magic, it can be interfered with. For example⦠Theoretically, it is not impossible to release someone who was chosen by the Saviorâs Crest but did not want it.ã
Loutoâs eyes were completely open.
When she gets serious, even her tone changes.
ãâ¦I see. So, to her, âSaving Rainâ means removing the Saviorâs Crest from you.ã
Ah, so thatâs it.
I look at the back of my hand.
So long as I have this, I will continue to be a Savior.
I thought that it wouldnât disappear until the day I died, but if you think of it as one large-scale magic spell, then it shouldnât be impossible to do something about it.
ãIt sounds dangerous. Iâm against it.ã
Thereâs no telling what would happen to my body after the Crest disappears.
Since the Crest is what made it possible for me to train my body beyond its limits, it might just fall apart once the Crest disappears.
Louto might have thought that far and is searching for a solution for it.
ãâ¦Although to be able to construct such a mechanism, you would have to be what we call a God class~. And we donât call it âGod classâ for nothing~. So, boys and girls, stop casting looks of suspicion towards Rain because of his unbelievable cuteness~.ã
Loutoâs eyes were once again narrow, with a smile on her face.
But she had four pieces of chalk at the ready between her fingers.
Iâve seen enemies who held needles or knives like that.
A portion of the students trembled.
ãIsnât it better to see with our own eyes?ã
A sole female student raised her voice.
Her hair was done up into twintails. She seems very determined.
ãEveryone knows the tale of the Seven Prodigies, but the people that held the ritual were small fries, right? While Iâm glad that you were rescued, putting the Saviors on a pedestal because of that seems a little overboard.ã
I guess the impression people have of the Saviors differs from person to person.
That makes sense.
Even when I heard what that King of whatever demon said, I didnât get it.
But Fripp talked about those guys I beat up with fear, and Eleanor said that King of whatever guy from before was really strong.
To the students of a faraway country, the tales of us saving the sacrificial girls and our activities would be no different than rumors to them.
But the person teaching the class should be proof that it isnât a rumor. But I supposeâ¦it canât be helped that people can doubt your abilities.
ãâ¦â¦ã
Louto was smiling, butâ¦it looked like a black haze was seeping out of her backâ¦I think.
ãHe is the Savior of mankind. We founded this academy to train magic users who will protect this country, and we have produced a plethora of talented individuals. I believe you are expecting slightly too much of him, Ms. Louto.ã
Thatâs a pretty honest opinion.
She probably thinks that the Demon King Army is counting me among their combat forces.
Actually, thatâs the normal thing to assume.
She wouldnât imagine that I would be enjoying life as a freeloader freely.
ãI see. Well, next up is Practical Arts class~. Rain is taking part in it as well, so would you be so kind as to show us some of your power~?ã
Said Ms. Louto with a smile, while crushing the chalk in her hands.
ãHm? Ah, I donât mind.ã
ãIâm grateful for that. Let us see just how powerful a Hero is.ã
ãAh, I think that would be impossible.ã
I say without thinking.
ãWhatever do you mean, Sir Hero?ã
ãâCause I have to regulate my power a little. If I donâtâ¦there might not be a school left.ã
I think only someone on the level of the other Saviors would be able to witness my full power.
ãâ¦You certainly have a lot of confidence in yourself. If it pleases you, how about going up against me in live combat?ã
ãOh, something like that, huh? Yeah, sure. Oh and donât worry, Iâll be careful not to harm you while we fight.ã
ãâ¦! Y-you littleâ¦!ã
She was visibly shaking.
ãPipe down, twintails. Iâll tell you upfront, Rain isnât trying to rile you up. Heâs telling the truth.ã
She seems to be better than her fellow students. I can tell from her mana.
I suppress my mana so that it doesnât leak out, so maybe thatâs why she canât tell.
After that, the lesson proceeded smoothly.
Then it came time for Practical Arts class.
ãNow, Hero dear, fight me!ã
And thatâs how we got here.
Even after reminiscing, I still get itâ¦