Chapter 30:
Kneeling
“Magic?”
“Yeah, it’s the power you humans use to mimic our abilities.”
The great star that created Letiom sent a meteor containing its power to the human realm. The power seeped into the ground and created the Demon Forest.
Humans called this power magic.
But that’s not all.
The power of the stars, along with the interference of the stars, seeped into various parts of the human realm throughout its long history.
The magic permeated into nature over time and became a mineral called magic stone, the source of the magic used by humans.
“Since Letiom is a creation of a great star, you should be good at magic, right?”
Phytonis chuckled.
He joked that with such a monstrous ability to use the power of the stars, he could erupt a volcano like a meteor shower, but he didn’t actually intend to do so, so he didn’t ask further.
But now, I can’t believe I’m thinking of those words from back then.
“Did the Duke of Ludwick provide training to increase magic proficiency?”
“You’re a genius, you know!”
“Aren’t you considering undergoing a detailed examination? I know a skilled researcher…”
Riche felt increasingly uncomfortable as the professors approached closer. He grabbed a cushion from the sofa.
As he lifted the cushion over his head, the professors realized they had gone too far and retreated, clearing their throats.
It seemed like Riche wouldn’t be able to leave the headmaster’s office today.
“Um, I understand that having a high Magic Affinity score is good, but… is there another reason you called me?”
Ah. The professors glanced at each other discreetly in response to Riche’s question.
“Well, um…”
Normally, they would have asked about this after consulting with Duke Ludwick, but they got carried away by the appearance of a once-in-a-lifetime genius.
Representing the professors, the headmaster handed Riche a candy and asked kindly, “Are you not interested in magic?”
—
“Full scholarship for eight years!”
“Being a mage is a great profession, with no worries about retirement!”
“That’s not all. They say mages rake in money like it’s nothing!”
“…Raking in money like it’s nothing… Maybe I shouldn’t say that in front of a kid. Hehe.”
“Miss Tarike, you’re the hope of the future! You’re a beacon!”
Riche left the headmaster’s office and walked down the corridor.
The professors’ words, teasing him about considering transferring to the School of Magic, still echoed in his ears.
A full scholarship for eight years. It was quite tempting, but what made Riche hesitate was another reason.
“Can I find a way to control the power of Letiom if I learn magic?”
While Blake and Deon purified their auras once in a while, the aura of an ability user would accumulate over time or each time the ability was used.
During Phytonis’s absence, Riche had to find a way to purify it alone without any trouble.
He also wanted to purify Hibetzman, the Duke of Hebetz, and even Lobenharp if possible.
And him too.
To fulfill Hekanka’s condition of saving Ian Duane, Riche spoke to the boy through the mirror in the library.
Fortunately, there was a child on the other side of the mirror. Riche confirmed the appearance of the child in the mirror without showing his own. The fluctuating aura and the golden glow indicated that it was Ian Duane, an ability user.
The child didn’t know who Riche was, but he said it was okay not to know his identity as long as they could talk occasionally.
Since then, the two had scheduled times to talk through the mirror.
Their last conversation was last spring.
I heard the news that Ian Dwayne is entering the academy. After that, despite promising to contact during the vacation, the mirror remained silent on the agreed-upon date.
I could only guess it was due to being in an environment where the mirror couldn’t be used.
“How have you been?”
In fact, Ian Dwayne’s entry into the Royal Academy was due to Riche’s advice.
It seemed that his gradually weakening body was becoming the cause of his impending death.
He was advised to enter the Royal Academy while gradually reducing the number of times he took medicine, as the boarding academy didn’t require him to be with his family.
“I heard he was taking classes last year.”
That was also information obtained from Lovenhaf.
Deon didn’t bother to ask.
“Why should I care about a guy whose face I don’t even know?”
Deon expected him to react that way, but…
“Well, Riche. I’ll pretend I don’t know him either.”
“…?”
“He was handsome. That guy.”
Even Lovenhaf said so.
Both of them are deadly.
“Is my brother doing well in his classes?”
Deon suddenly remembered the sight of his brother walking back to the classroom.
But he seemed to have come deliberately for the entrance ceremony.
Since today’s schedule was over, should he go to the classroom during break time to check?
First, he had to go meet Oliver, who was in the first year classroom.
“Sob…”
“Um, are you okay?”
While walking down the hallway, he spotted Oliver. He was picking up a fallen book and handing it to a female student.
“Oliver, what’s going on? Why are you here?”
“Oh, Lady Riche! Are you done with your business? I happened to meet Lord Serdia, and I heard he went to the principal’s office. So I was on my way there. But then you suddenly collapsed…”
“Sir, you don’t need to apologize. I’m fine.”
“…?”
Oliver asked in a puzzled voice, and Riche tried to understand the situation from their conversation.
The female student who fell seemed to be a noble young lady with an elegant vibe.
Judging by the red badge, she was in the third year like Deon.
Despite saying she was fine, tears were streaming down her eyes.
“Celina, why are you crying?”
At that moment, a group of students with red badges approached the female student.
Then they asked in a concerned tone what was wrong with her.
“Why are you crying?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Are you okay? You were startled by that knight…”
“Knight? Did something happen because of the knight?”
“Because of me?”
Oliver blinked in confusion.
“Did you bump into her?”
“No…?”
At Riche’s whisper, Oliver lowered his head.
If he had at least brushed against her, he would have felt less unjust. When the female student fell, he and she were easily 10 meters apart.
He just picked up the book that flew to his feet and handed it over.
He even asked if she was okay with the use of his knightly duties.
“What did you do to the knight?”
“Blaming the noble?”
“Apologize properly.”
Except for crying Celina, six pairs of eyes showed hostility toward Oliver.
As the number of people increased and the commotion grew, bystanders naturally gathered.
Even in Riche and Oliver’s ears, the murmurs could be heard.
It’s too much.
“What’s going on?”
“It seems like that knight pushed Celina.”
“What? Are you out of your mind? Who is this servant?”
“I don’t know. Looks like a first-year.”
“Why did they bring such a low-level knight at a young age?”
The murmurs of discontent reached both Riche and Oliver.
Too much.
“What my knight did—.”
Riche was about to step forward to defend Oliver when he stopped her with a gesture.
“I-I don’t know what I did, but… I’m sorry for anything.”
Oliver apologized to Celina with a face that seemed unaffected by any blows.
However, the ones who reacted were still the students next to crying Celina, not Celina herself.
“Pushing a noble and that’s it?”
“How could you feel better?”
“Kneel.”
“…What?”
“Kneel and apologize to Celina.”
It was an assertive attitude as if they felt that their time had finally come.
Only then did Oliver realize what they wanted.
Thariche Ludwick. She wanted her knights to kneel before the people to show her displeasure with Riche being of common birth.
“I guess Lady Riche doesn’t like being of common birth.”
Oliver sneered inwardly. Damn nobles.
Philip, the son of poor commoners, was left to roam the streets after losing his parents to the plague. It was a harsh life.
When he was twelve years old, noble hunting dogs attacked him while he was scavenging abandoned crops.
The nobles watched leisurely from the shade of a tree as he desperately tried to escape.
But there was no one to punish them. He was a commoner and they were nobles.
“Is he dead.”
Though he ran away, a man looked down at him, lying on the ground with wounds from the hunting dogs.
A noble. It made him sick. Especially when he saw the handsome, clean-cut figure.
The young man with black hair spoke to me with emotionless red eyes.
“If you’re not dead, come with me. I’ll give you warm food.”
Warm food. Philip followed Blake because he wanted to eat his fill at least once before dying.
He thought of it as his last supper. If he was lucky enough to survive, he would steal money and run away.
But the food was too delicious. He couldn’t leave the Ludwick family. Philip thus found a place in the Ludwick household.
Later, when Philip asked Jed why Blake picked him up, he received a bewildering answer.
“That? It’s our Duke’s hobby.”
People have strange hobbies too.
That’s how Philip owed his life to Duke Ludwick. A few years later, he also owed Lady Riche.
After waking up in prison, I found myself attacking Riche in sporadic memories. Even though it wasn’t my will, I behaved that way.
Lady Riche saved me from being executed for almost repaying the favor I owed to the Duke.
So I have no life to waste, no pride.
“If I don’t kneel down like this, is it blasphemy against the nobles?”
Noble blasphemy meant death penalty, right? Philip scratched his cheek.
If he kneels here, Lady Riche will be humiliated.
“That’s tricky. It’s not my fault. The lady over there fell by herself.”
“What?”
“Are you saying we blamed you and Celina?”
“We didn’t say it like that. Perhaps, just in case, you…?”
The surrounding students murmured at Philip’s words.
But the majority was on the side of Celina, who is usually a model student and the daughter of a count, not doing such a thing.
The public opinion seemed to be pushing Philip back into being the culprit.
“It’s a lie.”
Until the voice of a boy was heard.
* * *
Riche spotted a boy emerging among the students and instinctively hid behind Philip.
“…?”
“Shh.”
Then she put her index finger to her lips and held her breath, looking at Philip with a puzzled face.
“You, you’re….”
The boy who first told Philip to kneel down looked at the boy in bewilderment.
Ian Dwayne Gerweir.
Since he was already a well-known face among the students, there would be no one here who didn’t know who he was.
‘Why is Ian Dwayne here?’
It was a disaster.
The discerning eyes of the Gerweir family’s talented.
But there were many eyes to expose their scheme.
Perhaps thinking it shouldn’t fail, a student next to him spoke up to Ian Dwayne.
“On, on what grounds? Did you see it?”
If they peel away the silent treatment, maybe Ian Dwayne will side with them and help. There was a faint hope in the question.
As fellow nobles and a year senior to Ian Dwayne, they hoped for that.
“No. I have no evidence and I didn’t see anything.”
“R-Really?”
“But I can confirm it.”
But it was just hope.
Ian Dwayne stared at them intently and took a step forward.
The students who had planned this scheme hesitated and took a step back.
Celina, who was closest to the center, finally spoke up.
“…Let’s go.”
“But, Celina. That knight to you…”
“Let’s go.”
As if asking when she had cried, it had been a long time since her tears had dried up.
The students left as if fleeing to find a place where there were no people.
“This is embarrassing.”
“I thought Gerweir would come out. Trying to flatten that commoner’s nose.”
“Oh, what bad luck. How should we get revenge? When we graduate, she’ll become a noble lady, so it’s an opportunity while she’s at the academy.”
“That’s right. Besides the academy, where can we stick together without the family name.”
It was then, as Celina, who was going to wash up, and the other students except for her headed downstairs, that a threatening voice was heard.
“Hey.”
The students stopped walking and looked up at the imposing voice.
And someone slowly descended from the upper stairs.
“What did you guys do to my brother?”
An irritable tone. A heavily furrowed brow. Angry red eyes.
No, all of that was unnecessary.
‘…Dercedion Ludwick.’
His very existence was terrifying.
The students pondered over the shadow cast upon their faces.
