The Son of a Corrupt Lord Doesn't Want to Become a 'Saint'! V1C8
Stage 1-8:
Anticipating Movement
The
Lichtenberg Magic Academy comprises four buildings, each with its own distinct
purpose.
The main
building is where most of the students spend their time attending classes. The
old building serves as a storage facility for equipment and other items, while
the practical skills building houses practice rooms for magic exercises and
demonstrations.
The faculty
building is the smallest of the four, as it is only used for the teachers. Each
teacher has their own personal room, and the top floor houses the office of the Headmistress, Florine Milfonti.
As I entered
the Headmistress's office, I was greeted by the sight of an elderly woman with
wrinkles on her face. Her nickname was "Florine the Thunderbolt," and
she was a well-known hero who had achieved numerous accomplishments. Despite
her age, it was clear that she had not lost her edge.
"Thank
you for coming all the way here early in the morning, Vellet-dono," she
said.
I felt
pressure all over my body as I sat down on the sofa in her office.
"May I ask why you summoned me here, Headmistress Milfonti? Hasn't the Ruark incident been resolved, even after Alice was removed from the exclude?"
"It has
been," she replied. "I wanted to talk to you about a personal
matter."
She then
offered me a cup of tea, and we began to talk.
As I took a
sip in sync with her, I felt my stiff muscles relax.
"It
seems like the tension has lifted," she said.
"There's
no student who wouldn't be nervous meeting a hero like you," I replied.
After all, I
was aiming to become a corrupt lord. I didn't want to attract the attention of
someone in a position of righteousness like her at this stage. I must have been
too obvious with my feelings.
"Well
done," she said. "But I couldn't save her."
"Her...?"
"Ms. Mashiro
Riche. I wanted to thank you for what you did today. Thank you. It's all thanks
to you that we were able to avoid losing such a valuable talent as her."
"I just
did what I thought I should do."
And following
my desires turned out to be the right choice.
Mashiro was
originally a cheerful person. Perhaps she was intimidated by the fact that
everyone around her was a noble in an unfamiliar environment. But as we spent
time together every day at the academy, she became more comfortable with me and
our physical contact became more frequent.
She would
jump up and down with joy whenever something good happened, and sometimes she
would even cling to me in happiness.
"In this
world, it is said that every noble has magical aptitude. It might be tough for
you, who has no magical aptitude, to be among the nobles. So I had a hard time
deciding whether or not to pass you...but it seems that my decision was not
wrong."
The
headmistress Milfonti smiled happily.
No, it was a
huge mistake.
Mashiro was
already in my hands.
In the
future, it's certain that I'll be able to do whatever I want...!
Of course, I
won't show it in my attitude.
"But,
Mr. Riche, who is the complete opposite of you without any magical aptitude,
becoming friends with you, is it fate?"
"...What
do you mean?"
"Mrs.
Mashiro Riche was allowed to enroll because her practical magic grades were
excellent, which is the complete opposite of you who have no magical aptitude.
Perhaps, as the son of the Vellet family, you already knew that? But maybe not..."
"...No
comment."
I didn't
know!
I decided
based solely on her three sizes and full-body photo!
We haven't
even done any practical exercises with magic yet, and I realized that I don't
know her true abilities...
"In this
world, there is only one aptitude given as a basic premise, right?"
"Yes,
it's common knowledge."
"But
sometimes children are born with multiple aptitudes. And Mrs. Riche has
aptitudes for wind and water. Having two elemental aptitudes is a wonderful
talent. That talent was not snatched away, and I would like to thank you again
on behalf of the academy."
She was about
to bow her head again, but I stopped her with my hand.
"I've
already received thanks from the academy's headmistress. I understand your
feelings, though."
I didn't
really intend to do a good deed, so I didn't want to be unnecessarily praised
by others.
"Well
then, class is about to begin, so I'll excuse myself."
When I
returned to the classroom later, I would ask Mashiro to show me her magic.
With that thought, I left the academy Headmistress's office.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
"Ouga Vellet, huh."
The man had
scored a perfect score on the first-ever written exam for the magic academy's
entrance exam but had passed the practical exam with a score of zero. He
wouldn't have been accepted if it weren't for his outstanding talent.
I called him
out because I wanted to confirm with my own eyes... indeed, he's quite an
interesting person.
At first, he
had been cautious of me, a hero known as "Florine the Thunderbolt."
It would have been understandable if he had been nervous as a regular student,
but he was a member of the Vellet family. They were spies who excelled in
gathering information and engaging in information warfare.
Perhaps he
had heard some suspicious rumors about me.
I'll have to
be more careful in the future and not leave any clues.
"Still,
it's quite a nuisance that he's under someone's protection."
To think that
I had lost Mashiro Riche, whom I had planned to use as an experimental subject.
It's all that idiot of a Borvond family's fault. How could there be such a fool
causing trouble so soon after entering the academy, even though nobles have a
higher status than commoners?
"Hmph.
Well, it's fine. We got an unexpected gain."
The idiot son
of the Borvond family had said something during the interrogation that caught
his attention. "My magic was erased! It's true! He's lying about not being
able to use magic!" Erase magic? That's ridiculous.
But that's
how nobles stay nobles: through their magical aptitude. Occasionally,
individuals with magical aptitude are born through sudden mutations, but they
are vastly outnumbered. Therefore, commoners cannot rebel against nobles, or
rather, they cannot.
Certainly,
the nobles are not solely dependent on taxes for their livelihood, as they also
provide peace by subjugating monsters and performing other tasks. Nevertheless,
discontent tends to accumulate over time.
If such
technology that can nullify magic were to spread, it would disrupt the world's
order.
"All of
the Vellet claim he haven't used magic, but if that's true..."
His
subordinates were commoners, and his maid also seemed suspicious. Although I
had only seen her in a photograph and had not confirmed it yet, she looked
familiar to me.
I wondered
what had happened to her after being expelled. I would investigate later.
But what if
my prediction was correct?
On one hand,
there was a monster who had risen to become the Commander-in-Chief of the Holy
Knights with only his sword skills.
On the other
hand, there was a rare individual in the world who possessed the ability to use
multiple types of magic, a Dual Magic Caster.
If this kind
of power gathered under Ouga Vellet, it would be an unbelievable force.
"A man
who can understand the suffering of the common people in the noble society because
he lacks magical aptitude..."
What was he
plotting?
Was he trying
to become a hero of the people? Or was he just a fool who wanted to surround
himself with women?
"...Hmph,
that's unlikely."
I couldn't
see his true intentions, but he could be a hindrance to my dream that I had
been pursuing for years.
If that was
the case, I had to eliminate him.
"Reina."
"Yes,
Headmistress."
When I called
her name, the girl with pink hair, whom I had kept waiting in another room
connected to the Headmistress's office, came out.
"I'll
leave his surveillance to you. I'll also issue a recommendation for him to join
the student council. It'll make things easier for you, as the student council
president."
"Hahaha,
I'm happy to have your consideration," she said with a smile that still
didn't reach her eyes.
She
constantly wore a manufactured expression, and it was creepy, especially since
she was my disciple. If it weren't for her talent, I would have thrown her away
long ago.
"If he
makes any suspicious moves...you understand, right?"
"I
understand. I swear on the name of Reina Millfonti——"
"——I
will put an end to his life."
