[69] At the Summit (3)
"By the way, Shirone. What've you been doing lately? What are you doing in the city—working in a shop or something?"
"Huh? No, it's just—"
Shirone decided to tell the truth. He knew his father wanted him to keep quiet, but when asked directly he couldn't bring himself to lie to his friends.
"The truth is, I'm attending the Magic Academy."
"Whaaaaaaaaaat?"
All the kids' eyes went wide and they shouted in unison.
It was astonishing. They'd always known Shirone was different, but for the son of a mountain farmer to get into the Magic Academy…
"How did that happen? Is it true?"
Shirone was more surprised by how shocked they were than by their reaction. To calm them he put on a joking tone.
"Haha. It was luck, really. I worked as a librarian in a noble family's library for a while, and they took a liking to me and arranged my admission."
Hearing that, the children went even more dazed.
Even if he'd worked as a librarian, nobles didn't usually go that far for a commoner. If you didn't know the struggles he'd gone through to get here, you wouldn't understand.
"W-well, that's amazing. So you're learning magic now?"
"Wow! Magic! Can you use it? Huh? Show us! Do something!"
The kids clamored all at once, and Shirone had to work hard to calm them down.
"Well… my class level's still low, so I can't do much yet. Besides, using magic outside the academy is against the rules."
Altor shot Shirone a skeptical look. He honestly found it hard to believe. Shirone's refined looks and manner had always inspired awe among the kids, but Altor had become leader because he had the strength that mattered most to commoners.
But look at them now.
Shirone had become a student at the Magic Academy—an institution attended only by the highest nobles—while Altor was still just Altor from the slash-and-burn village.
"If you're at the Magic Academy, why are you here then? Isn't this term in full swing? Shouldn't you be studying?"
"Ah, about that… I just took leave. I had a tough exam a few days ago and came back to rest."
This once he had to lie; if he said he'd been suspended, it would reach his father. Even if it was for a good reason, his parents would surely be disappointed.
Most of the kids believed him. They'd never been to school, so taking a short break sounded plausible.
Lumina grabbed Shirone's lapel and asked, "If it's leave, how many days off do you have?"
"Uh, I guess… about three days?"
"Really? Are you going home then?"
"Haha, no. The semester ends soon, so I'll go home then. My parents are busy, anyway."
"Right. Three days and you'd be almost back before the leave's over."
They knew better than anyone how busy the mountain folk were.
Martin asked, "Have you decided where you'll stay? Where will you sleep?"
"Um… I haven't really decided."
Lumina lit up and shouted, "Then stay with us. You used to sleep over here a lot."
Shirone was tempted. Even if he returned to the academy, being suspended meant he couldn't borrow books from the library; all he'd be able to do was lie in the dorm and kill time. He didn't want to spend nights alone in a place where he knew no one.
"Would that be okay? If I stayed with you?"
"Heh heh heh! What are you saying? We still take turns staying at each other's houses every other day."
Shirone remembered. They were used to communal living—friends and brothers, lovers and family.
"All right then. I want to see the old men anyway."
"Come on! We sold our stuff, so let's head out! Let's each have a big beer!"
Altor put an arm around Shirone's shoulders and strode toward the wagon. The strength was far greater than usual, making Shirone wince.
"Ow, ow. That hurts."
"Hahaha! Can you be a great mage if you're still so weak? To be a proper mage you need stamina."
Shirone understood Altor's behavior: a way to reassert the pecking order and reclaim the leader's authority. It didn't bother him. Having grown up as the son of a mountain farmer, he understood their ways.
Altor hoisted Shirone into the wagon in one lift. Even a slight frame doesn't make lifting an adult easy without real strength. Shirone stared dumbfounded at the childhood friend who'd become something like a monster, and Altor ruffled his hair, laughing.
"Good to see you, Shirone! Let's drink until our noses go crooked tonight!"
* * *
Riding into the slash-and-burn village, Shirone felt a fresh wave of nostalgia. Green shoots had sprouted in the ridge-line fields, and smoke curled from chimneys of the mountain houses. People tending the swidden spotted the wagon and called out.
"Martin! Is that you?"
"Yes, sir! Shirone's with us too!"
"What? Shirone? Where's Vincent?"
"Uncle Vincent didn't come. But did you know? Shirone's attending the Magic Academy!"
"What? He's out earning his keep now?"
"No! Not earning—he's actually at the Magic Academy!"
"Heh heh heh. What a ridiculous tale."
Martin shut up and the man went back to his field. Altor could understand his doubt. If even Altor himself found it hard to believe, how could a man who'd spent his life tilling the soil accept it?
Lumina pouted. "What? Why won't they believe us? Shirone, don't worry. I'll spread the rumor later."
"Haha. No need."
Altor warned, "Vincent didn't say anything either. Don't go stirring things up—keep your mouth shut."
As leader of the village kids, Altor knew the power of words. If Shirone were lying, it would put Vincent in an awkward position.
'If Vincent cuts off his business with us, our family would suffer too.'
After parking the wagon in the communal storehouse, Altor led the kids to the village's only place that sold alcohol. It was nothing more than posts set on packed earth and a few tables—the herbalist's wife ran it as a side business.
"Ma'am, we're here."
"Welcome, Altor. Oh my, isn't that Shirone?"
"Good to see you, ma'am."
"Well, what a surprise. So Vincent's working in the city and you met there, huh? Come on in."
The kids, already familiar with the place, pushed three tables together. Altor took the honored seat and ordered.
"Give us one beer each for now, and the usual snacks."
Shirone felt a strange mismatch. When they used to hang out, none of them could touch alcohol. Now they sat with their legs crossed like grown-ups and gulped down beer. Compared to them, the students at the Magic Academy still seemed like kids.
"So, Shirone—can you handle your liquor?"
"Huh? Um, no. I've never had it before."
"What? You're still a little kid then. Don't even have chest hair, do you? Hahaha!"
Altor's joke set the others off laughing. But Lumina, the only girl, scowled.
"What kind of thing is that to say to a friend you haven't seen in ages? Your mouth is filthy."
She openly took Shirone's side and scolded him, making Altor's cheeks flush faintly.
'Well… she's liked me since we were kids.'
Altor had known Lumina's feelings for Shirone from long ago. But they weren't children anymore. Those with strength took the desirable women. Altor thought he should be Lumina's match as the next village head. Still, he was glad to see his friend, and any annoyance was quickly washed away by drink. Shirone enjoyed meeting them again after so long. The beer suited him better than he expected and the cheerful mood continued.
"Remember how Hawran threw herself at Shirone back then?"
"Hey. Why bring that up? Don't!"
A tipsy Shirone waved his hand to cut Martin off.
"So what? That's in the past. Besides, Hawran got married last year and doesn't even live here now."
"Oh, really? Good to hear."
The kids roared with laughter at Shirone's remark. Riding the buzz, Lumina leaned in and clung to Shirone.
"What kind of woman's your type, Shirone?"
"Huh? I haven't really thought about it."
Altor, annoyed by Lumina's flirtation but unable to stop her, deliberately turned to Shirone.
"Shirone. Are you really at the Magic Academy? If so, you should at least be able to do simple magic, right?"
"Um. The thing is, I started learning late, so I'm behind the others. Magic itself is a very difficult discipline. It's not that I can't do any, but the rules forbid using magic outside the academy…"
Even if a student could use magic, they were still bound by the rules. Without an official mage's license, using magic outside the academy is strictly prohibited. The only exceptions are when someone's life is in danger or another person's safety is immediately threatened.
Of course most students don't strictly follow the rules, and the school has no realistic way to stop them, but rules exist for a reason.
Shirone had already broken the limbs of ruffians he'd met in an alley when he was twelve. And when Nade unleashed lightning magic at the restaurant the other day, if the opponent had pushed harder it could have become a major fight.
Magic isn't mere brute force. It's a tremendous authority that lets the human mind draw power from nature.
Shirone's specialty, his photon output, doesn't have even a gram of physical force, but the moment he displays it, fear and awe sprout in people's hearts. He knew that. He didn't want to spoil the mood at a drinking gathering by showing magic.
Martin chewed on dried jerky and asked, "If it's that hard, could you fail to become a mage?"
"Of course. Far more people fail than succeed."
"Is that so? If you can't become a mage, how will you earn money?"
"Huh? How…?"
He'd rushed toward becoming a mage without seriously considering what would happen if he failed.
Earning money and making a living were the biggest concerns for kids their age. When Shirone couldn't answer, they tilted their heads.
"Then who pays your tuition? Nobles do that for you?"
"Yeah. I get sponsorship."
The kids' eyes widened.
"Wow! Really? How much do they give? Have you saved any money? What about marriage—are you going to marry into a noble family?"
"No, I've never thought about that…"
"Have you been to that place with lots of ladies? Nobles go in and out of those places all the time."
"Well… some do, but it's not always like that…"
Altor's face tightened at the kids' eager questions. Wasn't this all making Shirone into their leader now?
Hierarchy in the slash-and-burn village wasn't set up just so the weak could be trampled. Without a strong chief to keep things in check, people's greed for larger shares grows.
For those isolated from society, discord means the collapse of the group. They pick leaders from childhood to prepare them to take responsibility for the village as adults.
Altor said in a bored voice, "Enough. Why so curious? Are you all jealous of Shirone's life?"
"Of course we are. Nobles give him money, after all."