[229] 3. Where Is Shirone? (4)
I asked the other students where Shirone was, but they all said they didn't know. He might show up if I waited, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to look around the school myself.
To my surprise, the facilities were better than I'd expected. The grounds were spacious enough to rival the Royal Magic School. Still, it didn't feel like a place I could warm to.
When we couldn't find Shirone anywhere, Sabina complained.
"Honestly, what's so hard about telling us? Making us go look for him ourselves. He must think he's really trusted, huh?"
Klozer burst out laughing.
"Puhahaha! Country lads are always big on loyalty. No skill, but they act all weighty because of that."
"But Iruki's here too."
At Dante's words, Klozer's laughter died. Even he thought it was strange for Iruki to be here.
"I don't get it. Why's the Mercodain family stuck out in a place like this?"
"They used to go to the same school as us. I heard they got expelled or ran off after some trouble, but who would've thought we'd run into them here."
Dante decided not to overthink it. He was bound to clash with them sooner or later.
"Doesn't matter. The man my teacher pointed out is Shirone. We'll step on him first, then deal with the rest."
When Dante reached the dining hall, he watched seniors and juniors exchanging greetings.
It was the usual sight in a class-based system, and having clawed his way up from the bottom at the Royal Magic School, Dante couldn't help but snort.
"Really, what era do we live in with this class system? Alpheas is so old-fashioned."
"Right. I read in a magazine that ranking only matters in the graduating year."
"Heh, no wonder the kids have no backbone. Did you see that soft little kid go down from one of my punches earlier?"
Dante left the conversation and walked up to the students. If the system existed, he might as well enjoy the privileges.
At his arrival, the students all turned at once. Which magic school student wouldn't be awestruck by Dante? It was just incredible that the kingdom's biggest star attended the same school.
Dante put his hands in his pockets and waited. When no one reacted, he frowned.
"What are you doing? A senior's here and you don't even greet him?"
The juniors who'd been staring blankly snapped to attention and bowed.
"Ah, hello! Senior!"
It felt good, even if it was just kids playing around.
As he scanned the juniors, Dante spotted a young woman who looked at least two years older than him.
Normally she should've been in Class Four, yet she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the kids like a spectacle.
"Hey, you."
"Me, senior?"
Maria of Class Six pointed to herself.
"Right. How old are you?"
"Nineteen."
Dante made a look of disdain. She was so meek she stuck around the kids to feel younger.
"You know Shirone, right?"
"Shirone-senior? Yes, I know him."
"Where is he now?"
"Um, I don't really know either."
He hadn't expected much from someone like her.
As Dante moved toward the dining hall, thinking he'd better check inside, Klozer stepped forward as if taking the baton.
Klozer, who'd boasted about numerous conquests at the Royal Magic School, saw Maria as the perfect target.
"Oh? Cute. What's your name, pretty sister?"
"I'm Erlang Maria."
A flash of displeasure crossed Maria's face. She'd been at the magic school since childhood and wasn't opposed to the class system, but calling attention to her age like that naturally irritated her.
"You can frown too, huh? This senior treatment is awful."
"Ah, I'm sorry."
Klozer was pleased. Why were the students at this school so naive? Energized, he grabbed Maria's wrist and leaned in.
"Don't apologize. Come on, play with me. Hanging around those wet-behind-the-ears kids must leave you pent up, right? Despite how I look, I'm solid—top-notch."
Maria's cheeks flamed. She tried to pull her hand away, but Klozer's grip was too strong.
At that moment, Mark stepped in and grabbed Klozer's wrist.
"Stop it, senior."
Klozer's face crumpled. There was real force behind that grip. It wasn't common for mages to train their bodies, so when he looked up he saw a build that truly matched his own.
"A junior who dares grab a senior's wrist? This school is a total mess."
"And what about you, senior? Harrassing a female junior is against the rules, you know."
"Harrassment? This isn't harassment; it's the natural give-and-take between men and women."
"Maria is upset."
"You think a kid like you knows how to handle women? Girls that age—if you pull hard, they pretend they can't resist and yield. If not, what, were you planning to do something? Were you thinking you could try anything?"
Mark lost his composure.
"This brat's been ogling—"
"Puhahaha! This little guy is totally worked up! No way you actually like her, do you? Worried you'll lose her and pacing like an anxious pup?"
Mark wanted to shout yes, to be honest, but he swallowed the words. He wasn't anywhere near Shirone's level yet. But someday...
"Maria's my friend. And I won't let anyone insult my friends. Senior or teacher, it doesn't matter. If you want respect, earn it."
Klozer's expression shifted. The laughter drained from his face; he turned cold.
"Is that so? Then I'll make you respect me. I'll grind you into the dirt."
The two moved apart without agreement. Using magic on school grounds was forbidden, so the watching students tensely held their breath—but neither Klozer nor Mark entered the Spirit Zone.
"After all, if you're a man, it's fists, right?"
"Funny hearing that from someone like you."
"Heh heh, you sure are trying hard to die. Come on, kid."
Klozer got into a boxing stance and bobbed his hand.
Fired up, Mark lunged. He didn't care about the aftermath for someone who'd molested Maria.
But Klozer stepped back, moving with footwork.
Mark's anger boiled. He looked ready to engage, then suddenly backed off—what was that?
As Mark feinted to strike the face, Klozer bent his torso, and Mark immediately drove his other fist into Klozer's abdomen.
"It landed!"
An eighty-kilogram powerhouse had swung with all his might; that blow should have floored him.
"Geh!"
But the one whose face contorted was Mark.
His punch stung as if he'd struck a rock. It didn't feel like a human body—surely something was hidden in Klozer's midsection—then Klozer's counter exploded into Mark's face.
Mark's pupils flickered.
What was this?
One strike seemed to deaden the nerves connecting his head and body.
He'd sparred with strong martial artists before, but this felt like a different kind of power.
"Puhahaha! You're such a weakling. Well? Feel like you respect me now? Huh?"
By the time Klozer's voice registered, Mark was curled on the floor, taking kicks.
"How's that? Fun, huh? Enjoy being trampled by a senior like a dog?"
Even with pain surging, Mark's frustration was unbearable.
His mind wanted to get up and counter, but his body couldn't lift a finger.
Maria rushed over and held Mark.
"Please stop! He'll kill you like this!"
"Heh heh, what are you talking about? Who's setting me up? This brat hit me first."
Maria realized why Klozer had seemed to yield the first blow.
If this continued, Mark wouldn't just get beaten—he could be punished.
"I'm sorry. I'll apologize. I'll kneel and beg, just stop."
Dante stepped in to defuse the situation. He didn't want to make a scene on his first day—trouble would only complicate things later.
"Listen up, juniors. From now on, when you see us, give a proper ninety-degree bow. Remember this sight and learn what happens when you look down on a senior."
When Dante and his group left, the students exhaled in relief. The kingdom's top star was excellent at inspiring fear too.
Maria's eyes filled with tears as she checked Mark.
"Mark, are you okay? You idiot, why'd you do that?"
Mark was already back to himself. He'd been dazed because being in Maria's arms felt unreal, but he didn't want to worry her, so he sat up quickly.
"I'm fine. It's nothing."
As Maria checked him for injuries, Mark glared at Dante's departing group.
"Those guys are dangerous. What are they trying to do, just run wild like that?"
"No idea. They said they were students of Principal Olivia, so maybe they think that gives them the right. 'The kingdom's top star' my foot. They're total thugs."
With a change of principal, everything was shifting. The students took the incident as a mere happening, but Mark—who had once been like them—felt it in his gut. What he suffered might only be the prelude to a much larger disaster.
@
Sad, walking down the advanced-class building corridor alongside Principal Olivia, felt like dying inside.
He'd been given the explicit order to help Olivia adapt as the new principal, so he was stuck playing secretary.
"Principal, let's skip the tour for now and eat first. Our school's food is famous for being delicious."
Olivia didn't even look up, studying the documents as she walked. It amazed Sad how quickly she could move.
"Why are there so many eighth-rank teachers here? What era do we live in where you can teach students as an eighth-rank? The kingdom treats some unofficial ninth-ranks like celebrities. Graduating students even reach official levels."
Sad wanted to ask what the point was of a magic aspirant making a name for themselves in the kingdom, but he remembered his teacher's advice—to behave like a monk—and tried to steer her gently.
"Eighth-rank teachers are usually specialists in one field outside of magic. For character education, we've staffed philosophers, artists, technicians—teachers with specialized skills."
"This is a special-purpose school. Leave miscellaneous education to the families and make magic the priority. Who are the stars at Alpheas anyway? There's Dante at the Royal School, Miko Raina of Oris, and even at non-five-great Florang Municipal there's a fanbase for Exion Kavael."
"But Principal, how many of those kids are there in the kingdom?"
"That doesn't matter. The fact they exist is what matters. It's a problem if other schools have them and we don't. That's why this school has been on the sidelines for the past decade. Aren't the faculty too stuck in a rut?"
Olivia asked the question and didn't give Sad a chance to answer.
"The staff needs stimulation. If you want to be one of the five greats, you need young, genius teachers. Olifer Siina wouldn't even be top-tier by the Royal School's standards. Honestly, the only teacher in the kingdom who really draws the crowd is Romi Etella, right?"
Sad wanted to sew Olivia's mouth shut. He believed a teacher who truly taught students was admirable, but she seemed intent on ranking teachers by reputation.
"We need more—or we need to grow what we have. Hmm, regular seminars would be good."
Characters began to appear on the notebook floating to her right. It was dot-writing, a type of verbal magic that imprints speech to text.
She spoke so fast Sad wondered if she was using an ultralingual technique—sonic speech, a verbal mage's art of pronouncing at ultra-high speed—but even so, the notebook kept up.