漫画大王

Chapter 29

However, it was probably his first time encountering a student like me at the Temple. I could do everything, but I didn’t excel in anything. I agreed that I was a strange student.

“Given the curriculum we offer here in the Temple, you can technically study everything. But just because you can do everything doesn’t mean you should, as you’ll just end up as a jack of all trades and master of none.”

That was the reason why Mr. Effenhauser had brought me into his office. He was worried that I might become overambitious and do something foolish with my future. He wanted to prevent a situation in which I would try everything out and end up achieving nothing.

Wow, he really was a good teacher after all!

“Your aptitude and talent don’t determine your potential. I’ve seen people with talent in magic but despise magic itself, and I’ve seen others with extraordinary talent in swordsmanship, but who hesitate when a sword is pointed at them.”

Talent in swordsmanship didn’t automatically imbue you with a fighting spirit, and talent in magic didn’t automatically give you a curiosity for and an interest in magic.

It was essentially the flaw of possessing a talent.

Mr. Effenhauser was already bringing up an issue that would arise only after the early stages of the novel right from the start.

In the end, the most important thing was one’s mentality, whether one liked what they were doing, and whether they could apply it in practical situations.

Sometimes, being forced to study and train in something solely because it was an early-discovered talent could make someone start hating that talent, and furthermore, make them hesitate in real life-or-death situations.

What good was it to wield a sword if one feared violence itself?

That was what he was trying to say.

“So, you’re better off than those that are talented in specific areas, in the way that you don’t have to constrain yourself to strictly one talent and can go in any direction you choose.”

He was essentially asking me what I wanted to do and my field of interest.

However, little did he know I had already decided what I wanted to do the day before.

“I want to learn and develop supernatural powers.”

“...”

For the very first time, a flash of emotion appeared on Mr. Effenhauser’s face. It was clearly an expression of disdain.

He looked at my profile and was silent for a while.

“I heard they condensed your description into one line because it was too long.”

The administrators couldn’t list all my aptitudes on the form, as there were so many. So they just wrote “aptitude in all fields”. If all my aptitudes had been formally documented, it would have been a lengthy document.

“Do you also possess an aptitude for supernatural powers as well?”

“I should have it...?”

Although I said “should,” I knew for a fact I had it, it’s just I didn’t want to drag out an explanation that he wouldn’t understand.

“Okay, let’s say that it does exist. How do you plan to awaken your supernatural powers?”

“...I’ll give it my best shot.”

I couldn’t admit that I was going to use achievement points, so that was all I could say. However, I couldn’t help but notice that he was looking at me as if I were a fool trying to break a rock with an egg.

“Is there nothing else you want to pursue besides supernatural powers? People who don’t have basic supernatural powers can’t enter the special classes.”

“Oh... is that so?”

“... There is a special exception for students in the Royal Class, but the teacher will find it extremely strange if they see a student with no talent enrolled in their class, and might even kick you out of their class.”

Despite Mr. Effenhauser making the point that he wouldn’t be able to take responsibility for me in case I got kicked out of the class, I still nodded with certainty.

After much contemplation, he finally started to write something on the document.

“Apply for this class. I’ll let the teacher know separately.”

It seemed he thought I wasn’t going to give up easily, and had no choice.

“But it’s for one class only.”

He said that he wouldn’t sign me up for any other classes related to supernatural powers and then wrote down various other things on the paper. He finished writing in an instant and handed me the paper.

“This is your timetable for this semester. I won’t accept any changes.”

It seemed like he’d written out my timetable for me instead.

“What classes are these?”

“Forget what I said earlier. I want you to try a variety of classes. Then, hopefully, you’ll stumble upon something you’re interested in.”

He’d initially told me not to try everything out, but it must’ve been when I’d mentioned wanting to learn supernatural powers that he’d realized that I was not going to go with his plan so easily. As a result, he had no choice but to give me a timetable that might fit more with what I wanted.

So, instead of having me focus solely on supernatural powers and possibly wasting this semester, he was suggesting that I try different classes to find out what might suit me better, since it was common sense that you couldn’t awaken supernatural powers through effort alone.

It was a valid point from him, and it was a good decision, so I couldn’t really complain.

***

It was natural that I wouldn’t be able to fill my entire timetable with classes relating to supernatural powers. Not only was it impossible to fill all of my time slots with classes only related to supernatural powers, but I also wanted to see what each major’s class was like in the upcoming semester.

When I returned to Class A’s classroom, almost all the students were gathered around the bulletin board. There were no teachers present.

The students all turned toward me with intimidating stares.

“...“

“...“

‘Why are you guys all staring at me like that? Y’all got a problem with me?’

The stares that the students gathered around the bulletin board were giving me were lukewarm at best, and mixed with either curiosity or incomprehension.

“Hey, are you sure you don’t have any talents?” Kaiser Vioden remarked.

I finally understood the reason why the students were gathered around the bulletin board.

Mr. Effenhauser had posted each person’s profile on the bulletin board. It was meant for us to know each other’s talents and aptitudes, so that we could be cautious of each other.

Of course, Ellen Artorius’ extraordinary talents were probably laid out in a very condensed form, so she didn’t attract much attention.

Most of the students were definitely curious about what talents others had, and hence they had gathered around to take a look. When they read the profiles, they’d noticed something peculiar. The eleventh profile at the very bottom listed numerous aptitudes but no talents, and that was why they were all confused.

“Yeah... so?” I replied.

Since what Kaier said was true and I didn’t really have much to say to that, I merely returned to my seat.

The desks in the classroom were arranged in two rows, and had been assigned by student number. My seat was in the back left corner, by the window. The classroom was spacious, so we didn’t necessarily have to sit close together, and we all had a large desk all to ourselves.

I tried not to pay attention, but strange gazes continued to follow me. Vertus was also looking at me with a strange smile on his face.

“No, wait. Do you guys think this makes any sense?”

Kaier had come all the way to my seat, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation.

“This is the Royal Class. Only the ones with exceptional talents can get in. But you—how did you manage to get in here? And moreover, in Class A? Shouldn’t you at least be in Class B?”

I had set him up as a character with a bad temper, but I didn’t expect him to be that way from the first day of class.

Kaier seemed like he genuinely couldn’t understand what was going on, and his disbelief about my presence in the Royal Class was clearly evident. He seemed visibly angry, like he was ready to grab me by the collar, and no one seemed to be trying to stop him.

Vertus seemed to be observing the situation.

“I really don’t understand. Who are you? How did someone like you end up here?”

“Hey, bud,” I said.

“... Huh?”

I wanted to handle the situation in a more mature manner. I didn’t want to overreact and make a scene just because some kids half my age were being disrespectful.

I didn’t want to make a scene.

But then, all of a sudden...

“Don’t spaz out on me. If you want to complain, go to the admissions office and complain.”

I was trying to stay reserved but I couldn’t help my anger.

Kaier’s expression changed dramatically after he heard my harsh comeback.

“You, you dare... say that to me...? You... someone who doesn’t even have a talent or anything? How dare you...!”

“Who cares if you like it or not? Why are you complaining to me about a decision that was made by the admissions office? Do you think I snuck in here or something? Huh? Was it my fault that I ended up in Class A? I just followed the instructions, you punk. Why should I even answer you? Are you the admissions director or something?”

“Why you little...”

“Oh, so you are the admissions director?”

“Normally you wou—”

“Are you the admissions director or not, you piece of shit! Answer me!”

Thunk!

I stood up abruptly and approached him, and he grew startled and began to take a step or two back.

“Yeah, I thought so. No response? Huh?”

“Uh... I, I’m not...”

“If you’re not, then what the hell are you nagging me about?”

His face had gone visibly pale. He was clearly intimidated.

“Hey, you, Number 10. The one with a dark future ahead of him because he has a talent for magic power but ironically lacks magical aptitude.”

“Uh, uh...”

Nobody needed to have talent in order to talk big. I mean, do you think people avoid shit because they’re afraid of shit? No. They avoid it because shit is dirty and unpleasant. At the moment, I had no way to make myself into someone to be feared, so my only option was to become a dirty and unpleasant person so that no one would mess with me for now.

Besides, the guy in front of me didn’t have any talent in combat, so I was safe.

“Please, don’t get on my nerves again. Got it?”

Pat, pat.

“Are you not gonna answer me?”

As I glared at him with wide, fierce eyes, his complexion paled further, and he meekly nodded his head.

“O-okay...”

I lightly tapped the cheek of the insolent brat and sat back down in my seat.

The atmosphere in the classroom was tense as the surrounding students observed the scene.

‘Crap. What have I done?’

I had now been branded as the short-tempered bastard without any talents.

But, to be fair, wasn’t everything I’d said true? Why was he complaining to me, a student who was just following orders from the admissions office?

Sigh.

I hadn’t wanted to cause any trouble, but I’d ended up doing so anyway, and faster than a brushfire.

What a great start to the school year.

***

Thanks to Number 10, who’d made me seem like the guy with anger management issues, no one else dared to provoke me afterward. They were probably shocked at seeing someone with no talent at all talk back to another like that.

I’d also just heard that if you actually challenged someone using your talents, the teacher might actually kill you for doing that.

Even a person without any abilities needs to have some guts. If they don’t even have guts, they become completely useless.

Class B seemed harmonious, with occasional bouts of laughter, while Class A’s lessons were all held in a quiet and serious manner. There were no other sounds aside from the sound of writing instruments and the teachers’ lecturing, as well as occasional questions from students.

It was, after all, a place for such serious people to gather, but the atmosphere of fear that I had needlessly created probably played a part in it as well. I sighed at the guilt and regret I felt.

Damn it, I’d lost my temper at a kid. I truly was the worst kind of person.

I continued to attend the classes while swimming in a sea of self-disgust.

The core subjects were those that everyone had to take together, like the general electives classes.

For example, history, geography, mathematics, literature, and other common knowledge subjects. Each teacher had different subjects to teach, and the homeroom teachers were not assigned to teach specific classes.

During the brief break between classes, the students talked amongst themselves, gradually trying to get to know each other.

—I heard you have an aptitude for magic. What classes are you planning to take?

—Well... I’m still not sure.

—Oh, do you want to have a meeting with our teacher and get some advice from him then?

—Huh? Uh, well... um... yeah, sure.

—It seems like the students in the Royal Class are allowed to take specialized classes that are different from the regular classes. Classes where only two are allowed, or something like that.

—Oh... really?

It seemed like those with similar talents were looking to take the same classes. On days when elective classes were scheduled, they would have to attend classes with the other regular students in the school, so it would be comforting to have someone they knew in their classes.

As a result, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, students with talents in combat would attend combat classes together, those with magic talents would attend magic classes together, and those with supernatural powers would attend classes together. Students with talents in divine power tended to take combat classes as a secondary specialization, so they usually hung out with the students with combat talents.

Just like that, they all discussed how to choose their elective classes. Some thought about it quietly by themselves, and some discussed with others while the class hours passed by.

Soon, it was lunchtime.

Since there were only about a hundred students in the Royal Class, we all ate lunch in the large cafeteria.

There was no need to line up; we just needed to get a tray and then take whatever food we wanted, and however much we wanted.

Even though students of all grades ate together, there was an implicit division of areas. First-year students sat in a specific area to eat, while second-year students would eat in another area, and so on. Naturally, there were also areas where students from Class A and Class B could mingle and eat together.

Most of the Class A students gathered around Vertus to eat. Since he appeared to have a good personality, at least for now, people naturally followed him.

It wasn’t much different for Class B.

—Hey Charlotte, try this, it’s really good!

—Oh... it’s okay, I’m fine. I don’t really like greasy food.

Class B gathered around Charlotte, but their reasons for that seemed a bit different.

—You have to eat well to become healthy!

—Hey Charlotte, don’t you like vegetables?

Not much time had passed since Charlotte’s return from being held prisoner in the Demon King’s castle and her enrollment at the Temple. That was why everyone seemed concerned about Charlotte’s health. Even the senior students looked at her with sympathy.

A chorus of voices, led by Ludwig, were calling out, trying to take care of Charlotte in any way they could, and Charlotte seemed visibly uncomfortable.

Class B was originally set up to be a harmonious group, so even with the addition of Charlotte, it remained harmonious, mainly for one simple reason: Ludwig.

He had the typical personality of a Japanese manga protagonist—optimistic, kind, and full of spirit.

But, even though I hadn’t experienced Ludwig’s personality firsthand, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get along with those sorts of people very well.

Class A, huddled around Vertus despite having plenty of space, and Class B gathered around Charlotte.

And then there were the five of us who sat alone, each keeping our own distance during mealtime. I was included in this group of five, the one who had gotten into a fight in the morning.

A-2, Ellen Artorius.

A-5, Cliffman.

A-11, me.

B-2, Louis Ankton.

B-3, Scarlett.

Why is it that the unpopular kids always end up in the same group?

The social outcasts, including myself, ate our meals quietly...

—I feel like I’m going to throw up...

Charlotte’s faint, distressed voice reached my ears.