Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jericho Isaac manifested mana when he was twelve years old.

He had looked at Raphael with pride, pleased that his growth was years ahead of others his age. Raphael had pretended not to care that he was later than his younger brother, pretended it did not bother him, but inwardly, an inferiority complex had begun to grow.

Jericho was two years younger than Raphael. Because of that, when they actually fought with wooden swords, Raphael would still win. Even so, Jericho had been certain that the tide would turn within a few years. Raphael was only a little taller and a little bigger than he was. In swordsmanship, Jericho knew he was superior. Once he came of age, he would overwhelm him.

Their parents had died suddenly just two years after that.

Raphael inherited the position of lord.

By then, he had already begun avoiding sparring matches with Jericho, and he had not manifested mana either. He had let go of the sword and given up on mana as well.

‘And that thing is our lord.’

That was what Jericho thought. By the rules of the family, he should have been the one to become lord.

Raphael’s ascension had been the result of an unexpected accident. Even after he became lord, watching Raphael blunder along in utter incompetence had only strengthened Jericho’s resolve to take the position from him, and so he had joined hands with his younger sister.

‘Changing this late will not change anything.’

Raphael had been kind to the people of the family, had built up his stamina, and had manifested mana.

It was a sudden transformation.

But even if he began caring for the people of the family now, winning back hearts that had already turned away from him would be a distant prospect.

Even if he improved his stamina, manifested mana, and studied swordsmanship at the Academy, the gap between his abilities and Jericho’s remained immense.

‘Still, it is surprising.’

Jericho let out a sigh.

“No, this kind of thing is something people celebrate when they are children. At my age, what is the point?”

“There is no such rule. Good news should be celebrated! Come quickly!”

Koromang had summoned the family’s principal figures and prepared a gathering.

Raphael had manifested mana, and they were to witness it and offer their congratulations.

Raphael had found it embarrassing, but with his head lowered, he obeyed Koromang’s words. Mana flowed from his hand. It shimmered like heat haze as it scattered in every direction, then gathered together again.

The amount was considerable.

He might have manifested it late, but his innate Mana Capacity was excellent enough to inspire envy.

Jericho had struggled with all his might to seize the lordship.

If the current situation could be called a crisis, then it was the first crisis he had ever faced. With his heart pounding uneasily, Jericho whispered to Evelyn, who stood beside him.

“Is this not dangerous?”

Evelyn let out a quiet laugh at his concern.

“What, are you scared? Do you think you would lose if you fought him?”

“No, not that, but what if, by some chance...”

“That is enough. There is nothing to worry about. In a few days, he will leave for the Academy anyway. Once he does, he will not be able to expand his influence over the family, so you should just focus even harder on your training. As long as you maintain the skill to beat him in a fight, there will never be a problem.”

“I will trust you.”

“Yes. You have never been the one who used his head in the first place. Leave this sort of thing to me.”

---

“Good morning.”

“Yes. You too.”

“Congratulations on manifesting mana.”

“Thank you.”

The servant who had not even wanted to make eye contact with me on the first day now smiled easily. His attitude was so different from before that I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. It was a little regrettable that I would be leaving this place tomorrow.

I woke at dawn, did the training I had been doing every day, and ate breakfast.

For some reason, Koromang called me to the study. I went at once, and when I arrived, she greeted me with a pale face, as if she had spent the entire night awake.

“You came? There is something important I need to tell you.”

“What is it? Why are you acting so serious?”

“It is just... I feel as though it may be too early to say this, but it also feels as though there is not enough time, so I will just say it. I think it would be best if you did not go to the Academy.”

“Hm?”

Raphael had been saying for quite a long time that he was going to leave for the Academy. It felt rather strange for her to object only now.

“Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”

“If you leave the territory, your position as lord will be in danger. The young master...”

“Ah. That? I know. You do not need to worry. I already have a plan.”

Jericho truly was skilled. Compared to how little presence he had in the original, his ability was outstanding.

But only to that extent.

If things followed the flow of the original, surpassing him would be simple.

“Hahaha.”

I laughed like a fool.

It was advice I did not need, but the fact that she had given it meant Koromang’s heart had begun to tilt toward my side.

The original story was going off course.

---

Time passed, and on the day of the Academy entrance examination, Koromang sniffled and said,

“When you first said you were going to the Academy, I thought it was all because of Lady Bishot. I assumed you were following her because she was going. That is why I reacted so negatively. But now it seems I was worrying for nothing.”

“It will be hard to see you for a while. Thank you for taking care of me all this time.”

“It was only my job. In any case, do your best and come back safely. Even if it becomes hard, do not quit.”

With Koromang’s farewell behind me, I headed for the Academy.

Beneath the educational principle that it would offer learning to anyone who had talent, countless applicants had gathered at the examination grounds.

A dense crowd packed the front gate of the still-closed testing site.

They had formed little groups and chattered noisily among themselves, the atmosphere nearly as heated as a fish market.

Ah.

The mere thought of forcing myself into such a huge crowd already made me recoil.

Even so, the Swordsmanship Department was among the better cases.

With swordsmanship, each person could fight and gauge their own level, so there was at least some possibility of honest self-assessment.

In contrast, the fields of pure scholarship, where it was harder to measure one another’s ability directly, were crammed with people to a suffocating degree.

I pitied the examiners who would have to control them.

I had thought the Swordsmanship Department would be a little better, since only mana users gathered there, but when I looked around, I noticed applicants with thin, frail limbs.

What was that about?

Had they learned some peculiar style?

Was there a type of swordsmanship specialized for people with smaller frames and leaner bodies? If such a setting existed, there was no way I would not know it.

I wondered what was going on. Then I saw the way they stood stiffly in place, casting nervous glances around them, and realized they were not people who had studied swordsmanship in the first place.

They were mages.

And low-level ones at that.

Because the minimum standard for the Swordsmanship Department entrance exam was lower than that of the Magic Department, they planned to get into the Academy through the Swordsmanship Department first and then transfer into the Magic Department afterward.

I was just starting to feel relieved that I might be able to coast through to some extent while looking at their petty schemes when—

“Why are you here?”

Though the voice was not loud and carried a low tone, it still came through clearly even in this crowd.

Jefrin approached me with a disbelieving expression. His already sharp eyes narrowed as he stared at me.

“A noble family holding a count’s title qualifies for Special Admission. So why are you taking the entrance examination?”

“Because I do not think I need that.”

“What?”

“I can get in without relying on that anyway.”

Jefrin studied the sword at my waist, then asked with a look of disbelief,

“Did you perhaps apply to the Swordsmanship Department?”

“Why? Is that a problem?”

“I was under the impression that you had left the sword alone for quite a long time.”

“I did leave it alone for a long time, which is why I need to work all the harder from now on.”

“So it is merely a passing whim.”

Jefrin turned his back on me. In a firm tone that suggested he had no further need to hear anything from me, he said,

“I believe that before the sword, all people should be equal. Please take the examination with honor.”

In other words, he was telling me he would show no mercy, so I had best prepare myself to die.

“Hah.”

I snorted as I watched Jefrin walk away. Even if he did not go easy on me, I was confident I could still beat him.

---

The entrance examination for the Academy’s Swordsmanship Department first tested whether the applicant had manifested mana, then assessed their swordsmanship.

The mana-manifestation test was simple. You held a rechargeable Mana Stone and poured mana into it, changing its color.

But for some reason, not only applicants to the Swordsmanship Department but also examinees from the Magic Department had crowded into the testing ground.

Looking at them, I understood why several people who dreamed of becoming mages had applied to the Swordsmanship Department.

Magic relied more heavily on mana than swordsmanship did. Therefore, the Magic Department tested not only mana manifestation, but also Mana Capacity and control.

The default color of a rechargeable Mana Stone was blue.

For applicants to the Swordsmanship Department, it was enough to make the Mana Stone light up. For the Magic Department, however, they had to turn it red.

The examination was terribly dull, about as exciting as standing there holding a rock.

Blue, less blue, more blue... rather blue indeed...

Just as the people waiting around, half out of their minds from boredom, were enduring the endless procession of color changes, a shout erupted from the front line.

“T-this is impossible.”

The Mana Stone was rechargeable.

Which meant there was a limit to the amount of mana it could contain. At present, the Mana Stone had turned green. That was the color it took on when it had reached the maximum amount of mana it could hold. It vibrated as it radiated the most intense light it could possibly emit.

The one holding the stone was, of course—

‘Ian Roadbreaker.’

The man who would one day become the Master of the Magic Tower, and one of the candidates who might kill me.

BOOM!

Under the bombardment of mana that exceeded even its maximum threshold, the Mana Stone exploded at last.

As though he could not care less about the crowd’s reaction, Ian dusted the stone powder from his hand and walked away.

Well now. Impressive.

After a brief commotion, it became my turn. Everyone was still so stunned by the miraculous spectacle they had just witnessed that hardly anyone paid me any attention.

Because Ian had shattered the previous Mana Stone, I was given a new one. Slowly, I poured mana into it.

“Ohh.”

The Mana Stone shifted from blue to red, and by the time I had exhausted my strength, it had turned a moderately bright green.

“Ohhh, look at that!”

“Did you see him? That is impressive.”

“Did someone educated at a Magic Tower come here or something?”

But Ian’s performance before me had been too overwhelming, so that was about the extent of the reaction.

“Have I passed the first examination?”

I handed the Mana Stone to the supervisor and asked. The supervisor nodded.

“This class has many talented people. You said you applied to the Swordsmanship Department, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Have you no intention of transferring to the Magic Department?”

“I do not.”

Leaving the supervisor behind with a disappointed expression, I headed toward the site where the second examination would be held.

The first examination ended just like that.

---

The second examination consisted of sparring matches against other applicants under Katarina’s supervision.

Each applicant sparred twice, and I won both matches easily.

My first opponent was a man who looked as though he had wanted to apply to the Magic Department but had instead entered the Swordsmanship Department. The moment he stepped onto the sparring platform, he gripped his sword and trembled. I won with a single slash.

My next opponent was well-muscled and full of fighting spirit.

For a moment, his confident expression made me wonder whether he might actually be skilled, but he could not overcome the handicap of being someone whose name had never appeared in the original. After crossing swords with him a few times, I won without difficulty.

“Come back this afternoon.”

When I stepped down after my victory, Katarina spoke as though she had no interest in me whatsoever.

Even while watching the sparring matches of the other applicants, her attention remained fixed on Jefrin.

Her face was turned toward the arena, yet her eyes kept sliding sideways to glance at him.

Then again, Jefrin truly was on an entirely different level from the other applicants. He ended his match in a single exchange at a speed too fast for the eye to follow. To anyone watching, his talent was overwhelming.

I could say this with confidence: if you brought any graduate from the Academy’s Swordsmanship Department throughout its history, not one of them would be able to defeat Jefrin. Merely enduring a single exchange against him would have been more than enough to earn applause.

“Ah, I am hungry.”

Moving my body had made me hungry, and as I looked around for where the Academy dining hall might be, Jefrin came walking over once more, apparently on some errand or other.

“It seems that you are serious, after all.”

Jefrin had an overly active imagination.

He was the sort who would suddenly come over, start talking about whatever story had formed in his head, and assume I would naturally understand.

“What are you talking about?”

“As I recall, your swordsmanship used to be crude.”

“No, if you are comparing it to yours, then anyone’s would look that way. What are you saying all this for now? Are you bragging because you are good with a sword?”

Jefrin shook his head.

“I am not pointing out that your swordsmanship was lacking. When you were younger, you ignored the fundamentals and obsessed only over difficult, flashy techniques. Yet in today’s sparring matches, you used nothing but the basics.”

Jefrin truly saw only what he wanted to see.

It was not that I had refrained from using difficult and impressive techniques because I did not want to.

The truth was that I simply could not. Raphael’s body still felt awkward to me, and he had never properly mastered the swordsmanship manual to the end.

Jefrin’s eyes moved over my ears, my neck, and my fingers in turn. Then he said in a decisive tone,

“And you have removed all the accessories you used to wear. That is because they interfere with swordsmanship, is it not?”

“Ah, yes. That is right.”

“Then I withdraw my advice that you should surrender at once if you face me in the sparring match. Come at me with everything you have. I, too, shall show you everything I possess.”

Ah, there is really no need to go that far.