New chapter of Nameless Hero is out! (1/1 chapter)
Class Observation
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Riding in a carriage for pick-up and drop-off from early morning, I was watching as the wheels rattled and made ruts. Since it was a carriage without a canopy, the outside scenery could be fully enjoyed.
The early morning Diarren Forest had damp humidity sticking to my face and felt chilly. On my back, I carried a lute I had just bought at the instrument shop the other day. It had become like my new hobby to find some free time before the return pick-up and play this. It had been quite some time since Medna-san taught me to play instruments, but I could play without problems. It seemed that things learned as a child were quite easy to remember even after time had passed.
It had been a week since Rinalee enrolled in the magic school. The person in question was not concerned about me at all, instead looking at the flowing forest scenery and laughing excitedly.
She sure doesn’t get bored. I am already bored, though…
Even using a carriage, it took quite a while from Soltaire to Barwitch Magic School. Counting the return trip, it took twice as much time, but as usual, Rinalee would not lower her guard around me, so if she enjoyed the outside scenery like this, it made things easier for me, too. For about the first three days, I tried talking to Rinalee. Asking how school was, or telling her that bears appear in this forest, so she shouldn’t be too loud. But all I got was replies like “Hmph,” “Okay,” and “A pervert big brother is the more dangerous one”. It broke my spirit.
Now, I was solely dedicated to watching over her. Maybe my first impression was just too bad.
“Fwaaaah…” (Jack)
Boredom and drowsiness combined, and I let out a yawn without thinking. My goal today was job hunting in Barwitch. Shia had also recently found a job in Soltaire, so I needed to start working soon, too.
—
At the front entrance of the magic school, a female teacher was waving her hand and cheerfully calling out to students coming from the dormitory and the main gate. She had introduced herself, but I had forgotten her name. Since calling her “Sensei” wouldn’t be a mistake, that was part of why I had forgotten. She was wearing something like a robe, probably the school staff uniform, and it seemed she was teaching first- and second-year underclassmen the basic three attributes of fire, lightning, and ice magic.
A fresh-looking young teacher with short hair. She seemed to be about the same age as Lindsay. Holding a staff as long as a spear in one hand, she gave off a strong “I am a magician” vibe.
“Good morning, Jack-san.” (Sensei)
“Good morning, Sensei. Then, I’ll be counting on you today as well.” (Jack)
Over the past week, it had become my routine to leave Rinalee in this teacher’s care and then wander around Barwitch’s city area.
Extremely businesslike. Maybe sensing something from my attitude, the teacher spoke to me.
“Jack-san, why don’t you watch a class at least once?” (Sensei)
“Huh?” (Jack)
I hadn’t expected such a suggestion, but more than that, I felt a little down, as if she had seen through how poorly I was treating Rinalee.
“Aren’t you curious about how Rinalee-chan is doing?” (Sensei)
Perhaps it was her way of being considerate. She must have realized that Rinalee and I weren’t very close.
“No way! Onii-chan is a ‘Pantser,’ so no!” (Rinalee)
“Pantser?” (Jack)
Hey now, Rinalee. The teacher doesn’t understand what you mean. Even conveying that much with words felt like hitting a wall.
Someday, I plan to repair our relationship, but if I don’t slowly get closer, things will stay like this forever. And even putting aside the matter of Rinalee, it is definitely a generous offer. Of course, I am curious about how Rinalee is doing, but even more than that, I want to see what magic classes are like.
“Sensei, it’s a very generous offer, but is it really okay to watch without paying tuition?” (Jack)
“It’s fine. You know the Alberti parent and child, don’t you? The principal won’t complain if it’s you.” (Sensei)
Then, I’d gratefully accept and observe for a little while. My main goal is job hunting, so just for a little while.
—
Rinalee’s classes were still only theoretical lectures. It was unclear whether a five-year-old could understand it. What was discovered before enrollment was that Rinalee was a complete amateur when it came to the “general magic” currently widespread. She had not even performed basic chanting. She was not using any measurable magical power either. However, it was said that she had an innate talent for magic.
The ancient magicians had universalized such innate talent, creating the foundation of modern magic so that anyone could use it. It was at that stage before universalization. The magic that had been kept secret among a handful of geniuses was precisely what was called god-class or quasi-god-class magic.
What was left behind to pass it down to later generations was “chanting”. Even today, magicians who can use god-class or quasi-god-class magic without chanting are occasionally born, and to distinguish them from chanters, they were called No-Chanters (Aria-Free). Rinalee was one of them. She was using quasi-god-class magic instinctively through a different kind of magical power.
In other words, a descendant of the pioneers of ancient magic. According to Gwayne-sensei, in the settlement where Alfred was from, there was a legend of the “red-haired accursed child”. Among the ancestors of that settlement, there was a bloodline trait where No-Chanters (Aria-Free) who received divine revelation for fire magic were born with red hair. It was believed that an ancestor had been a pioneer of god-class fire magic.
Now, that settlement had been burned down entirely, but it seemed that the trait had appeared in Alfred and Rinalee, who inherited that blood. And in Rinalee’s case, her mother’s side also had high magical aptitude. Gwayne-sensei did not tell me about Lindsay’s origins, but Lindsay had also demonstrated skillful magical manipulation from birth. With that combined with the red-haired curse, the thoroughbred known as the crimson little girl Rinalee was born.
―――And then, there was that infamous monster-eating “Fireball.”
Rinalee learning at a magic school like this was by no means a waste. She had the mana necessary to use normal magic as well. Not just “Fireball,” but she would likely be able to use other magic if she trained. The goal was to allow her to retain her quasi-god-class talent while also ensuring she properly learned control over basic magic.
“There are five basic attributes in magic. They are fire, ice, lightning, holy, and darkness.” (Sensei)
The teacher repeated it as if reviewing.
“You all will be learning up to the beginner level of these five attributes, and for your strong attributes, you will also master intermediate magic.” (Sensei)
To this, the children responded in unison with an energetic “Yes!”. There were about 20 children in the same class, ranging from seven to ten years old. Besides the eight new students, there were also older students who had enrolled in spring.
“And today, we also have the new student Rinalee-chan’s Onii-san observing!” (Sensei)
Suddenly introduced, my body reacted with a jolt. The students all turned around at once to look at me. Some furrowed their brows suspiciously, some were scared, and some had their eyes shining with curiosity. There were all sorts of reactions. The students began murmuring upon hearing that I was Rinalee’s brother. Since she was the first-ever five-year-old to enroll, Rinalee was drawing a lot of attention. It looked like the gazes were gathering on her as well, and even from behind, I could tell her face was turning bright red.
Well, I am not actually her real brother…
I stood up, gave a short greeting, and sat back down immediately. I should try not to stand out too much. It would be unfair to Rinalee, and if I drew too much attention, it might negatively affect her school life.
—
The class was progressing without issue. Perhaps because they were all still innocent children who had yet to become cynical, they were happily listening to the teacher’s lecture. Since much of the content was already familiar to me, it was easy to understand.
The foundation of magic is called “Bullet Magic”. What I have long referred to as “magic bullets” corresponded to that. Fire, ice, lightning… creating and firing “bullets” was the fundamental attack magic of every attribute.
- Fire: “Fire Bullet”
- Ice: “Ice Drop”
- Lightning: “Lightning”
These types of magic could be created without chanting. And there were countless spells derived from this “Bullet Magic”.
Today’s lesson’s main topic was “Ground Magic”, which is deployed on the ground.
- Fire: “Flare Curtain”
- Ice: “Freeze Field”
- Lightning: “Paralyze”
We were taught about these three types of magic.
I felt like I had heard of Flare Curtain and Paralyze somewhere before. Apparently, these kinds of magic were also beginner-level spells that did not require chanting. The only difference was whether they were activated in the air or on the ground, so they were not particularly difficult.
And then, there was also a lecture reviewing “mana”. That mana quantity and mana consumption were different for each person, and that the recovery amount from using a mana potion also varied depending on the person, was exactly as Shia had taught me back in the labyrinth city. However, a caster with a high amount of mana and a low daily mana consumption had good mana efficiency and a high possibility of being able to unleash more powerful magic. In other words, they had a high aptitude as a magician.
I was listening while occasionally taking notes. It was extremely beneficial. The world of magic, which I had vaguely understood through observation, was now being organized in my mind through these theoretical lessons. There were countless magicians, and understanding these characteristics would be useful in battles as well.
If possible, I would like to relearn magic at a magic school myself. On the other hand, Rinalee would get to study plenty from now on, so I was envious.
I cast a jealous glance at that little girl.
Rinalee was wasting time by lying sprawled on her desk in boredom or kicking her legs, which didn’t reach the floor. She had absolutely no composure. Gwayne-sensei had said so as well, but she really did resemble her father in personality.
Back when Alfred was here, had he also spent his time looking so bored?
It was when I was hesitating on whether to report Rinalee’s classroom behavior to Lindsay or not.
Rinalee suddenly created a miniature version of the infamous “Fireball” and started playing with it on her desk. As if she had acquired a miniature pet, she was stroking its head, making it turn into a snake and float in the air, and affectionately playing with it.
Ah, dangerous…!
Perhaps because it was miniature and had weak firepower, it was barely not setting fire to the wooden desk. But at any moment, it could ignite the desk or the memo paper.
To be able to play with fire so carelessly… No, in Rinalee’s case, she had never been burned since birth, nor had she ever felt the heat of fire. So, she did not understand the fear or danger of fire. This really showed just how important it was for her to properly learn magic at this magic school.
“――――This decrease in mana can be suppressed through training. There is no need to worry about having less magical power than others―――” (Sensei)
Moreover, the teacher is so focused on the lesson that they had not noticed!
I had to raise my hand and warn them. No, I couldn’t. Rinalee had only been at this school for one week. She probably hadn’t made any friends yet.
If she became the target of the class’s disapproval here, she would be branded as a problem child. She wouldn’t be able to make friends. It could even lead to her being bullied.
I knew that Rinalee was in the wrong, but her future school life could become painful because of this. And I understood all too well how painful that kind of situation could be. That was something I absolutely wanted to avoid.
I had no choice but to correct this without getting caught. I had “Insignia Arms”. An anti-mana bullet. According to the lecture earlier, it was Bullet Magic.
Is the attribute “None”? No, “Anti” maybe. Well, it doesn’t matter. I just have to erase it quickly. The distance to Rinalee’s seat is not too far. About the length of passing over two or three students’ heads.
I took aim and fired an anti-magic bullet at the miniature pet “Fireball”.
Take this! And realize it! If you cause trouble here, it will be bad!
―――With a loud Bashin! sound, the anti-magic bullet landed.
On the back of the head of Boy A, who was sitting between me and Rinalee.
“Waah!” (??)
Boy A let out a loud scream.
“Patrick-kun, what happened?!” (Sensei)
The teacher heard the scream and turned to look at Boy A, Patrick-kun. He had slumped forward onto his desk, unconscious. Rinalee, startled by the commotion, hurriedly erased the fire source, covering up the evidence.
Hah, well played, little girl… As expected of Alfred’s daughter…
“Sensei, Patrick-kun has fainted!” (??)
“What did you say?! This is bad!” (Sensei)
The teacher immediately rushed over and checked his condition. There was smoke rising from the back of his head, as if it was smoldering. Seeing that, the teacher hastily cast a healing spell on the back of his head.
“W-Who did this?!” (Sensei)
This is bad… should I just honestly step forward? But if I step forward, I’ll have to explain the reason for the attack, and then Rinalee’s situation will also…
“Someone, go call Karen-sensei from the infirmary!” (Sensei)
As the classroom buzzed with noise, someone went off to call Karen-sensei.
“Listen up, everyone. Magic is not a toy, understand?! Right now, what’s important is concentrating on your studies! Using magic in this classroom is prohibited, so don’t use it out of curiosity!” (Sensei)
The teacher raised their voice, scolding everyone. Rinalee looked at the teacher with a pale face, seemingly reflecting on her actions.
Good. With that, Rinalee will likely stop playing with fire in the classroom now. Though we paid the price with Patrick-kun’s noble sacrifice… No, I should reflect too. Sorry, Patrick-kun.
—
It seems that the fainted Patrick-kun was quickly revived and able to return.
After all, my anti-magic bullet was an exorcism-type magic. It can nullify magic, but it’s not something that can attack a person, and I had confirmed back when I was in Azarigrad that it doesn’t have much power even if it directly hits someone.
Anyway, the class observation ended.
It’s doubtful whether Rinalee herself is learning much from this, but she’s sitting at her seat without causing any more ruckus, so that’s impressive.
I left a message for the teacher and decided to leave the magic school. I had to come back later in the afternoon to pick up Rinalee.
By the way, I really want to take another class at school. Studying magic is interesting.
—
The magic school was located on the outskirts of Barwitch. To return to the city, I had to walk a bit. I passed through the outer wall of Barwitch and entered the city.
It was already just before noon. The autumn sky was clear with strong sunlight, but a cool breeze was blowing, making it comfortable. For now, I decided to head to the Adventurer Guild. It wasn’t for hunting or monster-slaying quests. If I were looking for a job, it would be better to inquire at the town’s Chamber of Commerce Guild.
But the jobs they introduced were really for “regular employment”. I wasn’t planning to settle down yet. I would have preferred something that felt more like a part-time job for now. Such temporary job requests were posted at the Adventurer Guild. The Adventurer Guild caught the eye of wanderers, and if you wanted to post a short-term job, it was easier to gather applicants there. I remembered a posting for a magical dancer that had been put up at the Adventurer Guild in Dali Amor.
I then glanced at the familiar Adventurer Guild bulletin board. I had already gone through most of it in the past few days, but I couldn’t find a job that stood out. There were many simple tasks, such as a weaving job at a clothing store, delivering potions for a healer, and stocking at a weapon shop. Many of them had faded, probably because they were constantly looking for new recruits due to people quitting. Moreover, the times didn’t align with my schedule. For me, I had the condition of only being available during the day.
Among them, there was one particularly eye-catching job posting… in a bad way. The handwriting was terribly messy. The paper was clean, but the letters looked as though a sandworm had crawled across them, making it hard to read. After some effort, I was able to decipher it, and it seemed to be a job posting with the following content.
――――――――――――――――
[Wanted: Romantic Mechanicker]
Let’s make magical tools full of dreams!
Employer: Gnome-sama (A businesswoman who became famous as a sage in another continent)
Time: Weekdays during the day (Time negotiable)
Age: No requirement (Anyone with a man’s romance is welcome)
Salary: 850 G per hour
Number of Openings: 1
Benefits:
Inquiries: New Gnome Magical Tool Workshop (Alley behind the Chamber of Commerce Guild) “Barwitch, Inders Street #21”
――――――――――――――――
Gnome-sama, now that I think about it, she did say she was going to open a business in Barwitch. I could stop by and say hello. Mechanicker… what kind of job is that? It’s a term I’ve never heard before. The hourly wage is low, but since she’s family, I feel like it would be safe to work there. Maybe I should ask about it.
By the way, Gnome-sama’s handwriting is terrible.
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