Mightiest Melee Magician

I could easily tell who these people waiting for us were.

It was Josh Galehill and the court magicians.

Not expecting them to be waiting for us, the Director asked with a little hint of displeasure in his tone,

“......What brings you here, Guardian Josh?”

The man’s hair was a bright blonde mane, and it was paired with sharp, snake-like eyes. His skin was so pale he looked like he was made of white jade.

Josh Galehill.

He opened his mouth and, without shame, said,

“I heard that the sprouts who will lead this kingdom’s future would come to visit the capital, so how could I, as the guardian of this nation, just sit by and watch? Of course I should come out to meet them.”

“That’s quite odd. For someone who’s hard to even see normally… You should’ve at least sent us a notice that you would come out to see us.”

“Director, you still make such trivial jokes. I don’t think we’re in such a relationship where we need to give notices to each other.”

And after that, he peered through the crowd and picked me out in an instant.

“Ok. So you’re Ruin Ardell.”

“......”

He looked me up and down, his gaze constricting me like the tongue of a snake wrapping around my body.

Then, I looked him straight in the eyes.

However…

“......?”

Something was off.

/Josh Galehill

6th-class magician

???

???

You cannot view this yet./

It was because there was a huge difference between what Player’s Eye showed me and what was told to the world.

‘He’s not a 7th-class magician like the Director?’

Unlike the Director, who I couldn’t even check the name of, Josh’s information was relatively more accessible.

/Josh Galehill

6th-class magician/

It had told me that he was a 6th-class magician.

Of course, 6th-class was by no means weak, but it wasn’t a level befitting the lord of House Galehill, who prided itself in being the house of magicians.

Wasn’t Professor Hydel also a 6th-class magician?

Also, how was he able to fool everyone?

My eyes shifted toward his hand.

Just like how Jakil showed up armed with 6 artifacts, Josh was the same, but even greater.

‘......This is insane.’

One, two, three, four…

Just how many were there?

Yeah.

Each and every one of them was an artifact.

There were so many that it was faster to count how many fingers of his didn’t have artifacts on them.

He had been concealing his true power through those items.

‘Tsk.’

Even then, not one person here knew that Josh Galehill was in fact a 6th-class magician.

No one would even think to doubt it

No, he was someone you couldn’t doubt.

I was the only one who knew this fact.

And…

“......”

Only the Director seemed to have noticed this to some degree.

No matter if it was the third son, their first son, their father…

Were the Galehills all the same?

The corner of my lips naturally went up.

Maybe he felt that I was snickering?

Josh’s eyebrows curved up as he asked,

“......Is something funny?”

“Ahem...... No, it’s nothing.”

Me waving it off, saying it was nothing while still smiling only made Josh more uncomfortable, and he insisted in a much colder tone than before,

“I asked what’s funny.”

“......”

The surrounding mood froze in an instant.

No, it wasn’t just the mood.

A tiny stream of mana flowing out of him really was starting to freeze the surrounding air.

All I did was give a small smile.

Although this was just a very minor thing that could’ve been ignored if it was from any other student, it looked like that wasn’t the case for me.

He was holding me to stricter standards than he would others.

In this openly threatening environment, as I readied myself with a calm face and opened my mouth, the Director stepped forward.

“Guardian Josh, he’s still just a student, please be reasonable.”

“Director, do not interfere. You only hold your title when inside the Academy. As long as the students have stepped foot into the capital, the authority to manage them lies with me.”

“If that authority you speak of is used to intimidate a student who has done nothing wrong, then I can never recognise it. I’ll take the students and return to the Academy immediately.”

“......Hah! You’ll return to the Academy?”

Hearing he’d leave the capital, Josh Galehill snickered and started to make sarcastic remarks.

“Director Tirion, you are always so aloof like this. You say that only your educational principles are correct, and that our Galehill is the enemy of the world, something that must be resisted at all costs, right? Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking? I know that my son being lured with the promises of being a ‘special lecturer’ and being humiliated in front of the entire cohort was your plan too. I’ll ask you this one thing. Are you still so sickened that I was instated as the guardian and not you? Such jealousy is something to be ashamed of.”

The one who didn’t care for authority more than anyone else was the Director.

The Director was the one who didn’t even blink an eye when the twin princes tried to bring him over to their side before.

However, Josh had targeted this honor.

“Josh Galehill!”

“......”

Suddenly, the Director shouted at Josh.

Bang!

Simultaneously, a great wave of mana that only a 7th-class archmage could create spread through the surrounding area

Fwoooosh!

“Eugh, what wind......”

The force of the mana alone was enough to make one’s robes flutter, and it was fierce enough to force people to take a few steps back.

It was the skill of someone worthy of being called an archmage.

However, Josh didn’t even flinch, instead choosing to scoff.

“Hmph! To act so emotionally on such a good day. It doesn’t look good in this educational context, does it?”

“......!”

Just as the enraged Director was about to say something, I stepped in front of the Director and said to Josh,

“It was amazement.”

“......What?”

“The reason I laughed. I laughed because of amazement.”

* * *

* * *

“......”

Suddenly having me interfere, Josh Galehill furrowed his brows and asked,

“What are you saying you were amazed by?”

I pointed to his hand and replied,

“Your rings. It’s my first time seeing someone wearing so many rings. Even the nobles who like to dress up wouldn’t compare to you, Guardian.”

“......”

As I pointed to the rings, Josh’s eyes narrowed.

“......You laughed after seeing my rings?”

“Yes. Senior Jakil also seemed to like his accessories. He wore two rings and four necklaces...... but it looks like the lord of the house also likes his accessories. I just thought that rich people were really similar to each other.”

“......What?”

There was no one who didn’t know that two rings and four necklaces Jakil Galehill had worn were artifacts.

In this situation, creating this connection between Jakil and Josh was the same as openly asking if those rings were artifacts too.

This was an obvious challenge.

Killing intent instantly presented itself in Josh’s eyes, but I bowed by head and said with an innocent look,

“Ah, I apologize. I didn’t mean it that way. There’s no way the Guardian would walk around wearing so many artifacts at once. I only asked because I was curious if all rich people had similar tendencies. I apologize if you were offended by that.”

“......”

However, there was no way Josh wouldn’t know my true intentions.

He definitely would’ve been able to notice that I was making fun of him with the smile on my face.

He may have even been wondering if I was doubting him.

If, maybe, I had already recognised that his skills and stories were inflated.

However, the reason he wasn’t able to press any further even if he perfectly understood my intentions further was that, as long as he received my heartfelt apology, pressing even further in this position would increase this doubt of his skills.

‘Josh Galehill isn’t 7th-class, but 6th.’

If this fact were to be known to the world, the Galehill name itself may become unstable.

So rather than risk that, the correct approach was to let this slide past as quietly and as nonchalantly as possible.

“I have heard that a lot. It’s nothing special. The Galehills have this many and more accessories to wear around.”

“Ah, that’s just what I thought.”

“In any case, Director Tirion, do not interfere in the capital tour this time. As the authority given to me as the guardian of the kingdom, I will lead their education while they are here.”

Josh left this announcement and turned his back.

I was looking at his back, so why did it feel like he was shivering?

I didn’t know everything going on inside his head, but he probably wanted to kill me right then and there.

I smiled with satisfaction and went to move.

But then, the Director grabbed my shoulder.

“Ruin.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you do that? Why did you aggravate him?”

As expected, I couldn’t fool the Director.

“......Was it that obvious?”

As the students started to walk up, the Director warned me,

“Josh is a dangerous man. If you think he’s like any normal magician—”

“It felt terrible. Seeing him act like an archmage when he isn’t.”

“You—”

“You know it too, right? That Josh Galehill hasn't reached 7th-class yet.”

“......How do you know that?”

The Director’s eyes went wide, and I nonchalantly replied,

“Don’t worry too much about it. I know I should be careful of him. On top of that, I’m still properly holding onto the present you’ve given me.”

This ‘present’ referred to everything I gained when I met Kingram again.

“I don’t fight alone anymore.”

At that, Straang held onto my arm and smiled.

“Of course! I’m here too.”

Yeah.

The anthropomorphized Straang.

I also had Kingram and the ogres if the situation got really dire.

If I had this much, wasn’t this a winnable fight?

Of course, I should be aiming for nothing to happen in the first place, but…

“His eyes are going to pop out of his head.”

“......”

Seeing Josh glaring at me as he gave a subordinate some order, I knew that something would definitely happen.

Let’s see…

What would be the best time to attack me in this situation?

When I’m in the palace?

No.

It would be too suspicious, and if a fight broke out inside the palace, it could lead to something worse if not properly taken care of.

Then the best time to attack would be my first day at the capital.

At night, after all classes had ended.

Inside our lodging, the inn.

Meaning…

“He’ll strike tonight.”

——