Mightiest Melee Magician

Chaurmetan Raynac.

Even from the disadvantageous position of being the 3rd son, using his bright mind and outstanding political wit, he had successfully kicked his brothers out to the corners of the empire and remained as the one and only crown prince.

Teron, the magician at the boundary, was his godfather.

And Kegen Altemian, the Moonlight Swordsman was his teacher.

I knew this because he was rumoured to be proficient in both the literary and martial arts while also being a fickle perfectionist.

And this person wanted to have a private meeting with me.

“I’ll refuse your refusal.”

“……”

Why?

The reason wasn’t important.

The important thing was that I was in no position to decline.

“Ok.”

As I replied, the crown prince smiled widely, enough to show his teeth, and laughed.

“Godfather, my business is finished, so I’ll just sit here silently.”

“Alright. Then, let’s start our dinner. Everyone, be seated.”

“……”

I wasn’t the only one confused by the sudden appearance of the crown prince.

As I looked around, the 31 other students who had gathered here all looked stunned.

Especially among them……

Doom Prime, the next-generational magician that was the pride of the Rayanc Imperial Federation, was more shocked than anyone else.

Doom didn’t say anything, but you could tell by the look in his eyes.

‘Why would the crown prince……?’

A private conversation not with him, his own countryman, but with me, a foreigner.

The meaning of this action was obvious.

* * *

The dinner proceeded a little awkwardly.

As the name suggested, it was the place where the performance in the competition was reviewed.

It was the place where the winners and the losers would be clearly separated.

Those who performed above expectations would be remembered by Teron.

Those who were poor in skill would be fated to be ignored by Teron, something far more terrifying than being criticized.

Based on the mood, most fit in the latter category.

And Teron’s intentions were clearly shown.

“None of the Eleven were able to win against Ruin Ardell. So this is how big the gap is between them?”

“……”

“I am disappointed. I am very disappointed. So much so that I don’t think I can go around telling others that I nurtured you.”

The way that he kept mentioning my name while comparing me with the Eleven Children while berating and provoking them.

This method was very effective.

As this mood continued, the students continued to feel worse and worse.

“Tsk. The only thing that was proven in this grand festival… was that the old proverb of rags to riches was not wrong.”

Rags to riches.

Yeah.

This dinner was solely for me.

However,

‘……It’s uncomfortable.’

I couldn’t hide my discomfort either.

In this moment when only I was praised.

This place which was prepared only for the winner.

This was the moment that I was looking forward to so badly while preparing for the Grand Festival…

But why didn’t it feel good?

Why was I uncomfortable?

It was because I felt discomfort in knowing that the efforts shown by the students could be disregarded by just a rank and a score.

I too had a period of time when I was a failure of a student.

I too had a moment in my life where I suffered under the wall called talent.

“So, Ruin Ardell, how do you feel about winning the Grand Festival?”

That was why I spurted out what I was thinking on the inside when Fire King Teron asked me about my thoughts on winning.

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“……Uncomfortable?”

“Yes. I am naturally proud of my achievements in this festival, but the fact that my results are being used to belittle and provoke the other students and their efforts is discomforting to me.”

“Ruin.”

“……”

Even though Irene Prius, who was sitting next to me, tried to hurriedly stop me, it was already too late.

The atmosphere in the room had gone cold.

However, my expression didn’t change as I looked directly at Teron.

He looked at me emotionlessly before saying,

“You say the same thing as your director.”

“It’s because he’s someone I respect.”

“Tirion Ignit. He’s a good man, as both a magician and as an educator. That’s why he was able to hold onto a magician with no future like you and didn’t give up till the end. However…”

“……”

“The only ones remembered by the public are the victors. The others don’t have the right to even be muttered.”

Teron’s eyes lit up for a moment.

He talked with eloquence as if to indoctrinate and re-educate me.

“Did you say you didn’t want your achievements to be used for provocation?”

“Yes.”

“However, you of all people would know the feeling of inferiority is one of the greatest motivators for growth… don’t you?”

“……”

He was right.

Teron was speaking the truth.

The feeling of inferiority.

It pushed me to move.

It presented me with a miracle.

However…

“Who knows? From what I’m hearing, you’re only trying to incite hostility towards me.”

“What did you say?”

“Helping someone by pointing out their weaknesses and making them put in effort compared to focusing on inferiority and pushing for hostility toward another. Aren’t these two very different things?”

This arrow of mine called ‘effort’ wasn’t fired to kill my opponents.

It fired only at me to improve myself.

These two things were definitely different.

Oh, and one more thing.

“And… I didn’t come from rags.”

* * *

* * *

“……?”

“My home territory of Ardell is a small but beautiful place. The Ignit Magic Academy I attend is also not something that can be looked down on and called ‘rags’.”

“……”

A quiet stillness washed through the hall.

For an instant, the newbie dared to talk back to the king of magicians.

And explosively at that.

It was a direct hit.

Because of this, I had predicted that Teron’s sharp edge would be pointed at me.

I thought that the dinner would not stop at just being a cold atmosphere but be thrown upside down.

However, the thing that broke this tense atmosphere was…

“Uh…… Uhahahahaha! You’re an absurd kid. You actually tried to argue with my godfather.”

“Keke. What did I tell you? Didn’t I say he’s an interesting boy?”

“……?”

Crown Prince Chaurmetan Raynac.

Fire King Teron.

It was the laugh of these two men.

Prince Chaurmetan especially, wiping the tears from his eyes and clutching his sides laughing.

“Uahahahaha! Oh my stomach… This is so funny that tears are coming out of my eyes. Just where did someone like him come from?”

“I thought that he rose from rags, but he says that he came from the small but beautiful Ardell territory.”

“The small but beautiful Ardell territory…… I think I want to go there sometime. Your advertisement was pretty good.”

“……”

I was confused at another unexpected response.

What was this?

It was funny?

Naturally, I could tell why they were laughing while looking at me.

“So this was the reason why Godfather recommended him with confidence.”

“……”

Goodwill.

The goodwill and interest they had toward me had covered my rebellious actions as ‘cute’.

In any case, thanks to that, the frozen atmosphere in the hall started to loosen a little.

“……Hu.”

Irene Prius loudly breathed out a sigh of relief and said,

“Ruin. Are you going to surprise us again?”

“……No.”

Well, any more than this would be too much for me as well.

In any case, the two men laughed about me for a while.

Then, Fire King Teron spoke.

“That was a good speech you gave, but since that ideal story is something that I’ve been hearing from your Director, Tirion, for a few decades now… my thoughts probably won’t change.”

From the beginning, I didn’t kid myself into thinking I could change Teron’s mind.

Because, for Teron, the magician at the boundary…

Results rather than effort.

Never 2nd, only 1st.

He was a magician with those resolutions.

“But since this was more refreshing than what Tirion said, I look forward to seeing what you can do in the future.”

“……”

There were many special privileges for winning the Grand Festival.

The huge prize money.

A precious artifact.

A special mission that you can receive even though you’re still a student and hadn’t graduated yet.

And the fame you would receive from completing this mission.

Teron used the phrase ‘look forward to seeing’ when talking about my future.

This probably meant that he would closely observe the secrets of my power.

Of course, I had no intentions of avoiding it.

“I too look forward to seeing it.”

“……Alright.”

Teron laughed while looking satisfied.

He then stood from his seat.

“Then, let’s end the dinner here.”

* * *

“Oh! They’re coming out!”

“R-Ruin! How did it go? What did the King of Magicians say?”

As soon as I left the dining hall, I was greeted by Jason, Hankus, and all my peers from the academy, but I didn’t have time to be held back by these guys.

“Sorry. Let’s talk later. I need to meet someone right now.”

“Meet someone? Who?”

“……”

Chaurmetan Raynac.

He was wearing his absurdly large hat again while looking at me.

“I’ll tell you later. Bye.”

“R-Ruin!”

As I approached the crown prince, the two people standing behind him blocked my way.

Then, one of them showed me a red bracelet without any markings on it.

“Put this on.”

“What is this?”

“It’s an artifact that will suppress your mana circle. It’s a safety precaution, so don’t resist and put it on.”

“……”

Ah, it was that.

A Ban Bracelet.

To be precise, it wasn’t really an artifact, but rather a magic tool mass-produced for a specific purpose.

That specific purpose was to neutralize captured criminal magicians.

I accepted the ban bracelet and asked them,

“So, you can’t trust me?”

“Did you think you’ll be able to have a private talk with the crown prince without any measures taken?”

Then, the crown prince, who was silently observing us from behind them, raised his hand and spoke.

“Enough. That guy is trustworthy enough.”

“But your majesty……”

“I said it’s fine. Do I have to repeat myself?”

“……”

Because of the crown prince’s firm stance, the expression of the man who looked to be a guard worsened.

Well, I didn’t like being treated like a criminal, but there was no reason to make this situation any more complicated.

“It’s ok. I’ll put them on.”

I put on the ban bracelet on my right wrist.

A weird tightening feeling was felt on my wrist.

But that was it.

‘What the? That was nothing.’

This bracelet had no effect on me.

It was because, from the start, I didn’t use a ‘mana circle’ but a ‘force circle’ to cast my spells.

But there was no reason to tell them.

I lifted my right arm.

“Is it fine now?”

“Sure. Follow us.”

I walked after them.

Chaurmetan Raynac, the crown prince, looked to be elated for some reason.

Why was he so happy right now?

Why did he ask to meet me?

The answer to these questions were only revealed to me when we arrived at the most secret room in the banquet hall.

“Ruin Ardell.”

“……”

“From now on, work with me.”

This was a request.

No.

“I’ll refuse your refusal.”

Was it an order?

——