Mightiest Melee Magician

At the stable in a corner of the Academy, an obscure place where students normally don’t even pass by, two shadowy figures shifted.

“Why did you do that?”

“Hmm? What did I do?”

“Why did you help with what Ruin said before?”

They were Jakil and Michael Galehill.

Hearing Jakil’s question, Michael flinched a little.

“Th-that's… As you will know as well, brother, this is a good opportunity for you to destroy Ruin……”

“Why should I?”

“E-eh?”

“Dealing with Ruin Ardell isn’t my job, but yours. Why should I take the risk of fighting him?”

“Well, that’s because you’re strong, brother…… Didn’t you come here to help me?”

“What? Help you?”

Jakil’s gaze immediately turned hostile.

“Don’t misunderstand. The reason I came to the academy wasn't to do something like take petty revenge for you. I’m here because I need to recover the honor of the Galehill name that my worthless brother kept disgracing. Do you understand?”

“S-sorry…”

“Damn it…… If I somehow end up losing, just what will this situation become?”

It was obvious, but the difference in experience between real magicians and students who needed to restrain themselves and had bans placed on them was huge.

However, this particular situation was different. 

“You losing? Nah, no shot. There’s no way…… right? You’re the kingdom’s youngest magician to—”

“Shut up. Youngest, did you forget who gave me that name?”

“……I-it was father.”

“The brat who knows that takes the offer given by the one who won the Grand Festival?”

“……”

“Haah… It’s more ridiculous the more I think about it. A bastard like you is my younger brother……?”

Radian Kingdom, the weakest nation in the history of the continent.

In this nation which was peaceful to a fault, just where could a magician get experience?

If you were to look for places, there would just be some expeditions or the capturing of monsters that popped up sometimes in the territories around the capital, but since there were knights, most just relaxed and played.

The talk about how he dueled against the Silver Light Knight Order as if he was eating breakfast was also naturally a lie.

The knights were too busy drinking and enjoying women during work hours, and it was hard to even see a knight in the sparring building.

On top of that, just how long had it been since he really used magic?

Appealing to nobles, balancing around the twin princes’ power struggles, and so on.

Rather than magic, he focused more on his appearance to appeal to the noblewoman.

Compared to him, Ruin was a genius amongst geniuses who won the Grand Festival.

Since he would’ve accrued a ton of experience through the Grand Festival, Jakil had no guarantee that he would win against Ruin.

No.

‘……I’ll lose, for sure.’

Just having felt the difference in strength when he shook hands on the podium, thoughts of losing had already filled his head.

‘Damn it. I was thinking of just returning quietly after doing some lectures……’

The thought of the shame from losing to a junior much younger than him was there, but now wasn’t the time to wallow in that shame.

Since he had already made a mess due to his ego, he needed to think on how he could clean it back up.

And naturally, he felt a sense of hopelessness for the future.

“Tell me everything properly.”

“Eh? What?”

“I said tell me everything you know about Ruin Ardell!”

“Ah! O-okay!”

* * *

The most important part of the 2nd semester for the graduating class was the joint classes with and sparring against knights.

Before the lesson, a notice arrived saying that the trainee knights from the Poldren Knight Training Center had left for the Academy.

3 days after that, a couple dozen people arrived at the academy on horseback.

“Look there! They arrived!”

The trainee knights of Poldren.

Held up by the flag bearer was the lizard tail insignia that represented the Poldren Training Center, and behind him was about 40 trainee knights in formation with copper armor and swords at their sides.

At the front was a knight who wore fancy plate mail armor, but as he took off his helmet……

I saw a welcome face that I knew very well.

“Sir Coulter!”

“Oh, what’s this?”

Sir Coulter Pirante.

As the knight captain of the Poldren territory, he was the lead knight who managed all the lessons in the Poldren Training Center.

Under only Sir Kegen, the 7th-rank knight of the Golden Light Knight Order, and the Knight Captain of the Silver Light Knight Order, the one I met before who guarded the twin princes, Sir Coulter was publicly ranked 3rd across all the knights in the kingdom.

However, things like this weren't important to me.

“You ogre-like punk…… Have you been well?”

“I have. How about you, Sir Coulter?”

“I’ve been the same. More than that, didn’t I tell you to call me bro?”

“Hmm… I still think that’ll be hard.”

“You punk. Just wait 10 years. I’ll still look young. Haha.”

Without a care about the honor and authority of a knight, the person in front of me, with the personality of a popular neighborhood kid, was Sir Coulter Pirante.

Since it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the footwork and body arts I learnt from Sir Coulter before I attended the Grand Festival was the reason I won it, he was a great teacher to me.

“I heard all about you through rumors. So you did some incredible things in the Grand Festival?”

“Yes. It’s all thanks to you, Sir Coulter.”

“That’s right, so don’t you ever forget it. When you become more famous, I’ll come and take my cut.”

“Heh. Yes, I won’t forget.”

“The Director?”

“He’ll be here soon.”

As I pointed behind me, I could already see the Director and the professors coming from afar.

The Director also greeted Sir Coulter with a welcoming expression.

“You must be tired after coming such a long way.”

“What? Tired? Isn’t this all for the future of the kingdom? If I was tired because of something like this, I would rather die in a ditch somewhere. Haha.”

“Thank you for your words. I’m sure that it’ll become a great learning experience for our students.”

“Yes. It’ll be great for my students to learn just how scary magicians are, since becoming a knight isn’t everything.”

“Then, shall we leave the students to greet each other and go inside for a talk?”

“Let’s do that.”

The Director put a hand on my shoulder.

“Then, Ruin, I’ll leave you to guide them.”

“Ruin, I’ll see you later.”

“Ptf. Sure.”

The professors also moved to have a chat, leaving only the trainee knights and a few students.

As the academy representative, I was given the task of guiding them, so I stepped forward.

“It’s good to meet everyone. I’m the representative of the academy, Ruin Ardell. Could I know who the representative of the trainee knights is?”

However, the mood between the knights was a little weird.

“Who knows. Our representative is a little busy right now.”

“……Eh?”

Rather than a representative stepping forward, not one of them seemed to be interested in this.

Rather, their gazes all pointed to the back of the formation, and so did mine.

In that place…

“……You lowly peasant scum. Do you have to get hit to learn?”

“Kekekek. Maltive, let’s leave him. He’ll die at this rate.”

“No one’s gonna care if someone like him dies anyway, so who cares?”

“……”

* * *

* * *

Bullying.

No. Within the trainee knights, an assault was secretly taking place.

The trainee knight who was getting bullied was someone who I knew well.

“……Hansen?”

He was the trainee knight from Poldren who I had saved with his sister from some thugs during the break, Hansen.

“R-Ruin…”

He was surrounded by about three other trainee knights, and he clenched his eyes shut, seemingly ashamed that he was showing such a scene.

“What are you doing right now?”

“……”

As I asked that in a quiet voice, one of the three trainee knights that were bullying him stepped up.

“Ah ha. So you’re that famous Ruin Ardell? I heard a lot about you. I’m Maltive Kegen, the representative knight of the Poldren Training Center.”

Maltive Kegen.

It was a memorable first impression.

It was enough for me to fully understand what kind of person he was.

“You know them, right? The sole 7th-rank knight of the kingdom, and the man closest to becoming a Sword Master. The Captain of the Golden Light Knight Order, Bengrass Kegen. He’s my father.”

“……”

Ah, was that so?

Then I don’t know why such an incredible person like yourself did not go into the Royal Training Center and is in the Poldren Training Center instead…

And did I ask?

Why did you say your father’s name that I didn’t even ask for when you were introducing yourself?

‘My father is an incredible person, so grovel before me……’

Well, was it something like that?

“Sure. But more than that, I’d like it if you answered my question.”

“……Question? What question?”

“What are you doing right now?”

As I pointed toward Hansen, Maltive replied with a tone that implied it wasn’t a big deal.

“Ah, I was training this mutt, since this commoner punk hasn't been listening to me for a while.”

“……Mutt?”

“Yeah. Mutt. Is there a problem?”

He wasn’t a beast or livestock, or even a slave.

They were peers that should’ve had respect for each other.

Even if one was a commoner, to use a word for an animal against a person…

As my gaze became a little more intense, Maltive said in a more threatening tone,

“I’ve already answered your question. Also, are you ignoring me right now?”

“What?”

“Weren’t we introducing ourselves? But why are you just focusing on that commoner now? Do you two know each other?”

“……”

His gaze became openly hostile.

“So you do know each other. From what I heard before, it looks like you know each other’s names as well.”

“What if we’re friends?”

“What? Friends? Hah! Well, you know what they say. Birds of a feather flock together. Lowly things are bound to attract.”

“What?”

“Well, isn’t the Ardell house also a rootless house not too different from a commoner’s? For someone like you to be the academy representative…… I don’t think I want to even talk to you anymore.”

“……What are you trying to do?”

The mood instantly became cold.

Why was this guy, who I was seeing for the first time in my life, so openly hostile to me? 

I didn’t have to guess for long.

“Huh? Jakil!”

“……Oh? Maltive! You came here as well? Why is a trainee knight of your level at this place?”

“Well, I came here to mess around. But why are you here? Hasn’t it been a while since you graduated? Ah! I get it! You came to play around as well, right?”

“Haha…… Well, it’s something like that.”

“……”

Jakil Galehill recognised Maltive Kegen, and all the puzzle pieces started to come together.

Kegen for the sword, Galehill for magic.

Just like he said, birds of a feather did indeed flock together.

Even if I acted like I didn’t know Hansen, I would definitely end up clashing with him in the future.

“I heard that Michael lost his school representative position…… I feel sorry for the academy students, having a rootless person like him who’s no different than a commoner as their representative.”

“Well, what can they do? Anyways, you’d be tired after traveling for such a long time. We should get that heavy armor off of you. Follow me, I’ll guide you personally to the academy instead of Ruin.”

“Yes. Alright. Guys, let’s go.”

“……”

Jakil Galehill and Maltive Kegen.

They took their gangs and started to walk into the distance, and Hansen timidly walked up to me with a drained expression.

“R-Ruin…… It’s good to see you, but…… I think it’ll be better if you don’t act familiar with me……”

“Why?”

“Because, n-no one likes me. That’s why, later, when no one is looking……”

“No. We decided to be friends then, so don’t be like that.”

“B-but…”

“The one you said was bullying you back at the training center before, is it that guy?”

“……Yeah.”

I looked at Hansen.

“I’m thinking of kicking that guy in a little bit…… What about you?”

Yeah, I was thinking of teaching that arrogant Maltive Kegen kid a lesson.

Since he insulted me greatly, he should be ready to pay up.

Well, that’s good for me……

But to truly make him pay, wouldn’t it be better for Hansen, who was being harassed for being a commoner, to be the one to beat him?

“Are you gonna keep getting bullied like this, or do you want to beat him?”

“……”

“The look in your eyes is gone. What happened to those eyes that lit up when you were protecting your sister?”

Hearing my words, Hansen lowered his head in shame.

However, the light in his eyes wasn’t completely defeated. There was still a hint of resistance.

He wanted to make this situation right, but he was afraid.

And after worrying over this for a bit, Hansen’s eyes shifted.

“……Will I be able to win?”

Yeah.

This was enough.

——