Chapter 12 - I may have gone a little overboard ── But I don't regret it.

A/n: This chapter goes from Reese’s PoV to Third party PoV and back to Reese’s PoV again

I might have gone slightly overboard back then but a few days passed by peacefully since the day of the magic power measurement.

— In the end, except for me and Melon-chan, everyone else was unable to get their measurements done since I happened to demolish the target without a trace.

Apparently, that target was specifically designed to be both magic and shock absorbent in order to minimize the damage to the surroundings. Other than the target, similar measures were also taken with the surrounding area, but to a different degree. However, all of them were fully destroyed without any discrimination in the end.

…I must admit, I took it a little too seriously.

— By the way, after the class was interrupted, I was separately called out by Zest. I was banned from using the [Full Pressure Cannon] from then on, on the grounds of it being too dangerous to handle. Not that I intended to use it that much anyway, and I wasn’t stupid enough to use it against humans.

It was one of the most powerful spells I could cast. Given that it contained extremely high amounts of power, it was also imposed with many restrictions as an offset.

Firstly, it was impossible to be used while moving around. And contrary to its appearance, casting that spell required a great deal of concentration. It also required some time to be properly regulated, so casting other forms of magic simultaneously was not an option.

About one full minute was needed to accumulate enough mana necessary for its maximum output. All in all, it was basically like a ‘one shot skill’ that was mostly useless in an actual battle. You could say it was an idealistic magic created in pursuit of raw power.

Although it was a haphazard start, life in the elite magic school had finally begun.

＊＊＊

— While Reese was embarking on a new journey in the elite magic school, the headmaster paid a visit to a certain forest ravine all by himself.

“… How many years has it been since the last time we’ve had tea together like this?”

“Who knows? Once every ten or twenty years shouldn’t be long enough for you.”

It was a house made within a hollowed out giant tree trunk. Inside the tree house, the headmaster was sitting in front of a table. Facing him was a beautiful girl seated across the table on the opposite side. At first glance, it seemed like a parent seated with their child, but reality proved to be the exact opposite of that scenario.

“So, how’s Reese doing? I bet he’s been messing things up a lot, isn’t he?”

“Err well… he’s been doing… a lot of things right from the beginning.”

Starting from his grand declaration at the entrance ceremony, followed by the mysterious phenomenon that caused the internal mana gauge to fluctuate oddly, and the partial destruction of the power measuring field along with the custom made special target device.

— Certainly, quite a number of incidents had been caused.

“Old Master would probably already know?”

“Not exactly. But I’ve been with that child for a while, I’m aware of his tendency to cause trouble everywhere he goes. And I hardly believe he would suddenly become tame just because he was placed in a school environment.”

“Hohoho~” The delightful chuckle of the little girl seemed rather peculiar. It almost seemed similar to an old woman’s visage as she beamed over the growth of her grandchildren. What’s more peculiar was the fact that the gesture didn’t seem out of place in the least.

“Anyway, why have you come to see me? I don’t suppose you came by to deepen our relationship as old acquaintances, have you?”

“… It’s actually about your direct disciple, Reese-kun.”

“What now? Is it his obsession with breasts causing trouble again?”

“N-no, this is a completely different matter.”

“I see. Well it would make this old woman happy to see him bringing home a girl or two by now.”

The girl softly muttered while sipping her tea. It certainly was not an appropriate comment to make before an elderly statesman– and the head of a school no less. However, the headmaster made no objections. Although his face seemed to be twitching a little.

And without further ado, the headmaster cut to the chase.

“I came to see the Old Master today to inquire about the ‘magic’ that Reese-kun has been dealing with.”

“Well, of course.”

“Thank you very much for readily complying, Old master. Now then, let’s start with–”

“I refuse.”

I guess this is what people meant by a sharp rejection.¹

…………………………

“…………………………Eh?”

The headmaster was momentarily bewildered by her sudden outright rejection as he tilted his head in confusion.

“I suppose that as a mage, it’s only natural that you’re interested in Reese’s magic. I would have felt the same way had I been in your position and if I wasn’t aware of Reese’s personal thoughts regarding this matter.”

“Th, then…”

“But before being a mage, you are the headmaster of an elite magic school.”

Being subjected to her sharp gaze and pointed words that hit right on the mark, the headmaster was left unable to utter another word of objection.

The headmaster felt ashamed of his own narrow mindedness. As the girl said, he was not only a magician but also an educator at the same time. There were no shortcuts to the quest for knowledge. If you were unable to reach the answer you sought for with your own power, then you wouldn’t be able to call yourself a true magician.

The girl’s words brought the headmaster back to his own roots.

“My apologies. I was being too immature in trying to rely on Old Master for the answers.”

“It’s alright. I understand how you feel.”

The girl lightly smiled in reply to the headmaster who had bowed his head deeply.

“I will continue to study his magic and try to find the answers by myself. Then, could you please answer this question instead.”

Looking straight at the girl’s face, the headmaster made his next inquiry.

“Old Master, why did someone like you, who was once even called the Great Sage , take in someone who can only handle Defense Magic to be your first disciple after all this time?”

“What? Is that what you were so serious about?”

Given the seriousness of the headmaster’s gaze, the girl was expecting a pressing matter to be addressed. But contrary to what she had expected, she was met with an anticlimactic question in return.

“Please don’t laugh! You didn’t even bat an eyelid at those rare geniuses with 2 or even 3 attributes before. But now you’ve allowed such a person– I hate to say this, but that’s Defense Magic– a boy with no attributes had become your disciple instead. Do you have any idea how much this shocked me?”

“You wouldn’t understand it anyway. I may have been the Great Sage but I have never been nor intend to be your mother.”

The girl who was called the Great Sage answered the questions at her own pace as usual. Seeing this, the headmaster realized that he was being too agitated and took a deep breath to regain his composure.

“I never cared for the number of attributes, be it two, three or even four.”

The girl took a sip from her cup and muttered on.

“If I had to put it bluntly, I’d say it’s about the ones who are worth raising.”

In the past, there were a few who were determined to reach the pinnacle of magic, and had been fortunate to receive teachings from this girl– the Great Sage. But in the end, none was able to reach the level of the Great Sage. Still, they had become great mages in their own right and were well-known throughout the world. The headmaster was one such person.

“… Then that last sentence in the letter wasn’t a joke?”

“When did I ever joke?”

The headmaster slowly pulled out the letter from the Great Sage that he had received from Reese.

“… If I’m seeing right, this letter begins with ‘All omitted’.”

“—Oh hohoho. I was just being a little mischievous, you know.”

After lightly glaring at the slyly laughing girl, the headmaster pointed to the end of the letter.

It was written in an ancient language that wasn’t well passed down till modern times. The text required a certain amount of knowledge in ancient languages to decipher. However, the end result of deciphering the content was quite striking.

『 PS: Reese will grow up to be a great man who will be on par with myself someday. You’ll be overtaken if you let your guard down ever so slightly. So, don’t forget to study well and do your best!』

“What kind of a boy is he for you to choose him as your disciple? What was it about him that struck a chord with you, the Great Sage?”

The Great Sage answered the headmaster’s earnest inquiry with a smile on her face.

“Reese’s just an ordinary healthy child you know, a very ordinary child that you can find anywhere.”

＊＊＊

— Achooooooh!

“[Zuzuzu]… I wonder if someone is gossiping about me. Well, I hope that someone is a pretty girl with big boobs.”

“Stop with the nonsense and move it, let’s go have lunch.”

“Aye aye.”

After releasing a big sneeze, I sprinted to catch up to Alfie who was walking ahead.

After the morning classes had all ended, it was finally time for lunch. This part of the school routine was as important as the time when the school day ends.

“This school cafeteria sure is impressive. Though it’s probably thanks to all the school funds used on the management. But honestly, that place alone is worth enrolling into this school for.”

“I heard that the food here is made by a first-rate chef who’s as skilled as the court chef in the palace. I bet everything here is delicious. So the price should be a match for the quality I guess.”

“I abide by the principle that a delicious meal comes with a worthy price.”

Ample amount of time and ingredients were necessary for the process of making good food. If it’s for that, I would gladly be willing to pay any price.

“… Speaking of prices, I’ve been wondering about this for a while. How did you get enough money for the admission and the school fees? As for me, most of my fees along with the food expenses were covered by the scholarship. But it should be different for you, no?”

Alfie and I were having another trivial conversation as we made our way towards the cafeteria.

“I know that your father is pretty good at brewing wine but I’ve never heard of him making that much money, at least not enough to be sending you to this school.”

“You blockhead. There’s no way in hell my father would be able to pay for a noble school with the amount he makes.”

“Then how?”

“I earned it myself. You know I sign up for the ‘Hunters Association’ from time to time.”

“Well that’s…”

Alfie seemed more or less convinced, but not without further questions.

“I’ve heard that being a hunter comes with certain risks and plenty more rewards. But are those rewards really enough to pay the school fees here?”

“Depends on the catch. If you can hunt a couple of big game, that should be enough for the change.”

“Ah I see… no, wait a minute. What exactly is this big game that you’re talking about—?”

“Oh, we’re here already. We should talk about this later.”

“—Fine, I get it. But I’m not letting you off that easy, we’ll talk about this later.”

The school cafeteria was already crowded with students at every corner.

After hearing what Alfie wanted to order, I went to the line up at the cafeteria counter, while Alfie held up the seats for us.