Chapter 59
The months flew by quickly. It was now Joshua's first day at the academy.
He looked around his new room, stretched his muscles, and stared at the box and boxes of stuff Cain helped him stuff.
'Haah, time to start my life in the academy for six years… basically, regain my strength and lie low.'
Joshua already used a lot of his spare power just to demonstrate his potential. It was tiring and draining at the same time.
Now that he was masking his identity, Joshua had no intention of doing anything that would draw attention to himself.
With the start of the new school year, he would be ten years old. If everything went according to plan, he would be able to build his strength back after six years at the academy.
'And what do I do about this now…'
Joshua scowled as he looked around the room. There were exactly three beds and several pieces of furniture in the room that was much larger than he had imagined. To put it plainly, it was a three-person room.
'Hmm… roommates, I hope it's not the asshole I ran into last time.'?Joshua thought.
Just then, the tightly closed door opened with a click.
"Oh? I'm not the first?"
The boy who just entered the room widened his eyes in surprise.
He was a young man with purple hair, which was uncommon on the continent, and bright purple eyes that matched his hair color. Although he was on the petite side, he was a sporty-looking boy with dark skin that appeared to have been tanned by the sun and large eyes.
"Nice to meet you, new friend!" The new kid walked over to Joshua and grasped his hands.
"I'm Agareth! Agareth kun Douglas." He then shouted with a playful smile.
"..."
Joshua stared blankly at the chirpy boy for quite some time before he abruptly responded, "I'm Ash… Ash pen Frederick."
"Frederick? Hmm, I haven't heard of that name before."
Joshua let out a chuckle as he noticed the kid's instantaneous frown. His reaction was within what Joshua had predicted.
This kid was part of the Empire's top one percent. They were the children of aristocratic households who had access to all of life's advantages since childhood.
The empire had a clear social class system in place, a structure where everyone had their designated place. And the basis of it was the family. People gathered around those families with the greatest power; as such, one's family was the sole criterion by which each and every individual was sorted into the "class" they were in.
That was how all of these young lords of noble houses had been brought up. Now that they were gathered here…what would their mindset be as they settled down in the academy?
'I decided to remain low profile.'
Joshua quietly tried to turn around with a resigned expression on his face.
"Oh well, so what?"
"..."
"Ash, please look out for me for the year." Agareth kun Douglas shook Ash's hands. "First and foremost, I must unpack. There isn't much time left before the event." Agareth feigned a crying expression as he pointed at the luggage piled up behind him.
'The Douglas clan—'
Joshua watched on as Agareth unpacked his luggage. He then withdrew his gaze.
Agareth had left a good first impression on him. Even though he was a noble, he did not seem particularly arrogant. Normally, only children from lower aristocratic backgrounds were likely to have such a personality.
'Perhaps it's for the best.'
Someone like this was much better. Way better than a certain kid who strived to flaunt his family's authority as if it were their own.
"I'm guessing I'm the last one here?"
Hearing a new voice, Joshua and Agareth turned their heads at the same time toward the door.
Shock gradually spread in Joshua's eyes.
"You?!"
"Ah, you!"
The two boys' surprised voices reverberated loudly across the room.
* * *
A deep, wide forest surrounded on all sides by trees.
In a typical forest, the rich green light soothed one's mind as one breathed in the scenery.
However, this particular forest had an eerie vibe to it. For some reason, all of the trees in the forest were tinted a soft black color, and the entire forest seemed dark even in full daylight.
The name of the woodland conjured up a melancholy and eerie image, as if the forest had been devoured by the darkness of an abyss: the Black Monster Forest.
Amidst the random calls of the monsters, a man's voice sounded out, "A ray of light that pierces the vastness of the sky."
The voice of the human instantly caught the attention of all monsters as they diverted their gazes to one spot. There were, at the very least, hundreds of monsters; it was enough to make an average human lose the slightest will to fight and resign to their doom.
However, the man didn't seem to mind and continued to recite his spell.
"Gather at my fingertips, and strike down all my foes that stand in my way with lightning."
Roooooooooaaaaar!
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.?
The first to charge at the man was a dark troll. With the dark troll as the lead, all the monsters present rushed at the man.
The pitch-black gloom was plagued by echoing cries and roars.
Despite the thunderous footsteps of hundreds of beasts, the man finished up the last part of his spell unperturbed. He had an uninterested expression as if all those creatures had nothing to do with him.
"A violent downpour of light will finally fall onto their heads."
A dazzling white light gathered at the man's fingertips the instant he completed his spell.
Following the man's words, the light transformed into hundreds and thousands of raindrops, which began to soak the dry terrain.
"Lightning Rain."
Flash!
There was only one flash.
Despite the fact that the light only flashed once, driving away the darkness for a mere instant, it brought about tremendous results.
Rumble!
The sky was darkened by a thunderstorm. Not even a scream to be heard.
Lightning bounced around on the ground, illuminating everything in its path. Only the dark pieces of coal visible made visible by the lightning tendrils attested to the presence of once-living creatures.
The man who had done such a fantastic job at summoning the current turned around nonchalantly and murmured into the darkness.
"My magic… and that child's 'strength'... How would you compare the two?"
"..."
When he didn't get a response to his query, the man began to walk slowly toward the darkness. The sound of his footsteps echoing silently in the dark reminded one of a grim reaper.
The figure in the dark finally let out a low scream because he couldn't take it any longer.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
"Answer me."
Finally, the man arrived at a certain spot in the open forest and looked down at the man who had let out the scream.
An obese man was on the ground, shaking in fear like someone shaking a plate of jelly.
It was Viscount Vig beck Steck, the lord of the Locke Estate.
The man pointed at the darkness and proceeded to speak, "There's something I'm seeking that was there. I clearly know that—"
"A Class 6 mage. Are you really—"
"I don't care if you believe me or not. But I'd like you to answer my question. I don't have much patience."
Hearing the man's words, Vig shouted arrogantly, "I am a noble of the great Avalon Empire! Do you think the Empire will stay still if they become aware of this preposterous treatment?!"
"Empire?"
A strange smile appeared on the man's lips for a brief moment.
"I wouldn't have come here if I was afraid of something like that."
"...!"
Vig's eyes widened in fear as killing intent radiated out of the man.
He was Vig, the man who spent his whole life observing others' reactions and acting in a tactful manner based on what he saw.
The man before him right now was speaking the truth.
The man didn't care what the Empire would think. And he had the ability to end Vig's life instantly.
He was a grim reaper, without a doubt.
Vig yelled something in a rush.
"Ah! Your magic is clearly superior in terms of power! Even though I am a stranger to magic, I am certain of it! Even after he used the same lightning bolt, a large number of creatures still survived!”
"Of course." With pride in his voice, the man continued, "There are innumerable schools of magic, and even the same spell can vary differently in terms of power, depending on the school one belongs to. Even if the child is a direct descendant of?him, or a powerful mage like myself... It can't be that strong."
"..."
"Besides, he isn't the type of person to use the lightning attribute as his primary weapon."
Rubbing his chin, the man frowned as he contemplated.
"So, did he take Bronto? But there's a consequence—" The man jerked his head to the side as he murmured to himself. "All right, I'll have to meet the boy in person; I mean the Agnus Estate is not an easy location to break into, but—"
"Wait wait wait! Pause for a second right there! If you're thinking of seeing Joshua von Agnus, that's clearly a mistake you're making!" Vig spoke, interrupting the man's words. He had been trembling, but it seemed like he found his lifeline.
The man's gaze darkened as he asked, "You said, I'm making a mistake?"
"Yes. I don't know the exact story, but he followed the Duke to the capital. I heard that he'd be admitted to the academy—"
"Academy?"
The man smirked.
The Agnus Estate was not a particularly intimidating location.
The capital of Avalon, Arcadia, was a different story. It was a city that had eyes everywhere. He couldn't run around casually in such an area, no matter how strong he was.
"Such a hassle—" The man grumbled.
"I, I will help you!"
"—What?"
"I really hate that kid… that bastard! I couldn't even begin to say why I hate him! I will help you kill that kid." For a brief period, Vig had forgotten his fear.
"..."
The man stared at Vig, and after a while, he burst out laughing. He then unveiled the blue hood over his head.
"Indeed—!" Vig mumbled as the man revealed his face.
He was a middle-aged man with light blue hair and blue eyes in contrast to Joshua's deep blue tint. He looked like an ordinary man with nothing extraordinary, save for his nice low-pitched voice.
However, there was one feature that drew Vig's attention in particular.
"Steropes mark! Why do you—"
Under the right eye of the man, there was a circle with a lightning bolt drawn within. The number '7' was written as well.
It was undeniable. As expected.
Vig suddenly screamed, his voice filled with emotions.
"You're one of the seven mages! The Thunder! Jack Steropes!"
Jack Steropes' smile widened.
"By the way," he said.
Jack pointed at Vig's bloated body with his finger.
"I can't just let a piggy lend me a hand, no matter how urgent the problem is, right?"
"What?"
"I said I didn't care, but if my existence is leaked out, it may be a hassle to deal with."
"Do you mean you're planning to kill me? If I, the Empire's nobleman, suddenly vanish, the Empire, or the Duke of Agnus, will promptly look for me! If this happens, your identity will be reve—"
"Hmm… no." Jack responded with a bright smile and a raised hand.
"Pork skewers is the best way to enjoy pork."
"Wait!"
"Die."
Disregarding Vig's screams, Jack flicked his finger with a smile.
Bzzt!
Accompanied by a small spark, a single lightning bolt pierced through Vig's swollen bulk.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Vig's frantic cry echoed through the peaceful woodland.
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