“This is troublesome,” I thought, my head starting to ache.
I didn’t know why he was so worked up, but it was definitely a problem that Laurentz, who had a tendency to rush headfirst into things, was in such a rage. If he exploded with anger in the classroom, it would be a disaster.
“Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Hey! Don’t touch me!”
With the eyes of everyone in the class upon us, I grabbed Laurentz’s arm and forcibly moved him.
Although Laurentz was taller and sturdier than Jared, I didn’t feel like I would lose in a pure strength contest. I dragged the resisting Laurentz outside the school building.
There was no way I could afford to have him use magic inside the building.
After walking for a while with his arm still in my grip, Laurentz gradually gave up resisting, and we moved to the training hall.
The training hall was used for its intended purpose. Students aiming to be knights practiced swordsmanship, and those aiming to be mages practiced magic in practical lessons, which were very popular among students.
The training hall was also open outside of lessons for self-training.
It was also frequently used for disputes between students, but I never thought I would end up using it myself.
“Let go of me already!”
He wrenched his arm free, but I breathed a sigh of relief as we had made it inside the training hall. The training hall was protected by multiple barriers set up by Court Mages, so even if students were to exchange full-powered magic, there would be no impact on the school building. At most, one might hear loud noises.
I could feel magic emanating from him as Laurentz, who was concerned about the wrinkles in his uniform, trembled. He must have been extremely emotionally unstable.
“How much do you hate that I was chosen as a Court Mage Candidate?”
“Shut up! Aren’t you ashamed of using connections to become a Court Mage Candidate like that?”
“Don’t mess with me. There’s no way I’d do something like that!”
“Then why did you get engaged to Olivier Alway? The day after rumors spread about your engagement to that woman, rumors spread that you were chosen as a Court Mage Candidate!”
“You thought I used Olivier-sama for that, based on just that little bit of news? That’s enough!”
My anger simmered as I was accused of something I hadn’t done.
I knew intellectually that I needed to stay calm, but I couldn’t hold back and grabbed Laurentz by the collar, slamming him against the wall.
“I don’t do cowardly things!”
“I don’t believe you!”
“Murphy-kun, stop!”
Crysta, who had arrived late, clung to my arm, causing me to release Laurentz.
Laurentz, his neck freed from compression, coughed as his entourage hurried over to him and started speaking.
“My friend, you’re not acting like yourself.”
“It’s nothing. I just got annoyed by an idiot who believed a mere rumor.”
“What did you say!?”
“Besides, I’m the one who should be angry. Rumors are spreading wildly behind my back since yesterday, and some idiot believes them and attacks me. Enough is enough!”
I shouted in anger and punched the wall.
The pain in my fist brought back a sliver of my composure.
“Even if it’s just a rumor, it’s a fact that you became a Court Mage Candidate right after getting engaged to that shallow woman.”
One of Laurentz’s entourage glared at Jared. But Jared glared back with even more anger in his eyes.
“Who did you just call shallow?”
“W-What? Are you angry because I called your fiancée shallow? But she is shallow.”
“Forget it, Drew! Even if she’s not here, it’s disrespectful to Olivier-sama!”
The boy called Drew, with a displeased expression, argued with Laurentz.
“Laurentz-sama, you said Murphy did something fraudulent. If that’s the case, then that shallow woman must have pulled some strings to use her position as his fiancée!”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying don’t use words that demean women!”
Drew, showing no signs of being chastised, clicked his tongue and tried to distance himself from Jared. But he couldn’t.
Countless thorns sprouted from the ground of the training hall. As if with a will of their own, they wrapped around Drew’s legs, then around his waist. In an instant, Drew, completely covered in thorns, couldn’t even comprehend what was happening, let alone cry out.
“If you felt better saying whatever you wanted, now it’s my turn to feel better.”
“Don’t, Jared!”
“Be quiet, Lars. This doesn’t concern you. Take Crysta and get out of here, understood!”
I let go of Crysta, who was still clinging to my arm, and entrusted her to Lars, then spoke to Drew, who was covered in thorns.
“It’s good that you’re frozen with fear. These thorns wound anything that moves, but they don’t harm anything that stays still. If you don’t want to be hurt, stay put. You’ll receive appropriate punishment for your abusive words later.”
“What… did you do…”
“These thorns were grown with my magic. Earth Attribute Mages can also manipulate plants. What’s wrong, didn’t you know that?”
With that, Jared turned back to Laurentz, who was watching him with a wary expression.
“What’s it going to be? Do you want to experience something painful like him?”
“Let Drew go.”
“I refuse.”
“Your anger at your fiancée being insulted is justified. I’ll make him apologize properly. I’ll apologize too—”
“Before that, don’t we have something to discuss?”
Jared quietly interrupted Laurentz’s words and spoke.
“First, let me clear up any misunderstandings. Olivier Alway wouldn’t go through the trouble of contacting the Mage Association for my sake. Of course, neither would Duke Alway. More importantly, if one could become a Court Mage with the power of the Ducal Family, the Court Mages would be filled with members of the Alway family by now. There’s no way there would be half the positions vacant.”
The Mage Association is a semi-independent organization; even the Royal Palace cannot command them.
The Mage Association is a collective organization for mages. Admittedly, they do favor those who are exceptional, and Jared himself is exempt from classes in exchange for taking on requests and receiving payment. However, it’s not unusual for exceptional individuals to be favored in any society.
Instead, any exceptional mage can gain protection from the Mage Association, regardless of their social status. Those who wish to excel as mages will undoubtedly strive with all their might.
Mages are beings who seek their limits and attempt to surpass them. They constantly seek knowledge, technique, and combat.
Therefore, I would never think of taking the “easy shortcut” of using power to become a Court Mage. If anyone were to have such thoughts, they wouldn’t be mages. They would just be humans who can use magic.
“Laurentz, you have a tendency to rush into things, but you’re not an idiot. I know you have pride as a mage. So why did you so easily believe a rumor that you should have ignored?”
“That is…”
“Did you really think I’d marry a Duke’s daughter and try to gain power just because I want to become a Court Mage?”
Jared grabbed the face of the downcast Laurentz, forcing eye contact, and stated with conviction.
“I have nothing but magic. That’s why I will never do anything shameful related to magic.”
“Then… why didn’t you deny it at all?”
“What?”
“You’re always like this! Even though you’re an exceptional mage, you’re unfazed even when people mock you for not being able to inherit the family business. And I won’t let you say you didn’t know Olivier-sama’s engagement was being spoken ill of! And it’s the same with this Court Mage Candidate matter. If it’s not true, why not just say so!”
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“You only told me that just now!”
Tears welled up in Laurentz’s eyes.
Jared was surprised by this.
“Don’t you feel hurt? You have talent, you haven’t let it make you arrogant and have worked hard to gain strength, yet people are mocking you behind your back! It might be insignificant to you, but everyone is saying you did something fraudulent. Shouldn’t you deny it?”
“Why are you crying? I’m the one who should be crying.”
“There’s no way you can understand how I feel. Do you know how I felt yesterday, denying the baseless rumor that I got engaged to Olivier-sama because I couldn’t inherit the family business? I’m not trying to make it seem like a favor. I just didn’t want Jared Murphy, whom I admire and strive to emulate, to be spoken ill of!”
“Laurentz, you…”
“But today, rumors are spreading throughout the academy that you became a Court Mage Candidate using your power. I didn’t want to believe it, but because you never denied it, I started to wonder if it might be true.”
Finally, Jared understood Laurentz’s actions. At the same time, he felt grateful that Laurentz had denied the rumors behind his back without him knowing.
He had thought Laurentz hated him. He had assumed that as a rival, Laurentz was confronting him because he didn’t like him. But that was wrong. Jared was the one who had been mistaken.
Jared bowed his head to Laurentz, who was wiping his tears, and said,
“I’m sorry. And thank you.”
He conveyed his gratitude.
“It’s true, I ignored the rumors. While unpleasant, I thought reacting to every little thing would only entertain them, so I didn’t engage. But I never knew that Laurentz would deny the rumors for my sake.”
He had left it all alone, thinking everyone was just amused. Lars had no involvement in the rumors, and Crysta, knowing what Jared would do, hadn’t denied them either, even if she wanted to.
But if he had known that Laurentz had taken action for his sake, he could have handled things differently.
He only regretted that.
“It wasn’t just me; Bertha and Kurt helped too. That’s why when we heard you did something fraudulent, we couldn’t forgive you.”
“I’m sorry. Please apologize to Bertha and Kurt as well.”
“We did it on our own, so you don’t need to apologize. But I’m glad I could see your anger with my own eyes and realize you were not mistaken. You are not a mage who commits fraud.”
“Yes, I don’t commit fraud. If I can’t become a Court Mage candidate without doing such things, I wouldn’t even try in the first place.”
Even if Olivier or Duke Alway had offered to help him through the Mage Association out of goodwill, Jared would have undoubtedly refused. Furthermore, he would have definitely distanced himself.
It was as if they were saying he was insufficiently skilled as a mage.
If his skill was lacking, it was his own fault, so it didn’t matter. However, he didn’t want anyone to do something for him based on that reason.
It was completely different from being helped in combat or cooperating to compensate for his own shortcomings.
“Then, that’s good. I’m sorry, I am indeed impetuous. If I made such a scene in the classroom, new rumors will surely spread…”
“I’m fine as long as the people I care about know the truth. That’s why I’m happy that you all know the truth. I’m even happier if you believed me. Thank you.”
Jared hugged his clumsy friend, who had acted on his behalf, tightly.
