“Now, what shall we do with this fool who slandered a friend and his fiancé?” Lars asked, looking at Drew, who was immobilized, covered in thorns.
“I apologize on Drew’s behalf as well. So, can you let him go this time?”
“If you can promise never to speak ill of Olivier again, then I can overlook it this time.”
If possible, I wanted to tighten the thorns around him and hurt him, but I suppressed my anger towards Drew for Laurentz’s sake. Laurentz and the others visibly relaxed.
“You’re Drew, right? You should be able to speak. I heard you just now. I will not tolerate any more slander against Olivier. Understood?”
“Y-yes…”
Drew let out a pathetic cry that made him sound on the verge of tears, and my restrained anger dissipated. It seemed futile to get worked up over a man who couldn’t even resist being covered in a few thorns and dared not struggle.
Magic power flowed into the thorns, and they released their hold, retracting into the ground at Jared’s command. Laurentz approached Drew, who had been freed from the thorns, and tried to speak to him. However, Drew bolted like a startled rabbit and fled.
“Hey, are you just going to leave him be?”
“You can rest assured, I didn’t injure him.”
“But if he’s a noble, won’t that cause trouble for Murphy?”
Crysta’s question was valid. However, Laurentz said there was no need to worry.
“He’s not a noble. My father was a noble, but he is not.”
“Hmm. So, his family has fallen into decline then.”
“…Must you say it so bluntly when I’ve chosen my words carefully?”
“It doesn’t matter since he’s not here to hear it. However, I do hope he doesn’t plan anything nefarious against Jared from now on.”
“Laurentz, I’m sorry to put you out, but if you’re close to Drew, can you keep an eye on him for a while?”
Lars asked Laurentz to watch Drew, not because he was sure something bad would happen, but as a precaution. He realized it wasn’t exactly a pleasant request, even though he didn’t mean for Laurentz to spy on him.
“I’m sorry. I’m not exactly close to Drew.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ve known Bertha and Kurt for a long time, but I met Drew as a teammate during a practical training class at the academy. We were often paired up in classes afterward, so we naturally spent time together, but he seems to have his own friends he’s closer to.”
“Drew is just using you, Laurentz!”
“It’s alright, Bertha. We’ve already discussed this before.”
“But!”
Bertha, a girl who followed Laurentz, was admonished, but she seemed to have something against Drew and wouldn’t back down.
“Did something happen with him?”
Crysta, who was also a girl, asked, and Bertha opened her mouth to speak. However, she hesitantly looked to Laurentz first.
“…Understood. You can tell them.”
After gaining Laurentz’s permission, Bertha began to speak.
“Drew is a magic user, but his grades were poor, and his advancement to higher education was in doubt. However, with Laurentz’s help, his grades improved, and he managed to avoid repeating the year.”
“His individual grades weren’t very good, but the practical training we did as a team with Laurentz was highly rated, so Drew wanted to team up with Laurentz for every practical session,” Kurt added, supplementing Bertha’s story.
“Except for a select few students like Jared Murphy, who are exempt from classes at the academy, Laurentz’s skill is top-tier. Everyone wants to team up with him, but we’ve been preventing it because we dislike seeing Laurentz being used.”
“But Drew managed to pull it off, then?”
“Yes. He tried to ingratiate himself with Laurentz, who never hesitates to help those in need. It didn’t cause any particular harm, but considering what happened today, I can’t help but think he approached Laurentz with some ulterior motive.”
“Some ulterior motive?”
Bertha probably suspected Drew had reasons for approaching Laurentz other than his grades. Jared and the others couldn’t fathom Drew’s true intentions. However, if Bertha and Kurt, who were always by Laurentz’s side, both harbored doubts, they must have had their reasons.
“That’s enough, please stop.” Laurentz, who had been silent, spoke softly. Bertha and Kurt, who were about to continue, froze. Their relationship felt more like master and subordinate than friends.
“Even if Drew approached me to use me, it didn’t cause any particular harm. Besides, I’ve encountered similar people before. There’s no point in worrying about something like that now.”
“But…”
“Bertha, I know you’re worried about me. But I’m fine. Understand?”
“…Yes.” Bertha reluctantly nodded, and Kurt didn’t try to say anything further.
“However, I am truly grateful for your concern. Thank you.” Laurentz’s words of gratitude made the two of them beam with joy.
“Jared, I apologize for the strange turn of events. I don’t believe Drew is an entirely bad person. I’ll take the time to properly reprimand him about today, so please give me some time.”
“Ah, but are you sure you can handle my problem?”
“It’s fine. While it may be your problem, Drew is my friend. I will have him apologize again for this incident.”
“An apology isn’t necessary, just make him keep his promise.”
“Understood. Jared, I apologize again for today. I’m also truly sorry for dragging Lars and Oakyn into this over my own anger.” Laurentz bowed his head deeply, followed by Bertha and Kurt.
“Please lift your heads. I also bear some responsibility. Let’s call it even.”
“Thank you.”
“And, um… if you’re free sometime, I’d like to discuss magic. Even among Earth Attribute Mages, I think you, who specialize in earth magic, are superior. So, if we could exchange information, I believe we could both grow. What do you think?”
“—! Ah! Of course!”
“Then it’s a promise. Please set aside some time for me tomorrow around noon.” With that, Jared extended his right arm.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Laurentz clasped Jared’s hand firmly.
“Of course, Bertha and Kurt are also welcome to join if you are available.”
“Thank you very much!”
“We would be honored to join you!” The two were delighted at the prospect of accompanying Laurentz. And, “Then I’ll join too. I’m not a magic user, but I have knowledge about magic.”
“I will also participate. I am curious to see how Jared and Laurentz will get engrossed in their magic discussion.” Looking forward to tomorrow afternoon, they headed back to the school building to attend the classes that had already begun. Jared also intended to go to class, but Lars stopped him.
“Wait, Jared. I have something to tell a friend.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about Laurentz. We should consider that this entire incident was orchestrated.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s possible there’s someone intentionally leaking information, and they have some kind of objective. The rumors about your engagement to Olivier Alway and your candidacy for Court Mage, as well as the situation with Laurentz, it all seems like someone deliberately instigated a conflict.”
“No way?”
Indeed, Jared hadn’t been getting along with Laurentz. It wasn’t just a matter of being seen as a rival; Jared had found Laurentz’s persistent provocations bothersome and had dealt with them dismissively, a fact known to everyone at the academy. While the resolution of the misunderstanding, where Laurentz had wrongly assumed Jared disliked him, might have been a positive for Jared, that was all. Negative consequences had also arisen. Laurentz’s outburst in front of the students, fueled by his belief that Jared had committed fraud, would undoubtedly give rise to new, exaggerated rumors circulating among the students. Some students would find the rumors amusing, while others would genuinely believe Jared had committed fraud. With his relationship with Laurentz improved, people might eventually realize the rumors were just rumors. However, there was also the possibility of new trouble arising before that could happen.
“I am absolutely convinced that someone deliberately spread rumors and incited Laurentz. Drew is likely involved too. The mastermind probably has some issue with you, Jared.”
Lars, who usually acted at his own pace and had eccentric behavior, could become serious when a thought struck him. Whether it was true or not, Lars was a genius, rumored to be beyond the need for regular classes. Though it was easy to forget during casual conversations, he had occasionally demonstrated an uncanny ability to grasp ten things from hearing just one. Although it was still unclear if he was a magic user, he possessed deep knowledge of magic, and he had offered Jared advice more than once. Since Lars said so, he must have had his reasons.
“Ask Crysta to spread a new rumor through the student council that the previous rumors were false. She told me that the student council is considering damage control because the topic of Jared has become too big. They should cooperate immediately by all means.”
“Understood. I’ll tell her right away. What should I do? Should I stay away from the academy for a while?”
“While that might be one solution—” Lars said with a grin, “—that would be like admitting defeat and wouldn’t be interesting. On the contrary, if there are no requests from the Magic Association, come every day.”
“Hah! Fine. I’ll even attend classes, too.”
“But I won’t. It’s too much trouble.”
“You’re a cheat!”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be showing my face at the academy for a while too, so that should be fine, right? I have to help my Older Sister, so I’ve been a bit busy lately.”
Jared trusted Lars. It wasn’t just because he was a friend, but because he knew well that Lars was a trustworthy person. Lars had never lied. He despised falsehoods, which was why his words were credible.
“Honestly, he’s a weirdo, but I’ve got a good friend.”
“My friend is also quite strange. But I can’t deny that he’s a good friend. Crysta, and Laurentz and the others, who became friends today, are all good friends.”
“I agree.” Not entering the school building, Jared noticed Crysta and Laurentz waiting for him at the entrance and sincerely felt that he had found true friends.
