Chapter 11 Know Your Enemy

 

Two months have passed since the incident between Deacon Franz and Mary. …… And rumors are beginning to emerge among neighbors that “a ghost-like creature is nesting in the Lordless Church.

Al also overheard the gossip,…… But unlike the quest, he knows, there are two dead spirits. A male and female set.

The neighbors are whispering, ‘That must be Deacon Franz and Mary.

‘ (Did Mary also die with a grudge? She was just barely enough to be called a mage ……, but…she was also familiar with magic. She probably had a better predisposition to become a necromancer than the average person.)

Al checks the church’s desolation and the mana of the dead spirits that are dwelling inside.

It is now a distant memory of a previous life, but it is not yet as desolate as it was during the game’s quest … but he sees that the start of the main story is near.

Al was thinking of judging whether there would be an opening event when he entered the academy.

The time of admission to the academy is twice a year.

Even if this time is not the start of the main event, he intends to check the presence or absence of the event every time during his enrollment period at the institute.

Although formal admission to the academy is still some way off, the procedures themselves have begun, and the dormitories have been opened. However, students are required to pay for using the dormitory and meals for the number of days. For those who are officially enrolled in the institute, these expenses are usually covered by the government only for the regular grade. In other words, free of charge.

However, it is also customary for the great and old noble families to drop large sums of money into the academy by raising the grade according to their respective titles and family history.

On the contrary, those of royal families, depending on the person, sometimes dare to choose the same normal grade as other noble families.

Al plans to enter the dormitory in advance, even if it costs a little money, and wait for the main character while observing those enrolled at the institute. He quickly completes the procedures for admission and boarding.

In the game …… In Al’s memory of his previous life, the protagonists are supposed to appear at the institute at a time when the procedures for enrollment and dormitory entry are busy.

The viewpoint differs depending on the gender of the protagonist, but the content of the opening event itself is the same.

The main hall is crowded with those going through the procedures. The protagonist is in a quarrel with the third prince.

Since the incident with Deacon Franz, Al has been observing more and more those who would be enrolled in the institute and those who are associated with the nobility who hang around the popular areas. It was the same after he entered the dormitory.

Since coming to the capital, he has seen the fecklessness of the nobles of the capital. …… But I am not optimistic this time. I have a sense of urgency.

(Even those who are enrolled in the academy are in a class of their own. Some of them are as good as the elite class of frontier aristocratic families. … The difference between them and the others is to great to be of concern. Are they event characters? Some guys have a distinctly different aura that they wear… If event characters like that are the normal standard for the game, then the demons must be very tough. A soldier from a frontier noble family is no match for them.

…… hmm? Wait? I’m pretty sure the academy had a demon spy or something like that in the …… middle or later events and free quests.

The fact that someone would invade a human living area by themselves, and even a facility that trains mages, is reason enough for me to believe. They must be very powerful, even on the demon’s side. Do we use them as a touchstone for the war potential of the demon tribe ……?

No, if not managed carefully, it could make things worse. Besides, the Demons, who are disguised as students are involved in the regular storyline. ……

If I were to look into it, would it be the guys who appear in the free quests, disguised as janitors or employees of the academy? In the game, I believe the discovery was the end of the game and there was no battle: …… No. or was there a battle? I don’t remember …… that much detail.)

Knowing the strength of the enemy is the basis of battle. It is the same regardless of whether it is an individual or collective battle.

Al has already cut down on the internal kingdom troubles that will occur in the main game.

The protagonists will take care of it anyway, and there is nothing a baron’s son can do about it. In the royal capital, the influence of the difference in status among aristocratic families is significant, regardless of the frontier.

The game is full of events that involve wealthy merchants who bought their titles with money, powerful church officials, historic and ancient noble families, marquises and dukes, and finally even royal families.

They don’t even care about the protagonists. Much less a Mob like Al will only get in the way. It would be disrespectful.

More than that, from the midpoint.

The demons are the real enemies in the game. The game begins when they appear on stage. It’s war.

Although there are many events that can be settled by the “individual” activities of the protagonists, there are also many war events in the middle to the latter half of the year.

On the battlefield, it doesn’t matter what your status or race is. It’s kill or be killed.

Al, too, is becoming aware of the quandary. He is more suited to the battlefield.

However, Al has no way of knowing this, nor does he remember it at all. ……

In the game, the demon tribe is not monolithic, and after completing certain scenarios and events, the protagonist of the demon tribe could be selected, and the story could be developed from the demon tribe’s point of view.

In other words, even in war events, it was not just a simple kill-or-be-killed affair, but the game also carefully portrayed the intertwined human relationships and the anguish of each side. ……

In Al’s mind, there is only the figure of ‘war = killing each other’.

It’s not wrong by any means, but ……

……

…………

………………

Al has completed the procedures for admission to the institute and has been admitted to the institute’s dormitory in advance. However, he is not officially enrolled into the institute yet.

As for the dormitories, since each dormitory building is entirely occupied by students of the same school, they are not allowed to be in contact with seniors in other buildings now.

Looking around, I saw a glimpse of pre-admission residents.

They, too, had only the same level of prior information about the institute as Al.

Moreover, the aristocrats who seemed to know more about the situation were in a separate building due to the different grade of the dormitory. They, too, cannot be contacted at this time. Even if they were officially enrolled in the academy, it would be difficult for them to contact those who are in a dormitory of a different grade.

Regarding classes at the academy, there will be a distinction between frontier aristocrats and capital city aristocrats. This is an appropriate measure, however, because the knowledge and skills required are so different.

In Al’s current position, there are many areas where entry is restricted, and as a matter of course, these areas are strictly controlled by the institute using magical tools and warding magic.

‘ (Well, now what do we do? As a precursor to the free quests in the middle and later stages, it would be nice to find a demon spy, but …… pre-entry, there are no servants assigned except for those who pack the dining hall. ……)”

Al wanders alone into the academy, where he is allowed to enter.

……

…………

Radford Royal Institute of Magic.

Its history is old.

Officially, it is said that the founding king, King Zagarro MacBrayne, swore an oath that “the nobility must learn. Some researchers have suggested that the original form of the system existed in the former days of the empire.

Anyway, it has accumulated so much history.

The buildings of the academy are all first class, although they have gone out of fashion over time; and it is said that King MacBrayne complained that “the academy is more splendid than the royal castle and I hate it. ……

The Radford Royal Academy of Magical Arts has built up such a history and authority.

Naturally, the identity of those who work at the academy is strictly verified.

Al is mistaken, but it is not the kind of Zaru where spies are discovered repeatedly in a game setting with baked free quests.

As the game story mentions, in this world, there are those who are clearly guiding the process. Those who are in noble families and cooperate with the demons.

There is also a faction called the “harmony faction” who are demons but have been mixed with human society for generations. …… They have different agendas from the main antagonists in the game, the open war, and invasion factions.

Al is only aware that “demons are the enemy,” but in fact, those who are called demons are not so different from humans. The church, however, does not seem to recognize them.

In this world, they are superior to humans regarding magic. But not all of them are particularly robust and long-lived; and they are in the same position as humans whose livelihood is being threatened by demons.

Although their appearance, abilities, and lifespan certainly vary greatly from person to person, the average demon tribe is not much different from humans, and it is even possible to have children with them and be related to them by blood.

Their hearts are also similar to those of humans, with some being evil and others good.

Even among the humans, there can be a few warriors mixed in. There is no difference between them.

……

…………

“……I am now in charge of some of the gardens at the Institute, but when I was first asked to help out I was skeptical, saying to myself, ‘No way, someone like me should be on’ …….’”

“I see. But your work has been recognized in this way. Your family must have been very pleased. It’s an honor.”

At the edge of the academy grounds.

In a discreetly placed gardener’s hut, Al is talking with an old man, the head gardener, for some reason.

The old man’s name is Vince.

A genuine demon tribe. Of course, Al is completely unaware of this.

There was once a family that escaped the threat of demons, persecution from their own tribe, and civil war and left demon territory with a desperate desire to find a way and place to survive.

Vince is one of the survivors.

The few who survived, including Vince, sought shelter with the humans. At that time, when the demon tribe was believed to be vicious demons, they were persecuted by humans, but one noble family protected them and sheltered them.

As a result, these exiles became one of the demon clans living in human society.

Vince is a special individual among the demon tribe who gained his power from his ancestors and is already over 200 years old. Although he is a demon among demons, he is gentle in nature and has embodied harmony with humans.

In order to live in the human society, he sometimes changed his name, changed his place of living,… and walked through the human society, and ended up at the head gardener of the academy. A man with a strange destiny.

In the game, he is the leader of the harmony faction on the demon tribe side, which demanded the coexistence of the human and demon tribes until the end of his life, although this is something Al has no memory of and cannot know. He is the chief of the demons living on the territory of humans. He is a so-called event character.

“Ho-ho-ho. My family members have a spirit of being rootless. They say freedom is better than honor, and they have no respect for the elders or the family. I don’t know where they are now,……, but they occasionally come to see me in good health,……, without regard to my convenience. It’s a shame, really.”

Even so, his expression is soft. It can be seen that he has the depth of nostalgia to allow such a family member to be free and watch over him.

“I see. Well, it seems that there are areas where people say things like ‘no news is good news. ……”

“Hou? It’s a word that fits our family perfectly. May I use it somewhere?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not really my words. …… (I mean, what’s with all the moping around here? Me?)”

Al and Vince chat over a cup of tea. He is unaware that the demon tribe, which was his goal, is right in front of him and he is struggling to get out of Vince’s pace.

But, as one would expect from a demon tribe. Vince’s mana control is beyond first-rate, and Al can only thinly detect that he is still inexperienced among Falconers. He is probably related to the nobility, but never thought he was a demon tribe. ……

“(For a young human tribe, his mana control is quite natural and very skillful,…… he was trained in the frontier,…… and I hope the young demon tribe will learn from him)”

Conversely, Vince has a good idea of Al’s origin based on his mana control. Presently, he is one or two steps ahead of Al.

 

Zaru (笊, ざる) is a draining basket made from bamboo used in the preparation and presentation of Japanese cuisine. It can be used in a similar fashion to a sieve or colander, both of which are common in western cooking. Additionally, well-designed zaru are used to present food directly, as for example zarusoba.