Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 4.5

Side Story: Noel Kruege

Why must I deal with this after that torturously long journey from Vistelya to this backwater place? Noel Kruege, the presumptive valedictorian, wondered as he checked his robes. A merchant from some foreign country was currently trying to shuffle away from him.

The moment Noel bumped into that merchant, he’d heard an earsplitting ring, as though something had disrupted the magic woven into his robes. When he’d looked down to check, he’d noticed that while his robes were still working, the magic enhancements were now severely weakened.

As a student at the Academy, Noel knew that talented artisans had crafted the school robes, and therefore they weren’t easily damaged. However, the fact remained that something had damaged them. They had been perfectly fine until he’d arrived in Maalt, and the only thing out of the ordinary that had happened since then was his brief encounter with the merchant. He’d then logically concluded that the merchant had been the cause of the sudden diminution in his robe’s power.

Usually, Noel would have gone to one of the Academy’s faculty members so that they could pursue this. Even if he’d needed to stop the merchant until a faculty member could intervene, he liked to think that he could have dealt with it peacefully. Unfortunately, this time, his self-control had failed him. He’d gotten into an argument with the merchant, and it had caught the attention of those nearby.

Noel realized that he’d mishandled things. He was continually reminded that he sounded rather arrogant and was often warned to watch his tone. Because of that, he had been working on controlling his actions and softening his speech when in public. Sadly, the reason things had spiraled out of control now was probably because the last few days had been particularly stressful—not that it was an acceptable excuse.

For the time being, Noel decided to stand his ground. Noel knew that the merchant was well aware that he was at fault based on just how vociferously he’d objected. An ordinary person, a commoner who only dealt with merchants in market stalls or in stores, might not have noticed the difference, but Noel came from a respectable noble house, one equivalent to the rank of a count. The present state of the family was nothing to be particularly proud of, but they were an accomplished family that, in its heyday, had even produced ministers of state.

Because of their status, his family had done and still did a lot of business with merchant houses. They personally negotiated with said merchants, and Noel had frequently attended their meetings. He’d never been involved in any of the transactions himself, but as the heir to the title, he’d observed them so that he could learn to deal with merchants and gain some familiarity with their representatives.

That was why, despite his young age, Noel was somewhat familiar with how merchants acted. And based on his knowledge, Noel had decided that there was something particularly suspicious about this one. He still hadn’t figured out the details, though. How had the merchant damaged the enchantments on his robes? He was at a loss.

It hadn’t been his intent, but Noel had drawn the merchant’s ire. Noel had hoped that if he taunted him, he might let something slip, but the merchant was too canny to fall for such an obvious ploy. Instead, they had reached a stalemate.

Noel knew he could still withdraw and instead issue a formal protest through the Academy. The Academy had enough authority to deal with this and would accept his claims once they checked his robes. But Noel had a feeling, perhaps intuition, that if he were to choose that route, they would never find the merchant again.

As Noel weighed his options, a young woman suddenly appeared from the assembled crowd. It was Elise Georges. Next to Noel, she was one of the most promising students at the Academy. Her personality could be slightly abrasive, though. She was the type to act on her own sense of right and wrong. He wouldn’t go so far as to say that she was wrong to do so, but in this situation, she would only complicate things.

Unfortunately, his premonition came true. What had been an argument between him and the merchant became an argument between him and Elise.

While they were bickering, Noel glanced at the merchant. He was eyeing the crowd, looking for an opening to escape. Noel could tell that the instant he looked away, the merchant would make a run for it.

Noel felt vindicated. Clearly, the merchant felt self-conscious about something. But what was it, exactly? Noel suspected that it had something to do with the damage to his robes, but he didn’t have any more details than that. His argument with Elise had bought him some time to consider what the merchant was concealing, but at this rate...

That was when another person pushed their way through the crowd and quickly put a stop to Noel and Elise’s squabble.

Who is she? Noel wondered. No doubt Elise was thinking the same thing.

Even though Noel didn’t know the woman, he could tell at a glance that she was a powerful mage. Her mana was sharply refined, and her magic was clean and efficient. Noel was still an apprentice at the Academy, so his skill was on par with an average, or perhaps below-average mage. An average mage might not have understood what they were looking at, but Noel could tell that she had spells ready to unleash at a moment’s notice. However, the only reason he knew that she was unusually skilled was because she had a similar air to his former tutor.

Before he joined the Academy, Noel had studied with a high-ranking mage from the empire. Whenever Noel tried to skip a lesson, the old man would assume that same air and intimidate Noel. If Noel continued to resist, he would laugh and casually launch a spell at him. The only spells that ever hit him were water spells that at most left a bruise; anything else had either dispelled before it hit him or missed him completely. But Noel could still remember the sheer fear he’d felt. He’d known that the old man could have easily snuffed him out like a candle if he’d so desired.

Noel didn’t particularly want to remember that feeling, but unfortunately for him, this woman had the exact same aura as that old man. He couldn’t move a muscle or even squeak out a protest when she encroached on his personal space and grabbed his robes.

◆◇◆◇◆

This unexpected development ended up working in Noel’s favor. The woman who’d appeared out of nowhere noticed the damage to his robes after only a brief inspection and made the merchant admit his guilt. She breezily accomplished everything Noel had been hoping to achieve.

Noel had thought that Maalt was a primitive frontier city and therefore would be lacking in notable people, but it seemed his assumption had been wrong. He had a list of questions he wanted to ask the mage, but mages in general were secretive. He suspected that if he were to ask, he wouldn’t learn anything of value in such a public space.

Furthermore, since the mage had just asked him whether the matter was settled, he decided it would be best to leave it at that. The sooner they resolved this, the sooner the crowd would disperse, leaving little sign that anything had happened at all. He’d had his fair share of public tiffs at the Academy, so he knew this from experience. He’d never unfairly criticized anyone, but due to his tone, his title, and his grades, he often looked at fault. Once he’d realized that, he’d been careful to avoid any conflict in general, but he’d made a mistake this time.

The mage then asked Elise whether she thought the matter was settled. Elise just nodded, then immediately apologized. She insisted that she was going to make it up to him. It was perfectly in character given her sense of responsibility.

Noel understood why Elise had been skeptical about his accusations against the merchant. As she had noted, the dean of the Academy had warned them not to dishonor the school with their behavior. Noel didn’t think he’d done anything wrong, but he understood how the argument must have looked to Elise.

Noel decided that he would accept her apology but insist that she had nothing to make up for. He opened his mouth to say as much, but then he realized that he was still immature and had a lot of growing left to do. Instead, the words that came out of his mouth reeked of sarcasm, and he could see from Elise’s expression that he was irritating her.

The presumptive salutatorian was smart enough to recognize that she was at fault, so she didn’t respond to his goading and instead merely glared a bit sharply at him.

If Noel were to interpret the message behind that glare, it would have been something like “I’ll show you someday.” or something similar. Of course, the deciding factor wasn’t a magic duel to the death, but a race to graduate with the top grades in the Academy. It was a perfectly healthy rivalry for students.

It went without saying that Noel had no intention of losing, but he acknowledged that Elise’s recent academic improvements were impressive. He’d had an advantage because he’d studied with a tutor before starting at the Academy, but Elise was quickly closing that gap. He needed to stay focused or she might overtake him. And he had things he needed to do in Maalt in order to maintain his lead.

Thinking about the work to come, Noel made his way to the inn that the Academy had rented out.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Noel Kruege. I’ve heard about what happened at the carriage stop.”

The second Noel arrived at the inn, Adelina Moska, one of the Academy professors who’d come to investigate Maalt’s new dungeon, greeted him. He thought she had an annoyingly keen sense of hearing, but the argument had drawn a large crowd. And since other students had been there too, it would have been strange if she hadn’t heard.

Noel didn’t argue and simply explained what had happened. Adelina’s expression, which had been rigid when he’d started, gradually softened.

Her facial features had always been somewhat harsh, and most people described her general demeanor as icy. She still looked far from gentle even with her usual expression, so she was the perfect professor to lead the students for this outing. None were willing to disobey her instructions or talk back to her face. She was also one of the most skilled mages among the Academy faculty. Students stood little chance against her if she decided to drop the hammer on them.

“I see. I understand what happened now. If that was the case, then it was wrong of me to chastise you. However, in future situations of this sort, don’t try to deal with things on your own and instead contact the faculty first. That would be the best solution.”

“I did consider that option,” Noel said, “but there was something...suspicious about the merchant’s behavior. I was concerned that he would escape. That’s why I decided that confronting him myself was the better choice.”

Adelina shook her head. “There would’ve been nothing wrong with letting him escape.”

“Huh?”

“Noel, the most important thing to consider is your personal safety. If that merchant had powerful people backing him, then not even you, the heir to a countship, could emerge from such a conflict unscathed. If that is the alternative to letting him get away, then it is better to simply let him go. I understand that while you aren’t quite as...stubborn as Elise when it comes to ethics, you would still find it difficult to make that choice. But remember, you are still a student. While you are at the Academy, it is the faculty’s job to protect you. Do you understand what I am saying?”

“That... Yes, I do.”

Noel was a bit irritated that she’d just compared him to Elise, but he realized that his need for justice had been the driving force behind his behavior. He’d acted that way because he’d felt that something had to be done about the merchants. But after Adelina pointed out that simply letting him go was an option, Noel acknowledged that she was right.

“Then, that’s all I ask. I shall end my lecture here. Although, as members of the Academy, we need to officially thank the mage who helped you.”

“I didn’t get an opportunity to ask her name or her address.”

“I see. But since she was so skilled a mage that you felt you couldn’t afford to disobey her, I’m sure she’ll turn up with a bit of digging. Now, Noel, go and get some rest. We start the survey of the dungeon tomorrow. Don’t forget to prepare with the other students in your team.”

Her lecture now over, Adelina returned to the inn’s lobby. That was where she’d been waiting for Noel.

Since you could see anyone who entered the inn from the lobby, the Academy professors were taking shifts there to wait for the students to arrive. They were probably also waiting to chastise the students who’d misbehaved in one way or another—like Noel.

As Noel made his way to his assigned room, he felt a faint sense of satisfaction that Elise would be next to face that trial. Perhaps he had a slightly twisted personality.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Ah, there you are, my friend!”

The click of the opening door brought with it the exaggerated welcome from his Academy classmate, Pierpaolo Blanca. He had been assigned to be Noel’s roommate for this outing.

Those encountering Pierpaolo for the first time found him to be an odd lanky young man with a grandiose attitude bordering on insolence. Noel had thought the same thing when he’d first met him, but by now, he had long since grown accustomed to Pierpaolo’s quirks.

Though Pierpaolo’s appearance wouldn’t suggest it, his father was a noble with a proper title. The Blanca family, a viscount family, were wealthy and engaged in the mercantile trade. Pierpaolo was the eldest son, and while he wasn’t as skilled as Noel or Elise, he was one of the better students at the Academy.

Since he came from a noble family, Pierpaolo would one day inherit his family’s title. Noel found it a bit odd that one day he would be a fellow noble, but most nobles were eccentric in their own way. Yaaran nobles in particular were known to be more bizarre than their counterparts elsewhere.

With an exasperated sigh, Noel asked, “So? How go your efforts? Does it seem like things will proceed smoothly?”

Pierpaolo nodded vigorously. “Looks like we’ll get by. For people like us to get into a dungeon, we first need to secure some adventurers. We can use magic ourselves, but our strength and precision is nothing compared to those who earn their daily bread by dungeon diving. Besides, we’re not here to fight. We need to do what we can to avoid wasting our energy. Isn’t that right, brother?”

“Yes. This will impact our grades at the Academy. I can’t afford to lose to Elise.”

“Mm? Did something happen?” Pierpaolo asked with a tilt of his head. Evidently, he’d found the sudden hint of enthusiasm in Noel’s tone noteworthy.

Noel decided to explain what had happened at the carriage stop. Once he finished, Pierpaolo held his stomach and burst into raucous laughter.

“Aha ha ha! First thing you do when you get here is that?! They were so insistent about not causing any problems, and yet there you are! Though, given the circumstances, I suppose you didn’t have much choice. But huh, damaging robes just by touching them, eh?”

Noel pursed his lips and crossed his arms, but he didn’t offer a single complaint. Pierpaolo was the rare Academy student who could speak to Noel without any hint of artifice, and Noel would simply listen. In short, he was Noel’s only friend among his classmates.

Most people generally thought of Noel as someone who looked down on those who weren’t particularly skilled. He’d never intended to treat people that way, but it was hard for him to change that perception now.

The only student who interacted with Noel as an equal was Pierpaolo. That wasn’t because Noel was particularly modest or restrained around him. It was simply that Pierpaolo was so much more flamboyant and brazen than the other students. And in truth, Noel generally accepted Pierpaolo as an equal. Noel had better grades, but Pierpaolo had odd tidbits of information and a good nose for gossip. Or perhaps he had a sharper intuition. It was something that Noel knew he lacked, so he felt it was worthy of admiration.

“Can a skilled alchemist really see broken enchantments just by touching an object?” Pierpaolo asked, thinking about the mage Noel had mentioned.

Noel shook his head. “Whether she could, all of her observations were correct. She even got the merchant to apologize. He’s going to pay for the damages.”

“The merchant must have had something he wanted to hide. That’s fine. But the mage...”

“You’re that interested in her?” Noel asked.

“Well, she’s strong enough to frighten you, yeah?”

“I-I wasn’t scared of her!”

“You were totally scared. And she’s an alchemist who understood the composition of the Academy robes with a single glance, right? Seems a little convenient for someone that skilled to just happen to be where you were at.”

“You think there’s some sleight of hand involved here?”

That was impossible. The situation had been a complete accident, and there was no way anyone could have staged it in advance.

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just, what the hell is someone like that doing in this backwater town? I can’t think of any good reasons really.”

“So...she’s here to investigate the dungeon? From an organization other than the Tower or the Academy, I mean.”

“That’s what I figure,” Pierpaolo said, nodding. “She might even be from another country. That’s not something just limited to her either. Newly formed dungeons only come around maybe once every decade, or even once a century. We have no idea what sort of people are in this city. Best to watch yourself.”

Pierpaolo had only meant that they needed to be careful lest others who had come to investigate the dungeon steal their findings. And his point was valid. Nevertheless, since Noel owed that mage a debt, he decided to ignore Pierpaolo’s unfair suspicion.

“I understand what you’re saying, but she said she was a Maaltesian. Her presence was just a coincidence.”

“Really? Well, maybe I’m just being paranoid. After all, it’s a newly formed dungeon. It may very well have the discovery of the century inside it!”

Noel knew that Pierpaolo was joking. Even if there was something of that sort to be found, one of the Academy faculty or a Tower researcher would find it. Students like Noel and Pierpaolo were essentially errand runners for those people, gathering small, detailed bits of information that might be floating around the city. Still, that didn’t entirely eliminate the possibility that they’d find something.

“We’ll have to trust in your luck for that. It seems I don’t have much luck here,” Noel muttered, prompting another fit of laughter from Pierpaolo.