Chapter 32. Why Is He So Good at That?

Inette, noticing Leon glaring at Radel, spoke with an air of disbelief.

“What’s wrong with him now?”

“I don’t know either.”

Radel shrugged.

Inette, seeing the tent in Leon's hand, snorted as if she understood.

“The Dragon’s Blessing isn’t that great after all. He passed second to last.”

Radel was inwardly surprised by Inette's words.

He thought he had passed much earlier, but it seemed not.

'Don't tell me he thinks his passing was delayed because of me?'

It was Leon's fault for fighting with the tree spirit, and it was Leon's choice to give up fishing and leave.

Even if it took time in between, it wasn't Radel's fault.

Radel, thinking it was no big deal, ignored the glaring Leon.

He had to pitch the tent while the sun was still up, and it was obvious that it would be difficult if it got darker than this, even with a magic lamp.

Radel quickly looked around.

The campsite was right in front of the temporary dormitory building.

He began to gauge which spot would be the best to pitch a tent.

* * *

Professor Thomas Arcane was handing out keys to the temporary dormitories to the freshmen. Next to him, the birdcage with the toad was placed forlornly.

The freshmen lined up to receive their room keys, glancing at the birdcage. They were Edward's friends, who had been turned into a toad.

“Edward…… he’ll be okay, right?”

Edward was from a great noble family.

He was even from the Paradik earldom, which had a considerable standing in the capital.

He had challenged them, relying on his background, but as a result, he had turned into a toad.

"What's going to happen to Edward?"

"Why did he have to step up? Poor Edward."

Stop saying my name!

People can hear!

This was so embarrassing.

"Do you think Edward can understand us?"

"Just because he turned into a toad doesn't mean he actually became a toad, right?"

Edward's friends were now making a bet on whether Edward, who had become a toad, could understand human language.

Edward had to desperately look elsewhere, blinking his eyes as if he had really become a toad.

“Now that I’ve handed out all the keys……”

After the last freshman received their key and left, Professor Thomas looked at the birdcage and said.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

In Edward's mind, it was natural for there to be a difference in status. Just because they were attending the academy together didn't mean that would disappear.

Edward's father had also said so.

That a noble aristocrat must rule the commoners well. That the commoners must do the rough and hard work to contribute to the empire.

What he had learned from his family until now was clashing with the academy's rules.

Professor Thomas had seen noble freshmen every year, so he knew what he was thinking.

However, a good magician must have a flexible mind that goes beyond limits. If they couldn't do that, they would never be able to learn higher-level magic.

That's right.

For example, looking at that prince's survival skills, which seem to have transcended his royal origins…….

Wait.

A prince, with survival skills?

'What is that?'

Professor Thomas's eyes widened.

'Why is he so good at that?'

Professor Thomas, as if possessed, picked up the birdcage and approached Radel.

Not only Inette and Gusto but also a few other students were standing there. That's how much Radel's actions were drawing attention.

“Hey, why are you digging the ground?”

“To make a drainage channel. There’s no place around here for water to drain.”

“……What does that mean?”

Inette had a dumbfounded expression at the casual answer. Gusto nodded in agreement with Radel's words.

“As expected of His Highness. You must have experience with camping. Compared to him, the princess is……”

"What! What about me! In case you forgot, I'm a royal, you know? He's the weird one!"

The students who were listening nearby had the same thought as Inette.

No, why would a royal go to such lengths?

Radel picked out the stones and branches embedded in the ground and then began to set up the tent.

It wasn't difficult to do it alone. Befitting a tent handed out by the academy, it was enchanted with magic, so if he just set up a few poles, it would take shape on its own.

Even Professor Thomas was surprised by the sight of the tent being set up in an instant.

He had seen countless freshmen until now, but there had been no one who had read the instructions and pitched a tent so quickly.

Edward, who had been turned into a toad, was also shocked as he looked at Radel.

'He's too familiar with this, isn't he?'

And there were those who were trembling at the sight of Radel.

“How dare he……! Try to get ahead of our prince.”

“For a half-baked prince, he seems to have some talent!”

They were the Magic Supremacists who followed Leon.

Right now, Leon was still contemplating while reading the tent's instructions and had not yet set up a single pole.

Leon could read difficult magic books with ease, but he had never read such instructions before. They were all words he had never seen before.

“……What’s a groundsheet?”

Leon slowly opened his mouth.

His followers were startled and looked at each other.

“Do-don’t worry, Your Highness! We’ll take care of it!”

"That's right! Please give us the instructions and rest for a while!"

The followers took the instructions from Leon, but no matter how many times they read the instructions, which only had the order written without any pictures, they couldn't find an answer.

The followers gathered together and started a meeting.

“I think we should entrust this to someone who is good at it.”

“Of course. There’s no way we don’t have a person of such skill among us.”

"It's good that we've come to a quick consensus."

They only wanted to set up the tent as quickly as possible and make the 9th Prince comfortable.

With such loyal followers gathered together with one heart, a belief that wasn't there before was born.

One of us will do it!

“Anyone who can do this?”

……However, surprisingly, not a single person raised their hand.

* * *

The first day of classes at the Imperial Magic Academy.

Radel had breakfast and headed for the main building.

Inette grumbled that she hadn't slept well last night.

Gusto also nodded.

“How can one sleep with all that clattering outside all night!”

“It seemed like they were pitching tents at the campsite.”

Radel's reaction was one of 'what are you talking about'.

"Was that so? I was tired so I didn't know because I was sleeping."

No matter how tired you are, can you adapt so well? How did the person who slept in a tent sleep more comfortably than the people who slept in a room?

Inette was dumbfounded.

The three of them arrived in front of the main building.

And they could see the freshmen gathered there.

“What is this?”

“It seems they’re dividing the classes for the freshman adaptation period.”

On the poster hung in front of the main building, the classes that the freshmen would be attending for a month were written.

Inette shouted when she found her name.

"I'm in Class A! What about you?"

"I'm in Class B."

“Ah, I’m also in Class B.”

Inette's face fell when she heard Radel and Gusto's answers.

"I'm the only one in Class A?!"

Radel understood Inette's feelings.

It would be a difficult thing for Inette to go to a new place where she didn't know anyone.

Radel was also in a position where he had to make friends quickly.

As long as he was attending the academy with Leon, he couldn't let his guard down. The more friends he had, the more advantageous it would be for his survival.

The reason for making friends was different, but at times like this, it was right for him, who was in a similar situation, to step up and encourage Inette.

"I know how you feel. But isn't it at times like this that people like you and me, who don't have friends, have a chance to overcome our weaknesses?"

“What?”

“I’m also worried about talking to strangers. But I guess you have to go through trials to become stronger. Let’s overcome this, Inette.”

"Huh? Oh…… I guess so?"

Inette seemed to gain a little courage from Radel's words.

Maybe it really was a chance.

A new class, new friends.

If Inette had the courage, she might be able to make one or two friends who she got along with.

In front of such Inette, Gusto proposed to Radel.

“Come to think of it, we have really become classmates, Your Highness. Why don’t you take this opportunity to speak to me comfortably?”

“Ah, should I? Since we’re in the same class now?”

"Of course. Because we are in the same class."

It was the moment Inette's expression crumpled with a sense of betrayal.

These brats?

* * *

To attend his first class, Radel entered the Class B classroom with Gusto.

The freshmen who had arrived early had taken their seats in the classroom and were waiting for the lecture to begin.

The freshmen murmured among themselves when they saw Radel enter.

"It's the 8th Prince. They say he was last in this entrance exam."

"Really? But didn't the 9th Prince also come in second to last?"

Radel didn't mind.

It was true that he had passed last.

But the Magic Supremacists were in an uproar.

"How frivolous! To carelessly discuss someone else's exam scores!"

"To judge a person by their entrance score alone. Aren't they lacking in judgment!"

It was a matter that would turn the followers' stomachs upside down, as not only Radel but also Leon was mentioned.

No matter how much they disliked the 8th Prince, they couldn't openly curse him because his entrance score was similar to Leon's.

“Ugh, this is humiliating.”

They trembled and returned to Leon, their idol and light.

As it happened, Leon was also in the same Class B as Radel.

Leon, whose eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn't slept all night, glared at Radel.

He had been glared at so much that it didn't even faze him anymore…… Radel, who it did, pretended not to know as much as possible.

He wanted to avoid him, but they were in the same class.

It seemed it would be better to make friends sooner than planned.

'Huh?'

Radel's gaze, which had been about to discuss making friends with Gusto, turned to the front. It was because he felt a condensed flow of magic power.

'What is this feeling?'

He felt a huge being approaching.

The feeling of a giant taking one step at a time from afar.

Creak!

The front door of the classroom opened and someone appeared.

However, it was not the appearance Radel had expected.

“Hello, everyone.”

What appeared after opening the door was a petite and seemingly shy, delicate woman.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She went up on the podium and bowed deeply, then began to write her name on the blackboard.

Lilian Merchent.

And next to it, she wrote the subject she was in charge of.

The freshmen's tension eased at the sight of her, who was short, standing on her tiptoes and struggling to write.

"What, not all academy professors are scary?"

"I wish all the professors were like her."

It was at that moment.

Crash!

A wand flew through the freshmen who were chatting in the back and stuck in the wall.

“Gasp!”

“Wh-what is this?”

Professor Lilian Merchent, who had thrown the wand in a straight line and stuck it in, swung her hand and smiled shyly.

“Chatting is not allowed in my class.”

Behind Professor Lilian, the name of the subject she was in charge of was written on the blackboard.

Combat Magic.

Radel, confirming the huge aura of magic power he had felt earlier, quietly closed his mouth.

He didn't know how many types of magic there were, but if it was openly written as combat, he felt he should be careful on his own.

The classroom became quiet as if all the other freshmen had the same thought.