CH 13

Chapter 13 – Low Grades are Better Than No Grades

Mage is a privileged class.

This is an unmistakable fact.

After all, the only institution that offers higher education is the Magic Academy.

When you go to the top of the world, you’ll find out that everyone’s a mage.

Even the heroes who are the protagonists of fairy tales among the commoners are simply patrol soldiers.

This is a deliberately created impassable wall.

Knowledge has been monopolized in order for nobles to remain nobles and for lowly to remain lowly.

It will continue to stay like that because it can never be broken.

Just as a lowly man with mere money cannot become a mage, there are clear criteria to be admitted in the academy.

Surprisingly, the nobles and the lowly are treating each other as different races.

Therefore, it is impossible for one generation to rise to the top. His family must continue to be rice for generations to come and continue to accumulate blood of the noble race.

The Schenkers is a family like that.

I’ve thought about this for a long time but, what I’m trying to say is….

Noble = you’re a mage

Mage = doesn’t mean you’re a noble

Therefore, I’m very humble toward the powerful.

This is my survival strategy.

TN: Nobles = race of magic users, Lowly = race other than nobles, may or may not be mages.(both are humans)

「I’ve heard a bit about your charitable deed to the lowlies lately.」

「Hehehe, it’s a great honor for Estoma-sama to be concerned about me.」

「You seem to be doing well despite your lack of talent.」

「Thank you for your praise.」

「I’ve heard nothing but good things from Professor Marino of the construction magic department about you. I look forward to what you’ll do in the future.」

「Of course, sir. Please don’t give up on me in the future.」

「Umu.」

I was freed by Instructor Estoma and walked around the school while applying healing magic to my shoulders due to heavy fatigue.

Estoma is a hero of our country’s sea lane defense.

When aquatic monsters flooded the undersea dungeon, he used magic to cut the sea, walked to the bottom of the sea, and killed the dungeon master.

Although he was from an old noble family, he was an open-minded person who saw my value even though I was from an ordinary merchant family and could not use offensive magic very well.

「Oh, Sawadi.」

「How was your assessment?」

「Ah, Jinni, Ehra, so so. It’s hard when you can’t do much offensive magic.」

As I was heading home, I met my friends, Jinni and Ehra, in the lobby of the school.

Jinni is the third son of a long-established furniture maker’s family and is in a similar situation to me.

Ehra is the grandson of a first-generation noble or in layman’s terms, a commoner with connections to nobles.

We are the only three people in our class who are not nobles.

And since the three of us like plays, we get along well.

「I can use offensive magic but there’s no way for me to become an attack mage.」

「I made a mess at the lab so my grandfather would be furious.」

「We commoners are lucky we didn’t get fired.」

In the world of nobles, Magic Academy, commoners are treated as problem children just because they are commoners.

Basically, it is impossible for you to get a good grade.

If you failed to get an “okay” twice in a row, you’d get fired but it’s not a problem because you can still graduate if possible.

「You two are still good. I can’t even be introduced to a job and I’m also carrying the burden of rebuilding our house so my future is pitch black.」

「Why don’t you join the knights? My adventurer-slaves ran into a big shot the other day and said they were indebted to that person.」

「There is no way for anyone to join the chivalry without connection.」

The two of us are trying to comfort Ehra but he’s a bit of a pessimist, isn’t he?

Jinni and I can only rely on our parent’s house if all else fails so we have it easy.

「You know that the knights are prone to die in dungeon attacks, don’t you?」

「That’s a good job. It’s better than being an adventurer who has to mow around dungeons.」

「Ah, yeah. And if you lose in a dungeon battle, whether you were a noble or a commoner, you’ll die.」

「In any case, there’s no way I can be a knight.」

Ehra answered with a slugging face.

「Then, how about adventurer?」

「Ehra is good at water magic so, how about a sailor? I heard they make more money than most nobles.」

「you know that neither of those is possible, right?」

「Well, yeah.」

「You can’t watch plays in the sea.」

For hobbyists, hobbies are more important than rewarding social contributions.

The ocean is not a place where you can enjoy hobbies freely.

「How about you, Sawadi-kun? Healing magic is in demand in the sea.」

「Oi oi, I don’t want to work. I’ll have my slaves feed me.」

「Oh oh, you started that again. You can be a very good doctor. You can even regenerate a magic organ that a teacher can’t regenerate. Such a waste.」

「I have my own dreams.」

「You are very stubborn, aren’t you?」

I don’t care if I’m stubborn as long as I can get income I didn’t work for ahead of me.

I won’t even tolerate a job of 1 hour per day.

「Well, let’s leave our future to the future. For now, let’s go and see a play.」

「That’s right. We worked hard for the final exam so we deserve it.」

「At the west town’s Houdini Theater, “Naked Woman” is showing.」

「Who’s playing the lead?」

「The great actress Warren Hagg! It’s been a while since she stared at “Naked Woman”.」

「What are you waiting for? Let’s go go go!」

And so, the three problem children went out to watch a play together.

Whether you’re a noble or not, life is fun if you enjoy your life.

I will continue enjoying my life using my hobby with all my might!