“Is this the place?”

I stood outside the building Damian told me to go look for him. The place I came to was the Strawberry Inn where he and his sister rent a room.

Apparently his sister worked at the family inn as a maid.

Today was the assigned date for our revenge plan. Damian managed to contact a family butler of the Minerva household.

The two of them would probably arrive in a few minutes. After we were done with the arrangements, Damian and I will head to the academy. We might miss the opening ceremony but that was alright. It was held for first years anyway so it wasn’t mandatory for us to be there.

I didn’t know how long it will take for our battle to happen.

I turned the doorknob and went inside the inn. It was early morning so I was expecting the inn to be empty but I saw people already inside the Inn.

“Come on~ Just one taste.”

“No! Let go of me!”

I saw a bunch of adventurers surrounding a woman who was wearing a maid uniform. She looked as old as Brielle.

“W-Wait, customer! We do not do those kinds of things for money!” An old man tried to stand between the adventurers and the girl.

“Out of the way!”

The big man slapped the old man to the side and grabbed the girl again.

“I get what I want in Zluxford! I am an A rank adventurer. You dare deny me what I desire!?”

Him and his buddies started grabbing the girl’s clothes.

“No!!”

She pushed him aside and tried running.

“You bitch!”

Before he could throw a punch, I hurriedly chanted a spell.

“[Switch]”

A ripple in space occurred.

“GYAH!?”

His first landed on the face of one of his companions.

“Huh?”

“Phew. You’re alright.”

The girl was in my arms the next moment. She looked at me with a blank look on her face.

“What the fuck!? Why are you here?”

The big man looked around and spotted me.

“Huh? How did she get over there?”

I let the girl go and walked forward.

“It’s pretty pathetic how you flaunt your power with that fake badge of yours.”

All adventurer tags are infused with mana. I couldn’t sense mana of any kind coming from the one on his chest.

“What!? You think I’m a fake!? Get that noble brat so we can sell him and the girl as slaves. You picked the wrong day to be a hero! I don’t care if you’re from the academy!”

“Yes, boss!”

Before they could move, the bell above the door rang when someone entered. It was a tall old man with a white moustache. Next to him was a young man with ash black hair. He was wearing the same academy uniform as me.

Damian Minerva.

“Pardon my intrusion. Who did you say you would sell as a slave?”

The old butler disappeared from where he stood at the door and reappeared in front of the big man.

A dagger was held against his throat.

“You dare lay your hands on the young lady’s body. All of you are courting death by messing with the Minerva family.”

“Err... Um...”

The big man had a terrified look on his face when he saw the black mana swirling around the butler.

‘Scary...’

Only one family in the entire kingdom can use black magic. This made them one of the continent’s strongest forces.

The Minerva Family. There was no doubt that the old man was a butler from that family.

“I-I-I-I-It was a j-j-j-joke! Hahaha! S-She looked a little down s-s-so I wanted to make her laugh!”

The butler smirked as the big man stuttered.

“I see. Please leave the premises as you are disrupting business. Look at how terrified everyone is of you.”

The butler gestured to the onlookers from outside and the ones who were eating at the dining tables.

‘I think you have this backwards, old man. They are terrified of you.’

I couldn’t even grasp his strength. Wasn’t he as powerful as Aubrey? No. Even stronger?

I shuddered.

‘A family of monsters. Even the servants are powerful.’

“Yo, Clyde.” Damian patted my shoulder with a smile. “Long time no see.”

“Oh…Hey.” I was caught off guard by the old man’s strength.

The adventurers quickly fled the inn without looking back.

“Big sis. Why can’t you just deal with those men yourself? Aren’t you a martial artist?”

He looked at the young woman who stood next to me.

“It’s because I hate fighting. You already know that, Damian.”

“Huh? Sister?”

“Yes. This is my older sister, Adrienne. Adrienne meet Clyde. He’s the one I told you about.”

The woman next to him bowed.

“Nice to meet you. Thank you for saving me from those men.”

The butler dusted off his hands and approached us.

“I am Roman, the butler of the current head of the Minerva house. You must be lord Clyde. Thank you for protecting the young lady. I must say, your spatial manipulation magic was astounding. Not many can develop their spatial element to such a degree.”

“Y-Yeah, thanks.”

“Please sit down. I’ll explain everything. As you are an outsider looking to settle a fight, a contract must be established. Prior arrangements must be made as this is a sacred battle.”

The butler guided us to the seats.

The woman, Adrienne was then stopped by Roman.

“This is a private matter, young lady. Please stay out of it.”

“What? Couldn’t I at least listen to what you have to say? Damian came here bruised a few months ago and refused to tell me what happened. If the head’s personal butler came here then that means it’s something serious! I want to know!”

Damian lowered his head.

“I’ll tell you when the time comes.”

Adrienne threw down her apron with a unhappy expression on her face.

“I’m getting some fresh air.”

She slammed the door shut after telling the owner that.

“If she heard what happened then there’s no doubt that she’ll head to Aubrey herself.”

Damian said with a bitter smile.

“Lord Damian if I see you’re on the brink of death then I will save you. It doesn’t matter if I’ll be killed by lord Zexel. I was the one who raised the two of you since your parents were never there for you.”

“Thanks, Roman... But I won’t lose. I want to see Aubrey begging me to stop. I want to repay him for making me suffer so much.”

Damian’s golden eyes was filled with killing intent.

“Clyde.”

When we sat down, Damian spoke to me.

“Yeah?”

“I know this is a rule in the family for outsiders but...”

I held up my hand.

“I know what you’re worried about. She’s still your sister even if she’s a psychopath. I won’t kill her. I just want her to feel how I felt when I lost my core.”

“Thanks.”

“Hmm...” The butler spoke. “So the two of you will choose to make them give up instead of the A-life-for-a-life rule? Huhu. Good luck. Both Aubrey and Zelda were raised with deadly training. I hope the two of you know that as you are mere children. But do not worry, I will persuade the master to not kill you if you fail. Only I know what can make him change his mind.”

He opened up a briefcase and laid down documents in front of us.

“Now. Shall we begin the discussion?”

◇◇◇

Damian and I walked through the halls of the academy. We didn’t bother going to the opening ceremony since they only introduce the new first years. We were heading towards our new class.

“Are you sure you’ll go through with it?”

Damian asked as we turned a corner.

It was decided that we’d go to the Minerva household in a few months. Both Damian and I were itching to get our revenge.

“I’ve never been surer of anything else in my life.”

“I see... Clyde.”

Damian called out to me again.

“Yeah?”

“When we go through those doors both of us will be alone. We won’t be able to protect each other.”

He seriously gazed at me.

“I know.”

With my newly acquired power I knew I had a chance to win. Plus, I even learned a new spell. I wasn’t that weak and conceited bastard from before.

“Good.”

He held out his fist.

“Let’s kick their asses.”

I bumped my fist with his.

“For revenge.”

*

We finally arrived at our classroom.

“Looks like we’re late.”

There was already people gathered in the classroom. The professor was a person I was familiar with.

‘Viria…’

It seemed she didn’t teach a fourth year class anymore.

‘Her puppet is exactly the same as I remember it.’

She was the same curvy milf teacher with glasses as when I met her during the open day at the academy. No, didn’t her boobs look a little bigger? It might’ve been my imagination.

“Look who managed to finally show up. The two who rarely come to class but managed to become third years.”

Viria sarcastically said when we entered. Everyone’s eyes landed on us.

No, they were looking at Damian. Specifically the girls.

‘Ugh… I want a handsome face like that.’

Even if my face was considered a little handsome, I lose to Damian in terms of looks. Even his body was tall and firm while I looked far shorter than him. We were one year apart for crying out loud!

The girls sighed in admiration. The person in question never glanced at any of them once and only walked forward to give his application.

“Damian Minerva and Clyde Astley.”

“Mm.”

“Yes.”

She pointed at an empty seat.

“The two of you will sit next to Bridgette over there.”

‘Bridgette?’

I glanced at where she pointed.

A girl with black hair waved at us.

‘Huh? That insignia.’

What caught my eyes was the insignia on her hairband.

Magic Empire. The most advanced nation on the entire continent. They combined both technology and magic to create a civilization that almost equals the United Empire.

That empire’s technology might not have everything Earth had but some other things were more advanced.

‘So she’s the one who I beat in mana.’

“Hello. I’m Bridgette of the Bathurst family.”

“Ah, yes. I’m Clyde Astley.”

I shook her hand.

Damian only nodded and sat down.

“I heard you were part of the Divide Incident. It’s a relief you made it back. I wanted the two of us to get together and become friends. You’re quite famous in the academy as well.”

The girl casually spoke with me.

I found it odd that a citizen from the Magic Empire came to enrol into the Graponia academy. The magic academy in their empire had the same amount of prestige and history as Graponia. They say the academy was founded by one of Odette’s disciples.

“I guess we could become friends.”

I responded after gathering my thoughts.

“Wonderful! Is it alright if the two of us study together?”

‘This girl is awfully bold to become closer. Does she like me or something?’

Maybe it was just because of my magical talent. I do tend to attract my juniors and other mages like a magnate.

“Sure.”

“Great. I’ll let you know when and where.”

“Damian, you want to join?”

“Hm? No thanks. I’ll study alone. I don’t need help. Besides, both of you are mages while I’m a conjurer warrior.”

“Ah, okay. That’s a shame.”

All the girls sighed in disappointment.

‘Maybe a study circle would be great.’

“Miss Bridgette.”

“Yes?”

“Is it alright if I invite one of my other friends?”

I wanted to let Nate study with me. He’d been having trouble with studies last year and even asked if the two of us could study together. I was never able to reply since I left the kingdom again.

“Who do you mean?”

“It’s a guy named Nate. He was my roommate.”

“Oh. Isn’t he from the famous Alexander family? Lincoln Alexander’s son, right?”

“Yeah.”

Lincoln was a man who reached the peak of fire magic. There’s no one else capable of matching him. Especially not if he uses his own creation of flames.

Black flames. Or sometimes called the [Eternal Fire] magic.

It was said that his black fire can never be distinguished unless the magic itself was broken down or the user released the spell. If it was the former then only I would be able to break it down.

The door to the classroom suddenly opened.

“Nate Alexander.”

‘Speak of the devil.’

Nate only gave his name and walked towards an empty seat.

“Yo, Nate!”

I waved at him with a smile.

“…”

He walked past me without a word and sat down on his seat. His eyes didn’t even turn to me once.

“That’s cold.” Bridgette smiled awkwardly.

I stood there like an idiot mid-wave.