Vol 1 Chapter 17

An Emergency Occurred

“Cart under house confinement?”

For some reason, right after cla.s.ses ended, the research society had already been launched, and I am acting as its president. Today, just like yesterday, I went to pick up Sicily and Maria, and Gus told us about the situation.

“It seems so. This morning, the school was contacted, saying ‘he’ll be spending some time at home under confinement and self-reflection.'”

Since the culprit is under house arrest, Sicily does not have to be guarded. I guess she will feel… relieved by this?

“Hey, there’s something that’s been puzzling me; why does Cart have that sort of att.i.tude? Everyone knows it is forbidden to act that way inside the Advanced Magic Academy, right? And even though Gus warned him, there was no improvement on his behavior. It makes me feel uneasy…”

For someone who puts a lot of weight about being an aristocrat, he blatantly ignored the warning of the Prince of his own Kingdom; I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

And so, the three of them — Gus, Thor, and Julius — made a complicated expression.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, honestly, we’re puzzled ourselves, too.”

“We [Sessha-tachi] went to the middle school for n.o.bles and wealthy people degozaru.”

“And Cart also attended that academy.”

“Eh? Is that so?”

This is the first time I’ve heard of it, however, since the three are n.o.bles… or rather, Gus is a Royal. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to attend the academy for n.o.bles.

“If that’s the case, there’s something I want to know: has Cart’s att.i.tude been that way since long ago?”

“It is because his att.i.tude was different that we’re confused. Although that guy has always been confident, it wasn’t to the point where he flaunted his social status.”

“That’s right. Although I come from a Baron house and my social standing is lower than his, he has never taken such att.i.tude towards me.”

I only know the present Cart. Although I can’t believe it myself, Cart seems to be different back then. If so, what of the present Cart?

“Speaking of which, Your Highness, if I’m not mistaken, it happened during our third year in the academy, after we heard that teacher’s words.”

“Ah~… There was him. If I remember correctly, wasn’t he a magic teacher?”

“Yeah. He asked those who could use magic one by one the question, ‘You have a great apt.i.tude for magic. Won’t you come to my laboratory?'”

“He did do something like that. However, because I kept hearing his words excessively to the point of being suspicious, I did not accept his invitation in the end.”

“I [Sessha], didn’t get to hear his words at all degozaru…”

…Well, that really can’t be helped, can it…

“And so? What about it?”

“Looking back, I believe Cart went to the teacher’s laboratory.”

“Hmm~? And then?”

“Since he started visiting that laboratory, his magic ability went up considerably. At that time, he started boasting about his magic ability for a while…”

“He~ was he really such an amazing teacher?”

“Well, he certainly did have some ability. In addition, despite his appearance, he was quite popular. Even though it was suspicious.”

“His appearance?”

“Yeah, I heard he couldn’t see, and so he wore a bandage in order to conceal both his eyes. Nevertheless, he was able to behave like a normal person…”

Hmm? What’s so amazing about that?

“So what makes him so well-liked?”

“Why, you ask… he could sense his surrounding through magic. However, magical ability should be limited to only living organisms. You know how it’s believed to be that it doesn’t work on inorganic matter? Apparently that teacher is able to use that exact same magic. Honestly, if it wasn’t for His Highness, even I, myself, would have wanted to go to the laboratory.”

“It’s because he was too suspicious.”

That’s all Gus has been saying for a while now.

However, how is that related to Cart’s current behavior? Although it certainly seems he got more confident from that time on…

“Honestly, I don’t know whether or not there’s a relations.h.i.+p between the two, but it’s just been bothering me.”

“Is that so; just who exactly is that teacher?”

“If I’m not mistaken, you said that he came here from the Empire?”

“The Empire, huh…”

There’s a country bordering right next to the place, Earls.h.i.+de Kingdom, where I currently reside, Bluesphere Empire. Apparently, the power and authority of the aristocrat there seems to be exceedingly strong there, and so a lot of people fled from the Empire to other Kingdoms to seek refuge. There might also be some people who defected to this Kingdom.

“However, I wonder if someone who can use such magic needs to seek refuge.”

“Maybe there’s a special reason? That’s why it’s suspicious.”

In the end, everything was just a speculation, and I understood nothing. The conversation came to an end the moment Alfred-sensei arrived.

“This afternoon, you guys are supposed to be given a more detailed explanation regarding the research societies that was mentioned yesterday… But since you guys have already decided, partic.i.p.ate in the ceremony just in case.”

The research society… Eventually, it was decided before I knew it. But wouldn’t this cause antipathy towards the uppercla.s.smen? Is this really alright?

The cla.s.s this morning was a lesson about the different countries in this world.

Except for me, everyone who pa.s.sed middle school in this Kingdom thought it wasn’t necessary. From the standpoint of everyone who could use magic, the way they measure the relation between neighboring countries is different.

During this lesson, there was also an explanation of the Bluesphere Empire we were talking about earlier.

The Bluesphere Empire originally consisted of many small countries. A King of one of the small countries unified the other small countries one by one, and eventually led to the founding of the Bluesphere Empire it is today, with the King becoming the founding Emperor. Within the merged countries, anyone with meritorious service had been conferred with the t.i.tle of n.o.bility and was given a territory. As a result, the upper-n.o.bles of the Empire wielded a large amount of power similar to the capitals of small countries, and lower n.o.bles were given power similar to cities. Thus, because of this historical background, they easily conquered their surroundings with military power. Even until today, the military force still has substantial strength.

However, there are no large-scale wars happening right now. In the past when there was a war, however, because both parties neglected subjugating demons, a demon outbreak suddenly occurred, and they had to stop the war.

Nevertheless, there are rumors that they are still diligently observing their surroundings for opportunities to prey on them. Although they have enough manpower to cope with the demons, they are still enlarging their military power. This thus became the basis of the rumors.

It is such a country, hence the remark of Gus and the others a little while ago.

If a person has a high apt.i.tude for magic, it is unlikely that the Empire will leave the person alone. However, the fact that he came to the Kingdom… It is not at all unusual for one to consider it. And such a person is going around calling out to people with talents as a Magician. Is he plotting something? It’s no wonder Gus found it suspicious.

However, it is not related to Cart’s behavior. Nevertheless, I can still understand if he is trying to orchestrate revenge against the Empire…

During lesson time, I was thinking about such things.

While s.h.i.+n and the other were receiving lessons in the academy, a certain person came to visit the Ritzburg house.

“Oh, isn’t this Schtrom-sensei, it has been a long time.”

“Yes, it has been a while. I believe the last time I was here was before Cart-kun took the entrance examination for the academy.”

This person is, without a doubt, the topic of s.h.i.+n and others’ conversation, Oliver Schtrom, the middle school teacher.

Although he is a middle school teacher, he was begged by Cart to be his tutor in order for him to pa.s.s the Advanced Magic Academy entrance examination. Because of this, every single person residing in the Ritzburg house knows his face, including the gatekeeper.

As for his appearance, it is exactly how Thor and the other had described it; his pair of eyes are covered with a bandage. The portion not concealed by the bandage starts from the long and straight bridge of his nose, and his face is small and thin, giving him a look of a considerably good-looking young man.

“And so… Schtrom-sensei, what brings you here?”

“Well, I heard through word of mouth that Cart-kun has been placed under house confinement. Since I used to be his teacher, I was worried about him.”

He conveyed that as someone who used to be his teacher, it was normal for him to worry about his students.

“Is that how it is… As for how in the world Cart-sama ended up this way… Even I, my humble self, is baffled.”

“He idolized me when I was his teacher. I thought maybe if it’s me, I could get him to talk and open up…”

“Is that so… Right now, the Master is currently not around, but the Madam is. Please wait for a little while I ask for permission.”

“I understand.”

When the gatekeeper finished talking, he ran inside the mansion. When he came back, he was accompanied by an elder lady.

“Ah, Schtrom-sensei! Please, do come in!”

“It’s been a while, Lady Ritzburg. How has Cart-kun been doing?”

When she was asked that question, Lady Ritzburg, in other words, Cart’s mother burst into tears.

“I… Even I don’t know what’s happening anymore! To say those words to the Royal Family whom we swore our allegiance to…”

From there, she did not speak another word. Seeing how Lady Ritzburg was currently acting, Oliver started talking to her.

“Is that so… Exactly how in the world did it happen; it looks like there’s a need to get the whole story straightened out.”

“Sensei… Only sensei is reliable! My husband only knows how to punish Cart! Somehow! Please somehow help restore his sanity!”

“I understand. I will do it to the best of my abilities.”

And so, Oliver entered the Ritzburg’s house and made his way toward Cart’s room.

“It’s me, Cart. It’s Schtrom. Is it okay if I enter?”

However, there was no reply.

“Lady Ritzburg, is it alright?”

“Yes, I leave him in your care.”

After receiving permission, Oliver entered Cart’s room and immediately placed a soundproof barrier around the room.

“What’s wrong Cart? You look like you’re in a pretty pitiable-looking state.”

To prevent Cart from escaping his room, both his hands and feet were bound up tightly. There is no magic tool in this world with the ability to seal one’s magical power. Magic power has a huge influence on the life of humans. If their magic powers are sealed, it can only lead to death.

It isn’t easy to cast magic without chanting. It is even more so when the person in question has just entered the Advanced Magic Academy. Even if he is able to cast magic, the guard right outside his room would immediately sense it and would break his concentration. Because of this, the state of his hands and feet were left tied up.

“Schtrom-sensei…”

“What did I tell you? Didn’t I tell you recently that you are a special human being?”

“Yes…”

“Your abilities, your social status, everything about you is special. Didn’t I tell you that there’s nothing you can’t get your hands on?”

“But… I couldn’t get my hands on that woman… because that guy… because that guy got in the way…”

“Hmmm, is that so. That person is a nuisance to you?”

After he finished talking, he started to cast magic. However, the guards right outside the room did not sense it. When Oliver created a soundproof barrier, he also created a barrier that prevents any magic from getting out.

“Listen to me, okay? Make the person who is a nuisance to you regret it. Because you are…”

After some time, Oliver went out of the room.

“Sensei! How is he?!”

“Nn, he’s not doing so well… he’s in a state of losing body and state of mind. We can only wait for him to recover over time…”

“N-no way! It’s because that person did such a thing! Because my husband punished Cart!”

“Of course, I also don’t think this is a good thing. Though I say this, it’s also because he’s originally my cute student. I will go and try to give Count Ritzburg some advice. Because he’s in a state of near insanity, it would not be beneficial for the Count to punish him.”

“Tha—… thank you very much sensei!”

“Then, if you’ll please excuse me, I’ll be leaving because I still have cla.s.ses in the academy.”

Meanwhile, after Oliver left the Ritzburg house.

“Fufufu, Cart-kun, do your best in performing for me, okay?”

Oliver walked away while smiling. He then looked up at the room where Cart was in.

After the morning cla.s.s was over, everyone went to eat lunch. Since S-Cla.s.s consists of only 10 students, everyone usually eats together. Today as well, the entire S-Cla.s.s occupied one table.

“That reminds me, s.h.i.+n. I didn’t get to ask you about it this morning, but what will you do about escorting her to school and back?”

“What do you mean what will I do?”

“I mean, hasn’t Cart been placed under house arrest? With that, hasn’t the danger being in school or walking in town been eliminated?”

“Well, that’s about right.”

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“In that case, isn’t it alright if you don’t pick her up anymore?”

*** You are reading on https://www.novelhall.com/ ***