A Death Row Convict Teaches at a School of Magic

“―This one is on me.”

The store’s owner, who I had assumed had withdrawn to the rear of the shop, came back and set down two cups of coffee for the two of us.

Having thanked him, the owner gave a bow and this time he went back to the inner part again.

With a sigh and a sip of coffee, I quickly cut to the chase.

“…So, why did you do that?”

The neat eyebrows of Fina, who was likewise tilting her coffee cup in front of me, were blatantly distorted.

“I told you before we reached here… It was the other party that initiated it, so I was merely defending myself.”

“Self-defense, huh? If you say so, your defense has gone overboard. At your age, you’re brilliant enough to be a third-class magician. Had you intended to, you could have gotten rid of those punks in a much more moderate manner.”

“…Why should I care about the individuals who assaulted me?”

“Because that is the responsibility of a magician.”

I took a sip of my coffee and said after a pause.

“A magician must not misuse their magic. Any prospective magician will first learn this rule of the magician. But unfortunately, this is far from being adhered to at the moment. You’re taking a class on moral principles of magic. Have you heard about the percentage of crimes that took place in this city last year that involved magic?”

Fina shook her head in silence.

“―Eighty percent. That means that out of every five crimes, four of them are committed by people who abuse magic. The prohibition against the misuse of magic, which is an absolute rule when becoming a magician, is nowadays a decoration, and it is not an overstatement to say that this is the state of affairs.”

No surprise was reflected in Fina’s complexion. It must have been a well-known piece of information. Looking into her eyes, I could not read any of her emotions from them.

“So what does this have to do with what you just told me?”

“…In other words, it is the young generation of magicians like yourselves who will have to learn how to master the proper application in the future. The magic of the modern day is a development of the original life-facilitating magic, which was improved throughout the war. I don’t have in the slightest intention to say that magic is all evil, but if it is mishandled by the wielder, it can become a weapon that is more dreadful than anything else.”

After speaking this much, I reflected on the fact that I was being preachy. The purpose of today was to raise Fina’s impression of me even if it was a tiny shift of heart. Speaking so eloquently about generalities that any teacher would give would not make me come across any distinguished.

I therefore ventured to make a bold move on her.

“…Fina, is there anything that’s been a struggle for you lately?”

“…What are you saying all of a sudden?”

She didn’t deny it. I carried on, being aware that my supposition was turning into fact.

“You are a close associate of that nationally admired Ortesia. The fact that you also respect her, it is quite conceivable that you yourself are likewise devoted to her. But I can’t believe that you would go to such lengths simply because you got tangled up with those thugs. It was because you were distressed about something, wasn’t it?”

“Are you implying that I used them to relieve my stress?”

“Am I wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing like that.”

Fina lowered her gaze and sipped from her cup.

I then exhibited the reassuring smile that was my trademark—a slightly troubled smile.

“…Well, if you prefer not to speak to me, that’s fine. But I’ll tell you this, I don’t think that developing your magic skills is the only thing you can contribute to her.”

“…!?”

Bingo.

For the first time here, astonishment was mirrored on Fina’s face.

“I knew I was right. It’s not particularly a mystery. Aside from you, there are many other students who have lost their confidence after watching ‘that’. The majority of them reached out to me. The match between Karen Ortesia and Rain Aldar was such a shock that numerous students who had previously been confident in their magic sought advice from me.”

Over the past week, the most frequent concern among the students who came to the counseling room was that of “I have lost confidence in my own abilities,” and this was more and more prevalent in the higher grades.

Even Rivalz, who was feared in his youth as the “Surging Iron Wall,” was astounded by this match. For Fina, who reached the level of a third-class magician at the age of 16, this was no exception.

“Fina, your family has served as knights in the royal family for many generations. I heard that your father was also a very skilled knight. Do you feel under strain since your family has been guarding the royal family for so many generations? Are you questioning your own ability to protect the princess in the same manner as your father and the others did?”

I would never ordinarily spout off about my students’ problems like this, but this time I decided to take a bit of a gamble. Having dared to delve into a sensitive subject, I wondered what kind of reaction she would show me.

There was the sound of pounding on the ceiling. It seemed that rain had started to fall outside.

“…I have been concerned about this over Lady Karen for years.”

After a long silence, I inwardly struck a victory pose at Fina’s response.

“Even the magicians who served in the royal palace remarked that she was spectacular, and by the time I began learning magic from her, Lady Karen had already quickly risen to a level that was beyond my reach. Even so, I had always maintained the belief that if I continued to strive, one day I would eventually catch up to her and be able to protect her, but that match was a reminder to me, no matter how much I hated it. ―I’ll never be able to catch up to that caliber, not even after a lifetime of effort.”

Fina lifted her cup and, realizing it was already empty, shrugged before putting it back.

I regretted again not being present to watch the match and gave responses to make the conversation go smoothly.

“From that day on, I really began to lose sight of things, and I stayed behind after school to train in magic. Since I am a guard, I am not supposed to leave Lady Karen’s side even for a moment, but I noticed that more and more times, like today, I asked her to go home first. Even if it’s not the right thing to do, it’s a good thing. I can’t be Lady Karen’s escort when I am like this…”

Following the fading end of the sentence, Fina stopped talking. She probably felt she had talked too much. Fina’s previous tone of voice gave the perception that her worries—which she was unable to discuss with anyone—had spontaneously sprung to the surface.

“…You might be mad at me for saying this, but I’m kind of relieved.”

“…Why?”

“You’re too flawless for your age, but I’m relieved that you have the same problems as anyone else. Otherwise, my job would be nonexistent.”

A mischievous laugh on my face caught Fina by surprise, followed by her slightly grumpy expression.

“…So since this is related to your job, do you have any solutions for me, Teacher?”

“―Of course. It’s my responsibility to assist students with any problems they may have.”

“…What?”

“I mean, the solution, I mentioned it to you in the beginning, didn’t I?”

“Huh!?”

This girl’s expression changed so much.

Her cheeks were almost naturally loosened now at the exuberant display of emotion that I have never witnessed before.

“Then it seems you’ve forgotten, so I’ll say it one more time. ―I don’t think that being stronger than Karen Ortesia is necessarily the only contribution that you can provide to her. In short, I think there are many other things you can do to help her.”

“…That kind of thing is impossible! I am an escort for Lady Karen. Besides becoming stronger, there is nothing else I can do to be of help to Lady Karen…”

“That may be true by the standards of your meritocratic family. As an ordinary person, I can tell you that you are an undeniable prodigy. Even more than Ortesia.”

“T-There’s no way that can be true!”

Fina leaned forward slightly. It was a sign that she was intrigued by what I had to say.

“Do you know the results of your entrance examination? You were second in the magic exam and among the top five in the physical examination.”

“…Lady Karen came out on top in each of those examinations. I have always been second in everything.”

“No, you’re not. In fact, you have one better grade than Ortesia.”

“Eh…?”

“―Intelligence Quotient. It is also known as IQ, and you have achieved first place with a score of 200, which is much higher than the 150 of Ortesia, who came in second place. As your homeroom teacher, I am very impressed with your achievement.”

Fina covered her mouth with her hands as if in disbelief. Her wide-open eyes sent forth a scattering of pearl-gray colored stars.

“…I didn’t know that.”

“I guess it’s not surprising. The only thing that comes to the student’s mind is the overall result of all the subjects. I’ve been interested in you since you enrolled. Not Fina, who is Karen Ortesia’s escort, but Fina Trinity, the prodigy who was admitted to the school this year―”

“…!”

In addition to dispelling Fina’s long-held notion that she was “Karen’s accessory,” I was going to introduce her to a talent she was unaware she possessed. These kinds of humans were invariably driven by a longing for self-acceptance.

“…Fina. Ortesia is more closer to you than you might realize. Have confidence in yourself. Think of ways you can help her that work for you―”

She fixed her gaze on me for a while before silently bowing her head.

■■■■■

“Yes. Just give it back to me the next time we meet.”

Handing over the umbrella, Fina accepted it after some hesitation.

“…Thank you.”

“No. On the contrary, I am sorry that I couldn’t send you home. From now on, I also have other business to take care of.”

I put my hand in the rain after leaving the store.

“Yeah, it’s still drizzling and it’s okay. Go back home quickly. Don’t detour on the way home.”

“I know. I won’t repeat the same thing I did today.”

“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow, then―”

With the confirmation of the small reply, I started running in the drizzle.

No magical power was used. I didn’t necessarily have to be in a hurry.

After roughly 30 minutes of running, I arrived at a copse of trees on the outskirts of the area.

Around here, private properties managed by the aristocracy were all over the place, and people who had no business in the area rarely showed up.

That was to say, it was a perfect place for evil-doers to reside.

Having ascertained that there was no presence of anyone around me, I attached a magical device, which looked like a simple ring, that would allow me to pass through the barrier of this place.

I continued on my way through the copse of trees with a familiar gait and eventually arrived at a clearing.

There, a magnificent “samurai residence” stood, evoking a sense of nostalgia.

The fences surrounding the house, and the tiles covering the roof. Even the shachihoko was there, making me rather inclined to ask whether the people who have been living here have ever seen a genuine samurai residence.

I walked up to the gate and knocked four times, slightly harder.

No reply was forthcoming. As usual, I entered the house on my own accord.

Once inside the fence, what greeted my eyes first was a vast garden. If even one plant had been grown here, it would have been spectacular, but unfortunately, since here was where all the training took place, even one tree planted here would have been destroyed and trampled on the very next day.

When I reached the front door, I would knock there too, just in case. Sometimes the daughter will show her face here, but today she didn’t appear either.

Exhaling a breath of sigh, I opened the door and went inside, and walked down the hallway as if I owned the place.

Even so, wouldn’t it be tough to clean such a long corridor? He and his daughter were the only people who resided here. This house, which easily accommodated 10 people, looked to be off balance in every way…

With these thoughts in mind, I opened the door to the living room.

As I expected, there was a lone “Ogre” there, clad in human skin.