The Klein Kingdom.
In other words, a great nation.
It is a typical major power, possessing one of the continent’s strongest militaries and vast, fertile lands.
The climate is mild, and as a country, it has almost no flaws.
Despite originally being nothing more than a single territory of another nation, its lord at the time amassed military strength and raised a rebellion. The land itself was a coveted prize that nations fought over repeatedly—and it was the ancestor of this kingdom’s royal family who snatched it away right from under them.
From there, over the course of two hundred years, they built an unshakable system, seized even more territory from other nations, and ultimately created the great power that exists today. It’s honestly impressive.
Wide lands, strong soldiers, and enough reserves to properly feed them—that alone is more than enough to qualify as a powerful nation.
And so.
Well, sure, it’s fine to just say “wow, what an amazing country,” but—
If you look a bit deeper, you’ll see they’ve properly built a system that produces strength.
In fact, this country is a magical powerhouse.
…………
Ah, you can just imagine magic as you normally would.
Lighting fire from nothing, producing water out of thin air, things like that.
To be more specific, it’s a technique that uses an energy called magical power to impose your own rules onto the world—but if I suddenly say that, you probably won’t get it, right?
A vague “wow, magic is amazing!” is good enough.
So then, how does this country’s strength tie into the solidity of magic as a system of technology?
Magic is an incredible technology used all over the world.
No matter where you go, magic is used. Cooking, washing, cleaning, of course, but also civil engineering, construction, warfare, and more—both simple and complex things are intertwined with magic everywhere.
And the Klein Kingdom stands at the very top of it.
So yeah—it’s seriously, ridiculously solid.
In technology, military strength, daily life, and academia, this kingdom is far ahead of the rest.
But some people might think, hold on.
After all, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
If such an obviously overpowered nation existed, wouldn’t it get crushed before it even got going?
Wouldn’t they destroy it before it could take the initiative?
That’s where this country played its hand well.
The technology they advanced, the standard of living they raised, the culture they cultivated—
They shared all of that accumulated know-how with other countries.
They established national schools, accepted talent from other nations without hesitation, and didn’t try to keep them there. Sure, if they could absorb talented individuals, that’d be nice—but they didn’t particularly mind strengthening others.
You might wonder why they would keep doing something that seems like nothing but a loss—like, what if strengthening others leads to rebellion?
But you see, this strategy actually works.
First of all, earning goodwill from other countries is huge.
People’s feelings aren’t something you can ignore. Turning your fangs on someone who helped you—it weighs on the conscience. And that affects performance too.
The people sent to study in this country are future leaders of their nations, so naturally, their countries become slower to act against Klein.
In terms of deterrence, it’s strong too.
Countries aren’t stupid. They don’t believe the technology being taught is everything Klein has.
When they see clearly superior technology being taught so casually, they start to think, “This must be something trivial for them.”
Or rather, they’re made to think that way.
There aren’t many who would dare challenge that recklessly.
There’s also their history.
It’s not that no one ever tried—there have been countries that made moves against them.
For example, the original nation Klein once belonged to, which held deep resentment after having its land stolen by what was once just a minor territory.
I don’t know how messy things were back then, but Klein survived. They used every advantage they had and won decisively.
That kind of battle-hardened history also makes them seem even more formidable than they already are.
There’s more to it, but the point is—this country is amazing.
Especially in the field of education, since it’s their lifeline.
The national magic academy of the Klein Kingdom—the one I’ve been told to attend—is on a completely absurd level.
It’s among the best in the world; even royalty take the entrance exams just for the prestige of graduating from it.
It’s a school so powerful it can even influence politics—a place overflowing with schemes and maneuvering.
That kind of brand power isn’t something you see every day.
Klein is amazing!
All hail Klein!
The magic academy is the best!
…That’s what I’ve been told.
It was a massive pain, but that damn cult leader drilled it into me.
There’s no avoiding this.
Studying sucks, and I’d absolutely rather not do it, but I was asked to, so it can’t be helped.
If that person gives me an order, I can’t disobey.
I was trained thoroughly for three whole months.
Not just theory, but practical exams too.
“You’ll definitely overdo it, so learn how to hold back,” they said.
My abilities are completely specialized—terribly unbalanced.
It’d be fine if I just didn’t stand out as anything more than a normal student, but if I mess up, they might even figure out I’m an apostle of the cult. It’s unlikely—but if it happens, that’s bad.
Luckily, I’m not stupid.
When it comes to theory and logic, I’m actually quite knowledgeable.
As expected of something called a magic academy, the field is built properly on theory and reasoning, and that part carries the most weight.
I haven’t lived this long for nothing. I’ve accumulated a fair amount of knowledge.
If I just do things normally, I should pass.
The problem is whether I can properly apply that knowledge to an exam format.
That’s what all that studying was for.
Honestly… yeah. A lot of things.
I mean, the one teaching me was that person.
I don’t interact with the others at all, so I couldn’t ask them—even if I wanted to.
So I had no choice but to be taught by that one.
And you know how they are—completely airheaded.
During lessons, they’d constantly go off on tangents.
They know way more than me, so they’d teach what’s needed for the exam, then throw in related trivia—and never tell which is which.
So I had to figure out on my own what was relevant and what wasn’t.
It was three times more troublesome than just studying normally.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
I could’ve just studied alone. Or pointed it out to them. Or found someone else.
There were probably a lot of possible solutions.
I get it, I really do—but even so, it was seriously a waste of time.
What the hell is with that airheaded idiot!? Why do I always have to get dragged around by them!?
And going to some academy? Studying for exams?
Screw that—fuck it!
Ahh, what a pain!
How am I supposed to vent all this built-up frustration?
If today wasn’t exam day, I might’ve gone on a rampage!
…………
Whatever.
I’m done. Really done.
Ugh, this place feels disgusting.
Looking around, it’s nothing but kids—gross.
Nervous kids, confident kids, kids encouraging each other—they’re all disgusting.
I hate this. I really hate this.
This is exactly why I can’t stand “young people with bright futures.”
I want to go home already.
Honestly, I’d rather just fail this whole “infiltrate the academy” mission.
Even if I pass, I’d have to attend this place, right?
There’s no way my sanity would survive that.
These shining idiots who believe completely in their own potential—I can’t stand them.
When did it start, I wonder?
When did I begin to feel this much disgust toward others?
When did I start to loathe interacting with people from the bottom of my heart?
What a bleak world I’m living in.
It’s not even sadness—it’s emptiness.
Ugh… I’m actually starting to feel sick.
「What’s your problem?」
「That’s my line. Who the hell do you think you are?」
Why can’t I just enjoy life like a normal person?
It feels like I’m chewing gum that’s already lost all its flavor.
I start hating myself enough to want to die.
Living too long really isn’t a good thing.
「Who do you think you are? Don’t get in my way.」
「The exam’s about to start, so don’t bother people. She doesn’t like it either, does she?」
「Ah……」
Still, this school sure has money.
Just look at the total floor space—it’s, you know…
And the craftsmanship is incredible.
You can see the handiwork of skilled artisans everywhere.
…Okay, never mind. Playing building critic doesn’t suit me.
「I am the second son of the Aguinork family—Arios Aguinork! That woman there caught the eye of a noble like me! There’s no reason for you to interfere!」
「Being a noble doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. You’re not a kid—face reality.」
「What did you say!?」
Oh, right.
Maybe I should just sneak away right now?
Unexpected things happen during exams. And while I did study, I’m a bit lacking in common sense.
Yeah, it wouldn’t be strange if I messed something up!
Leaving now is totally an option.
Maybe I should just turn around and bail.
「I-it’s okay… I’ll just go along with him a bit…」
「Sorry. I’ve already stepped in. He probably won’t let it go.」
「Y-you bastard… From the way you dress, you’re just a commoner, right!? Do you understand what it means to defy a noble!?」
…Actually, maybe not.
It’s getting noisy behind me.
Feels like trouble’s about to start.
On exam day, no less—why are they dragging this out?
「Fine by me. Dealing with some spoiled brat who’s full of himself is nothing.」
「N-no, don’t!」
「You dare—!」
Ugh, what a drag.
I really don’t want to be stuck here for hours.
This whole day is going to be wasted?
Is that what my time is worth?
Replaced by something this pointless?
Seriously, why do I have to—
「A duel! Right here and now—I’ll cut you down for your insolence!」
「Try it if you can.」
God, they’re so damn loud!
「「Gah!!」」
I’m already in a bad mood, so could you not make such a racket?
This awful student life is just getting worse.
So annoying.
Don’t go past what I can tolerate—it makes me feel sick.
You shouldn’t cause trouble for others!
I just gave them a light shove on reflex.
Yeah, just a shove—so don’t go flying like that.
For a second, I thought I accidentally killed them.
「W-w-what…」
「…………」
I might end up looking at them like they’re garbage.
I didn’t want to cause trouble, but this isn’t my fault, right?
I already feel awful and sick, and my head’s starting to hurt—these idiots are the ones making noise right next to me.
I did nothing wrong!
「…You’re loud.」
Whatever.
I’ll just take the exam already.
Better to finish it quickly without thinking.
「Y-you! Do you even know who I am!? Th-that was disrespectful!」
「…………」
Ugh, I hate this.
I can’t wait for tomorrow.
If I just get through today, tomorrow will be a bit better.
If I don’t think that way, I might go insane.
It feels like things are getting even noisier, but whatever.
No need to care anymore.
The school, the exam, these brats—getting bothered by something so trivial just shows how small-minded I am.
I don’t care anymore. Whatever happens, happens.
More importantly, what I’m having for dinner tonight matters more.
…………
Huh? Come to think of it, one of the guys I shoved looks familiar.
Hmm… who was that again?
Eh, whatever.
If I can’t remember, it probably wasn’t important.
※※※※※※※
「That person… is strong…」
He watches the figure walking away.
Without the slightest carelessness, as if facing a massive enemy.
Carefully, thoroughly, down to the smallest detail—
So as not to miss even the tiniest piece of information.
Their gait? Their center of gravity? The flow of their magic?
So that if he ever had to fight them, he could act immediately.
He was deeply focused.
That person was all he could see.
He had sunk into a deeper world.
And then—
「U-um well……」
「…! You are…」
A tap on his shoulder snaps him back.
He realizes, a moment later, that it was the girl who had been harassed by that arrogant noble.
Because he stepped in, a connection had formed—but the noble in question had already left.
Most likely, he had gone to confront the one who had struck him so rudely.
Considering the difference in ability, getting instantly defeated wouldn’t be surprising. Whether it was boldness or foolishness, he couldn’t help but be exasperated by such ignorant innocence.
Then, he turns back to the girl in front of him.
The one he truly wanted to observe had already disappeared.
He felt a slight attachment, but there was nothing to be done.
「Thank you… for helping me…」
「I didn’t really do anything.」
It wasn’t modesty—he genuinely believed that.
He had diverted some hostility toward himself, but before he could truly act, the situation had already been resolved.
He wasn’t thick-skinned enough to take pride in that.
But—
「Even so… I was scared and couldn’t do anything… You stood up for me… That alone made me happy…」
Seeing her bow her head, he feels a bit embarrassed.
He recognizes his own immaturity.
With a self-deprecating smile, he speaks.
「I’m Chrono Dizaus. Let’s both do our best on the exam today.」
「I-I’m Alicia. Alicia Corines. Let’s do our best together…!」
For now, he could only be grateful for this encounter.
He was simply happy to have made a friend.