Pentacles
Through the fact that he summoned the adorable familiar Berzelius, a slight scepticism arises. This fellow, maybe, he’s not that great of a Dark Magician after all. That was the impression the students got.
The one who raised her hand right away over there was, Lily. A beautiful girl with MAX competitiveness who thinks of embarrassing Asch at every opportunity she is.
“Asch-sensei! What can that familiar, Berzelius, do?”
“……various things”
“What’s ‘various things’!?”
“……Berzelius, looks like she’s looking down on you. Go ahead and show her your power”
At Asch’s demand, the familiar Berzelius nods and raises his arm like it’s a hassle.
“It can’t be helped……then, here I goー”
＜＜Display, The Existence Of Fire, To The Enemy＞＞ーーFlame Arrow (Fire・Emblem)
Poof
“……haa, haa. Ho, how is itt”
For an instant……for just an instant, something flame-ish was visible. The「how is it」Berzelius is saying probably refers to this.
“Asch-sensei……is there any point in summoning a familiar like this?”
Lily makes a triumphant-looking expression. If one were to translate her feelings. It’s, ‘that’s all you can summon, a good-for-nothing like this’.
“……hey, don’t say something like that. Asch-sensei, am I able to summon Bel-chan too?”
Just one person, Cis is the only one amongst them who’s gotten motivated. However, she’s already treating the familiar like a cute younger brother. Cis who wants to hug him tightly and pat him at every opportunity she is.
“Of course. It’s simple as long as you can draw the sign”
Asch answers with a smile.
At that moment,
“Even without Magic Power?”
A voice like that can be heard from somewhere. They couldn’t pinpoint whose voice that was, but it undoubtedly resounded inside the classroom, and several of the students are smiling condescendingly. And then, the beautiful inept girl who heard that voice behind her makes a sullen expression and takes her seat.
“Hey! Who was it that just said that!”
Lily reflexively snaps at that ridicule that’s obviously tossed at Cis, but nobody answers.
“Please quiet down, Lily-kun”
Asch warns her with a serious look.
“But……”
“Do you think that you’re the only one who can ask questions or something? They too have the right to ask questions. Who was the student who tossed the question just now?”
“……”
Nobody answers.
“Hmm……that’s strange. Even that noisy Lily-kun heard it. It couldn’t have been my imagination”
“……”
As expected, nobody answered Asch’s question.
“……well, it’s just the right time. I guess let’s show you another ability of the familiar, Berzelius”
At Asch’s request, Berzelius starts walking like it’s a hassle again. He goes back and forth that long table. He merely walks in front of the students. Before long, he stopped in front of a single student.
“This child. The one who asked the question just now is this child”
“Wha……”
One of the students, Jispa＝Jarl, was stricken with fear. A classmate with top grades, and also well-received amongst the students and the teachers. A typical excellent student she is.
“……Jispa-kun huh. Why, did you pretend like you didn’t ask the question?”
“Wha, what, are you saying? I didn’t really……”
“”It’s of course because I hate Cis＝Klose. I hate that girl who entered the special class through her connections when she doesn’t even have Magic Power. That’s why, I went and said it. ‘Why is she in this special class even though she doesn’t have Magic Power’. If what Asch says is true, then that means that girl isn’t House Klose’s child, right””
Berzelius, the familiar, interrupts Jispa and starts talking. Like ventriloquism, it turned into her voice and reverberated in the classroom.
“Wha……”
“”I worked hard. Extremely hard. Even though I was born to lower-class noble parents, I wasn’t disheartened. One day, I’ll become an upper-class noble, unlike those parents. I don’t want to be like those parents. I studied the whole time. That’s why, I managed to enter this special class as well. I’m the one who worked the hardest. One day, I’ll make everybody kneel before me. I’ll work harder than anybody in this special class, become greater than anybody””
“St, stop it! That’s wrong! Everybody, that’s wrong!”
“”I hate Cis. I hate her, who managed to get into this special class with just her status. She’s an imposter who’s pretending to be noble when she has a commoner’s blood. That’s why, it’s fine for me to bully her. I’ve put in so much effort after all. That much should be allowed. I’m such an excellent student after all. I proactively take up the dirty job to improve the teachers’ impression of me; the cleaning, the odd jobs. I buttered up the stupid and self-important upper-class nobles as well. I even handed over my notes; I even did their homework for them. That’s why, it’s a given for me to bully an upper-class noble’s Inept. It’s a given for that much to be allowed. I’ve worked so hard after all. I’m such an excellent student after all. I――””
“Noooooooooo! Stop it already―――――――――――――――!”
Jispa blocks her ears and screams madly in tears.
“That’s, enough. Berzelius. Good work. Now then, ladies and gentlemen. Have you understood his ability?”
Nobody answers. Everybody is keeping silent with a pale expression. All that’s audible is, Jispa’s whimper.
“……I shall take the silence as your answer. That’s right, he reads what’s in people’s heart.『Reproach(Blame)』. That’s what I call his ability. I truly find this ability to be useful, you know. Now then, Jispa”
“Hii……”
Jispa is frightened; frightened of this Magician who exposed the inside of her heart in an instant.
“You asked a good question.『Can one perform Demon Summoning even without Magic Power』. The answer is『NO』. One cannot perform Demon Summoning without Magic Power. However, Cis is the only exception who can perform summoning”
The students’ gazes gather at the Dark Magician’s words.
“However, compensation is needed. Cis, can you stand in front of Berzelius?”
“……yes”
Cis stood up from her seat, walked out, and confronted Berzelius.
“”Jispa＝Jarl……she hates me? I hate her too. I hate her even more. Every single day, you bully me. Did I do something to you? Do you think that you’re the only one who’s putting in the effort? I put in my effort like crazy. ‘Inept’……I had known that’s how I’m being laughed at as well. I had been thinking the whole time……that maybe I’m actually not related by blood with my parents. But, nevertheless, so that I can use Magic. Hey, do you know? My written exam results are better than you, you know? I put in effort like crazy more so than you, you know?””
“……”
Cis pierce through the silence while quietly closing her eyes.
“”It goes for everybody. I was lonely. Nobody saved me. Nobody spoke to me. I was lonely. I was lonely being by myself the whole time. That’s why, I was always crying. I hate such me. I loathe it. I hate the me that cried without being able to say anything. I hate the me that got bullied without being able to fight back. Even though I loathe everybody so much……I hate the me that end up feeling lonely nevertheless””
“……”
Before long, Cis opened her eyes and smiled.
“Asch-sensei, this is……this is my dark side huh”
“……correct. Please try touching Berzelius’ forehead”
Cis, she gently placed her finger on Berzelius’ forehead according to Asch’s instruction.
A black light entered her chest in that instant.
“This……is”
“You, offered your dark side to Berzelius. Your genuine dark side. If you summon Berzelius, he’ll probably assist you”
“Eh……then, have I become capable of summoning Bel-chan?”
“Aah. It’s likely that as far as chants go, you’re capable of performing them to quite a high level. Your Magic Power Field(Gate) exists, but it’s being obstructed from releasing outwards by your disposition. It comes with the condition of only if you’re able to overcome that though. Therefore, that means you can no longer say, that she’s not someone of the House Klose’s bloodline”
Asch turns to Jispa, but she’s still trembling and looking downwards as before.
“Eh……does that mean, I’ve become capable of using Magic?”
Cis asks with a shaking voice.
“Aah, I still haven’t found the method for that yet, but with my pride as a Dark Magician on the line, I’ll shed light on it for you to see”
“……yayyー, Bel-chan”
Cis embraced Berzelius with all her strength happily. She squeezed him, pat him, and squeezed him again.
“Be, Bel-chan……hey, little girl. Truth be told, I’m that great demon……”
“He, hey. Girl. It hurts……”
Chuu
“Nn――――――”
Cis pressed her lips on his forehead.
“……”
Ponn
“Huh……Bel-chan……Bel-chaーn! Bel-chaーn!”
The Dark Magician approaches Cis delightedly.
“That fellow, he got embarrassed and ran away huh. Cis, you succeeded in contracting Berzelius. Now then, Jispa-kun”
“Ye, yes……”
Jispa nods while quivering. She was afraid of her own punishment.
Normally, it is inexcusable for a lower-class noble to oppose an upper-class noble publicly. If a teacher finds out about that, it’s not uncommon for a teacher who’s strict about the hierarchy to dish out expulsion as the punishment. Nevertheless, Cis being bullied was, an unspoken acknowledgement between the students. It’s because there’s the silent consent amongst the teachers towards the persecution of an Inept. If it’s brought to light, they’ll have no choice but to make a move because of their position as a ‘teacher’.
However, Asch gently pats her head without even condemning her for that.
“Open up your heart a bit more. Amongst the people here, the ones who have the strength to reveal what’s in their heart are presently, Cis and……”
“……what is it?”
Lily snaps at the Dark Magician’s gaze.
“……no. I was wondering if you’re ever going to stop crying”
“Guu……”
Hearing that Cis’ inept can be cured, she’s happier than the person in question. A crybaby and a beautiful girl she is.
“In any case, when you encounter a Demon like Berzelius, you people have to be prepared to have your darkness exposed. Otherwise, the darkness will probably easily consume and kill you. By no means do you want to be preys, right?”
“……”
“I shall take the silence as your answer. Well then, today’s lesson will end he――”
“Er, err, Sensei”
Jispa raises her hand timidly.
“Nn? Is it a question”
“Me……and Cis……what should we do”
“I don’t know. A teacher shouldn’t interfere with the problem between the people in question. If that’s all, then let’s wrap things up”
He casually says and starts walking towards the door.
“Oops……that’s right. It’s a popular opinion at best. But I hear that those who communicated their feelings to each other, their ill feelings disappear, and become closer. It’s a popular opinion at best though”
Casually saying that, Asch left the classroom and closed the door.
“Jispa……”
Cis approaches and speaks her.
“……Cis, err……I……”
・・・
Asch, who starts walking down the corridor delightedly while listening to the girls’ voices in front of the door.
Mira was waiting outside.
“How was it? My splendid lesson”
“The strength to reveal what’s in their heart……is it. How old was Asch-sama, when you contracted Berzelius?”
“It’s probably about the same as them if I’m not wrong. It’s already something that happened more than 180 years ago though”
“Even now, are you capable of revealing what’s in your heart?”
“……there’s nothing to worry about, I’ll hide it even from a Demon for you to see”
Asch smirked.
