ALL NOVEL Chapter 63
It’s been about six months since I transferred to Enfibe Magic Academy, one of the top educational institutions in the Kainriese Kingdom.
Before that, I attended a noble school in the city of Lene, located in the northern part of the kingdom, which was relatively close to my family home. However, due to my excellent grades in the elementary division and my parents’ encouragement, I transferred to the middle division of the Enfibe Magic Academy in the royal capital.
My family, the Baron of Porthley, is one of the newer noble families in the northern part of the kingdom, with relatively little history. We only hold a small estate, just a bit more than what you’d expect from a large knightly family. Our domain is an utterly ordinary place, with no distinguishing features.
In the hierarchical structure of noble society, the Porthley family is at the very bottom. Normally, children from prominent noble families, those who wield influence in the heart of the kingdom, attend Enfibe Magic Academy. In other words, someone like me shouldn’t have been able to enter the academy—unless something exceptional happened.
And that exceptional factor was my magical talent. While I had slightly above-average magic power for a baronial family, what truly allowed me to enroll was my aptitude for a rare and unique type of magic, different from the basic elemental magic: gravity magic.
To be honest, neither my parents nor I thought I’d actually be accepted.
Compared to commoners, nobles typically have more magic power, and there’s a clear distinction in power levels based on one’s rank. While I might have been able to act high and mighty at the noble school in a provincial town, at this academy, I could only shrink into a corner as a small, insignificant student.
If my magic power as the second son of a baron was like a cat’s, then the heirs of the great noble families, especially marquises and above, were like dragons.
Despite this overwhelming gap, I was allowed into this academy because of the possibility that I could wield gravity magic—a rare magic that is still being studied at the Royal Magic Institute in the capital.
Given all this, it’s no surprise that my grades here were abysmal, despite being the top student at Lene’s noble school. It just goes to show how advanced this academy is. Even in written exams, where I do better than average, I still can’t break into the top 10%.
Moreover, I don’t have a maid or butler to support me in my daily life. It’s not that my family is particularly stingy, but as a relatively new noble family, we don’t have many people willing to follow me all the way to the capital.
So, at this academy, I have to manage everything on my own. When I was at Lene’s noble school, I had three servants hired from among our subjects, so my daily life here feels like a significant downgrade.
No maid comes to help me change in the morning, and no one cleans up my room if I leave things lying around.
While I do receive enough allowance to get by, unlike the children of noble families in the capital who have their own private chefs, if I want to eat something I like, I have to go outside the academy and eat at a restaurant.
…That said, the quality of the food in the student dormitory’s cafeteria is several levels higher than at home, so it’s not too much of a hardship.
But there is one problem. While the cafeteria offers higher-quality meals than I get at home, it is closed on the morning and afternoon of the weekly holiday.
For students like me, who didn’t bring personal chefs with us, the only options for meals on those days are to either head to the cafeteria in the main building or buy snacks from the dormitory’s shop, which opens early in the morning every day.
Of course, cooking for oneself is also possible, but that’s mostly limited to students from impoverished knight families or baronets with very little allowance.
Cooking for oneself to that extent can raise questions about one’s noble status, so it’s not something one does unless absolutely necessary…
Because of this, I usually head to the dormitory’s shop on holiday mornings when the cafeteria is closed.
At this time of day, with the sun just rising and sunlight glaring through the dormitory windows, only a few students are awake—either some students like me from provincial towns or second-class students from noble families in the capital.
Most of them are likely second-class students…
The Enfibe Magic Academy has a unique system that divides students of the same grade into two types: first-class and second-class students.
Earlier, I mentioned that I am at the bottom of the noble hierarchy, but that only applies among the first-class students.
Below me are the second-class students, a separate group. These students would normally not have been able to enter Enfibe Magic Academy but are the children of nobles who govern the areas around the capital—the so-called “capital nobles.”
Many of them are the children of lower-ranking nobles, like barons, baronets, and knightly families, just like me.
To put it simply, if you are born into a noble family with estates near the capital, you can enter Enfibe Magic Academy even if you don’t have much magical talent.
If such students also have at least as much talent as a baron, even children from knight families can enter the academy.
This system stems from the fact that Enfibe Magic Academy is the only educational institution for nobles near the capital. In a sense, it’s more of a place for nobles to get acquainted with each other for future connections, rather than being strictly about talent.
Therefore, Enfibe Magic Academy is divided into first-class students, who have excellent abilities and are expected to lead the next generation, and second-class students, who are there mostly because of their capital-noble background, not their talent.
Of course, some second-class students work hard to become first-class students, but they are a rare minority.
I, on the other hand, am barely hanging on as a first-class student because of my rare talent for gravity magic. In terms of talent, I’m not much different from a second-class student.
In fact, considering that I come from a provincial baron family, without my aptitude for gravity magic, I wouldn’t have even been able to enroll in the academy.
Furthermore, as a transfer student to the middle division and a provincial noble with no long-standing connections, I don’t fit into any groups. I’m not even part of a second-class group, even though my abilities are about the same.
Naturally, in a place full of monsters—the first-class students—I have no friends.
After nearly six months at this academy, I still haven’t made anyone I could call a friend.
In other words, I’m a loner.
I don’t say it out loud, but it’s honestly tough.
Especially compared to the treatment I received at Lene’s noble school.
The only solace I have here is reading books.
The entertainment books occasionally stocked at the dormitory’s shop are my only comfort, and I already have several in my room.
This morning, I came to the shop early, partly to buy breakfast and partly to check if any new books had arrived.
I’ve been here at Enfibe Magic Academy for nearly six months, so I know the days when new items are stocked.
That’s why I’m here, walking to the shop early in the morning, while most students are still asleep.
Here’s the continuation of Chapter 63, translated into English:
—
“I’m sorry, the company that used to supply the entertainment books changed, so we didn’t get any books that you’d probably like, Diero.”
“Huh… but there are books here…”
As I suspected, the selection at the store had changed drastically, and the atmosphere was quite different from before. While the everyday items hadn’t changed much, the sweets, which were popular products in the shop, had been replaced with ones I had never seen before.
Moreover, the prices were so high that even I, as a noble, hesitated for a moment.
However, since I’m not someone who buys sweets regularly, I reached out to grab a book that was tucked away in the corner of the store.
At that moment, Mainer-san suddenly remembered and explained that the book I was about to pick up wasn’t the usual type of entertainment book.
“That’s a rulebook for a product called ‘Toreka.’ It’s a card game where you battle, kind of like playing cards, but with detailed rules.”
“A rulebook?”
“Look, the title on the cover says ‘Cross World,’ right? That’s the rulebook for that game.”
On the counter in front of the shop were stacks of small, rectangular paper packets. They seemed to come in different varieties, with names like “M○G” and “Y○GiOh,” which were unfamiliar to me.
Among them, there was a game called *Cross World*, which had a sign labeling it as Mainer-san’s top recommendation.
“So, it’s like playing cards, a game where you battle against others like in board games?”
“Yeah, but in this *Toreka* game, each card has different effects and abilities. You build a deck by combining these cards and use it to battle.”
“Sounds pretty complicated…”
From the way Mainer-san explained it, it seemed even he wasn’t fully familiar with the rules of *Toreka*.
But just from listening, it sounded intriguing. I had played card games like *trump* a few times before, and they had a unique charm compared to traditional board games.
However…
“It sounds like an awfully expensive hobby. Just getting the 40 cards required to play would cost tens of thousands of gold. It’s a game only nobles can afford, right?”
“You’re right, Diero, but I think it’s worth more than the money. Here, I received this as a sample—take a look. Isn’t the artwork beautiful?”
Just as I was about to remark on how expensive it was, Mainer-san pulled out a card from behind the counter and handed it to me.
“We play with this?”
The card was rectangular, thick, and resembled the guild cards carried by adventurers and merchants. Its artwork was so finely detailed that I almost mistook it for a piece by a famous artist.
The card depicted a common adventurer’s outfit often seen around the royal capital. The adventurer in the artwork was poised, sword drawn, ready to strike with incredible intensity.
If Mainer-san hadn’t told me that it was part of a game, I would’ve assumed it was a work of art. The colors were vivid, and the figure seemed like it could leap out of the card at any moment.
(…For something this exquisite, it might actually be worth the price?)
I still didn’t fully understand how the game worked, but with artwork this beautiful, it probably had value as a collectible.
…In fact, getting five cards for 3,000 gold almost felt too cheap.
“This *Toreka* game is apparently quite popular with Lord Roan, the younger brother of Lord Rey.”
“Lord Roan Castiano?”
Roan Castiano—the second son of the Castiano Marquis family, one of the three great magic noble families.
He currently attends the elementary division of the Enfibe Magic Academy and is set to enter the middle division, joining the Great Eagle Dormitory next year.
At the top of the Great Eagle Dormitory is his elder brother, Rey Castiano, who to me, is someone far beyond my reach, as is Roan.
“As expected from a great noble family… they’re always ahead of the trends.”
Until Mainer-san mentioned it, I hadn’t even heard of *Toreka*.
It might just be that I’m out of touch since I don’t have any friends, but for a game with such stunning artwork, it wouldn’t be surprising if it were the talk of the capital.
So, it’s probably a recent creation.
“And this *Toreka* was stocked in the shop because…”
“Yes, it’s on Lord Rey’s recommendation. I think he’ll be stopping by to buy some before noon.”
At that moment, the importance of *Toreka* skyrocketed in my mind.
(If Lord Rey, the head of the Great Eagle Dormitory, is recommending it, then his circle of followers will likely start playing as well. It’s uncertain whether it will spread throughout the entire academy, but if it does…)
“Mainer-san, how many rulebooks and starter decks do you have?”
“There are three rulebooks and ten starter decks. I didn’t order many because the books are expensive and take up space.”
The starter deck was recommended for beginners, and the rulebook, of course, contained the knowledge needed to win.
The starter deck was priced at 50,000 gold, and the rulebook at 350,000 gold… A hefty sum for a hobby, but if this game became popular, securing these cards and information early would give me a massive advantage.
“Mainer-san, I’ll take a starter deck and five packs. And a rulebook, too.”
“Thanks for your business… But are you sure about this?”
The total exceeded 400,000 gold, but I had saved up a lot of money with the intention of buying books today, so it wasn’t an issue.
If this *Toreka* trend spread across the academy, the value of this purchase would far exceed the cost. Even if it didn’t, at worst, I could sell the cards to a merchant in the capital.
Trusting my gut instinct, I decided to invest the large sum of money I had saved for books into buying *Toreka*.