Chapter 24

Episode 24: Alphonse Fried <2>

──Ten years ago.

In the year Alphonse turned seven, his father showed him “it” for the first time.

“Listen, Alphonse.”

Speaking to the still-young Alphonse, his father’s tone and expression were stern and severe.

“It is the destiny bestowed upon our Fried family to truly destroy this monster. To fulfill this immense responsibility, half-hearted strength won’t suffice.”

Alphonse, trembling with instinctive fear and tears welling in his eyes as he faced “it,” was met with even harsher words from his father.

“Alphonse. You’re still too weak. Far too weak. Even compared to others your age, you’re lacking. …Listen, you must one day defeat this monster. You must become stronger than anyone else.”

──Even now, ten years later, those words are etched into Alphonse’s heart.

◆

──Time returns to the present.

On this day, most of the faculty at the Crawford Magic Academy had been summoned to the royal capital, so all classes after the fourth period, starting in the early afternoon, were canceled.

After finishing the third period, Alphonse Fried headed to the academy’s cafeteria for lunch.

The cafeteria at Crawford Magic Academy served meals from morning until evening, allowing students and faculty to visit at their leisure.

While it was open for use at any time, most teachers and students visited during the 90-minute lunch break following the second period, which ended at noon.

As a result, while the cafeteria was crowded enough to fill even the second floor during lunch break, there were few students using it after the third period when Alphonse arrived, and many empty seats were visible.

During busy times, one had to secure a seat before ordering at the counter, but seeing that wasn’t necessary now, Alphonse headed straight to the cafeteria counter.

“Stew, bread, steamed potatoes, sausage, and vegetable soup, please.”

“Understood.”

After Alphonse placed his order with the cook at the counter, the cook repeated the order for confirmation before retreating to the kitchen.

At the academy’s cafeteria, meals were provided free of charge to students and faculty, so they could order at the counter and receive their meals without any monetary exchange.

“Thank you for waiting.”

After a brief wait at the counter, the cook returned with a tray of dishes.

“Thank you.”

Bowing slightly in gratitude, Alphonse took the tray and left the counter. He placed the tray on a nearby long table and took a seat.

Then,

“…Tch.”

A clicking of the tongue came from a seat a few tables away.

“Huh?”

Puzzled, Alphonse turned his gaze toward the sound, where a male student with greenish-blonde hair was glaring at him with obvious displeasure before roughly standing up.

“Ah, sorry──”

Before Alphonse could finish, the male student, visibly irritated, grabbed his tray and left.

Seeing this, Alphonse grimaced, thinking, “I messed up.”

The male student with the slightly spiky hair was Ted Evans, a fellow second-year Class A student.

And he was one of the group that openly disliked Alphonse and often spoke ill of him behind his back.

Just the other day, after a mock battle in class, Alphonse had overheard them badmouthing him, so he was well aware of their feelings.

“(Of course he’d be annoyed if I sat near him… That was really thoughtless of me…)”

Feeling guilty, Alphonse deeply regretted not checking before sitting down.

“…Let’s eat.”

With a bitter expression, Alphonse began his meal, his head slightly bowed.

◆

The greenish-blonde male student, Ted Evans, ranked fifth in the second year.

He usually hung out with a group of four from the same class.

The four shared a common animosity toward Alphonse Fried, forming a group of top-ranked students in their year shortly after enrollment.

While they weren’t particularly close friends, the four spent a lot of time together due to their shared disdain for Alphonse. It was as if they bonded over a common enemy, much like people with similar interests or goals.

Today, Ted and his usual group were heading to the cafeteria together, but the other three were running late due to submitting assignments, so Ted went ahead alone.

“(…There are plenty of seats after the third period.)”

Seeing the nearly empty cafeteria, Ted decided there was no need to save seats for the others and took a seat near the counter.

While waiting for the others, Ted noticed the one face he least wanted to see in the academy.

None other than Alphonse Fried.

The moment he saw Alphonse, Ted unconsciously frowned and clenched his teeth.

He still hadn’t forgotten the humiliation from a certain comment Alphonse made two years ago.

Ted glared at Alphonse as he walked through the cafeteria with his tray, but Alphonse didn’t notice and sat down at the same table.

“…Tch.”

“Ah, sorry──”

Ted clicked his tongue, not bothering to hide his irritation, and stood up, glaring at Alphonse as he left with his tray.

Alphonse had started to say something, but Ted didn’t bother to listen and walked away.

After moving two tables away, Ted waited for the others.

As Ted fidgeted impatiently, the three he was waiting for soon arrived at the cafeteria. After picking up their trays at the counter, they spotted Ted and joined him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“…Yeah.”

“…? You seem in a bad mood. We weren’t that late, were we?”

“Nah, I’m not mad at you guys. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“…I saw that annoying face again.”

“?”

Ted’s frown prompted the others to follow his gaze.

“Ah, I see.”

One of them nodded in understanding, and Ted continued.

“Yeah. I was sitting at that table earlier, but he came and sat right next to me. So I moved here.”

Ted spoke with clear disdain.

“Ugh, just hearing about it makes me feel sick.”

“Does he not realize how much people dislike him? He’s so clueless.”

“Well, that’s why he’s always eating alone, huh?”

“Haha, no doubt about that.”

“Quite different from the world-renowned hero, huh?”

Ted’s negative emotions resonated with the others, who began to throw insults at Alphonse.

They seemed to enjoy badmouthing him, laughing loudly.

“…”

Perhaps hearing their voices, Alphonse’s expression turned visibly bitter.

Seeing this, Ted inwardly sneered, “(…Serves you right.)”

◆

While Ted and his group mocked Alphonse, the truth was that Alphonse Fried’s abilities were far from laughable.

Of course, the male students ridiculing Alphonse were also Class A students at the Magic Academy, undoubtedly among the top in their year.

However, the gap between Alphonse Fried, ranked second in the year and one of only two S-rank magic students in the academy, and the other male students was like heaven and earth.

Even if they all attacked him at once, Alphonse could handle them in less than ten seconds.

And the male students mocking him were well aware of this gap.

Half the reason they insulted Alphonse despite knowing his strength was jealousy.

First, Alphonse Fried was blessed with good looks.

With his beautiful golden hair, shining blue eyes, fair skin, and tall stature, he was universally recognized as a handsome young man.

Moreover, he was blessed with lineage.

The “great hero” or “savior” often mentioned in Ted’s conversations referred to a hero named Sieg Fried.

Sieg Fried was the only person in history to be awarded the title of “SSS-rank” and was hailed as the strongest in history.

…Four hundred years ago, there was a dragon known as the “Black Calamity Dragon.”

The “Black Calamity Dragon” had destroyed numerous countries with its overwhelming power, plunging the world into terror.

The one who single-handedly defeated the “Black Calamity Dragon” and saved the world was the great hero Sieg Fried, Alphonse’s ancestor.

Sieg Fried was a half-dragon, half-human, possessing immense magical power and a robust physique far beyond that of a pure human, capable of wielding numerous powerful spells.

Magical power and talent are largely determined by genetics. Thus, Alphonse Fried, descended from the world’s strongest man, could be said to have the most blessed lineage.

Being blessed with such a lineage meant he was guaranteed talent beyond the ordinary and rapid growth in strength.

“Just born into the right family,” “just lucky,” yet possessing overwhelming strength that they could never match no matter how hard they tried, and on top of that, being good-looking.

It was no wonder the other male students resented him.

But jealousy wasn’t the only reason the second-year Class A male students targeted Alphonse Fried.

The biggest reason Alphonse was disliked stemmed from an incident during the entrance exam two years ago.

The entrance exam for Crawford Magic Academy involved demonstrating basic elemental spells on targets provided by the academy, similar to regular exams.

At just fifteen, Alphonse unleashed spells of such power that even the academy’s teachers couldn’t compare, ultimately half-destroying the exam venue.

The examiners and other examinees were stunned, showering him with praise and admiration.

“…?”

…However, Alphonse didn’t understand the situation.

Having been told by his parents since childhood, “Your strength is average,” “You’re a disgrace to the Fried family,” “You’re still not good enough,” Alphonse believed his abilities were ordinary.

In reality, Alphonse had exceptional talent even within his family, but his parents had used harsh words and a strict upbringing to push him further.

Unaware of this, Alphonse firmly believed his abilities were average, so he couldn’t understand why everyone was amazed by his performance.

And then, with a genuinely puzzled expression, he said to everyone in the exam venue:

“Isn’t this normal?”

As a result, he was utterly despised.

Though he had no ill intent, it was an unfortunate accident, but of course, no one knew the truth.

To everyone else, his words sounded like, “Isn’t this normal? Can’t you even do this?”—an insult to their abilities.

And so, Alphonse Fried gained a reputation as “arrogant and sarcastic,” becoming the target of his classmates’ animosity…