When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 150

Episode 150

“Hey, Jez. Has something happened with Saylor?”

Two weeks had passed since the midterm exams ended. On a weekday during a break between classes, Seraphina casually asked Jez.

Jez was still hanging out with Victor and Seraphina at school, but Seraphina suddenly threw this question at him.

“Saylor? No, not really. Nothing in particular.”

“…Is that so? Well, if you say so. By the way, what does Victor think?”

“Huh? Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you say it again?”

“…No, it’s nothing important, so don’t worry about it.”

Even though Seraphina asked, Jez seemed just as usual. It really seemed like he wasn’t thinking about it at all. It was a waste of time asking Victor.

From Seraphina’s perspective, starting the day after the midterm exams, Saylor’s attitude towards Jez had clearly softened. Of course, Saylor’s attitude had already improved significantly during their study sessions for the exams, but it felt like there had been another step toward increased closeness since then.

Earlier, even though there seemed to be no special reason, Saylor had approached Jez during the break between classes, exchanged a few words, and then immediately returned to her seat.

The calm expression Erin had while exchanging a few words with Jez was so charming that even Seraphina, who was of the same gender, was slightly captivated.

Seraphina had never seen Saylor act like that in the classroom. Usually, she maintained a cool and calm demeanor. But when talking to Jez, she showed a more typical teenage girl’s expression.

It seemed unreasonable to think there was nothing going on, but Jez genuinely didn’t seem to understand. Seraphina wondered if all the men in this country had muscles even in their brains or if Jez was just particularly insensitive.

Feeling somewhat sorry for Saylor, Seraphina decided to watch from a distance with a smile, thinking that it was best not to get involved in this sort of situation.

The results of the midterm exams that the five of them had studied for together were now available. There had been no significant changes in rankings since the entrance exams.

The top three in general subjects remained Erin, Miriam, and Seraphina in that order.

In each subject, Jez and Victor continued to dominate. Victor’s grades in theoretical and magical subjects were particularly outstanding, with discussions already starting about him being a genius not seen since the Royal Academy was established.

In martial arts, despite various issues, Jez kept the top spot. It seemed Norman’s name, even as an adopted child, was not just for show.

And for interviews, Jez also ranked first this time. Although this top spot would eventually be counted as one of the seven mysteries of the Royal Academy, it was an especially perplexing result for students aspiring to be bureaucrats.

Both Jez and Victor continued to be in the top ten overall, but this time Victor moved up to 6th place overall, while Jez stayed at 8th place.

Victor’s rank improvement was due to his decent scores in martial arts, in addition to his previous high rankings in theoretical and magical subjects.

Victor, who continued his morning training, was starting to see the results of it. On the other hand, Jez’s magic was still a weak point. Due to his natural disposition, he struggled with release-type magic. The training with Victor and others had made him more suited for short-term battles.

The teachers also believed that Jez had the talent to aim for a brigade commander, or even a legion commander, based on his skills in martial arts and interviews. They thought he should improve his magic’s versatility.

However, after discussing Jez’s thoughts and combat style in a meeting with his instructors post-exam, it was decided to observe for a while longer. The teachers warned that his highly specialized skills might make him less suitable for collective operations as a legion soldier.

Amidst this, the Royal Academy’s first semester’s major event, the Magic Tournament, was approaching.

The Royal Academy has several major events throughout the year. The first semester includes orientation camp for new students, midterm exams, the Magic Tournament, and the final exams.

The second semester, after a summer break of just under two months, features the post-holiday exams, cultural festival, sports festival, and final exams.

The third semester, after a short winter break, includes the martial arts tournament and the end-of-year exams.

For second and third-year students, additional events like long-distance training camps, school trips, inspections abroad, and graduation exams are also included.

Anyway, the goal is to thoroughly learn during the three years at the Royal Academy and gain a solid foundation for life as a working adult afterward. After graduating from the Royal Academy, most people get jobs, and only a very small number continue on to the Academy.

But back to the topic: the Magic Tournament. This event is where those who excel in magic and magical tools become the main players. In a country where events often rely heavily on physical strength, the Magic Tournament and the cultural festival are rare events where non-combatants and students related to magical professions take center stage.

Despite being such an event, participation in the Magic Tournament is mandatory for all students. Although Jez is not good at magic, he was contemplating how to make it presentable. He was pondering what to do when he heard Saylor say,

“Hey, Norman. If you’d like, I can help you practice. What do you think?”

So, Jez decided to take her up on the offer. Thus, Jez and Erin would spend their afternoons practicing magic together.

By the way, when it came to this training, Jez tried to invite the other members too. But Seraphina declined with a grin, saying, “I have some church business!” Miriam said, “I have things to do with the Magic Tool Club this time!” and Victor had disappeared somewhere without notice.

As a result, it ended up being just Erin and Jez practicing magic together after school. Jez didn’t notice that Erin’s lips were slightly curled into a grin when she realized this.

・　・　・

For the week or so leading up to the Magic Tournament, Jez and Erin practiced magic together every day after school. It seemed Erin had been secretly practicing recovery magic all along and used it to restore Jez’s magical power, encouraging him to use magic more and more.

Jez used magic repeatedly, despite its inefficiency. And whenever his magical energy was running low, Erin would restore it. This practice was also helping Erin improve her recovery magic.

After several days of this routine,

“Please help me again today.”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you too.”

In the outdoor practice area at the academy after school, the two of them joined up and immediately got to work on their magic practice. 

That day, by chance, they decided to let Jez release his magical power to the fullest. This might make the flow of magic smoother and make it easier to use magic afterward.

After various preparations, Jez focused on increasing his magical power while preparing to punch toward the sky for safety. His right hand was becoming filled with an incredibly dense magical energy. The density was so high that it was almost surprising it hadn’t already caused a magical explosion.

As the density increased further, Jez’s right fist began to shine with the materialized magical energy. Erin realized that this might be dangerous and was about to suggest stopping. However, at that very moment, Jez swung his fist toward the sky.

The high-density magical energy was released into the sky. With a thunderous sound, the clouds were instantly blown away. The summer sky was suddenly clear, with no clouds in sight.

Erin was captivated by this strange sight but then noticed,

“…Norman?!”

She rushed over to Jez, who had collapsed from exhaustion due to running out of magical power.

・　・　・

“Ouch…”

“Thank goodness, you’re awake.”

When Jez came to, he saw Erin’s relieved face right in front of him against the backdrop of the summer blue sky. She touched his bangs with her fingertips, then gently poked his cheek. After confirming that Jez was fully conscious, she let out a sigh of relief.

“You collapsed from running out of magical power. Do you remember?”

“…Yeah, sorry for worrying you.”

As Jez tried to get up from Erin’s lap pillow,

“You’re not allowed to get up yet.”

She said, holding him down. The soft feeling against his head and Erin’s face right in front of him made Jez look away, slightly embarrassed.

“…Well, you know, this is pretty embarrassing.”

Jez said, a bit awkwardly averting his gaze, but Erin chuckled and replied,

“I know. …I’m pretty embarrassed too.”

She said, smiling shyly.

・　・　・

For the 50th episode, Jez punched King Ramses; for the 100th episode, Victor became a golden sword; and for the 150th episode, student Jez was given a lap pillow by Erin under the summer sky. What a range from the 100th to the 150th episode! Thanks, everyone, for always reading!