War lord Kaede

Flashback:

"Hey, you're new too, right? Which class are you in?"

What does he want from me? He's annoying. I don't even know him.

"Don't bother me."

"You're in a bad mood, huh? Come on, just tell me which class you're in."

Maybe he'll go away if I answer.

"I'm in M1f, alright?"

"Whoa, that's awesome! Me too! Let's be friends!"

Great, poked the hornet's nest. I should've just kept my mouth shut.

"No thanks, bye."

"What's his problem? Why's he so grumpy? Weird guy – but kind of funny."

In the classroom:

"Dear students of M1f, the magic level test will begin shortly. Please step forward when your name is called."

So that's our teacher. She really looks like a scarecrow. And those glasses – couldn't be more embarrassing. How can someone even come to school in this weather wearing shorts? And those shoes... Is she three years old or what? Are those even shoes or already sandals?

Whatever. At least the classroom is more modern than I expected. It's got everything a researcher's heart could desire. The room's almost as big as a small hall. So this is the luxury of this school? Impressive.

But more importantly: why is that guy sitting next to me now? He's already annoying me with those stupid curls.

I want to enjoy my school life. So I'll suppress my magical power for now. But I should be careful.

"Hey, curly-head, is this a lot of magic power? I'm almost at my limit. Is this enough for C-Rank?" I tried to make an exhausted face, but I didn't think it looked convincing, because that annoying guy gave me a weird look.

"Huh? Now you're suddenly so chatty when you need my help? Seriously? You're really something! Hey, stop looking away all disinterested and rolling your eyes!"

Now you're ignoring me too?

Kaede stops listening.

Kaede: It was a mistake asking that guy anything. First day and I'm already fed up. Whatever. As long as I stick to my plan, nothing can go wrong.

Kaede nodded with confidence.

"Hey," said Shiro.

"But to answer your question: that's good enough for B-Rank. You have a bit less mana than I do."

Kaede nodded, both thankfully and dismissively. How does he even do that?

So a bit less mana.

"Kaede Saka, please step forward. Place your hand on the device and release your mana."

Okay, just a little, not too much. How easy is this test? Is that it already?

"C-Rank, third stage!" the teacher shouted.

Perfect. Couldn't be better. Now I just have to sit back and relax.

"Next, please..."

30 minutes later.

"Alright, that was everyone. Please give me your attention."

"You now have 10 minutes to divide into groups of 3 to 4. Choose wisely, as this will be your battle team for the next four years of training, studying, and evaluation. Once the group is chosen, it is final and cannot be changed."

Alright, I'll just wait until the end and join the weakest group left. That way I can have a peaceful life here. I wonder who's weak in this class.

Many students got up, talking and looking for group members as if it were the most important thing in the world. Nope, I'd rather just stay lying here, Kaede yawned and remained on the desk.

10 minutes later:

Shiro: "Hey, Kaede, do you have a group yet?" Shiro smiled at me strangely – almost suspiciously.

Kaede:

"First of all, Shiro, don't just call me by my name, and second, no."

Kaede dropped his head back onto the desk.

"Okay, got it." Shiro still smiled politely.

Why do I get a bad feeling from that smile? Is he planning something? Kaede looked at him again, but Shiro had already looked away.

"Alright, time's up, students. Please take your seats again."

All students sat back down. As the classroom finally grew quiet...

Kaede was still lying on the desk.

Now I just have to wait.

"Hey Kaede."

He's doing it again. Calling me by my name again. Does he have no manners?

"Be honest, Kaede, you were holding back during the magic test just now. Your mana was much stronger before. So you're holding back and trying to hide in a weak group so you can be lazy, am I right?" Shiro grinned – but this time it carried danger.

Side glance from Kaede.

How did he figure that out so quickly?

Shiro:

His look says it all. Just as I thought – bullseye. Shiro smiled at him.

Teacher:

"Yes, your name please, and the name of your group."

Shiro:

"No offense, Kaede, but I think you're better off with us. So I won't let you back out and waste your great potential just because you're lazy.

My name is Yuna, and my group members are Riku, Shiro, and Kaede."

Teacher: "Alright, any objections?"

Kaede squirmed while Shiro pressed his head smiling into the desk and covered his mouth.

Kaede:

This is bad. What is wrong with them? They're ruining my plan. I need to fight back – quickly!

Shiro:

Sorry, Kaede, but someone like you shouldn't avoid his responsibilities."

Kaede:

"Like hell I'm accepting this! Yes, here! I... I have an objection! Hereee, me!"

Kaede screamed at the top of his lungs: "Heeere!"

She hears me and still doesn't react. She's even looking straight at me.

Teacher:

"Objections? None? Good, then this group is finalized."

Boom.

Kaede just fainted.

What did I ever do to her? It's like she read my mind and wanted payback.

"What a weird guy. Is he really B-Rank?" asked a proud-looking guy from the side.

I was no longer responsive at that point.

Shiro:

"One hundred percent."

After school:

"Hey, Kaede, wait up!"

Kaede was still mentally absent, unable to believe what just happened.

This is hell. Exactly what I didn't want. How did I end up in the strongest group?

"Hey, your name's Kaede, right? From today on, we're all friends. Come on, give me five!"

The girl gave a kind, innocent-looking smile.

Kaede, still dazed.

Shiro grabbed Kaede's hand and high-fived it with Yuna's.

Shiro:

"Alright, from now on we're all friends. I'm Shiro, as you already know, and these are my middle school friends: Riku and Yuna. Let's work well together!"

Yeah, that's how it was. Thinking back, this is all Shiro's fault. I now hate him three times as much.

"Hey Kaede, what's wrong? Why are you glaring at me like that?"

"Shut up. I don't talk to scum like you."

"Huh? What did I do? Stop pulling my hair like a cat! Ow!"

"This is all your fault."

"What did I even do?"

"That's it Kaede, give it to that bastard, don't let him use you."

"Yuna, you're misunderstanding—ow!"

Afternoon:

Yuna and Riku:

The sun stood high in the sky. The streets were as clean as ever, filled with markets selling the latest technologies. A tram ran on the right, and balconies were decorated with flowers and hanging laundry.

"It's really warm today again, and the capital's looking lively as always, huh, Yuna?"

"Yeah, but there are guards everywhere. Feels like we're constantly being watched," Yuna replied softly.

"Peace doesn't come without a price."

"I know, but still – a few fewer guards wouldn't hurt."

"Maybe so. But safety is safety."

The further they walked, the louder the people became.

Many stared at them, talking about their uniforms and looking surprised. After all, academy students weren't seen every day since the school was located on the outskirts.

"Look, Mama, they're from the academy! The pride of Velmaria! They're wearing the uniform, look!"

"Now we're really on the shopping street, right Riku," Yuna whispered with an embarrassed face.

"Yeah. Don't you think you should know the capital by now, after a year? Even for someone from the countryside – no, even for someone from the magic academy – it should be easy, Yuna."

Yuna scratched her head and smiled.

Yuna: Is he serious? Does he have to say it so loudly and embarrass me in front of everyone?

"Yeah yeah, geography and all that. Not so important – that's what I have you for, Riku."

"But I'm not alwaaays here! You should memorize the city quickly, or I won't come with you anymore, Yuna."

Yuna waved her arms in shock. Her face turned slightly red. "Dummy," she mumbled flatly, hit Riku on the head, and looked away sulkily. Then she walked off without another glance at him.

"Ow! What did I do now? Are you nuts?"

"She was just super cheerful a moment ago, and now she hits me like I did something awful." But somehow she's cute when she's mad like that.

"Riku, come on, I'm waiting."

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming."

Marketplace:

Now the laughing merchants could be heard clearly. Loud voices called out their goods, and the sweet smell of fried dough filled the air. A peaceful day – though the marketplace was never really peaceful. There were even more guards here than elsewhere.

"Ah, there's the marketplace. Say, Riku, do you think something's wrong with Kaede?" she asked seriously. "I mean, he's been so distant and cold for a whole year now, and we don't even know how he was before that. Actually, if I think about it – we don't know anything about him. Well, he is lazy, but don't you think there might be a reason for his behavior?"

Riku:

Yuna looked at me with a worried expression – one she rarely showed. I know she trusts us and values our friendship deeply.

So, this has been bothering her all day. That explains her bad mood. But now that I think about it, she's not wrong. We really don't know much about Kaede, except that he can use shadow magic and is probably the laziest person in the kingdom – he sleeps through a quarter of all lessons. And while we're on the topic, I also noticed I've never seen his shadow. Shadow mages usually talk to their shadow – so why doesn't he? Or maybe he deliberately avoids it, which is very odd. And then he's only C-Rank, but according to Shiro, he's easily B-Rank. So he's holding back his powers – but why? Whatever, that's not the point right now, even though we'll have to look into that eventually. I should calm Yuna down first – I can think about the rest at home.

"I think he's probably fine. That's just his way – he's a lazy potato sack. But we could just meet him outside of school and make sure. What do you think, Yuna? And I don't think you should stress about it."

Yuna:

Whaaaat? Is he asking me on a date out of nowhere? That wasn't the topic at all! I can feel my heart racing – why am I so nervous? Am I—no, definitely not. I'm just mad at him because he's such a dummy.

Yuna's cheeks turned red while her face showed surprise and disbelief.

"We-well, if you say so, Riku, but isn't that all a bit sudden—" Before Yuna could finish, she was interrupted.

News

News

"Get your news of the day!"

"By the way, have you seen today's news?" Yuna suddenly asked, stopping at a stand selling magic amulets.

Yuna:

Quick – topic change!

Riku slowly shook his head. "No."

"Arvania and Ishkar. Another border conflict," said Yuna.

"What, again? Things are already tense!"

"Do you think it'll affect us? I mean, Velmaria is right between them..." Her voice suddenly turned soft and worried again.

Riku:

She's worried again. I should reassure her. She worries way too much about everything... Ah, Yuna.

"I hope not." "No – I'm sure it won't affect us. Such a small country... It'd hurt them financially more. Plus, we'd just freeze their stored currency here and retreat into our massive mountain region. But if we did get attacked, I'd be ready. I'll protect this country, this peace, and my friends with my life."

Yuna smiled at me, then suddenly said cheerfully, "Riku, you dummy."

She really does change moods fast – but I guess I managed to calm her down. Or did I? Still, she's right again. If two major powers go to war, it could cause a financial and food crisis – and in the worst case, an attack on Velmaria. And from the looks of it, that risk isn't small. The two nations have been fighting for a long time, and during such a war, another country might set its sights on us.

For a moment, silence. Both were lost in thought – wondering what the future might bring. Riku tried to smile, but it seemed forced.

"Let's go to the lake," Yuna suggested. But her voice wasn't as lively as usual.

"Sure – but why do you want to go there?" said Riku.

Yuna:

Seriously? Does he have to question everything? Didn't he just suggest a date earlier? How can he get such good grades in school but have the common sense of a raccoon outside it?

"Nothing, I just want to go to the lake. It's so pretty, and I'm not here often – how could I pass that up," Yuna finally said.

"Well, if you say so... I guess I can't ignore the request of a top-tier A-Rank mage, right?"

"Only if you have a death wish, Riku."

"Hahaha, alright, let's go."

People kept watching them all the way down to the lake – but one gaze followed them more than any other.

Side alley:

The alley was dark and filthy. In the background, two unconscious soldiers could be seen. Then a sweet voice spoke.

"Doesn't look like they'll be a threat," said a female, unknown voice from the side alley.

"You think so… tch… tch…" The microphone crackled.

"Yeah, I'm sure. How's it looking on your end?"

"Almost all… tch… preparations… tch… are complete."

Background noise:

"No, please, please don't – aghh!"

"Alright, that's all of them."

Then the sweet voice spoke again.

"It won't be long now. Then I'll see you again. I can't wait, hihihi."

And the next moment, the voice disappeared into the side alley it had come from.