I Want to Live a Normal Life - Episode 1: One Year Later

Chapter Three: Hartelia Royal Academy Arc

Episode 1: One Year Later

“—Hah!”

“The concentration of your mana is still too weak. It’s leaking out halfway.”

“Damn it…”

“First, focus on gathering your mana properly, even if it takes time.”

“…Yes.”

“You’re making progress, so don’t rush. Let’s tackle it step by step.”

“Yes!”

It’s been a year since then.

While continuing to mentor Alt and Liela, I’ve been working as a civil engineering adventurer in Ortya.

It feels like I’m almost exclusively working for the Border Count family, especially since I moved closer to their mansion.

Alt was deeply frustrated that he couldn’t join the fight during the attack, so he has been rigorously training with his sword since returning to the territory.

His progress is remarkable, even earning praise from Mr. Fenfield.

However, he’s still struggling with handling mana, and his proficiency in [Attribute Enhancement] is lacking.

He can now release slashes, but the power is insufficient.

Considering his age, though, his progress is impressive.

As for Liela…

“Seira-chan, that’s good!”

“Yes! [Light]! …Liela-neechan, I can’t do it.”

“Um, you need to gather your mana tightly and then release it quickly!”

“…Tightly and quickly! [Light]! …Wow, I did it!”

“Wow! Seira-chan, that’s amazing!”

“[[Ee…]]”

Liela has been teaching Seira magic during breaks.

But how can they manage it so easily?

Are they both geniuses?

Even the spirits seem taken aback.

Of course, Mine and I are too.

“Big brother, I did it!”

“I saw. That’s amazing…”

“Oh, brother, me too!”

“Yes, yes, thank you, Liela-chan.”

“[[Grr..]].”

I pat the heads of Seira and Liela, who cling to me.

Alt and the spirits should stop glaring at me.

By the way, Liela didn’t like being called “lady,” so I’ve started calling her “chan” instead.

Liela’s magic training is progressing well, and she’s now practicing basic spells of each element.

It’s challenging to grasp the different feelings for each element when you have three of them.

While reviewing, Liela also helps teach Seira.

It became clear that both Liela and Seira have a knack for intuitive learning.

Geniuses…

And then there’s Seira.

With the encouragement of Mine and the spirits, I decided to take her in.

Now, she’s undergoing basic magic training.

As seen earlier, she’s remarkable.

She has an affinity for two unique attributes: ice and light.

Well, being a “child of the spirits,” this is to be expected, right?

Sharing these attributes with Liela has brought them even closer.

Liela seems to see her as a little sister.

—

“Mr. Mine! Today, you must tell me the secret of [Ta-maya]!”

“Ugh, Mr. Henrick!?”

“What’s [Ta-maya]?”

The sudden arrival was a middle-aged wizard with brown hair.

It was Baron Dil Henrick, who leads the domain’s wizards.

He had stayed in the capital as a caretaker last year but seemed to have heard the full story from the former Count, Mr. Hale.

Somehow, he became fascinated with the activation phrase [Tamaya].

Back then, I couldn’t think of a good activation phrase.

What came to mind was [Tamaya].

It felt awkward, but my vocabulary is limited.

So, I used it.

“I’ve explained this multiple times.”

“No, you can’t fool my eyes! It caused such a massive explosion that Mr. Hale almost fell off the roof. There must be a secret to amplifying the magic!”

“There isn’t!”

“”Ta-maya, Ta-maya””

[[[Ta-maya]]]

[[[Laughing]]]

That was because of the ‘spirits’. Don’t laugh, you guys. It’s become a hassle because of you. Still, I can’t tell anyone about the ‘spirits’. I haven’t even told the Count and I don’t plan to. I feel a bit guilty, but it’s for Seira’s peaceful life. Please forgive me.

And those excited little girls are so cute. Are they angels?

“Oh, by the way, His Excellency wants to talk to you, Mine.”

“Hey, you should have mentioned that first.”

“Hahaha, my apologies.”

Henrick is a good person, but because he’s a magic nerd, he tends to be oddly sharp and take interest in weird things, which makes him a bit difficult to deal with. That said, his interest has helped strengthen my magic.

“Alright, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

“See you soon!”

“See you later!”

—

“Mine, it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a long time. I’m glad to see you in good health, Count.”

“Yes. I’m relieved to see Alt and Liela are doing well too.”

“Indeed. They’ve both improved significantly.”

Over the past year, the Kingdom of Hartelia has changed dramatically. A new king ascended to the throne, and the nobles involved in that incident faced execution, demotion, and other punishments.

Eighty-seven noble families were punished. Those less involved were spared, but still, that many… Some civil and military officials, and local governors had ties to Miltia, so the impact was significant.

Because of this, the Count left the territory to Mr. Hale and traveled around with Mr. Fenfield. There were rumors that some disgruntled nobles were planning a rebellion, but after the Count created a few large craters, they quieted down. Apparently, an earl was scheming behind the scenes. The Count smiled, saying it was a good stress reliever.

As a result, many vacant territories and positions needed to be filled. They ennobled second and third sons of noble families who couldn’t inherit their family’s estates and promoted lower-ranking nobles with proven records. Mr. Fenfield and Mr. Henrick were both promoted from knights to barons. Both left their territories to their wives and sons and continued to serve the Count as before.

Incidentally, through Mr. Hale, I was also offered ennoblement, being the greatest contributor. But I declined politely and firmly. After all, I started it, but I delegated the crucial parts. There’s no way a layperson like me could manage a territory.

But it seems they’re really short on people.

—

“So, on His Majesty’s suggestion, we decided to gather talented individuals from across the country, emulating Alteria. We’re reopening the academy that had been closed.”

“Emulating Alteria means admitting commoners into the academy?”

“That’s right.”

“Wow, that’s quite a bold idea.”

“Yes, there was a lot of heated debate, but many agreed it was necessary. We’re short on manpower everywhere. In the end, commoners will gain practical experience for several years after graduation, and the outstanding ones will be ennobled.”

“I see.”

Because of this, they are hurrying to reopen the academy, which had been closed due to the unrest. They will let the students who missed their entrance exams take the exams along with this year’s candidates, increasing the number of students in one year. They plan to nearly double the number of students in the future.

“So, the admission of commoners will start the year after next?”

“Yes. However, we can’t lower the student quality too much, so initially, there will be few commoners.”

Well, many commoners are illiterate. Merchants and relatively wealthy families are exceptions, but few can keep up with the academy’s level.

Currently, they’re rushing to renovate the school buildings and select additional teachers and staff. So, the fact that they’re telling me this…

“I’d like you to go to the academy with Alt.”

“Um, what do you mean by ‘go’?”

“They’re looking for skilled earth-element magic users at the academy. Since our family will be moving to the capital for a while, I thought you and Seira could come along. We’ll offer you a place to stay at the detached house in our capital mansion.”

“That would be helpful, but… Does being an earth-element user mean maintenance work and such?”

“Yes, it does. I’d also feel reassured if you were near Alt and Liela, so I’d appreciate it if you could accept. Of course, there’s no pressure. …Oh, and if you’d like to become a teacher, I can arrange that for you as well.”

“No way. Please spare me from that.”

Teaching a large class is out of the question. They’d underestimate me based on my appearance. Though I’ve grown a bit, the gap between Alt and me keeps widening. This world is so unfair.

So, it seems the Count plans to use the capital as his base for the time being. Even though things have settled down, there are still people scheming behind the scenes. They never learn. The Count plans to keep a close eye on such individuals from the capital, undermining their power discreetly.

Thus, for a while, he’ll leave the territory to Hale and Henrick and move his family to the capital. He probably also doesn’t want to be away from his adorable son, Thor.

Personally, I wonder if it’s okay to leave the Count in the capital, but with the former Count Hale still active and healthy, it should be fine. Hale seems to have forced his retirement, even though his peers are still working.

“Understood. I’ll discuss it with Seira.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Well, Seira will probably want to go to the capital too. She’s very close to Liela, like sisters, and she’s fond of the lady of the house.

I’m not particularly interested in the academy. I’m curious about the differences from the Alteria academy, but I imagine there will be many arrogant noble kids.

Maybe I should ask the Count if I can at least visit the workplace.