Volume 1 Chapter 5 Wade's Rumors
After the incident with Frain, it seemed like the way people looked at me changed.
Before, as a "Slow Magician," I was treated with disdain and pity. They would say things like, "Is this the best you can do, even as a top performer?" or "Magic must be important," or even "Let's take advantage of him."
But now, the rumors about me are different.
"Isn't he the one... who defeated a fire magician despite using Slow Magic?"
"He must be the top performer this term... If he can master Slow Magic, he must be strong."
"Frain is in a critical condition, unconscious. How could someone using Slow Magic do something like that?"
To those people, I have just one thing to say.
"Noisyyyyy...!"
Feeling a mix of relief and frustration, I walked down the hallway of the training facility, radiating an aura of irritation. It's been about a week since then, and the rumors show no signs of calming down.
However, since no one was actually hurting me, I thought it wasn't a big deal. After all, we were just beginner adventurers. Once we left the training facility, most of the rumors wouldn’t matter. So, I figured I could just ignore them.
But when the instructor announced the next training activity, I froze.
"The next field training will be in the dungeon's shallow levels, and you must go in teams. You can have up to six people in a group, but there must be at least two. You can choose your own teams."
As soon as the instructor said this, everyone quickly started to break into groups with their friends. It was clear that everyone was avoiding me. I stood there alone.
I looked to my right. The quieter students noticed my gaze and quickly turned their heads away.
I looked to my left. The tougher students noticed me looking and glared back at me.
Look straight ahead. The instructor is standing there.
"Wade, you're talented, I understand that the previous incident with Frain was an accident caused by Frain's negligence, and I know you're not good at talking... but it's about your life. You need to team up with someone."
"...Understood."
And so, I sighed in front of the daunting task of forming a duo, which was too much for someone who usually goes solo.
Now, when it came to forming a team, I was underestimating it.
After all, I am a reincarnated person who has regained memories of my past life. During my previous life as a corporate sl*ve, I didn't have many friends but I still had some.
So, I underestimated the idea that I could make it through if I tried hard enough.
"Sorry, there are members who are scared of Wade-kun..."
"You! There's no way I'm letting you into the party after what you did to Frain!"
"I think you will simply be a valuable asset in battle, but we already have enough members. I'm sorry."
I sat in the courtyard wondering if I would fail so miserably like this. Oh, I guess I really do lack social skills...
"Sigh...
I slumped down and thought about what to do.
I didn't really have any strong preferences, so I asked the instructor if we could team up. But he refused, citing a lack of fairness. It seems like in this world, it's not possible to just say, 'Well, I'll team up with the teacher then.'
When I asked what would happen if I couldn't form a party, he said it would affect my grades. Just as I was starting to understand that, the instructor said,
"By the way, you're the top performer, so you have quite a bit of leeway. But if your grades drop too much because of this, there have been cases where someone were expelled."
It seems like there will be more practical training like this in the future. When I asked if it was a dead end, I was told to just quickly form a party. How ruthless.
"..."
I should probably try harder to find someone who will team up with me for the party. But I just can't seem to get motivated for this kind of thing.
Ultimately, there's a feeling that I'm just someone else. Or maybe it's because they can see through that feeling that I get rejected.
"I guess I have to look for it."
Even though I was feeling frustrated, there was nothing I could do, so I reluctantly stood up. And just as I was about to leave the courtyard, I heard a loud voice.
"So! If you're an Ice magician, you should just team up with me quietly!"
"B-but...!"
What's going on? As I squinted my eyes and approached, I saw two girls in a scuffle.
I recognized one of them. It was Drop. A Water Magician, and the second best in our training school. She was quite beautiful and had a strong personality, so she had become somewhat of a queen-like figure among our classmates.
The other girl whose hand was held, I didn't know her. She had pure white long hair, especially her bangs covered her eyes. From what I heard, she seemed to be a user of Ice Magic.
"...Ice Magic, huh?"
Ice Magic, like Gravity Magic, is one of the less popular types of magic. It's often referred to as "half-baked magic" or "the goldfish poop of Water Magicians."
For some reason, it seems that the Ice magician cannot use magic properly without water to cool it down, which bothers the Water magician a lot. Despite that, its power is on par with a Fireball spell.
As I watched, I realized that my classmate, Drop, was glancing back at me.
"Eek, W-Wade...!"
It's troublesome to be feared even here.
"What are you doing?"
I wasn't very interested, but it would have seemed odd not to say anything, so I approached her. Drop glared at me with a startled expression.
"What, how dare you! Even with your Slow Magic, don't interfere!"
I haven't even said anything yet.
"Anyway, you're so cheeky! How dare you, a slum-born commoner, outperform someone like me, born into a wealthy merchant family! Just because you defeated Frain, don't get too full of yourself!"
I seem to regret to Frain's situation, but there's no point in saying anything now. It's not like I can form a party when people are scared of me. What should I say to save face?
"Answer the question. What are you doing?"
"...!"
Since I didn't want to be bothered by irrelevant things, I steered the conversation back. Even though I only redirected the topic, why does Drop look so blue in the face?
"It's just an invitation! It doesn't concern you! Mind your own business!"
Drop turned away and yelled. When I asked the girl with the covered eyes, "Is that so?" she hesitated and said, "Um, well..."
I honestly don't know the whole situation yet, but my involvement will be decided by my response here. So, as I waited, the girl with the covered eyes shouted out like this.
"Oh, um! Wade, san, could you, um, form a party with me?"
Dropp burst into laughter at that.
"Pfft, Ahahahaha! Do you really think anyone other than water magicians would want someone like you, an ice magician? You're a fool!"
"Fine."
"Huh?" "Huh?"
The girl with the covered eyes who had suggested the idea of a party looked surprised by my response. I then took her hand and headed towards the playground.
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