Prologue: “Actually, I too…”

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Author: 猫夜叉 (Nekoyasha)

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“Morning,” I said as I opened the door to the classroom, which immediately fell silent.

The only one who actually seemed to care was my childhood friend, Alice, who sat next to the window in the very back row in class.

– ‘I told you so.’ was what her gaze seemed to be saying.

Of course, I also knew that. I also knew very well why everyone else was looking at me as if I was rubbish.

I was rather infamous for being absolutely useless with both magic and the sword, yet I had still enrolled in the prestigious Ferris Magic Knight Academy in the capital.

“Hey, Yuno, you sure you came to the right place? This is the classroom, not the rubbish bin.”

That statement was followed by scornful laughter from all over the whole classroom.

A slightly obese boy stepped out from among the largest group of them.

I knew him, so I responded with “A good morning to you too, Maro. It’s a nice day, isn’t it.”

Maro frowned, his forehead shiny from grease, breathing unpleasantly loudly through his nose.

“Hey, are you deaf? How dare you, the third son of a knight, call me, the second son of a count, by my first name only!?”

“Hmm? There is to be no discrimination among students based on social status on school grounds until after graduatio–”

That moment, something really fast flew past right next to my head.

Maro had shot wind magic at me.

“You’re misunderstanding something, Yuno. School grounds? Among students? Don’t tell me you actually think you’re my classmate?”

“Well, I am…” I responded, and the whole class began glaring at me.

“It appears you can’t accept reality. As your former friend, I’ll do you a favour and explain, so listen carefully. You might not understand it, but we’re currently in the prestigious Ferris Magic Knight Academy. The sacred halls of learning only the elite with promising futures from all over the nation can enter!”

Of course I knew that.

This academy was one only people with exceptional talent or people who had gone through hellish training could enter.

“So then, why, are you here? You might have been born into a rather famous family of knights, but in terms of magic and swordsmanship, you’re worse than rubbish! What kind of blunder allowed you to enrol here!? Huh!?”

My other classmates seemed to be of the same opinion, nodding along with Maro’s outburst, then calming down a little to listen to my response.

They weren’t wrong, everyone here had gone through tough training that could most definitely not be called enjoyable. I was called untalented, so the fact that I was also present must have made them feel like all their efforts weren’t being recognised properly.

“Well, I…”

I tried to think of something to respond with, but nothing sounded right.

In fact, I was deeply regretting having gone against what I had resolved myself to do long ago.

–– I hadn’t wanted to come to the academy either.

Scratching my head that felt like it might go bald from all the stress, I thought back on how all this had even come to be.

As Maro had said, I was the third son of the Astario family, who had been knights serving the country for generations.

We weren’t commoners, but we weren’t exactly nobles either, and were rather famous for being the family of weirdos who had continuously refused to become proper nobles for generations.

Although, we were mostly famous for our military accomplishments.

To be more specific, the family had produced four Holy Knights, one of whom had even become a legendary Hero.

And, that wasn’t all.

‘The Astarios are True Knights’ was a line a king long ago had said, and continued to be said by his descendants, until the Astario family eventually became famous for being an example to all other knight families.

I was born into an amazing family.

But, to me, the fame of the Astario family was nothing less than a disaster.

‘Why can’t you do anything?’

My father, a Holy Knight himself, had been unable to hide his disappointment in me, even back when I was little.

I was no good with the sword. Useless at magic. It was only natural for him to give up on me.

I started being treated as if I didn’t exist.

The times I was made to keep training late into the night dwindled as well, eventually ceasing when I was around ten.

Oh, the poor Yuno Astario. He was born into the Astario family, he had such a bright future ahead of him… is what people who heard of my circumstances probably thought to themselves.

Called incompetent not only by nobles, but also by the uneducated masses. That was me.

“– All according to plan,” I smiled to myself. “Am I a genius or what?”

I’m usually quite reserved, but even I danced around on that occasion.

There is, of course, a reason as to why I was so happy.

I didn’t think I was qualified to live amongst humans.

After all, I had been grown-up from the very moment I was born.

Not physically, of course. Mentally.

I could still recall the moment perfectly.

What I had been looking at while being hugged by my mother wasn’t her face crying from happiness.

““……””

It was an old man. In fact, he was an ultra-rare old man, his long white beard fluttering elegantly in a non-existent wind.

So, no wonder I wasn’t looking at my mother.

The old man was, in fact, floating, and, after gazing at me for a short while, he began speaking to me in a heavy and strict voice.

“Happy birthday.”

I was scared.

I had decided he was a Bad old man.

Not knowing when he would grab and eat me, I did my very best in trying to alert my mother of the danger, but…

“Ara ara, what an energetic kid you are.”

My warnings did not reach her.

That was when I gave up.

I closed my eyes, prepared to be boiled or grilled or whatever he wanted.

However, the next thing I heard was the old man, laughing merrily.

“Haha, no need to be so scared of me. I shan’t be grabbing and eating you.”

…Really?

“Indeed, really. On a different note, I have something to ask of you.”

What is it.

“I would like you to make a contract with me.”

A contract?

“Verily. Do not fret. While I call it a contract, you will have no obligations. I simply wish to hand over my power to you.”

And you want nothing in return?

“I do not. However, I know that you certainly have a prosperous future ahead of you.”

All right then.

“My name is Zeus. Although, there is not much meaning in giving you my name any more.”

And thus, I made a contract with the old man – I mean Zeus.

Nothing extraordinary happened.

The only strange thing was how the old man who had called himself Zeus had a really sad expression.

“Then, I’ll leave the rest up to you.” He said, beginning to shine, then vanishing.

– And that was the cause of all this.

A contract with a minor god I had made all too light-heartedly.

He had named himself, which meant he wasn’t some rando, but no matter how many books I pored over, I couldn’t find a god by the name of Zeus.

Still, that was the more trifling one of my problems.

The more pressing problem was that the moment I was born, I received physical capabilities far exceeding those of a normal human’s.

After that moment, it was already all over for me.

I spent days frantically trying to control the power overflowing out of me.

I didn’t mind being called incompetent. It wasn’t true, after all.

Then one day, I accidentally let my power blow out while playing mock-knights with my older sister.

“Sister!”

I shielded her from the Dragon-Breath-like ray of light with my own body.

It was terrible acting.

“Thank youuuuu Yunoooooooo!!”

To me, it had been the simple act of cleaning up my self-made mess, but that moment also turned into the moment where I became the hero of my older sister, who would go on to be the youngest Holy Knight in history.

And that was the reason.

The strongest knight of the era, my older sister, Rei Astario, began doting on me.

And that’s how the following, the reason I enrolled at the Ferris Magic Knight Academy, happened…

“Father! Are you serious!? You want to banish Yuno from the family!?”

It had happened a few days ago, back when I had no future prospects and was thus as free as I could’ve ever wished to be.

My older sister had come home from the capital in a frenzy.

“That’s right! There is no room for incompetent people in this family!” My father, Mero Astario shouted, small balls of spit flying across the room as he did so.

At the same moment, the sound of steel rang out.

It was the sound of their swords colliding. It might have looked like they had both burst out in anger, but what had actually happened was slightly different.

“What are you doing… Rei?”

My sister had tried to cut off her own head.

If the other person hadn’t been our father, she would have been dead.

“You want to expel Yuno, who should be the heir of this family… I’d rather give up my life than let such a shameful thing happen…”

I was quite happy to hear that, but that was the wrong place and time for that.

I had plans to depart to the border the very next day, living comfortably from vegetables I would scavenge or buy along the way.

“Umm, sister… I’m happy you think so highly of me and everything, bu–”

“If you’re so insistent… then prove it! But let me say this: I believed in him until the very end! I thought there was no way my child was talentless! I also believed in him! And, these are the results of that belief! Look at that damn face of his! There’s no way he would ever become a knight, let alone be able to enrol in the Ferris Magic Knight Academy!” My father said, slamming his fist on the desk sandwiched between him and my sister.

“Then let him show his abilities by enrolling in the academy! And if he stains the family name by failing, I’ll offer up my life in compensation! I swear on the name Astario!” Said my sister, cutting her beautiful, black hair that was characteristic of the family off with her sword and slamming it on the table.

“…Now you’ve gone and done it… young lady, not even I can go against a vow made on the family name.”

“I know. I am being serious, father.”

And thus, my future was decided for me, without me getting a say in the matter…

I was, to be honest, rather angry at having to come to the academy. Especially at my sister.

She had believed in me and even put her own life on the line, without even asking me what I wanted.

I thought that it wouldn’t actually be over if I spoke up.

So, I tried to object, but…

“Yuno, do your best, ‘kay? Your big sis believes in you.” She said, hugging me, trembling.

And that was what changed my mind.

I had made up my mind.

I had decided on what to do regarding my enrollment in Ferris Magic Knight Academy.

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TN: daily uploads ’cause it’s nearly winter break

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