Sword, Magic and Academic Society

Al came out to see a certain nameless waterfall that he had discovered along with Allen and the others on their last explorer's activity at the beginning of their summer vacation. 

He still wasn't in the best state yet with his wound yet to be healed, however, a brewing impatience compelled him to move. 

He remembered the words Allen had said to him back then.

*"Listen well, Al. Meditating under a waterfall is an absolutely indispensable training an Ice Mage can’t ever skip!

It’ll forge your mental spirit anew! Don't try to find logic in it, just do it!"*

With thoughts of rediscovering himself, he sat cross-legged on the basin of a waterfall just like that day.

◆◆◆

*Click-Clack*

Confirming that the door wasn't locked, Fey and Jeu's lips curled into mischievous smiles. 

They gave each other a nod and barged into the room, not even bothering to knock.

"Heyaaa, Allen! We're here to hang out!"

"Today's weather is pretty pleasant for an outing, Allen-san!"

They unapologetically announced their entry into Allen's dorm room. However, they were immediately surprised with what they saw inside.

Allen had combed his hair into a neatly parted hairstyle, which was uncharacteristic of him. His face wore a somber look, an expression he used in his past life, and there were spectacles embedded with round lenses — as thick as the bottom of a glass bottle — on top of his head worn in the same way as a flashy guy would shift their sunglasses atop their head. 

He was dressed in an unfamiliar black blazer and pants, as dark as raven feathers, bearing a simple and boorish design. The design of the clothes was unique as if they were tailor-made by a prestigious tailor in the Royal Capital, yet either the fabric or the sewing appeared cheap work at glance. 

The sleeves rubbing against the desk gleamed, but the attire overall was lame to no end. At least, it certainly didn’t fit the image of comfort wear.

Several bulky books, each holding the know-how of their respective areas of expertise, cluttered the antique wooden desk he was sitting on. Meanwhile, all sorts of ores were rolling on the floor, barely leaving any space to step on. 

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Noticing their arrival, Allen spoke, however, he neither gave them a nod nor did he raise his eyes from his desk.

"What did I tell you about barging into a boy's room without knocking? Anyway, why're you here?"

"......Well, your door isn't usually locked, so I thought something serious might have happened... By the way, what's with that attire, Allen-san?"

"This is just to get myself in the right mindset."

"......Would you mind if I asked what you’re doing right now?"

"Being a study nerd."

" "......" "

◆◆

"...You've been wearing this 'don't bother me' attitude lately even in the Academy, and whenever you have free time, you would lock yourself in your room. I reckon a lot may be going on inside your mind, so we thought of pulling you out of your room for a change of pace, which is why we're here. Plus, it just so happened that we had some errands to do."

While Jeu explained the reason for their visit, Fey picked up one of the ores rolling on the floor.

"...Anyway, what in the world is this? You know, we thought we would be the ones giving you a surprise, and were laughing while imagining your astonished expression. But...... we were the ones who got surprised with all this instead. I don't even know where to begin with all this. Sheesh, you really do like to make my heart flutter with your surprises, huh, Allen?"

Fey uttered a complaint while directing a reproachful glare at me for reasons I wasn’t guilty of.

"You don't barge into someone's room unannounced and then complain, for darn sake… Also, I’m not so free to attempt giving you surprises. Well, it was a request from Satowa-san — he's the vice-president of the Exploration Association — to accompany him on a journey to investigate the depths of a certain abandoned mine. 

I’m basically following him as a guard. Though I'm a professional explorer, I lack any information about ores, so I thought I should read about them lest I be taken as a fool. And since we won’t be leaving the Royal Capital before the long vacation in spring, this is just the perfect time for me to study."

‘That’s it, basically,' I muttered internally as I smiled. 

It was a nomination request from Satowa, the one who interviewed me before. Apparently, he was also a prominent ore expert within the kingdom. 

Once upon a time, the mine was famous for its precious ores, but after a certain time period, its resources dried up, and it had been abandoned ever since.

However, monsters, seemingly searching for precious materials, had been sighted there lately after being abandoned for a long time. And now, its upper levels had been turned into an explorer's hunting ground. But there wasn't much incentive to explore the depths of the mine since not only did the deeper regions have rough terrain, there were barely any minerals to dig up, and monsters weren't valuable either. 

But after a thorough research of the available old records, Satowa concluded that the area around the abandoned mine was once a popular place to dig up valuable minerals long before the mine itself became a mining hotspot. He then concluded that it was worth investigating. That was how the request came about. 

The mine was now littered with monsters, and the depths had bad lighting, which made it hard to traverse. This was why he needed someone proficient in detection magic. And I was just right up his alley with me being a prodigy in detection magic with my wind magic. Hence, the nomination came to me. Moreover, the reward was very lucrative. 

'It's a fair price. I mean, just look around and see just how few are even on par with your detection magic. It's a priceless talent,' was Satowa's justification.

Having discovered a multitude of ore veins, Satowa apparently had immense wealth at his disposal. So he would pay for anything that we would require. 

Oh well, it wasn't really the main point for me. 

We were talking about an abandoned mine where some incredibly rare ores *might* be lying around, unseen since the mine was abandoned. I immediately hopped on the offer. I mean, it definitely was one of the adventurous tasks that I would be on the lookout for. And since it was a rare chance to learn from a spectacular expert while on the field, I would be damned if I wasted the chance.

So, I was arming myself with knowledge in preparation. Well, you never know, with my wind magic, I might actually find some legendary ore before Satowa did and surprise him. And so here I was, studying away from prying eyes. 

I did say that I would no longer bury myself in the books. However, the knowledge needed for this occasion was linked to my outing, so I eventually decided to switch to my study nerd mode after a long time. Though I guess old habits die hard because, in my excitement, I even got myself a school uniform outfit — it was the clothes I spent most of the time wearing in my previous life as I smacked my head against the books — since it made it easier for me to concentrate. 

I also tried some glasses on, though I gave it a rest since I couldn't read with it on.

"......Anyway, what in the world is this?"

Fey listened to my explanation with a skeptical expression, and repeated the same question from earlier, her eyes falling on the ore she had picked up.

"...I already said it, they're just for reference. It's my policy to not stick to being an armchair expert. I wanted to feel and see the ore in person, so I bought these general ores from the downtown peddler. Incidentally, I bought them at a 30% discount compared to the prices in the specialist stores. 

“The one you're holding in your hand is the most basic magic metal, raw mithril ore.”

As I displayed the results of my study in self-satisfaction, Jeu chimed in with a hesitant tone.

"...Well, I certainly am not an expert in ore, but aren't… raw mithril ore suppose to have, err, a faint shine?"

Fey playfully fiddled with some raw mithril ore — a stone giving off a dazzling shine — in her hand.

"Pfft, ahaha! So you realized it too, Jeu. I use a plethora of material as an Artificer, and this— it's called «Fool's Mithril», a composite ore of silver, iron, and steel. It indeed has its usage, but it's worth far less compared to actual mithril."

Fey cheerfully remarked.

"Hrgh, fool— fool's mithril, you say...?"

"Yup. Since it bears a striking resemblance to mithril and often gives out more vivid silvery brilliance than mithril itself, many in the past had mistaken one for the other, only to slump in defeat once the truth was out. Those people were eventually dubbed fools."

...

......

That blasted baldy! 

I should have never trusted his amicable expression. That damned guy really was a con-man...!

"By the way, that bright red ore that seems like adamantium is actually a gold-copper alloy. Oh, and that Lazurite ore is just a purple stone—"

And gradually, Fey appraised all the ores tumbling on the floor. None of them were the valuable ores I imagined them to be, just look-a-like items.

Giddily, Fey questioned me with a sharp glint in her eyes, her lips still curled in a smile.

"...Now then. Which ore shop was it that dared to fool my Allen, huh? It wouldn't sit well with me unless I taught them a lesson for you."

"They certainly need to be hammered like nails. Let's make sure that they never show their faces again in the Royal Capital."

Jeu followed up after Fey, her adorable face contorting into a ghastly smile— a far cry from the image of 'Reborn Saintess' she had been told to be, something that had been recently spreading in the rumors after the outdoor class orientation.

Personally, I doubt that the peddler would still be in the Royal Capital. 

I was aggrieved no doubt, though I didn’t really think highly of myself either. I should've realized that there was no way an amateur like me could get my hands on valuable ores at less than market price.

And to be honest, I actually didn’t care too much about it. I mean, I would have cared more if the money came from my pocket, but the cost had been shouldered by Satowa, so I wasn't in the mood to waste my time on a futile search.

Above all, the raw ores weren't that expensive compared to their refined counterparts, and I did think that half of them might turn out to be counterfeit. I just went along with the mood to test out my knowledge. Though I didn't expect that not a single one of them turned out to be real... 

And honestly, I would lose more sleep if I let these two troublemakers take charge of the situation.

"What the heck do you mean by ‘My Allen’?... I was never yours to begin with… Anyway, it was my fault for assuming that an amateur like me could snag some cheap stuff from the slums of all places. It’s an expensive lesson to learn, but this is an experience too. And it'd be a goose chase to go after that street vendor. Who knows if he has already left the Royal Capital. It's too late to regret now."

As I showed my sportsmanlike stance in accepting the loss openly, Fey curled her lips in a smile.

"......Mm-mm. I didn't expect you to back down so easily. Alright, now fess up. What's your actual plan?"

Both of them hurled doubtful gazes my way. They completely believed, without a shred of doubt, that I was planning something nefarious. 

T/N - Well, that probably explains where he got his Great Cascade title.

E/N - MC is mixing up martial arts tropes with magic tropes 😅