The next day, as Almark spent what should have been a beautiful day off recovering in bed, there was a knock on the door.
“Yes?”
The door opened, and through it stepped Wendy, a small pile of books in her arms.
“Almark, I heard you have to stay in your room today, so I figured we could go over the material together.”
“Oh… You’re sure? I mean, it’s your day off, Wendy,” Almark pointed out, surprised.
Wendy waved a hand dismissively and said it was fine. Almark decided to take her up on that kind offer and have her look over his work.
The two moved to the dorms’ common area and started studying. She was clearly a dedicated student—whenever he asked about something, she always had an answer at the ready. Although Almark wasn’t sure if this was because Wendy really was that smart, or if his questions were just very basic.
After a quick break for lunch in the dining hall, the two resumed their study session.
Wendy patiently helped Almark until sunset, at which point she closed the book, and they spent their remaining free time chatting. She told him all sorts of things about the institute, and when she finally ran out of things to say, Almark asked her a question that had been on his mind for a while.
“Wendy, why are you being so nice to me?”
He genuinely wanted to know. Wendy was being much too nice—far nicer than he would expect from someone who just sat next to him in class.
“Oh, well…,” Wendy muttered, looking a bit flustered. “I mean, you just joined the institute and you don’t know anything yet, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true, but…”
Even so, that didn’t mean she had to go to the trouble of being this kind to him. She had just spent her day off helping Almark catch up with his studies. This wasn’t normal.
“…it makes me feel kind of guilty.”
“Don’t be! I’m doing this because I want to,” Wendy insisted, but she saw that Almark wasn’t convinced. “Hey, remember your first day here? Well, I kind of got the feeling Tohrk zeroed in on you right away because of us.”
“…Oh.” Almark nodded, recalling how Tohrk came over to his desk to scare away the students who had gathered there.
“I know it’s going to be hard enough to get used to life here anyway,” Wendy said apologetically. “So I talked about it with everyone, and we decided we’ll do what we can to protect you.”
“Protect me.” Almark’s eyes widened at this unexpected answer. “You want to protect…me?”
This girl is going to keep me safe? I can do that myself just fine.
That struck him as the most natural thing to do. It was different back when he was in the mercenary group and surrounded by comrades, but through his long, harsh journey southward, Almark had always ensured his own safety. Had he been incapable of that, not only would he not have made it to the institute, but he would have died before he even crossed the Menoba Strait.
I see. Almark felt his lips naturally curl into a smile. To these kids, I’m someone who needs protecting.
Their concern was of course entirely uncalled for, but the fact they felt this way was by no means unpleasant. If anything, it made him feel a little embarrassed, in a warm, ticklish sort of way.
“Thanks, Wendy,” Almark said. “I know I’m not the most reliable person here, but I really don’t need any protection. Don’t worry. I can look after myself.”
“Yeah…” Wendy nodded, looking a bit bothered. “I didn’t mean to say you’re unreliable or anything.”
“It’s fine. I appreciate the fact you care so much.” Almark smiled. “And after what happened yesterday, I really did cause you guys a lot of trouble.”
Wendy looked relieved.
“Oh, but that said, there’s something I wanted to ask.” Almark returned to his usual expression and looked at Wendy. “Why is Tohrk so hostile toward me?”
“Oh… Hm. Well, Tohrk is…” Wendy wavered, unsure how to explain. She hung her head, thinking it over, before eventually working up the courage to say, “Almark, what do you think about our class?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, some of us have surnames, and some don’t, right?”
“Yeah…”
Almark picked up on what she was implying. Their class had four children with surnames—in other words, nobles. Wendy, Tohrk, Leila, and Wollis. All the other students, including Tohrk’s two flunkies, were students without surnames. Commoners.
“Classes 1 and 3 have more kids with surnames—about half the students. So Tohrk doesn’t like that he got placed in the class for commoners.”
“But I thought the institute doesn’t care if you’re…”
Whether one was a noble or a commoner didn’t matter when it came to being admitted. Everyone was given an equal chance at an education. The only ones that were formally barred from entering were the children of Northern mercenaries.
“Right, it doesn’t matter. Outside the institute, yes, things can be different, but here the professors don’t discriminate based on status. And I think that’s the right thing to do, but some people don’t. There are people who think that children with surnames are more talented than those without, and that the institute should be a school only for students with surnames.”
“…Well, the four of you are at the top of the class,” Almark noted.
Whether it was a difference in talent or a matter of pride, several factors in the class contributed to the perception that noble children were superior.
Wendy nodded and bit her lip. “Tohrk is especially bad about social status. He’s always been headstrong and never minces words… Kids without surnames end up fearing those who do, and have to walk on eggshells around them. I don’t like that. Social status has no bearing on the power of magic.”
Wendy’s words caught Almark by surprise. He didn’t expect the “power of magic” to come up. That struck him as fascinating.
Right… The power of magic is impartial.
“I want to change things in our class.” Wendy looked at Almark with a stiff expression. “I’ve always felt this way, and I can’t do it on my own. But when you came along, Almark…” She paused and smiled, like she’d just remembered something. “It’s your first time here. You don’t know anyone and you don’t know magic, but none of it scares you. You don’t seem bothered at all. Remember the way you looked at the whole class? You were so confident, so direct, and you looked me straight in the eye.”
“Yeah…” Almark nodded. He recalled how Wendy smiled when his gaze met hers.
“When that happened, you know what I thought? I thought, ‘We’ve got this really amazing new student. And maybe he can change things in this class…’ I realize I was making a lot of assumptions.” Wendy hung her head bashfully, tears in her eyes. “So I wanted to help you become part of the class, in whatever little ways I can… I’m sorry. That sounded really weird, didn’t it?” Before he could respond, she added, “Oh, I feel like I made Tohrk sound worse than he is. He has his good sides, despite everything else.”
Almark couldn’t deny it was a little weird. He didn’t intend to change the class at all, and honestly it took all he had just to keep up with everyone. But seeing Wendy hide her flushed face, he was struck with an emotion he’d never felt before.
For one brief moment, a pained throbbing filled his heart. It confused him. And in his surprise, he interpreted that new feeling as a similar emotion he knew better: gratitude. This girl had done so much for him, after all.
I’m grateful to her. I should repay her for everything.
Gratitude—the word felt overblown, but it filled Almark with an odd familiarity, like the cold winds of the North blew over him.
“If you’re not gonna repay your debts of gratitude, you’ve got no business being a mercenary.”
The gruff spirit of the Northern mercenaries’ chivalry crossed his mind after many days of not having heard them.
“Getting started is the most important part of a battle.”
He could hear his father’s voice saying, “Don’t be the kind of guy who makes women cry. If you need to cheer someone up, give ’em a hearty slap first.”
Almark nodded to himself. Yes, Father. You’re right. I’m your son—the son of a Northern mercenary.
“Wendy, we’ve got martial arts class tomorrow, right?”
“Huh?” Wendy blinked, surprised by Almark’s question that came out of nowhere. “Yes, we do.”