It all began about one year prior.
“White mana? That’s my only ability?” I murmured from the podium, stunned.
I was currently in the middle of the Glenflare Military Academy’s selection exam. Upon reaching fifteen—the age of majority in the empire—students could take the exam and join the army in an official capacity. After a grueling training regimen, these new adults received a Blessing from Ilia, the goddess of fate. This Blessing of Ability served as a lodestar for the course each student should chart in life.
I—Eugene Santafield—was the best student in the academy, achieving top marks across the board. Everyone expected great things from me, and I, too, saw success in my future. Whether the subject was swordsmanship, strategy, or military leadership, I was the number one student in my class. I worked hard every day to become stronger and better than all my peers.
So why? How could this happen?
Mind blank, I stared down at my selection card. These cards were transparent, but when held up before the statue of the goddess, they took on the colors of the owners’ abilities.
And my card had turned pure white. Black signified offensive ability, white was defense, and gray a mix of the two. The seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—each represented a unique ability. The more abilities students possessed, the more colors appeared on their cards. Average Joes ended up with solid gray cards. Meanwhile, the cards of those with defects in their abilities turned pure black or pure white...like the one in my hand.
The teacher who’d looked out for me throughout my time at the academy tried to encourage me. “Eugene, you have my sympathies. Stay strong.” However, I recognized the disappointment in his gaze.
“Hey, there’s a line behind you! Go back to your seat!” jeered Massio, the third-place student at the academy, as he shoved my back.
I couldn’t even work up the effort to dodge him, and as I stumbled back to my seat, I heard the cheers of my classmates all around me.
“All right! I’ve got three colors!”
“Dammit! Only two!”
“Yo, apparently, someone’s got five colors!”
“For real?!”
I stared into space, unable to form a thought. My childhood friend Airi was saying something to me, but I couldn’t make out the words. After a while, someone shoved his way between us.
“Sup, Airi? Apparently, your childhood friend is a big ol’ failure. A chosen one like yourself shouldn’t hang out with nobodies like him.” It was Massio, who’d finished his exam. He patted me on the shoulder, smirking all the while. Red, green, and gray adorned his card.
Three colors? He’s outstanding...unlike me.
“Man, it really is too bad! The top student in our grade pulling a white card and becoming an absolute failure. Who could’ve seen this coming?”
One of Massio’s friends butted in too. “Right? And an ability that’s only good for defense? Does the military even have the space for freeloaders?”
“Probably not! No department would want a single-colored loser!” another one added.
“You bastards...” I was trembling with rage, but they weren’t wrong. White mana only granted defensive magic. That my card was pure white meant that none of the mana in my body could deal damage.
During my time at the military academy, I’d learned all I needed to become a Magic Swordsman, which involved infusing mana into my blade. However, if I channeled my white mana into a sword and attacked an enemy with it, it would do no damage. I was a failure of a swordsman. Why had the goddess blessed me with white mana and nothing else? If only I had something—anything—else, I could’ve made up for any limitations in my abilities with hard work and training.
Massio and his friends weren’t done yet.
“You can’t be a Magic Swordsman with only white magic.”
“Why don’t you become a Healer instead? We’ll come visit you if we ever get injured on the job.”
“If you don’t wanna be a Healer, then I guess Barrier Master is your only other option. A life of wandering around, reinforcing the barriers around cities... Sounds like a pretty satisfying job. Just not one I would ever wanna do!”
The three of them burst out laughing at that.
“Dammit.” I couldn’t say a single word in response. I could only hang my head in silence.
✦ ✦ ✦
When it rained, it poured. I stopped wanting to go to school and started skipping classes. That was when Airi, my childhood friend, paid me a visit. I thought she’d come to comfort me, but she was acting off. She refused to meet my eyes, and she hadn’t come alone; she’d brought a friend with her. I had a bad feeling about this.
“Eu... I think we should spend some time apart.” Airi and I went way back, which was why she referred to me as “Eu.” Her voice, once so familiar, was now as cold as ice.
“Huh? Wh-What are you talking about, Airi?”
I thought back to the card Airi had pulled during the selection exam the other day. It had shimmered like a rainbow, denoting her seven abilities. That card was proof that she was the very best. She was brimming with talent. In contrast, I was at the bottom of the food chain. We’d grown up together, and now we were worlds apart. The sheer shame of that had pushed me to avoid her as of late, but I had never imagined she would say something like this to me.
Voice quavering, I asked, “‘We should spend some time apart’? What do you mean?”
Airi didn’t look up at me, though her expression was one of deep sorrow. Her friend spoke in her stead. “Hey, use your brain, Eugene. This is a critical time for Princess Airi. If she hangs around with someone as inept as you, people will start spreading weird rumors about her. You don’t want that, do you?”
“What?!” Fury flared through my chest at the cruel way she’d phrased it. Who are you calling inept?! Airi and I aren’t betrothed yet, but our parents approve of our relationship. You’re our classmate—you know we promised our futures to each other!
“I hear that the second prince of one of the bigger countries in the Blue Sea Union is interested in marrying her,” the friend continued. “A rainbow ability and a prince, huh? I’m so jealous! Airi, you’re so lucky!”
“Hey! You promised you wouldn’t talk about that in front of him!” Airi hurriedly covered her friend’s mouth. This reaction was proof enough that the friend’s words were true.
“Airi...” I said. “You’re marrying someone else?”
“You’ve got the wrong idea!” she exclaimed. “My father didn’t ask me before he—”
“That’s right!” the friend interrupted. “This is the will of Airi’s dad, His Imperial Majesty. So, Eugene, you better not hold a grudge against her.”
I was speechless. Airi was indeed the princess, which did indeed mean that her father was the emperor, the most important man in this country. For an imperial citizen, the emperor’s words were absolute. Even a toddler knew that.
“Airi, I... I wanted to be the Imperial Sword for...” The words that almost spilled out of my mouth were so foolish that I immediately swallowed them back down.
The Imperial Sword was the emperor’s right-hand man, so called because he was always at the emperor’s side to protect him from any threat. That had been the goal I was working toward. Airi looked away with a sad expression. Meanwhile, her friend’s lips twisted in a small smirk.
“Pfft! You’re a reject swordsman who can only use white mana, and you aspired to be an Imperial Sword?”
“Hey! Stop making fun of Eu!”
Making fun of? Airi’s words stabbed into my chest.
“Sorry, sorry,” her friend said. “Let’s go, Airi.”
“Huh? But... A-All right.” Airi permitted herself to be dragged away. Not once did she turn back to look at me.
The next day, I dropped out of the military academy.