I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 789 - Side Story 62: Private Lesson (2)

Various races exist on the continent. While humans occupy most of the continent's territory, beastmen, elves, and dwarves also claim their own small territories as demi-human races.

Dwarves in steep and massive rocky mountain ranges. Elves in dense and vast forests. Beastmen in wide and expansive plains and wilderness.

Due to wars of conquest waged by humans in the distant past, indelible ill feelings still remained between demi-humans and humans.

However, not everyone was hostile toward and hated each other.

The existence of mixed-bloods was proof of that.

Children born through the fruit of love between different races. Of course, the number of such mixed-bloods was very rare.

Not only was the probability of being born very low, but usually cases of being paired with different races were uncommon.

But even so, they certainly existed here and there. Just right now, the mixed-blood Rudger knew best was Sedina, a half-elf born between a human and an elf. 

Having overcome all kinds of hardships and adversity, she had now become the queen leading the elven kingdom.

'And in Carlo's case, he's a mixed-blood with beastman blood flowing through him.'

He could be certain the moment he saw him communicating with the beasts. However, judging by Carlo's reaction with wide-open eyes, it seemed he himself didn't really know what blood he had inherited.

"You didn't know?" 

"Me? That can't be. Aren't you mistaken about something?" 

"Hmm. It seems you yourself weren't aware. You're familiar with animals, your innate instinctive senses are sharp, and even that origin magic you're learning."

Origin magic is the ability to contact the great flow that only a very few among those with opened spirituality can access.

Rudger knew who the mage using that origin magic was.

Iron Mask Rotheron, a 6th-tier mage. By another name, Tenaron O’Valley, a beastman who inherited the blood of the Grand Chieftain.

Beastmen innately used a mysterious power called Spirit, different from a knight's aura or a mage's mana.

It allowed them to hear the voices of their ancestors through spiritual communion and communicate with the beasts of great nature.

Receiving teachings from great souls and advancing into the future. While most beastmen were born warriors, the reason why beings called shamans existed separately among them was precisely because of this.

"Your spirituality is open to a degree that can't be called human. That's only possible if you've learned Spirit or inherited the blood of beastmen who are born with it." 

"Even so..." 

"Then I'll ask you one thing. What kind of person is your father?"

The only personal information Rudger knew about Carlo was that he had lived alone with his mother since childhood.

Naturally, Carlo had no father. He didn't know whether he had passed away or left home without a word.

"...I don't know. That bastard."

However, judging by Carlo's reaction, it seemed he didn't know who his father was and didn't particularly want to know either.

Since he was someone who left him and his mother alone in that garbage dump-like place, it was a natural reaction.

"Your mother raised you alone in that place. At least I don't think you're such a violent and evil person compared to the environment you grew up in." 

"Based on what?"

To Carlo, who asked indignantly, Rudger answered without hesitation.

"Because I saw the warmth of you preparing food separately for small animals." 

"..." 

"The fact that you grew up like this in such a harsh environment means your mother poured exceptional affection into raising you."

Rudger's words were correct. Carlo's mother was such a kind and gentle person that she shouldn't have been living in such a place. She always did her best to prevent her child from being influenced badly.

Carlo knew this, so he cherished his mother terribly. At least for him, he could proudly say she was his entire world.

"...So what!? Is it important that the bastard who abandoned me and my mother is a beastman, and that I inherited that blood?" 

"At least to properly learn magic, you need to know this. Carlo, what do you think magic is?" 

"What is magic? Obviously, magic is reproducing mysterious miracles with mana. Do you take me for a fool?"

Naturally, Carlo had basic knowledge about magic. Just because he always took a delinquent attitude in class didn't mean he wasn't interested in magic itself.

He simply had the confidence that he could do well on his own, so he didn't need anyone else's help.

"If it's what's commonly known, then yes. But as you know, magic is very diverse. And there still exists magic in this world that hasn't been revealed. The magic using formulas that we use only utilizes an extremely small part of the mysterious power that mana possesses."

At that explanation, Carlo thought of the girl named Mina. The girl loved by mana who had implemented pseudo-6th-tier magic without any formulas.

At the same time, he had this thought. What does it mean to be loved by mana? Does mana have emotions? Does reason exist? When you don't even know if it actually exists, how do you make requests?

Rudger realized what question Carlo had reached and smiled.

"Yes. It seems you've vaguely sensed it too." 

"...I understand what you're trying to say. Anyway, the magic I know is just a very small part compared to the real thing, right? And if I want to learn more proper magic, I need to pay attention to other parts too." 

"Yes. Knowing your origin is important for that reason. If you don't clarify who you are, the magic you desire will ultimately only be half-complete."

If you don't even know who you are, how can you explore mana?

"Ultimately, all enlightenment and truth starts with first recognizing who you are."

Not doing so was like wandering through a forest in darkness without a map, not even knowing where you are.

"And you've inherited half of beastman blood. Though it seems you yourself weren't aware. Then I'll ask you one thing. Don't your fingernails or toenails grow unusually fast and long?" 

"That's..."

Carlo hesitated to answer, as if he had some idea. He looked down at his hands. He could see neatly trimmed nails. That was due to habit. It was because his mother, who had touched his hands and trimmed his nails since childhood, had constantly reminded him.

"The same goes for communication with small beasts, and the spirituality you possess. However, it is surprising. Usually, if beastman characteristics manifested to that degree, physical elements would also prominently show beastman traits."

Carlo looked no different from a human in appearance alone. The only thing was that his expression looked a bit nastier and fiercer, but that was an aspect that pure humans could show sufficiently as well.

"Perhaps because the physical part leaned toward human, conversely the other ability aspects were greatly influenced as a beastman." 

"...So, now that you know I'm a mixed-blood, what happens now?"

Carlo at least knew what kind of evaluation beastmen received in the world. Although a few beastmen attended Theon, he wasn't fool enough not to know what kind of public evaluation they received.

Even though it had improved compared to before, the perception toward beastmen still wasn't very good.

"Well, there's no evaluation that could get worse for me now anyway."

He was already the number one person to be avoided, so what would change if the fact that he had beastman lineage was revealed? At Carlo's cynical reaction, Rudger said nonchalantly.

"Since we know, we should utilize it now." 

"...Utilize? Are you going to continue teaching me?" 

"That's a strange question. I'm a special class teacher, and you're my student. Why would you wonder about a teacher teaching a student?"

At Rudger's question, asking as if he truly didn't understand, Carlo was actually the one who became flustered.

"No, I'm a beastman mixed-blood." 

"Do you perhaps think I have some kind of prejudice against beastmen?" 

"...Wasn't that the case?" 

"Hmm. You might think that if you don't know. I'll tell you in advance, when I worked here before, there was also a child who was a pure beastman, not a mixed-blood. I taught that child too."

In other words, being a mixed-blood beastman or whatever was not a problem at all in his teaching.

The more Carlo conversed with Rudger, the more he couldn't shake the thought that maybe he himself was the strange one, because Rudger was far too different from the people who had dealt with him so far.

Even those who called themselves good teachers would get fed up with Carlo's attitude and back off, but Rudger treated it as if it was no problem.

Naturally, it had to be that way. Just how diverse and unique were the people Rudger had met so far?

At the point where he had lived together with his master Grandel for several years, Rudger's threshold for people couldn't help but be higher than anyone else in the world.

No matter who the other person was, he could evaluate and pass it off as "Still better than Master."

Of course, there were an extremely small number who made even Rudger unable to endure. Like Bellaruna.

Compared to such people, the delinquent boy Carlo was merely at the level of a cute baby kitten hissing.

Naturally, from Carlo's position not knowing this, Rudger could only appear impressive. In fact, he was impressive too.

"Now that I know you've inherited beastman blood, I'm more certain about how to teach you going forward." 

"...How?" 

"Practical training."

At the words "practical training," Carlo couldn't hide that he was inwardly pleased yet also had doubts.

"You're not teaching theory? Other teachers told me that I use magic too instinctively so I need to solidly build up basic theory." 

"You could see it that way. But at your level, basic theory is meaningless. You've inherited beastman blood, and that talent is in the process of blooming. Your intuition will be sharper and faster than any rational thinking in the world."

Rather, teaching Carlo the theoretical part here was like putting a collar on a wild wolf and making its senses rust.

Rather, in this case, the best thing was to let the wolf run around to its heart's content so it could utilize its senses more.

"Theory is necessary only when that level is ambiguous. At your level, it's right to acquire through practical training instead. At least that's how I see it."

Carlo felt strangely relieved that someone seemed to truly understand him. The fact that he didn't have to listen to boring theory classes also played a part.

"But then how do we do practical training? Do we, like, spar?" 

"Usually it would have to be sparring. And naturally, I'll lead the sparring." 

"Then, are we going to do what we did at the training hall last time again?"

Carlo could feel himself becoming strangely tense yet also feeling excitement bubbling up. To feel competitive spirit even after seeing Rudger's overwhelming ability. Was it because he became aware of the half of the blood flowing through his body? Carlo felt this strange sensation wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"Unfortunately, use of the training hall is currently prohibited. And you've only just become aware of your abilities. In other words, the wildness you've been trying hard to ignore has also awakened." 

"That can't be."

Carlo answered boldly, but he himself didn't seem to notice that his pupils were split vertically like those of a beastman before battle.

Hmm. As expected, there's a lot to do from the start. Rudger thought so and snapped his fingers.

Then shadows rose up and swallowed Carlo's body. Carlo tried to react quickly, but the shadow was much faster than that.

When his vision was covered and then regained light, what Carlo saw was a new scenery he didn't know.

"Where is this?" 

"Outside of Theon. If you must know, it's a very remote place located in the northern part of the continent." 

"What exactly are we going to do here...?"

Carlo was muttering like that when he shut his mouth tight. The hair all over his body stood on end. Carlo instinctively stared beyond the coniferous forest.

Something was recognizing this side and approaching.

"First, congratulations on awakening to your abilities. But you still have a long way to go. You've only just started taking your first steps."

Regardless, Rudger calmly said what he had to say.

"Now that you've recognized your true nature, you need to properly refine it and learn to suppress it. After contemplating yourself, what you must do next is control it as you desire." 

"Control?" 

"Yes. The wildness within you that will occasionally overflow, you must suppress it with willpower alone. And the person who will come now is an instructor who will provide you with the optimal lesson for that."

No sooner had those words ended, something of enormous mass fell in front of Rudger and Carlo. To be precise, it was a landing, but it was so loud that it could only be described as falling.

A giant white-haired beastman rose up from ground zero.

The moment he faced him, Carlo felt his entire body freeze. 

‘A monster.’ 

His instinctive senses were shouting exactly that.

"Let me introduce you. This is Teacher Pantos, who will teach you how to suppress your wildness as a beastman from now on."