13 - The Power of the Weak

"Please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you!"

Chapter 13: The Power of the Weak

“Ahahahaha! I get it! Finally!”

It’s been a few days since the Aslan Magic Academy exams.

And since I wasn’t able to agree with his power..

I kept thinking about it all night.

Exploring every possibility.

Which then made me come to a conclusion.

No other way than that.

That’s because he met a certain condition, just that, and the answer is lying somewhere in there.

The first thing I considered was whether there is a means to expand the “magic tolerance” or not?

To which I already know the answer.

There is.

And Abel is proof of that.

So what does this mean?

This is where I struggled the most.

Because I’m limited to the information.

Furthermore this connects to the question, why are there so many adventurers who can cast reinforcement magic twice?

Especially those called “heroes”?

At first I thought magic tolerance depended on my magic capacity.

But it’s not.

Magic tolerance depends on physical capacity.

That’s the conclusion I came to after thinking through the various possibilities.

Adventurers are far more likely to be pure warriors than magicians.

I should have known at that point.

A battlefield where death is felt so close.

A situation where being forced to surpass one’s own limits.

To experience it over and over again.

This is… the condition that extends the “magic tolerance”.

But the question still remains.

Even assuming these conditions are correct.

How many hellholes do you have to go through?

How close to death do you have to be to expand your “magic tolerance”?

It is not easy to achieve such a feat even for a hero.

It takes time.

If you are a great hero, you must have experienced death so many times.

And yet, the limit for reinforcement magic is limited to two times.

This is where “Abel” is the most different.

This time gap.

It’s crazy.

He’s supposed to be my age.

Even if we put in an effort to feel death so close every day, the calculation does not add up.

No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense.

There should be a limit to the number of times one can be on the brink of death.

And yet, even a “hero” can only duplicate an enhancement magic twice, but for him to do it five times?

“Kukuku…”

Here, I assumed that Abel might have a so-called “weak constitution”.

A frail body that easily reaches its physical limits.

Under these conditions, you could theoretically easily drive your body to the brink of death many times over.

You can almost die many times more than a “hero” who would be physically superior.

But you need to have a “crazy mentality” that doesn’t mind dying over and over again.

“Ahahahaha”

Yeah, I got it all figured out.

There’s nothing unreasonable about his power.

It’s a very specific condition, but a possible power.

A frail body can use magic, but has no talent for it.

The protagonist, who is not blessed with anything like that, obtained the power of “magic tolerance outside of reason” through his crazy mentality and hard work.

That’s the power of the weak! —- Or not?

“Kuku, don’t make me laugh too hard.”

“Luke” might’ve only seen the surface because he was too arrogant.

—Abel can’t use attribute magic.

That’s all it took “Luke” to underestimate him.

And then he got toppled.

“What an idiot.”

He just had to face it.

If he had, he would have noticed.

But unlike him, I never lost sight of what I needed to do.

For a strong character to be defeated by a weak one.

What a cliche.

“That’s pretty boring, huh.”

I’m gonna destroy it.

I’ll destroy that s****y narrative.

I don’t care what happens.

I only act for myself.

… Although that is what I believe.

Sigh… It’s hard.

Until now I was thinking like I was doing a rather good job.

To be honest, I was starting to think that I wouldn’t lose anymore.

But it all comes to an end after seeing Abel-kun being relatively strong.

Well, that’s given.

He’s the protagonist after all

He can’t be weak.

I’ve thought about it a lot, but no matter how many reasons I have, it’s still a matter of speculation.

It wouldn’t be strange to say that that is his speciality.

And since I’ve been physically blessed, it’s pointless for me to imitate Abel-kun. I’m clearly not compatible with it.

But it’s not like everything’s over.

Abel has his path and I have my own.

There’s no need for me to worry about that. Just keep doing what I have to do.

That’s all I need.

After unraveling the secret behind Abel’s strength, I came to the conclusion that he has an extremely unique ability.

And I’m going to face him head-on someday.

I think it’s a hassle.

But, well— as usual, no matter how bad I think it’s going to be, I can’t see a future where I lose.

＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋

It was about a month ago that Father and Mother went crazy when they received the acceptance letter from Aslan Magic Academy.

I managed to persuade my father, who was about to take action to change the boarding school system, and today was finally the first day of school for me.

“So why are you in the same carriage as me?”

“You ask strange questions. Do you really need a reason for two people who have promised a future to be together?”

“Why do I get a sense of… deja vu?”

Alice was with me, as a matter of fact.

I asked her why, even though I knew she had already become a part of my everyday life.

I hate this fact so much.

I don’t feel anything in particular now.

It’s so scary that I’m used to her now.

“Why were you so grumpy after the entrance exam?”

It was a sudden question.

“Well, there was a guy I didn’t like a little bit. That’s all.”

“I see. Then why didn’t you hit me? I would have preferred you to hit me instead of the carriage.”

“………”

That’s right.

That’s how she is.

But… I’m not that uncomfortable anymore.

Guess familiarity is doing wonders.

“Right. —I’ll hit you next time. You better be prepared.”

That’s why I said this lightly.

“Oh, really… I’m looking forward to it… heh-heh”

Her cheeks flushed red as she began to breathe heavily.

Then she twisted her body as if in agony.

It’s still unsettling.

But, it’s just an occasion.

The carriage stopped as we were talking about that.

Aslan Magic Academy came into view outside the window.

Here we go.

This is where it all starts.

“Please watch your step.”

I got out of the carriage, followed by Alice.

And then we were once again face to face with that great and majestic gate.

“Master Luke.”

“What is it, Alfred?”

“I have spoken to the Royal Knights. If you are looking for a sword partner, please use them.”

“Kuku, you’re as witty as ever. The next time I cross swords with you, I’ll be stronger than ever. You can count on it.”

“I’m looking forward to it. And please —accept this.”

“Hmm?”

There was dagger in the scabbard.

I pulled it out. It was real.

“Please accept this as my gift to you and as a token of your accomplishment.”

“Kuku, I’ll take it.”

I put that dagger in my pocket.

Thank you so much, Alfred-san.

I’ve come this far because of you.

“Then. Give my regards to my mother and father.”

“Understood. I wish you well, Master Luke.”

“Yeah. Let’s go, Alice.”

“Yes, let’s go all the way together.”

“Good… wait what?”

“Let’s get going. You don’t want to be late.”

“… Right.”

I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but dismissing that I went through the main gate and stepped into the campus.

We went straight into the school building.

As soon as I went upstairs, I saw that classroom.

I put my hand on the door, paused for a moment, and then slowly opened it—.