Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields - Chapter 16

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

◈ Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields ◈

Chapter 16: Skill Assessment (2)

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House Iaros.

The information we’d been given was simple. First, House Iaros was in the Kingdom of Zeros. Second, Luna was supposedly the Count’s only daughter. That was it.

My master had said she would arrange identities for us, so I’d assumed everything would be fine.

Then someone suddenly asked us this. What a mess.

Could she actually know the real daughter of House Iaros...?

I broke out in a cold sweat.

Luna looked a little flustered too, but quickly regained her composure and answered.

"Yes. He is my father, but who are you?"

The student suddenly clasped both of Luna’s hands and greeted her with overwhelming excitement.

"Wow, you really are as beautiful as the rumors say...! I’m Shumi of House Iamond! Please call me Shumi!"

Shumi’s face was full of excitement.

"It’s an honor to meet the daughter of House Iaros, whose face no one in the Kingdom of Zeros has ever seen!"

At least she didn’t suspect us, but that left us with no idea what Count Iaros’s daughter had actually been like.

We didn’t have enough information.

If we ran into another noble from the Kingdom of Zeros, our fake identities could be exposed at any moment.

I decided I needed to contact my master somehow.

For someone improvising, Luna handled it well enough.

"Oh, Miss Shumi! I’m Luna Iaros. Please call me Luna!"

"Yes! Luna! Um... I’m really curious about something. Can I ask you a question...?"

Luna swallowed, trying to look calm.

"Of course~ Ask me anything...! Haha..."

Even I was tense just watching.

"From what I heard, did Count Iaros really... lock Luna away...?"

Luna and I met each other’s eyes.

We understood without saying a word.

‘Do you know about this?’

‘How would I...?’

Luna smacked her forehead with her palm.

Seeing that Luna was reluctant to answer, Shumi quietly added something.

"I’m sorry... That’s what people say. They say Count Iaros thought his daughter was so beautiful that he confined her for her own safety..."

Neither Luna nor I had any way of knowing whether that story was true, but we had to go along with it for now.

I didn’t have a daughter, but that still sounded excessively overprotective.

"Ah~ My father loved me veeeery much, you see."

The Demon King certainly seemed to love Luna dearly too.

He even sent notes to a kid like me.

"Of course... I can see why! If I were as beautiful as Luna, I think I’d be scared of being kidnapped too."

Wow... Anyone who kidnapped Luna would regret ever being born.

Who exactly was supposed to be afraid of whom?

"Oh, c’mon, you’re making too much of it~ Miss Shumi, you’re really cute too, you know?"

Luna waved her hands dismissively, though she didn’t seem too displeased.

Of course she’d be happy to hear she was pretty, but watching them exchange girl talk beside me was getting a little hard to bear.

Imagining two guys telling each other, “Wow, your muscles are incredible,” made me feel a little sick.

Still, it was fortunate that Shumi didn’t press us with questions or become suspicious.

If anything, Shumi might become Luna’s first human friend.

I’d become a former human friend, after all.

The two chatted away without noticing the time pass, and soon the Skill Assessment resumed.

The teacher who had been beaten earlier seemed in no condition to continue evaluating anyone and disappeared somewhere. The principal came in to assess us instead.

All the teachers seemed to be busy with evaluations, leaving no other faculty members available.

The students in Group Four once again demonstrated their specialties before the principal.

Some showed off magic, some archery, and some their skill with weapons. Their abilities were fairly impressive.

"Shumi Iamond."

Before long, it was Shumi’s turn.

"I’ll be back!"

Shumi rose from beside Luna and walked toward the center. Luna waved to cheer her on.

From the look of it, Shumi specialized in magic.

"O fire, become sharp spears and destroy your enemies!"

Fire Lance.

Flaming spears appeared and flew fiercely toward the distant targets.

It was a fire spell beyond the beginner level, one that could prove useful in actual combat.

The principal stroked his beard once and nodded.

"That was quite an impressive demonstration. Keep working hard! Hmm... I’d say Grade 2 would suit you!"

Shumi offered her thanks and returned to her seat.

Hmm... At this age, being given Grade 2 for magic like that might seem disappointing, but this was an academy.

It was a place meant to gather companions for the Hero who had to defeat the Demon King.

Magic of that level wouldn’t work on Yan, let alone the Demon King.

The Grade 1 students were clearly on an entirely different level.

Once Shumi’s turn was over, the principal checked the roster and called the next person.

"Sirius?"

"Yes."

Shumi, who only knew me as Luna’s servant, didn’t seem interested in my turn. Luna, on the other hand, watched me with eager interest.

Unlike Luna, though, I had no plans to beat up a teacher.

I was going to cast a spell just a little stronger than Shumi’s, then leave.

After considering what type to use, I decided on ice magic.

The weather was warm, so I thought I’d cool things down a little as I began casting.

At some point, I’d gotten used to casting without chanting, but doing so here would stand out too much. It felt awkward, but I steadied my breathing and gave it a try.

"O ice, become rain and wipe out my enemies."

Rain of Ice.

Sharp hail fell from the sky and embedded itself in the ground of the training yard.

I figured that would be enough to put me near the bottom of Grade 1.

If I acted too weak, there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to stay with Luna or Celia.

Keeping a low profile was optional, but taking Celia down from her position as the Hero was essential.

I couldn’t spend every day attending classes and socializing like I’d come to some fancy party.

The principal applauded approvingly and praised me.

"Your name is... yes! Sirius! That was excellent magic. You’re one of the promising candidates!"

Without much thought, the principal assigned me to Grade 1.

Relieved that everything had gone according to plan, I was heading back when I suddenly became flustered.

I could feel an enormous wave of heat approaching from behind me.

A fire spell of that level was easily the strongest magic demonstrated that day.

Just as I was about to curse, I realized that if I didn’t stop it, the students behind me could be seriously hurt.

My body moved on its own, and I created a massive wall of ice without chanting.

Thick walls of ice rose from the ground in the direction my hand moved, blocking the flames.

The students all looked stunned, while Luna jumped to her feet to check whether I was all right.

What kind of lunatic... casts magic like that in such a cramped space...?

Fire and ice collided, sending up a cloud of white steam. A person’s silhouette appeared through it.

As the steam cleared, a student with pink twin tails emerged.

She was small and looked cute, but her magic was terrifying.

Pointing at me, she shouted in a high-pitched voice.

"You... you...! You cast that without an incantation just now, didn’t you?!"

Hey... I even chanted that ridiculous incantation to hide it. Why’d you expose me?

After going to all that effort, I felt like a pathetic clown.

Then I heard the students in Group Four whispering among themselves.

Just when I thought nothing was going my way, the girl in front of me kept bouncing up and down as she pointed at me.

"I saw everything! You... you weren’t serious when you used magic earlier either, were you! Why are you pretending to be weak? Do you think the academy is a joke?!"

She was awfully talkative.

The principal stepped between us, seemingly trying to settle the situation.

"Arin Leofield. Even if you are the Tower Master’s daughter, what you just did is difficult to forgive."

The girl called Arin glared at me as though she resented being scolded.

Hey. You’re the one who did something wrong. Why are you looking at me?

"If the students had been hurt, this could have become a very serious matter."

The principal harshly reprimanded her, and she could only huff in frustration without saying anything.

Once the principal finished scolding her, Arin sharply turned her head and shouted at me.

"Sirius. I’ll remember your name. Next time, I definitely won’t lose to you!"

With that, she left without even taking the Skill Assessment.

The principal checked the roster again, then ended the assessment after telling us Arin had been the last student and thanking us for our efforts.

I felt all my energy drain away.