Chapter 2

The ceremony ended, and the students began to disperse.

For many who had been chasing their dreams, their lives had been determined in these few hours.

Those who obtained “winning skills” and those who didn’t had a clear difference in their demeanor, as if their fates were laid bare.

The contrast between bliss and despair was brutal.

If this scene, a microcosm of society, was a lesson in growing up, then it felt like an awfully steep tuition fee.

“Life really doesn’t go the way you hope, huh…”

There must have been many who wanted to turn their mediocre student lives around here… I understand that feeling… Really, I do… I was one of them too.

Yeah. It’s not just someone else’s problem for me either.

When I channeled my magic, a single transparent bubble popped out of my palm.

“…What’s this?”

【Bubble】 was clearly a weak skill.

This… is bad…

Maybe my life is over too…

“Hey. Nice work.”

The one who slapped my shoulder was Luke.

Luke, also an orphan and the same age as me, was here too, about to graduate elementary school next year. He had also taken part in the awakening ceremony with me. The skill Luke awakened was…

“Good for you. A sword skill — that’s amazing.”

“They say it’s a rare skill, apparently. I heard there are famous adventurers with the sword skill too.”

“Sigh… I got bubbles. Bubbles… what are bubbles even…”

“Don’t get so down. The teacher also said it was a unique skill, and you won’t know until you actually try using it.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

“No matter the skill, if you train, you can definitely earn a recommendation. I know better than anyone how much you’ve prepared for this. We can get through this together, just like always.”

“…Hrk… Luke…”

“Idiot. What are you crying for? Let’s go to the training grounds. We’ll try out our skills there.”

◇

“Whoa, there’s a ton of people…”

The training grounds were packed with our classmates who had just awakened their skills. It seemed everyone was thinking the same thing, wanting to try out their newfound skills. Since the walls of the training ground automatically repaired themselves, everyone was aiming their skills at them for practice.

Despite the crowded state, there was still some space when we reached the center of the grounds.

“Alright, let’s give this a shot.”

Luke closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stretched his arm forward. I could clearly see a sword forming out of his magic.

“Amazing! It’s a sword!”

“It looks like an iron sword, but it’s super light.”

“Since it’s really just concentrated magic, I bet if you lose focus, it’ll turn back into magic.”

As Luke relaxed a little, the sword dissolved into particles of light and faded into the air.

“A skill to freely create swords… I’m so jealous… It’s insanely cool…”

“H-Hey, it’s your turn now. Give it a try.”

“Alright.”

——Glub, glub, glub…

When I extended my arm and released my magic, it automatically transformed into bubbles thanks to my skill.

The bubbles created from my palm slowly drifted to the ground and popped. One floated off a bit before colliding with another student’s proud burst of flames and vanished.

…Bubbles.

…They’re really just bubbles.

“Luke… Maybe it’s… already over for me…”

“Don’t give up! It’s just the beginning, right? Try pouring more magic into it!”

——Glub, glub, glub, glub, glub, glub, glub, glub, glub…

When I poured as much magic as I could, the bubbles began to form faster than they could fall, creating a cushion of bubbles that piled up around my feet, eventually reaching up to my height and bending like they were about to bow.

“…”

“If you think about it… I’m sure bubbles can be useful somehow! Yeah, it all depends on how you use it…!”

Luke tried to break the unbearable silence with brave words, but the more earnestly he tried, the more miserable I felt.

“It’s better to give up quickly if you know you lack talent, Ausel.”

Brute Lesnor appeared with his entourage, laughing mockingly.

The eldest son of the Lesnor ducal family, Brute bore royal blood and came from a distinguished noble line. He was the complete opposite of Luke and me, who had only our hard work to our names.

Born into wealth, status, and power, Brute was a lazy individual who often skipped classes. His physique was as overindulgent as his character suggested, and his red uniform—denoting nobility and unlike the common green—strained so tightly that the buttons looked ready to pop.

“I’ll teach you a surefire way to live a happy life: don’t bother with anything pointless. Effort is for fools,” he said, fixing me with a self-satisfied smirk.

“No family, no money, no talent, no luck—you’re destined to crawl at the bottom of society from birth, aren’t you, you loser?” he sneered.

“What did you say…?”

“Hear me out to the end, Luke. Even losers have a way to be happy. They just need to know their place and live modestly. With that pathetic skill of his, Ausel’s luck is already spent. There’s no point in staying here and studying at the academy. It would be far more useful if he left and looked for work.”

“Who do you think you are, saying that!?”

“How dare you speak to Lord Brute that way!”

“Orphan scum, don’t get full of yourself!”

“Shut up, all of you!”

“Eeek!”

Unfazed by Brute’s royal status, Luke silenced his followers with a single shout. This man, who enjoyed saying the very things people least wanted to hear, was clearly used to trampling on others’ feelings.

He didn’t need to go that far… He already has everything we wish we had, so he could at least leave us alone at times like these.

It’s like waiting out the rain; all we can do is hope this noble’s whims will pass.

“Luke, I’m saying this for your own good.”

“What?”

“I told you—if you want to live a good life, don’t waste your time. Ausel’s fate is already sealed. Associating with someone like him will only squander your precious time. Lucky for you, though, you may lack family and wealth, but you do have talent and luck. If you swear loyalty to me, I might even consider taking you into my service in the future. How about it? There’s no greater honor for an orphan than to serve under royalty, right?”

“Get lost! Who do you think you are? If you’re done, scram already, you pig!”

“P-pig…? Are you really going to turn down my offer? Don’t come crying to me later, Luke,” Brute sneered ominously before leaving.

“Don’t listen to anything that guy says, Ausel.”

“Y-yeah…”

I don’t want to give up yet—not deep down. But… I don’t see anything that could earn me a recommendation right now.

The powerless bubbles before me shrank with a faint popping sound.