A boy raised by a demon king and a dragon king seems to be peerless in his school life.

Volume 1 Chapter 1 Worst childhood friend

“Ruisha, you really are such a slacker!”

One day, as I was practicing magic as usual, my childhood friend Elena Burnwood started berating me.

“You can’t use magic with such a feeble approach! You need to put more ‘oomph’ into it!”

“W-Well, I don’t understand it when you put it that way…”

“What?! You dare talk back to me, Ruisha!? You’re so cheeky!!”

Elena got angry at my words and began kicking me vigorously.

Ouch, it hurts! Maybe for her, it’s just playful, but those kicks are way too painful for someone like me who isn’t physically strong.

Due to Elena’s constant bullying, my body is covered in bruises under my clothes.

This is terrible. Why do I have to go through this?

“Good grief, you’re such a handful. Oh well, there’s no helping it! Allow this super-genius childhood friend, Elena-sama, to give Ruisha some training!”

Elena declared this with an air of pride.

It’s frustrating, but the truth is, Elena is indeed a genius. It all started when she first used magic at the age of 3, and from there, she blossomed into various talents, becoming known as a “prodigy” before we knew it.

On top of that, she’s attractive. With her large, sparkling eyes, long eyelashes, dark and glossy hair, flawless skin, and a well-endowed figure that even grown men can’t help but notice, Elena was a beauty that didn’t quite fit into the rural village where I live.

However, her personality is the worst.

Despite her pleasant exterior, she regularly resorts to violence and insults towards me, her childhood friend.

To make matters worse, she seems to be spreading rumors that I’m her boyfriend without my consent.

It’s not a joke! I prefer someone much kinder!

I wanted to tell her this, but my fear of her was deeply ingrained, so I couldn’t muster the courage.

And so, I resigned myself to enduring these days that would continue as they always had.

That was until one fateful day when I turned 15. A turning point arrived.

“Well then, as the kindhearted girlfriend I am, I’ll give Ruisha some training today!”

I had been secretly training behind the house, away from Elena’s watchful eye, but luck wasn’t on my side, and she discovered me.

With a mischievous grin, she found me and condescendingly declared,

“Now, now. Is it not time for my dear Ruisha to receive some special training from me?”

This isn’t a joke. Elena’s training just ends up hurting me and doesn’t make me any stronger at all.

The prodigious Elena couldn’t possibly understand how someone like me, with no talent, feels.

Damn it, I’ve had enough. I just want to practice on my own today.

“Sorry, but I want to train alone today. Can we do it another time?”

“Huh? Do you still seriously think you can become stronger on your own? Talentless Ruisha can’t get any stronger! Instead of wasting your time on such futile endeavors, you should just focus on being my partner!”

Futile endeavors.

For the first time in my life, Elena’s words filled me with a rage so intense it felt like my insides were boiling.

Does she have any idea how much effort and dedication I’ve put into this? To dismiss all my hard work without understanding…

“That’s it! I’ve got a brilliant idea! Ruisha, why don’t you leave the village? That way, you won’t be a bother to the villagers anymore! I know it’ll be lonely, but I’ll come to visit you from time to time! Oh, what a lucky person you are!”

To make matters worse, she even suggested banishing me from the village.

…Elena intends to take everything from me. My place, my efforts, my purpose, my pride…

I can’t endure this any longer.

I’ve had enough!

“…I’ve had enough. I can’t be with Elena anymore.”

“What? W-What do you mean!?” Elena visibly faltered as I coldly spoke.

She probably never expected me, someone she considered beneath her, to stand up to her like this.

“You mean to say you’re ending things with me…!? When it’s already a miracle that you get to be with someone as cute as me!?”

To begin with, I never intended to become her boyfriend…

Well, that doesn’t matter now.

“No, it’s not like that.”

When I said this, Elena’s face suddenly lit up. Why is she so happy about being in a relationship with me when she probably doesn’t even like me? She probably just sees me as a punching bag.

Oh, this is frustrating.

I need to end this relationship.

“It’s not just as a boyfriend. I don’t want to be even friends with Elena anymore! Just stay away from me!”

For the first time in my life, I strongly rejected Elena.

In response, Elena’s face turned pale.

“Th-this is a joke, right? Because you love me, right? Please, tell me it’s a joke.”

“…I used to like the kinder you from the past, but I despise the Elena who’s become drunk on power now! Fine, I’ll leave, and I’ll do it myself, I’ll leave this village with you in it!”

“I’m hated…? Even after all the kindness I showed you…”

Elena was left bewildered by my incomprehensible words.

Seeing my chance, I fled from Elena and ran into the nearby forest.

I could hear her calling out, “Wait!” from behind, but I ignored it.

I’ll become stronger on my own.

And one day, I’ll have my revenge on Elena!

With a vow for revenge burning in my heart, I began my training.

◇

“Phew, this forest is still as difficult to navigate as ever.”

I, Ruisha Bardy, continued to venture through the forest near the village, trying to escape from Elena.

This dense forest was easy to get lost in, and villagers rarely ventured here, making it ideal for secret training.

I don’t plan on returning to the village for a while, so I might as well build a small house here later. With nuts and wild plants, I should be able to sustain myself.

“This spot should do.”

I found an open area with sparse vegetation and decided to make it today’s training ground.

Today’s training would be focused on wind magic.

Ordinary people can use basic magic without much training. For example, even a slight breeze can be conjured by anyone with a little guidance when it comes to wind magic.

But I was different.

Even conjuring a gentle breeze was a task as challenging for me as using advanced magic. I was always ridiculed by Elena for not being able to do even the simplest things.

But I was tired of it.

I couldn’t bear to face my deceased parents in the afterlife with such a pitiful existence if I continued to be bullied like this.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

I sat down on the ground, closed my eyes, and focused my consciousness.

Then, I concentrated the magic power within me into my fingertips, meticulously refining it.

“Alright, this is good so far.”

The real challenge comes next.

I struggle to convert this refined magical energy into a spell.

“Hah! Wind Twirl, Wind!”

I release the condensed magical energy to activate the spell, but it makes a pitiful “pshoo” sound, and the magical energy disperses.

Ugh, it’s no good after all.

But this is nothing new.

I have to find a way to at least move a single leaf, no matter what.

I attempted it multiple times afterward, but I didn’t seem to improve much. Of course, it’s partly because I’m clumsy, but there was something else bothering me.

“Hmm… Something feels off.”

The air in the forest seems strange. I haven’t even spotted a single small animal.

“Could there be magical beasts around…? If so, I should wrap up early.”

I’d love to continue my training, but my life is more important.

As I briskly prepare to pack my things and head back, I suddenly notice something.

“…? I sense magic coming from over there.”

It was a sizeable magical presence that even someone like me, with low magic-detection abilities, could feel.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t approach something so unknown, but before I knew it, I was drawn toward the source of that magic, like a moth to a flame.

“What’s this… a hole?”

What I found was a crack in the ground, about three meters wide. It emitted a dazzling light, and no matter how much I peered inside, I couldn’t see the bottom.

“Magic was flowing from here. I should report it to the villagers for now.”

It’s not a magical beast, which is a relief, but I can’t just leave something so inexplicable unattended.

I interrupted my inspection and tried to head back to the village, but I slipped.

“Huh?”

It was a complete and utter self-sabotage with no one to blame but myself.

I found myself thrown into the mysterious crack due to a rather embarrassing reason I tripped over a pile of fallen leaves on the ground, losing my balance. A regular person would probably regain their footing quickly, but I have a well-established reputation for having absolutely no coordination. I’ve never practiced such things.

“Oh, heavens. If I could be reborn, please give me a kind childhood friend next time…”

With these pitiful words as my last testament, I fell into the crack.