A C-Rank Magic Student Who Deludes Himself into Thinking He Is SSS-Rank - Chapter 24: Alphonse Freed <2>

──Ten years ago.

When Alphonse turned seven, his father showed him “it” for the first time.

“Listen, Alphonse,”

his father spoke sternly and severely, addressing the young Alphonse.

“Our family, the Freeds

, are fated to eradicate this monster truly. To fulfill this immense responsibility, mere average strength is not enough.”

Standing before “it,” Alphonse instinctively felt terror, tears welling in his eyes, his body trembling. Yet, his father continued with harsh words.

“Alphonse, you are still too weak, far too weak. Even compared to others of your age, you are lacking. Remember, one day, you must defeat this monster. You must become stronger than anyone else.”

──Those words from his father remained etched in Alphonse’s mind even ten years later.

◆

──Back to the present.

On this day, most of the academy’s teachers were summoned to the royal capital, leading to the cancellation of all lectures scheduled after the fourth period in the afternoon.

After finishing his third-period class, Alphonse Freed headed to the academy’s cafeteria for lunch.

The cafeteria in Crawford Magic Academy provided meals from morning to evening, with students and teachers visiting at their convenience.

While it’s available anytime, most students and teachers usually visit the cafeteria during the ninety-minute lunch break at noon following the end of the second period.

Therefore, the cafeteria, usually crowded during lunchtime, had many vacant seats when Alphonse visited after the third period.

Normally, securing a seat before ordering was necessary during busy times, but Alphonse went straight to the counter as it wasn’t needed then.

“Stew and bread, steamed potatoes and sausages, and a vegetable soup, please.”

“Understood.”

After Alphonse placed his order, the cook repeated it for confirmation and went to the kitchen.

In the academy, meals were provided free of charge to students and teachers, so they simply ordered at the counter and skipped any monetary transactions.

“Here you go.”

After a short wait, the cook returned with a tray bearing Alphonse’s food.

“Thank you.”

Alphonse thanked the cook, took the tray, and found a nearby table. However,

“…Tch.”

He heard a distinct tongue click from a few seats on the opposite side.

“?”

Curious, Alphonse looked toward the sound to find a male student with green-tinged blond hair standing up abruptly with an obvious look of annoyance directed at him.

“Ah, I’m sorry—”

Before Alphonse could finish, the student, agitated, grabbed his tray and left the table.

Alphonse’s expression twisted with regret.

The boy with the slightly spiked hairstyle was Ted Evans, a student from Alphonse’s second-year A-class, known for openly disliking Alphonse and often badmouthing him within earshot.

Having recently been the subject of Ted’s gossip after a class mock battle, Alphonse was well aware of this.

“(Of course, he’d be upset if I sat near him… I was quite thoughtless…)”

Alphonse felt guilty about inadvertently sitting near the student and internally blamed himself for not checking before taking a seat.

“…Let’s eat.”

With a somber expression, Alphonse quietly began his lunch, his mood shadowed by the incident.

◆

Ted Evans, a second-year student with green-tinged blond hair, ranked fifth in his class, usually moves around with a group of four, including himself. This group, united by a common hatred towards Alphonse Freed, was formed at the beginning of their enrollment and consisted of top-ranking students in their grades.

Though not particularly close friends, these four spend much time together, bonded by their shared disdain for Alphonse. It’s akin to people with similar interests becoming friends or those with a common cause forming a group.

On this day, Ted, who usually hung out with his group, went to the cafeteria alone as the others were delayed due to assignment submissions.

“(It’s quiet after the third period,)”

Ted noted the sparse crowd and chose a table near the counter, seeing no need to reserve seats for his friends.

While waiting for the others,

“…Tch.”

Ted’s expression soured as he spotted the last person he wanted to see in the cafeteria – Alphonse Freed. The sight of Alphonse instantly brought a scowl to Ted’s face and a clench to his jaw.

He hadn’t forgotten a particular statement Alphonse made two years ago, still stinging from the humiliation. As Alphonse, oblivious, sat down at Ted’s table,

“…Tch.”

“Ah, I’m sorry—”

Before Alphonse could finish, Ted, visibly irritated, stood up and left with his tray, ignoring anything Alphonse tried to say.

Ted moved to a seat further away, continuing to wait for his friends.

Soon after, the three other members of his group arrived, and they joined Ted at the new table.

“We kept you waiting.”

“…Yeah.”

“…? You seem in a bad mood. Weren’t we just a little late?”

“Well, no. It’s not about you guys… It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“…Saw a face that spoiled my mood.”

“?”

The others followed Ted’s gaze.

“Ah, I see.”

One of them seemed to understand the situation and nodded.

“Right. I was sitting at that table, but he came and sat beside me. Had to move here.”

Ted spoke with obvious distaste.

“Seriously? Just hearing that is annoying.”

“Doesn’t he realize how much he’s disliked? So insensitive.”

“That’s why he always eats alone.”

“Ha, no doubt.”

“He’s nothing like the great hero he’s descended from, huh?”

Their conversation devolved into mocking laughter about Alphonse.

Alphonse, hearing this, couldn’t help but look pained.

Ted inwardly sneered, “(Serves him right).”

Despite their mockery, Alphonse Freed’s abilities were far from laughable. The other students, all A-class, were among the top in their grades, but the gap between them and Alphonse, the second-ranked S-class magic student, was vast.

Alphonse could easily

handle them all in seconds, even if they attacked together. And they were all well aware of this gap in ability.

Half of their reason for belittling Alphonse was “jealousy.”

Alphonse Freed was blessed with good looks – beautiful golden hair, sparkling blue eyes, a fair complexion, and a tall stature.

Moreover, he came from a distinguished lineage. The frequent references to a “great hero” or “savior hero” in their conversations were about “Sieg Freed,” a legendary figure who was the only person in history to be bestowed the title of “SSS-class” and hailed as the strongest ever.

Four hundred years ago, Sieg Freed single-handedly defeated the “End’s Black Annihilation Dragon, Schwarzdius,” a fearsome dragon that devastated countries and plunged people into terror. Sieg, a half-dragon born from a dragonkin and a human, possessed immense magical power and physical strength, capable of wielding multiple powerful magics.

Magic ability and talent are mostly hereditary, and Alphonse, descending from the world’s strongest man, was among the most privileged in terms of lineage.

Being blessed with such a lineage meant possessing talents beyond ordinary humans and developing abilities much faster.

The other students despised Alphonse partly because he was born into such fortune, possessing overwhelming abilities they could never hope to match despite their hardest efforts and being blessed with good looks.

But jealousy wasn’t their only reason for disliking Alphonse.

The main reason for their hatred stemmed from an incident during the entrance examination two years ago. Crawford Magic Academy’s entrance exam involved casting basic attribute magic at targets set by the academy to gauge skill levels.

Despite being only fifteen, Alphonse showcased the magic of such power that it dwarfed the capabilities of the academy’s teachers and even caused partial destruction to the examination hall. His display left the supervising teachers and fellow examinees in awe.

However, Alphonse, having been told by his parents since childhood that his abilities were merely average and not enough to uphold his family’s honor, genuinely believed he was just an ordinary magician. His parents, aiming to further his talents, had raised him under a strict regimen, constantly downplaying his abilities.

Unaware of this fact, Alphonse innocently asked the people around him during the exam, “Isn’t this normal?” — a question that was taken as arrogance and disdain for others’ abilities.

This incident branded Alphonse as arrogant and disdainful, making him an outcast among his classmates. Despite his lack of malice, his innocent query was misinterpreted, leading to widespread resentment against him.