Chapter 25 — There’s No End to Hatred

1

Class B.

Melanie attended class with an anxious heart again today.

Since that incident, when Manus helped her, no one had bothered her.

But that didn’t mean she felt at ease.

No, she realized that rumors about her were spreading quite negatively even beyond that.

With her timid personality, she had neither the courage nor the ability to explain herself.

She no longer had friends who would talk to her.

No one to eat meals with.

No one to chat with during breaks.

Those who used to look at her kindly now cast cynical glances.

-She felt pathetic every time she saw herself becoming isolated.

‘Maybe this is better anyway.’

A mage born into a merchant family.

The affection showered on this oddity made her feel like she had the whole world.

With her outstanding talent, she had envisioned a brilliant school life.

But now this-.

‘Are you still hesitating?’

‘We said we’d take care of it for you.’

‘They’re harmful to you. We should get rid of them all.’

If only she didn’t hear these voices in her ear, it would have been really nice.

Melanie shook her head slightly, trying to shake off the spirits spouting nonsense.

Why did it turn out like this-

Her sighs only grew deeper.

Today is a day without second-year students.

They’ll be gone all week.

“Dirty bitch.”

“How did she seduce Senior Manus this time? How much did that prestigious family want?”

“I don’t think Senior Manus would do that-. Maybe he just couldn’t stand seeing such a pitiful girl?”

The whispers she heard about herself during every break.

The spirits asking for permission to kill those people for her.

Words.

Words-.

Words!

‘Should I really cut off my ears?’

The pink-haired girl slumped down, trying to block out the incoming words.

Meanwhile, people started buzzing again.

Human ears tend to hear even what they don’t want to hear.

The sound naturally reached her ears too.

Is it a human blessing to hear even what can’t be heard?

She buried her face between her arms and quietly closed her ears.

-Until his name came up.

“Senior Manus.”

“Ah-. I heard he took on a diamond-grade mission this time. Surely he didn’t give up?”

Manus.

The tyrant who helped her, untouchable within the academy.

The only person she knew, having no friends.

Whether it was good or not-.

Thanks to Manus’s name, at least the direct bullying had decreased significantly.

She was thinking of how to repay his kindness somehow.

As she was lost in thought, another surprising fact reached her ears.

“They say he’s already completed it.”

“What-?!”

“He completed the mission given by ‘Caesar’ in just one day! And with perfect success!”

“Really? Tell me more details, wasn’t it rigged?”

Manipulation.

The Caesar family certainly had the ability to do so.

No matter how excellent the professors were, could they match the head of the Caesar family?

That’s why large families always undergo manipulation verification and contract separately with the academy to prevent incidents.

The result-?

Before she knew it, Melanie was also perking up her ears.

“Of course, mission complete! And perfectly, without a single hitch-.”

“Wow-. Are you sure it wasn’t below diamond grade?”

“Hey, aren’t you underestimating the academy system too much? The grade isn’t arbitrarily adjusted by the family-.”

Missions selected by sacred and fair magic.

The grade isn’t designated by someone but comes out as if stamped by a machine.

Some call it ‘God’s will’?

Anyway, he succeeded in completing a diamond-grade mission generated like that.

It was amazing.

Was it the second time in academy history?

“So? How was the evaluation?”

“I don’t know beyond that.”

“Huh? Why-!”

The friend who had been chattering excitedly ended the story on a deflating note.

This was a bit over the line-.

Melanie flinched too.

She was dying of curiosity but couldn’t ask.

‘Curious? Curious?’

‘Should we find out for you?’

‘But that kid is too scary~.’

‘Right! Scary! Scary!’

She was momentarily tempted by the spirits’ words.

No. Don’t listen to the spirits.

If she listened to them once, who knows how they would bother her next.

Yes, just live quietly.

Quietly build up skills, at least gain the power to defend herself.

As she was spending her break time thinking like this, she heard a voice calling for her.

“Harry Melanie.”

“-Yes?”

She reflexively lifted her head and quickly looked in the direction of the voice.

It was a voice that evoked a strange feeling, familiar yet unfamiliar.

Not just her, but everyone looked towards the source of the voice.

There stood Manus, a man of striking appearance.

His blue eyes, which seemed like they could suck you in if you fell into them, stared directly at Melanie.

Whispers could be heard from behind.

‘See, what did I tell you-.’

‘Wow, do they really have a close relationship?’

‘She’s from a merchant family. Could there be some financial transaction going on?’

She decided not to listen to the strange rumors.

Swish-.

As Manus swept his gaze towards where the sound came from, everyone fell silent.

Yes, that’s the kind of power one should have.

“Let’s have a talk for a moment.”

“-Yes!”

She stood up briskly, just as she had lifted her head.

It was a quick movement unlike her timid personality.

Stepping outside the classroom, Manus was with three people.

A girl with striking red hair.

A beautiful girl with blue hair.

And a man who seemed quite easygoing.

Lastly, Manus with his black hair.

“Get along well.”

Manus left those words and walked away.

-What’s going on?

Melanie stared blankly at his retreating figure.

So-.

Did he just introduce these friends to her?

As she gazed at the group in a daze, Pearson, the most sociable one, took a step forward.

“Hello? You’re Melanie, right?”

“Uh— yeah. Oh, hello.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Pearson. The senior said he’d introduce us, so we came. You must be quite skilled too, right? Actually, the senior is a bit scary— Ouch!”

“Let us talk too, you chatterbox.”

Anais, the red-haired girl who pushed Pearson aside by grabbing his shoulder, smiled brightly and extended her hand.

Melanie, who disliked noise, was able to secretly smile thanks to her help.

She was like the sun brightly illuminating the earth on a warm day.

Having someone like this smile at her made Melanie feel slightly intimidated.

But soon she gathered courage and extended her hand.

The warmth of the soft hand seemed to melt away her loneliness.

“Oh my, your hand is so small-. It’s super cute!”

“R-really?”

“Like a doll~. You said you’re from the Harry family, right? Let me know if there are any part-time job openings.”

“Umm-.”

Melanie nodded shyly.

Anais looked intently at Melanie’s hair, fascinated by its beautifully iridescent color.

“Your hair is so pretty too-. The texture is similar to Kael’s-.”

“Hey, you should introduce Kael too. Aren’t you just chattering by yourself?”

“Oh, my bad. This pretty one here is Kael. You’re both on the quiet side, so I think you’d get along well if you hung out together.”

Kael took a step forward.

If Pearson was noisy and Anais gave off a bright feeling, Kael was beautiful.

Even as a fellow girl, Melanie found herself momentarily lost in admiration-.

Kael’s plump lips moved slightly.

Her eyes curved gently, and the corners of her mouth lifted.

The smile, now quite natural, made Melanie’s heart flutter.

“I’m Kael.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Harry Melanie.”

“Let’s get along well from now on.”

Her softly whispered words brought a strange sense of calm.

Even the spirits, for some reason, were quiet.

Were they trembling in fear, or-

“By the way, I was really surprised. Seriously.”

“Yeah, who would have thought Senior Manus would introduce a friend to us.”

“Friend? Introduce?”

Melanie could feel the Class B students peeking through the door.

She was particularly sensitive to others’ gazes.

Perhaps it was a sense developed from constantly feeling the spirits’ gazes.

“Yes. He said you’d be suitable for our club.”

“That’s right. We’ve formed a really special~ club. It’s a club where both Senior Alano and Senior Manus are present.”

“Hey, why don’t you join our club?”

It was truly a groundbreaking proposal, one that made the merchant family instincts stir.

What should she do-.

Melanie pondered.

The Flois and Peterson families maintained good relations with the Harry family.

Yes, if she was with these Class A friends, wouldn’t the incessant bullying improve a bit?

Instead of listening to the noisy spirits, couldn’t she listen to kind and lively friends?

Melanie wanted to find a refuge.

“-Okay. Where should I go?”

So she answered.

These people seemed like they could provide a safe place for her to hide.

With them, it felt like she could laugh freely.

“Come to the last room in the club area after school. The smallest room. Got it?”

“-Yeah.”

“Ah, the bell’s about to ring. See you later~.”

The three waved goodbye and walked back to their class.

Suddenly acquired friends.

It was a bit confusing, but it felt like she might make good friends.

Since coming to the academy, the thought of having real interactions made her smile involuntarily.

At the end of those happy thoughts, that man, Manus, came to mind.

Did he introduce these friends knowing she was being ostracized?

‘He’s not a prince on a white horse, that can’t be it.’

She clearly remembered the deal they made before.

A request for help as a merchant.

Merchants should be logical and smart, but they should never try to lecture from above the customer.

Thinking carefully about what the customer wants is also a merchant’s job.

‘Suddenly gained friends. And he left as if uninterested-.’

She rubbed her chin with her delicate hand.

It was a habit that emerged whenever she had concerns.

A childhood friend once said she looked like a detective when doing this.

The classroom was enveloped in silence.

Melanie looked around at them once and sat down.

Rather than worrying about them, it’s better to focus on the customer’s request.

‘How annoying-.’

Among the gazes watching Melanie, someone was consumed with jealousy.

Livy.

The eldest daughter of the Bauer family, and one of the Harry family’s rivals.

No, not rivals, more like the relationship between a debtor and a creditor.

“Because of you, Father…”

They say there’s no hatred without a story.

Livy believed she was born with overwhelming talent.

But in the end, what is this.

She thought she was the only one who could raise up their crumbling family-.

The world was vast, and geniuses were plentiful.

Crack-.

The pen she was holding crumpled.

Manus.

And three Class A students came looking for that detestable girl.

Then they giggle and laugh and chatter.

‘Why don’t people like that take an interest in me-?’

Her eyes reddened.

Manus specifically introduced Class A friends to her.

No, that place should be mine.

Not that demon’s daughter, but me-.

There’s no hatred without reason, and that hatred only grew larger.

–TL Notes–
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