Chapter 18
My Absolute Fave’s Nemesis Is Also My Nemesis

Translated by: chocolalaEdited by: kemostt

“Passing on mana to others is not an embarrassing thing. It depends on the method though,”

“Is that so?! I’m relieved. But, huh? It depends on the method…?”

As soon as the next day arrived, I asked my tutor during my study session. I was relieved for a moment upon hearing the answer, but then I tilted my head in puzzlement.

“As for the method, does that mean there’s more than just holding hands?”

“I see, so Alba has been receiving mana by holding hands. Oh yes, there are various methods to do it. Among them, there’s also a method that can only be done between adults, but Alba is still little, so have someone teach you properly about that only after you come of age, okay?”

“After I come of age, will Mr Horn teach me?”

“…I can’t exactly teach you that. When that time comes, I guess you’ll have someone appropriate to teach you.”

“Why can’t you teach me?”

“There are various reasons… But I’m only your tutor until you enter junior high. Unfortunately, I have only two years remaining where I can teach you.”

“Th-that’s right… I also feel it’s unfortunate that soon you will no longer be able to teach me… I’m very happy to be your student, so for the remaining two years, please teach me kindly…”

As I bowed, Mr Horn’s eyes welled with tears. There were still two more years, why would he be in tears at this moment? Or were those tears because it was too tough for him to cram everything in the short two years to ensure this dumb me could enter junior high?

“I’m sorry for being a dumb student,” I bowed my head low and he hurried to refute me.

“You’re not dumb at all. Your ability to do maths is nearly as great as Orsis’s, and although you’re not good at memorizing, you’re working really hard, aren’t you? So, that’s not why I was in tears… It’s just, I feel so happy to be able to teach an obedient student like you.”

At his words, I chuckled.

He said that I was good at maths. Well, that was probably because I came to this world after learning basic maths, so I could do those questions easily, but once I started junior high, I didn’t think I would be able to do well after that. I could only handle addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. I once saw the content of Brother’s textbook, but everything there was totally beyond me. Just which grade’s textbook was that? It was totally not something to be learned in junior high. 

Besides, saying I was not good at memorizing gave me too much credit: I simply sucked at it. I really could not memorize things, so Mr Horn had to resort to instructing me to repeat, out loud, only five names that I needed to remember again and again daily in order to memorize them. Even then, after a week, when I was quizzed over the names I should’ve remembered, my memory was overwritten by so many other names that I couldn’t answer them. My brain and body were l both useless; did I even possess any merit within me?

“Does this mean I can’t make a living in the future if I don’t establish myself as an artist?” I inadvertently blurted that out, and my tutor made a complicated face. 

Well, that was no surprise. Art pieces in this world consisted of only paintings; I, who specialized in illustrations, was not into that type.

I became slightly down at the realization that I had no redeeming features at all. 

To clear away these depressing thoughts, I headed to Brother’s school with our lunches in my hands. 

My weekly lunches were still ongoing. Lately, there was some bug who wanted to hinder our supreme-bliss-lunchtimes, but, without exception, Brother and Bruno-kun would shoo them away. 

And currently, that particular bug was standing before me. I raised my head, and he flashed me a smile.

“I’ll guide you to the salon, so come with me, Orsis’s little brother. I’ll also carry that heavy-looking basket. Hey, Adrian, take the basket.”

“It’s fine. I can carry it myself, and I also know the place. I cannot possibly cause trouble to Your Highness.”

Zweit Saint-Esprit1: the second prince of the royal family of our kingdom, the Esprit Kingdom. Also standing together with him was Adrian Tesh Shezarr, the son of the general commander of the Knight Order, whom I was not sure if he was His Highness’s close aide or simply his servant, but I knew that this person standing in front of me was Brother’s nemesis. 

An unfortunate coincidence had led to this undesired connection to this prince when I got lost on the school grounds after I was somehow separated from Sven, and this prince had brought me to where Brother was. Since then, he took a liking to Brother and Bruno-kun, and used every chance he got to get them under his wings.

Based on my knowledge of the game, he was an outgoing person with a very bright character—exactly what people would call a socializer. He was not exactly a bad person at heart. 

I looked back at Sven, who was standing a little behind me. I wondered what I should do to dismiss a demand from a royalty when they were still being pushy even after I had refused them already? I sincerely wanted to learn how from Bruno. Bruno would always calmly handle it at the entrance, so I hadn’t expected a time would come when he would come straight at me like this. 

Nevertheless, having these two at our lunch was something I wanted the least. Well, this basket only contained lunch for my brother, Bruno, me, and Sven. And also only enough for all the guards who accompanied us.

If these two joined us, Sven would surely skip lunch to spare a portion, and I would need to sacrifice my lunch too, to cover the portion for the other person. I’d make sure that Brother could eat his portion, so if they came together for lunch, it’d only inconvenience me and Sven.

Perhaps what I was thinking was showing on my face. Brother’s nemesis, who was standing behind the prince, opened his mouth to speak, “With all due respect, Your Highness’s lunch has already been prepared in the dining hall. If Your Highness doesn’t eat it, the food will just be thrown away. If word gets out that the food is being wasted, His Highness’s reputation will be tarnished, so please come to the dining hall.”

“But… Don’t you want to try something different once in a while? And aren’t you curious as to what the people in the ducal family have for lunch?”

“No, not at all. I’m more concerned about the disposal of the food that His Highness didn’t eat.”

I was a little surprised by the exchange that was taking place in front of me. The son of the general commander was properly admonishing the prince. I could remember the scene in the game where Brother was greatly pissed off by him, but I was not exactly clear about his personality. I hadn’t even bothered to know.

I was staring at the two who were taller than me, when the prince shrugged his shoulders with an attitude of being helpless upon facing someone who was being a pain in the ass. 

Hey, just who’s the pain-in-the-ass here?

“That’s the situation, so it’s unfortunate, but may I have lunch together with you next time by properly making an appointment with you all?”

“That’s… not something I can answer. I also was being willful in order to come here. If I cause Brother any inconvenience, I probably would no longer be able to come to school like this…”

Besides, whenever Brother saw His Highness and the person behind him, his gaze would become awfully cold. If these two followed behind me and made Brother feel bothered, how could I bring myself to continue to have my reward lunches with Brother that I had strived so hard to get?

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When I was deep in such thoughts, the prince reached out a hand towards me. I shuddered on reflex and shrank back; the prince wryly smiled, as if troubled.

“You really… how should I say it? You really love Orsis so much. It was never my intention to bother you two. So, please don’t cry? Doesn’t this look like I’m bullying you now?”

When he passed me a handkerchief, as he had offered to give me his since he thought I was being afraid of him, it was only then that I realised my tears were falling because I had become upset from imagining that my weekly lunches with Brother would be gone.

Since two years back, I hadn’t changed one bit. 

I refused his offer and told him it was okay before I pulled out my own handkerchief from my pocket and wiped my tears. Looking at my matching handkerchief with Brother made me feel calm.

“I’m not sure if you’re a big shot or just ignorant as you are choosing to put Orsis before me even though you know my status…”

“With all due respect, sir, he seems to be a very young man, so I suspect he is yet to understand about social status,” Brother’s nemesis spoke in a very rude and blunt way.

In the game, what was his remark that had totally pissed off my absolute fave again? My absolute fave’s pissed-off face looked so cool and gorgeous that my heart had throbbed; I forgot everything else. However, the fact that he was pissed off was not a pleasant thing, and I couldn’t bear to see it, thus I skipped that scene whenever I replayed the game. Of course, it was a given that I could always see that scene in a still image I had saved.

Anyway, I did know a thing or two about social status. Although I originated from a baronial family, I was already officially a child of a ducal family; on the other hand, the general commander of the knights was no duke, so the one who was ignoring the difference in our social statuses was actually this person. 

I wondered if becoming a servant of His Highness the Second Prince came with privileges or something. Or was he saying that in light of his low status? Actually, it was most likely he was saying this even while knowing this.

“Um, I know Your Highness is someone with a great status, but I’m not sure if that’s the same for the one standing behind Your Highness.”

Right behind me, I think I could hear Sven slightly chuckling, but I wanted to believe that it was only audible to me. Why was he laughing? I guess it must be from seeing how I still prioritised Brother even after perfectly understanding how high the prince’s status was. That was correct.

“I can’t do anything then. In consideration of Orsis’s little brother, I will retreat today. I’ll ask Orsis so I can join next time. May I ask for my and Adrian’s portion for the lunch too that time? I’ll prepare the special room in the salon for that occasion.”

“I can’t answer that. I’ll take my leave now.”

In fact, I knew it was rude to cut the conversation off like this and leave the scene right in front of him. If I was an adult, I’d be in trouble for it. But then again, I was an ignorant child.

I glanced at the knight behind the prince and saw that he was looking at me with a little squint and a scowl on his face. Without being stopped, the prince waved goodbye as I hurried off to my brother’s classroom. I was late today because of them.

“Ah, that’s right! Since I’m an ignorant child, I should’ve just pretended I didn’t realize that he’s a prince and simply thanked him for the other day before running away…”

“Young master Alba, your thoughts are flying out of your mouth. Although you think that way, it’s not advisable to say what you’re thinking out loud.”

After Sven rebuked me and I replied with a good boy’s ‘yes’, my cheeks reddening a bit from the embarrassment of being heard talking to myself, I quickened my pace when I saw my brother’s worried face awaiting me in the classroom.

I hugged my brother and let out a sigh of relief as I heard him say, “Alba?”

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His soft, worried voice instantly soothed me.

The gloominess that had washed over me when I had been told indirectly by Brother’s nemesis that I was ignorant of the world was instantly blown away the moment Brother held me tight. As I thought, Brother was the greatest and most wonderful of them all.

chocolala: this chapter was longer than usual, but the beginning when the tutor was explaining about mana sharing between adults, the first thing that came to mind is ‘Dual cultivation’!

kemostt: i hate alba.