Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 311

Chapter 311: Experienced Workers Are Better (3)

I headed towards the magic department’s arena after seeing that there were no major issues at the swordsmanship’s arena grounds, but the scene I saw there was sheer madness.

“Louise! Louise! Louise!”

“The future Tower Master is turning the match around!”

“Louiseeeeee! Show us that magic you used last year!”

Mages and students were waving their wands in the air and shouting loudly. The energy felt like a military pep rally gone completely off the rails.

The madness left both the Principal and me speechless. To be honest, I had somewhat prepared myself after sensing the growing excitement as we approached the magic arena, but I had only imagined a crowd gathering for Louise’s duel, not this idol concert-like atmosphere.

Snapping back to my senses, I glanced around. Even the students from other arenas had abandoned their matches to join the cheering crowd.

What the hell is wrong with all of you?

Even the teachers who should’ve been restraining the students were joining in.

Even if we excuse the students, shouldn’t the teachers show some restraint? It seemed they’d chosen to be mages before being teachers.

“...I guess we didn’t really need to come and cheer her on too, right?”

Rutis finally broke the silence. The scene unfolding before us was so overwhelming that even Rutis’s usually talkative mouth was momentarily shut.

“In this situation, we should come and cheer her on even more. Imagine how Lady Louise would feel without her club members here to support her.”

Ainter, who had joined us on the way, replied to Rutis’s words.

I agreed. Louise wasn’t particularly attention-hungry, and with all these mages going wild, she’d likely be shrinking into herself. In such a situation, she might panic if she couldn’t even see her familiar club members.

Looking toward the arena, I saw Louise trembling slightly as she gripped her staff with both hands. It wasn’t noticeable unless you really focused—or even if you did, it was easy to miss—but she was definitely shaking. Our capybara seemed to be the type to get scared when given too much attention...

What would have happened if we hadn’t come?

As Ainter said, Louise would have been fighting a lonely battle if the club members hadn’t been here. Not against malice, but against a sea of rabid fans.

Looking now, Louise’s opponent was the same guy who was thoroughly beaten by the Mage Duchess’s unique magic last year. He genuinely looked happy to be facing Louise again. If someone walked in without context, they’d probably think he was the one winning.

“Ah, Lather’s there too. Looks like he finished early.”

I instinctively almost turned to look at Erich’s words, but I managed to resist. He was a mage too, so he might have contributed to this madness. He wouldn’t be much help for Louise’s mental state.

“Woooooah!”

“The triple burst! Triple burst!”

And not long after, the crowd erupted in another thunderous cheer. Louise cast the Mage Duchess’s unique magic again, her opponent grinning as he eagerly received its full brunt like he was embracing a gift.

As expected, all mages were crazy. The sane ones were a tiny minority.

These guys have nothing but magic in their heads.

No matter how you looked at it, the idea of mages being symbols of reason was clearly an elaborate PR stunt. To begin with, a truly rational person wouldn’t dedicate their entire life to a single field of study.

I had just shattered one more stereotype about mages.

***Louise finished her duel victoriously and came down from the arena to a standing ovation from all the mages. Everyone could see that Louise’s face had turned bright red, but the crazed mages didn’t seem to care, their cheers reaching a fever pitch. If I, her future husband, hadn’t been watching, they might have even tried to carry her on their shoulders.

“O-Oppa...!”@@novelbin@@

“You did well.”

Louise, who came to us almost running, looked up at me with moist eyes. I could read the extreme mental distress in those eyes. But to be honest, I might have reacted the same way.

“That was amazing, Louise. Your moves were even sharper than last year.”

Meanwhile, Lather, who had been buried in the crowd, quietly approached and offered words of praise.

It seemed that he realized how ugly his behavior had been as the heat in his head cooled down. As a club member, not only did he fail to comfort Louise, but he had joined the legion of madness.

“...”

Unfortunately, his realization came too late. Louise just stared silently at Lather while being nestled in my arms. For someone as kind-hearted as Louise, this wordless gaze was probably the closest she could come to expressing resentment. Lather seemed to understand this and quietly closed his mouth with an awkward expression.

Unfortunately, Erich’s voice wasn’t particularly quiet, so it drew the attention of other club members, especially a certain redhead who was obsessed with swords and was the loudest.

Rutis’s voice instinctively brought back memories from last year. Last year during the inter-class competition, Rutis coughed up blood because I failed to control my strength. When I visited him to apologize, this lunatic had the audacity to request further instruction. A maniac like that was bound to react to any mention of teaching.

“I’ve never taught anyone.”

Anyway, I answered firmly, loud enough for both Erich and Rutis to hear.

It was true that I was stronger than Erich, but being strong didn’t automatically make someone a good teacher. If that were true, then why would we need education specialists? They’d just have strong people teach and be done with it.

“And if I interfere, I might trip you up when you’re already doing just fine on your own.”

I meant it. Regardless of whether I had a talent for teaching or not, Erich was objectively growing well. Being at the top of his class in an academy full of nobles meant that his future as a big shot was guaranteed.

It was hard to compare anyone to Rutis, who had the resources of a prince from a nation of knights. However, the fact that Erich could even stand in the same ring as Rutis spoke volumes about his exceptional talent.

“I might have been lucky so far, but there’s no guarantee it’ll continue to go well.”

But seeing Erich speak so dejectedly, I understood him a bit.

“A spear? You’re a swordsman, so why would you even think about switching to a spear? If you keep switching your main weapon, you’ll end up neither here nor there.”

I had felt the same way before.

When I was sent to the North with just a sword, rolling around in actual combat, I became anxious about whether I was doing things right and tried to learn all sorts of techniques. Looking back now, as Gerard said, I was on the verge of becoming a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.

“All the alcohol I get from now on is yours.”

“The spear suits you better than the sword. I guarantee it.”

And then, he immediately taught me. What a crazy bastard.

“...Still, I can’t. Someone who can’t teach properly will only mess things up.”

Although my heart wavered for a moment, I shook my head again. I understand, but I can’t help.

I wasn’t about to let Erich stumble down the same chaotic path I had with Gerard. If the older brother walked a path of fire, then the younger brother should walk a path of flowers.

“Then, Advisor, how about having a duel with Erich?”

“A duel?”

While Erich couldn’t speak after my firm refusal, Rutis attempted to assassinate him.

Was he crazy? This was coming from the guy who’d ended up coughing up blood the last time he sparred with me. And now he wanted to shove someone else into the line of fire?

“Originally, warriors gain enlightenment just by observing a master’s sword technique. If direct teaching is difficult, then letting him figure things out on his own might be the next best thing.”

But surprisingly, Rutis’s words made sense.

“Besides, you and Erich are brothers. If Erich progresses on the right path, he’ll become like the Advisor. If he knows what the end point looks like, he’ll know how to chart his own path.”

The following words were also very reasonable.

As I turned my gaze from Rutis back to Erich, I saw Erich looking at Rutis with sparkling eyes. He seemed touched by this unexpected support.

Hmm.

“So I just need to show you?”

I casually asked Erich.

“Y-Yes!”

“Come on, then.”

I jerked my chin at Erich, who was nodding hurriedly. This felt like I was a delinquent who was inviting someone to the rooftop, but these kinds of things were better handled on the spot.

That said, a duel was out of the question. I wouldn’t be able to face Mother if I failed to control my strength with Erich as I did with Rutis. A family where the older brother beat up his younger brother to the point of bleeding was a disgrace.

Ah.

A decent idea came to mind.