Black Iron Magician

I’m involved with the matter of Prince, so I scheduled it for the day I go to the castle, which is today, so that I can settle everything in one go. And since their destination is the same, they came together riding Therese’s carriage.

Well, my original plan was to let Weerel and the others do what they are going to do without having them involved with the selection, but… Touko, the one I was trying to put into the hero party as an attacker, is absent. As for the temporary hero, he’s more useless than I imagined. Thus, I decided to rearrange the party.

Haru and Chinatsu are fixed to be in the party, so there are two remaining slots. Is there someone who can act as a substitute for Touko and Hero-kun? Yep, there are. There’s a sturdy tanker who will devote herself on the front line, and a magician whose grandfather wants her to gain prestige. So, I will have them do their best. However, it’ll be unnatural if it’s only the two of them who participate in the selection, so I’ll have all the graduates participate too. I want them to do their best as a distraction.

「Okay, it’s about time. Let’s go to the castle.」

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In front of the throne at the castle of Adelheit. An important selection meeting is about to be held to select the hero of Adelheit to join the upcoming hero alliance. The king, who’s supposed to sit on his majestic throne, has not come yet. At this place, there are the royal palace magicians led by the mage prime minister Joseph, and 14 young boys and young girls who were summoned from another world. There’s also Toue Akire, whose job is a hero, among them. The throne room is silent, and a tense atmosphere dominates this place. The boys and girls are nervous because of the unusual situation in the castle.

「(Hey, does it need to be this exaggerated to choose a hero?)」

「(Even if you ask me, there’s no way I know about it. Also, Joseph-san didn’t tell us the details…)」

「(Ah, maybe the hero has been decided already, so there’s no need to talk about it. I mean, it’s obvious that Akira-kun is the hero, right?)」

「(That’s right! The only rival, Touko, is gone, so it’s decided that Akira-kun is the chosen one! Then, this is about who will be in his party, right? Waa, what if I’m chosen!?)」

「E-Even I might be chosen too!」

Because of the tension and excitement, a girl who’s a fan of Akira shouted. Being warned with glances from Joseph and the surrounding magicians, she keeps her voice. Apparently, the classmates in the castle haven’t been told the details of the hero selection meeting.

Toue Akira, the person in question, doesn’t care about the loud voice and he’s just leaning on a stone pillar while thinking about something. His look, which is generally considered handsome, is somewhat stiff.

(… Touko is not coming, huh. Tch, I was planning to get back at her for what she did before, but it seems it was vain efforts.)

When Touko declared that she was leaving the castle, Akira, who was defeated instantly by Touko, secretly vowed revenge.

The one and only greatest advantage of the job hero is that any skill will be judged as a related skill that will contribute to the job level. Martial arts, all kinds of magic, and even skills that are treated as hobbies are all treated as related skills. Therefore, a hero is unusually fast to level up compared to other jobs, and the benefits of the status increase by the job level are tremendous.

Akira used the special characteristic of the hero. He chose skills that are interesting and easy to level up, and he was immersing himself in raising them. It is unclear if it is classified as efforts by the system, though. Since it’s a field that Lilyvia likes, let’s omit the details and process. Anyway, it’s something not good. Still, after going through this process, Akira finally reached level 6. Everything is to defeat the hateful Touko, to let everyone know the difference in his capability, and to prove who really stands above all―― after all, it’s not something good.

「Something on your mind?」

Perhaps because he was thinking, Akira didn’t notice that Joseph was approaching.

「… Joseph-san.」

For Akira, Joseph is a very convenient ally. Joseph will give him whatever he wants, and even if he makes some trouble, Joseph will solve it as if nothing had happened. This was the main factor that made Akira redundant. The small amount of gratitude he had felt in the beginning is gone now, and he has come to think that it’s natural since he’s the hero.

「Nothing. Rather than that, the hero selection meeting, was it? You saw that I’m the hero through the sacred stone, right? So, what’s the point of doing this?」

「Hohoho, that’s a good question. You are right, but in order to appoint a hero, there are certain procedures that must be followed. I have never stopped believing that Akira-san is a hero, but there are some people who claim that they are the ones. If we don’t evaluate those people equally, the people will become dissatisfied. Please be patient for a while now.」

「Well, if you say so…」

The soft atmosphere of Joseph, who acts as the good-natured old man, kept Akira from interrupting any further. Either way, he only needs to wait for a while. Thinking that it’s a good chance to show his heroic figure to the king, Akira doesn’t talk to Joseph anymore and begins to think about what he’ll do after the selection.

「Ah, that’s right. There are other people who will participate other than you all.」

「Ha?」

Akira’s fun planning time is interrupted and his mood worsened a bit. However, he is also curious about Joseph’s words.

「Well, I don’t think they will stand a chance against Akira-san, but I think it’s better to not let your guard down. After all, the previous incident might happen again.」

「………」

Akira couldn’t help but be puzzled. It’s rare for Joseph to warn Akira. It’s the first time that Joseph, who had always done as he was told, acts this way.

「Eh? W-Wait. What’s going on all of a sudden?」

「… Oh, speak of the devil.」

As if to ignore Akira’s words, Joseph showed the passage leading to the throne with his hand. Then, the sound of several people’s footsteps can be heard from it. There’s also laughter as if they are having a friendly chat.

「Okay, attention please~. We are going to enter the throne room, so don’t talk to each other and don’t be rude. Just like me!」

The voice that sounded like the leader of a school trip could be heard through the passage to the throne room. The replies that followed varied from both boys and girls. Some obediently replied with ‘Yes!’, some that seemed reluctant replied with ‘Ehh~’, and some just laughed. This exchange shattered the tense atmosphere of the throne, and Akira could only stand still openmouthed. The next moment, a man with a suspicious customer service smile appeared at the head of the group.

「If it isn’t Mage Prime Minister Joseph! Oh my, it’s been a long time. How are you?」

Akira felt that Joseph’s face was a little stiff.