Chapter 50: Class of the Pompous!
“Elidranthia! How are you?” a man Eli had never met greeted her as she walked into the graduation hall. Eli tried hard to remember her brother’s face, but she drew a blank. She had never met him, after all. All she knew was his name.
“Erm… are you my brother?” Eli arrived at the only conclusion that made sense. She had come to the meeting hall looking for her brother, after all.
“Yes! I am your brother! Eli! How could you forget your big brother’s face? This cursed dormitory life must be why!” The tall man—slightly handsome, with silver hair—opened his arms wide, clearly expecting a hug. Eli thought his face was fine, but his greeting felt forced. She took a step back nervously.
“Brother Falfane, right? Or are you Brother Mutha?” Eli was not like Alicia. Just because their names had only been mentioned a few times in the novel didn’t mean she had forgotten them.
“I am Falfane, Eli! Mutha is still in class. He won’t be graduating until next year.” Falfane crossed his arms, sulking.
“Come on, Brother. It can’t be helped that I forgot about you. When was the last time I saw you?” Eli racked her brain, trying to remember if she had a brother that doted on her, but she had no memory of him. So instead of apologizing, she questioned him instead. Why was he so patronizing all of a sudden? The answer was obvious.
“Well… true. The last time we met was three years ago, and it was only for four days.” Falfane nodded, his attempt at acting like a caring big brother had failed, so he honestly admitted, trying to owe her favors so his friends would not ridicule him. “But could you at least try to act amicably when others are around? I promised I would make up for it. Please.”
“See? I don’t think you acted this mellow back then either. You’re only acting nice because I became a mage, right?” Eli went on the offensive. She glared at him, pouting.
You are not fooling me, brother!
It was super effective! Word had already spread throughout the capital about Eli and Alicia, so Falfane and Mutha had no choice but to pretend to be doting brothers.
“D-don’t tell others, alright? It’s not that I hate you. I was just busy with school, that’s all. I’m sorry, Eli. You are my precious little sister.” Falfane finally yielded.
“Of course!” Eli hugged him. Even if it felt fake, she still wished for a loving family. Now it was up to her to protect and care for her brother as a mage of Shadowstep. Besides, it wasn’t as if this brother had ever been mean to her. Indifferent, yes—but he had never gone out of his way to bully her.
One should not expect to be loved without loving first. Eli realized that and hugged her brother tightly. Falfane gratefully patted her head. “Promise you will become a proper brother from now on, okay?”
One might wonder whether Falfane envied Eli’s talent. The answer was a solid no. Just because Eli had become a mage did not mean she would replace him as Shadowstep’s head, so there was no reason for a brother who barely saw her to feel jealous. It was widely believed that mages made poor leaders and nobles—they had two courses to attend, after all.
In fact, it was the opposite. Falfane now felt encouraged to be cordial with Elidranthia, since she would become one of Shadowstep’s pillars. He no longer saw Eli as a mere woman to be married off to another noble, but as a valuable asset—one even more important than himself to the Shadowstep family.
“So, when is the graduation ceremony, Brother Falfane?”
“The ceremony will be held tomorrow, Eli. Today was just a rehearsal. Thanks for coming. Please come tomorrow as well, okay?”
“Of course! I will definitely come! Father told me to attend your graduation after all,” Eli said.
It was then that a boy tapped Falfane on the shoulder, acting overly friendly.
“Yo, Fal. We finally graduated, huh? Is this your little sister? Greetings! I am Patrick, from Slane Territory. Nice to meet you. I might be a baron, but my family owns the most famous soap brand in the country. Have you heard of Le Petit Perfume? Please give it a try.”
“Greetings. My name is Elidranthia Shadowstep. Nice to meet you, Sir Patrick.”
With that as a cue, others lined up, acting friendly toward Falfane while introducing themselves to Eli. At first, she was flabbergasted by his apparent popularity, but she soon realized many of them were faking their friendliness.
“Falfane! My dear friend. Is this your sister? Greetings, my name is Tom. I owe your brother a lot. He always helped me with my homework.”
“No, you aren’t. Please stay away from my sister.” Falfane frowned.
This was when Eli realized that some of their warm greetings were fake.
Well, it’s not like Falfane is any different… but if they’re hostile to him, there’s no reason for me to be friendly with them, Eli thought as she greeted them superficially one by one.
After a full hour of greetings, Eli said goodbye to her brother.
“I will be off, Brother Fal. See you tomorrow.”
“Thank you. Um… sorry.” Falfane bowed his head slightly. Eli tilted her own, wondering what he meant, but soon realized it. Falfane had ignored her all her life, and now he was asking her to act friendly toward him. Eli smiled. The fact that her brother knew shame convinced her they might truly become siblings in the real sense of the word.
“You’re welcome. You will be the head of Shadowstep; of course I will support you. Don’t worry, Brother Fal,” Eli said.
“So, I heard you have another girl who’s a high-level mage. Alicia, right? Where is she?”
“She’s still sleeping,” Eli said.
“Geez. She might be a mage, but she’s still your vassal, right?” Falfane said.
“Well, don’t be too hard on her. She’s a mage, after all. As long as she fills arcane stones, this kind of slight should be forgiven,” Patrick said.
“But my sister is a mage too, and she works hard.” Falfane patted Eli’s head.
“She’s an excellent sister, huh? I had a relative who was a mage, and he basically lived a deplorable life—drinking at midday and going to the brothel at night.”
Eli looked around, and most of them nodded their heads. She knew nobility disliked mages. At first, she thought the nobles were simply being pompous, but it seemed there were problems on the mage side as well.
There were rotten humans everywhere. And if those people were given something like magic—a power everyone coveted—it was natural that some would become pompous, acting as if the world revolved around them.
Mages were the lifeblood of society. Without them, nothing could function. The forges, irrigation systems, medicine, and even armaments all relied heavily on mage labor. That’s why mages acted as if they owned the world.
“Really? Teacher Alexandraine wasn’t like that. The mages in the mage room at Shadowstep’s town hall didn’t act like that either. They mostly used their wages to buy waffles and cakes. I don’t recall any of them being drunk in the middle of the day.” Eli frowned as she listened to these noble kids badmouthing mages at every opportunity.
“Really?” Falfane raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. But they’re overworked. I saw many of them sleeping during the day, trying to recover their mana. I want to help them somehow, but Father said I should study here first, lest I waste my talent,” Eli said.
“Mages with bad manners only exist in Slane and Luca territories. Those from Bron’s are registered with the military,” one of the students said as he stepped forward. He was about as tall as Falfane—slightly shorter—with a lean build, but Eli could tell he had trained by the strength in his gait.
“Ah! Abel!” Falfane waved at him.
“That’s Duke Abel, mind you. We’re about to graduate and inherit our houses, Fal,” Abel said.
“As if! I’ll only call you ‘Duke’ once your father officially hands you the title in court. And heck, you graduate next year, not now. Why are you here? Trying to steal a glance at my sister?” Falfane chuckled.
Eli connected the dots from their conversation. This was Abel—Duke Bron’s son. She realized he would be her superior one day.
“Greetings, Lord Abel. I am Elidranthia Shadowstep. Pleasure meeting you,” Eli curtsied.
“Ah, so this is Elidranthia, huh? You’re smaller than I thought.” Abel chuckled.
“Hey! That’s rude. She’s still a level-6 mage, you know—and a light mage as well! If you don’t treat my sister kindly, she won’t help you in the future!”
“If she hates me, then so be it. I don’t think I should force a relationship. Right, little girl?” Abel smirked. “Besides, she looks smarter than the other kids. I’m sure she understands that helping a duke means helping her own territory, yes?”
“I’m afraid I won’t be available much outside Shadowstep. As you might know, Shadowstep is practically assaulted by hordes of monsters every season,” Eli pouted.
“See, you made her mad,” Falfane laughed.
“I’m not mad,” Eli replied.
“Hahaha. Yes, I understand. Please forgive me, Lady Elidranthia. Let me properly introduce myself. I am Abel, the third son and the heir of Duke Bron.” Abel bowed.
Eli tilted her head. How was he the heir if he was the third son? Should she be worried about a civil war breaking out because of his brothers?
“Erm… what happened to your older brother?” Eli asked.
“He died during an incursion from the western nation,” Abel answered, his expression grim. “Your territory is not the only one constantly attacked, Lady Elidranthia. Let us work together to make this world a safer place.” Abel knelt and reached for her hand, kissing the back of it.
“I-I-I see. My condolences.” Eli immediately took back all her rude thoughts about Abel. “I shall take my leave now. I won’t intrude any further.”
“Don’t forget to attend our graduation tomorrow, okay?” Falfane and the rest of the students waved Eli goodbye.
Meanwhile, Alicia was greedily munching on a biscuit she had bought at the cafeteria with one hand and holding a fruit cocktail in the other, leaving her charge to her own devices.
Unlike Elidranthia, she was living a happy, worry-free life.