It's been a week already since I started living here.
　I've gotten used to life in the orphanage.
　Maybe we'll never get back to our life in the slums.
　I was thinking about that as I listened to Anne's class.

Today we're going to talk about identity.
　Today it's like a social studies class.
　Last time we learned about our race.
　I heard that Anne is an elf, and that she has more magic power than people.
　They also have a longer life span than humans.
　And Lana, who teaches us swordsmanship and body arts, seems to be a beastman.
　She has an animal-like tail and ears that humans don't have, and is more athletic than humans.

First of all, who can tell me the three identities in this world?
　By the way, Anne didn't tell me how old she is .
　She looks like she's in her late teens to 20 years old. .......

'Yes~'

Bye, Kathy.

Commoners, nobles and slaves.
　I wonder how old you are, Anne: .......
　Will she still be like that when we grow up?

'Correct. Well then, let's get you to tell us what makes each one of them tick: ....... Mr. Bill.

''Ha, yes . Well, um, ......, as I recall, commoners are ordinary people like us, and nobles are rich?　Are you talking about slaves ...... who were sold to their parents or something?
　I hadn't listened to the class at all, and I hurriedly answered the best I could think of .

'Yes ...... commoners are . You mean ordinary citizens like you and me, Bill. But there's a difference between a nobleman and a slave. First, let's talk about slaves.
　It's almost like it was an outlier.
　I mean, it's so easy to explain to a commoner, it's like it's all a mistake.
　You gotta take the lesson seriously.

Slaves are of three kinds. There are three kinds of slaves. Like you said, debt slaves are sold into debt. Criminal slaves who have committed serious crimes. And then there are the illegal slaves who are forced into slavery through illegal activities such as kidnapping ......

'Oh yeah. ....... What kind of slaves are you, Camilla and others?　A debt slave?
　Jin asked Anne some awful questions when she was my age.
　Is this question okay?

　But then he answered simply.
Yes. Yes, Camilla and her friends are debt slaves. By the way, I was an illegal slave last time I was here.

'What?　Anne is a slave!
　I yelled out loudly in surprise .

"I'm an ex. I got caught in a bandit ring. I became a slave to a bad man.
　Did the bandits get you?　Slaves to bad people?

What?　Were you okay?

Well, you know. I was trapped in a dark room and Master Leo rescued me.

It was: ......
　That makes sense. That's why she's so quiet in front of Leo's brother.
　Probably, Anne, but I think she's in love with Leo's boy: .......
　If you could save her from such a desperate situation, anyone would love her.

"Leo-nii, it's so cool!

Who the hell is that guy ......?

Master Leo is the lord of this city. A nobleman.

That man is a nobleman: ......
　Are the nobles that powerful?
　My image of you is that you're a lot fatter and more arrogant than that.

He always comes in here dressed like an adventurer, so you wouldn't know it. But I'm usually in that castle, working for the city.
　Huh?　That castle was your brother's house?
　He was richer than we ever imagined.

"Huh?　Go to Leo, was he a great man?

Yes. He's a very important man. That's right ...... then, I'll tell you with an explanation of the nobleman.



Did you know that nobles have a class of their own?

I don't know.

Okay, I'll tell you. Well, let me tell you something. From the bottom up, quasi-barons, barons, barons, viscounts, counts, marquises, and dukes, in that order, are the great ones.
　There's so much division among the nobility: .......
　They're all above the clouds.

Oh, yeah. For Leo?

Viscount.

Third from the bottom!
　That guy's a lower level.
　I knew the Duke or something must be a monster.

That's true. But Master Leo's parents are the highest-ranking dukes.

'What?　Leo, are you the first one?
　Oh, I knew it. Not much better than her.

That's true. And besides, Master Leo is going to marry a princess in this country.
　A princess?　Is that guy going to marry such an awesome guy?

'What?　Hey Leo, do you already have someone to marry?

Yes. The two of them. The other is the granddaughter of the saint in our last story.

'What?　Are there really people in that story?
　Like Kathy, I was as surprised as you were.
　I had no idea that this was a real story: .......

Yeah, that's right. Oh, I forgot to tell you last time. Leo's grandfather was a hero and his grandmother a mage.

Leo ni ii is the grandson of the brave: ....... So, does that mean Leo-nii is strong?
　Oh, so Cassie doesn't know. You don't know how extraordinarily strong he is.
　But that boy's grandson is pretty strong.

He's strong. Strong enough to take down a dragon single-handedly.

'What?　A dragon?　Leo, have you ever fought a dragon before?

Yeah. What I heard is that he went to the most dangerous magical forest in the world to find materials to rebuild his house.
　That's great, but it's also pathetic that a dragon was killed for such a simple reason: .......

'The Demon Forest?　Um, a brave man defeated the Demon King.

Yeah. It's so dangerous. So dangerous that even the strongest adventurer won't be able to get back in there. And yet, a kid with the strength to go in there and come back without a care in the world is just too strong.

"Leo ni i, awesome ......

So, you guys had such an awesome guy helping you out, so why not live life to the fullest?

"Yes, sir.
　We all answer to Anne's question.
　There was no one, including me, who was doubting Leo's behavior.

Well then, I guess that's it for today. What do you want to do this afternoon?

Teach me the magic again!　I can't wait to learn to use my magic!
　Lately, we've been spending our free afternoons practicing magic.
　I can't wait to learn some magic.

Yeah, sure. Let's head down to the cafeteria.

Yeah.


　Then he ate his lunch and came out into the big yard.
''Then let's start practicing our magic. First, we're going to practice those magic manipulations we taught you last time. A magic used by people who can't use it can't be called magic, so anyone who wants to use magic must learn it!

"Yes, sir.

Hey, buddy. How are you guys doing?
　I replied cheerfully and was about to start practicing when I heard Leo-nii's voice from behind me .
　When I turned around, I saw three women I didn't ...... know as Leo-nii-nii.

'Oh, Leo-nii-yi!　I've been fine. Who are those people in the back?

Is that your girlfriend in Leo's room?
　Kathy and her friends were making a happy noise as they asked such questions .



Yeah?　Well, that's about it.

　Apparently, he brought his fiancée along with him today.
　The rumored princess, the saint's grandson, and the beastman's maid, all three were very beautiful.

　And the princess's magic was awesome.
　I don't have the vocabulary to explain it, but it was awesome.

　They told us that we could do it too if we worked hard, so we all vowed to practice our magic.

　And then there's ...... the Leo-nii was awesome.
　His magic is foul. .......

　It's not just that he's a great magician, he's that he can build buildings and tools that you don't understand.
　It was scary when he first used me as a test case for those mysterious tools.
　But I was happy to learn to use magic.
　And fire came out of my hand.

　And now, while Cassie and her friends were practicing their magic with the princesses, I was talking to Leo alone.
"So, how's it going after a week?

I got used to this life.

That's good. Is there anything else that's on your mind?

'Well, ...... why are you doing this to us?'
　I couldn't think of anything else to ask him, so I asked him something that had been bothering me for a while.

'What do you mean so far?　That you built a building to practice your magic?

'That too, but ....... Why do you let me live this good?　When I heard that the reason Leo had us in the orphanage was because he was a lord, it made sense. But we didn't have to give you all this luxury, did we?

'Well, yeah . Yeah, ...... I don't know if there's any particular reason for that.

What?
　No reason?　What do you mean?

I'm one of the richest men in the world. So I have more money than I can spend in my lifetime. So I don't need to be frugal with it.

"You're a rich man, Leo. ....... You're the grandson of a brave man.
　Well, you live in a castle like that: .......
　I envy those who were born into a privileged environment .

Oops, I think you misunderstood something. It's all my money. Grandpa and Pop didn't give me anything more than the allowance they gave me when I was little, right?

'Really?　I mean, you were only eleven years old when you went to Leo, right?　How do you make your money?
　I don't get it. How does a guy like Leo, who's not that much older than me, make that much money?

'Yes, ....... It's hard to explain and I'll show you next time. So let's get back to it. The reason I'm going to this point is that ...... building is something you dream of doing in the future.

'Dreams for the future?　Yeah, ...... I'd like to live a life where I don't have to worry about food, maybe?
　You've been so focused on what's right in front of you that you haven't thought about it: .......

'Well, I guess that's about it now . But the time will come when you guys will leave here in a few years . Then you'll have to decide on your own path, even if you don't want to. You can be an adventurer. You can go to knight school to become a knight. Or go to school to study magic. I want you all to do what you want to do.

Okay, okay.
　You mentioned that story the other day .
　It's really awesome that you're even paying for my tuition: .......

'So I guess that's why I'm going to be good to you guys, because when I grow up, I hope you'll be happy to help me out whenever you feel like it.

'I see. ....... I want you to do what you want to do, huh?

Yeah. What does Bill want to do?　Magic, swordsmanship, study, what do you want to do?

I don't know. But I want to try things. And I want to be strong. I want to be strong enough to live on my own.
　So, when you get a chance, would you be willing to help Leo?

Okay. All right, I'll hang in there. I'll be gone for a little while tomorrow, but I'll come back to visit you when I'm done with that.

Yeah, okay.

Okay. All right, let's get back to the guys.
　Then, once Leo had taught me some magic, the day's free time was over.