Ch. 157 - Solare's Past

"Let me say this first—I'm not exactly his close friend. So don't expect any deep insights."

"That’s fine. I just want whatever information you have, even a little."

I replied eagerly to Felter's preface. Sighing in response, Felter began his story.

Originally, Solare seemed to have been a boy with few friends. Because Glenn was the dean of the magic academy, Solare had apparently been enrolled at Fiddiq Academy from a young age, but it seems he never had any steady companions.

Even so, having studied magic in the best environment since childhood, Solare was someone the other children looked up to. He had mastered intermediate-level magic before turning ten, so every instructor speculated that he would either become a court mage or a senior instructor at Fiddiq Academy in the future.

It seems Glenn himself taught Solare magic directly at times. Until he was ten, Solare walked a smooth path as a mage.

However, after skipping a grade to enter the middle school division, the situation had changed drastically. Entering the middle school division at ten, he began to be bullied by some students from noble families. Since he could already use magic at a top level even within the middle school division, he didn’t suffer direct bullying, but it seems he was subjected to underhanded harassment like having his belongings thrown away.

After that, Solare skipped ahead to the high school division in less than two years. But there, many older students could use magic surpassing Solare’s, so the bullying became even harsher than in the middle school division.

It’s unclear what Solare felt during his days at the academy, but around a year after entering the high school division, the number of lectures he attended visibly decreased. And by the time Solare turned fourteen, he had almost stopped meeting anyone. Not only did he stop showing up for lectures, but Solare’s presence had vanished both inside and outside the academy.

This anomaly was noticed not only by instructors but also by the students who had been observing quietly until then. It was likely due to both his personal abilities and also the fact that he was Dean Glenn’s grandson. There were dropouts and transfers every year for other reasons too, but in Solare’s case, being the dean’s grandson made him strangely conspicuous.

As a result, after Solare disappeared, rumors about him apparently continued to circulate within the academy for over half a year.

It was around that time that Felter met Solare.

“At the edge of the academy lay a small pond and an old gazebo, tucked away by woods that kept everyone else out. No students, no teachers—at least, that’s what I thought. I went there for some quiet and discovered I wasn’t alone.”

"Was that Solare?"

"Yeah."

Felter nodded, then reached for the wine.

"Ah, no alcohol. Please stick to fruit juice."

"...In Bushmills, you can drink at sixteen or older."

"I don’t permit my students to drink until they’re twenty or older."

I stated firmly, and Felter silently placed the glass of wine back on the table. Ramsay and Fiol watched with amusement, but Felter ignored them completely and sighed.

"...Fine. Anyway, I ignored Solare and spent the entire time leaning against the wall outside the gazebo. But after about a week or two, he called out to me."

"...It’s impressive you both stayed silent for a whole week or two."

Ramsay muttered with a look of disbelief at Felter’s recollection. Glaring briefly, Felter continued.

"It seems Solare would hole up in his room in the morning to absorb magical knowledge, then move around the academy in the afternoon when lectures meant fewer people. He practiced casting magic at the gazebo and the lake, but he said my presence made it impossible to practice. After that, we started talking occasionally."

Saying this, Felter recalled his conversations with Solare.

"Solare seemed to have heard rumors about himself somewhere. He said knowing what people were saying made it even more bothersome to meet others."

So even in this world, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down?

As I ponder this, Felter’s expression grows serious, his gaze distant.

"...Even then, Solare still smiled sometimes. He disliked meeting people just like now, but I don’t think it was as severe back then."

"...And that’s different from now?"

I ask, and Felter’s shoulders slump slightly.

"One day, when I went to the gazebo as usual, everything was gone. The gazebo, the pond—everything."

"...What do you mean?"

Confused, I tilted my head. Felter crossed his arms and grunted.

"Solare’s practice sessions there were discovered by some guys from the high school division. For whatever reason, they decided to erase Solare’s spot. In the end, the gazebo was destroyed, and the pond was filled in using earth magic."

"...Who? Who did such a terrible thing?"

Anger unintentionally seeped into my voice. Felter snorted in reply.

"I already punished them. Three of them against me, a middle schooler, and they lost. They fled back to their home country within a month."

"...It feels a bit excessive, but somehow I feel relieved."

As a teacher, I should probably lament that the troublemakers weren’t given a chance to reform. But thinking of Solare’s feelings, this seemed like the right outcome.

If I ever found out who they were, maybe I would visit them later and offer some "reform assistance" personally.

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