141: I don’t get it, but I’m still excited anyway

I’m Faydral Ing.

Grandson of Genelis Ing, a top-tier Seal Officer.

One day out of nowhere, Grandpa dragged me along. We rode in a carriage for weeks, then suddenly ended up at the edge of the kingdom.

I don’t get it.

A frontier so remote it’s got “Death,” “Demon,” “Darkness” as its epithets. A place no one’s ever been before. Makes no sense for humans to even be here.

And yet, in this land teeming with monsters, there’s a city grander than the capital.

I don’t get it.

Grandpa says this frontier—what we call the Demon Realm—has just become a new territory.

According to the geography I learned from my tutor, this region was technically under Lord Bairoroad, the Marquis of the Frontier.

It was just empty words. I’d been handed a vast, deadly wasteland no one could touch. The territory was nearly half the size of the entire kingdom.

No one even lived there—more like a monster’s lair. And still, nobles kept complaining, “Bairoroad’s domain is too big.” Even as a kid, I thought nobles were ridiculous.

Half of that massive, untouched, dangerous land had been given to Kyle Goldendown von Erikshir, the Baron of the Frontier.

He’s the marquis’s son. And somehow, he’s younger than me.

Makes no sense.

I walked down a country road.

Normally, the farther you go into the frontier, the worse the roads get. But here, they just kept getting better.

The number of carriages passing by was as high as in the capital district.

Makes no sense.

The long journey was finally over—no monsters, not a single one, just a surprisingly comfortable ride.

There it was. The city named Goldendoon, the middle name of the Frontier Marquis.

The sheer scale of it hit me so hard I swear my jaw actually unhinged.

A little of the confusion cleared up right there. Why the hell did I have to come all the way out here?

A city this advanced? Makes sense Grandpa was called here.

After that, I was allowed to attend the meeting with Lord Kyle. He looked like a smart-aleck scholar type, all sharp eyes and quiet confidence.

And then he drops it: wants to test every coming-of-age kid at this year’s festival with heraldic inspections.

Seriously. No idea what the real world’s like, that kid.

Maybe only a Seal Officer would know this, but the spell to test heraldic aptitude requires meticulously scanning a person’s flowing magic, which is incredibly difficult and drains a lot of mana.

When Grandfather explained that, the alchemist next to him piled up precious mana potions—stacked them high on the table.

No idea what that’s about.

And then, despite us being here, they just keep going on about important lordly matters!

Tired. This combo of lord and alchemist is exhausting!

A few days after that draining day, I was seriously irritable.

Grandfather says he’s staying in the territory for a while, so I’m supposed to attend the academy in town.

Fine.

But sending me to a school open to commoners?

That’s not right!

I’m a commoner myself, sure—but I’m also one of the few grandchildren of a Seal Officer!

Why the hell do I gotta go to some school open to commoners?!

I was properly tutored by a private instructor in the capital. I get it—only nobles go to that kind of place. But if commoners can walk through the gates too, it’s no different than the church’s weekly classroom for the poor.

I grumbled under my breath as I headed toward the academy.

Following the map, something felt off.

First, the more I approached, the more kids I saw—commoners, sure, but also rich-looking ones.

Then I realized the wall running alongside the whole path? I thought it was just a noble’s estate wall. But apparently, the whole land beyond it is the academy.

How big is this place, anyway!?

Walking with the flow of all those kids, I reached the main gate.

...A massive, imposing entrance fit for an upper noble to flee barefoot from.

Huh?

Not like Lord Kyle's manor or anything?

I know it’s wrong, but a school for commoners that’s fancier than the lord’s manor? Makes no sense.

Beyond the gate, a stone-paved path wide enough for several carriages stretched all the way to the entrance, flanked by flowerbeds. Past that, an open area that looked like a spacious training ground came into view.

For a second, I thought I’d wandered into some noble’s estate—but the people walking by were commoners.

...no, wait.

You’d think he was a commoner, but he’s clean enough for one.

The fabric itself was low-grade, the kind common among commoners, but it looked like new.

Couldn’t even feel the unique grime of worn-out clothes.

Everyone’s skin and hair were clean, like they bathed every single day.

Speaking of which, they say water’s free to use here.

Looking up, I see a water conduit bridge strung high above.

Water flows from the pipes thanks to pressure from up high.

Hmph. Learned that from my tutor. Commoners here wouldn’t get it, though.

“Hey! You’re new, right?”

Bash!

A boy’s voice, and then my back gets smacked.

“Wha—!? What was that for!?”

I yelp instinctively.

Some student must’ve called out—but the way they did it was rough!

“Sorry, sorry! Did I hit too hard?”

I turn around. The male student’s grinning at me. I’m startled.

No remorse in his eyes at all. Not even a flicker.

But I wasn’t startled because of that. I was startled because he was a beastman.

Another beastman was with him.

The one who just smacked me—was a wolf-beastman.

“Hey! Ed! What are you doing! Apologize!”

“Huh!? It was just a greeting!”

So apparently the wolf-beastman’s name is Ed.

The one scolding Ed is a female rabbit-beastman. Cute, kinda.

Then a lesser panda-beastman bows his head toward me.

"Um... sorry. Ed didn’t mean any harm, but he can’t really hold back... I mean, not like I could stop him..."

Talking like that, all nervous and hesitant, makes it hard to snap at him.

I sigh.

"...Alright. I’m Faydral Ing. I’m starting school today. You guys too?"

A beastman?

I don’t get to finish that thought.

Looking around, I see other beastmen here and there, walking toward the school building.

The cat-beastman girl answers. Soft, fluffy, and sweet. She’s cute too...

"Yeah~. That’s right~. I’m Wamika~. How old are you, Ing-kun~?"

Her voice is clumsy, but friendly. She closes the distance fast. My heart flutters, weirdly.

"Thirteen."

I’ll be fourteen real soon, since the festival’s just around the corner.

“Then everyone’s in the same class, huh~.”

Wamika smiles warmly.

Yeah.

Beastfolk, commoners—whatever. Doesn’t matter.

No idea why, but suddenly I’ve got energy.

Walking toward the school with the four of them, introducing ourselves.

Right. The energetic rabbit-girl’s Sai-ka, and the lesser panda’s Kai. Doesn’t matter about the rest.

Ed’s already striding ahead, always a few steps in front of everyone, and Kai’s hiding behind me like he’s trying to disappear, so naturally I end up sandwiched between Sai-ka and Wamika.

Yeah. Gotta do my best. Gotta make the most of school life.

That’s when it happened.

The moment I made that resolve, I had a shock—something that turned my whole life upside down.

First thing I noticed? A alchemist’s silhouette.

That shady alchemist I was with, you know, Kyle.

All black robes and adventurer nonsense.

But whatever. That kind of runt? Doesn’t matter.

A girl walking beside an alchemist.

Fine robes befitting a high-class mage, layered with rings and ornaments that practically hum with magic.

Her translucent violet hair curled slightly, catching the sunlight like a halo that shimmered as if divine.

The profile glimpsed now and then was pale, with sharp, well-defined features.

Thud—my heart jolts. Earthquake. A full-on tremor.

At the same time, murderous thoughts started rising toward that clumsy alchemist.

Walking to school with a student?

That perverted teacher!

She looks about my age, if you’re judging by looks.

Praying we were in the same class, I headed toward the classroom.

...Of course.

That shock was just the beginning, though.

"In the next life, I was the grandson of a Seal Officer."

...That's not quite the story of Ing-kun, w.