Adventurers' Academy
I'm the third daughter of the Overweg family,
the instructors of the martial arts in the Dukedom of Bleichröder,
Louise Jolande Aurelia Overweg.
I've studied the Magic Fist Style since I was little...
I've spent the last seven years at home in solitude.
I've kept my distance from others
and lived by myself to prevent any succession issues.
I'm the third daughter of the Hillenbrand family,
the instructors of spearmanship in the Dukedom of Bleichröder,
Iina Susanne Hillenbrand.
My talent with the spear was recognized,
and that's why I'm in this scholarship class at the Adventurers' Academy.
But thanks to that, my communication skills have hit rock bottom.
Just calm down.
This is where my story starts.
My story about making friends!
All right, the next one is our last.
Baumeister.
Yes, sir!
I'm the eighth son of the Baumeister Knightdom,
Wendelin von Benno Baumeister.
I'd be happy if you would call me "Well."
I look forward to our time together.
All right, now I'll explain the curriculum for this scholarship class.
Maybe announcing a nickname was going too far?
We'll start by discussing this.
Name
Specialty
Member Name
Specialty
A party registration form?
Party Registration Form
Name
Specialty
Member Name
Specialty
Next month, you'll begin training in parties.
Make sure you decide who you'll be joining up with on your own before then.
I guess it's like choosing groups?
I suck at that.
The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?
Episode 3 A Loner? Are You Kidding Me?!
I feel ostracized already.
That's this year's only scholarship student of magic, Baumeister.
Magic users are rare enough as is,
but I've heard his magic power is already on par with top-class adventurers.
I heard that the magic instructor decided there was nothing more he could teach him,
and gave up on instructing him.
If you party up with that guy, you're set for life.
You know how it goes, right?
Most of the parties from the Academy continue to stay together
even after they graduate and become adventurers.
Looks like everyone's thinking the same thing.
Party Registration Form Name Specialty Erwin von Arnim Sword Member Name Specialty Iina Susanne Hillenbrand Spear Louise Jolande Aurelia Overweg Martial Arts Breichburg Adventurers' Academy
So I have a proposal for you two.
Hey! You wrote my name on it!
Listen, that guy's currently appraising us.
He's trying to decide if we're worthy of a great mage like him.
Oh! So that's why he's always alone!
Huh? You really think so?
That's why we do this.
If you two, the top martial artist and spearwoman, join me, the top swordsman,
don't you think even he might recognize us?
Hey!
It's not a bad idea.
Huh? You're kidding. You plan to form a party with him?
I'm the fifth son of the Arnim Knightdom, Erwin von Arnim.
You can call me "Er."
I'm Louise. This is Iina, my friend since childhood. Nice to meet you!
Huh?
Muster up your courage...
Blend into the class more!
U-Um, hey...
This is called sansho pepper. If you'd like some...
I see. So you guys are after the same thing.
Too bad, though, because he's going to recognize us, the axe trio!
They're laughing and having so much fun...
I probably shouldn't bother right now.
Now, I'm sure some of you here aren't receiving a stipend from your family
and have to work part-time to earn your living.
That's me.
Our academy recommends hunting in such cases,
but since it's dangerous to hunt alone, make sure you go in groups if you do.
In groups?
There's no room for me anywhere.
Hey, what do you think?
Should we say something to Baumeister?
No, let's be careful about this.
If we're too hasty and make a mistake that disappoints him, it will all be for naught.
Though... I notice he's not speaking to anyone.
That's it! This is a challenge from Baumeister!
Huh?! What do you mean?!
This is what he's trying to say:
"You should have no trouble bringing in more prey as a group than I could hunting alone."
So if a group brings back less prey than him...
Then that group will removed from his list of candidates.
Here you go.
We should be okay with this much.
Still, you two really are the daughters of great masters.
Have you both been training with your families since you were little?
Yeah.
B-But you were awesome with your sword, too!
Well, I come from a poor knightdom,
so I've been training with the sword like crazy ever since I was a kid.
Oh, excuse me. Coming through.
Huh? Where's his prey?
Oh, a magic bag, huh?
Where did you get one of those?
Oh, my master left it to me.
Hup!
Wh-Whoa... Wait a...
Hmph. This is dumb.
I'm out.
Huh?
He lives in a whole different world.
With this much difference between our skill levels,
it'll be impossible to earn his recognition.
It's not worth the effort.
You all get it too, right?
If you're not the eldest son,
it's wiser to not bother dreaming of more.
This is a big help! They're all precious bounties.
I hope you'll come again.
Sure!
If you're interested, let's grab a bite to eat together with this mo—
...ney?
My brother once said something similar.
He said that no matter how hard I trained with the sword,
a fifth son will never inherit.
That I was just wasting my effort.
It was the same for Louise and me.
No matter how strong we were,
we couldn't inherit the school because we weren't eldest sons.
It's the same everywhere, huh?
It would be one thing if that were all it was.
The truth is, both of us were born with a bit more magic power than most people.
I mean, not that it's enough just that we can use magic,
but if we use that magic to enhance our physical abilities...
Then a normal person stands no chance, huh?
Before I knew it, I was stronger than my father and brother,
and at some point, they began avoiding me.
So I ended up having to train in secret.
I can't accept this!
Why on earth does being born later mean we're not allowed to dream?!
That's just wrong, isn't it?!
I'm not giving up.
At this point, let's hunt lots of big game and make sure Baumeister recognizes us!
If you're after big game, this is the place! Deep in the forest!
The teacher told us we weren't allowed to go in here, but we have no choice!
We do have a choice.
Come on, let's turn back.
They're here.
Wolves.
Extra-large ones, at that.
Wolves, and... those are... people?
If those are my classmates, maybe we can become friends if I save them!
Damn it! How many of them are there?!
I'm sorry. We should have listened to Iina.
Louise, above you!
Er!
What in the world...
Are you okay?
We're sorry.
It's fine. I mean, we're classmates, after all.
We were trying to get you to recognize us,
but we just made trouble for you.
Huh?
Me?
After seeing that magic you used, though,
I realized we really do live in different worlds.
So...
H-Hey...
I'm giving up on forming a party with you now.
With me?!
We haven't given up on everything, though.
We'll find some other way to pave a brighter future.
Uh, h-h-hang on a second...
So this is where you—
What happened?
Oh, it's just a scratch.
Anyway, did you need us for something?
Oh...
Rejoice! All the students of our scholarship class
have been invited to a garden party hosted by the Duke of Bleichröder!
A chance to meet the Duke of Bleichröder in person!
He's one of the nobles currently competing for the top in the Kingdom of Helmut.
If he takes a liking to us, it could open up the path to becoming a retainer!
What are you all excited about?
We're obviously only being invited because the Duke of Bleichröder
wants to lay claim to our great mage, Baumeister.
We're just extras.
Then there's no way he's going to take an interest in us.
What? Then there's no point in getting excited over this.
Huh?
Really?
That's all?
That's disappointing.
All right! Let's go buy outfits for the garden party together!
Formal wear, huh?
That'll cost us a lot, but it is for our future.
Oh, come on. Are you all still getting your hopes up?
What's wrong with that?
There's still some chance, right?
Hey, maybe he'll speak to us if we go in showy outfits!
You can do that, Louise.
I'm going in something normal.
Why?!
Let's all go in something showy!
Sorry, I can't do that.
What?!
Party Registration Form
Name
Specialty
Member Name
Specialty
Oh, there he is!
Look, over there!
Duke Bleichröder...
That's Duke Bleichröder?
He's coming! He's coming! He's coming!
He's coming this way, Iina!
Yeah.
U-Um, I...
A pleasure to meet you.
I am Amadeus Freytag von Bleichröder.
I'm Wendelin von Benno Baumeister.
My, it's good to see someone from the Baumeisters,
our vassals, visiting us here in Breichburg.
The Baumeisters so rarely participate in gatherings like this.
Well, as you know, our family's financial affairs are strained.
There is some expense involved in crossing those mountains.
But some of my other vassals complain that
it's rude for them to refuse their lord's invitation.
My apologies.
Well, enough about that.
The truth is, I was hoping to speak with you.
Could I have a bit of your time?
Very well.
Then let's go over here.
Excuse me!
Um, there are some people I'd like to bring with me.
These three.
They're my party members.
This is my court magician.
Brantag Ringstat.
Nice to meet you.
He was also the teacher to my former court magician, Alfred Rainford.
Well, truth be told,
Alfred died in the Enchanted Forest near your family's lands an awfully long time ago.
It seems he later became a Whispering Dead.
But I was still his master.
I always kept an eye on the presence of my disciple.
Brantag is a talented user of tracking magic.
He's able to track the magic power of anyone he's met in person over great distances.
It was seven years ago.
That was when Alfred's presence suddenly disappeared.
He was a Whispering Dead,
so I thought perhaps he had fulfilled his wish and passed on,
but then I remembered that while he was alive he told me,
"I want to meet someone to whom I can pass on all the magic I've learned."
So I thought it over and realized that if that was
the wish he had clung to, then it was never coming true.
He had a greater magic capacity than even me, his master,
and he was counted amongst the top five magicians on this continent.
There was no way he would ever find a magician he could recognize as his disciple.
Yet now, here is a man with incredible magic power
from the very same region where his presence disappeared.
A man carrying his magic bag, no less.
Pardon me, but what are the chances he stole it?
Not possible.
No one could use that magic bag unless Alfred himself had transferred ownership.
You're it, aren't you?
You're Alfred's disciple.
Yes.
Then there's one thing I'd like to ask you.
What were his final moments like?
I purged my master before he could become a zombie.
Damn. What a thing to force upon a child...
Thank you.
Because of you,
he was able to pass on peacefully.
No, I...
Oh, right.
This bag that my master carried contains the supplies
meant for the 2,000-man expedition to the Enchanted Forest.
I've been meaning to return it for a while now.
We didn't know anything about him.
He did mention that he had lived by himself to avoid a struggle over succession.
That's the same as us...
Yet we said that he lived in another world.
Hey!
Sorry to keep you all waiting.
It took more time than I thought to hand over those supplies.
Hey, what you said about us being a party...
Yeah, sorry to spring that on you. I just—
We don't deserve to be in a party with you!
We were all planning to use you.
To make you a tool to improve our own lives.
Oh, but that kind of goes both ways.
Huh?
I dragged you all along without warning because I didn't want to go anywhere
alone with an old guy of his standing.
Huh?!
Then when you said we were a party...
Oh, no, no!
I really did want to be in a party with you three!
But why us?
Well, because it seems like I'd have fun with you three,
even when things get tough.
Huh?
Well, long ago, my master told me that I have
what it takes to enjoy what the wide world has to offer.
So I thought it would be good to have friends who could enjoy it with me.
Huh? That's your reason?
Sorry. That's my reason.
I can't believe that's what you'd recognize us for.
We nearly got ourselves eaten by wolves!
Jeez! This is all your fault, Well!
Hey, you just called me "Well"...
I'm sorry, I forgot something very important.
Yes?
The reward for returning those supplies meant for 2,000 men is 20% of their value,
so I'll be sending you 1,000 gold coins later.
1,000 gold coins?!
Uh, one gold coin is worth roughly one million yen,
so a thousand is... a billion yen or so...
What?!
Also, Alfred had his own estate.
We've made arrangements for you to inherit it.
Master's... estate?
This is too big for a student living on his own.
I wonder if anyone will share it with me...
Breichburg Adventurers' Academy
Martial Arts
Louise Jolande Aurelia Overweg
Iina Susanne Hillenbrand
Spear
Erwin von Arnim
Sword
Member Name
Specialty
Wendelin von Benno Baumeister
Magic
Name
Specialty
Party Registration Form