19 Chapter 19: Invitations (1/2)

It was unfortunate, but the moment I stepped out of my house, I was immediately mobbed by people from the mass media.

Okay, that was an exaggeration. There was an enchantment that kept intruders out, so unless they could survive flames that went up in excess of a thousand degrees Celsius, they wouldn't be able to directly barge into our house. It might sound pretty far-fetched that Dad would set up such a dangerous barrier, but given his reputation and vocation, they were necessary precautions. More than once, enemies had tried to sneak into our home or break into our house, only to trigger the enchantment's fiery wrath and get incinerated.

There were even a few who tried to kidnap me to use me as a hostage to ransom Dad, but as usual they got burned when they stupidly attempted to abduct me. They probably tried to kidnap me on my way to school and back home, but Dad had trained me well enough to detect people stalking me, and to escape them.

Worst case scenario, there was a police station nearby, and I could just run toward the authorities for help. So I didn't have to worry about that. Why do you think my stealth skills were maxed? That was the reason why I was able to avoid my schoolmates yesterday. I was used to avoiding people and escaping.

Now, if only I could apply that to matches, but being in an enclosed ring without cover was an entire matter altogether…

”There's quite the furor out there,” Dad remarked as he glanced outside. I sighed and nodded when I saw what was waiting for me outside the window. Dad seemed to realize what the reporters were here for, and he snickered. ”I told you that you've become quite the celebrity.”

”Damn it.” I shook my head in resignation. ”Looks like I'll have to take the long route today.”

”Good luck!”

”Why don't you just burn all of those guys for trespassing on our property?” I asked Dad half-seriously. Dad grimaced.

”I would love to, but your old man will get locked up for homicide. This isn't America, you can't shoot people just because they step into your backyard. Besides, they can't take a single step in, or they'll get incinerated by the enchantment.”

Already the fiery barrier had flared to life, keeping the horrified reporters at bay. A few of them realized their folly, and were retreating.

”Can I be a hikkikomori for the rest of the week?” I asked reluctantly. I had a near-perfect attendance record, and I didn't want to miss class over something as stupid as this. Not to mention that I needed to catch up in combat magic classes.

”I don't care, but I know you aren't the type to skip classes.” Dad gave me a knowing stare.

Damn it. He was right. Steeling myself for the ordeal ahead, I went toward the backyard in an attempt to leave by a secret, alternate route.

*

It didn't take me very long to reach school. I managed to give the reporters the slip and get onto the bus. Fortunately, my fellow passengers didn't seem to recognize me. Not everyone paid attention to social media or the national tournament of mages. Many of the adults didn't seem to care about who was the strongest student mage in the country, nor did they watch the matches.

That was only natural. Even back during my era, while soccer stars or eSports celebrities were extremely popular, they usually only found a niche audience. Chances are, your friendly neighborhood grocer hadn't heard of Maru, Innovation or Gumiho of Starcraft 2 fame, or the salaryman wouldn't know any soccer stars if that wasn't his interest. Hell, my neighbors next door probably didn't even know about my achievements.

Dad only happened to know because he did keep regular tabs on promising new mages and students from the Federation, as part of his job. When he went on missions to eliminate monsters or track down rogue mages, he usually recruited teams. And many of the teammates he approached were graduates from these top schools.

Otherwise he wouldn't have paid much attention to something as niche as battle mages' tournaments, particularly at the school level.

However, the obscurity I enjoyed in the public space was immediately shattered the moment I set foot into school. Though I tried to be discreet as possible, I was almost instantly mobbed by my schoolmates, the majority of whom wanted to enjoy being in the company of a short-lived star. No doubt the moment I returned to my losing ways and maintained my last rank, everyone would drop me like a hot coal and I would return to being a loser.

Already I could see scornful looks and disdainful expressions from a significant number of the student population who kept their distance and watched me from afar. However, my view of them was blocked by a group of classmates.

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”Hey, Richard! That was a great match yesterday!”

”I didn't know you had such a powerful summoned beast! Two of them, even! How long have you gotten them for?”

”Did you always have them, or are they recent additions?”

”Since last year,” I mumbled, trying to find a way out of the crowd. A few of them snickered, though I could tell it was mocking laughter.

”Good thing I smashed him before he summoned them then.”

”Yeah…I can't imagine what would happen if I allowed him to summon even one of those summoned beasts.”

”I would have been blown away, no doubt.”

”No wonder it always takes him so long to summon them. With creatures possessing power of that magnitude, there's no way he could bring them into our material plane right away.”

So a good number of them approached to make fun of me. They were aware that despite my victory over the representatives from Crowley's Grand Arcane Academy yesterday, I was still ranked at the bottom. With such a glaring weakness, there was no way I could be considered a real powerhouse or high ranker. As long as they could pummel me before I summoned my celestial guardians, they would win easily.

The feeling of being mocked was pretty terrible, and I suppressed a flare of anger. Pushing past them, I headed toward my classroom.

”Well, I've to get to class. See you guys later.”

They must have heard the hostility in my voice, for many of the surrounding members sniggered. But at least they kept their distance. I could still feel their condescending gazes on my back.

Despite their scorn, they weren't the only ones who approached me. There were a few who genuinely admired me, especially those who were also ranked near the bottom. I recognized a guy who was just three or four positions above me.