The Cultural Festival preparations were in full swing.
Currently, in the classroom right after Ray had departed, everyone was busy working.
Since it was after school, it was technically time to head home, but not a single person showed any sign of leaving.
The saving grace of this class was that both the boys and girls each had a representative from the Three Great Noble Families and the upper nobility.
Amelia managed the girls, while Albert managed the boys.
This structure allowed the class to remain unified and function effectively as a whole.
However, in an average class, simply having high-ranking nobles present wouldn't be enough to achieve this.
Everyone acknowledged that the one truly at the center of it all was Ray White.
When they first enrolled, almost everyone had shunned him for being an Ordinary. Other than Amelia, Elisa, and Evi, no one had interacted with him normally. Even when others were doing things that bordered on bullying, no student besides those three would speak up to stop it.
They believed he should know his place.
They thought that even if an Ordinary was a rare existence capable of using magic, they could never hold a candle to those of noble blood. That was the conviction they held at Arnold Magic Academy.
But the entire class began to view Ray in a different light after Albert was defeated by him in their duel.
"Hey. Albert..."
"Just... leave me be for now..."
"..."
The boys who had been close to Albert until then couldn't find the words to console him. They had seen it clearly with their own eyes.
They had seen Ray overwhelm Albert.
That was not a battle in the realm of what one would call an Ordinary. It was a clash between high-level sorcerers at a level they could never hope to reach. It was true that Albert possessed exceptional talent and real strength.
That was exactly why the other boys had flocked to him, currying favor. They had known since they were young that they shouldn't defy nobles with superior bloodlines. By this age, everyone understood that blood determined a sorcerer's potential.
However, reality had proven otherwise.
Ray had overwhelmed Albert. Moreover, even they could tell that Ray hadn't even been serious.
Just who is that Ordinary, really? they had begun to wonder.
The news of Albert's defeat spread through the Academy, and while some called it a lie or found it unbelievable... his classmates felt the truth.
They knew this Ordinary was anything but normal.
And so, his classmates decided to observe Ray. Without planning it, they all began to do so at almost the same time...
"Albert."
"Alium-kun."
"What is it? Did something happen?"
It was the period after the School Preliminaries for the Magics Chevalier had ended, during the preparations for the main tournament. Albert's friends approached him. They hadn't cut ties with him, but Albert had started spending more time alone than before. More than anything, he had changed.
He had begun to put in dogged, honest effort, and his features had grown more resolute.
They had assumed he was having a difficult time, being exposed to rumors and scorn... but the reality was different.
Albert had accepted everything as fact. He understood that for his immature self to grow—to reach the heights Ray occupied—he needed to put in far more effort.
It was true that Albert had been arrogant. However, he was not the type of fool who would stay that way forever.
If the impact he had received from Ray had been a small one, Albert likely wouldn't have grown this much.
Having caught even a glimpse of the pinnacle of sorcery, Albert realized the truth.
To reach that place, one could never even approach that domain if they remained stagnant and blinded by their own talent.
"Um, congratulations on... making it into the Magics Chevalier."
"Yeah! It's really amazing!"
"Seriously. As expected, Alium-kun is one of the strongest in our year! If you fought her again, don't you think you could even beat Amelia-san?"
"..."
He did feel a sense of gratification at being praised.
However, Albert dismissed such empty admiration.
"I am still immature. Besides, I'm certain that if Ray had entered, he would undoubtedly be the top candidate to win."
"No way..."
"But that guy's an Ordinary..."
"Exactly. Alium-kun, your loss was just a fluke!"
"Do you really believe that?"
"Ugh..."
Albert's gaze turned sharp, and the friend who had been arguing flinched under his intensity.
They knew. They knew that Ray White's victory was by no means a fluke. They knew that his skill as a sorcerer—no, his raw combat ability—was far beyond the scope of a student.
They understood he was no ordinary person. However, their emotions rejected that understanding.
It was because a heart that looked down on him as a "mere Ordinary" still remained.
"A mere Ordinary. If you still think of him that way, you'd best correct your thinking."
"Ugh..."
"No, that's..."
"But..."
"I'm not exactly one to talk, but I'll say this anyway."
Albert stood up and looked them in the eye.
What those eyes were staring at were his peers, yet not them. In his mind's eye, the figure of Ray was reflected.
──The figure of the Ice Sword Sorcerer.
"Just because he's an Ordinary is no reason to underestimate him. He has power. We should know that better than anyone. First, let's acknowledge it. Ray is strong. Surely, stronger than anyone else in this Academy. Once you accept that, try looking at him again."
With those final words, Albert left the classroom. His back looked larger than before. Of course, part of that was the physical results of his training. However, even accounting for that, Albert appeared mentally larger as well.
Seeing him grow so surely, his friends hesitated, unsure of what to do.
Then, one of them spoke to Evi, who was still in the room.
"Hey, Evi."
"Hm? What's up?"
The same massive muscle mass as always. Even knowing he was a classmate, his physique was enough to make one shudder. Evi was neither a noble nor an Ordinary. Because of that, he held a neutral position in the class.
It was precisely because of his status that he was the easiest person to approach.
"You're roommates with Ray White, right? And you seem to be on good terms."
"What? You want to hear about Ray?"
"Yeah. Albert-kun just told us all that, and..."
"I see. That guy's changed too."
Evi grinned, flashing his teeth, and began to speak about Ray.
"Ray's an incredible guy."
"In what way, specifically?"
"His muscles are insane... Even I was freaked out when I saw them..."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"But White looks pretty lean, doesn't he?"
The three of them were dumbfounded. They never expected to hear Evi describe Ray's muscles as "insane." They couldn't understand why Evi would offer such praise... but they decided to listen until the end.
"That guy, once he strips down, he's something else. There's the type who looks thin in clothes, but Ray is in a league of his own. His body is finished like it's made of steel... It's not muscles built for show like mine... those are muscles built for combat. You'll know once you see them. You can't get that kind of sculpted physique with half-hearted effort. You guys already know about Ray's real strength, don't you?"
"Well..."
"We were watching the match, after all."
"Yeah..."
They hadn't had the chance to learn that Ray was the Ice Sword, but they had witnessed Albert's defeat. Hearing this from Evi, they began to further revise their perception of Ray.
"Besides, Ray is the future ace of the Environmental Research Club. Between us... the guy's a Gold Hunter."
"What!?"
"A Gold Hunter while still a student!?"
"Are—Are you serious... That's impossible..."
Their shock was justified.
Among Hunters, those at Gold Rank and above are recognized as exceptional beings. That is a well-known fact even among sorcerers. They knew that the current President of the Environmental Research Club was a Gold Hunter as a student, but that was seen as a miracle.
They never dreamed that Ray had already reached such a rank. And with that, their questions only grew.
Just who on earth is that Ordinary, really...?
"It's not just you guys; there are plenty of people who try to categorize Ray as an Ordinary. But listen, just try looking at the person named Ray White for once. If you do, I think you'll find there's a lot to gain. I'm not telling you that you have to like him. I'm sure nobles have their own reasons. But Ray is serious and honest... and above all, he's a man you can trust. You'll understand someday when you see those muscles."
Evi gave a smirk and then walked away.
The three left behind stood there, lost in thought. They weren't the only ones. Almost all the students remaining in the classroom had been eavesdropping on the conversation.
Just who is Ray White?
Perhaps, just as Evi said, they should stop seeing him as an "Ordinary" and look at the man himself.
Bit by bit, his classmates' perception of him was shifting in ways Ray didn't even realize.