A talk about the future

Standing up, my voice had rung out in the cozy cabin. Standing up by pure instinct I screamed without inhibition.

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!"

Completely unfazed the old bastard in front of me just replied with a gentle smile.

"I am sorry, I really am. But this is the extent of my knowledge on this subject. All I know is that fate wanted you to be here and as a loyal subject, I simply fulfilled my duty by bringing you here. I understand that might be frustrated but at least you are in the most prestigious academy in district 5. You should be able to find some sort of joy in knowing where you are right?"

"No... it might have been true for most people but for me, this could be a death sentence. You know better than anyone that strength is needed to survive in this academy. Not only the strength to fight monsters but also the strength to defend oneself in the case of an attack. You, if anyone, should know that this academy should be one of the most strategic points of attack from the demon's perspective."

Although I wasn't sure about where I got the information from I institutionally knew this to be true. I had a feeling that the academy got attacked in the game not once but multiple times by demons trying to create a disturbance in the acquiring of more military might from the human's sides.

Not to mention that we were required to battle monsters as part of our courses, as well as to keep the numbers of monsters down. Sometimes the militia and the ruling family sent a joint squad if there was a need for large-scale extermination, but most often it was the job of parties of heroes to go out into the wilds outside of the district to kill mana soaked monsters.

'What am I gonna do about it? Until I manage to increase my mana grade I can't even dream of damaging a monster, much less kill it.'

"But isn't it fun?"

And there it was. One simple question. All of a sudden all my dark thoughts were washed away and I was left with a single, isolated feeling. Another unknown feeling I hadn't experienced before. It wasn't quite excitement, nor was it passion.

'No, it is something more subtle, more sublime.'

A feeling which left me wanting to know what tomorrow had to bring, what the future had in store for a tiny little weakling like me. A sense of longing for me to achieve my seemingly impossible goals.

'Hope? No, it isn't that either.'

The feeling wasn't strong enough to deserve to be called something aligning with religious belief. It was a simple rumbling in our joint souls. Me, the fusion of Hiren and the no-named reincarnator, subconsciously found our answer.

'Anticipation'

Such a simple answer really. Not something grand like the thoughts of a hero who had the burden of the world on his shoulders, nor was it something along the lines of a martyr who would give their lives to protect. It was simple anticipation. Somewhere inside of me, I had a sense of everything being alright. Even if I didn't have any answers, power, or family, I had something else. I had felt it the night before, even if I never really reflected over it. Even in the body of a small kid, with no strength to speak of, my mind had been through salvation already.

Joy, anger, nervousness, and anticipation. All these emotions I once had been devoid of had all emerged. Shouting at the stupid adults around me, finding my seed of mana, and wanting to find out more. All of these actions were based on these new emotions inside of me.

"Yea! It is fun!"

Such a simple, childlike answer coming from a collective of 40 years was my conclusive response. After all, why would I need to shy away from the answer which I had prayed for on my deathbed? I didn't need to pretend. Although I had my goals, all of them stemmed from one single desire. I wanted to experience what it was to honestly have fun and how it felt to genuinely live.

*Bock*

Once again the principal tapped his wooden cane on the floor.

"Then there aren't any issues. Now sit down and enjoy your tea for a bit."

With a warm smile, he gently waved towards the armchair I had risen from. Sitting down, I took the cup on the table and tasted the, somehow, still warm brew. As I felt the delicious liquid run down my throat I could feel a gentle feeling enveloping my body. Looking closer, the tea might not have been as simple as it seemed.

[The head butlers homegrown tea]

Description: Tea brewed from the homegrown leaves of the principal of district 5's butler. Soothes the mind and slightly stimulates the mana reserves of the consumer.

'Huh, even tea leaves can become mana infused if grown by the right person I guess'

"Now, did you have any other questions while you are here?"

Still keeping his gentle smile the principal inquired.

'My other questions, huh...'

Although my mind had raced earlier and I did indeed have a lot of unanswered questions, they all seemed quite arbitrary now. Why would I need to know more about my situation when I was stuck here no matter what? As I also had my Inherent Disposition, [Boundless], the feeling of things resolving themselves still resonated with me.

"Um... I do have another question."

"Hmm? Let's hear it then, young hare."

"When do I get to move into a real building? When looking around it was obvious that it was only that single building that didn't meet the standards of the rest of the academy. I assume I was put there as a temporary measure before having my status recorded."

All of a sudden the principal's smile changed. Although it was still bright and carried a positive look, it was somehow different. A slight shiver coursed through my spine.

"Well you see, a lot of instructors and teachers here didn't quite accept me taking you in without you officially having gone through our entrance exam. Of course, as the principal and headteacher, my word was still final, but I did need to haggle a bit for everyone to feel it was fair."

The bad feeling I had from earlier started to escalate at the words coming out from the now more beast-like old man.

"So even though I would love to see that you got to reestablish yourself at one of our more equipped facilities I have to tell you that it is not possible at this time. One of the points I had to make was to promise the other teachers that your living standards would be at a minimum, as to make sure you had the talent to remain here."

"Wait, that means..."

"Yes, that is indeed the case. You will be living in your current quarters until the other teachers recognize your talents.."

"BUT I HAVE NO TALENTS! I AM A WEAK LITTLE SQUIRT OF A MAN WITH NO STRENGTH!"

"Now calm down. Young hare, you might not have the strength of even the weakest girl attending this academy but that does not mean you lack the means to gain power. Even the strongest of wolves cannot catch the fastest of hares."

"Sure, but how is the hare supposed to kill the big bad wolf in order to protect its home?"

"That's an easy question to answer. If this had been 200 years ago you would probably have been left with the destiny to die, but now there is mana. Mana will be your key to gaining power, enough power to make a claim in front of even the most elitist of instructors, that you are worthy. Even though your mana grade might be weak now, it might not be in the future."

The stupid old man had a point though. I already knew that with my Inherent Disposition I had the potential to be powerful in the future. The problem was the present.

'How am I gonna compete with the other students who seemingly have infinitely more resources to work with?'

Although I could become mighty in the distant future, I needed power to protect my present. My small little excuse of a home did have all the necessities but nothing more.

"With all that said, I do feel quite sorry for your situation."

'Could you say that without that disturbingly bright smile on your face?'

"Although you might not live in a place with as many resources as other students, you still have access to the main facilities of the academy. All practice fields for the freshmen, as well as the library and the production centers. There should be plenty of possibilities for you to grow stronger."

*Step, step, step*

"Sir, it's time for the meeting. Please make sure you are on time, we don't need another person like Mike."

With silent steps, the butler had come to fetch the principal to another appointment.

"Oh, it's time already. Well, young hare, you must excuse me. It seems like our time has run out. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I can't wait to hear the stories you will make during your stay here. Please let yourself out, the door will automatically lock when you close it."

Standing up by the side of the butler the principal's robe started to flutter as he was slowly started to accumulate mana to execute some sort of magic or technique.

"Oh, and Mike will meet you outside once again to make sure you get all the basic necessities you need. Can't leave a student penniless, now can we?"

*Snap*

With a wink and a snap of his fingers the principal and the butlers dissipated into thin air, leaving me alone still sitting by the fireside.