A new reality

(... What the fuck was all that?...)

Waking up to the sound of birds chirping outside, Tom found his entire worldview had been turned on its head. Quickly confirming that he was still afflicted by [mana sickness], Tom used some of the little mana he had and moved it into his [catalyst].

"... I see, so that's really what it is."

"You see what exactly? You're not supposed to use mana kiddo, remember?"

The moment after he had moved mana into his [catalyst], Tom was lightly chopped in the head by Lizzy who had been reading while she watched over her student.

"Aw, I learned what my magic affinity is, I just wanted to test it out."

"Sure you did, but you're not supposed to use mana remember?"

Remaining steadfast in her attitude, Lizzy shut down her disciple's argument and went back to reading after confiscating his [catalyst].

For a whole 15 seconds anyway, until Lizzy's own curiosity overtook her.

"So? What kind of affinity do you have?"

"I'm not exactly sure how I should explain it easily… I guess I can make things heavier or lighter?"

"Why is it you don't even seem convinced of that?"

Sighing deeply at her disciple's incompetence, Lizzy reached into her cloak and took out her pack of cigarettes to have a smoke.

"I used my [saint] skill to find out, so the knowledge just kind of forced its way into my head okay? Even if I now understand what kind of affinity it is, explaining it is another matter… I think I could do it if you had about half a day to spare."

Realizing Tom was serious about the entire 'a few hours' stuff, Lizzy looked amused for a second before she declined his invitation.

"Sorry but I have work to do for once, I'm teaching a class in a bit."

"Wait, what? Can you even do- Aw! Don't hit me, I'm sick!"

Chopping Tom in the face again, Lizzy looked annoyed for a few seconds before she breathed a deep sigh and took a puff of her cigarette as she massaged her temples before explaining.

"This entire situation is partly your fault kiddo. After you went and killed an earth dragon all by yourself, the headmaster and a bunch of students became interested in where you had learned all that."

"Ah, so the headmaster forced you to teach some of the other students?"

"Yeah, that old fart said he would half my pay if I didn't… I should have started teaching about 10 minutes ago, If I'm lucky there won't be any students there when I go to the practice field in a few minutes."

(So she's just hiding here and playing hooky…)

Losing a bit of the respect and awe he felt towards Lizzy, a faint smile found its way onto Tom's face as he caught wind of someone approaching the infirmary.

"Ah! There you are, instructor!"

"Shit..."

Swearing under her breath, Lizzy put on a hilariously fake smile as she turned to the group of students from Tom's class that had come to find her.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I'll have to cancel today's class. I have to take care of my dear disciple."

(Yeah right, you just don't want to teach them.)

Seeing straight through his instructor, Tom's smile widened slightly as he rose from his bed.

"It's fine Lizzy, I won't try to use mana again."

"Even if you say that…"

If Lizzy had learned anything about Tom since meeting him, it was that he would have a hard time not having curiosity take the better of him in these kinds of situations.

But more importantly, Lizzy needed to put her disciple back in his place, luckily a way to do that and make sure Tom didn't mess around at the same time.

Turning to one of the students, Lizzy formed her usual fox-like smile as she flicked away her burned-out cigarette.

"Okay okay, I get it. Elizabeth, please take care of Tom while I teach the others, I can give you some pointers after class is over in an exchange."

""Eh?""

With both Elizabeth and Tom uttering the same stupid sound at the same time, Lizzy moved surprisingly fast, putting down Tom's [catalyst] on a nearby table before she gave Elizabeth a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Just like that, she was out of the door.

"... For once she actually acts like a proper instructor, but thanks to that I can keep experimenting."

Having nothing but a deep sigh in response to his instructor, Tom went back to experimenting with his [catalyst], exactly as Lizzy had worried he would.

"Hey, you're not supposed to use mana, are you!?"

Remembering the role which had suddenly been forced upon her, Elizabeth hurried to Tom's bedside and tried to take his [catalyst] away from him.

Not that such an attempt would ever be successful, even without using mana, Tom's [status was far and well above most people his age. Let alone a sheltered lady from a noble household.

"Hey this is mine, get your own."

"Noo! Lizzy said you're not supposed to use mana while resting so hand it over!"

Showing a surprising amount of stubbornness as she simuntarially dropped most of her manners, Elizabeth tried (and failed) to take Tom's [catalyst] away from him.

But once again due to the difference in [status], Elizabeth eventually tired herself out, but her will still didn't waver.

"Please… Hand your [catalyst]... Over."

"No, I don't think I will."

Still holding up against Elizabeth's feeble attempt, Tom nevertheless started tiring out.

(... There's no way I can experiment with spells like this.)

Feeling a headache coming, Tom breathed a deep sigh as he partly gave into Elizabeth's request.

"Fine, I won't be using mana anymore so give it up already."

"Promise me."

"... Fine, I promise so unhand me already."

Breathing another deep sigh as Elizabeth became unnecessarily flustered, Tom decided to move onto another topic that had been bothering him for a while.

"You can stop acting all flustered like that, it won't work to charm me."

"Eh?"

"I know you also made some of our classmates beat me up, switching up tactics are we?"

Remaining calm as the things Elizabeth had done to him really didn't matter to Tom, Elizabeth saw his calm demeanour something eerie instead.

"That's…"

Falling silent at Tom's sudden change in attitude, Elizabeth contemplated the mistakes she had made in the past. She knew there were no excuses for what she had done, no way to explain her reasoning in any reasonable manner and there was properly no chance Tom would ever forgive Elizabeth for what she had done.

The only thing Elizabeth could do in the situation was explain things as they happened and hope Tom would forgive her for what she had done.

"... At the start I was really dismissive of my father saying I would be married to you, he told me you were a bastard of a grand noble household he wanted to form a deeper connection with. As a noblewoman I had received education from a very young age about my responsibility as a noble, so I have no issues with an arranged marriage, I was even kind of excited to meet you here at the academy."

Looking down at her hands, Elizabeth started clutching her skirt as she continued talking.

"I still remember the first time we spoke, you were so cold and dismissive of me I first believed I had mistaken you for my real potential fiancee, but after confirming that you were indeed the right person I became vexed with you Tom, even outright angry… I supposed I had been a little too prideful in my ability to attract and charm potential suitors, but as I continued talking I eventually started realizing I was falling for you, properly because I had never met a person like you before."

Although Elizabeth was doing her best to hide her face, with her hair as she clutched her skirt, it was clear as day to Tom that the young lady in front of him was blushing all the way to her ears as she continued talking.

"After I realized I was starting to fall for you, I became annoyed with your constant dismissal… I honestly don't know if it was out of a misplaced sense of pride or even anger, I wanted to force you to start relying on me, so I made those guys attack you."

As she continued talking, Elizabeth's voice continued to decrease in volume, at this point it was almost a whisper.

"I see."

Offering nothing more than those words, Tom was about to start experimenting with his [catalyst] once again as Elizabeth suddenly grasped his hand.

"But that has all changed! Seeing you fight that gigantic monster I realized how much it hurt me to see you in pain! I know this is too much to ask as I've treated you so horribly so I am aware that this is too much to ask, and I won't ask for something like starting a relationship right away, but could we please start our relationship over as friends!?"

At this point, Elizabeth had entirely thrown away her pride as a noble as tears flowed freely from her eyes as her voice cracked with emotional pain. Faced with such a reaction, Tom was at a loss at what to do. Tom had been aware of the things Elizabeth had done for a while now, so long in fact that he was no longer really that angry at her, not that he had been particularly angry at her in the first place.

If not for the harassment Elizabeth had facilitated he would have never chosen the path he had now been put on, he would never have become a [saint], he would never have gotten to this position where he could potentially regain his long lost personal freedom. The real issue with Elizabeth's heartfelt and desperate confession was that Tom had no idea how to deal with those kinds of things. Growing up Tom had believed he was just like everyone else, a 'normal' person one could find just about everywhere.

But then he found out he didn't have a magic affinity, and when puberty finally hit he realized he was 'different from his peers.

Other than being unable to connect, relate and successfully communicate with his peers, the cupid never seemed to find Tom. At first, he believed what others around him said, it was just a question of time, of finding 'the right one'.

But that never happened, to make matters even more confusing for Tom he started to realize that there was a strange sort of disconnect in his head.

"I have no problem with becoming friends, as I'm not really that angry about the things you did."

Placing a hand on top of Elizabeth's head, trying to mimic what Anne had done for him so many times. This made Elizabeth immediately look back up, although she was still crying and her face was kind of a mess there was an optimistic hope in her eyes.

"Then!-"

"But you should properly give up on having a romantic relationship with me."

In just a few seconds, that hope was crushed.

"... Eh?- I m-mean, of course. After all those things I-"

"No, you misunderstand Miss Elizabeth. I do find you stunningly beautiful and although you're really good at faking your smile, I'm able to tell the difference after the amount of time you've been talking to me… It's just that I don't think I'm able to harbour any romantic feelings for anyone, not just you."

With a slightly self-deprecating smile on his face, Tom decided that it would be okay to open up to the girl in front of him slightly. Sensing this, Elizabeth wiped away her tears and sat up straight, it seemed that she was intent on paying full attention to what Tom was about to tell her.

"I've never been able to fall in love, even if I wanted to. Although I can find a person aesthetically pleasing, or even attractive it is only in the same way as I look at a beautiful sunset or a painting."

"I see…"

Falling into deep thoughts as she realized that Tom was being sincere, Elizabeth's silence quickly turned prolonged. While Elizabeth was quietly thinking, Tom decided to go over all of his skills with his newfound [saint] ability to find out exactly what they did.

(... [Status].)

Tom Laplace

Title: [Saint]

Race: Human

Age: 19

Vitality: 31/192

Strength: 40/66

Dexterity: 114/129

Agility: 39/55

Intelligence: 165/165

Luck: 18

Mana: 25/25.921

Skills:

[Cooking 4/10] [Housework 4/10] [Memorization 2/10] [Pain resistance 4/10] [Etiquette 1/10] [Mana control 3/10] [Fine motor control 3/10] [Strengthening 5/10] [Combat awareness 3/10] [Sense potential 10/10] [Saint 1/3]

Conditions:

[Mana sickness -/-]

Magic affinity: Gravity

(So my affinity is gravity?... I wonder how you even pronounce that word? Since all the information required to understand my affinity was just jammed into my head I don't really know how to say any of it out loud, but even if I did, it is extremely unlikely anyone would even understand what I was talking about.)

Quickly getting of-topic as his magic affinity had finally been revealed to him, Tom eventually got back on track and started examining his [skills]

First up was the one he had been most confused about.

[ETIQUETTE, IMPROVES THE USERS ABILITY TO RECOGNISE SOCIAL NORMS, ENABLES BETTER CONTROL OF THE USERS EXPRESSIONS.]

(I see, so that's why most nobles I've met are so good at hiding their emotions… Then what about fine motor control?)

[FINE MOTOR CONTROL, ENABLES THE USER TO BETTER REGULATE THEIR PHYSICAL POWER. ALSO IMPROVES THE USERS MANA CIRCUITS, MAKING MANA SICKNESS AND OTHER PATHWAY TYPE AFFLICTIONS LESS LIKELY AND DECREASES THEIR SEVERITY IN CASE OF AFFLICTION.]

(So my mana sickness will recover faster because of my fine motor control? I guess I need to train that more when I have recovered… In the end, it might be possible to not be affected by those things at all.)

Deciding that it indeed was a good idea to closely examine his [skills], Tom decided to focus on the combat-oriented ones for now.

[MANA CONTROL, ENABLES USER TO BETTER CONTROL THEIR MANA OUTSIDE THE BODY AND ELIMINATES UNNECESSARY WASTE, LEADING TO BETTER EFFICIENCY WHEN MAKING USE OF MEDIUMS TO CREATE SPELLS.]

(... Is that how Lizzy is able to maintain her spells for so long even though she doesn't have much mana? It would make sense that she can avoid wasting mana entirely as her mana control level is so high.)

Theorising that the key to Lizzy's sustained combat ability was due to her high-level mana control, Tom figured that he would need to improve in that area. The way he currently was, Tom needed to use about half his mana to create a wide-area spell, although that was before he realized what his affinity was, it was definitely still an area where he could improve. In any case, Tom could hardly wait until he was able to fully check out his abilities and return to training with Lizzy.

After he had become a [saint], Tom was more determined than ever to grow stronger, this determination would eventually lead him to leave his mark on history.

"Um… Tom, do you have a moment?"

As the noon bell sounded and signified the end of morning classes, Elizabeth suddenly seemed to have a fire of determination lit underneath her as she approached Tom's sickbed.

"Yeah, I have all the time in the world right now, what's up?"

"Thank you for forgiving me, and thank you for sharing so much about yourself, it was very insightful."

Starting off with a deep bow fitting of a well-bread lady, Elizabeth showed her usual radiant smile (and a genuine one for once) before continuing.

"Since you've shared so much about yourself, I want to do the same, but more importantly, I want to offer you a well thought out and sincere response at some later time. Would that be agreeable?"

Tilting her head slightly to the side as she nervously asked that question, Elizabeth reminded Tom of a small animal looking for food.

"Sure, that is what friends do isn't it?"

Responding to Tom's answer with an almost blinding smile, Elizabeth composed herself and returned to a noble-like expression.

"Then I'll invite you at some time, please don't try to avoid me this time, okay?"

"Sure."

Right as Tom and Elizabeth finished their conversation, Lizzy returned to the infirmary.

"... You two sure look well-behaved, let's go grab something to eat, after that, I can show you some pointers miss kiddo."

"- Ah, yes."

Slightly flustered at Lizzy's sudden return, Elizabeth tried (and failed) to hide her nerves, prompting a smug smile from Lizzy.

"Oho… Sorry to interrupt, but your kiddo's need to eat in order to grow upright, let's go grab some grub."

Moving to the cafeteria, Lizzy continued to wear her usual fox-like smile while Tom remained expressionless and Elizabeth maintained a slight blush on her face.

"So, were you two kiddo's making out or something while I was gone?"

Having not even glanced at a concept like subtlety, Lizzy made Elizabeth almost choke on her after-meal tea while Tom started massaging his temples.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-wh-what are you saying instructor!? Tha-that's so indecent!"

Breathing a deep sigh in response to Elizabeth's overblown response, and Lizzy's fox-like smile, Tom started explaining.

"We just talked for a bit that's all. Miss Elizabeth told me that she had fallen for me and I explained that I'm unable to return her feelings."

"Ah, I see~"

Glancing over at Elizabeth that was still jammed, Lizzy's smile only widened.

"Nice catch kiddo, she was really worried for you when you fought that ground dragon."

Giving Tom a few reassuring pats on the shoulder, Lizzy was about to continue harassing her two students as the headmaster and a group of people entered the cafeteria, creating quite a stir as one of the outsiders spoke up for all to hear.

"Is the new saint here!? We need to talk!"