By Zephyria 
‘And… he seems to be quite skilled.’
I tried to gauge the amount of Mana he possessed, but I failed.
Unlike the professors who were openly revealing their Mana reserves, he was disrupting the flow of Mana so that the other party could not explore him, as if he had something he wanted to hide.
At that time, Herman intervened.
“Sorry, but he’s already promised to work with me.”
There was no such promise.
“Hmph. It’s possible to have up to four people anyway, isn’t it? It’s just a matter of the three of us, including you.”
Where did my opinion go and suddenly ‘the three of us’?
“You’re talking as if ‘you’re the one who’s interrupting’.”
“Ah, you’re more perceptive than I thought. I’ll give you a compliment.”
I quietly sighed.
Anyway, since it was said that there had to be at least two people, there was no option to do it alone. I had to work with someone.
That’s right. It was said that there could be up to four people….
As I thought of that, I turned to the side. Tom was cowering at Herman and Zeon’s battle of nerves and was just looking around.
“Tom Simyurel. It’s four with you. Join us.”
“…Huh?! Is that, is that okay?”
I nodded.
It was because I was keeping an eye on him.
Because he seemed to have the qualities of a ‘servant’.
Tom’s eyes sparkled again. Herman had a dissatisfied look on his face, but he didn’t complain much, and Zeon just smiled silently.
That’s how a team of four was formed.
“Shall we move right away? Since it’s an assignment that has to be submitted by the weekend anyway, I think it would be better to finish it quickly.”
Herman, who had been silent for a while, suggested his opinion.
At that, Tom opened his mouth hesitantly.
“I haven’t finished organizing my luggage yet….”
“Then let’s meet today, but for now, let’s just decide on the time and place to meet and dismiss for a while. I think I need a little rest too.”
Zeon cleared his throat and organized the situation.
Well. It didn’t matter to me.
“Do as you please.”
After that, Herman decided on the time and place to meet. After Tom and Zeon left for a while and only the two of us were left, Herman, who had been awkwardly silent, subtly made a suggestion to me.
“Um, Ray. Shall we go first?”
And I readily accepted that suggestion.
“Let’s do that. Guide me.”
After all, I don’t know the place that this guy mentioned as the meeting place, ‘Ifrit Cafe on 6th Street, Mardelphia’. Of course, I don’t know the way there either.
This guy had to be my guide.
At my command, Herman let out a deflated laugh.
“Let’s go.”
That’s how we left the central building and crossed the fountain garden in front of the main gate.
I enjoyed the brief atmosphere because I really liked the well-maintained flower beds and trees that created a rich and beautiful scenery centered around the fountain.
While that was happening, Herman, who had been quietly walking, cautiously asked me.
“You… you really don’t have any memories of me?”
It seemed to be a question to gain certainty.
“It’s not just about you. I’ve lost everything.”
“Everything?”
“That’s right. So, for a while after I came to my senses, I received a lot of help from my family. Like my name.”
Herman seemed speechless and had a serious expression on his face. Then, he sighed and touched his forehead.
“I didn’t know…. I didn’t know it was like that for yourself too.”
I felt like I knew what kind of emotion he was currently feeling. It was guilt. Guilt for not believing and getting angry without reason.
Suddenly, a new question arose.
What was the relationship between this guy and this body?
So I asked.
“What was the relationship between you and me?”
Directly.
Herman was quite flustered, but soon opened his mouth and….
“We were friends.”
At that lackluster answer, I had to arch one eyebrow. If we’re friends, we’re friends, but what’s with the ‘were friends’?
“By the way, are you going to be okay? Your Mana is unique.”
I felt that Herman was trying to change the subject. Since I wasn’t planning on digging any further, I quietly accepted his shallow trick.
“Is there a problem with it being unique?”
“…Well. The fact that you’re here means that your parents allowed you to enroll, so I guess it doesn’t matter if your uniqueness is revealed.”
In reality, they had allowed my enrollment ‘unwillingly’. But I didn’t bother to bring up that story.
“Ah, we’re here. It’s here.”
Herman, who had raised his head, pointed to the building on the right. It was a small shop with a sign that said, Ifrit Cafe.
“Is there anything you want to drink?”
“Not really. Anything is fine.”
Tring.
Herman opened the door first, and the small bell hanging on the door rang. Something flew in response to that sound.
It was… a large menu board with eyes and a mouth.
[Oh my! Handsome boys, welcome! Looking at your clothes, you’re students from Merzel Academy? Hmph, if you’re Mana users, I don’t need to teach you how to order, right? Ohoho!]
The menu board spoke in a high-pitched voice.
It must be a creation made with Creation magic.
When Herman nodded, the menu board flew away again, and a normal menu board without eyes and a mouth flew in front of us.
[After infusing Mana, select the name of the food you want to order, and when you are finished, say ‘Order Complete’. Non-magic users, please call an employee.]
No. It’s not normal!
The letters on the menu board were shining with a stiff voice. Herman skillfully selected a few letters and finished ordering. The menu board flew back to the counter.
“Are you that amazed? Well, since you said you have no memories at all, I guess everything feels like you’re seeing it for the first time.”
Herman looked at me and chuckled.
For some reason, he seemed to be in a good mood looking at me.
I soon found out the reason.
“I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been doing this with you. We started to go wrong at some point… and our relationship became difficult to even call friends. So, I thought our relationship could never go back to the way it used to be.”
I quietly listened to his confession.
Because that was the best I could do as the ‘fake’ me.
“Hey, Ray.”
At that time, Herman looked at me with serious eyes.
“Can I start over with you as friends again?”
That was an unexpected request.
‘Hmm.’
I am not the original Raymond Valentasia. It’s a body that has become mine now, but the past is not related to me.
Even if he asks me to be friends with him ‘again’, there is nothing I can answer him with as I am now. There was no reason for me to be friends with humans or anything like that.
I crossed my arms and said after being silent for a while.
“I can’t be friends.”
It was when a crack appeared on Herman’s face.
“Instead, I will allow you to become my first servant.”
He widened his eyes when he heard my next words. Herman was flustered, but soon let out a laugh.
“What is it? You can just say that if you’re embarrassed.”
It seems like he’s misunderstanding….
“Okay. If that’s what you want, I’ll say that.”
Well. Does it matter?
With this, I had my first servant.
A little later, drinks and simple desserts were transported by a cart that moved on its own. The taste of the drinks and desserts in this store was quite commendable.
After enjoying it for a while, Zeon appeared. Not long after he quickly took the seat next to me that was empty, Tom also appeared in a hurry.
“Then shall we start the assignment? The topic of this assignment was clearly to find out what the team members’ and our own Primary Affinity is, right?”
Zeon, who had subtly started the conversation, turned to me. As much as that voice with a hint of playfulness, I could feel an unknown joy from the smiling face.
“Who wants to go first?”
“Me.”
Herman, who answered Tom’s question, held out his hand.
Mana with a yellow light rose above it.
It was an act of releasing Mana through the Energy Aperture.
“Yellow is Transformation System! Herman is Transformation magic.”
I was listening when Tom said in admiration, and then I asked.
“What is that?”
Then Tom, who widened his eyes, explained.
“Don’t you know? There are four colors of Mana in the world, and a person’s Mana Heart attracts the Mana of the corresponding color. Each color of Mana has its own characteristics, so it’s called an Affinity, and the color that corresponds to you… that is, the Affinity that corresponds to you is called the ‘Primary Affinity.’”
“Hmph.”
In short, the Affinity of the Mana you have is called the Primary Affinity, so Herman’s Primary Affinity is Transformation magic.
Since I handle All-Affinity, all four colors of Mana are mixed, resulting in Black Mana.
“Transformation magic Mana has a strong property of wanting to transform, so it’s called Transformation magic! Just like Creation System Mana has the property of wanting to create new things, so it’s called Creation System.”
I see. I understood the general principle.
At that moment, Tom, who had been excitedly explaining, gauged my reaction.
“Um, I’m sorry if I acted like I knew too much.”
What a truly obedient human being.
I smiled and shook my head with a heart as vast as the sea. Hmph, as expected. This guy had the qualities of a servant.
“Very good. I will praise you for being helpful.”
Tom blushed and smiled proudly.
“And I will give you the opportunity to become my servant as well.”
Then his eyes widened. He looked like a startled rabbit.
“Servant… you mean…?”
As Tom muttered, Herman, who was sitting next to him, gauged my reaction. Zeon also stared intently at my face. I didn’t know why, but it was a very burdensome gaze, so I subtly turned my head to the other side.
Herman whispered something in Tom’s ear. After a while, Tom showed an excited reaction and his eyes sparkled.
“That’s what you mean by servant! Yes, then I like it!”
Herman wore a very proud expression. I didn’t know what it was, but anyway, I now had my second servant.
“I’m next.”
Zeon, who looked somewhat sulky, held out his hand. Soon, reddish Mana bloomed. I gestured to Tom, who understood and added an explanation.
“Red Mana is Evocation-type. It has the strongest property of wanting to move forward, so it has an aggressive tendency along with Power magic Mana, which has the highest Mana intensity.”
Finally, Tom showed his Mana.
It was green Mana, and he said that it was Creation System Mana, which he had explained earlier.
“Now, then. Raymond. Please give us a demonstration.”
Zeon’s eyes narrowed like crescents as he looked back at me.
I shrugged and held out my palm upward. The eyes of the three gathered on my hand at once.
The Mana gathered around my hand blazed up at once.
It was ominous, flickering Black Magical Energy.
“It’s Black Mana that encompasses All-Affinity. What Affinity is this called?”
Instantly, Tom’s face, who had been watching, was filled with shock.
“N-No way! Black Mana… it’s the color that only Mephisto, who was called the Demon King 500 years ago, and the hero Gilbert were known to use?! S-So it really exists.”
Soon, Tom shrank back as if he couldn’t believe it. On the other hand, Zeon, who had been staring at my Mana without taking his eyes off it like a possessed person, let out a strangely felt exclamation.
“Ah… as expected….”
In any case, none of them seemed to have any intention of answering my question. Eventually, my first servant Herman, who had been silently watching, began to answer.
“You are a ‘Singularity.’ There is no Affinity that separately classifies Black Mana. Well, it would be impossible to classify it even if you tried… because Black Mana Hearts accept and interfere with any Affinity of Mana equally.”
“Then what am I supposed to do with my assignment?”
As I clenched my fist, the dark Magical Energy subsided. Even though I came here to act as a spy, I absolutely hated being treated as a failure.
Herman groaned for a long time and rested his chin on his hand.
“That’s right. Why don’t you just say All-Affinity?”
“Oh, there was that method. That’s a very good suggestion.”
I took out the assignment paper and recorded it with satisfaction.
Thus, through this assignment, I learned that Herman’s Primary Affinity was Transformation magic, Tom’s Primary Affinity was Creation System, and Zeon’s Primary Affinity was Evocation-type.