No, You're The Boss!

He's got to be joking.

"You're a mage…?"

The demi-human boy crossed his arms in front of him and puffed out his chest, displaying a proud grin, completely oblivious to the gloomy atmosphere.

"I am!" He boasted.

"But… You're a beastman," Vivian hesitantly pointed out.

"I know," Jalone blustered, still not reading the mood. "I'm amazing, right?"

It's not that demi-humans can't be mages, it's just very uncommon -and for a good reason. To counterbalance their unmatched physical abilities, their intellect stat is significantly lower than any other race, greatly limiting their magic potential. And while it can be raised, sooner or later it will reach a cap and it won't be able to be pushed beyond that. It's a racial restriction. To put it simply, demi-humans just suck at magic.

I cleared my throat.

"Uhm, don't you think you'll be better off as a melee fighter?" I suggested as subtly as possible. "Like a warrior, maybe?"

But the boy clearly couldn't read between the lines.

"I belong to a family of warriors!" He exclaimed. "My siblings, my parents, and every single one of my cousins. They are all great warriors!"

"Then why…"

"But it was my dream to become a mage," Jalone suddenly added, the hint of nostalgia on his face. "Magic is just so much more fascinating. It comes from nothing and creates miracles."

Ah, I feel you, boy. This is exactly how I first felt when I arrived in this world.

"Anyone can become a warrior where I come from, but not anyone can be a mage. So I'll be the first one!"

Seeing the sparkles in his eyes, I couldn't bring myself to tell him we were actually looking for a melee fighter.

"My father was completely against it, though," Jalone continued, lost in his own memories. "He said that we were a bloodline of prideful warriors. That having a mage among us would be extremely shameful. So he disowned me!"

Alright, this story is taking a dark turn. This was definitely not something to laugh at, yet the boy was recounting it with a bright smile.

"But I'll show him!" Jalone vowed in a triumphant pose. "I'll go to the tournament, win every single battle and prove him wrong! I'll show the world that even a beastman can be a great mage!"

I squinted my eyes.

"That's why you want to participate in the competition?"

As the boy confirmed my assumption with a nod, I let out a long sigh.

That's a honorable dream, I guess. But who can tell him that we don't want another mage in the team now? Definitely not Vivian. Her expressions kept changing as Jalone told us about himself. First, she was confused -as we all were. Then, she started pitying the boy. And now, she was looking at him with admiration. I can tell that in her heart, he's already one of us. She definitely won't be the one driving him out.

I gave a quick glance at Frost. The remaining bits of his soul were slipping out of his body, his face completely devoid of any emotion.

"I'll summon something to be our meat shield," I told him in a low voice. "So it's fine that way, right?"

Frost didn't react for a while. When he finally directed his gaze on me, he sighed loudly.

"Whatever…"

◊◊◊◊◊◊

To get to know each other and strengthen our bond, we decided to all eat together. What better icebreaker than a convivial meal? We waited a little more for other potential team members, but no one expected anyone else to come and no one did. By the time we arrived, the refectory was already quite crowded. However, it wasn't the peak period yet so we still managed to find a table without too much trouble.

As usual, Vivian took big servings. Frost was quite surprised when he saw the amount of food on her plate. It was larger than his, even though she was a girl. But ironically enough, the one who had the most to eat on his plate was the smallest one of us all -Jalone.

"I'm growing," he simply said when we commented about it.

"By the way, why didn't you come sooner?" Vivian asked the demi-human boy as she took a bite of her food. "Didn't you see the flyers?"

That's very unlikely. I made sure to put them at places where everyone could see them.

"I couldn't read them," Jalone responded with his mouth full.

Vivien tilted her head.

"You're illiterate?"

The young boy nodded.

"Aren't classes difficult to follow if you can't read?"

Jalone shrugged.

"I haven't signed up for most classes so it's alright," he explained indifferently. "I don't plan on becoming a diplomat, I only care about becoming a mage, so I don't need to know about maths or politics."

That's actually a rational choice.

"Then how did you find out about us recruiting?" I queried.

"I just happened to hear it. Some people in my class were talking about a team of outcasts being created for the tournament."

Vivian almost choked on her food.

"As a demi-human mage, no one accepted me so far, so I thought it just might be my chance," Jalone continued.

"A team of outcasts?!" I sputtered, offended.

"Yeah," the boy nonchalantly confirmed, still focused on his meal.

"Thats's…!"

… actually pretty accurate. Thanks to Aoban, I've been shunned from my peers the second I arrived, and Vivian was not only kicked out from her previous group, she also seems to be quite renowned for being a dead-weight in her class.

I glared at Frost, who was not even trying to hide his laughter.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you," I advised, "that also includes you."

That's right. Ever since the Pikachu incident, he is labeled as a bully. No one approaches him, and even his friends abandoned him. Realizing that, Frost choke down his laughter at once.

And now, with a demi-human mage that nobody wants, we definitely are a team of outcasts. This is low-key depressing.

"By the way, do you have a name for the team?" Jalone asked, his eyes beaming with sudden interest.

This boy just can't read the mood, can he?

"No we don't," I responded. At this point, we might as well stay as the Team of outcasts.

"Then let's choose one!" he suggested.

"Our team isn't even complete yet," Frost pointed out, "it's pointless to name it now."

"Is that so?" The demi-human boy sighed in disappointment. "Then how about nicknames for everyone?"

I squinted my eyes. He seems really eager about naming things. But it didn't seem like a bad idea. At least, it would allow the mood to lighten up a bit.

"Just Lyni for me," I said. "That's what I'm usually called."

"No, you're The Boss!" the boy interjected.

I frowned.