I’m not number one. The venue got a little noisy, and Lily sat in the first place chair while I was forced to return to the cheap seats.
I thought a miracle had really happened, but the world isn’t that sweet. It’s something I signed up for because there was no harm in it of course. I was never insane enough to think I’d get first place before this.
For generations my family have been dancers. Through our dances, we are able to cheer up our allies and increase morale. And not in a metaphorical, empowerment sort of meaning. Using a specific set of choreography, a dancer is able to literally increase their allies’ strength. Apparently there was a time long ago when battlefields would have dancers taking their place at the back of armies.
But all that changed with the rise of wizards. Wizards can buff their allies with magic, and use their magic to attack on their own. On the other hand, dancers’ ability is specialized in buffing, so they have no special way to attack themselves.
So dancers saw their role on the battlefield gradually lost as they were replaced by the more convenient mages. In no time at all dancers became relegated to chancy trades to cheer people up sexually. Deep-rooted discrimination is now prevalent, and few people would vote for a dancer like me.
It’s not just dancers though. In the past fifty years, it has become common to mix magic into whatever your specialty is, so warriors are magic warriors, martial artists are magic fighters, apothecaries are magic healers, and etc.
For some reason, the reputation of non-magic jobs like these have gone further and further down. Although they aren’t treated as useless in battle like dancers are since they can still have their specific roles on the battlefield like acting as the advance guard or hand to hand combat.
There is a popular belief that magic can be used by anyone, but just like anything, while there are people who are good at it, there are going to be people who are bad at it. I am the latter. That’s why I have no choice but to live my life as a mere dancer who can’t use magic.
A dancer’s story of hardship not that different from the one I’ve heard from my mother many times before. While I reminisced about all that, the announcement for the provisional rankings quietly proceeded.
Only the fiftieth chair is left. I guess that’s supposed to be my chair. Since I’m a dancer, I guess it is only natural. It’s not like I don’t have confidence in my looks, but there are forty-nine other women here that make me not stand out.
“Huh? Lily-san and I are both here, but there is only one chair left. Did they miscount?”
The busty Melia was still sitting next to me. It certainly is strange. I don’t see any empty seats between the 1st place and 49th place chair. Which means there are 51 hero candidates here. But, the moderator definitely said there were only fifty of us when the ceremony began.
The worst possibility was grabbing the back of my mind. A cold, clammy sweat began oozing all over my body.
“And in fiftieth place…..Melia Laeria.”
Upon receiving the moderator’s signal, Melia cast an apologetic glance back towards me before slowly stepping forward. Please don’t look at me like that.
Every seat from 1 to 50 was filled up. I am the only one left in the cheap seats facing the stage. The fifty other people who I was with had all moved up onto the stage and were now looking down at me.
So, I’m in 51st place. In a competition of 50 people. What kind of harassment is this?
The people on stage all began whispering between themselves again, wondering who I was.
The employee who had given me a chair earlier walked over to me.
“Hey….I don’t know how an outsider got in, but would you mind leaving?”
“H-Hold on. I got an invitation too.”
I took out the invitation I got in the mail from my bag and handed it to the employee. They brought it over to the emcee, probably because they are too low on the totem pole to make any kind of decision themselves. This time, the moderator walked over to me alongside the employee.
“Lily Ruhuna-sama. My name is Heath Gray, and I am in charge of the 3rd Hero Audition. I deeply apologize for the mistake.”
Heath Gray was an older man with white hair. He looked a bit younger from distance, but this close up, I think he’d be around the same age as my grandmother.
Maybe it’s because of my age, but I was surprised to see him treat me so politely. If he’s in charge of this whole affair, he’s probably a nobleman. If he is treating a commoner like me politely, he must not be one of those snooty ones I always hear about.
“So uh…..what’ll happen to me? Am I disqualified, or would you like me to resign?”
“No. The best solution is to have you participate as our 51st candidate. Is that okay with you?”
“Y-Yeah….I’m fine with it….but won’t it cause a shock?”
After looking a bit troubled, Heath moved closer and lowered his voice so as to not be heard by any of the surroundings.
“Please keep quiet when you climb onto the stage. Officially, we will say you are a surprise contestant to avoid falling into a rut. In truth, a letter meant for the minister’s daughter was sent to you by mistake. Because of how common your name is, the secretariat has had to pull double-time, and……”
So I was brought here because the secretariat made a mistake. Well, not brought so much as I excitedly walked here on my own two feet after getting an invitation.
Heath didn’t say it outright, but he probably wants me to keep quiet about this blunder in exchange for allowing me to participate in the Hero Audition.
If he outright admits that a mistake was made, he will probably need apologize and explain everything to the people in charge. Obviously it would be more convenient for Heath to just write it all off as a surprise addition to the contest.
As for me, I’m going to get to participate in an audition that I have no right participating in. I have no reason to refuse, so I reply to Heath with a large nod.
“Understood. I am Lily Ruhuna, the fifty-first hero candidate who will participate as a surprise guest.”
“It is helpful that you are so quick to understand. By the way, do you use any magic?”
“No…..it’s physically beyond me.”
“I understand. Then please wait a moment.”
Heath whispered something into the employee’s ear before returning to the stage and speaking into the loudspeaker.
“Now, for an announcement. With the coming of the third Hero Audition, we decided to set up a legacy position. The final selection is made up of candidates who use modern, traditional tactics, so we chose one individual who did not make the final selection, an individual proficient in an older, legacy occupation.”
So this is why he asked me if I was able to use magic. Whether it’s useful or not, calling it a “legacy occupation” certainly makes it sound good.
A makeshift fifty-first chair was set up while Heath eloquently spun his bullshit excuse. It’s just a cheap seat with a piece of paper taped to it. Even 50th place seat had its number carved into the wooden backrest, so my seat was looking especially shabby.
But I had no reason to complain about something like that. I solemnly stepped forward, took to the stage, and sat down in the 51st place chair.
“Our legacy candidate. Lily Ruhuna!”
Like that, I managed to weasel my way in to the Hero Audition.
I’m not number one. The venue got a little noisy, and Lily sat in the first place chair while I was forced to return to the cheap seats.
I thought a miracle had really happened, but the world isn’t that sweet. It’s something I signed up for because there was no harm in it of course. I was never insane enough to think I’d get first place before this.
For generations my family have been dancers. Through our dances, we are able to cheer up our allies and increase morale. And not in a metaphorical, empowerment sort of meaning. Using a specific set of choreography, a dancer is able to literally increase their allies’ strength. Apparently there was a time long ago when battlefields would have dancers taking their place at the back of armies.
But all that changed with the rise of wizards. Wizards can buff their allies with magic, and use their magic to attack on their own. On the other hand, dancers’ ability is specialized in buffing, so they have no special way to attack themselves.
So dancers saw their role on the battlefield gradually lost as they were replaced by the more convenient mages. In no time at all dancers became relegated to chancy trades to cheer people up sexually. Deep-rooted discrimination is now prevalent, and few people would vote for a dancer like me.
It’s not just dancers though. In the past fifty years, it has become common to mix magic into whatever your specialty is, so warriors are magic warriors, martial artists are magic fighters, apothecaries are magic healers, and etc.
For some reason, the reputation of non-magic jobs like these have gone further and further down. Although they aren’t treated as useless in battle like dancers are since they can still have their specific roles on the battlefield like acting as the advance guard or hand to hand combat.
There is a popular belief that magic can be used by anyone, but just like anything, while there are people who are good at it, there are going to be people who are bad at it. I am the latter. That’s why I have no choice but to live my life as a mere dancer who can’t use magic.
A dancer’s story of hardship not that different from the one I’ve heard from my mother many times before. While I reminisced about all that, the announcement for the provisional rankings quietly proceeded.
Only the fiftieth chair is left. I guess that’s supposed to be my chair. Since I’m a dancer, I guess it is only natural. It’s not like I don’t have confidence in my looks, but there are forty-nine other women here that make me not stand out.
“Huh? Lily-san and I are both here, but there is only one chair left. Did they miscount?”
The busty Melia was still sitting next to me. It certainly is strange. I don’t see any empty seats between the 1st place and 49th place chair. Which means there are 51 hero candidates here. But, the moderator definitely said there were only fifty of us when the ceremony began.
The worst possibility was grabbing the back of my mind. A cold, clammy sweat began oozing all over my body.
“And in fiftieth place…..Melia Laeria.”
Upon receiving the moderator’s signal, Melia cast an apologetic glance back towards me before slowly stepping forward. Please don’t look at me like that.
Every seat from 1 to 50 was filled up. I am the only one left in the cheap seats facing the stage. The fifty other people who I was with had all moved up onto the stage and were now looking down at me.
So, I’m in 51st place. In a competition of 50 people. What kind of harassment is this?
The people on stage all began whispering between themselves again, wondering who I was.
The employee who had given me a chair earlier walked over to me.
“Hey….I don’t know how an outsider got in, but would you mind leaving?”
“H-Hold on. I got an invitation too.”
I took out the invitation I got in the mail from my bag and handed it to the employee. They brought it over to the emcee, probably because they are too low on the totem pole to make any kind of decision themselves. This time, the moderator walked over to me alongside the employee.
“Lily Ruhuna-sama. My name is Heath Gray, and I am in charge of the 3rd Hero Audition. I deeply apologize for the mistake.”
Heath Gray was an older man with white hair. He looked a bit younger from distance, but this close up, I think he’d be around the same age as my grandmother.
Maybe it’s because of my age, but I was surprised to see him treat me so politely. If he’s in charge of this whole affair, he’s probably a nobleman. If he is treating a commoner like me politely, he must not be one of those snooty ones I always hear about.
“So uh…..what’ll happen to me? Am I disqualified, or would you like me to resign?”
“No. The best solution is to have you participate as our 51st candidate. Is that okay with you?”
“Y-Yeah….I’m fine with it….but won’t it cause a shock?”
After looking a bit troubled, Heath moved closer and lowered his voice so as to not be heard by any of the surroundings.
“Please keep quiet when you climb onto the stage. Officially, we will say you are a surprise contestant to avoid falling into a rut. In truth, a letter meant for the minister’s daughter was sent to you by mistake. Because of how common your name is, the secretariat has had to pull double-time, and……”
So I was brought here because the secretariat made a mistake. Well, not brought so much as I excitedly walked here on my own two feet after getting an invitation.
Heath didn’t say it outright, but he probably wants me to keep quiet about this blunder in exchange for allowing me to participate in the Hero Audition.
If he outright admits that a mistake was made, he will probably need apologize and explain everything to the people in charge. Obviously it would be more convenient for Heath to just write it all off as a surprise addition to the contest.
As for me, I’m going to get to participate in an audition that I have no right participating in. I have no reason to refuse, so I reply to Heath with a large nod.
“Understood. I am Lily Ruhuna, the fifty-first hero candidate who will participate as a surprise guest.”
“It is helpful that you are so quick to understand. By the way, do you use any magic?”
“No…..it’s physically beyond me.”
“I understand. Then please wait a moment.”
Heath whispered something into the employee’s ear before returning to the stage and speaking into the loudspeaker.
“Now, for an announcement. With the coming of the third Hero Audition, we decided to set up a legacy position. The final selection is made up of candidates who use modern, traditional tactics, so we chose one individual who did not make the final selection, an individual proficient in an older, legacy occupation.”
So this is why he asked me if I was able to use magic. Whether it’s useful or not, calling it a “legacy occupation” certainly makes it sound good.
A makeshift fifty-first chair was set up while Heath eloquently spun his bullshit excuse. It’s just a cheap seat with a piece of paper taped to it. Even 50th place seat had its number carved into the wooden backrest, so my seat was looking especially shabby.
But I had no reason to complain about something like that. I solemnly stepped forward, took to the stage, and sat down in the 51st place chair.
“Our legacy candidate. Lily Ruhuna!”
Like that, I managed to weasel my way in to the Hero Audition.
