I don't think Noah cares that they think he's a plebian. He's got nightmares to keep sealed, and survival skills to learn.

"His sake" refers to an old painter, I think

So the perma-grinning jerk who is born from an old money family just happens to praise a fascistoid instrument of repression? What a surprise, what a surprise!

more like under their heads.

Seems like someone has trouble understanding what outstanding powers and *abilities* mean.

Noah's abilities with spirit concealment and sight are outstanding enough on their own even without his totally non-existent power.

Wonder if they're going to assume he is lying or just weaker? I mean lying that you don't have any powers is totally in line with this particular class.

Honestly, I don't know which group is more stupid, the blonde kids or the Malhart brats. Each equally fanatical, in a different, annoying way. Both blind to reality: Magic is going to bring social movement. In a perfect World™ the Empire's attempts to reform would result in the JSP's grip being shattered and a good, tyranny free constitutional monarchy being formed, with a professional army of magic users supporting the state. I fear though (and many of the people who hate magic users likely share this fear), that it will result in a magic tyranny, with nothing changing save who's doing the oppressing. And with the magicless living sad, hopeless lives, with no possibility of improving their meagre lots. The impending prophecy cascade may render all this moot of course.

That aside, did the last panel imply that Malhart is being kept alive as a hostage of some sort?

I love this comic because it gives me an endless supply of hateable characters

Oh, no, turns out he doesnt know anything special. He is just a moron.

Can also hear they are still holding Malhard captive, as leverage.

Utterly unimaginable that these elites have to share the class with a mere spirit user

Oh, nevermind, he's just a classist prick, Noah's cover's sailin' smoothly.

Gotta respect Han for his restraint.

On a point of pedantry, didn't blonde #2 *criticise* the JSP?

So what class would Windows be in if his power was common knowledge? Not in this peon class, that's for sure.

@Straightbackward: Well it is as far as his classmates are concerned.

Yes, credit where it's due, he knows when not to make trouble. Keeping the old noggin down seems like a good move at this point. He wasn't involved in the street fighting either, was he?

@Whispers of Sorrow

Yeah, Malhart being alive and kept as leverage was confirmed late in the nightmare arc, just before they confronted Hallow Mal. Catz was remoting in from the military building at the time as a result.

Which is...interesting, considering Veda was the only one to make antidotes for the Black Crystal injections. On the one hand, I'm sure the alchemy could be copied. On the other, even if the Veda project is dead, her and Nail don't seem the type to give up easily.

Nepo babies

@Whispers If Noah's power were known I'd expect him being held separately in a special unit, basically what I expect they are trying to do with Cheryl. Except she's "broken" now.

On Aristocrat#2, the way I see it, he didn't really criticise the JSP; he criticised Barnrose because despite being run with the JSP involvement it does not respect the values the JSP represents, like "competence". I feel those guys represent those in the empire that think magic users are somehow corrupting the government pushing for a degree of tolerance to magic users (tolerance and in not killing them but using them).

Now that I think of this. For how long did these noblemen know about their powers, how much did their relatives know. Were they the shame of the family or a well hidden secret, like a taboo or something?
I presume some prerogative over the law on the high-born, but that's not always enough.

Here's my tinfoil-hat theory on the elf attack in Gloria: It was orchestrated/allowed by the government to stage a situation where magic users were forced to use their magic and be detained.

I assume it was reproduced on other locations. But... how did these two guys get into Barnrose?
Their wording...
All students here were basically given no option, not only the Malhart family, collaboration or detention, right?

They seemingly accepted mixing with plebians, the humiliation, on the premise of being the magic elite. Was Barnrose forced upon them while sugar-coating their egos, or did they actually had a choice?

That Mingo vibes off that kid just keep getting worse and worse. The other isn't much better the air of arrogance around him too is making me question if they actually understand the danger they're in.

Looking at these two "highborn" kids, I wonder if there is a high scoiety social norm in Justopea not to show your eyes in public. (though I don't remember anyone doing it before, like the Emperor or the Aristocrat)

So it was the other other hand. He's just an elitist. I suppose that shouldn't be surprising being nobility.

Hopefully most of the class has already decided to minimize helping these two with assignments on principle alone. As Randall said, only you can decide what first impression you want to give the rest of the class and this one is pretty terrible.

Bear in mind that the people who placed Noah in the Black Barets almost certainly do not know about his power, so I guess exceptional spirit sight is in fact sufficient qualification.

I do wonder if circumstances will push Noah closer towards Malharts students.

As he is rather nonthreatening on his own. And a Haven survivor who know Malhart is innocent.

Honestly that alone. That he survived haven. Should get him some more respect. But i guess his class mates are morons.

Interesting that these nobles have great pride in their abilities. Doesn't seem like something they were hiding due to shame and fear.

I like how it's a class about subterfuge and secrets and all that and they're just taking what he says at face value and immediately start being reactionary and childish about it lol

In relation to scouting & spying, Noah's Spirit capabilities are actually one of the more useful ones in the room, according to the last few pages.

Nina has object translocation. Good for sneaking notes, not so useful for anything else.

George likely has a recording power.

Hinata's got a future-prediction power.

Cillia has a scouting-eye. Okay, we've seen this one (page 1441), but still.

Friedrich has magically improved vision.

Whispy can make inanimate objects move.

Xinjin can manipulate animals.

Combine that with Friedrich & Cadwell being from rich families, and it's entirely reasonable for someone to have told them they're in a "special" class for "important" magic users, simply because they weren't in the "General Soldier" section.

The weird part is, Noah, and possibly Cillia, are the only ones in the class because they've proven their competence. Everyone else is there based on predicted value.

@Anthony we don't know who exactly chose the seats but even Null would have no clue Noah has a significant power. Surviving Haven wasn't enough since Gaz is a blue hat, but I imagine the fact that Veda *took Noah specifically to the Malhart meeting* and was repeatedly "used" in the incident proper by the Royal Guard and the JSP may have made him relevant enough. A "proven investment", if you will.

Unrelated, I'm still not convinced that Nail and/or Veda aren't involved in this in some way, but I can't tell how. They can't kill Veda and the ship is definitely "not in Justopea". If I had to guess Veda and Malhart are tutors and/or hostages dealing with Chernyl and any other special cases. On the other hand they could just be under lock and key as Chernyl insurance...