episode_0034

“Annoying.”

Celine grumbled like that and glared at Acel.

Not only was she caught reading a book she ‘accidentally’ found, she was even laughed at.

It seemed clear a ridiculous misunderstanding had occurred, so she explained, but received a slick attitude like he was humoring a child. It was absurd that she was giving similar explanations today as yesterday, but nevertheless, Celine tried to correct Acel’s misunderstanding.

So when she persistently followed him, the answer she got was that he understood and they should read the book together. It was a suggestion Acel made to build a friendly relationship with Celine from the Magic Tower, but from Celine’s perspective, not knowing the inside story, she wondered what kind of out-of-the-blue suggestion it was.

However, there was no reason to refuse, so she nodded with a reluctant expression. She was quite interested in a reading club with a mage from the Witch Society.

“So what are you studying? Theories of Mana Studies, Fusion, Dual Attribute, Dual Manifestation… Are you reading all the unusual books?”

Celine tapped Acel’s leg with her toe and asked. Acel opened a new book and replied.

“There’s something I’ve been researching recently. I’m mostly looking for things related to that.”

“Hmm, really?”

In the society of mages, asking what someone else is researching is taboo. So Celine forcibly suppressed her curiosity and opened a book on Pure Magic and began to read. Before long, her mind sank deep into the book. Acel glanced sideways at her, then fixed his gaze on the grimoire.

Time passed like that. More people gradually accumulated in the library, then flowed out like the tide when lunchtime arrived. Due to the noise that occurred during that process, Celine’s concentration, which had been engrossed in the book, was broken. She stretched her stiff body while watching the backs of the students leaving the library.

“Ugh… Hyaa.”

Stretching made her feel a bit more clear-headed. Celine propped her chin on both hands and tapped the toe of Acel’s foot with her shoe.

“Hey, Acel.”

“……”

“Heeey, don’t ignore me. I know you can hear me?”

“What.”

Acel let out a deep sigh and closed the book he was reading. Celine looked at his face and pouted.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat lunch.”

“Go alone. I’m not very hungry.”

“Are you going to be so petty? If you lured me in once, take responsibility until the end. Don’t abandon me.”

“……Is it because you read strange books? Your expressions are very odd.”

“W-what are you talking about?”

Celine unnecessarily blushed and kicked Acel’s leg lightly. Acel gave a small laugh and returned all the books he had brought to their original places. The grimoires flew through the air on their own and departed to find their places.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

Acel asked as he stood up. Celine answered obediently.

“Let’s go to the cafeteria. They say they have pretty much everything there. I went yesterday too.”

“The semester hasn’t even started yet, is it okay to use it?”

“The academy cafeteria opens a week before the semester starts. They say it’s for the students who have moved into the dorms and returning students who are staying,”

Acel nodded. As soon as she received his consent, Celine immediately left the library and began heading towards the dining hall. The reason was that they had to go quickly before all the seats disappeared. However, with her terrible physical abilities, she couldn’t even walk properly for long.

“Heeok… Heeok…”

She hadn’t gone far at all, but Celine was panting roughly. Acel let out an empty laugh and looked down at her.

“Do some exercise.”

“A mage… Hmph… What exercise…? It’s enough to just use my head well.”

“I’m sure it’ll hold you back in real combat.”

“Stop, stop. Stop talking like an old fogey and let’s go quickly.”

“Haa… Stay still.”

Acel muttered that, then placed his hand on Celine’s shoulder as she was wiping the sweat from her forehead. The moment Celine tilted her head at the sudden touch, she felt her body become much lighter than before and her mouth dropped open.

“What? Physical Enhancement Magic?”

“It’s magic with a short duration but the effect is increased accordingly. If you’re going to run, run like that.”

“Oh… You can also handle Pure-type magic? They say it’s difficult to use Pure Magic from the 6th Tier upwards because the nature of mana fundamentally changes.”

Instead of answering, Acel ran slightly ahead of Celine. Celine smiled at how much easier it was to move and ran after him.

But even with the enhancement, because her basic physical ability was ruined, Celine began panting and grabbed Acel’s sleeve shortly after she started running.

“Heeok… Wait for me…”

“……”

Acel looked down at Celine with cool, indifferent eyes. Celine desperately avoided his gaze.

***

Unlike how they hurried, there were a great many seats in the cafeteria. Everywhere was full of empty spots, and among the students who were there, hardly any new students were visible. Only returning students who hadn’t left the dorms or had returned early were sparsely seen.

If I had known this, there would have been no need to run.

Acel thought that and looked at Celine, and Celine cleared her throat and entered the dining hall. He walked behind her.

Ordering in the cafeteria was done by writing the desired food on a piece of paper and handing it to the counter.

Celine ordered a set meal with some bread and soup. Acel pondered for a moment, then ordered a steak and waited.

Before long, the food came out. The two of them brought the food they ordered and sat at a window seat. Just as they were about to eat, someone approached Acel and exclaimed in a cheerful voice.

“Oh, Acel!”

It was a familiar voice. Acel put down the knife he was about to cut the meat with, turned his head, and looked at the owner of the voice. A girl with striking white hair, red eyes, and long, pointed ears was smiling, revealing her pointed fangs. Smiling at the face he hadn’t seen in a long time, Acel called her name.

“Elena.”

“Long time no see!”

Elena smiled brightly and plumped down next to Acel. Acel furrowed his brow at the closer distance than he expected, but she paid no mind and gently leaned her upper body against his shoulder. There was no other meaning behind it; it was just a simple display of friendliness.

“How have you been? I’ve been great! I got assigned to the Wisel dorm, and my body is fine now!”

“……That’s a relief. Could you move away a bit, though,”

“Ah, okay!”

Elena slightly moved her upper body away as he requested. It remained unchanged that she was still close, but Acel was satisfied with this much. While finishing cutting the meat he was working on, he opened his mouth.

“You came to eat lunch, right?”

“Yeah! I came with Ellen!”

“Ellen? Where is she?”

“There!”

Elena pointed towards the food counter. Following her gaze to that spot, Ellen, wearing the academy uniform, came into view. She met his eyes, smiled slightly and waved. Then, before long, she returned with her and Elena’s portions of food.

“Long time no see, Acel. I went to the dorms to find you but couldn’t see you, so I thought you hadn’t moved in yet, but it seems that wasn’t the case.”

“Because I was outside continuously except when sleeping.”

“Is that so?”

She replied like that, then rolled her eyes to look at Celine. Celine, who was dipping bread into her soup without much thought, felt the gaze and met Ellen’s eyes.

Ellen spoke first.

“It’s a face I’ve seen at the entrance exam. Your name is surely…”

“Celine of the Aurora Magic Tower. I have no surname, Lady Hargelin.”

“I see. You can speak comfortably. As fellow new students.”

“Then I will.”

Celine dropped her formal speech without a moment’s hesitation.

A mage-like attitude showing no reverence or loyalty towards nobility. Only a mage confident in their own abilities can act like that. Ellen liked her attitude, gave a small laugh, and placed the food she was holding on the table.

“Then Celine, would you mind if we shared a table?”

“If I can get acquainted with the second-place student of the Knights Faculty, that would be good for me.”

“You’re talking as if it’s already confirmed.”

She muttered, sitting down in the empty seat next to Celine. Celine giggled and glanced sideways at Ellen.

“Who else would be second place besides you? The top student spot will be taken by that Grace, and the only one left is you.”

“Honestly, the entrance exam wasn’t that satisfactory. Strictly speaking, I was just carried on Acel’s back. I didn’t make a significant contribution enough to claim second place.”

“Really? Well, I don’t know the detailed inside story.”

Replied like that, Celine looked at Elena who was munching on bread and propped her chin.

“Then are you going to give up the second place?”

“I said it’s not confirmed yet. Still, if I do rise to second place… I have no intention of giving it up. It’s because I have a greedy personality, you see. Even if it came into my hands by chance, I won’t let it go.”

“Then you’ll have to work hard so you don’t lose your second-place spot in the future.”

“That’s not it. I’ll pass the second place and move up to the top spot.”

Ellen grinned and cut her steak.

“As I said, I tend to be greedy. I can only be satisfied if I get what I’ve set my eyes on, no matter what happens.”

“You have a tiresome personality.”

“I agree. But I don’t dislike it.”

Ellen said that and rolled her eyes towards Celine.

“What about you? Aren’t you aiming for the top spot in the Magic Faculty?”

“Top spot?”

Celine let out an empty laugh as if she’d heard something ridiculous. She pointed decisively at Acel with her chin.

“Top spot against him?”

“……That’s true.”

Recalling the magic Acel had shown during the entrance exam, Ellen nodded. Acel chewed his steak, receiving their strange gazes.

The meal finished quickly.

Acel and Ellen finished eating everything they brought, but Celine and Elena left a little. Celine was usually a light eater, and because the energy she could get from food was less than the energy she could get from drinking blood, there was no need for her to consume a lot of food. It was enough if she could get the minimum nutrients.

After finishing their meal, they took a simple walk around the academy grounds. Then they sat on a suitable bench and caught their breath. As soon as Elena sat down, she took out a blood pack from her pocket and slurped it, swinging her legs back and forth.

“Phew! As expected, blood packs from the Lepid Magic Tower are the most delicious! But they’re not as tasty as Acel’s blood!”

“……The Lepid Magic Tower sells blood packs too? I thought they only dabbled in scrolls and magic tools, but they were crazier about money than I thought.”

Celine shook her head with a disgusted expression. To think they would even draw blood and sell it, beyond just selling magic tools. There was a reason why they were the wealthiest among the magic towers. Doing blood business with vampires was also a story she heard for the first time.

She had no intention of criticizing. The blood and flesh of mages have historically been considered excellent ingredients for elixirs, and there were quite a few practitioners who sold their own blood. The Lepid Magic Tower merely expanded that as part of their business.

“Speaking of which, did you see the academic schedule? There’s a midterm exam right after the semester starts, it seems.”

Ellen said, looking at the three of them, as if it suddenly occurred to her. Celine sighed deeply and nodded.

“Was it about 6 weeks later? It starts quite early. There’s a first assignment before that too.”

“What kind of assignment?”

“I don’t know. I heard it’s given out as a group project.”

Group project.

At that word, Acel’s face twisted fiercely.

It was because memories from his previous life resurfaced. Although he didn’t know exactly what had happened in his previous life, he could definitely tell he had suffered extreme stress from group projects. He let out a deep sigh and leaned his body against the backrest.

“Do you know how the groups are selected?”

“Hearing from a graduated knight, they say it’s decided by drawing lots.”

In the end, it meant leaving it entirely to luck. It felt like he could already see the future, and he tightly closed his eyes. He thought the darkened vision felt like how it was when he solved assignments.

Ellen, looking strangely at Acel who was sitting still with his eyes closed, opened her mouth.

“If any of us end up in the same group, we should strive to get the highest possible grade, and if we end up on different teams…”

She trailed off at the end of her sentence. Naturally, the eyes of the three of them turned towards Acel. Feeling their gaze, Acel opened his closed eyes.

“……Why are you looking like that?”

“……It would be good if you went easy on us. I hope we can be in the same group if possible.”

The two people nodded at Ellen’s words.