episode_0037

The day after the entrance ceremony ended.

The academy’s new first semester officially began. Acel woke up early in the morning, washed up, changed clothes, and then checked the timetable that Lacy had brought him last night. It was a timetable with combat department and magic engineering department classes evenly distributed. Since he hadn’t applied for elective courses yet, there were quite long breaks in between.

‘With this much time, I could do research in between.’

He didn’t know what would happen when elective course classes were added to the timetable, but for now, he had plenty of free time. While research related to the creation of magic was out, exploring enchantment formulas or dissecting magical tools seemed possible.

Both were nearing completion. The process of enchanting gemstones was already somewhat advanced. Now, all that was left was to start proper crafting and imbue the formulas with magic power. Thanks to it being a much easier task than other research, he was able to finish relatively quickly.

Dissecting the magical tool was the same. However, this wasn’t as easy.

The formula contained within the magical tool was a type of defensive magic that automatically reflected attacks the wearer did not perceive. While it was the form of magic Acel desired, it was difficult to test its effects directly because of that.

The condition of ‘unperceived attack’ was the problem. It wasn’t an attack invisible to the eye. The magical tool automatically detecting and reflecting external attacks that did not enter the sensory range could not be activated by Acel alone, nor even with the help of others.

So, while he had dissected the formula, he hadn’t been able to use the magic. He could change the activation conditions, but then it would deviate from the purpose and be meaningless.

Was it fortunate at least that he had understood all the formulas?

‘I don’t know what the first assignment is, but if possible, I hope the magical tool activates then.’

Acel thought that and stood up from his seat.

The time for classes to begin was slowly approaching. Today was the first day of admission, so there wouldn’t be formal classes, but there was a Magic Engineering Department curriculum briefing. He had to attend before it was too late.

He put on the coat he had taken off and left his dormitory room. Then he walked towards the auditorium where the Magic Engineering Department briefing was being held. Fortunately, it wasn’t very far, so he was able to arrive shortly. He opened the auditorium door and looked around to find a suitably empty seat.

“Oh, Acel!”

Just then, Elena, who was sitting in the back, spotted him and shouted. Acel looked at her, who was smiling brightly, and burst into laughter in return.

“You came early.”

He said as he sat down next to Elena. Elena giggled and nodded her head.

“I had nothing to do, so I just came early. Ellen and Grace left first, and I felt a bit weird being alone.”

“You could have waited for me.”

“I thought about doing that, but I would’ve felt bad waking you up for no reason. So I just came first.”

Elena said, twisting her body cutely. At that sight, Acel wore a gentle smile.

He had thought this during their first meeting too, but she was a truly bright child. A girl full of laughter and who liked people. Just having a conversation felt like it slightly eased his complicated feelings. While being excessively clingy was a drawback, if he thought of it as part of her charm, it didn’t seem so bad.

‘She doesn’t really cling to others, but she does to me and Ellen, specifically.’

He wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was simply because she thought of them as her closest friends. They had taken the entrance exam together, and there was no awkwardness between them anymore. Acel also considered Elena quite a good friend.

It was natural, as there was no reason to dislike or avoid her. He lightly patted Elena’s head and leaned back against the seat. Then Elena also made a playful face and poked Acel’s body in various places with her finger. However, her fingers couldn’t penetrate Acel’s shield and stopped in mid-air.

“Hmph!”

She tried putting force into it, but the shield remained unmoving. Elena’s cheeks puffed up roundly.

“That’s unfair! Undo this!”

“No.”

“Eek…!”

Elena made strange sounds, as if vexed, and kept jabbing her finger towards Acel’s side. Acel left her be and turned his head at a familiar presence approaching nearby.

In his sight, Celine was visible, standing with an indifferent expression.

“Hello.”

“…Why are you sitting in the back? I was in the front, you could’ve come next to me.”

“Didn’t see you. When did you get here?” Celine replied as she sat down next to Acel.

“Quite a while ago. I thought you’d come nearby if you were waiting. But you two are getting all lovey-dovey here. Are you two dating?”

She asked that without any particular emotion. Acel, realizing it was a joke, wore a wry smile, but Elena didn’t. Her face flushed brightly, and she hurriedly dropped the hand that had been poking Acel. It was an unexpectedly strong reaction. Both Celine and Acel’s faces turned towards her simultaneously.

Under their gazes, Elena’s eyes darted around in confusion. While doing so, she parted her lips.

“Th-That sort of thing, I think we should do that after we get to know each other better…”

“…”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I dislike Acel! Bu-But we’re still friends…”

“Still?” Celine put her slip of the tongue into words and grinned.

“Then later?”

“…Stop it!”

Elena couldn’t hold back and let out a scream. Celine chuckled softly and tilted her head left and right.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. It was a joke. But wouldn’t Acel be hurt if you reacted like you disliked it? Right, Acel?”

Celine poked Acel’s side and asked. Acel willingly decided to play along with her.

“It is a little hurtful. Do you dislike me that much? Then I’ll move seats.”

“Ah, no! Don’t go. I don’t dislike you, I mean…”

Elena urgently pressed down on Acel’s thigh and blurted out in a tearful voice. Her eyes became moist, and tears slightly welled up at the corners. Acel, who hadn’t imagined she would cry, had a flustered expression and tried to soothe her.

“Hey, it was a joke, Elena. I didn’t mean anything by it at all. I’m not hurt either.”

“…Kuh-ung, really?”

“Really.”

“…I’ll believe you.”

Elena mumbled that and buried her head in Acel’s shoulder. Seeing that her body wasn’t trembling, it seemed she wasn’t crying. Acel let out a sigh of relief and patted Elena’s shoulder. While doing so, he shot a glare at Celine.

She immediately lowered her gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

“Meanie!”

Elena mumbled in a heavily muffled pronunciation. Celine understood the meaning of what she said and pursed her lips.

‘Bad person?’

“Silence.” Just then, a man came up onto the stage in the auditorium. The chaotic atmosphere instantly settled, and the gazes of the seated students fixed on the man. Acel narrowed his eyes as he watched him.

‘Roughly high-grade 7th Circle.’

He wasn’t at the level of being close to the 8th Circle. But it was clear he was considered strong even among the 7th Circle.

Having the same circle didn’t absolutely mean they were mages of the same level. In the first place, the circles themselves were merely concepts created to more intuitively divide the stages of a mage’s realm. They couldn’t be an absolute indicator. If you looked, there were quite a few cases where a lower-circle mage won against a higher-circle mage in a spar.

‘Though that man couldn’t defeat a great mage.’

Still, it was clear he had reached a similar level. If a great mage were to be careless, taking their life wouldn’t be entirely impossible.

‘The magic he has learned is… wind elemental, perhaps.’

The mana flow of wind mages has the characteristic of being faster and sharper than others. That man was like that.

It was also Acel’s first time seeing a high-level wind mage. He gazed at the mana floating around the man with interest.

“Pleased to meet you. I am the professor in charge of wind magic and professor of magical combat studies, Florence Killian. I am also affiliated with the Airos Magic Tower.”

“…Airos Magic Tower?”

“That’s the Magic Tower that handles wind magic, right? They say they tolerate their affiliated mages’ wandering, so is that why he’s also serving as a professor?”

Students whispered amongst themselves. But when Florence opened his mouth again, it became quiet as if by magic. There was that much power in a high-level mage’s words.

“Among the freshmen here, there are certainly those who are affiliated with somewhere. Or they might be children of noble families. However, at the academy, all of your statuses are the same: students. Be aware that any act of trying to dominate others through affiliation or status, once discovered, will immediately lead to suspension or expulsion. There will be no leniency.”

“…”

“Then, let’s finish the warning here. Let’s start the briefing immediately.”

Florence said that and then asked a question to the student sitting in the very front row.

“You. What do you think magic is?”

The student replied without hesitation in a confident voice.

“Magic is a miracle that can directly cause the various mysteries existing in the world, and it is a field of study that explores the secrets of the world.”

It was truly a model answer. If you read books about magic, almost all of them would explain magic like that. But Florence’s expression wasn’t very good.

“Incorrect.”

“…Excuse me? What do you mean…”

“I said it’s incorrect. If, as you say, magic is a field of study, then why are you in the Combat Department? Shouldn’t you just sit like a bookworm and study endlessly?”

The student was speechless. Florence paid no mind to him and spoke, looking at everyone in the auditorium.

“As that fellow said, magic is a miracle. But it is not a field of study. It is a marvel of killing devised to protect oneself and kill others on the battlefield. That is how the first magic was born. It is a power created by observing and stealing the power of demons, and then using it in reverse to kill them.”

“…”

“That is why we classify magic under the Combat Department. We will not conduct foolish education like learning magic by just sitting and reading books. We will teach you to use magic directly through sparring, gain experience, and become capable of holding your own even if thrown onto a battlefield. Those who don’t like that should submit their withdrawal notice within a week.”

Florence stared directly at the students who were frowning.

“Let me give you my personal opinion. I despise those who strut around calling themselves mages just because they can handle a bit of mana. I also despise those who can use magic but tremble with fear when they enter real combat. And I have no intention of letting the things I despise ‘graduate.’ I don’t know about the other professors, but at least I think that way.”

“…”

“If you’ve been admitted to the academy, it means you’ve basically reached the 4th Circle. However, it takes an average of 6 years to rise from the 4th Circle to the 5th Circle. It takes 8 years from the 5th to the 6th Circle, and 15 years to the 7th Circle. I plan to thoroughly shorten this period through classes. My goal is to produce strong mages by doing so. The Headmaster also viewed my goal favorably and personally gave us the first assignment.”

First assignment. At those words, Acel’s face furrowed. He hadn’t imagined that word would pop up on the very first day of admission.

“The first assignment will start immediately in two days and will last for a total of two weeks. It will be a group assignment and you will carry it out together with students from non-combat departments.”

“Excuse me, together?”

A student sitting in the front row questioned. Florence nodded his head.

“The participating students are from the Magic Engineering Department and the Alchemy Department. These two. Each group will consist of a total of 4 members, and the affiliation of the members is all random except for 1 non-combat department student. In simple terms, it means everyone else besides you could be from a non-combat department.”

“Isn’t that too unreasonable?”

“Why is it unreasonable? I haven’t said a single word about the assignment being combat.”

The student’s mouth closed. Florence pushed up his glasses with his index finger and continued speaking.

“Group members will be randomly selected. The group will be decided according to the number you draw from a piece of paper, and if there is a golden circle on the paper you draw, it means you are the group leader, so be aware.”

“…”

“Now, I will explain the assignment. The assignment begins with solving requests that have been screened by external guilds, deemed safe, and decided by the academy to be handled. These requests are distributed very diversely, ranging from simple herb gathering to monster hunting and investigating strange phenomena.”

“…”

“You will choose and solve such requests, and the assignment ends with fabricating items related to the non-combat department student’s major using the money, items, etc. obtained as rewards. If there is an Alchemy Department student in your group, you should make potions, and if there is a Magic Engineering Department student, it means you should make magic engineering devices.”

The students’ faces changed subtly. But Florence paid no mind and had an assistant professor bring a box for group member drawing.

“Scoring will be based primarily on the completeness of the fabricated items. Since this is an assignment that will be reflected in your first semester grades, I hope you don’t do it carelessly. And purchasing items for the assignment is only possible with the money received from completing requests.”

“…”

“The only things you can purchase with personal funds are items needed to solve the requests. I plan to request the submission of receipts later, so be sure to record the purchased items and the amount spent every time you buy something. If it is discovered that you purchased tools necessary for item fabrication with personal funds, you will be immediately disqualified. Are there any questions up to this point?”

“…Is this really an assignment given by the Headmaster? It seems like it’s rigged.”

“Silence. To call that a question.”

After shouting at the student who asked the question, and when no further questions were raised, Florence called out the students’ names and had them draw papers from the box. Acel quietly waited for his turn, crossing his arms. When he turned his gaze, Elena and Celine, who were rubbing their hands together, caught his eye.

“Please, please let me be in the same group as Acel…”

“Please, please let my request not overlap with this crazy guy…”

There’s no sane person here.

Acel thought that and chuckled softly. Shortly after, Elena’s name was called. With a determined expression, she took a paper from the box and checked the number.

[13●]

It meant group 13 leader. She nodded her head with satisfaction and returned to her seat. And immediately began rubbing her hands together again.

“Please, please let Acel come to group 13…!”

Acel burst into laughter at her earnestness. Just then, Florence called his name. Acel patted Elena’s shoulder and then stood up from his seat.

“Draw.”

As he approached Florence, the latter held out the box and said. Acel took a paper from the box without hesitation and checked it.

[2]

It was group 2. He immediately showed the confirmed paper to Elena. Elena’s eyes widened and her lips drooped at the number that was different even in terms of digits from her own. Celine, who came after Acel having drawn her group, also wore a similar expression.

“Which group are you?”

“…Group 11.”

“That’s far.”

When Acel chuckled and said that, Celine gently tapped his back with a fist like a cotton swab. Florence watched them for a moment, then caused a ripple of mana to silence everyone and spoke.

“Then, I will conclude the briefing. There are no more classes today, so act as you see fit, and attend tomorrow’s regular classes as usual. After that, for the two weeks starting from the assignment’s start date, all schedules will be focused on solving the assignment instead of academy classes, so you only need to pay attention to that. That is all.”

As soon as Florence finished speaking, he vanished instantly as if riding the wind. With him gone, a noisy atmosphere formed in the auditorium. Acel looked at the students who began complaining loudly as soon as the professor disappeared, and then looked down at the paper in his hand.

A black arrow had appeared on the paper that had nothing written on it except for the number. Seeing that Elena, who drew the group leader, didn’t have it, it seemed to be an arrow indicating the location of the group leader. It seemed that the group drawing had finished in other departments as well.

Acel gazed at the place the arrow was pointing to and thought quietly.

‘Should I go and see their face?’