episode_0144

What is the most important thing to have a fulfilling semester at the Academy?

Well, opinions may vary from person to person, but in my opinion, the most important thing is definitely course registration.

The Academy is a place where you go to learn something. If you don’t gain knowledge and go back empty-handed, there’s no point in paying expensive tuition fees.

Taking classes that are not necessary for you is also the same. If it’s not knowledge necessary for living… no, necessary for survival, then it’s a waste of time to attend.

From the course registration, which can be considered as the beginning of a semester, it was necessary to carefully select classes.

What I needed was knowledge that I could learn at Luminor Academy, not the graduation certificate from the Academy.

…Well, of course, having a graduation certificate from the Academy wouldn’t hurt to survive in this world.

“Lilith, have you decided on the classes for the second semester?”

“Yes. I’ve almost decided on them.”

“…Could you tell me a little about the classes you’re taking?”

“I’ve applied for two classes to improve my accuracy by controlling the flow of mana. Although my way of handling magic has improved since I entered, I still think I need more.”

“Yes, Lilith’s mana arrows are still a bit unstable.”

“….”

“Well, Lilith can perform triple casting, so it’s okay if it’s a bit unstable, but I think it’s best to stabilize hitting all three arrows rather than one or two.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

I was just quietly agreeing with Edan’s words and thinking, but why is he suddenly watching me with various words?

Anyway, in terms of thinking that my mana arrow accuracy needs to improve, Edan’s opinion was somewhat correct.

“Besides that, I plan to take two mandatory major courses in the Magic Department. Oh, and I also plan to take practical monster hunting training.”

“Practical monster hunting training?”

“Yes. The final exam for the second semester will be monster hunting in the Dark Forest, not a duel between students. I thought it would be good to learn how to deal with monsters in advance.”

Actually, I just wanted to go to the Dark Forest to earn experience points under the pretext of classes.

I don’t know why the clause that first-year students cannot enter the Dark Forest for personal reasons was created. Because of this, even though I finally came to the Academy, I couldn’t level up properly.

From now on, since leveling up was the fastest way to grow, securing experience points was more important than anything else.

“How about you, Master Edan? I think it will be a significant practical experience for you in the hunting competition at the end of the semester.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Yes. Of course, the choice is up to Master Edan, so I won’t force you.”

“…No, it seems like it would be good to apply for it as Lilith suggested. Thank you for your advice, Lilith.”

…Not bad.

As I mentioned before, I was planning to take classes that Edan could attend at the same time. Not because I wanted to be with Edan for some weird reason, but because it was much more convenient for me to do my duties as a full-time maid there.

It was better than going to the Magic Department lecture hall like last time and attracting the attention of other students.

And we could also practice together for the hunting competition at the end of the semester.

“Lilith, I just wanted to ask.”

“Yes?”

“You’re not taking the Magic Swordsmanship class anymore?”

“…If you mean the Magic Swordsmanship class, are you referring to the applied class taught by Master?”

“Yes. Of course, since Lilith uses a dagger, strictly speaking, it’s not a necessary class to take, but just in case.”

“That side was naturally expected to listen, so I didn’t bother to mention it. After all, you took my course registration form before heading to the academy.”

“Oh, you took Lily’s too. I thought my father only took mine.”

Well, I did expect it to be different from Edan. Seeing that he advised me to sign up for the Applied Magic Swordsmanship class, I naturally suggested that Edan, who has a much deeper understanding of swords than me, should also sign up.

Given Harold’s personality, he didn’t bother mentioning that Edan and I would be taking the same class.

For me, it was a comfortable spot to secure in the course registration competition, so it was actually a good situation.

After all, for Lily, magic swordsmanship was the most essential basic knowledge for survival.

“So, this year we’ll be taking two classes together.”

“Yes. It seems that way.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Lily.”

“Yes. I feel the same way, Master Edan.”

…I was momentarily taken aback by Edan’s words expressing anticipation. Perhaps he meant he was looking forward to the new semester. Hopefully, he wasn’t expecting the number of overlapping classes to increase from one to two.

“And for the last class…”

“There’s more?”

“Yes. Since you’re paying a hefty tuition to attend the academy, wouldn’t it be best to take as many classes as possible?”

“…I see. It’s your choice, Lily.”

Although Edan gave me a look of disbelief, my decision wasn’t going to change just because of that.

Still, I had planned to take a maximum of 21 credits out of 22, considering my own condition.

“Communication with Spirits”

Well, I suppose investing in this course for one semester wouldn’t hurt.

It wasn’t a class I particularly enjoyed signing up for, but…

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The reason I chose “Communication with Spirits” as my final course was simple.

Considering the time I would spend with Sally in the future, it seemed a bit challenging to maintain the current level of trust.

Whether it was because of hearing about this creature’s story in Greenstone Village and trying to step back, Sally often displayed a subtly arrogant attitude even while accompanying me.

As a human to a spirit, it was necessary to establish a certain level of communication, if not to educate this creature’s character thoroughly…

Especially when it often woke me up while I was in the middle of sleeping, claiming to be bored.

“Communication with spirits? Instead of taking this class, wouldn’t it be better to sincerely appeal to me with respect every morning? Then maybe I’ll respect you in return?”

“I’ve been bothered by you for a month already, do you think I’ll fall for that nonsense now?”

“Oh, come on~! I was just talking to you because I was bored since you weren’t paying attention to me~!”

“Don’t compare a spirit who stays awake 24 hours to a human who needs 8 hours of sleep a day. If you had just guaranteed my sleep rights, I wouldn’t have wasted time on this class.”

“Hmph! Whether you take this class or not, it won’t make a difference because I’ll prove it to you!”

Go ahead and talk all you want. Whether you make noise or not, I’ll focus diligently on the class.

What I believed in was not the noisy ramblings of this fiery spirit, but the clear rewards I could gain from the class.

By completing it, I could gain a ‘Spirit Affinity +10’ bonus, so ultimately, no matter what attitude this creature showed, I could eventually turn it into a well-behaved listener.

“I wonder how the ‘Spirit Affinity Points’ from the game will apply here…”

Well, I guess I’ll find out once I complete the course.

Thinking about that, as I entered the classroom to attend the first lecture on ‘Communication with Spirits’, I saw a few diligent students who had already taken their seats early to prepare for the class on the first day.

Among them, I could immediately spot a familiar face.

“So Agnes is taking this class too.”

Agnes Elizabeth Blaze.

Not only did she break into the top position of the Magic Department at Luminor Academy, but she also showed an overwhelming gap with the second position, making her the highest output in the Magic Department.

Thinking about the future where she would ascend to the Red Tower, she was undoubtedly the character who would grow the most among the students currently enrolled in the Magic Department.

“It wouldn’t hurt to get closer to her.”

Being in the top ranks of the Magic Department at the same academy, and already being positioned between the top and second place from this semester, thanks to the results of the evaluation battle held at the end of last semester.

Avoiding the crazy girl who hunted down the second place in every evaluation event at the end of the first semester was important in many ways.

Facing her in the final evaluation battle of the next semester was truly a diplomatic move in many ways.

Well, Lily’s appearance itself tended to attract people’s favor, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to get closer to her.

I had once conquered her character in the game, so I roughly knew her preferences and personality.

“Hello, Agnes Elizabeth Blaze.”

“…?”

Agnes, slightly taken aback by my sudden approach and greeting at the empty seat next to her, tilted her head without saying a word.

Considering her personality of not showing much interest if she didn’t find someone intriguing, I thought she might not recognize me, so I planned to introduce myself first.

Surprisingly, Agnes seemed to know about Lily’s existence, contrary to my expectations.

…Judging by what she first said to me, it didn’t seem like she had a particularly good impression of me.

“It’s our first time talking directly, right? My name is Lily Blackwood Rose…”

“…The crazy girl who used Mana Blast in the final evaluation battle.”

…Wait, who’s calling who a crazy girl?