The Academy's Training Grounds
The Imperial Academy likes students who put in the effort. Obvious, right? Well, not exactly. In a world where the class system still exists in plain sight, plenty of academies favor high-status students over hardworking ones. In truth, more places prioritize things other than effort. The Imperial Academy, which actually values hard work, is the exception. Thanks to that culture, its training grounds are exceptionally well-equipped. Wandering through the array of bizarre training devices, you could almost forget whether this is a medieval fantasy world or some arcane-punk realm. And everything is open to every student. Nobles, commoners, even imperial royalty—everyone has equal rights on the training grounds, no different from some nameless commoner.
That said, it doesn't mean every student can use every facility without restriction. All students are equal, but some are more equal than others... or rather, certain training magic tools are simply too easy to cause accidents with. Exceed the time limit and they go berserk. Drop them and they explode. Use them fine, but skip the priest's healing afterward and your stamina gets sucked dry until you collapse. If you ask why such dangerous tools are left lying around, I'd just ask back—what's the problem at this point? People die in dungeon practicals all the time. Compared to that, tools that are risky but won't actually kill you are practically safe.
Because of this, some of the magic tools and facilities require either a public demonstration of skill or a professor's permission before use. Think of it like the "no massé shots under 300" rule at a billiard hall. What I'd asked Professor Ines for was exactly that kind of access.
"What's this?" Theo asked, staring at the crystal-ball-shaped magic tool placed in front of him. His voice carried a hint of irritation. He'd been pestered by our classmates while I was talking with Professor Ines. For the record, I'd personally cleared up the fiery atmosphere by explaining things. He'd just been late to our morning promise, so I'd teased him a little. We were close, but not that close. Once I explained, most of them accepted it and backed off. A few kept grumbling that "he really did make that morning promise," but that wasn't my problem anymore.
"It's a training magic tool. Professor Ines gave us permission."
"This thing?" Theo's eyes changed the moment I called it a training tool. He turned the crystal ball over in his hands, peering closely at it.
"Yeah. You did strength training this morning, right?"
"I did. Thanks to that, I'm starting to feel the muscle soreness. Hey."
"Stamina and strength training are essential. But you're a mage at heart. In the end, you'll have to beat Faye with magic."
"You're not even listening."
Theo was the protagonist, and we were still early in the game story. If he switched to a warrior build now, he might be able to beat Faye in close combat by second year. But he'd already committed to the mage route—there was no reason to force a change. Focusing on magic was far more efficient.
"Want to try pouring some mana into that crystal ball?"
"...Didn't you say this needs the professor's permission? What if I mess it up?"
"Oh, you're such a worrier. The worst that happens is it explodes and gives you a few burns. Potions can fix that easily enough."
"Really? If that's all..."
Wow. He actually went for it. Medieval fantasy people really are built different. Still, it would hurt until the potion kicked in. I wouldn't have done it. Well, maybe not wouldn't—I'd have agonized over it for a while. Not that I was going to say that out loud after suggesting it.
Theo carefully placed his hand on the crystal ball. His beastman body had almost no talent for magic, so I felt nothing, but he was probably channeling mana into it. A faint light began to glow inside the sphere. The soft, rippling glow grew brighter until it filled the entire crystal—
- Pipipipipiyung!
With a sound like a child's tricycle siren, tiny stars burst out of the crystal ball.
"Whoa!" Theo yanked his hand away in surprise, and the light faded along with the stars.
"Whoa. So that's how it works."
I pulled a sheet of paper from my pocket and read it. It was the instruction manual Professor Ines had given me along with the usage permit.
"A manual? You should've handed that over first."
"I forgot for a second."
Theo studied the manual carefully.
"It's a tool for training mana capacity and control. You push mana along the engraved circuits, and the light grows brighter. The closer your mana path matches the circuit, the more efficient it becomes, so you train by following the path of least resistance while watching direction and power. If you push too much mana, it gives a warning sound and a visible signal, so the goal is to fill the light completely with as little mana as possible without triggering the warning..."
"Uh-huh. I see."
I nodded blankly, as if hypnotized. I hadn't understood a single word. Every individual term made sense, but strung together like that, it was complete gibberish.
"Anyway, it's useful, right? Think it'll help with training?"
"Hmm. It will definitely help, but since it's meant to build the fundamentals of magic, you won't see immediate results."
"Oh. Really?"
"Sorry you went through the trouble of getting permission. Still, fundamentals are important, so..."
"Then let's move on to the next facility. There are still plenty left."
"...What?"
"I don't know anything about magic, so I got permission for all kinds of things. One of them has to be useful, right?"
"Wait, is that okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be? We're not borrowing anything, just using the training grounds."
"Is that how it works...?"
I dragged the bewildered Theo toward the next facility.
......
Fortunately, the third training facility looked like it would actually help Theo. If none of the five tools and facilities I'd gotten permission for had been useful, I'd have had to go back to Professor Ines. Thank goodness. The other facilities weren't completely useless either—just not ideal for raising Faye's favorability right now. Steady use would still pay off later.
And while Theo trained hard, I wasn't just sitting around either.
"Shoulder!" Claire shouted as her club came flying at me. I twisted my upper body aside from the sharper-than-expected strike and kicked at her shin.
"Leg!"
- Thwack!
All I heard was the dull impact of wood on wood. Claire had lowered her shield to block my greave.
"I'm coming in!"
I backed away to avoid being pushed over by her shield rush. What Claire and I were doing wasn't exactly sparring. I announced every attack in advance. There was a word for this kind of training, but I couldn't remember it. Her attacks were slower than usual, too. Rather than trying to win, it was closer to research sparring—figuring out how to respond to an opponent's offense and defense. Compared to normal sparring, where multiple exchanges happened every second, there were no sudden flashes of insight in the heat of the moment. But simply having time to think was a novel experience in itself. Especially since my opponent was Claire.
Fighting her directly made it painfully clear how difficult it was to deal with someone wielding such a massive shield. If this had been real combat, it would've been hopeless. My kicks packed power comparable to a mace, but shields could block even those without much trouble. And unlike a mace, which kept its stance stable even when blocked, a kick left me off-balance the moment it was stopped.
Man, was this character actually garbage? Why did martial artists even exist? The thought crossed my mind despite how well I'd used the skill so far. Still, it wasn't completely hopeless. I threw every tool I had at the problem and kept building experience fighting against Claire.
◆ Mornings were for stamina and strength training. After classes ended, we each trained on our own. That was our recent routine. Of course, we never skipped the Goddess Dungeon either. After finishing the day's schedule came the bath. Soaking my exhausted body in hot water was pure bliss. It made me feel a bit like an old man, but good things were good things. I stayed in until I was practically melting into a rabbit soup, then stood up. Water streamed down the curves of my body.
"Oh. Luna. Where are you going?"
"Time to soap up and wash my hair."
"Already? You're fast."
Theo, who had been enjoying the bath with me, asked in surprise. What was with that reaction now, of all times?
"Women take longer, you know."
We'd bathed together plenty of times already. I didn't get why he was acting like it was the first time. Ignoring the gaze I felt on my back, I headed toward the shower.