Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Learning Magic (3)
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“Shirone, how cold is it right now?”
Shina asked the question, already assuming Shirone would say it was cold.
As expected, Shirone gave her the answer she wanted.
“It’s quite chilly. No, it’s cold.”
In Test Site 3, it was impossible to feel anything more than a cold sensation anyway. Shina nodded in understanding and wrote her overall assessment.
The gist was this: Convergent, defensive, and highly durable. However, despite this, the zone’s size was abnormally large.
Shina wondered if such a case was even possible. In her four years of teaching, she had rarely seen a case where a student’s spirit displayed traits completely opposite to their mental disposition.
But this was the inevitable result of Shirone's focus and selection. Just as he had overcome his lack of knowledge by devouring only history books, he had built this outstanding foundation by repeatedly training his Spirit Zone in an environment where he couldn't learn magic.
“You’ve worked hard. You may leave the Spirit Zone now. We need to hold a meeting to decide your class, so could you please wait outside for a moment?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After exiting the Spirit Zone, Shirone bowed and headed outside where the young children were gathered.
As the door to the test site closed, the instructors began to voice their opinions one after another.
“He’s quite a peculiar student.”
Thadd retorted, as if displeased.
“Rather than peculiar, isn't he just well-balanced?”
Shina said.
“He’s peculiar because he’s *too* well-balanced. An 18-year-old boy who knows no magic has a zone over 30 meters in diameter. And that’s despite having a convergent disposition.”
“The larger the zone, the lower the density. However, this student's density is still 86.7 percent.”
“We do teach students techniques to increase density, but this boy achieved this figure with his own ability alone. 86.7 percent is the level of mental stability you’d find in a high monk training in the mountains.”
As the instructors lavished praise, Thadd’s mood soured further. Magic was the realm of talent, so most mages had strong pride. As such, they sometimes felt jealous even of students.
“He’s still just at a student’s level. We’ll have to watch him more.”
“What do you mean by that? A student’s level? This is a school where students come to learn.”
Thadd’s face reddened at Shina’s cold voice. If she weren’t so beautiful, he would not have tolerated such an insult.
Sensing a potential emotional clash, the other professors fell silent. Thadd of Flame Magic and Shina of Ice Magic were famous rivals at the academy.
Alpheas asked.
“So, where should we place him? Shirone, I mean.”
Shina was the first to offer her opinion.
“Wouldn’t Class Five be appropriate? He has high potential for growth, and because of his unique disposition, I believe he needs focused management.”
Thadd objected.
“But he doesn’t know any magic, right? If we put him in Class Five, he might get arrogant and just cause trouble.”
“Some students might be like you, Instructor Thadd, but not all of them are.”
Thadd shot up, his eyes glaring.
“Instructor Shina! There’s a limit to my patience! Honestly, don’t you just want to manage him yourself? Since you’re the teacher in charge of Class Five!”
“And what if I do? A teacher wants to guide a student. Is there a problem with that?”
“Your greed is excessive. He doesn’t know magic, and his zone transformation is at an impossible level. At best, Class Seven is the right fit.”
Alpheas asked the other instructors for their opinions as well. One suggested it would be better to start him from Class Ten and build him up slowly, while another proposed holding off on placement for now and observing him.
An owl-like instructor offered a compromise.
“I also think Class Seven would be appropriate. Given his age, sending him to a beginner class might dampen his motivation, and Class Seven includes basic lessons on the Spirit Zone, so wouldn't that be fine? If Shirone truly shows his talent, he can always be promoted early.”
Alpheas agreed with him. To make Shirone's half-formed talent whole, it was necessary to solidify his foundation even more.
“Then we’ll assign him accordingly.”
The entrance exams were over.
***
Thanks to being placed in Class Seven, Shirone was able to secure a room in the advanced-class dormitory where students his age resided.
Surprisingly, it was a private room. As it was a school for nobles, it seemed they provided the best possible conveniences.
Shirone’s room was number 707 in the men’s dormitory.
Though a modest room for a noble, it was as large as the living room of the cabin Shirone had lived in. A bookshelf stood against one wall, naturally empty.
The staff member who guided Shirone gave him a brief rundown. Classes ended at 5 PM, after which he was free.
Except for weekends, leaving the campus was forbidden, but the grounds were so vast that most amenities were available within the school.
Students could form research societies in their areas of interest, and if a certain number of members gathered, they would receive funding.
There were four libraries—north, south, east, and west—open 24 hours a day, and as long as the due dates were met, there were few restrictions on the number of books one could borrow.
Shirone was satisfied with everything. It was the optimal environment for studying.
Finally, the staff member informed him of the forbidden acts. The use of magic after hours was strictly prohibited, except in laboratories. In particular, researching heretical magic could result in disciplinary action.
A prime example of heretical magic was the necromancy of necromancers, which also included Anti-magic.
Shirone asked why Anti-magic was forbidden, but the staff member only replied that he didn't know and left.
Shirone lay on his bed, lost in thought. Since he hadn't learned anything yet, there was no need to join a research society for the time being.
‘I should go to the library. I’ve only studied history for two years, so from now on, I need to acquire a broad range of knowledge.’
Shirone was confident. After all, wasn't that why he had suppressed his curiosity to build his intellectual spine? All that was left was to master all the knowledge in the world.
***
Shirone awoke to the sound of a piano. The sound was spread by Ether Resonance, a type of sound magic. It was a pleasant performance, but it couldn't compare to Reina’s skill.
Shirone already missed her. Was Reina doing well? Did Rian wait for his first class with the same trembling heart as he did?
Unlike the dormitories, which were strictly separated by gender, the dining hall was the only place within the dorms where men and women could sit together.
Shirone sat at a corner table and ate alone.
There was a time when he had been teased by the children in the swidden village for his timid nature, but the students here didn't care how others ate their meals.
The exception, however, was matters between men and women. Whenever a pretty or handsome student entered, everyone, without exception, would stare.
Shirone, in particular, was a new face and remarkably good-looking, making him a prime topic of interest among the female students.
Finishing his meal as if fleeing from the girls' whispers, Shirone returned to his room and packed his textbooks according to his schedule.
When he slung the bag over his shoulder, his shoulder ached from the weight of the books. Class Seven was still an advanced class, so there was a tremendous amount to learn.
The classes were difficult. Compared to the nobles who prepared and reviewed thoroughly, Shirone’s knowledge was very limited.
However, thanks to the shallow but vast knowledge he had acquired through his intellectual spine, he was able to follow along to some extent.
If the morning was for theory, the afternoon was for practice. The advanced classes, in particular, had a combined class for Spirit Zone training.
To Shirone, the sight of 280 students gathering in the training grounds and dividing into seniors and juniors was a spectacle.
“Senior, thanks to what you taught me last time, I did well on the test. Thank you.”
“Senior, over here! I saved you a spot!”
Having no acquaintances, Shirone observed how the other students behaved. It wasn't uncommon to see older students bowing to younger ones.
Whether officially or unofficially, one's rank in society was determined by their class, so a strict barrier existed between seniors and juniors based on their skill.
It was, in a sense, a microcosm of magical society.
Of course, yesterday's junior could become today's senior, but no senior would treat a junior poorly out of fear of such a thing.
On the contrary, they proudly displayed their status, as if challenging them to catch up if they could.
The very fact that they could enroll in the magic academy was proof of their talent.
Since it was a stage where such talented individuals gathered to compete, the difficulty of promotion was beyond imagination, and catching up once a gap had formed was like reaching for the stars.
The Spirit Zone instructor was Etella, a certified 6th-class mage. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with brown hair tied back and large glasses, giving her a gentle impression that was hard to associate with a mage.
“Before we begin the class, we have some new students. First, Shirone, please stand up and introduce yourself.”
Countless eyes turned toward Shirone. Among them was Amy.
“Oh my! Isn't that the boy from yesterday? His name is Shirone, I see.”
Amy’s friend, Seriel, exclaimed excitedly. But Amy didn’t respond. She was sure she had seen that face somewhere before, but she just couldn't remember.
“Huh! Senior, do you know him?”
A junior from Class Five interjected.
“He's a new student who just entered, and I heard he was placed in Class Seven right away. The teachers are saying he’s an incredible talent.”
“Really? I like him even more now. I wonder which family he’s from. Do you know his last name?”
“Damn it all!”
Amy suddenly shouted. Seriel stared at her with wide eyes. It was the first time she had ever heard such a vulgar word from Amy’s lips.
“Amy, what’s wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, no. It’s nothing.”
Incredible talent. A young master from some family. These two keywords jogged her memory.
It was the boy she had met in a back alley six years ago.
‘He had talent, that’s true. But he was definitely a commoner. No, among commoners, a lowborn. So how is he here?’
Shirone introduced himself in a calm voice.
“Hello. I am Arian Shirone. I will be joining you in Class Seven. I look forward to working with you all.”
The students welcomed Shirone with applause. The seniors were happy to have a new junior, and the girls were happy to have a handsome new boy.
However, among them were some who looked on with displeasure. It was a justified animosity towards someone who would become their future competitor.
After the new students’ introductions were finished, Etella began the lesson.
“Alright, everyone. What is a Spirit Zone?”
“A mage’s spirit.”
“That’s right. A Spirit Zone is the manifestation of the spirit in a physical form. Its initial form is a sphere. That’s the nature of concentration. However, the basic form alone is inefficient in a real battle.”
Etella stepped into a magical device called an ‘Image Zone.’ A smooth floor, just like the one from the entrance exam, unfolded, covered with countless magic circles forming concentric rings.
When the smooth floor vanished and a dark space appeared, Etella seemed to be floating. In that state, she expanded her Spirit Zone to about 10 meters in diameter, and surprisingly, its form became clearly visible.
‘So this is an Image Zone.’
The Image Zone was a device that couldn't be created without numerous magical engineering feats and an enormous amount of money.
But if one could see the Spirit Zone with their own eyes, the achievement level of the class would increase dramatically. There was a reason why Alpheas Magic Academy was one of the kingdom’s five great institutions.