Chapter 231
Chapter 231
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 231
Chapter Title: Where's Shirone? (6)
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“Where's Shirone?”
“How should I know? Isn't he in the cafeteria?”
“I'm asking because he's not.”
Canis had a hunch. He must have gone to Alpheas to report on what happened in Heaven.
He wouldn't mind telling them if it meant getting rid of these annoying guys, but he wasn't in the mood.
“What are you going to do when you find him?”
“Crush him, of course. You said Shirone was the best, so if I beat him, you'll have to fall in line under me.”
“Hahahaha!”
Canis burst out laughing in disbelief. At that, Closer glared and stepped forward.
“You find this funny? Do you have any idea who we are?”
“And do you have any idea who Shirone is?”
Dante spoke.
“I know. He's the one who reached the state of Immortal Function. But so what? It's a mistake to think mages are just ascetics seeking enlightenment. Magic is, without a doubt, a killing art.”
Canis had no argument with that. After hanging around the sage-like Shirone, it was refreshing to hear something so on point.
But if Shirone were truly just a soft-hearted pushover, Canis would have crushed him long ago.
Shirone was different. That was the key.
“I'm saying this because I'm genuinely concerned—you'd be better off leaving him alone. Looking at you reminds me of my old self.”
“Hahaha! So what, you're saying I'll lose just because you did? I see now, you're just a loser.”
Canis was unfazed. His life hadn't been beautiful enough for him to waste emotions on cheap provocations.
“Winning and losing isn't what's important. You… how far have you fallen?”
“I don't know what you're talking about, but I've never fallen. Unlike you.”
“Then go ahead and try. You'll get to feel what it's like to be crushed to the very bottom of an abyss you can't even imagine. Hehehe.”
Dante's face flushed red. Even in the capital, Bashuka, no one had ever ignored him like this. It wasn't because this place was impressive, but because its people were ignorant. He shouldn't have bothered with these country bumpkins from the start.
“Interesting. I'll break him. And when I do, you'll have to kneel before me too.”
As Dante led his group away, Canis lost his appetite. He wondered why there were so many self-absorbed nobles.
Arin said while chewing her food.
“That's surprising, Canis. You meekly admitted Shirone is the best.”
“I can't stand troublesome things. And I don't want to attract attention in a place like this.”
“True. I'm sure Shirone can handle himself.”
Canis pouted. He might not care, but he thought Arin, as a member of their group from Heaven, would at least be a little worried.
“I guess so… but that sounds a bit irresponsible, don't you think?”
“Mmm, no. It's because I really think Shirone will be fine.”
Arin, sucking on her fingers, eyed the rice ball left in Canis's hand.
“Are you done with that?”
“No, this is…”
Canis defensively pulled the rice ball closer. This was why he should have eaten it quickly. Because he got into a pointless argument, he was about to lose his meal.
“Uh, yeah, I'm done. You can have it.”
“Hehe, thanks.”
Her hunger seemingly sated, Arin regained her composure and asked.
“Come to think of it, Shirone has a lot of enemies.”
“But he has just as many allies. He won't be lonely.”
Canis looked up at the bright sky. At this very moment, Harvest was analyzing the Book of Light and Darkness brought from Heaven.
Having inherited Arcane's legacy, there was no need to rush. Maybe a little leisure like this was okay once in a while. After all, he'd been running nonstop until now.
“Slowly, we can do it slowly.”
“Yeah, let's.”
Canis smiled and turned to Arin. Then, shaking his head as if she were hopeless, he patted her on the back.
“Eat a little slower.”
4. Combat Simulation (1)
After lunch, it was time for the advanced class's integrated session. As usual, the instructor was Etella, and the class was held in the training ground with the Image Zone.
About ten minutes later, Shirone came running, out of breath.
Perhaps because he'd gotten used to moving via teleportation during the break, he hadn't realized running would be this hard.
“Ah, Ms. Etella. I'm sorry. I tried to make it on time.”
“It's all right. I heard from Nade. Go on in and get ready for class.”
Dante and his group, realizing it had been impossible to meet Shirone during lunch from the start, wore sour expressions.
Why didn't he just say so? What was the point of sending them on a wild goose chase?
“Alright, everyone. It's good to see you all. I see some new faces this semester. Dante, Closer, Sabina, welcome to Alpheas Magic Academy. Let's all give them a round of applause.”
Dante's lips curled in disbelief. He had high expectations for this class, taught by the renowned Romy Etella of the Royal Magic Academy, but her appearance was not what he'd expected.
She had a meek face, wore large glasses, and her hair was tied back carelessly. He'd heard she was a monk, so he could understand that much, but her teaching style reminded him of the nanny who had taught him when he was seven.
What was even more baffling was that the other students were clapping seriously at such a childish instruction.
“Now, let's begin class. The lower-level class will focus on practicing Directional Conversion and Sequence Formulas. The upper-level class will proceed in the order of Mental Pulse, Targeting, and Sequence Formula.”
Sabina whispered to Closer.
“It seems the senior class and the advanced class have completely different lessons here.”
“Yeah. I was looking forward to the practical session, but this is just as boring.”
The only thing Sabina had looked forward to when transferring was the class taught by Etella, who held the title of 'Triple'.
The title 'Triple' was given to those who achieved Grade 6 or higher in three different fields. Etella was a rising star in the world of education, having achieved Grade 6 in magic, martial arts, and spiritualism (Spirit Zone).
But now that she was actually in the class, not only was the instructor's speech childish, but the curriculum was also nothing but mind-numbingly boring basic training.
Sabina raised her hand and asked.
“Ma'am, don't we do any other training? I'd like to learn Sniper Mode.”
“That's a subject for a major-specific course, so it's not taught in the advanced class.”
“But you're more than capable of teaching it, Ms. Etella. To be honest, I transferred here just for this class.”
“The advanced class is a process for finding your own aptitude. Even Sniper Mode is ultimately a variation of Directional Conversion. It's never too late to learn applied skills after you've thoroughly mastered the basics.”
“Hmm, then could you maybe teach me privately? If I could say I learned from Ms. Etella, I could brag to my friends.”
It seemed that for students from the capital region, who one's teacher was served as a major point of pride.
If that was the culture in Bashuka, it wasn't her place to interfere, but in any case, the rules of Alpheas Magic Academy forbade her from teaching anything outside her assigned curriculum.
“I'd like to, but there's the issue of fairness. If you really want to learn Sniper Mode, you should improve your skills as quickly as possible and get into the senior class.”
A clear voice came from the entrance of the training ground.
“That's not necessarily true. Sticking too rigidly to the textbook can also hinder development.”
Olivia walked in. Behind her, all the advanced class instructors followed like attendants.
Thadd and Shina, who along with Etella were known as the three pillars of Alpheas Magic Academy, were also there.
The two of them met Etella's gaze and shrugged as if to say, *'Can you believe this?'* It was an action only possible because they were out of Olivia's line of sight.
“Good day, Headmistress.”
Etella bowed with the courtesy of a monk. Olivia returned the greeting with a nod and turned to the students.
“I was watching from the entrance and saw a student who wishes to learn an applied skill. If a student has a passion for learning, shouldn't a teacher be able to accommodate that?”
“But according to the school rules…”
“Ah, I'm aware of that. But rules are meant to change with the times. To have a Joner renowned throughout the kingdom as a teacher and have her teach nothing but the basics… I find that rather inefficient as well.”
It was precisely because Etella was such a great Joner that Alpheas had specifically asked her to teach the basics to the advanced class.
But Olivia had different ideas. Basics were important, but realistically, to elevate the school's standing, they needed visible results.
“These children each have their own unique qualities. Trying to unify them under the label of a 'class' is a futile effort from the start. If we see potential for growth, we must actively support it.”
Thadd and Shina, who never shied away from a debate, kept their mouths firmly shut.
Such was the station of a Grade 2 Archmage.
The criteria for classifying mages were standardized worldwide. It was called the 'Line', a massive personnel network system that managed all mages.
There were three Lines in the world, and the channel with the widest bandwidth among them was the Red Line, managed by the Magic Association.
All mages, classified as official or unofficial and receiving titles from Grade 1 to Grade 10, belonged to the Red Line.
The instructors, being part of the Red Line system, knew just how impossibly difficult it was to reach Olivia's position.
There were usually fewer than five Official Grade 1 mages in a kingdom, so even a Grade 2 mage was considered to be at the pinnacle of the Red Line.
Therefore, no matter how eccentric one's philosophy, if they had reached Official Grade 2, there was no room for rebuttal.
Etella spoke. As a Joner, she was on the Red Line, but as a monk, she was also separate from the mage personnel network, giving her more freedom to speak than the other instructors.
“The students in the advanced class still lack a deep understanding of magic. I believe it is important for them to find their own individuality—not one that is merely different from others, but one that others cannot imitate. That is why I place such emphasis on the fundamentals.”
The other instructors' faces went pale. Thadd and Shina, on the other hand, secretly gave her a thumbs-up. She might look meek, but Etella had a core of steel.
“Is that what you think? Very well. In that case, how about we verify just how faithful Ms. Etella's students are to the basics with a Lifting Evaluation?”
Etella had heard of the Lifting Evaluation at academic conferences. It was said to be more objective than other evaluation methods and was an effective test for gauging the overall level of one's Spirit Zone.
Shirone and the others felt their hearts pound at the battle of wills between the instructors.
“Whew, Ms. Etella is something else, but the Headmistress is no joke either.”
“Yeah. What if something really happens because of this?”
“No way. Even Ms. Shina can't get a word in.”
Etella nodded confidently.
“Very well. It's not something to boast about, but I am proud to say that the fundamentals of the students I've taught are second to none, comparable to any other academy.”
“Then let's begin. Are there any students who have done Spirit Zone Lifting training in Class Four?”
Only Dante and his group raised their hands. Alpheas had rejected it, citing a lack of proven effectiveness, but the Royal Magic Academy had officially adopted it as a subject a year ago.
“Good. I'm sure everyone is curious about the transfer student's skills, so would Dante please come up and give a demonstration?”
“Yes. The honor is mine, Headmistress.”
As Dante walked to the Image Zone, Olivia instructed an instructor to set the target's sensitivity to maximum.
Etella explained the lifting test to the students.
“The lifting test is an exercise designed to evaluate the overall function of your Spirit Zone. The goal is to hold a highly repulsive target within your Spirit Zone. The target will ricochet in unpredictable directions depending on the density, specific gravity, and shape of your Spirit Zone, so the longer you can maintain it, the more outstanding your Spirit Zone's function is considered to be.”
Dante took his position in the center of the Image Zone. With a snap of his fingers, a spherical target materialized above the crown of his head.