Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: A Thorn in the Side (2)
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Etella toyed with her lip, lost in thought.
“In that case, would you like to demonstrate in the Image Zone?”
“What? Right now?”
“Why? Are you not feeling well?”
“No, it’s not that, but…”
Etella blinked, puzzled. The enthusiastic student who had wanted to use the Image Zone on the very first day had been noticeably passive in class lately.
‘I wonder what’s going on. He doesn’t look happy. The other kids seem to be keeping him in check, could that be it? He’s more sensitive than I thought.’
Etella patted his shoulder and said.
“If you’re not feeling well, you can do it next time. I just wanted to see it since you’re the only one in Class Seven who can perform the Four-Way Transformation.”
“No, I’ll do it. Please evaluate me.”
Shirone changed his mind. He wasn’t about to throw away an opportunity to be coached by Etella just because his classmates might criticize him.
The moment Shirone entered the Image Zone, a barrage of insults flew his way.
“Oh? Look at him, he’s going to do it again? He’s just dying to stand out.”
“He probably wants to look good for his girlfriend. I mean, that’s the only thing the bastard is good at. Can’t even use a lick of magic.”
In contrast, the upperclassmen stopped their practice and turned their eyes toward him. A month had passed since he had mastered the Defensive Form of the Four-Way Transformation, and they were curious to see how much he had grown.
“Ma’am, I’m starting.”
“Alright. Let’s go one by one.”
Shirone demonstrated his specialty, the Defensive Form. A massive cube materialized with a solid, sturdy presence.
The upperclassmen let out sounds of admiration.
“Just looking at his Defensive Form, he’s at an upper-class level. That’s practically armor.”
Meanwhile, the students of Class Seven glared at Shirone as if he were a public enemy. The only reason they couldn’t grumble was that his skill was genuinely impressive.
Shirone then deployed the Four-Way Transformation into its Offensive Form. The zone’s size shrank, but in its place, countless menacing spikes jutted out.
Next was the Target Form. The length of the cross was considerable, but its rotational power was too weak to be used in actual combat. Nevertheless, it was more than enough to be described as progressing by leaps and bounds.
Etella smiled with satisfaction. At this rate, he was skilled enough to be promoted to Class Six ahead of schedule.
Shirone didn’t stop there and attempted the Separation Form. To get advice from Etella, it was also important to fail.
As expected, he hit a wall. Sometimes the shape of the Spirit Zone would warp, or even if he managed to shift its center, the zone would burst just before separating.
Etella’s eyes gleamed with surprise. She hadn’t expected him to get this far, given the form’s opposing nature, but he was getting surprisingly close.
On the other hand, the Class Seven students, who hadn’t even considered attempting the Separation Form, each breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hahaha, what’s he doing? You call that a Four-Way Transformation? That’s just child’s play.”
“So much for being a genius. He’s nothing special. He should at least be good at one thing. How’s he going to become a mage like that?”
Shirone was offended. Not a single person in Class Seven could perform the Separation Form. He couldn’t understand the mindset of holding others to a standard they themselves couldn't meet.
As he lost his composure, his Spirit Zone wavered. The more it did, the more his classmates doubled down, relentlessly badmouthing him to drag him down.
Amy, who was watching the demonstration, frowned. She had been satisfied up until the Four-Way Transformation, but now his zone was suddenly shaking.
“What’s wrong with him? What is he doing?”
“The Separation Form is difficult to begin with. He might be paying too much attention to the other kids’ reactions.”
“No way. He’s not the type to be shaken by something like that. Are you sure nothing’s been going on with him lately?”
“My, my, so protective. Then again, he is your man, so I guess it’s only natural.”
Amy silenced Seriel with her Red Eyes and fell into thought. Something was definitely strange. Where was the durability that had overcome Anti-Magic? His Spirit Zone was staggering like a drunkard.
‘Is there really something going on that I don’t know about?’
Shirone tried his best to suppress his emotions. But once born, anger was not easily controlled, as it fed on itself and grew.
‘Why do they hate me so much? What did I do wrong? I just want to learn and get better. What’s so wrong with wanting to be a mage?’
His Spirit Zone began to fluctuate as if it would burst at any moment.
“Hey, you’re thinking too much.”
Shirone was jolted from his thoughts. Someone from the Class Five section had spoken.
“If you want to do something, just do it. You came here to learn magic, didn’t you?”
Shirone was finally able to look at his own state with a clear head. Once he came to his senses, he felt keenly how foolish his thoughts had been.
‘What was I doing?’
Wiping away his distracting thoughts, Shirone attempted the Separation Form. It was fine if he failed, and even better if he succeeded. The important thing was to take another step forward through the process.
The 40-meter diameter zone slowly began to move off-center. As the center moved further away, the diameter decreased exponentially.
Which would come first, separation or dissipation?
All the advanced course students stared intently at the sight.
By the time the zone’s size had shrunk to a two-meter diameter, the surface of the Spirit Zone had completely detached from Shirone’s body.
The shock felt by the Class Seven students was indescribable. It was only natural for their minds to go blank, seeing him succeed at a technique that even their advanced course seniors found difficult.
The Spirit Zone began to circle rapidly around Shirone. New information flooded in every moment. His head felt like it would explode from the sheer volume of data. His eyes shot open, and the Spirit Zone popped and vanished without a trace.
“Hah, hah.”
He was out of breath, despite having done nothing physical.
“He did it. He actually… succeeded with the Separation Form.”
A stir went through the upper-level classes.
This was an achievement that couldn’t be compared to succeeding with the Defensive Form. Not a single person in Class Seven, or even Class Six, had succeeded with the Separation Form.
Seriel shook Amy’s arm, making a fuss.
“Amy, Shirone did it! He actually did it!”
Amy was smiling too. Whatever her feelings, his was a talent worthy of respect as a comrade striving for the same dream.
‘His growth rate is incredible. No, it’s just too fast. To succeed with the Separation Form in just a month, he must be…’
A talent that rivals my own. Or perhaps even greater.
Amy felt a little chagrined. Shirone must have trained his mind every single day without fail. But what about her? She had been running around the back alleys, causing trouble like a delinquent.
‘Why… did I waste so much precious time so meaninglessly?’
Having succeeded with the Separation Form, Shirone scanned the Class Five section, looking for the one who had given him advice. But since he’d never had a chance to speak with the seniors, he couldn’t tell who it was by voice alone.
‘I wanted to thank them…’
Etella watched Shirone receiving applause and was lost in thought. Shirone’s growth was stimulating everyone. An idea came to her, a way to further uplift the class atmosphere.
“Hmm, you’ve arrived earlier than I thought.”
* * *
Lately, Shirone had a secret concern. It was the fact that he didn’t know how to use a single magic spell.
The knowledge required for magic was not something students in the lower-level classes could easily acquire. That was why the academy’s official magic practicals didn’t begin until Class Five.
But the reality was different. Nobles received education from birth, so even students in the lower classes could use at least one spell. In contrast, the only time Shirone had studied was for a year and a half at the Ogent family’s estate.
Herein lay Shirone’s dilemma. If he focused on a single field of study, he might be able to use simple magic. But if he followed the same path as everyone else, he could never surpass the students who had been educated since childhood.
The strategy that emerged from this was to study not just one field, but all other disciplines that branched off from it, all at once.
As a result, the number of books he had to borrow increased, and these days he practically lived in the library.
The other students mocked him for it. They thought it was foolish to study in such a haphazard way when he couldn’t even keep up with his current classes.
But Shirone did not change his mind. Since he had the spine of knowledge, he could arrange any discipline in chronological order. This meant the probability of forgetting what he learned was significantly reduced.
‘The immediate results may be minimal. But at least two years. If I can study like this for two years, the core knowledge of each field will all connect.’
This would become the skeleton of knowledge. An entire encyclopedia, from which any information could be accessed, would be stored in his head.
Shirone renewed his determination and dove back into his books. By the time he looked up, it was well past midnight. The only person left in the reading room was a girl from Class Six.
As Shirone packed his bag and gave a slight bow, she returned it with a shy smile.
It was 2 a.m. when he left the library.
Even if he went back now, he would only get about four hours of sleep. But the thought that he was behind in his studies compared to the children of noble families made even sleeping feel like a waste of time.
At times like these, Shirone would recall a book he had once read, ‘Dialogues of Great Scholars.’
Among them, the interview with a biologist named Torquecollin was particularly impressive. He argued that people must get at least six hours of sleep, but at the end of the interview, he made this joke.
“Of course, I only slept four hours a night when I was a student.”
The author of the book asked.
“Then aren’t your research findings wrong? After all, you became an outstanding scholar on only four hours of sleep.”
Torquecollin’s reply was this.
“Haha! Teenagers aren’t human. They’re superhumans. It probably wouldn’t make any difference whether they slept or not.”
For Shirone, who was pressed for time, these words were a great source of courage.
‘That’s right! Let’s work hard. If I do my best, the results will follow.’
A light was on in the graduating class building. The window flickered, suggesting a late-night magic experiment. What new magic was being created in there?
Shirone’s gaze was already fixed on the graduating class.
* * *
As lunchtime was ending, Etella came to see Shina. They were both 26 and had worked together for four years, but they still spoke to each other formally.
“Ms. Shina, could you spare a moment?”
“Yes. But I have a Class Seven lesson scheduled, so I don’t think we can talk for long.”
Shina gave her a heads-up in advance, as their discussions about magic often went on for well over an hour.
“Ah, I see. I have something to discuss with you regarding Shirone.”
At the mention of Shirone, Shina’s interest was piqued. She had heard that while he was struggling in the theory classes she taught, he was excelling in Etella’s practicals.
“How is he doing these days? Looking at his practical scores, they’re quite high.”
“They certainly are. He even succeeded with the Separation Form of the Four-Way Transformation last time.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Shina smiled, pleased. As Shirone’s homeroom teacher, it was a pleasant thing to hear him praised by another teacher.
“That’s why I’d like to make a proposal to you, Ms. Shina.”
“A proposal?”
It was quite rare for Etella to make a suggestion to another teacher about a student. Believing it must be something unconventional, Shina blinked in curiosity.
* * *
The blackboard in the Class Seven classroom was densely covered with chemical theories. The students taking notes moved their eyes and hands busily. They felt that the class was moving faster than usual today. As expected, Shina finished the lesson about 10 minutes early and stepped down from the podium.
“That’s all for today. However, I have an announcement to make.”
The students were in a generous mood. As long as class ended early, they were willing to listen to her spout nonsense.
“An early promotion has been decided. Arian Shirone, please stand up.”
Shirone was startled by the sudden news of an early promotion. In contrast, his classmates wore expressions of displeasure. Early promotions weren't extremely rare, but the problem was that the person in question was Shirone.
“Student Shirone will be promoted to Class Five. Starting tomorrow, you will attend classes according to their schedule. I hope the rest of you will also strive to earn such an opportunity. That is all.”