Wanna Enroll?
Wanna Enroll?
The words that came from Professor Herlein's mouth were unexpected.
"Academy... enrollment?"
"Looks like you're interested?"
Of course I was. It was the only feasible way to escape slavery.
The Empire's class system had been crumbling for some time. The prolonged war against the magic beasts in the north was the cause.
With the nation's survival at stake, the lives of the emperor and slaves had gradually become equal. Everyone who refused to accept that had died.
At some point, the Empire had begun investing heavily in training Combat Mages. The message was that anyone who could fight the magic beasts would be given preferential treatment, regardless of status or class. It was a choice that fit the spirit of the age.
And Tillet Magic Academy was the finest institution in the Empire for producing Combat Mages.
From the day a student passed the entrance exam, all prior social status was expunged. At the same time, they gained the title of academy student and apprentice mage. This academy was, in practice, a place where everyone was equal — save for the imperial family.
Professor Herlein had also cast off the chains of status that had bound her by graduating from the academy. She was now a countess who served the Imperial Household.
Honestly, it was tempting. There was no way it wouldn't be.
Even without Herlein's suggestion, I would've applied for the exam eventually. I'd just figured the right moment hadn't come yet.
So there was one thing I was curious about.
"Why are you telling me this...?"
When accepting a noble's words, you always had to grasp the ulterior motive. What was Professor Herlein's reason for telling me this, and why now? And why had she come to find me so out of the blue?
Herlein gave an indirect answer.
"Well, you're Kleis's personal assistant, aren't you?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Kleis had a knack for making every graduate student she took on run away within three months. But ever since she brought you back from the slave market, she hasn't taken on a single graduate student, you know? This was the same Kleis who used to whine constantly about having no students to help her."
What was this? That Haspelt had whined?
"So I asked her about it at drinks the other day. And she told me she didn't need any other graduate students anymore. Said bringing in any more would just be a pointless waste of personnel costs."
"She said that over drinks?"
"That's what I'm telling you."
I understood now. Professor Herlein was feeling me out. I maintained the best poker face I could and listened carefully to what she said next.
"If she went that far, it's as good as a compliment. She just can't express it openly. Deep down, she's probably grateful to you."
"...Did that drinking session happen about a year ago, by any chance?"
"Whoa, right! How'd you know?"
Because that was exactly when you first approached me.
I'd thought that meeting felt unnatural somehow. I never imagined there was this kind of backstory.
"Anyway, I've been thinking ever since then. Our Aether is too talented to live her whole life as a slave."
"Ah...."
"I'm not forcing you. But if you're interested, come find me anytime. Actually, ideally within the next month. Applications close in three months!"
Herlein smiled amiably and grasped one of my hands. I felt something soft press between our palms.
"Oh."
"Ta-da! A present from me. You haven't eaten today, right? At least have this to tide you over."
It was chocolate.
A damnably hard thing to get in this world. For a slave, it was practically a luxury item.
If a commoner wanted sugar, they had to eat raw fruit or lick the nectar from pollinated flowers. Sugarcane existed, but the elves monopolized it, making it even harder to obtain than chocolate.
Hm. Refusing once was the polite thing to do, but my stomach was so shrunken at that moment that instinct took over.
That wasn't the only reason I couldn't refuse the chocolate. When a noble made a proposal and then handed over a luxury item, there was usually a metaphor embedded in the gesture. Like a corrupt politician pulling a white envelope from his breast pocket.
Refusing the chocolate meant I wasn't interested in enrolling in the academy. Any noble who liked to speak in roundabout ways, like Herlein, would interpret it that way — even if it wasn't me. Still, I'd grown up walking on eggshells here. There was no way I'd fail to read something this obvious.
I accepted the chocolate. And I made sure not to forget to thank her, of course.
"Well then, I'll be off. Goodbye!"
As I watched Herlein ride away on her golem, the corner of my mouth crept upward.
Yeah.
Three years. It was about time to stretch a little.
**
That was that. For now, I decided to focus on the present.
Enrolling as an undergraduate wasn't something I needed to worry about immediately. How many people had ruined themselves by counting their chickens before they hatched? As the saying went, when preparing for a major undertaking, one had to operate under the assumption of the worst-case scenario.
Tillet Academy, in particular, had a competitive admission rate proportional to its prestige. If I failed to beat out the formidable competition and didn't get in on my first try, who knew what misfortune I might suffer at Professor Haspelt's hands that very day.
Everything had to proceed meticulously, and grandly.
[TIP: You cannot return to your original world until you have mastered every branch of Magic Arts.]
[◆ Progress]
[Fire Magic : 836/1048]
[More....]
I would finish learning Fire Magic soon. Ironically, I had Professor Haspelt to thank for running me ragged under her. It might've been arrogant to think so, but if I kept researching for another year or so, there was a real chance I could reach her level.
"Alright."
I put the book away and climbed the mountain behind the academy to pursue my immediate goal: obtaining Magic Stones.
Tillet Academy's rear mountain.
It was called a rear mountain, but it was quite a distance from the main campus building. Low-Grade Magic Beasts who posed no real threat if left alone inhabited the area.
Not all magic beasts were lethal to humanity. The weak ones were perfect for academy students to practice on. The school seemed to know their utility too, since they managed the population like some kind of wildlife conservation program.
Weak magic beasts weren't just for training. They also contributed greatly to the supply of low-grade Magic Stones.
Found one.
As I reached the mountainside, a single Magnet Turtle appeared. It was a Low-Grade Magic Beast commonly seen around here.
I kept low and moved slowly through the underbrush.
I opened my hip bag and checked the items I'd brought. Two Light Arrow scrolls packed as spares, a few Mana Cigarettes, and one scroll with a somewhat more complicated design.
I pulled out the last one.
[Summoning Scroll: Summons a personal staff.]
People should use tools. Hunting was no exception. How was I supposed to catch something that hard with my bare hands?
I unfurled the scroll and put a Mana Cigarette in my mouth. As the sharp herbal smoke made one circuit through my circulatory system, light flickered across the scroll. The Magic Paper blazed silver.
Soon, a long staff burst through the Magic Paper. It was just under two meters in length.
This wasn't an ordinary wooden staff used by apprentice mages. It was a custom piece, made entirely of steel from end to end.
With the right know-how, I could take down that tin can using just this staff, no magic required. Since casting even a single spell involved a cumbersome process for me, I'd made a habit of hunting those things by developing that kind of know-how instead.
What was the know-how?
What else? Beating the shit out of it.
I gripped the staff with both hands. The end of the staff had four sharp iron prongs, two of which extended outward. The distance between those two prongs could be adjusted freely.
I moved the lower of the two prongs, gauging the target's size. Then I found a suitable length and locked it with a pin.
And from this point on.
Tat-tat-tak!
I waited for my moment, and the instant the Magnet Turtle showed its back, I charged. I brought the staff straight down on its neck.
Thunk! The creature's neck slid between the pincers of the pinned iron staff, set to exactly the right length.
"Kiiiiik!"
The Magnet Turtle screamed. It was a meaningless act of defiance.
Crunch, crack, crrk.
"Kiiiiik...."
As its outer shell peeled away, countless enameled wires were exposed. From inside its snapping neck, several fragments of oiled magnetite broke off.
The Magnet Turtle's Magic Stone.
The ambush was a success. The Magnet Turtle went limp without even managing a counterattack. I confirmed that the thing's power was off, then pocketed the Magic Stone.
I didn't need anything besides the stone. Sure, I could sell the rest at the market, but I had no desire to lug something this heavy all the way down. Someone would find it and dismantle it eventually.
I caught a few more after that. Each one yielded about fifty Magic Stones, so roughly five or six would be enough.
Growl.
As expected, exercise burned through calories mercilessly. Thinking it was about time to eat that chocolate, I rummaged through my pocket.
"Hmm...."
It had been a while since I'd tasted sugar. If I could, I ought to enjoy it to the fullest.
A good theory came to mind just then.
In economics, there is something called the law of diminishing marginal utility. Simply put, it is the law that no matter how good a product is, continued consumption reduces relative satisfaction.
I didn't need to explain it at length. Everyone knew that even when eating a meal, the satisfaction from the first bite differed from the last.
Right. Supposedly savoring the sugar by dividing this much chocolate into portions and nibbling at it was unscientific. That wouldn't satisfy hunger and would only lead to quick disappointment.
Ironically, the way to fully enjoy this chocolate was....
To shove it all in at once when you were hungriest!
What mattered wasn't just the taste. To feel full at the same time, I had to eat other food while the sweetness still lingered.
Was there anything to eat nearby? No. Mother Nature bestowed her grace in every world. If I looked around, I could find a few decently ripe berries.
The calculation was perfect. I rummaged through the nearby bushes and gathered edible greens and berries. Some of the leaves even gave off a refreshing minty scent. Those seemed promising.
Alright. Now I just had to swallow all of it at once. That'd give me something to chew and make me feel full, right?
"Ahh."
.......
...Huh.
Hold on.
Wait a moment.
I was fucked.