Episode 109. First Class (1)
Monday dawned as the first day of magic class dawned.
As the sunlight poured through the window, the new students in Rhapsody Hall rustled up. Perhaps because they were nervous, their expressions were not bright.
Pipipiping.
Classes were supposed to start at 9, but the Keybugs were already two hours ahead of schedule. They kept pointing in one direction as if to tell us to hurry.
Oscar’s voice came from the ceiling.
“Are these guys always this impatient?”
“I guess it’s because I have to see my homeroom professor.”
“Oh, my homeroom professor. Honestly, I don’t care if it’s not Professor Solana.”
It wasn’t just Oscar’s wish. Most of the students thought the same thing. As long as it wasn’t Professor Solana, who was strict and hysterical.
The position of homeroom professor was a position that professors had to put their pride on the line.
The four classes regularly compete against each other, and that was the class that Professor Solana was obsessed with. That was why Professor Solana volunteered to be the homeroom teacher every year.
“If you’re assigned to Class B, they train you to the point where you’d be on par with any knight squad. And that’s only in attack magic.”
“Really? But Oscar, it seems like everyone is leaving in a hurry. Should we go too?”
There wasn’t much time to spare. At Rubin’s words, Oscar started to get dressed in a hurry.
Finally, the magic student put on his robe.
“I’ll follow you right away, wait for me down below!”
As I came out of the building, I saw students walking busily. The older students who had classes late in the morning would be moving leisurely, so I could assume that all of these students were freshmen this year.
Pipipiping.
The keybugs were guiding each freshman to the westernmost part of the school district.
“I think this is the Canon Hall.”
There were four lecture towers in total in the magic school. Their names were ‘Canon Hall’, ‘Harmony Hall’, ‘Nocturne Hall’, and ‘Symphony Hall’.
Each grade had its own magic tower, and among them, Canon Hall was the exclusive magic tower for freshmen.
“Why did you use musical words in the name of the rooftop? The dormitory buildings too.”
“You’ll find out if you take a history class. Isn’t it the founder’s taste?”
“Is that so? Oh, I guess it’s going to be split in half from here.”
On the first floor of the Canon Hall, there were four staircases leading to each class. Students who had been walking in the same direction until now were crossing paths.
In the middle of it all, Oscar muttered.
“We’re probably in different classes?”
“Why?”
“Just. It kind of feels like that.”
Rubin simply shrugged. Oscar waited anxiously for the two keybugs to go, but Rubin was somewhat certain of the results of the class assignments.
The basis was the class allocation that was publicly discussed some time ago.
“From this moment on, the distinction between noble and commoner cadets will disappear. As magicians blessed with the same mana, the gap between your social statuses will be completely broken.”
With Principal Keegan’s words, the freshmen’s entrance necklaces gathered together in the air.
and.
“We will now proceed with class assignments.”
As it exploded, fragments flew into each keybug. To others, it would have just looked like a bunch of random fragments scattered with a bang, but not to Rubin.
‘There were definitely rules.’
There was a certain pattern to the shape and trajectory of the fragments. Rubin, who had his eyesight maximized by the dark, saw it clearly.
And among the countless fragments, Rubin and Oscar’s were of the same shape.
“Oh, are we in the same class?”
Oscar shouted excitedly. The two keybugs were pointing in the same direction. They were both heading towards the east stairs.
“I think so.”
“Oh, yes!”
Oscar threw a punch and grabbed Rubin’s shoulder tightly. Rubin smiled as well.
‘That’s good.’
It was true. The closer you are to your target, the better. It was lucky that I was assigned to the same class as Per.
Before removal, it will also be easy to dig up information that was not known before regression.
but.
‘Wait a minute, what about Chloe?’
If Chloe were to get involved, things would be different. Chloe would likely draw all eyes to her, making it much harder to do whatever she wants.
At the time of class assignment, I was so focused on the Oscar fragments that I didn’t even notice it. Suddenly, an ominous thought occurred to me.
As expected.
“Luden!”
At that moment, a cheerful voice was heard from behind him. Rubin turned around with a sinking heart.
Chloe was approaching with a bright smile. The group of freshmen split into two groups around her.
“Huh? That guy, that guy, the imperial noble!”
“Imperial aristocrat? That Witherspoon kid?”
“Yeah! Which class is he in? I hope he’s in the same class.”
Even amidst the murmurs, Chloe’s eyes seemed to only see Rubin.
“Hello, Luden!”
“Oh, hello.”
“Are you here too?”
Rubin nodded with an awkward smile. Chloe cheered.
“Great! I’m here too! How many coincidences has this happened?”
Although his behavior was not befitting of an imperial noble, he did not seem to care about the other students’ gazes. In an instant, the eyes of the new students were focused on Rubin.
“Huh? That guy. He’s the guy that danced with Witherspoon.”
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“Oh, that’s right. What is it? Did you two know each other from the beginning?”
“He doesn’t look like an imperial noble… … .”
The attention was pouring in. He was even seeing the imperial aristocrats for the first time in his life. Oscar, standing next to him, trembled as if he had been electrocuted.
“Oh, hello?”
“Oh, you?”
“Oh, I, I… … .”
To Oscar, who was stuttering, Chloe smiled brightly as if she had just remembered something.
“Ah! You’re Luden’s roommate, right? Your name is Oscar Tunio!”
“Oh my…! You even know my name. Uh… What does this hand mean…?”
“Shake hands! I don’t have a weapon, so let’s make sure you don’t have one either.”
It was still common to ask for a handshake from someone you met for the first time and ask them what the dictionary meaning of a handshake was.
“No way, how could I have a weapon… … .”
Even though he seemed to be joking, Oscar was genuinely embarrassed. Chloe chuckled at the sight.
“You seem to have a very different personality from Luden.”
“I think I’m a little better, but… … .”
“Huh. Luden told me that you’re incredibly talented.”
“Talent? Me? What?”
“That’s right. No?”
“Ah, haha! That’s not wrong.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it being ‘to that extent’ as Ruden said. And feel free to talk to me. After all, we’re all equal freshmen. That’s also the tradition of this school.”
“Is that so? Oh, no… is that so?”
“Ugh. It seems like the order of things has changed.”
“Oh, my, did I do that?”
Even after graduating from school, Oscar soon smiled brightly despite the difference in status that made him have to bow down even in front of the shadow of the imperial nobility.
But at that time.
“Are you guys going to keep blocking the road like that?”
A sharp voice came flying from the bottom of the stairs. Oscar and Chloe turned around with a stinging feeling.
Dahlia Delin. If Chloe hadn’t been there, she would have been the most noticeable freshman this year, the youngest of the Delin family. She was glaring at me with her pointed eyes.
“Hello, Dahlia?”
“… Okay, hello.”
Dahlia also seemed to be hesitant, as if she was not comfortable dealing with the imperial nobility.
Rubin and Oscar in front started up the stairs again, followed by Chloe and Dahlia behind them.
With this, it was confirmed that these four were in the same class. Chloe said with great excitement.
“From Luden to Dahlia! I’m glad I’m in the same class as people I know. Is Eric in the same class?”
“No, Eric went up the other way. I saw him from down there a little while ago.”
“It’s a shame, I wish I had said hello. Which way did he go?”
“To the south stairs. It means Class D.”
Rubin and Oscar turned their heads at Dahlia’s confident words.
“Can you tell half of the direction of the stairs in the east, west, south, and north?”
“Of course. You didn’t know? Oh, right. You probably didn’t know anything about the school.”
Chloe is an imperial noble. Oscar is a commoner. Luden is… well, I don’t know that much. Dahlia snorted.
“Because we are in the East… … .”
“Class C.”
“So our homeroom teacher is… … .”
“Your name is Professor Benitez.”
While Oscar and Dahlia were talking like that, the four of them reached the top of the stairs.
There was someone waiting for them. He looked surprised to see four people coming up together, but his expression was filled with a sense of secret satisfaction. It was Professor Benitez.
“Nice to meet you all. Please go and sit down in an empty seat.”
Chloe and Oscar cheerfully replied with a ‘yes!’, while Rubin and Dahlia simply nodded.
After the four people took their seats, Benitez walked to the front of the classroom. Meanwhile, the freshmen looking around the classroom began to murmur.
“What? This is completely different from what I imagined.”
“As expected. I think there’s some kind of hidden magic in this classroom too. Just like the dorm’s transparent ceiling!”
The classroom resembled a spacious cave. The walls and ceiling were rough and there were no windows.
Instead of a window, there was a large gap that seemed to have been created by accident, and through it, the outside scenery could be seen. Occasionally, a breeze blew in.
“This is where various classes will take place this semester. It may even become more familiar than the dormitory.”
Benitez stood in front of the blackboard and began to speak.
“I am Benitez. I am in charge of the magic of movement at Capotini.”
The cadets’ reactions to the fact that Benitez was their homeroom teacher were mixed.
Satisfied and ambivalent. Most of those who were satisfied were from noble families. They were well aware of Benitez’s reputation, so they thought it was a good arrangement.
The most ambiguous reactions came from the commoners who knew nothing about the wizarding community. They didn’t even know who Benitez was or what movement magic was.
In fact, these cadets were more aware of Chloe than Benitez. Even though they were commoners, they could not have been unaware of the five imperial nobles of the continent.
“At the beginning of the semester at Magic School, many things are mixed up. Things like information imbalances, status differences, and mana gaps. But… … .”
Benitez came down from the podium and passed each cadet’s desk.
“When the semester ends, you will be together. That is our school’s philosophy that has never changed since its opening.”
Bam.
Bam.
Every time the professor passed by, a palm-sized carved stone slab was placed on the children’s desks. A quill was placed next to it.
“Take the slate and quill in front of you and go find every student in this class and ask them their name. Then write it down on the slate.”
This was Benitez’s way of getting the kids to quickly get to know each other by exchanging information about themselves.
“By the way, this stone tablet and quill contain a magic.”
“What kind of magic is it?”
When a cadet asked with curious eyes, Benitez smiled brightly.
“It’s a design magic. It’s a conditional magic that can only be used if the two people talk to each other more than ten times. So don’t even think about using tricks.”
It takes at least ten conversations to write down a name. It’s easy for people you already know, but it’s not easy for someone you’re meeting for the first time.
“Professor, how long do I have to do this?”
“Until the afternoon classes end.”
Even though it was before school, there wasn’t much time considering the number of students in the class. Tension was running high among the students.
“Okay, then I’ll take my leave now. I’ve given you plenty of time compared to last year. Hurry up and fill in the slate.”
Then he left the classroom.
“… … .”
For a moment, there was an odd silence among the children. Do we really have to do this, as the professor told us to? Can we just ignore it?
In any case, it was true that they wanted to break out of the awkward silence. The cadets seemed to be waiting for someone to step forward and break the silence.
And then.
“Hi? My name is Chloe Witherspoon. What’s your name? I’ll tell you in advance, but you can talk to me. According to the Capotini school rules, I’m not an Imperial while I’m at school.”
Chloe spoke to the boy sitting next to her, and everyone watched.
The boy swallowed hard, his face turning bright red, and forcefully separated his lips.
“I’m… Jake. Can I really talk to you?”
“Of course. I can’t be polite to you.”
“Uh, uh, huh?”
“Pfft! Just kidding, Jake.”
After that, the two continued their conversation about some everyday topics.
A cautious conversation began on the other side. This time it was Oscar. Oscar’s unique and bizarre questions that could lead anywhere shook the minds of the cadets sitting next to him.
“What is your favorite smell?”
“Huh? My, smell?”
“My name is… … .”
“What? Really? When I was little… … .”
One by one, stories began to spread among the students, and it soon became as noisy as a market in the classroom.
It was just as the professor intended.
It takes at least ten words of conversation before a name can be written on the stone tablet, but once a conversation has begun, it continues even after the goal has been achieved.
Thanks to this, the cadets quickly became close. First, he spoke to the cadet sitting next to him, and after that conversation, he approached another cadet.
but.
Even in such a situation, there are bound to be students who never even think about opening their mouths.
“Dahlia Delin?”
Dahlia stared intently at the boy who approached her and spoke to her. It was the black-haired cadet who had walked up the stairs with her a moment ago.
“I know your name, Luden Poinen.”
Dahlia’s mind flashed back to the events of the last ball, when she had spilled Caponiglia, Capotini’s signature drink, on Luden’s body.
“What happened to that ball gown? Did you throw it away?”
“Yeah. I told you I was going to throw it away. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it. At first, I thought you were poor and felt uncomfortable, but now that I look at you, it doesn’t seem like that’s necessarily the case. Besides, it seems like you have some great connections hidden away.”
I’m talking about Chloe.
Dahlia had pretended to be gentle at the ball to accommodate the guests, but now she was closer to her true self: cold, prickly, and haughty.
‘I guess you’re still upset about having your main character’s position taken away from you.’
Rubin laughed to himself. It was obvious that Dahlia was conscious of Chloe. I had felt it at the ball, but it seemed like she wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings.
“If you’re curious about how I met Chloe, feel free to ask.”
“what?”
“I think everyone will ask me that. It’ll be a bit boring for me to have to repeat the same story, but it makes the homework a lot easier.”
Surprisingly, Luden was indifferent. He was not arrogant or boastful at all. Thanks to that, Dahlia’s mood was able to remain intact.
“Well, if that can solve this problem, I guess I’m not too bad. Tell me.”
“It was just a coincidence. We were on the same boat… … .”
Rubin didn’t say everything, just enough to satisfy others’ curiosity.
Among the cadets, there was already a story going around that was like a novel with a lot of fiction attached to it, but compared to that, this story was incredibly trivial.
But it turned out to be the conclusion I was expecting, as I could see Dahlia’s satisfied smile at the end of the story.
“It’s not really that great of a story. It’s a story Eric would enjoy hearing.”
“Eric, the one with the orange hair?”
“Yeah, orange hair. But I’m surprised you can describe the eldest son of the Ielos family like that. Anyway, I don’t think he likes you very much.”
“Really? I didn’t know.”
“Wait, aren’t you curious as to why?”
“not really.”
“Oh, no. Why?”
“Why should I wonder?”
Dahlia was speechless at Luden’s expression that seemed to say that he really didn’t know. Suddenly, she became angry and warned him with a serious look in her eyes.
“I guess you don’t know much about wizard society. You’d better be careful. If you’re going to live as a Samhwi wizard, there’s no point in incurring the family’s hatred. Unless Witherspoon steps in and protects you. You and Chloe aren’t that close, right?”
“huh.”
“Huh, it looks like that at first glance. Anyway, next time you see him, try to bow down to him so that he doesn’t get on your nerves. I’m giving you advice as a classmate… as a friend.”
“Well, I wonder if there’s anything more to get involved with while I’m in school. Maybe after I graduate.”
Rubin said calmly. Dahlia shook her head as if she was frustrated by Rubin’s appearance.
“Don’t think too lightly. There are competitive classes, and you can also try to manipulate people in a more aggressive way. That’s what the Ielos family is like.”
At that moment, the quill shook violently. It indicated that the two people had exchanged conversations ten times each.
“excuse me…….”
At that moment, a female cadet approached Rubin and spoke to him cautiously. She was very nervous. Because of her affair with Chloe, Rubin had gained a status that was no less than that of an imperial noble.
“Hey, won’t you talk to me?”
“As much as you want.”
As expected, the topic was his relationship with the Witherspoon family. Rubin began the story just as he had told Dahlia.
Some time passed like that.
Thud thud.
I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. An hour had passed by in an instant. It was now time to start the first class.
“Okay, everyone, be quiet! Class will start soon. Class C’s first class today is Professor Eggler’s ‘Introduction to Design Magic.’ Everyone, please take your seats!”
A teaching assistant who looked honest came in ahead of the professor and spoke loudly, and the students who had been chattering noisily hurriedly returned to their seats.
Whether they were of noble or commoner origin, everyone had heard of Professor Egeler’s notoriety at least once.
