Chapter 70

Classes began on September 2, the second day of the academy.

For first-year students, morning classes—from 8:00 AM to noon—are theoretical, while afternoon classes—from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM—are practical.

In the morning theoretical classes, in addition to magic theory, subjects such as arithmetic, history, and geography are also mandatory.

I had known from the written exam that the level of the theoretical classes was very low.

During the classes, I was so bored that I decided to analyze the reasons for this.

First, one of the reasons for the low level of theoretical classes is the education system in this world.

There are virtually no public educational institutions in any country, and the gap is filled by private tutors for nobles and temple schools for commoners. In either case, the level of knowledge imparted depends on the ability of the tutor or teacher.

As a result, there is a wide variation in teaching methods, and it is thought that higher education institutions like this Tilia Magic Academy start with low-level classes to ensure a certain standard.

Indeed, Quentin Wagman, who approached me on the first day, had sufficient knowledge—though he was far from matching Sharon—and the results of his good teacher in Doctus were evident.

Another possible reason is the admission system here.

This is a magic academy, and it is not an exaggeration to say that admission is determined by one's magical talent. Therefore, parents try to teach their children magic, even at the expense of theoretical study time. As a result, the knowledge level of those who pass the entrance exam is low, and the level of theoretical classes is lowered to prevent dropouts.

In fact, in this first-year class, students with a magic level of three or higher are gathered, and most can use attack magic like fireballs or ice needles, though not at a practical level.

(At the end of the day, I won't be able to learn what I want to learn in the lower grades. What should I do...?)

Then, there are the practical classes, which are also just repetitive basic techniques such as spell incantation and gathering the power of spirits.

There is a reason for this: first-year students' magical power is so low that they show signs of magical exhaustion even when using a simple spell. Therefore, the instructors design the curriculum to prevent magical exhaustion.

(The two hours of practical classes are too boring. Even Sharon seems to doubt whether this is good enough. If I try to do things at my own pace, the practical instructor stops me...)

The practical class instructor is a man in his mid-twenties named Chambers, who has the attributes of fire and earth. He holds a thin rod in his right hand and has us repeat spell incantations.

"Accurate spell incantation is the shortcut to improving magic. Repeat the spell for your attribute without using magical power!"

I was bored with the extremely basic lesson of spell incantation and asked Chambers for other guidance. However, he immediately became angry and shouted that I should not do anything on my own.

When I tried to argue a little, saying, "But, just reciting spells is not effective. Magic is about how to use magical power effectively..." he shouted, "Shut up!" and cut me off.

Then, standing over me,

"Every year, the top student says the same thing. Those who are allowed to use magic freely end up in the infirmary with magical exhaustion. You seem to have some confidence, but you should give up that pride."

"My level is twenty-five in the wind attribute. And in practical use..."

As I continued to argue, Chambers shouted, "Follow my instructions!" and swung the rod in his hand.

I dodged it reflexively.

Chambers, who missed, glared at me, but I pretended not to notice and bowed, saying, "I understand," and joined the spell incantation.

While reciting the spell, I had an idea.

(That's it! Since I'm being made to recite spells, if I practice gathering the power of spirits of a different attribute, I might be able to perform composite magic better...)

Here's what I thought:

While reciting a fire attribute spell, I would interfere with the power of wind attribute spirits. I would recite the fire attribute spell out loud and think of wind attribute magic in my mind, a kind of parallel thinking training. I thought this would be advantageous when creating composite magic with two attributes.

While reciting the fireball spell with the other students, I would construct the Wind Blade spell in my mind.

"O god of fire, ruler of fire, I seek the fierce flames of your spirits. I offer the power of my life to you. Burn my enemy! Fireball!"

While saying this, I thought in my mind,

"O god of wind, ruler of many winds, grant me the tearing wind, the blade of your spirits. I offer the power of my life to you. Tear my enemy! Wind Blade!"

However, the power of the fire spirits kept gathering.

When I focused on the spell in my mind, the spell I was reciting out loud became sloppy and messed up.

(This is harder than I thought. But I have a vague idea. The image in my mind is important when giving my magical power to the spirits to activate magic. However, Lidi told me that the spell can complement that image. If I allocate a portion of my mental image to the spell I'm reciting, I should be able to make it work as a weak magic. Combining that with the magic activated by the remaining image should make composite magic possible...)

I continued to try this for two hours.

Fortunately, Chambers cannot see the power of spirits, so he did not notice what I was doing. Occasionally, I would recite the spell incorrectly, but he seemed to think I was just sulking and doing it half-heartedly.

Of course, I did not see any signs of success in two hours, but I was satisfied to have found a way to make good use of this wasted time.

(When I get home, I'll tell Sharon. With wind and fire composite, we should be able to create a powerful attack spell... Come to think of it, isn't Flame Storm a composite of fire and wind? I don't quite understand that part...)

I had no intention of asking Chambers, so I made a mental note to ask Lidi when I got home.

After the practical class, we returned to the classroom for a homeroom period, and then it was time to go home.

While the practical class was one thing, the theoretical classes seemed like a complete waste of time.

(If I spent this time in the forest, I could gain a lot of experience. Even if I were to listen to the classes, it wouldn't be meaningful until I'm in the third year... What should I do...)

When the homeroom period ended and it was time to go home, most students who had not yet formed friendships lingered in the classroom.

The boarding students gradually left in small groups, but about 30% of the day students remained, hesitant to leave and stand out in the class.

I could have gone home, but Sharon thought it was important to form normal friendships. Therefore, I stayed in the classroom with the other students.

"Mr. Zack... I mean, Mr. Rockhart. Aren't you going home?"

Sharon asked without realizing my thoughts.

(I could invite someone, but what should I do? They seem to be wary of us. They're probably still thinking about what Quentin said yesterday... After all, he's the son of a councilor of the Mage Guild...)

Regarding the structure of the Mage Guild, to the best of my knowledge, it is as follows:

The council decides the guild's policies, and its chairperson is generally known as the guild master.

The council consists of twelve members: eight councilors, three advisors who are former chairpersons, and the chairperson.

Councilors are not elected but are chosen by their predecessors. Formally, council approval is required, but it has never been rejected.

The term is ten years, and councilors who do not become chairperson during that time retire. However, "retirement" means they move to a lower position in the guild, such as the principal of this academy.

This system seems disadvantageous to the long-lived elves, but ordinary elves show little interest in secular guild positions. Therefore, the elves who remain in the guild are mostly eccentric researchers.

Below the council are committees for individual policies, with councilors serving as chairpersons. The committee members are called counselors and are the core of the guild's operations.

(Thinking about it, Quentin's father must be a very important person. Although the guild is smaller in scale than the Adventurer Guild or the Mercenary Guild, it is still one of the top members of the only organization that unites mages. Since he has a twelve-year-old child, he is not that old and is probably a young hope. Any sensitive person, even a child, should be wary of us. I don't really care, but I'm worried about Sharon...)

When Sharon asked if I was not going home, we left the classroom.

After we left, the atmosphere in the classroom seemed to relax, suggesting they wanted us to leave.

(I could tell from my perception, but it doesn't feel good. Should I consult Lidi...?)

We went straight home.

On the way back, I asked Sharon for her thoughts on today's classes.

"Yes, the morning classes were boring. It was all things that Mr. Zack and Miss Lydia had already taught me. The practical classes were the same. Will this continue forever?"

"Regardless of the theoretical classes, I had an interesting idea for the practical classes. While reciting a spell, I tried to visualize a spell of a different attribute in my mind..."

I explained to her what I had thought of and tried during the practical class.

At first, Sharon did not understand my idea, but when she did, her eyes lit up.

"That sounds interesting! I'll try it too!"

When we got home and consulted Lidi,

"Why don't you just skip the classes? There's no system that says you have to attend classes to advance."

She said this nonchalantly.

When I asked, "Isn't there a requirement for attendance days or something?"

"Who knows? I don't think anyone counts whether you attended or not. I used to hide in the library when I found the classes troublesome, but I still graduated."

(Come to think of it, I didn't see anyone checking attendance on a roster or anything. If what Lidi says is true, studying in the library would be more efficient. In the morning, I could study in the library, and in the afternoon, I could go into the forest. That might be the most efficient. However, this would make the purpose of entering the academy almost meaningless)

The next day, I checked the academy's rules and confirmed that attendance days were not a requirement for advancement. Then, I decided to study in the library with Sharon.