Chapter 22

First Day of School

Allen woke up as usual, before 5 in the morning.

In the room on the third floor, which was about 10 tatami mats in size, there was a creaky bed, an old-fashioned desk, and a chair, presumably left by the previous tenant.

The corridor leading from the one-room apartment to the entrance had a toilet, a simple kitchen, and a closet.

The sunlight wasn't great, but there was a balcony.

As a room for a noble, it was as simple as it could be, but for Allen, who held Japanese values, it was more than satisfactory.

For laundry, there was a free cleaning magic device next to the large bath, and a cleaning service was available. For those who found laundry troublesome or wanted to clean special materials like monster leather, they could outsource it.

If you left your clothes in the designated area next to the large bath, they would be collected in the morning and evening and returned the next day.

The cost was 10 reals for a bag of about 30 liters, which you could fill as much as you wanted. For special materials, the price varied, but considering the cost of living in the capital, it was a bargain.

When Allen stepped out of the quiet dormitory, he felt the cool morning air pleasantly. He did some light stretching in the dormitory's front yard.

Then, he ran the 8 km to the main gate at a leisurely pace, taking about 25 minutes. He could have run around the perimeter from the back gate near the general dormitory, but Allen didn't want to change his route. He wanted to measure his progress.

After running out of the main gate on the south side, he started running clockwise around the perimeter as usual.

On the way, he did exactly 10 hill sprints, and when he returned to the main gate, he ran back to the dormitory at a leisurely pace.

He took out a wooden sword from his room and swung it in the courtyard.

He thought about the training with Dio, the spear user who had taken care of him on the way to the capital.

While preparing to strengthen his body, he focused on the distance of the spear.

Using the minimum necessary magic power, he created the maximum controllable acceleration, swung, returned, and dissipated the residual magic power.

After exactly 30 minutes of sword swinging, Allen did a thorough stretch.

The stretching before exercise to warm up the body and the stretching after exercise to improve flexibility were different. He focused on expanding his range of motion, exhaled while stretching, and held the position. He repeated this calmly.

First day of the new life.

Allen was satisfied that he had started his morning routine without any problems.

◆

He quickly wiped the sweat and changed into his uniform.

The uniform of the Royal Academy, made of special threads, had arrived in his room last night, fitting perfectly, even though he hadn't asked for it or been measured.

It was a blazer type, easy to move in and durable. If he outgrew it, he could apply for a new one for free.

Incidentally, it was also fine to wear casual clothes to school.

When he arrived at the cafeteria, it was just past 8 in the morning.

He could have eaten emergency rations, but his mother had advised him to eat a proper breakfast, and he actually felt the effects.

So, he decided to use the free dormitory cafeteria.

"Late, aren't you, boy? Your classes start at 9, right? Planning to be late on the first day?!"

When he entered the cafeteria, the dorm mother, Sora, spoke to him.

"Not late. As planned. If I leave the dorm at 8:30 and run, I'll have plenty of time."

He didn't intend to spend 20 minutes on breakfast, but he was taking it easy on the first day.

When he looked at the tray Sora brought, there were two large, steaming hamburgers and milk.

It was quite a lot, but not impossible to eat. If he finished in 5 minutes, he could take a morning bath from tomorrow...

While thinking about this, he bit into the hamburger and was shocked.

It was incredibly greasy...

It tasted like the fatty part of braised pork, soaked in oil...

It was impossible to eat in the morning. Even at night, it would be hard to eat.

The reason no one else was in the cafeteria became clear.

After all, emergency rations were the best for breakfast...

But leaving food on the plate went against his principles as a former food and beverage company employee...

With tears in his eyes, he managed to eat the hamburger.

Then, Sora, who had been watching him, spoke.

"Hehehe. You've got some guts. ...From what I saw earlier, you seem to specialize in body strengthening, don't you?"

He nodded with tears in his eyes, afraid to open his mouth and choke.

"Today's hamburger is a menu designed to assist in the external magic circulation and property changes of mages.

If you can eat it every day from tomorrow, I'll prepare a menu that will help with body strengthening. Though the effect will be minimal."

Unexpectedly, he spat out the hamburger.

Sora's face, sitting opposite him, was covered in oil.

"I've never heard of such a menu before?!"

"...Before that, don't you have something to say? You're quite a character, really.

...Well, of course. It's not a common ingredient or technique. I'm a researcher specializing in the taste and effects of monster ingredients, officially affiliated with this Royal Academy. The students in this dorm are perfect experimental subjects... But these days, young people have refined palates and don't eat in the dorm.

If this continues, it will hinder my experiments."

Sora wiped her face with an apron and looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

There were many things he wanted to ask, but he couldn't help but ask the most pressing question.

"Taste research? I can't taste any salt at all."

"It's not about taste, but flavor. I'm not a cook. My job is to confirm the inherent taste and effects of the ingredients. Salt would interfere with that.

The minimum necessary salt for breakfast is included in the bread. If you want something delicious, eat out or go to the school lounge. You can get a lavish meal at a bargain price."

...This old lady is hopeless.

She only sees food as an experiment, not as a pleasure in life.

She's probably a researcher like my sister.

But for Allen, who wanted to become a mage and was willing to grasp at straws, the opportunity to work with a specialist in the highly specialized field of monster ingredients, using unpublished techniques for free, was very attractive.

He decided to ask for more details.

"I don't have the talent for external magic property changes. But I want to learn external magic at all costs. Do you have any ideas for ingredients that can help acquire property changes after birth?"

Sora looked surprised and answered.

"...Unfortunately, no. The research to acquire property changes after birth has been a topic for researchers in all fields throughout the long history of the kingdom. It's obvious that achieving this would change the world. But it's also a history of numerous excellent researchers failing.

I haven't studied all fields, but I've never heard of a successful case."

Sora continued, looking into his eyes.

"Why are you so fixated on external magic? You were the top in the practical exam.

The examiners of this school gave you such a high evaluation, which means you definitely have talent for body strengthening magic.

While there are exceptions, for a knight, it's more common to specialize in body strengthening. On the contrary, there are many magic knights who, because they had talent in both body strengthening and external magic, ended up being mediocre in both."

Looking at Sora's face, it was clear what she was trying to say.

"Don't do it, I'm telling you for your own good."

"Still, I won't give up on my dream of using external magic. It's what I want to do. I have no interest in becoming a great knight."

Sora said, "Hmm," and crossed her arms.

"...It's likely to be futile. Worse, it might crush your talent."

"I'm prepared for that."

"...Hehehe! How interesting! I'll help you from tomorrow. Thoroughly. Hehehe! Hehehehe!"

At least, I feel like I've made a contract with a terrible demon. I wish she would stop laughing like that...

I just wanted to ask a question, but now we're in a contract. Well, there's no choice.

"Come on, finish your breakfast and head to the school. You'll really be late."

Considering that he would have to eat this level of weird food every morning, he would need to adjust his sleeping and waking times to ensure at least 30 minutes for breakfast.

He didn't expect to have to adjust his routine on the first day...

Allen thought about this as he ran towards the school.

His back looked very cheerful.