Chapter 57

It's a bit short.

I successfully completed the entrance ceremony and made two acquaintances on the first day. It seems to be a pretty good start.

I wake up before sunrise to take care of the fields. I'm doing accelerated cultivation with GrowUp, but the seeds haven't sprouted yet. However, based on past results, they should sprout and grow quickly in a few days.

Once they sprout, I think the growth will be rapid, so I plan to harvest twice this year.

I need to find materials for a greenhouse soon to keep the fields going even during winter. I'll visit the dungeon on a day off from the academy while taking a walk.

I've cleared up to the 37th floor of "Dungeon No. 4," so I want to at least reach the 40th floor. After that, I might try a different dungeon.

I pull out the weeds that have grown faster due to GrowUp and water the plants evenly with magic.

This should be fine for now.

By the time I get home, the sun is starting to rise, so I need to hurry and prepare breakfast. ...I don't think it's just my imagination that I feel more like a servant, right?

...Well, I always get taken care of by the two of them, and they must be tired from their adventurer work, so I'll do it for them in the morning.

Actually, hiring another maid for household chores might be a good idea.

By the way, today's breakfast is a bit of a shortcut.

It consists of whole grain toast, bacon and eggs, salad, and apple juice.

And actually, the prosciutto I made when I went back home is almost ready.

Making prosciutto is surprisingly easy. However, if you want to eat something delicious, the aging period is essential.

I made prosciutto with about 50 kg of meat, but it lost water and ended up weighing about 30 kg. Since I made it in different cuts, each piece is about 10 kg.

I wanted to age it slowly, but I couldn't wait, so I used magic to speed up the process.

Next time, I want to make a larger batch and wait patiently.

So, today's salad is prosciutto salad. It's meaty, but the two of them use their bodies a lot as adventurers, so it should be just right.

The croque-monsieur is about done when the two of them slowly wake up. Recently, after I greet them in the morning, they go to wash their faces and prepare the plates without saying anything.

Well, I like cooking, so it's not a problem for me.

"Master, today's breakfast is delicious! ...I'm sorry for always sleeping in!"

"Hehe, I can wake up now, but I come to the living room when I smell the delicious breakfast you make, Master."

Here, a shocking fact was revealed. Yomi was waking Luna up. She's serious but weak in the morning. Is this a gap?

"I didn't know... Well, I'm happy that you two enjoy the food, so it's fine."

"It's delicious every day!"

"Eating Master's breakfast makes me feel happy. We'll prepare dinner tonight."

By the way, I also cook dinner. ...Maybe I've been a bit too indulgent? I'll observe for a while. I'm curious to see how they react if I don't cook breakfast or dinner.

"Then I'll go now. Please clean up for me."

"Yes, have a good day."

"Please be careful."

While walking the path I'll be taking for the next three years, I thought about my magic affinity.

I'm good at water, wind, lightning, and earth. I can use fire, ice, void, and holy, but I think there's still room for growth compared to my main attributes.

Conversely, my main attributes might be at their limit. They might grow a little, but not much.

I still can't handle spatial attributes. It's hard to understand why subspace and item boxes are considered void magic, but I can't use transfer or gravity magic, which are supposed to derive from spatial magic.

However, if I don't have spatial attributes, I only have the attributes I currently have. Having eight attributes might be monster-level, but...

After a 30-minute walk, I arrived at the academy. It was a bit early, and there weren't many people in the classroom. Those who were there seemed to be commoners like me, judging by their ribbons and ties.

A few people who arrived early had already formed groups, and I felt hesitant to join them. Meeting Reinald and Marumeko was a stroke of luck.

There are still people who haven't joined any groups, so I think I can become friends with them if I get the chance.

While I was thinking about my future, Marumeko entered the classroom and sat next to me.

Her eyes are already droopy, making her look even sleepier. If she had long hair, she would look like a laid-back person.

"Good morning... Owl, you're early."

"Good morning, Marumeko. No, not really. I'm actually pretty weak in the morning."

"No, I stayed up a bit late last night. And, you can call me Maru!"

After a bit of small talk, Reinald entered the classroom and sat on the other side of me. Unlike Marumeko, he seemed fully awake.

Why is he slightly out of breath?

"Good morning, Reinald. You look tired?"

"Good morning, Owl. You can call me Rei. I run every morning before coming to the academy. That's why."

Reinald seems to be a hard worker. But why are the two of you, who are nobles, in the 10th class? Do you have some weaknesses?

Before I could ask, Professor Monica entered the classroom and stood at the podium. I'll ask when the timing is right.

"...Alright, everyone's here. We'll check your magic affinities this morning. Form groups of 3 to 4 people and gather."

The existing groups gathered, and those without groups also formed a group. I was going to talk to them later... Well, I hope we can become friends at some event in the future.

"Alright, gather up. I'll distribute the magic crystals now, so follow the instructions and try them out."

According to Professor Monica, these magic crystals are magical devices that can be created through alchemy. They shine brightly when infused with the magic attribute the person is proficient in. Conversely, they don't shine if the attribute is not proficient or if the person doesn't have that attribute.

Magic crystals were developed recently and have been used for magic affinity tests for the past two years. Luna probably only practiced water attributes because magic crystals didn't exist back then.

I didn't expect such a convenient tool. The magic crystals we received were seven in total.

According to the explanation, they are 'fire, wind, water, earth, ice, lightning, and void.'

Wait, what about spatial and holy attributes?

I asked Professor Monica, who replied:

"Spatial attributes? They were lost in ancient times. As for holy attributes, the magic crystals are monopolized by Wyseras, so they don't circulate. Besides, if someone had holy attributes, Wyseras would offer a high price to recruit them, so they rarely come to the academy."

This is new information. It seems spatial attributes don't exist in present-day Altria. They must be a very special attribute.

And then there's holy attributes. I've been using them quite freely. I even used them on the king. I've also made it possible to use Perfect Heal once on Luna and Yomi's rings.

...It's probably best to keep quiet about this.

Furthermore, being able to use all seven attributes might be too conspicuous. I don't know the standard for people in this world...

But I remember Luna and Yomi could use four attributes. They didn't have a natural affinity but could use two additional attributes, though it was a close call for the additional two.

So, four attributes might be reasonable? ...I'm not sure. But suppressing them and having them revealed later might be more conspicuous?

...I'll see how Rei and Maru do first.

"Alright, let's start with Maru."

"......Eh, oh, okay!"

What's wrong? You suddenly stiffened and then smiled. Did calling you Maru surprise you? But you said I could call you that, so it's fine.

Maru infused magic into the seven magic crystals. Some of them glowed faintly, but none of them shone brightly.

...Hmm? Only the wind attribute, but is it okay?

*Pika*

The wind attribute shone more brightly than the others. The water and void attributes glowed faintly.

...Is it that the number of affinity attributes is fewer than I thought? No, it's too early to draw conclusions. Maru might be special, so let's see Reinald's results.

"Alright, next is me."

Reinald's crystals shone for fire, earth, and void. The other attributes didn't shine at all, so he probably can only use these three attributes. Still, he has more affinities than Maru.

"Last is Owl."

So, I reluctantly did the test, and of course, all of them glowed. The water, wind, earth, and lightning attributes shone particularly brightly, and I got some strange looks from Maru and Rei. The other three attributes also glowed as much as Rei's, so it couldn't be helped, but I don't like being looked at like that by my friends...

"Owl, you're not secretly the child of some noble, are you?"

"No, I'm just a commoner."

They don't seem to believe me, but it's true. ...Well, there's a possibility of being granted a title.

Due to the limited number of magic crystals, some groups had to share. Since I was the first to check, I had to wait for the rest of the time.

After more than two hours, everyone's affinities were checked.

"Alright, done? Organize your affinity attributes on parchment and report to me later. After lunch, gather at the outdoor training ground. And, wear clothes that are easy to move in."

By the way, for lunch, Maru, Rei, and I ate at the cafeteria. Of course, I had a meal for one silver coin, while they had meals for one gold coin, so they must be nobles.

By the way, we're supposed to do some recreational activities in the afternoon. I wonder what we'll do?