It was currently the 31st Day of the Astral Reflux Cycle's 1st Month. It had been well over a week since Magnus enrolled in Takerth Academy, and at the moment, he was currently relaxing in his room.
"You know," Celia complained, watching Magnus slowly sip a cup of tea she had made while sitting on one of the single-seated couches.
"I remember a certain someone saying they enjoyed being around me for more than just my ability to make tea." After the overly drawn-out sip was over, Magnus placed the cup down and let out a satisfied sigh. It was obvious he was trying to be annoying on purpose, especially when he responded.
"To be precise, I said your tea wasn't the only reason. Meaning it was still a reason, just not the only one." The face he made as he said that was exaggeratedly stuck up, to the point it became punchable, but punchability aside, the rebuttal was solid.
After pondering for a moment, Celia realized she truly had no comeback for him and just gave up. It wasn't like she hated making tea or anything; it was just that Magnus asked for it so often that she felt it was going to become a routine before long.
"Well anyway, talk about tea aside, how are your lessons going? Have you learned any cool new spells yet?" Celia looked a bit excited as she asked, but Magnus shook his head as he replied.
"Not yet; we're still going over the basic theories and fundamentals of magic, aura, and whatnot. But last class, the teacher did say we were going to be doing something special today, so who knows?" Seeing him shrug as he responded, at first Celia's excitement was dampened, but when she heard that last part, it returned in full force.
"Then why are you sitting around here drinking tea? You should hurry and go!" She immediately urged Magnus to head to class, interrupting his tea-drinking session.
"But lessons aren't for another hour; I can still finish this last cup. Also, why do I feel you're more excited about me taking lessons than I am? You know I'm not allowed to teach you anything I learn from them, right?" Celia nodded knowingly as she responded.
"Of course, I know that, but the more you learn, the more experiments you can perform. And as your assistant, that means I get to learn more about the supernatural by proxy." Listening to her, Magnus was fairly confident there was some kind of hole in her logic, but he didn't bother picking it out.
"Well, I guess there's no harm in getting there a bit early. But! In the meantime, you can do your job as my assistant and read through those books on my desk. I didn't manage to get through all of them after I borrowed them from the library." Hearing where Magnus got the books from, Celia looked a bit surprised.
"Huh? I mean, sure, no problem, but I'm kind of surprised. After that story you told me about the library, I thought you would have been more hesitant to even step foot in there again. I mean, I know I would if something that creepy happened to me," Celia remarked.
"Oh, trust me, it still felt uncomfortable as hell, but I really needed those books. All I could really do was hope and pray she didn't open a portal and snatch me up the moment I stepped inside, which she didn't, luckily. Oh, also, make sure to take notes on anything you think is important," Magnus added.
If there was one thing he learned about Celia, it was that she was good at picking up key details. Whether that was because of her job as a maid or simply her nature, he had no clue, but he definitely planned on capitalizing on it.
"I can do that. What kind of books are they?" Walking over to the pile, Celia picked up a few of them and read their titles.
"Most of them are about biology. It's related to an experiment; I'm getting ready if that's any motivation," Magnus explained, prepared to leave. Hearing that, Celia's eyes sparkled with newfound interest as she stared at the books.
"Ooh, that sounds fun. Alright, leave it to me. I'm sure I can read through a few of them by the time you get back," Celia said with enthusiasm. Hearing the change in her voice, Magnus could only shake his head as he walked out of the room.
She was older than him and acted more mature than he did most of the time as well, but when it came to magic and the like, there was no one easier to read.
After leaving the dorm area, Magnus slowly began making his way to his classroom. There was no rush to get there since he was still early. The sun was still on its way up into the skies, and there weren't many students walking about the grounds, which gave the whole moment a sense of serenity.
As he gazed up at the clear blue sky that seemed to stretch on forever, without a cloud in sight, Magnus took a deep breath and couldn't help but think to himself with a smile.
For once, I actually don't mind heading to classes. And all it took was for me to be sent to another world with the ability to edit reality. Oh, and getting forcefully enrolled in a magic academy. Actually, now that I think about it, if I'm that hard to please, maybe I was doomed back on Earth.
As Earth popped up in his thoughts, Magnus's smile faded, and a touch of solemnity crept into his expression. Memories of home had a way of surfacing from time to time, and oddly, he welcomed them.
This new world he found himself in was a thrilling and insanely interesting place, despite all the dangers it held. It was a realm where you could easily lose yourself, where the burdens of the past could be swept away, and where you could simply savor the journey.
With the Command Console, he had endless possibilities open to him. It was so easy to just forget about Earth, his parents, his friends, and anything else and indulge himself here. But Magnus did his best to resist that temptation.
Back on Earth, fun had always been an escape for him, something he and Wendy had used to shield themselves from the reality of the world.
They had immersed themselves in it, but it had never been a source of motivation for him, never driven him to do something meaningful with his life. It had merely nurtured his complacency, and he knew that fact better than anyone else.
He understood that if he abandoned his sole purpose of getting back home, the next time he encountered what seemed like an insurmountable obstacle while pursuing 'fun,' as his goal and motivation to move forward, that would be the moment he gave up and sank back into that complacency.
I guess in the end, I'm just too weak of a person mentally, even with the Command Console. I can't even motivate myself to push my limits without relying on the existence of others as a crutch.
Magnus sighed to himself, letting past moments drift through his thoughts. After a while, he decided he had cleared his mind enough and that it was time to head to class.
He was still about fifteen minutes early by the time he arrived, but that was a lot better than being an entire hour early, in his opinion. About a quarter of the class had already arrived, including Luden. He gave Magnus a polite wave as he walked into the room.
Returning the wave, Magnus headed to his seat. Since he and Luden sat next to each other in class, they usually ended up talking. While walking over, Magnus couldn't help but overhear some of his classmates.
"Is it just me, or does Luden only talk to the blonde kid in our class? I haven't seen him make an effort to reach out to anyone else. He even ignores that girl in the Mage Division," one classmate remarked, glancing at Magnus as he walked by.
The other classmate he was talking to waved his hand, dismissing him entirely.
"Well, what do you expect? He's from the Rilhawk Family. Even among noble families known for producing mages, they've made their mark in every generation. Someone like him is in a completely different league from us. It's best to just act respectful and leave him be."
Overhearing their conversation left Magnus feeling conflicted. He had already learned that Luden was some sort of genius a while ago, even in a place where everyone was exceptional.
But this knowledge only deepened his confusion about why Luden chose to spend time with him.
Magnus knew Luden had lied when he mentioned he wanted to sit with him because they were both in the Mage Division, especially since he ignored Nithra, the only other mage in their class besides the two of them.
So, in the end, he was at a complete loss in terms of what his motives could be.
"Good to see you this morning, Magnus. You got here rather early. I assume you're interested in finding out what Professor Eredim meant at the end of our last class?" Luden asked as Magnus took his seat.
"Yeah, if I remember correctly, he said that our next classes from now on would start a bit differently than usual, right?" Magnus responded. After going to classes for a week or so, he felt as if it was about time things started spicing up.
After a bit more time passed, class finally began, and everyone hushed their chatter. Eredim was already standing at the podium near the board, but this time, it didn't have anything written on it.
"Good morning, class. I hope you're all well rested, because today marks the end of our relaxed schedule. As I've mentioned before, you all usually have two classes to attend, but since you were all new, we've kept it to one for the past few days. However, now that everyone's up to speed and used to their schedules, it's time to dive into the real section of your lessons to come into play." The man's gaze, framed by his glasses, shifted to the classroom entrance, and he made a beckoning gesture.
"If you two would be so kind, please come in." The classroom door opened a few moments after those words left his lips, and two figures entered.
As the man and woman stepped into the room, Magnus felt an odd yet familiar feeling about them. Not familiar in the sense that he had seen them before; so far, only Seraline had triggered a memory as someone he'd seen in the splash art of the game.
No, this was different.
It was akin to the feeling he had when he watched Mia and the others fight for the first time. Just by looking at them, he could tell they were strong, and right now, Magnus was getting a similar vibe from these two; they were definitely powerful.
"From now on, when you participate in your second class of the day, these two will be acting as your professors. I'll let them introduce themselves," Eredim announced, stepping away from the podium.
The seemingly young man was the first to step forward, the sound of plated armor shifting against chainmail and reinforced leather accompanying his movements. He wore a small smile as his clear blue eyes scanned the crowd of students while introducing himself.
"My name is Mulvin Graze, and I am a knight of the Sostenza Family. As you can probably guess from my introduction, I am not a noble."
The moment Mulvin mentioned that he wasn't a noble, the class started to get slightly restless, with students whispering amongst themselves.
"He's not a noble; what the hell? Don't tell me we're going to be learning from a commoner," one student exclaimed. A clear sense of disdain colored the student's voice as he uttered those words, and others chimed in with similar comments.
"Isn't this supposed to be one of the Ten Great Magic Academies? Why would they allow a commoner to be a professor? Does he even have a proper education?"
"But didn't he say he was a knight of the Sostenza Family? They're pretty well known for having talented knights in their family. Even the higher noble families request their protection as escorts."
"Tch, who cares about that? It's not like he's actually a part of the Sostenza Family, didn't you hear his last name?" There were a few who voiced a few cautious words of neutrality towards Mulvin, but they were either drowned out or suppressed by the majority.
Besides, their neutrality was because of the Sostenza Family's name, not Mulvin himself.
Seeing this, Magnus wasn't entirely surprised. He had been witnessing the relatively nice side of nobility since he arrived in this world, slavery aside. But in reality, it was clear that the Four Rings of Nobility held mostly classist views.
The only individuals who had different reactions to this news were Luden, who appeared to be completely undisturbed, and two students who looked to be twins sitting in the front row ahead of Magnus, one of whom was chatting the ear off of the other.
As for Nithra, the other Mage Division student, she didn't really count her since she was sleeping. In fact, she was almost always asleep in class every time Magnis looked over at her.
Mulvin's expression remained unchanged as he listened to the students. In fact, he appeared entirely unfazed and continued to speak.
"Like all of you now, I was once a student at Takerth Academy. However, unlike most of you, I was discovered by my teacher by pure chance and accepted because of my talent." Magnus's eyes went wide when he heard Mulvin's words, and almost instantly the classroom went silent.
Off to the side, Eredim's passive grin widened ever so slightly, while the woman who had arrived with Mulvin let out a stifled chuckle.
Holy shit, did he really say that?
Even so, Magnus couldn't help but smile himself; he liked this guy.
"In any case, I hope we all manage to get along. After your lectures with Professor Eredim end, all the Knight Division students will be joining me in the Academy Arena." After those last few words, Mulvin stepped from the podium and moved to stand next to Eredim.
There were no more whispers amongst the students, only flabbergasted expressions and the hateful gazes of students who realized they had just been dissed by a commoner.
Walking up to the podium next was the woman Magnus could only assume would be teaching him and the other Mage Division students.
There are only three of us in this class, and one of us is sleeping. It's going to be awkward to have a professor who is just assigned to teach us three.
Surprisingly enough, though, the woman spoke about that exact thing as she introduced herself to the class.
"I am Lazitha of the Urusal Family; it is a pleasure. From this point forward, all students, apart from the Mage Division, in this class will be under my tutelage. Now I am aware that a majority of classes have a major difference in proportion between knights and mages; however, this is purposeful.
While knights can be trained in practically any environment, it has been studied that mages require more seclusion and separation from distractions to learn properly. Still, make no mistake; even though the methods may differ, I will still be pushing all three of you, even if some of you prefer to slack off..."
As those last three words left Lazitha's mouth, her gaze fell onto Nithra. For a split second, Magnus could have sworn he saw Lazitha's gaze turn cold as a chill went up his spine.
Her wild black hair, which reached her waist, seemed almost alive in this instant, like snakes ready to coil around their prey. Even the lighter colors of her robe seemed dull under the abyssal feeling her eyes were giving off.
For a moment, Magnus even felt as if it was a bit hard to breathe. Meanwhile, sitting at the back of the class, Nithra, who was sleeping without a care in the world, suddenly shot awake.
Raising her head, she stared at Lazitha while frowning with trace glints of fear in her eyes.
However, before anyone knew it, the suppressive feeling had completely vanished from the classroom. All the same, just from looking around, Magnus knew he wasn't the only person who had felt that.
Some students who were sitting close to Nithra were even sweating heavily, as if they had just run a marathon.
"It looks like our new professor has quite the backstory. You don't see many people capable of wielding that much murderous intent so easily." Luden said these words to himself for the most part, but Magnus clearly overheard him.
Murderous intent—is that what that was? For a moment, I thought I was trapped in some kind of illusion or something. Can just killing people really let you do stuff like that in this world?
He silently decided it was probably a fact he was best off not knowing.
"In any case, that's all from me. Just like with Professor Mulvin, you will be joining me after your classes are over." Stepping down from the podium, Lazitha went to stand next to Mulvin as Eredim went back in front of the board to speak.
"Colorful introductions. I'm sure the students agree with me on that remark. Now then, both Professor Mulvin and Professor Lazitha will be sitting in with us during the rest of our lesson to both memorize all of your faces as well as to see how you act around one another. There's no need to feel nervous; just pay attention like always, and everything will go smoothly."
And just like that, their first class continued as usual, only with two extra observers. Even though Eredim claimed they were just there to memorize their faces and such, Magnus could tell they were doing more than that by the way their eyes scanned each student.
Eventually, their eyes looked over him as well. While Eredim was in the middle of explaining something to the class, he felt Lazitha's gaze land on him for a few seconds.
Unconsciously, when he noticed that feeling, it caused him to shift his attention from the board to her, and their eyes met. At first, it was a bit strange because it seemed as if, although she was looking right at him, her focus wasn't entirely there.
Still, she had clearly seen him as she flashed a smile in his direction before turning her gaze to another student.
Well, that was awkward.
Unbeknownst to Magnus, even though Lazitha was no longer looking at him, the conversation in her head had shifted its focus to him.
[So, that's the boy the Vice Headmaster wants us to keep an eye on? Honestly, he doesn't seem like anything special. I can't even sense anything from him. Are we sure he's even capable of performing magic?]
Lazitha's thoughts seemed to project beyond her mind, entering Mulvin's mind, who was beside her.
[According to his application, he's capable of using psychokinetic magic, as well as some form of enhancement magic. Even with the tensions between the Headmistress and the Major General, I doubt he would lie about something so easily proven.]
Mulvin replied. Listening to him, Lazitha raised a hand to her chin.
[It's not too uncommon for unranked novice mages to stumble across some form of magic by accident, but they're usually accidental occurrences related to them having no real control over their mana. Using two separate categories of magic, however, would suggest he was taught beforehand, and we both know the military doesn't have the mages or resources to spare for something like that.]
Mulvin raised a brow at Lazitha's skepticism.
[Oh, you don't even want to consider the fact that he may just be a naturally born genius?]
Lazitha glanced at Mulvin when he said that, or, in this case, thought it. She had a look in her eye that he couldn't discern before she replied.
[Well, whatever the case is, we'll find out soon enough.]