Chapter 52: Class Is Fun!
The next day, rows of carriages lined up before the school building. In this world, graduation ceremonies were exclusive, and only family members were allowed to attend. To commemorate her brother’s graduation, Eli bought a bouquet and a pen as gifts. Alicia, on the other hand, brought a cake.
“Congratulations, Brother Falfane!”
“Thank you for attending my graduation, Eli. Whew. I was a bit nervous since I couldn’t find you in the audience. i thought you would leave me there.”
“Ahaha. The guy in front of us was too huge!” Eli chuckled.
“Thanks for the cake as well, Alicia.” Falfane smiled. He then turned to Eli. “Please study hard, okay? Send me letters sometimes. We’ll be working in Shadowstep together, right?”
“Of course. It will be my pleasure to write to you, Brother.”
“Don’t worry—mages have job security!” Alicia puffed out her chest. She was a born winner and feared nothing.
“Of course. I’m quite jealous of your talent, Alicia.” Falfane didn’t argue and merely smiled. After all, what she said was true. “Please stay contracted to Shadowstep Territory, all right? We’ll always welcome you.”
“Don’t worry! As long as Lady Elidranthia doesn’t leave, I won’t either,” Alicia said.
“I wish I had a retainer as loyal as you, Alicia. All right, I’m off now. See you back in the territory.”
“Let’s go. I need to drill you on our territory’s affairs,” the count said. He nodded to Eli and left in a carriage with Falfane. Two butlers served as their coachmen.
“See you!” Eli and Alicia waved their family goodbye. Eli then pumped herself up. “All right! School starts tomorrow!”
The next morning, Eli and Alicia put on their uniforms and headed out.
“Ah. I’ll be attending the Nobility Course first. Please ask for permission from the attending teacher, all right?” Eli said as she parted with Alicia. She thought that since Alicia would be attending the Mage Course, she could ask her for help with studying later. More importantly, she feared drawing the ire of the nobility if she skipped their class.
With how Alicia usually behaved, leaving her with an intellectual task suddenly filled her with unease. Was she embarking on a sinking ship?
“Okay.” Alicia nodded. After a moment of thought, she sighed. “Why would you attend the Nobility Course, anyway? It’s just extra work. You can always ask your brother to cover for you, right? Even that girl didn’t attend nobility classes.”
“...Yeah, you’re right. But there’s no way to withdraw my application now. Besides, as a noble, I also need to form connections with other nobles, don’t I?” Alicia’s sigh was contagious, and Eli’s motivation dropped off a cliff.
“Anyway, we need to do our best in everything we do! Besides, the nobility course also has territory management! It’s not all boring classes like etiquette!” Eli tried to pump herself up. “That’s why, as my most trusted vassal, I’ll ask you to cover for me in mage classes while I do my best in the Nobility Course!”
“Okay. See ya.”
With that, they parted ways.
When Alicia entered the mage classroom, it was already full—over a hundred people in this class alone. It felt more like a seminar. She appreciated the sight. In this world, mages were rare. Only one in a thousand could become a mage, yet the country could still gather this many in one place.
Alicia went to her seat. A few minutes later, a woman entered the room. She looked practically like a grandmother. Alicia tilted her head, wondering who she was. After all, she didn’t look like a powerful mage.
“Greetings, class. I am Adelaide, a rank-three hexuple-element mage. I will be teaching you the basics of elemental manipulation,” the professor said. As if to demonstrate her credentials, she juggled a ball of water, a stone, a ball of fire, a ball of wind, a ball of light, and a ball of darkness around her.
Murmurs rose among the students. Rank three was the bare minimum to be considered a mage, but while rank was a universal measure of power, it was not absolute. The number of elements a mage possessed was also important. The more elements they had, the more flexible they were. This woman had no weaknesses.
“So, first, let us begin with power adjustment. Has anyone here not been taught how to fill arcane stones before?”
Two people raised their hands. Alicia tilted her head. All mages were mandated by the Crown to be taught how to fill arcane stones upon the discovery of their talents by the Church—so how had these two missed it?
“Geez. Every year, there are always mages who were never taught properly. I wonder what the nobles were doing. Just because you come from poor villages doesn’t mean they should slack off.” The professor sighed. “You two will have to attend extra classes this afternoon. For now, please listen to the lecture.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The two students—a boy and a girl—nodded.
“Let’s begin with the beginner mage class. As you might know, mages are vital to the country, and thus must conserve and use their mana efficiently. I will first teach you how to sense mana… Ah, you there.” The professor pointed. “You seem to have the most mana in this class. Amazing. You’re at the higher end of rank seven—perhaps even rank eight.”
The professor called out to Alicia.
Alicia stood up and walked to the front, puffing out her chest with pride.
“I am Alicia, the best mage in Shadowstep!”
“In the future,” the professor said flatly. “You are not yet a mage, Alicia. At present, you are no more than a stone charger. Only after you graduate may you call yourself a mage.” She paused. “Anyway, I digress. The ability to sense mana should be innate to every mage. Can you sense my mana, Alicia?”
“... Um… No.”
“That’s because I’m suppressing it. How about now?” the professor said.
Alicia frowned. Something had changed, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Mage Adelaide,” a girl standing closer to the desk spoke up, “your body is emanating mana now. I can sense stronger mana emanating from your hand, as if you’re about to cast a spell.”
“Good.” Adelaide nodded. She turned her gaze back to Alicia. “I suppose the more mana you have, the harder it becomes to detect weaker mana. But this skill is important. If you don’t train properly, you’ll be caught off guard in a mage duel.”
“I see.”
“You’re from Shadowstep, right? Do you know why mages are sometimes employed as scouts? It’s because monsters also emit mana. If you can’t detect them, you risk your squad’s lives. The same applies to human conflict. Many armies bring mages with them, and every time magic is cast, residual mana lingers.”
“I see. I think I get it. But it sure isn’t easy.” Alicia frowned harder, trying to focus on the prickling sensation she had felt earlier.
“Now, students, I have brought ten mana emanators. Please split yourselves into ten groups. Each group will take turns using a mana emanator and sensing the mana it emits.”
Adelaide motioned for three butlers to carry in a box filled with wooden sticks.
“Let’s begin with Alicia. Are there any other high-ranking mages here?”
“Yes, Mage Adelaide. I am rank five.” Five students raised their hands.
“I am rank six.” Two other students raised theirs.
“Good. I want you to pass the emanator around—starting from the strongest mage in your group and moving to the weakest. Sense the mana it emits. Alicia, can you see the mana coming from this mana emanator?”
“Yes.” Alicia felt her skin tingle. The wooden stick looked normal, but now that she focused on it, she could see faint mana particles floating around it. They had always been there, but they were so subtle that she had ignored them before, assuming it was just her imagination.
The groups soon formed. In her group, hen Alicia held the stick, she felt her mana being drawn out slightly. “Ah. This is a magic tool. It’s siphoning my mana.”
“Argh! So bright!” The students in her group recoiled, covering their eyes as if a floodlight had suddenly flashed in front of them.
“Yes. This is the simplest magic tool a mage can enchant. You’ll be crafting these yourselves in the coming months. Despite being oblivious to mana detection, you were sensitive to the moment your mana was drawn, hmm?” Adelaide smiled, clearly amused.
“I’ve charged a lot of arcane stones, and I can also cast spells,” Alicia said.
“Ah, I see. So you didn’t slack off despite being a high-ranking mage. Good. Very good. I’m glad.” Adelaide nodded. “This is both the strength and weakness of private learning. You learned ahead in some areas, but fell behind in others. That’s what we’ll correct here at the Royal Academy.”
“Yes, thank you, Mage Adelaide.” Alicia nodded. She had wanted to show off, but her curiosity had been piqued instead. The lecture wasn’t nearly as boring as the ones she’d attended back on Earth.
Class is actually fun!
“Um… Mage Alicia, are you done with the mana emanator?” the mage in her group squinted.
“Huh? I don’t know? Are we done?” Alicia looked toward the professor. She then placed the stick back down, and the surrounding glow dimmed.
“So this is rank seven, huh? I can still sense mana emanating from the stick. That’s a lot of mana…”
“Well, I am the best mage in Shadowstep, after all.” Alicia puffed out her chest. “Now, your turn.”
“All right.” Another boy picked up the stick. Unlike before, it glowed much more dimly. If Alicia’s glow had been like a floodlight, this one was closer to a glow stick.
“What rank are you?” Alicia asked, staring intently at the boy holding the stick. Apparently, the emanator could also be used to judge a mage’s rank. If she focused closely, she could feel subtle differences between her classmates.
“I-I’m just rank four. Yeah. Not as high as you, Mage Alicia. Got a problem?” The boy, clearly insecure about his rank, spoke defensively.
“Not really. We’re training to detect mana, right? This exercise is about recognizing other mages’ ranks through perception. So this is rank four, huh… Okay. I’ll remember it,” Alicia said.
“Ah… yeah. You’re right. This training isn’t about flaunting rank—it’s about sensing mana.” The boy nodded. “All right. Next. You’re rank three, right?”
“Hiek! Um… yes. I’m rank three.” A shy girl nodded.
“Come on, look at me. Don’t curl up like that—it’s hard to judge your mana,” Alicia teased. “Why are you being shy, anyway? You’re a mage. Even though you’re rank three, you’re one of the most important members of society!”
“...Yes…” the girl nodded, but she still didn’t move. Her posture froze under the scrutiny of the nine other students observing her.
Alicia spent the next two hours memorizing her classmates’ mana signatures.