Chapter 25
The place Karnarov had called Aris and me to was a large lecture hall.
No, it would be more accurate to call it an auditorium.
That wasn't all.
There were no chairs except for about thirty in the back, leaving a spacious magic practice area in front.
The walls were made of black rock that looked like it could easily withstand several spells.
It didn't seem like a place we should be in.
The others who had been called here had similar reactions.
There were about fifteen people here.
“This is... the classroom used by the upperclassmen, isn't it?”
“I heard it's difficult to borrow.”
Aris asked me,
“Why do you think he called us?”
“How should I know?”
I looked around.
Quite a few people had been dragged here without knowing why.
“Hmm. So you were called too.”
It was Robert who spoke to me.
Even after having that done to him, he was remarkably easygoing.
I like people without grudges. I see him in a new light.
“I'll never forget that you gave me such a gift.”
Nope.
He was just regular Robert after all.
I could ignore him.
“It even has a cooling function, so use it well.”
“...Hmph. The item itself seems to be decent, so I'll forgive you.”
That tsundere bastard.
With his handsome face, he was probably popular among the girls.
I was a little envious.
Aside from Aris, only weirdos ever seem to gather around me.
Of course, that bastard was included.
“Ugh, what a pain.”
I lay down flat and thought.
Karnarov still isn't here. Should I just leave?
It was almost dinnertime, and I was getting hungry.
I thought this all the time, but this body had terrible fuel efficiency.
As I was thinking that and preparing to leave the classroom, someone lightly poked me in the back with a finger.
“Aris? I was just going to leave if he didn't show up by exactly on time... huh?”
“Yaaawn. You're Yumia, right?”
A girl with striking, disheveled, pale-pink hair was calling out to me.
“…Who?”
But this girl's mana was extraordinary.
She had more pure mana than anyone else here.
“I'm Linia. I've always been grateful to you. I don't like attracting attention.”
Linia said that and left.
What was that about?
Since she'd thanked me, I decided to take it as a good thing.
***
Unfortunately, Karnarov appeared the moment it was time.
He even emerged from behind the auditorium's blackboard as if he'd been there all along.
“Now, for a delightful extra class.”
Half the students were happy, and the other half were sad.
There were even more happy students than sad ones.
For the record, I was on the sad side.
“Naturally, you failed to meet my standards this time.”
Karnarov paused for effect.
“Except for two of you, that is.”
The lively atmosphere sank again.
Two?
I didn't know whether I'd done it perfectly.
But even taking that into account, only two?
“Still, even if your skill level falls short of that, the data you submitted shows that you properly learned basic attack magic.”
Mm-hmm. That's right.
That was the one thing I'd worked myself to the bone on.
“For students like that, simply repeating basic attack magic is not the only answer. It is more efficient to learn new magic alongside it.”
I want to stop casting Bullet already... huh?
“Therefore, I will teach you defensive magic.”
“This is an accelerated course in Basic Defensive Magic, a second-semester subject. If you learn it properly and pass the final test, you will not have to take the course. Of course, you will still have to take the exam.”
“Huh?”
“Really?”
“We can drop one subject in the second semester!”
“There are classes on basic magic much more often too!”
“You could call it a gift for working so hard on your assignments.”
“Really? There isn't some catch?”
“There will be no report. Instead, the extra assignments completed by the top and second-ranked students will be added to your Basic Attack Magic assignment. That won't be a problem, correct?”
“No problem!!”
“It's fine!! Let us do it!!”
Huh.
Then wasn't a hellgate opening over there?
Did these guys even know what kind of situation they were getting themselves into?
Or had they been swept up in Robert's incitement and failed to realize their situation??
The assignments hadn't decreased at all.
If anything, hadn't one defensive magic assignment been added?
...Is this what a professor is like?!
Amazing. If only I had a silver tongue like that...!
‘Of course, I'm different.’
I was already battle-hardened when it came to writing reports.
Just changing the incantation took me two hours at most, including the report, with time to spare.
I'll finish the entire week's work in a day and go conquer the tower!
“This is the magic circle for defensive magic.”
It was about as difficult as the magic circle for basic attack magic.
The mathematician of the magic square spun around and around.
Okay, memorized it.
Karnarov demonstrated defensive magic.
“Casting, Shield.”
A transparent, round barrier that slightly refracted the light enveloped Karnarov.
Suddenly, the knight mannequin standing against the wall began moving with a clattering sound.
One student shouted,
“Ah, Professor! Look out...!”
The knight mannequin rushed toward Karnarov and swung its sword with frightening force.
CLANG!!
The blow was stopped cold.
“As long as there is enough mana, it can basically block any attack other than aura or magic.”
“Wooooah!”
“It stopped a sword...?”
Even I couldn't help but focus.
Honestly, I'd thought my inventory shield technique meant I wouldn't need defensive magic at all.
But seeing Karnarov's demonstration, this really was a cheat spell.
“Asking you to modify it as well would be too much, wouldn't it?”
Mm-hmm. Exactly.
Asking for that too would be excessive.
And even without modification, it was useful enough.
No, it was more than useful enough.
‘But isn't this too good a deal?’
If I could obtain defensive magic, I figured I could climb the tower higher and more comfortably.
A shield had mass, and it blocked my vision while I was using it to defend myself.
Even Dragon Eyes couldn't see through a shield.
But defensive magic placed no weight on me.
It even seemed to remain active once cast until it was broken or the mana supply was cut off.
“Will this let me charge in with defensive magic on too!”
My heart pounded.
Now I would truly become a damage-dealing tank...
“Huh?”
Ah. I'd forgotten Aris was standing beside me.
Perhaps she'd sensed danger, because Aris's radar started beeping.
If she caught me, I'd get a hundred-percent guaranteed lecture...!
“It's nothing.”
“I thought I heard something strange.”
“You heard wrong.”
While we were doing that, Karnarov returned the knight mannequin to its original position with a single wave of his staff.
What was that?
He'd only waved his staff, but the knight mannequin had gone back there on its own?
Was this his unique magic too?
‘No, this isn't the time! I need to escape quickly...!’
“Then I will distribute the magic circles, so you may leave. And.”
I quickly snatched up the paper with the magic circle drawn on it and tried to disappear outside.
”Yumia, Robert, Aris, Linia. You four stay behind.”
Ah.
I knew this would happen.
***
So Linia was the pink-haired girl from earlier.
No wonder her mana had seemed extraordinary.
She must have been the top student who received the same assignment as me.
She stood there even while yawning.
“You changed the incantation and mana infusion patterns while practicing. Your understanding of basic attack magic is also quite high. That's why I gathered you separately.”
“But that's one thing for Linia and me. Why them?”
“Hehe. I watched over their shoulders and copied them from the middle onward, too.”
Aris smiled shyly.
She did this voluntarily?
Aris wasn't normal either.
“But how did you know?”
“Isn't it obvious? When I heard that the top and second-ranked students had received different assignments, I pestered the top student until the top student told me.”
Linia looked at Robert with a fed-up expression.
“You really are persistent.”
As expected, I had to be the only normal person among them.
Mm-hmm.
“So, since it has been confirmed that all four of you have mastered basic attack magic...”
“Wait!”
“What is it?”
I spoke as if begging him.
I was genuinely desperate.
If my assignments increased here, I would die...!
“No more assignments...”
But Karnarov spoke as if he had no idea what I meant.
“What are you talking about? I was planning to give you a suitable reward.”
“Huh?”
“Well, since this is a special assignment, I cannot give you any additional points, but I can give you something myself.”
As he said that, Karnarov took out his staff.
When he waved his hand, a small hole appeared, and Karnarov reached inside it.
What came out with his hand were two short artifacts.
He handed one each to Linia and me.
They were slim, straight daggers.
A silver image of a dragon breathing fire was engraved on each scabbard.
I could feel a gentle, warm mana from them.
“It's a fire-attribute magic sword. It's called the Flame Demon Sword. Congratulations. You have successfully met my standards.”
“…Huh?”
An artifact?
It did look expensive...
Ignoring my reaction, Karnarov continued speaking.
“You can infuse it with mana to use elemental magic, and you can also use it as a weapon. It will be convenient in many ways.”
“A-a real magic sword!?”
“Something like this...?”
Aris and Linia also seemed surprised.
Yet again, I was the only one out of the loop.
“Two should be enough. Elemental magic is part of the second-year curriculum, so they should prove quite useful until then.”
“Oh, a replacement for a lighter. Thanks.”
Now I wouldn't have to use a cheap lighter to ignite solid fuel or candles anymore!
Yay!
“...I do not know what a lighter is, but for something that is, even at a low rank, on its way to becoming an imperial treasure, that is a fairly insulting name.”
“Of course not.”
I'd let my true feelings slip a little.
So this was valuable.
The scabbard and hilt certainly were elegant.
“When you infuse it with mana, flames will spring from the blade, so use it well.”
I immediately infused it with mana.
The warmth was intense, and I liked it quite a bit.
Could I slice skeletons with this like a thermal cutter if I beat them with it?
After Linia thanked him, Karnarov continued.
“And here is the reward for all of you.”
He handed each of us a bound stack of papers.
“These are modified incantations for basic attack magic.”
I skimmed through them.
...This is the real prize, isn't it?
They were applications that could be used after mastering basic attack magic.
There were additional magic circles that could fire multiple shots with a single casting.
There were also techniques useful for sharply changing direction, among other things.
They were incredibly useful.
"I hope they prove helpful."
Karnarov said it indifferently.
Honestly, it was unexpected.
I'd thought that even after working myself to the bone on the assignments, there would be no reward beyond improving my skills.
This made all the effort worthwhile.
Today was turning out to be a good day.
I was just turning around to leave when...
Karnarov hit me with one last jab.
“Ah, and just to be safe, stop practicing in the West Forest.”
“…You went there again?"
Ah. I'd been found out.
Aris's gaze was piercing.
Damn it.
No wonder things had seemed to be going so smoothly.