Magic Class

The next class is magic. It was another joint class, so I had to go to the training grounds.

However, we didn't need to change for magic class, so there was no need to rush. All I had to do was put my things in my locker.

"Ronnie, shall we go to the training grounds?"

"Hmm? The next class is magic, right?"

"Yes, but..."

Ronnie looked puzzled. Why was that?

"I don't take magic class. My magic power is only one, you know."

"Oh, right... I forgot."

That's right. Only people with a magic power of four or higher were required to take magic class.

"Then I'm the only one going to class."

"Yeah. I'll head home first."

"I see. Then see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow!"

Ronnie said that and went home. Since I was always with Ronnie at the Royal Academy, I might feel lonely without him...

Thinking that, I headed to the training grounds alone.

After I arrived at the training grounds and waited for a while, the students began to gather, but there were far fewer of them than in swordsmanship class.

There really aren't many people with a magic power of four or higher. Mom and Dad did say they were rare. Come to think of it, Marie still hasn't had her magic measured, has she? I wonder if it'll happen soon.

By the next time I go home, she may have already been tested. I'm looking forward to hearing the results!

As I waited and thought about that, the magic teachers entered the training grounds. There sure are a lot of them.

One, two, three... six people. Oh, I see—there's one teacher for each affinity.

"Now, let us begin magic class. Magic class will be divided by affinity. Also, although I had you gather here at the training grounds today, from next time onward please gather at the outdoor magic training grounds. Rainy days are the exception."

If I remember right, there was an outdoor magic training ground during the facility tour. So we'll be doing it there from next time on.

It's going to be hot outside...

"Now, please separate according to your affinity. I teach water magic."

The teachers announced their affinities one after another, and we split up accordingly. There were only three other students with recovery affinity besides me. So it really was the least common affinity.

Of course, Martine was with me, too.

"I am Joffrey Ossen, and I teach recovery-affinity magic. I look forward to working with you."

He was a serious-looking young teacher. He seemed quite strict.

"In this class, you will use recovery-affinity magic until your magic power is nearly depleted, with the goal of improving your spell accuracy. Students with other affinities will learn how to use magic while fighting with swords, but recovery magic is not used in the middle of battle, so we will not be holding that part of the class."

Oh... It was a brainless class where we did nothing but use magic until our magic power ran out.

I wonder if that actually serves any purpose. Well, maybe our accuracy will improve a little once we get used to it...

"As you all probably know, when casting magic, it is important to clearly imagine the phenomenon that will occur after the spell is activated."

In this world, they did properly teach people to imagine the phenomenon that occurred after magic was activated. However, the most important part was the process leading up to the spell's activation.

I only knew that because I had memories of living in modern Japan... I wish they would do a little more research in this country.

Maybe having something too convenient makes people stop thinking?

"When using recovery magic, you must clearly imagine the injured area in an uninjured state. For example, if you want to heal a cut on your arm, it is best to look at your arm, establish a clear image, and then use the magic."

Hmm... I suppose that image is better than nothing, but I didn't think it would be very effective.

I needed to hide my off-the-charts magic power and recovery ability in this class. This class might be more difficult than I expected...

How long did it take ordinary people to run out of magic power? I'd taught Martine all sorts of ways to imagine things that could reduce the amount of magic she used, so she was no help as a reference at all. I needed to observe the others carefully.

More importantly, I needed to make sure Martine was careful too!

When I realized that, I looked over at Martine, and she happened to be looking in my direction as well.

When our eyes met, Martine nodded subtly, just enough that no one around us would notice. Did that mean she understood? Well, I had no choice but to trust her.

"Also, practicing recovery magic is difficult when there are no injured people, so from now on, we will go to the knights' training grounds to practice. Starting next time, after gathering here, you will take a Royal Academy carriage to the knights' training grounds, so please remember that."

We were going to the knights' training grounds. Having injured people around would certainly make practice more efficient.

And I was looking forward to seeing the knights' training grounds!

"We cannot go to the knights' training grounds today, so we will practice Light magic. When using Light magic, it is important to imagine the size, brightness, and color of the light. Change them as I instruct you from now on."

Light magic, huh? Come to think of it, when I lived at home, I used Light constantly in the living room and bedrooms, but the ducal estate was bright everywhere, so I hadn't used it there.

Commoner homes used oil lamps and candles for lighting, so they were generally dim. During the day, people opened the windows to let in the light from outside, but it could still get dim depending on the time. I hated that, so whenever I was at home, I kept Light active almost constantly.

Mom and the others said it was too bright, though.

Still, Mom and the others seemed to gradually get used to the brightness, so returning to a dim environment would be inconvenient...

I wanted to install light orbs at my family home too, but Mom and Dad didn't have the recovery affinity, so they couldn't recharge them...

If Marie had the recovery affinity, it might be a good idea to buy a light orb for them.

"First, create a light about the size of your palm. The light should be dim and white."

It had been a while since I'd used Light. "Light."

It seemed to work without any problems, which was a relief. Looking around, everyone else seemed to have managed it without any trouble too.

"No problems so far. Now, change the color to red and move the Light to near the ceiling."

For a while after that, we practiced Light magic by following similar instructions. I was starting to get bored...

I wanted to start practical training with the knights already.

"All right. Everyone seems to be doing fine. Put out your Light."

Phew, it was finally over. After putting out my Light, I casually looked around and saw that everyone was sweating and breathing heavily.

What? Why? We hadn't done anything particularly strenuous, had we?

"You must be tired, so take a short break. You, though... why aren't you tired?"

Ossen-sensei looked at me with a puzzled expression as he asked that.

What was I supposed to say to that...? Were they tired from standing? Or from using magic? But all we'd done was use Light.

"Um... Why is everyone tired...?"

I wondered if asking would make me seem strange, but I asked anyway. When Ossen-sensei heard my question, he looked extremely surprised, then exasperated.

"Because you used magic, obviously."

So it was the magic after all...! But it had only been Light. I'd never run out of magic power from using Light before...

The people here had magic power levels of four and five, right? Did ordinary people really have so little magic power!?

"I-I see. Then... I seem to have more magic power than most people..."

Would that explanation fool him? Since I'd only used Light, my magic power shouldn't seem impossibly large...

"Indeed, among people with a magic power of five, some are barely above four, while others have considerably more. You must be one of those with a great deal of magic power."

There really were differences like that! I was safe. That was close... From now until I graduated from the Royal Academy, I needed to be careful to seem like someone with only slightly more magic power than average.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Please devote yourself to training so you can make good use of that magic power."

"Understood."

Phew, I was glad I hadn't seemed strange. Still, Light consumed quite a lot of magic power for ordinary people. Or maybe it was because we'd changed its color and size and moved it around.

In any case, I needed to get a general idea of how much magic power ordinary people had.

After that, since we couldn't use any more magic, we listened to Ossen-sensei talk, and the class came to an end.

I was looking forward to the next class too. The knights' training grounds were every man's dream!