Chapter 50 - The Magic Otaku Ascends a Tier
"An off-campus activity, huh. I'm looking forward to going outside the academy for the first time in a while, but I wonder where we're going and what we'll be doing."
"I wouldn't take it so lightly, Saki-san. It may be called an 'activity,' but I've heard it's more like a military exercise or an expedition."
During the first break of the day, as the usual five of us gathered around my desk, the one who reacted first to my casual question was, surprisingly, Lady Elisha, who was holding Ruria in her lap next to me. Beside her, Roche's eyes widened in shock, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. What's with him? Is he shocked that his role as the first one to make a witty remark was stolen? I wish he wouldn't have such a strange sense of pride about such trivial things.
Just a little while ago, during the first class of the morning, Head Professor Azadh had explained the off-campus activity scheduled for a month from now. Under the supervision of the professors, all the first-year students would go outside the academy to participate in lessons and experiences that couldn't be done on campus. It's a bit surprising that a magic academy like this would have such a normal school event.
Come to think of it, three months have already passed since we enrolled in this academy in the midst of the harsh winter cold at the beginning of the year. The days have been getting warmer recently, and the weather will become even more pleasant from now on. The new first-year students have also gotten quite used to the academy, so I suppose this is a good opportunity for a change of pace and to alleviate the frustration of not being able to leave the academy grounds, by having a group outing.
But according to Lady Elisha, this "off-campus activity" is completely different from the field trips or new student welcome excursions of my previous life. Her words were peppered with rather alarming terms like "exercise" and "expedition."
"Do you think we'll have to run to our destination? With Professor Azadh at the front, singing some crude army song, and us repeating it in chorus as we run in formation."
"Of course not!"
As I voiced the image of a Marine Corps boot camp that I had imagined back when I heard Ahab Azadh was becoming a professor, Roche shot back a retort in less than a second. It seems Lady Elisha's earlier comment had truly threatened his raison d'être. His uncharacteristically sharp tone suggested he had spoken in a real hurry.
"It seems you have some prejudice against the military, Saki, but the Royal Magic Corps that the professor commanded back in his military days was composed entirely of magic users, so they don't do running drills. We've never done anything like that in class, have we?"
"Oh, right. So running, marching in formation, strength training, and climbing ropes on command are all things that knights do, then?"
"K-Knights don't really do that stuff either. It's m-mostly squires, and g-general soldiers. They don't ride horses and need to form ranks."
As expected of a knight's son, Isak stammered out an explanation of the situation. Come to think of it, the training scenes in that movie were for completely inexperienced recruits to get basic training. Since magic users and knights are equivalent to officers in the military, they don't do things like running or push-ups. A magic user's training is mainly magic, and a knight's is mainly weapons and horsemanship.
Also, a squire is basically a knight-in-training. On the battlefield, a knight is usually accompanied by several soldiers, and the squire is the leader of these retainers. Not only do they assist the knight in battle, but they also carry their master's spare weapons. Most knights build up their leg strength by running across battlefields and their arm strength by swinging polearms and carrying shields during their time as squires.
"The important thing to remember is that nobles generally travel by vehicle. Be it on horseback or by carriage. Conversely, traveling long distances on one's own feet would be seen as undignified by others. Therefore, we will not be walking to the destination of our off-campus activity."
Furthermore, Lady Elisha added a supplementary explanation from a noble's perspective. The way she casually explained these matters was, as expected, befitting of the daughter of a great noble. It would have been even better if she hadn't said it while struggling to nuzzle the cheek of a resisting Ruria.
When I think about it, most of us first-years are teenagers, and about a third of us are children of nobles. Many of them probably haven't even walked a short distance, and most are still physically and stamina-wise children. There was no way they could handle the kind of military-style forced march I had imagined. In fact, I'm pretty sure Ruria and I would be the first to collapse. We are seven, after all.
What a shame. I was looking forward to a forced march to the destination carrying our own equipment, followed by survival training including setting up a camp, procuring food, and building a bivouac. The next day would be a forced reconnaissance training and assault training on a mock enemy position, and even a suppression training with full firepower. Well, it's impossible, though. We don't have the ability to carry it out in the first place, and who would plan and organize it?
"When you put it like that, it doesn't sound like much of an expedition. Are we just going on an outing in a carriage?"
"Well, you see…"
As soon as I voiced my question, Roche cut in again, his words overlapping with mine. His eyes sparkled as he explained, a truly joyful smile on his face.
"Every year, the off-campus activity is held at a manor in the outskirts of the academy city, not quite on the frontier, but surprisingly far away. We travel to the destination by carriage, but under the professor's supervision, we experience camping, practice spells in a wide-open space, and even have mock battles between students. It's actually quite a full-fledged event."
"D-During the off-campus activity, we'll be d-divided into several groups. T-The professors will grade which group was the most outstanding and announce it later."
"I wonder how the groups will be divided. I, for one, would naturally like to be in the same group as Ruria-chan."
"No."
Pushing away Lady Elisha's approaching cheek, Ruria immediately rejected her request. Come to think of it, it's possible that Ruria and I will be in different groups. If that happens, will this childhood friend of mine be able to get along with others? No, no, Ruria has been living at the academy for three months now, she must be used to her classmates by now. It'll be fine, I think. It'll probably be fine, right? …Maybe I should prepare myself, just in case.
"In any case, it's still a month away. I'm looking forward to it, but that doesn't mean we should neglect our daily classes. I think it's the accumulation of daily effort that allows you to demonstrate your strength at special times like these."
"Well said, Saki-dono. That is quite a fine sentiment."
"Huh?!"
Startled by a voice from a completely unexpected direction, I turned around. There, having approached without my noticing, was Yuli, with his usual crony in tow, arms crossed and nodding with a self-satisfied look on his face.
"To not be arrogant despite a privileged birth and God-given talent, and to not neglect daily effort. I have just reminded myself that I too should be so."
Yuli spoke to me in a theatrical pose, running a hand through his hair as usual. This guy is so annoying. I can grudgingly accept him unilaterally viewing me as a rival, but I wish he'd stop getting in my face all the time. Dealing with you is exhausting. Also, that sounded like you were praising me, but you were actually praising yourself. I noticed, okay? Never mind the birth part, but don't call yourself a gift from heaven.
And so on and so forth, a mountain of things I wanted to say welled up inside me, but I grit my teeth and forced a friendly-looking smile as I responded.
"Why, Yuli-san, you seem to be in good spirits. Are you also interested in the off-campus activity?"
"Of course. The off-campus activity tests not only one's skill as a magic user, but also one's leadership ability to unite a group. As a member of the nobility, and as one who will one day carry the banner of Master Mordecai's faction, I shall prove that I possess the command ability and talent for winning people over worthy of that station."
"I-Is that so? How admirable."
As I listened to his lines, filled with a mysterious confidence whose origin was a complete unknown, I was struck by a hallucinatory headache. The fact that he doesn't doubt for a second that he'll be the group leader shows that his self-consciousness is truly ingrained.
Oh, but Yuli's last line reminded me. Wasn't his master, Elder Mordecai, supposed to be joining our Arcalai faction soon? I think I heard something like that when I was exchanging [Sendings] with my father the other day.
Ugh. Does that mean this guy, his disciple, will also be joining the lowest ranks of our faction? Oh man, give me a break. Taking in a guy who's so difficult to handle both politically and personally… what kind of punishment is that?
But still, I wonder what kind of face this guy will make when Elder Mordecai's entry into the Arcalai faction is officially announced. Being incorporated into the faction of the rival he's so obsessed with, and at the very bottom of the ladder at that… I wonder if Yuli, with his pride ten times that of a normal person, can handle it. This time, his identity might really collapse, and he might even quit the academy and become a shut-in on his family's estate.
…I don't know, for a moment there, I felt like I caught a glimpse of a future where everyone could be happy. Was it just a daytime illusion created by my earnest wish?
"? Is something wrong, Saki?"
"No. It's nothing, Yuli-san."
I found myself staring at Yuli, who continued his grand speech before me, with an involuntary warmth in my eyes.
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(Huh? Wait, did that just work?!)
That afternoon, after a morning that began with the announcement of the off-campus activity and the subsequent annoyance of being pestered by Yuli, the five of us were practicing magic in the spell experiment room as usual. Suddenly, Roche's voice echoed in my mind. I instinctively turned towards him and my eyes met his. He was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at me with wide, astonished eyes.
"Huh?! Roche, was that just now…!"
As I rushed over to him, calling out in surprise, Roche greeted me with a broad smile that was rare for him.
"Yes. I finally succeeded in casting [Sending] with spell gesture omission!"
At his words, the other three came over to us. The next to speak was Isak, who was usually more reserved.
"R-Roche, did you really succeed in omitting the gesture?"
"Yes, I just sent a 'sending' to Saki. You heard it clearly, right?"
"Yeah, I heard it for sure. But it's a bit hard to tell with [Sending]. Roche, try casting [Light] with gesture omission this time."
Roche nodded with a "Yes!" at my words, clasped his hands behind his back again, closed his eyes, and concentrated. After a short pause, he opened his eyes and simultaneously shouted, "[Light]!" A sphere of soft light appeared, floating in the air in the center of our circle.
"I did it! I did it, Saki, it worked with [Light] too!!"
Roche threw his clasped hands up above his head as if in victory, expressing his joy with his whole body. His friends, myself included, showered him with words of congratulations.
"Congratulations, Roche. With this, you're probably the third person to master gesture omission, after me and Ruria."
"C-Congratulations, Roche. Y-You finally did it."
"Congratulations, Roche-san. I'll have to work hard too."
"…"
I was genuinely happy, but the expressions on Isak and Lady Elisha's faces were complex. Isak, in particular, had a look that was a mixture of joy, pride, and regret. He was one of the older students at the Arcalai family's private academy and had known Roche longer than I had. Roche, who had been somewhat of a straggler, had not only enrolled in the academy with him but had now finally surpassed him. He must have a lot on his mind.
Also, I feel like there's one person who's been silent and hasn't changed their expression, but that must be my imagination. There's no way anyone in this group would be so narrow-minded as to not celebrate a friend's achievement. Just then, I realized something and spoke up.
"Wait a minute. I was so focused on the gesture omission, but doesn't this mean that Roche also succeeded in learning his fourth spell at the same time? You know, until now, he only knew [Light], [Magic Missile], and [Armor], right?"
At my words, my friends exchanged glances. Then, as if it had just dawned on them, they started talking.
"Come to think of it, you're right. Saki and Ruria were so far ahead that I wasn't really paying attention."
"I-I guess that makes him the third first-year to learn a fourth spell, after the two of them."
"Roche-san's pace of learning is still more than fast enough compared to a normal student. You two learned four spells during your time at the private academy before enrolling, didn't you? It's wrong to even compare."
The three of them looked at me and Ruria with a mixture of warmth and resignation. Hey, don't say it like it's our fault. What can I say? We tried it, and it worked.
"Well, we can't afford to keep losing. We must master spell gesture omission after Roche-san, no matter what."
"Y-Yeah, we have to try harder."
After a round of celebrating Roche's success with spell gesture omission, Isak and Lady Elisha were fired up to get back to practice. It seemed that Roche's success, rather than mine and Ruria's, was a significant motivator. The thought that if he could do it, they could too, seemed to have ignited their fighting spirit.
Hmm? If Roche could do it, then the two of them should be able to as well?
An idea struck me, and I approached Isak, who was practicing gesture omission. Isak had his arms crossed and his eyes closed in concentration, chanting "[Sending]," but it didn't seem to be working. As he looked a little disheartened, I called out to him.
"Isak, why don't you try casting it normally?"
"Huh? N-Normally?"
I was a little hurt by the surprised look Isak gave me as he looked down at me. I know it can't be helped since our ages and heights are completely different, but for a boy, being looked down on really stings. On the other hand, if he were to kneel down to meet my eye level, I would probably explode on the spot. Thus is the complex psychology of a seven-year-old boy.
No, that's not it. I came here to give Isak advice. I took a breath, exhaled, and continued, my mind calm.
"Yes, normally. Draw the [Sigil] in the air with your finger, look at me carefully, imagine your voice reaching me, and cast it."
"Uh, um, okay, I understand."
Isak obediently did as he was told, extending his hand and drawing an oval [Sigil] with his finger. As he said "[Sending]," his eyes, which were fixed on me, widened.
(Huh? C-Could this be…?)
I clapped my hands and quietly told Isak.
"Congratulations on successfully casting [Sending], Isak. With this, you've also learned your fourth spell."
At those words, Roche and Lady Elisha, who had been watching us since I approached Isak, rushed over again. Roche was the first to congratulate Isak.
"Congratulations, Isak-san! You've learned your fourth spell too!"
"Th-Thanks, Roche."
Isak and Roche shared their joy, almost hugging each other. Lady Elisha, however, didn't join them and quietly came to my side. She whispered to me.
"Saki-san, what is the meaning of this?"
"It's simple. We've been practicing together every day. Roche had a head start on gesture omission and succeeded first, but I figured that if he could learn a fourth spell, Isak must have reached the same stage. I thought that maybe he just hadn't realized he was already capable of casting a fourth spell because he was too focused on gesture omission."
"I see, so that's what it was…"
"And that goes for you too, Elisha-san, you know?"
"Huh?"
I gently pushed her on the back and had her stand in front of the target in the spell experiment room. Lady Elisha, though a little confused, did as I prompted and drew an oval [Sigil] with her finger, then cast the spell.
"[Magic Missile]"
With a thud, an arrow of magical light struck the scarecrow-like target for attack spells. Lady Elisha covered her cheeks with her hands in surprise, and I nodded, thinking, just as I thought. With this, Lady Elisha has learned her, let's see, third spell, I think?
In other words, these three had all reached the point where they could learn new spells, but they had been so focused on practicing gesture omission that they hadn't realized it. It was a coincidence that Roche succeeded in both gesture omission and his fourth spell this time, which is how I noticed, but it's possible that Isak or Lady Elisha could have learned a new spell first. Well, there's no way to verify that now.
With Roche, Isak, and Lady Elisha all learning their fourth and third spells in quick succession, the excitement in the room reached its peak. Roche and Isak were showering Lady Elisha with congratulations, but she was too busy trying to share her joy with Ruria, who was running away from her, to hear them. In the end, Ruria hid behind me, and I was caught along with her, and we both ended up getting nuzzled.
"Ruria."
"Mhm?"
I called out to Ruria, who was struggling to push away Lady Elisha's face again.
"Our three friends have proven the results of their daily efforts. We can't just stand by and watch, can we?"
"Mhm."
"Elisha-san, could you please let us go for a moment?"
When I said that to her from within her arms, Lady Elisha seemed to sense something in my words and immediately released her embrace. I took Ruria's hand and walked towards the entrance of the spell experiment room.
Stopping in front of the door, I extended my hand. I imagined drawing a perfect circle in the air with my fingertips, and a line of blue light following it to close the circle. I pictured the lock on the door, the latch inside falling with a soft click, and chanted, "[Lock]."
Click.
A quiet sound, and the door was locked. I reached for the handle and jiggled it, confirming that the door wouldn't open. Then I took out the key to the experiment room that the professors had entrusted to me, turned it with a click, opened the door again, and turned back.
Ruria was staring at me with her usual half-lidded eyes. Her hands were hanging limply at her sides. In that same posture, Ruria chanted "[Lock]" just as I had, and again, with a soft click, the door closed.
I raised one hand and high-fived the hand she raised. Then we both turned to our friends and, with expressions as cool as we could muster, declared with an inner sense of triumph.
"We've learned a new spell too. That makes twelve for us."
"…"
But there were no words of congratulations, only blank stares and silent pressure. Huh? Why? Isn't this the part where the excitement explodes even more?
The next day. It was announced throughout the academy that Ruria and I had mastered all twelve First Tier spells and, after only three months of enrollment, had earned the qualification to advance to the Second Tier. In the shadow of this news, the fact that our friends had learned new spells became a non-issue, and it faded from the memories of our classmates as a mere, "Oh, is that so?"
Somehow, my bad.