Shulim randomly picked a seat and sat down. As soon as she did, the entire desk and chair trembled slightly before slowly floating into the air. Shulim was not surprised by this, as she had already seen quite a few floating desks and chairs when she entered the classroom.
The height at which the desks and chairs hovered was directly proportional to the tiered steps below—the further back one sat, the higher they floated.
Rather than the floating furniture, what caught Shulim's attention was that some people's desks and chairs remained grounded on the floor.
She examined her desk closely and, sure enough, found a control magic circle in the upper left corner.
Manipulating the magic circle, she lowered her floating desk and chair back down to the ground.
Not long after Shulim lowered her seat, several more students entered in succession. After walking in, they either found a place to sit or approached others to chat.
It seemed that no matter where one went, there would always be people who were naturally sociable...
Chatter buzzed incessantly throughout the classroom.
Just then, a blonde girl with an extraordinary temperament suddenly walked in.
The moment she entered, she drew the gazes of everyone in the room.
“Your Highness Alicia?!”
Immediately, several teenage boys and girls who looked like nobles stood up to greet her.
Several desks and chairs hovering in the air also descended.
Alicia smiled slightly at the crowd. “No need for such formality, everyone. We are all classmates in the same class from now on, so just call me Alicia~!”
“Th-That... That is absolutely out of the question!”
The young nobles looked utterly panic-stricken.
“Oh my, is that not allowed~?” Alicia asked back with a smile.
“Well... if that is the case... please permit us to address you respectfully as Lady Alicia.”
“Mmm...”
Alicia seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but realizing that pressing further would only put them in a difficult spot, she did not insist.
“...Very well then.”
The young nobles let out a collective sigh of relief.
“It is our greatest honor!”
Alicia's arrival immediately turned her into the center of the entire class. A circle of people gathered around her, and the conversations among the rest of the room gravitated toward her to varying degrees.
Very few desks and chairs remained suspended in the air.
Pop!
At that moment, a sudden loud pop resonated through the air.
The classroom fell silent in an instant. Everyone turned in unison toward the source of the sound, only to see a middle-aged professor in a black robe with long black hair standing at the classroom doorway.
“Alright, quiet down and return to your seats. Class is about to begin!”
With the instructor's arrival, everyone in the classroom found their seats one after another.
The professor walked up to the podium and scanned the entire room. Seeing that everyone was seated, he tapped his hand on the podium. Immediately, all the students' desks and chairs, along with the podium beneath his feet, floated into the air, while a glowing blackboard projected behind him.
“First, allow me to introduce myself—”
The professor on the podium drew a short, pitch-black wand from his sleeve and pointed it at the blackboard behind him. In an instant, the blackboard changed, and a name slowly materialized on its surface.
“—I am Grisa Lando, and starting today, I will be serving as your instructor.”
Grisa introduced himself in this manner.
“I know some of you possess noble status, some come from distant lands, and some have extraordinary backgrounds. Every single one of you is someone remarkable. However—”
His tone abruptly shifted, and he spoke with grave seriousness:
“—regardless of what status you held before, sitting here right now, you are merely mages! That is your primary identity during your time at this academy! Do not forget why you came here.”
The classroom remained in dead silence.
“I am not a fan of excessive noise. The next time I step into this classroom, I hope to see mature mages rather than a bunch of chattering, immature brats.”
Grisa paused and looked around the classroom once more.
“I hope I will never see you fail to live up to the title of mage in the future...”
“—Now then, let us begin class!”
Bang—!
Just at that moment, the classroom door that Grisa had previously closed was shoved open quite violently.
“I-I'm so sorry—! I got lost and arrived late!”
“...”
The classroom instantly fell silent, every set of eyes snapping toward this sudden intruder.
Grisa's expression was especially stern as he silently stared at the late white-haired catgirl.
“...I-I am really, truly sorry—!!!”
Realizing how bad the atmosphere was, Mico bowed deeply in apology, her voice trembling slightly.
Grisa appeared quite irritated, but seeing that she had not done it intentionally and had a genuinely contrite attitude, he took a deep breath and chose not to pursue the matter.
“Today is the first day, so I will let it pass. But remember—do not let there be a next time!”
Mico nodded repeatedly in haste.
“Alright, find a seat. We are beginning the lesson.”
“Yes, sir...”
Not daring to be picky, Mico immediately sat down at the nearest empty seat.
As Mico's desk and chair rose into midair, Grisa commenced his first lecture.
“As your supervising instructor, I will be teaching your magical guidance courses for the next three years. Beyond that, I am also responsible for your general affairs, including your overall academic progress.”
“Before officially instructing you in magic, I will outline Manacos's curricular requirements, lest you reach graduation without even knowing what is required to graduate...”
...
Shulim had already learned a good deal about Manacos from Collette. Combined with Professor Grisa's current explanation, she now had a clear understanding of the academy.
In addition to the standard magic instruction classes, Manacos had academic compulsory subjects such as History, Astronomy, and Magical Biology, as well as various elective subjects including Potions, Magic Formations, Magical Engineering, and Alchemy.
According to the requirements, everyone had to choose at least one elective subject as a required track and submit a graduation thesis in that subject before they could graduate.
After careful consideration, Shulim decided to choose Magic Formations and Potions—which she was already skilled in—as her required electives. Potions needed no explanation, as it had proven immensely helpful to her thus far. As for Magic Formations, it was because the subject encompassed knowledge of ancient scripts and formations.
Although Semilis possessed what could be called the greatest repository of knowledge in the world, time had been limited, and it was impossible for her to pass all of that knowledge to Shulim in such a short period. As such, Semilis had once advised her.
Much of the magic and knowledge circulating today was not the finest this world had to offer, and if she had the opportunity in the future, she should try exploring ancient ruins.
Because of this, Shulim chose Magic Formations so that she would be able to decipher the magic she might encounter in ancient ruins down the line.
Furthermore, there was no need to worry about the thesis requirement; although one could take multiple elective tracks as required subjects, they only needed to submit a graduation thesis for any one of them upon graduation, rather than one for each.
...
...
Rate on N.U.
