“Hm? Felter?”
“Yeah.”
As I read the name and tilted my head, Felter appeared, opening the door. While I blinked in surprise, Felter boldly walked past me and sat in the front row by the window.
“…This isn’t just about physical enhancement, you know?”
“I know.”
Felter snorted in response to my words. His attitude was brazen, but somewhat cute. Perhaps this was Felter’s true self, befitting his age.
I could feel the tension in my shoulders easing.
I looked around at the six students and decided to give a simple greeting.
“I am Aoi Konominato. I don’t have a specific subject assigned, so I decided to teach about magical knowledge and ways of thinking that seem easy for anyone to participate in. I’m quite new as a teacher, so please feel free to point out anything you don’t understand in my words. Let’s make this a fruitful class together. Nice to meet you all.”
As I bowed my head, applause broke out from everyone. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I turned my gaze to everyone.
“Now then, please give a brief self-introduction.”
“Y-Yes! I’m Shenley Lou Rosenstiel! I’m from the Holy Empire of Maple Leaf! Nice to meet you!”
After applauding the energetic greeting from Shenley, one of the three female students raised her hand to introduce herself.
“I’m Aile Hedge Butler! I’m from the Court Highland Federation! Nice to meet you!”
The girl with vermilion hair bowed her head as she said this. She was tall, but more than anything, her name and eyes gave me a sense of déjà vu.
“Ah, are you related to Court?”
When I asked this, Aile smiled happily.
“I’m his proud little sister!”
“Don’t say that yourself, Aile.”
I see, they’re siblings. I nodded with a smile and looked at the girl next to Aile who had pointed this out.
“Ah, I’m Liz Stuart. I came from Court Highland with Aile. Nice to meet you.”
The slightly chubby girl with light blue hair said this and bowed gracefully. She looks older due to her demeanor, but she’s probably about the same age as Aile.
Following Liz, the third girl opened her mouth.
“I’m Belle Barclay! I’m also from Court Highland with these two! Despite how I look, my specialty is fire magic!”
The girl with pale blonde hair, Belle, introduced herself proudly. She was petite and slender like Eliza, but gave an energetic impression.
Nodding to each of them, I looked at the hunched boy sitting a bit further back. He was a quiet-looking boy with dark green hair falling to his eyes.
“Ah, yes…! I-I’m Dean Stone. I’m from the Kingdom of Carvan. Um, I’m the fourth son of a newly ennobled baron family, so I’m not very noble-like. Ha ha…”
Adding what might have been a joke to his introduction, Dean lowered his head.
I smiled wryly at Dean, who was making himself smaller under everyone’s gaze, and finally looked at Felter.
With his arms crossed and shoulders shrugged, Felter opened his mouth.
“Felter Cain. I’m from the Bushmills Empire. If anyone tries to lay a hand on Aoi, come to me first. That’s all.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
I couldn’t help but ask. Could it be that he had become my bodyguard without me knowing? As I wondered about this, Felter glared at me with a stern face, then quickly averted his gaze.
“…In our Cain family, we respect those who have defeated us and strive to incorporate their strength. Whether by becoming their disciples or through marriage.”
“…That’s a unique family precept, isn’t it? So, Felter, you’re attending the class to become my disciple…?”
“…Something like that.”
Felter replied, seeming uncomfortable.
As I let my gaze wander in the unfamiliar atmosphere, Shenley looked towards the door and said, “Ah.”
When I turned to look, the door opened from the outside, and people came pouring in.
“Did we make it in time?”
“Sensei Aoi! We came right after our class ended!”
“…Excuse us.”
Strauss, Eliza, and Speyside appeared.
As the students and I were dumbfounded, the three of them sat down in the empty seats one by one.
“Now then, please begin.”
Strauss said this as if nothing had happened, and Eliza was also sitting up straight with a big smile.
“…Why are you all here?”
When I asked, Strauss answered with a straight face, and Eliza with a smile.
“Because I was interested.”
“Me too!”
After hearing their responses, I looked at Speyside’s face.
“…Even if it’s just in name, a senior teacher’s class is valuable. I hope the lesson won’t disappoint.”
For some reason, I felt like I was being insulted.
I sighed and then couldn’t help but laugh.
“…Hehe. Well then, let’s begin the lesson.”
As I said this and looked around, I spotted Glen’s face peeking in from outside the window, and I couldn’t help but twitch my cheek.
“I have a question.”
“…Yes, Strauss.”
As I responded to what must have been the umpteenth question, Strauss nodded and stood up.
“I understand that by kneading magical power while chanting, we change the form of magical power, and by saying the name of the spell, we activate it… I also understand that the power of thought has some influence there, but does it really have that much effect?”
At this question, the teachers leaned forward more eagerly than the students to listen.
“Chanting is like a rail system developed so that anyone can use magic. Each word has its own meaning, and it’s a technique that allows magic to be activated even if the image in your head is insufficient. That’s certainly amazing, but it doesn’t understand the essence of magic. I believe that understanding natural phenomena and physical phenomena… in other words, science, is the first prerequisite for magic.”
As I answered, Speyside looked puzzled.
“That might explain why the power of magic differs for each person. However, when you study chanting, it’s a fact that the nature and power of magic change depending on how you chant. So, isn’t the way of chanting and the difference in magical power manipulation the most important?”
He uttered words that were closest to the correct answer in this magic academy. Nodding in agreement, I actually activated some magic.
“Fireball”
Everyone is momentarily surprised by the small ball of fire that appears before their eyes.
“This is fire magic using only the minimum necessary magical power, with an empty mind,” I say.
After making it disappear, I concentrate, imagining it clearly in my mind, and infuse magical power while being conscious of its mechanism.
“Fireball”
This time, the summoned fireball causes everyone to gasp in surprise.
As a result of gradually increasing the magical power while keeping the combustion mechanism in mind, a giant fireball large enough to engulf a person now floats before us.
“You can see how much difference the same spell can make. In other words, by understanding the mechanism and applying magical power to maximize the effect…”
As I explain while making the fireball disappear, I notice everyone’s stunned expressions.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
All in all, the class was well-received.
A week flies by as I answer questions from everyone and explain each spell in detail.
The number of students didn’t increase, but next week, word of mouth might spread the reputation a bit.
With that sense of satisfaction and expectation, I go to a celebration party invited by Strauss and Eliza.
“Good work!”
“Good job.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
We exchange greetings and raise our glasses. Strauss has distilled liquor mixed with carbonated water, while Eliza and I have fruit wine.
“Sensei Aoi, how was your first class?”
I look up diagonally, considering the question.
“Well… Thanks to having good students, I think the class went very smoothly. However, I’m a bit concerned about teachers being present every time…”
As I answer and return my gaze, I notice Strauss and Eliza averting their eyes.
Laughing at their reaction, I shake my head.
“I’m joking. Since it was my first class, having you two friendly faces there helped ease my nerves.”
When I smile saying this, Eliza blushes and laughs. Strauss’s face seems to have become somewhat peaceful.
Feeling comfortable with their reactions, I open my mouth.
“Everyone seemed to enjoy the class, so I’m looking forward to seeing if more people will join next week…”
As I say this, both of their expressions become somewhat troubled. They exchange glances before looking back at me.
Then, as if representing both of them, Eliza begins to speak.
“Um, some of the students, well…”
“Students?”
I tilt my head, and Eliza looks around somewhat sadly.
“…Some students said things like, ‘We can’t take classes from a commoner’…”
“…Commoner?”
As I repeat part of the phrase, both of their faces freeze.
“No, I didn’t say that,”
“I-I didn’t say it either!”
Seeing them both strangely frightened, I sigh and speak.
“I’m not angry.”
“Really?”
Eliza asks, breathing a sigh of relief.
I nod in response. “Of course. It’s not wrong that I’m a commoner. However, refusing to take a class for that reason doesn’t make sense.”
Saying this, I unconsciously crush the glass in my hand. Ignoring Eliza’s strange “Eep!?” sound, I wipe the table.
“…Why would students learning magic at a magic academy choose classes based on the teacher’s social status? Indeed, this noble consciousness is disrupting the healthy academy atmosphere. We need to reform this mindset a bit.”
“…Um, there’s a rule that individuals can’t arbitrarily enforce discipline within the academy…”
“Except for classes and simple experiments, you must discuss it with Headmaster Glen. In some cases, you might have to delegate the enforcement, warning, or scolding to someone else.”
Hearing their explanation, I nod in understanding.
“I see. It’s to prevent favoritism towards one’s own country or involvement of noble factions, regardless of whether they’re teachers or students. In that case, let’s first go talk to the headmaster.”
As I answer, both of them furrow their brows with indescribable expressions.
“…Don’t trouble the headmaster too much,”
“P-Please don’t push too hard, okay?”
“I can’t promise, but I understand,”
As I say this, for some reason, they both fall into silent prayer.
At the beginning of the week, I visit the headmaster’s office early in the morning. Apparently, the headmaster’s office is adjacent to his living quarters, so in a sense, it feels like visiting the headmaster’s home.
I knock on the door, and hearing Glen’s voice from inside, the door opens automatically.
Glen, sitting in a single armchair, raises one hand in an unusually good mood.
“Hey, Aoi-kun. Good morning. It’s a nice day, isn’t it?”
Greeting me in an uncharacteristically friendly manner, Glen seems pleased. I return the greeting with “Good morning” and enter. Glen chuckles contentedly and nods.
“At first, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but the king left very satisfied. What’s more, Queen Lea took a liking to you, Aoi-kun. That’s quite rare, you know. Queen Lea rarely speaks up in public, usually just smiling. But when she finds someone interesting, she checks them out herself. For better or worse.”
Saying this, Glen continues, counting on his fingers.
“The current prime minister, who’s doing a great job, was also recommended by Queen Lea. And a few years ago, it was the queen’s achievement that stopped a group of counts from executing their rebellion plan before it even started. Being liked by such a queen is quite something.”
“Is that so?”
As I respond, Glen nods several times and laughs.
“Indeed, indeed. Oh, right. What was your business today?”
“Yes. I came today with a request.”
As I begin to explain formally, Glen shakes his head from side to side, laughing cheerfully. He’s holding a glass with some pale amber-colored liquid in one hand.
“Good, good. Say anything you like.”
Taking his words to heart, I decide to proceed.
“Thank you. I started teaching last week, but it seems the number of students participating is quite low. At first, I thought it was normal for a new teacher, but I heard that a faction of nobles is doing something. So, I’d like permission to crush the noble faction.”
“Pffft!?”
The moment I say this, Glen spits out the amber liquid he had just put in his mouth.
“Cough, wheeze…! Y-You don’t need to go as far as crushing them!?”
Managing to say this while choking, Glen looks at me. I quietly shake my head.
“This noble consciousness is the problem. Don’t you think it’s strange that students in an academy are concerned about being noble or commoner when it comes to learning?”
“I-I do think it’s strange,”
Having obtained his agreement, I continue.
“Of course, I’m not talking about physically crushing the ringleaders. If they’re harassing others, we need to crush their schemes. So, first, I’ll conduct an investigation. There might be someone using their high status to order others not to attend my class.”
As I smile saying this, Glen groans with an indescribable expression.
“…No wonder Queen Lea took a liking to you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing, nothing at all,”
Glen suddenly switches to a stiff manner of speaking.
Tilting my head at Glen’s strange behavior, I bow slightly.
“Well then. I’ll visit again when there’s progress with the investigation.”
“Understood.”
Hearing Glen’s unusually heavy reply, I left the headmaster’s office.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
