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His hometown was destroyed, he suffered from a terrible incurable disease, and his sister, for his sake, gave up everything and became a slave gladiator, living on the brink of life and death for several years.

Rigon walked through the corridors of the academy, feeling a strange emotion about how he ended up here.

In the Department of Swordsmanship, there were a total of five classes, and Rigon was assigned to a class called “Henrietta.”

Is this the place?

With a hint of anticipation, Rigon entered the class.

The gazes of several students who were already seated naturally turned towards him.

Rigon wondered if he should greet them, but the atmosphere didn’t seem right, so he just went to an empty seat and sat down.

As time passed, students started coming into the class one by one.

Among them, a male student approached Rigon’s vicinity, sat down, and greeted him.

“Hey, hello.”

Since he didn’t know him, Rigon felt puzzled but still returned the greeting.

“Hello.”

“Are you in room 205? I’m right next door, room 206. Haven’t we crossed paths a few times? Don’t you remember my face?”

The male student smiled and pointed to his own face.

Rigon let out a small gasp in response. Somehow, he seemed a little familiar.

“I didn’t expect us to be in the same class. Let’s get along well from now on.”

“Yeah, let’s get along well.”

“Jace Mahop, that’s my name. I’m the third son of the Mahop family. Have you ever heard of us? We’re pretty well known in the south, although things have changed a bit in recent years.”

Since Rigon had no idea what the other was talking about, he awkwardly smiled and lowered his head.

The boy shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, as expected, you don’t know either. Can you at least tell me your name?”

“I’m Rigon.”

“Rigon, huh? What about your last name?”

“I don’t have a last name.”

Upon hearing that, the male student looked at Rigon with a slightly surprised expression.

“Ah… So you’re not a noble?”

“No.”

He chuckled and lightly tapped Rigon’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I don’t ignore or belittle people just because of that. On the contrary, it’s quite remarkable. You were admitted based solely on your abilities without any family background, right?”

“Well, is that so?”

“That’s right. Here, it’s considered foolish to judge someone based on their background. You have to prove yourself with your skills.”

Rigon thought he was a good guy and laughed together.

“By the way, where are you from? I’m curious. Can you tell me if someone recommended you?”

“Oh, I’m from Calderic. I’m not from Santea…”

Rigon replied casually, but the face of the male student, who had been full of laughter, suddenly stiffened.

“…Calderic?”

Instantly, all the students in the classroom turned their gaze towards the two of them.

They, too, stared at Rigon with similar expressions as that of the male student.

“Well, well, that’s how it is. Haha.”

The male student, who had gently removed his hand from Rigon’s shoulder, tightly sealed his lips.

Rigon wanted to ask him why, but stopped when he realized that he was scared.

“Did you hear that? It’s Calderic.”

“Wow, so people are even coming from there…”

In the slightly heavy air, surrounding students murmured among themselves.

Rigon didn’t know it, but this was the image of Calderic in the minds of the people of Santea.

A land of harsh, ruthless dominance, ruled by the continent’s only dRigon.

For the young nobles who grew up in the greenhouse, it was enough to be the subject of caution and fear.

Did he say something unnecessary?

Realizing the atmosphere belatedly, Rigon scratched his head.

It seemed like it wasn’t going smoothly from the start.

***

The first period was a class on the basic composition of magic: the emission of magical power and the deployment of spells.

In simple terms, it was an in-depth exploration of the process applied to unfold all magic.

“In other words, a formula is essentially shapeless. Trying to teach it through verbal descriptions of what it means to each individual is only slightly less stupid than trying to teach magic to a goblin. So why does this class exist? Do you think there is meaning in this class?”

Professor Rokel looked at a male student sitting in the front as if asking for an answer.

“Well, um…”

The male student became flustered and could only stumble, unable to give a single response.

I watched that scene and scratched my chin. Of course, it was a question I didn’t know the answer to either.

The professor’s gaze shifted to another student.

“To learn the theory that is commonly applied to all spell deployments…”

“That’s something you’ll have to learn in the next Theoretical Magic class. Next.”

Although responses from other students continued, no proper answers came out.

Since the professor’s gaze reached me, I pretended to ponder for a moment and confidently answered.

“I’m not sure.”

The professor turned his gaze back without much reaction.

This time, his gaze landed on the female student sitting by the window. Lea Herwyn.

She opened her mouth and responded without showing any signs of hesitation.

“I think it’s meaningless.”

Only then did a slight change in the professor’s expression become apparent.

“Why do you think that way?”

“Because I already fully understand and accept the formulas of my magic. So, at least for me, this class has no meaning. Especially when it came to magic formulas, that is.”

The professor smirked and nodded.

“Well then, can you answer what meaning it might have for other students besides yourself?”

She glanced around once and spoke.

“As you mentioned earlier, magic formulas are essentially intangible. Therefore, inexperienced mages who haven’t fully grasped their own magic have the potential to perceive the form of magic formula differently, in a manner that is more suitable to them. I think this class is about confirming that possibility. So, it might have meaning for someone, or it might have no meaning for someone else for different reasons than mine.”

A smooth answer flowed like water.

Judging by the professor’s reaction, it seemed that her response was correct.

As I pondered her words carefully, I suddenly realized.

Ah… So, that’s what it was?

When I was learning magic in the Lord’s castle, the mage who played the role of teaching me had made great efforts to explain and introduce various forms of magic formulas using words.

It must have been because he had hoped that I had the potential to perceive and accept magic formulas in different ways, just as she had mentioned.

The professor scratched his chin and asked Lea Herwyn again.

“At what point did you come to fully understand your magic formula?”

“I realized it as soon as I started learning magic.”

“I see. Did everyone understand the explanation just now?”

He tapped on the desk and spoke.

“Since magic is intangible, there’s always the possibility of a different interpretation. A trigger would be good for that. This class is designed to give you as much of that trigger as possible, a foundation class that only exists in your first year here.”

“……”

“As you heard, it’s a very simple reason. Anyone can understand it just by listening. But only one person answered the question correctly. Moreover, it was a student who didn’t need this class in the first place, someone who didn’t even need to know the reason. How did that happen?”

The students fell silent.

“The reason is also simple. You didn’t think for yourselves. You just followed orders and did what you were told. You encountered many magic rituals depicted in text or illustrations and memorized them. You didn’t question why you had to do it.”

I nodded.

I, too, didn’t question and just did as I was told.

“Of course, you can develop your skills that way too. With talent and effort, you can become an outstanding mage. However, the essence of magic lies in exploration. Every trivial doubt and curiosity. The magic rituals you have seen in books are the products of countless mages’ exploration. If you only walk the path others have shown you because it’s convenient, you’ll only be an ordinary mage. Even if you’re exceptional, you’ll never be great.”

As most of the students wore strange expressions, the professor’s face seemed to lose some of its vigor.

“Now, someone might think like this. ‘I’m not going to devote my whole life to magic or anything like that, so why am I hearing this nonsense?’ That’s right. Those who want to do it moderately can do so. Learn moderately, focus on your studies moderately, and work hard enough not to be expelled. I don’t have much interest in those mediocre people either. For those who are different, I hope my words can be even a small piece of advice.”

The professor glanced at the time.

“We’ll finish the first class here. Take a break for the remaining time. Since there’s no closing ceremony, you can disperse after the class ends. I hope by now you’ve all familiarized yourselves with the rules.”

The professor walked out of the classroom and said as a final remark:

“Tomorrow’s field combat is not a class where we just talk like this class. Be well-prepared and come ready.”

Even after he left, the classroom remained silent for a while, but soon the tense atmosphere dissipated.

Some students whispered softly, expressing concerns about the professor’s strict personality and the challenges they might face in the future. Meanwhile, I looked at the heir sitting in front of me.

“There’s something awkward about his way of speaking.”

“K-Kaen, you shouldn’t talk about the professor like that.”

A female friend, taken aback, tried to dissuade the heir.

Nevertheless, it seemed that the heir didn’t have a negative impression of the class itself, as a faint smile appeared on her lips, as if she found it amusing.

It was fortunate that she didn’t suddenly find it boring and storm out of the class; that would have been troublesome.

***

The next class was a theoretical magic class.

The professor in charge was a relatively young woman compared to Professor Rokel.

“I am Professor Marind Philisteia, responsible for the theoretical magic class. My specialization is in deciphering magic. If any student has any questions about me, feel free to ask.”

None of the students asked questions.

“If there are none, let’s begin the class right away.”

The theoretical magic class was exactly what the name implied—an exploration of the theories behind magic.

It was an academic discipline that sought commonalities within the infinite forms of magic and visually represented them. It was the culmination of knowledge and wisdom that numerous mages had compiled and developed over many ages.

When I was taught magic at the castle, the mage who instructed me used this analogy:

“If the spell is the body, then theory can be likened to a sword or a spear. Understanding and accepting the spell is akin to training the body itself, while applying theory is like wielding a weapon.”

However, the weapon that suited each person varied.

A sword might work best for some, a mace for others, and a whip for a few.

That’s why it’s important to learn theories, to constantly explore what worked best for you, and to apply that regularity to your technique to increase your proficiency with the weapon best suited for you.

Creating completely new magic that did not exist in the world was also generally said to start from theory.

But it’s really difficult.

Magic theory was a different field of talent than sensing magic.

However, it was equally difficult for me.

Because this theory was no different from studying mathematics.

Mathematics was the subject that I gave up on and dropped early even in high school.

Professor Marind surveyed the students and said, “It would be appropriate to divide into four people. Now, sit close to each other with four people. I will conduct my class in a group format.”

Group class? Was that how it’s done?

I thought it was a good thing.

If forming groups meant being with people who were sitting close to one another, then I was in the same group as the heir.

“Um, no. I should just divide based on the attendance list. Please sit back.”

But suddenly, the professor changed her mind when she saw the students moving around.

Oh, well, let’s just go with it.

“Arya Mankhast, Andy Grimmett, and Osilia Troang…”

Unfortunately, there was no heir in the group I belonged to.

Instead, there was someone extraordinary, and that person was Lea Herwyn, who became a part of the same group as me.

“The topic of the first class is fire magic. I will now share the materials, so please solve the problems I write on the board using the theories provided in the materials. First, discuss and solve the problems among your group members, and then I will explain the solutions. You’ll 30 minutes.”

As I skimmed through the materials and the problems on the board, I already felt my thoughts becoming disorganized.

Fire magic, which belonged to the fundamentals of elemental magic.

Of course, it was a magic that I could easily perform at the moment, but theory was a different story.

Magical theory was a discipline that involved applying the basic forms of magic in various ways.

“Um… What should we do?”

One of my group members spoke up.

The gaze of the team members, including myself, naturally focused on one person—Lea Herwyn.

She, who had been reading the materials, glanced at us and said.

“We should divide the work and solve it.”

“Yeah, that’s right. But we should discuss how to approach it first…”

“No need for that. I’ve already interpreted everything.”

She swiftly wrote something on a piece of paper and showed it to us.

“This is how we should solve the problem. I’ll take care of the calculation part, so everyone can work on their own calculations. Any objections?”

The group members were left speechless, their heads nodding up and down.

I was surprised as well. She had received the materials just a few minutes ago, and now she had already solved the problem by herself?

She’s a real genius.

Lea quickly divided the calculations onto four sheets of paper. The most difficult-looking equation was assigned to herself, while the rest was given to us.

With the interpretation done, all we needed to do was to perform the calculations individually and combine our results to complete the problem.

“…”

I diligently worked on my share of calculations, scribbling with a pen on the paper.

However, it was not going smoothly.

Because even simple calculations were not familiar to me as a beginner.

I was confused by the sign interpretation, so I started the calculations all over again from the beginning, and I had to redo the calculations I had done multiple times because the expected values were not coming out.

As I stumbled along like that, before I knew it, the other team members had finished all their calculations and were all looking at me.

Isn’t this embarrassing?

For a moment, I wondered what I was doing here.

Amidst the focused gazes, I silently continued my calculations.

“There are 5 minutes left. Start wrapping up.”

After the professor’s words, Lea looked at me in disbelief and asked.

“Is it still not finished?”

I nodded my head.

“Sorry, but I don’t think I can finish it in 5 minutes.”

She looked at my paper.

Glancing over the traces of miserable attempts written on the paper, she looked at me with a contemptuous gaze.

“…I wonder how you got into this school.”

She snatched my paper and started doing the calculations herself.

And in an instant, she finished the calculations and gathered the remaining papers, writing a lengthy explanation in one place.

While watching that scene, I thought to myself.

Nice.

Since I ended up in a group with this guy, I wondered if theory classes would go smoothly from now on.

***

After the theory class ended, it was lunchtime.

The day consisted of two classes in the morning and one or two classes in the afternoon, with a lunch break at noon.

It wasn’t as demanding as I had thought, but the class duration was 90 minutes, so it wasn’t that relaxed either.

Now… um.

I contemplated whether I should pretend to know the heir who was leaving the classroom with her friend, but I missed the timing.

Why did it feel more challenging to try to eat with a sixteen-year-old kid than to fight with the Black Sea Empress?

Part of the reason was that I was being overly cautious.

Building a relationship with the heir was crucial, so I felt a burden not to ruin things from the beginning.

For now, I decided to let lunch pass and planned to talk to her after the afternoon classes.

I encountered Rigon as I headed to the cafeteria.

Since breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all included in the tuition fee, we didn’t need to pay separately.

“So, how was class? I’m sure there’s a lot to learn about magic.”

“Well, it’s decent enough to listen to.”

Come to think of it, Rigon seemed to have learned not only swordsmanship but also magic.

While chatting in line, I received my meal and looked for a suitable place to sit down… Oh.

Suddenly, I caught sight of the heir having a meal with her friend.

Coincidentally, there were two empty seats.

After a brief moment of consideration, I asked Rigon, “Rigon, would you like to go over there and sit?”

“Huh? Do you know them?”

“We’re classmates, and I thought it would be nice to get to know each other.”

It was more of a problem for Rigon than for me to make a connection with the heir, but this was a great opportunity, nonetheless.

Rigon nodded without much resistance.

“…?”

As the two approached the seat where the two of them were sitting, the heir’s friend gave a curious glance first.

The heir, who had been focused on cutting meat, also looked at us shortly after.

I smiled brightly and greeted them.

“Hello. By any chance, do you remember who I am?”

The heir’s friend seemed to recognize me.

“Did you sit in the back during the class earlier?”

“That’s right. Can I join you? I happened to notice you while looking for a place to sit.”

She blinked her eyes and then turned to the heir.

“Do you want to sit together? I don’t mind.”

It was the expected reaction.

Successfully, we ended up sitting together for the meal.

“I’m Ran, and this is Rigon. We’re roommates, although he’s not in the Department of Magic but in the Department of Swordsmanship.”

“Uhm, nice to meet you. I’m Esca Marioles. Since we’re roommates too, we became close quickly.”

The heir’s friend, Esca, responded with a hesitant smile.

“I’m Kaen. But by the way, both of you don’t have surnames?”

The heir chimed in and asked us.

I nodded.

“Well, both of us are commoners.”

“Commoners, that means not nobles, right?”

I wondered why she was acting like that and looked at her curiously.

“Strangely enough, every person I talk to asked about my last name when I tell them my name. And once they found out that I don’t have one, they somehow just ignore me. Except for Esca.”

“…”

“Do you guys experience the same thing? Do you know why?”

At the innocent question, I scratched my cheek.

Esca seemed surprised that the heir looked like she really didn’t know the answer to that question.

The heir still lacked common knowledge about the world. Naturally, her understanding of social classes would be lacking as well.

Rigon, who was sipping soup, responded with an expression that seemed to question why she didn’t know something so simple.

“It’s because there are a lot of nobles who look down on commoners.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because of their low status?”

The heir looked puzzled.

“They ignore me just because of my lower status? Why is that?”

“It’s just the way nobles are. They look down on people who don’t have what they have. There are few nobles who don’t look down on commoners like your friend. It’s not necessarily unique to nobles, it’s just human nature, isn’t it?”

I was a bit surprised to hear Rigon say such a cynical thing so casually.

After all, he didn’t live in the mountains like the heir, and had been through a lot with Reef.

The heir still looked as if she didn’t quite understand, but she still nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, she stared at Esca and said.

“Esca, you’re really a good girl, aren’t you? Even though you’re a noble, you get along with me.”

“What? Why are you suddenly saying that? Ahaha…”

Esca laughed a little, seeming a bit embarrassed.

“I would never disregard others and think of myself as an amazing person. I’m just a noble in name only.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I’m simply saying that I’m no different from all of you. My family is just a small noble family from a remote region. We’re not the kind of amazing nobles you might think we are.”

So, she’s a minor noble.

Of course, not all those who belonged to nobility lived well.

“Well, I don’t really understand what you’re talking about. Anyway, Esca, you’re a good girl.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Esca seemed to be now used to the heir’s casual remarks.

“Oh, but can I talk about my background as well? It feels like I’m deceiving you if I don’t say anything.”

However, at that moment, Rigon brought up an unexpected topic.

“I’m not from Santea; I’m from Calderic. I came to Elphon after being recommended by the Seventh Lord.”

It was a story he had already brought up before, so I wondered why he suddenly mentioned it.

The heir didn’t show much reaction.

So? That was the expression on her face as she looked at Rigon, but suddenly her eyes widened.

“Oh? If you’re from the Seventh Lord… Ah.”

The heir, who seemed like he was about to say something, closed her mouth as if realizing something.

I looked at her and inwardly felt slightly relieved.

She must have been told to keep our previous encounter a secret. She stopped herself from saying unnecessary things.

“Cal-Calderic?”

Esca was greatly surprised by Rigon’s words.

The heir looked at her with a puzzled expression, and Rigon let out a small sigh before speaking.

“I guess the kids here don’t like people from Calderic. I brought it up in class once, and they all avoided me.”

“Oh, really? But why?”

Ah, was that the case?

Having understood the situation, I chimed in.

“It’s because people here don’t have a favorable perception of Calderic. However, regardless of that, Rigon is a good guy, so I hope there won’t be any misunderstandings.”

“I don’t really care about misunderstandings. I don’t even know why there’s a negative perception in the first place. I don’t have any intention to avoid someone just because they come from Calderic, so don’t worry.”

Rigon looked a bit surprised at the completely nonchalant response from the heir, then he lightly chuckled.

“Isn’t that right, Esca?”

“Huh? Um… sorry. I was just a little surprised.”

Esca looked at Rigon and seemed to calm down.

That could be considered a typical response.

“But Rigon, what’s your relationship with the Seventh Lord? I heard that the Lords of Calderic are all very powerful people, so doesn’t that mean you’re from a powerful family?”

“It’s not like that. I just happened to have my life saved by that person.”

As the heir had also met me before, there was a sense of curiosity in Rigon’s story.

Observing the two people talking about me in front of me, I felt a slightly strange sensation.

Regardless, have they found a common ground?

Whatever the case, I decided to think positively since it seemed like the two of them would continue to get along well in the future.