“…Alright, that’s all for today. Basically, we’ll hold practical training study sessions at this time every week, so feel free to join us again if you’re interested.”
“Yes, sir!”
A very good response indeed.
Of course, it’s important to learn the magic assigned in class, but it’s also valuable to study the magic you like or want to learn. Developing your strengths is just as important as working on your weaknesses.
“Thank you, Mr. Geek! I learned a lot today!”
“Goodbye, Mr. Geek!”
“Yeah, take care on your way home.”
Hmm, being greeted by students like this feels nice. It seems that if the teacher is competent and capable, the students will naturally show respect. Though, thinking about how things were before makes me wonder just how bad it used to be.
I was a little worried about Gale after he lost to Eliza in the mock battle, but instead, he became even more motivated and started practicing with other students, including Kuner, Hazen, and even challenging me. While sparring with me is good, fighting against peers his own age is also a valuable experience. If only he weren’t so sharp-tongued and obsessed with noble supremacy, he’d be a decent and motivated student.
The other students, too, didn’t lose motivation after watching Eliza and Gale’s mock battle. On the contrary, they seemed even more fired up than before. This is a very positive trend. Let’s continue these study sessions next week as well.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
After a two-day weekend break, it was the first weekday afternoon.
During the two days off, I spent one day on my usual research and met up with an old friend who will be coming to this academy starting next week. Since Manatee has been disciplined, there’s no longer any issue with bringing in a new teacher.
I also scouted locations for future field exercises outside the academy, just like last time. Ensuring the students’ safety is crucial, so taking these precautions is important. There’s no overtime pay for this kind of work, but I did receive compensation for the holiday work when we took down that criminal organization, so I can’t complain.
Anon finally wrapped up the investigation into Eliza’s kidnapping case. Thanks to Eliza’s recommendation, he got off with just a minor pay cut, which is fortunate considering the circumstances.
“Still, Ms. Eliza’s magic last week was truly amazing.”
“Y-Yes, it was incredible!”
“Thank you, Cyril, Melia.”
And so, as usual, five students gathered in my research room today to discuss the mock battle between Eliza and Gale from the other day.
It seems the fact that it was the first joint-class session and the intensity of Eliza and Gale’s mock battle really inspired the others.
“Cyril and Melia’s magic was also wonderful. I’d love to spar with you both sometime.”
“Not at all! I’m not particularly skilled in combat. However, I do plan to keep attending to improve my self-defense skills.”
Cyril seems to excel more in theoretical studies than in practical skills. He scored near-perfect on the written portion of the entrance exam, but his practical scores weren’t high enough to place him in the S-Class.
“I-I’m not good at all…”
Melia, being a scholarship student from a commoner background, excels in both theory and practice, but her shy personality tends to hold her back in anti-monster or human combat situations. She did well during the entrance exam since it was against stationary targets, but real combat seems to be quite challenging for her.
“Sophia was also incredibly strong. I learned a lot.”
“I train daily as Princess Eliza’s guard, after all. But Bern was also very strong.”
“Thank you! I’d love to spar with you again!”
“Of course! It’s great practice for me too, so I look forward to it.”
Bern challenged Sophia to a mock battle, but ultimately, Sophia came out on top.
As expected, given her role as Eliza’s bodyguard, Sophia has a wealth of combat experience. Both she and Bern have unique fighting styles—Bern uses a two-handed sword, while Sophia wields knives in both hands, combining magic and close-quarters combat—which allowed them to learn a lot from each other.
Of course, during the mock battles, they used wooden weapons from the training grounds. Although the equipment is regularly maintained, any malfunction in the protective magical tools could lead to serious injury.
All in all, it’s great to see the members of this study group opening up and conversing normally. Initially, everyone was intimidated by Princess Eliza and Sophia, who was always on edge guarding her, so this is a big improvement.
Watching students from different backgrounds come together to focus on their studies is truly heartening. Though it’s only been one school year, the academy is slowly becoming a better place.
“Thank you for this week’s session!”
“Goodbye, Mr. Geek!”
“See you again tomorrow!”
“Yeah, be careful on your way home.”
Eliza and Sophia left early for their extracurricular lessons, and at 5 PM, the other three students also headed home.
Well, I’ve finished preparing for tomorrow’s class, so I’ll head back to the dormitory.
KNOCK KNOCK
“Come in.”
Just as I was packing up, a visitor arrived at my research room.
