When I woke up, it was an ordinary morning.
Noel and Arnella were already starting their morning preparations, and a pleasant smell tickled my nostrils.
Mastema was sleeping on my stomach.
She looked just as usual. As if what happened last night had been nothing more than a dream.
“Lord Ahavain, you’re awake. Here you go.”
Noel handed me a cup of hot milk, which I drank. It had sugar in it, making it hot and sweet. After drinking this, I should probably change.
The smell of the hot milk made Mastema’s nose twitch, and soon enough, she woke up too.
“Alright, give me some of that too.”
Mastema took a cup of hot milk from Noel, blew on it to cool it down, and took a sip.
For a demon who could swallow the flames of hell whole, the sight was somewhat mismatched.
“I don’t mind the heat, but it tastes better when you let it cool a bit and the skin forms on top.”
Noticing my gaze, Mastema said that as she sipped the thin skin that had formed on the milk.
“Delicious.”
“I see. Glad you liked it.”
Mastema downed the rest of the milk in one gulp, handed the empty cup to Arnella, who was working in the kitchen, and went to sneak a bite of the breakfast, only to get caught and have a piece of bread stuffed into her mouth.
Noel and Arnella seemed unaware of what had happened yesterday. When I looked in the mirror to change, there was a bruise on the back of my neck.
It would be hidden once I got dressed, so it wasn’t noticeable.
It was proof that last night’s events weren’t just a dream.
Chewing on a piece of bread, Mastema also started to get dressed. The clothes laid out for her were the usual academy uniform.
Underneath their aprons, Noel and Arnella were also already in their uniforms for the magic academy. These weren’t the clothes I bought—they must’ve had some spares in the house.
When I asked Noel about it, she said my clothes hadn’t dried after washing, so she prepared these. That made sense, so I accepted it.
Well, the clothes I bought can be considered my special occasion outfit. These ones are fine too—they look quite elegant.
Arnella helped the slow-moving Mastema get dressed, and then we ate the breakfast that had been prepared and headed for the magic academy. The only weapon I needed on my waist was the Heaven Sword. I carried a staff as well.
After stepping outside, I locked the door and looked up at the house. It looked completely different from yesterday. The oppressive air had vanished, and it now appeared as nothing more than a normal, large house.
There were four keys. One for each of us.
I wondered where the ghosts and strange occurrences had fled to.
After parting with Arnella and the others, I entered the classroom assigned to the lower class.
I’d arrived a little early, but even so, there were few students. I remembered there being about 30 of us in total, but now, including myself, there were only six present.
I saw Lulise, but Clogus hadn’t arrived yet.
I sat in the same spot as yesterday.
The long desks were arranged in tiers, and there were no assigned seats.
“Good morning, Mastema-chan, Ahavain-san!”
Lulise’s cheerful voice echoed through the classroom. Other students turned their heads at the sound but quickly returned to what they were doing.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.”
Greetings are important. Adventurers who can’t greet others never last long. The reason is simple—greetings are a form of confirmation.
By exchanging greetings, we acknowledge that we share the same understanding, that we can communicate, and that we can trust each other to some extent.
But if someone can’t even greet you, then that person can’t be trusted. They can’t be relied on when it matters.
Naturally, they’ll be shunned. Simply because they can’t greet others.
That’s why anyone who survives in the adventurer world, no matter who they are, always greets and returns greetings. No one wants to lose out over something as small as a greeting.
As I was thinking about that, Lulise whispered to me.
“Ahavain-san, did you hear? There was a ghost disturbance at the academy dormitory.”
“Is that so?”
I played dumb.
Mastema tried to say something, so I covered her mouth.
Hey, don’t bite my finger.
“A senior told me, but apparently there’s never been such an uproar before. There’s a rumor about a cursed house, but we were warned never to go near it.”
“Is that so?”
“Ahavain-san, you’re an adventurer, right? Have you ever dealt with ghosts?”
“I have.”
“Really? Then if a ghost appears in my room, please come and exorcise it!”
She bowed her head deeply.
It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t, but I’d take responsibility if something happened.
When I agreed, Lulise smiled as if her worries had disappeared.
Mastema pushed my hand away, and I noticed there were bite marks left on it.
The only real vengeful spirits are the ones Mastema has dealt with. Now that I think about it, there was still that twisted woman who left without fighting.
I wonder where she’s gone… I hope I never see her again.
In the end, Clogus arrived just in time.
There should’ve been 30 students, but when the bell rang to start class, only 26 were present.
What did the others even come here for?
An elderly instructor with a monocle entered the classroom and scanned the students.
“As I mentioned yesterday, let me reiterate. If you are late without a valid reason, such as a duel sanctioned by the academy, you will be expelled after five tardies. Keep that in mind.”
With that, the lesson began.
The topic, appropriate for the first day, was about what it means to be a mage.
A mage is someone who wields power by using their own magical energy, as well as the magical energy that fills the world.
While many people rely on instinct to cast spells, to become a successful mage, one must use magic not by instinct but by understanding theories and formulas.
Using 1 unit of magic to cast a 1 unit spell.
Using 100 units of magic to cast a 100 unit spell.
That’s the starting point for a mage.
I created a small spark of lightning in the palm of my hand. Right now, I created it instinctively.
How much magical energy did I use? I could only tell by instinct.
If I could cast the same lightning spell using the minimal amount of magic required, it would certainly be more efficient.
Considering that mages need to handle as many spells as possible, it made sense that this was important.
