Shirud, who had originally not been concentrating in class, found it impossible to focus on the lesson now.
Thinking about what I wanted and what I actually desired was surprisingly enjoyable.
While school studies felt like just cramming information into my head, the conversation with Luke was different.
“Mana… Is it water?”
“Water…? Why do you think that?”
“Well, it’s everywhere, and can take any form, right?”
“Hm, I see. Water can exist as gas, liquid, or solid anywhere. It’s an interesting analogy, but… what about fire?”
“You just said water, and suddenly now you mention fire?”
“Unlike water, which changes forms and exists in the world continuously, fire spreads its influence by consuming wood and itself. Doesn’t it resemble how we use mana with magic?”
“Uh… I guess so?”
Though it was a kind of riddle-like conversation, Shirud genuinely enjoyed it. Luke attentively listened to what he had to say and filled in the gaps in his reasoning, making their back-and-forth quite enjoyable.
Shirud, excited, continued to speak.
“Well then…”
At that moment.
“Shirud! Transfer student! What are you two talking about so intently?”
The conversation seemed loud enough to disturb the teacher conducting the lecture in front of them.
Well, it was true they were being distracted in class. It was understandable that it might’ve annoyed him.
“Shirud! What are you and the transfer student giggling about since the first day?”
“T-that’s…”
Shirud reddened and avoided the male teacher’s gaze. The teacher seemed to have some resentment towards Luke too and said a word.
“Even if you’re the top scorer on the entrance exam, you can’t disrupt the class.”
“I’m sorry about that. I’ll reflect on it.”
“Then, if you’re reflecting, solve this problem.”
The male teacher pointed at the blackboard where the problem was written. The problem on the board was a simple calculation: given the total mana is 20 reins, calculate the maximum time for using the 1st class ultra-small levitation magic ‘Abet’ to levitate an object weighing 1g.
According to the mana consumption formula for ‘Abet,’ one just needed to plug in the calculations. Since “levitating” didn’t include altitude, it likely meant to calculate with the assumption that the object is lifted to an infinitely small height close to zero.
Luke immediately calculated and provided the answer.
“The answer is about 2 minutes.”
“Uh… That’s right.”
However, the teacher was slightly taken aback. A 10-year-old could only be expected to take a little longer to calculate in their head.
“Then, how about this problem?”
The next problem was a bit more “troublesome.” The numbers had simply changed, and altitude was now included.
“Assuming we’re levitating at an altitude of 1 meter and excluding the loss rates at the moment of lifting and lowering? This assumption is overly restrictive and lacks practicality.”
There appeared to be an intention to deliberately exclude calculations related to the lifting speed.
This was not about magic but a simple problem. It wasn’t much different from the “entrance exam questions.”
“The answer is about 3 minutes.”
“Correct!”
“Hmm, I guess he must have done it in advance.”
With such a quick answer, he thought as he turned his sights back to Shirud.
Luke, having erased the problems he had already solved from the board, created a problem on the spot.
“Shirud, solve this one. Come on out.”
“Th-that…”
Shirud naturally couldn’t do mental calculations like Luke.
Considering he hadn’t actually been paying attention in class, it was impossible for him to respond like Luke.
Even if he was told to come out, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
In that moment, as Shirud hesitated and remained seated, a voice from the neighboring seat caught the attention.
“Hey, you’ve written the problem incorrectly. If you calculate it that way, the time will come out as a negative value. No matter how you recap it, it seems you’ve made a mistake.”
“Huh?”
The teacher, upon hearing Luke’s point, wrote the solution on the blackboard and tried to calculate it.
Indeed, the answer came out as negative.
Perhaps in his hurry to create the problem, he had mistakenly chosen the wrong units.
While he acknowledged that it was a ridiculous mistake, Luke managed to point it out in just 2-3 seconds.
To figure it out correctly, even a teacher would need to write out the solution process, which was supposed to be quite challenging.
Finishing calculations and recapping them in mere seconds?
Whether he actually did recap or not was unknown, but finding the mistake in that instant was impressive.
He couldn’t have pre-solved this one like the previous ones!
“Wow, this kid really is smart…”
Isn’t this transfer student something remarkable?
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“He really did get full marks.”
As some of the children started clapping, it didn’t take long before the entire class joined in with applause due to the crowd psychology.
In the center of that incident, Luke could feel his face burning.
Caught by surprise by the sudden applause and praise, Luke immediately sat back down, covering his forehead with both hands as he leaned forward.
“What on earth is this…? Receiving applause for this?”
He felt utterly embarrassed.
It seemed altogether inappropriate for him.
Luke was so flustered that he didn’t even consider how the kids might find his embarrassment amusing.
Thanks to that, the clapping and cheers continued for a while.
Among the chorus of applause and cheers, even Shirud shyly joined in.
From the neighboring seat, the small sound of Shirud clapping further stirred Luke’s emotions.
At this rate, he might feel like he could have a mana surge out of embarrassment.
“Luke…?”
Py broke through the desk to make eye contact with Luke as he tilted his head.
Suddenly, he began to tremble with joy, clapping along with the applause and cheers.
“Even you… Stop it!”
The unexpected answer to his quiet but firm murmur came surprisingly close.
“Sorry… I’ll stop if you don’t want it.”
“…No, it wasn’t particularly directed at you.”
As Shirud averted his gaze with a shocked voice, Luke quietly soothed him.
“Phew, this kid has such rich emotions; it’s a problem…”
That certainly wouldn’t favor the Circle.
——–
Time passed, and lunchtime arrived.
As meal times were always a delight for children, the atmosphere was one of excitement.
Was mealtime really so enjoyable every day?
Seeing the children all hyped up, Luke couldn’t help but feel good too.
“Luke, I heard the school cafeteria food is quite tasty. Well, I haven’t tried food from other schools myself.”
Mary chattered beside Luke.
Shirud, listening to Mary’s words from the side, seemed quite uncomfortable.
“Shirud, why don’t you try saying something?”
Shirud hesitated and replied.
“I… have nothing to say.”
“Hmm, if that’s the case…”
Forcing a conversation might not be a great idea after all.
But having good friends was essential for Shirud too.
To Luke, Mary seemed well-suited for that role.
“If the two of them become friends, I would feel much better…”
The Circle is particularly affected by negative emotions. Fear, loneliness, and sadness…
These sorts of things could almost always be resolved if one had a reliable friend.
There’s a saying, after all; a single friend is worth more than countless spells.
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
Finding a like-minded friend in this vast world truly felt like magic.
However, from the standpoint of a Mage, it could seem a bit of a funny saying, as one could choose from thousands of spells…
As he contemplated the phrase, he couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Seeing Luke’s timid smile, Mary found his expression quite endearing.
“What are you thinking about, Luke?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. By the way, I’m very curious about when we’ll use the cane.”
“That’s probably in the next class! The next class is magic practice! Did you receive your cane, Luke?”
“Not yet. I heard the school provides them, is that right?”
“Correct! You’ll probably get it at the start of the next class. Make sure to write your name on it!”
“I’ll remember that.”
The cane was dangerous to handle alone as a child, and since they were ‘unqualified’ before graduating, it was strictly forbidden to take the cane out of the school.
Though Luke found that bothersome, he sort of accepted it.
As they exchanged various common knowledge about the school and questions about the next class, they soon arrived at the cafeteria. As they joined the line that had formed, Shirud lightly bowed and slipped away.
“Where’s Shirud going? To the restroom?”
Mary laughed and clarified that it wasn’t that.
“No! Elves have a separate food service area. They can’t have meat in their meals.”
“Is that so?”
Considering that elves might not be able to eat meat for religious or nutritional reasons, it made sense.
Their digestive systems reacted against the specific mana contained in meats, creating indigestion and stomach pain, potentially leading to rashes, hives, and even death in severe cases.
If an entire race had a meat allergy, societal facilities should logically treat them specially.
Reflecting on this, Luke accepted a white plastic tray, which brightened his eyes slightly.
“This is quite a unique shape.”
The tray resembled what you’d expect from a serving tray with several bowls set upon a single plate.
In the past, he had never given such trays any thought.
After all, the concept of serving food to many people in one space—’service’—wasn’t something he was familiar with.
At that time, mages were very rare resources, and as a result, there were only about 30 students in the whole academy, unlike the current situation with many students living together.
In fact, the only places that maintained such communal living were the military, who also used bowls instead of trays to serve buffet-style meals, so they likely had no need to think about trays like these.
He thought they were reasonably efficient.
They might not be of much use at home, though.
“Why are you staring at your tray? Is something on it? Should I get you a new one?”
As Luke simply stared fixedly at the tray, Mary, sensing worry, spoke up.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s hurry.”
—–
As the smell of food approached, Luke found himself swallowing copiously, battling against the flow of saliva.
Gulp, gulp.
He was continuously swallowing, and Mary smiled as she looked at him.
“Right? It smells good, doesn’t it?”
“Y-yeah. This is equal to or better than Dayton’s skewers…”
It seemed there was certainly no falsehood in the talk that the cafeteria food was delicious.
“Dayton’s skewers? What’s that? Is it a shop?”
Mary asked upon hearing Luke’s mumblings.
“No, it’s just a dish made by someone I know.”
“Oh, really…? I’m curious about what that’s like!”
“It’s quite good; if I have the chance, I’ll ask if I can make yours next time.”
“Wow! Are you inviting me over?”
“It’s not out of the question… but I’m not sure.”
Inviting someone over would inevitably let them know that Yerna was under temporary protection of him.
If it’s Mary, she likely wouldn’t spread any bad rumors, but caution was necessary.
Not having parents typically garners unwelcome sympathy, which Luke found uncomfortable.
It felt like an insult to those who have already lived their lives and passed peacefully.
In any case, as they chatted away, they soon found themselves back at the front of the meal line.
“So, you’re that perfect score transfer student? Enjoy your meal!”
Luke received his serving while he thought about why he had suddenly become so famous, wearing an awkward smile.
This was thanks to Serena, who had requested the adults, including their teacher, to be informed about the new transfer student.
The instruction to not ask about family matters ironically made all the adults aware of Luke.
Unaware of this, Luke could only think that achieving full marks was such a big deal.
A short while later.
As the meal piled up on his tray, the aroma became simply unbearable.
Luke was now swallowing like it was water.
“Could you give me a little more?”
“Isn’t it enough? I thought I gave you plenty already.”
“But still…”
“Ha ha ha!”
Mary burst into laughter as she watched Luke’s demeanor from the side.
“Luke, you’re really a Hyun too! You’ve got quite an appetite!”
“Uh, that’s…”
“Finish everything and bring back the empty tray; it’d be a waste to leave anything behind.”
“Got it, I will.”
Luke was utterly satisfied with the meal.
The spices of modern times!
Luke filled his completely empty tray once more and cleared it again without a trace.
Py muttered something as he watched Luke, but he paid it no mind.
He seemed to have made some sort of pig noise…
If they were teasing him for being a pig, he might get a little angry.
