Yerna, who was called to the school, felt a bit anxious.
It wasn’t that she particularly didn’t want to come to school. She was just worried that, appearing at school as someone of a different race from Luke, she might get bullied.
In general, traits like horns or ears associated with the Hyun tend to manifest over one or two generations. Therefore, to have a shape like Luke, who has both horns and ears, at least both parents must be specific Hyuns.
So, she tried to avoid coming to school if possible, but since it was a guardian call, there was no way around it.
But what could it be about?
Luke also seemed not to know the reason.
At that moment, a teacher approached with a smile upon seeing the elf standing nervously in front of the faculty room.
“Hello, you must be Luke’s guardian?”
“Y-Yes! That’s right.”
“Please come in and take a seat.”
Perhaps due to her tension, Yerna responded somewhat clumsily.
“Yes!”
“Haha, you have a very dignified demeanor.”
—–
At that time, it was impossible not to mention the magic that was born from Luke stabilizing Shirud’s circle.
When Yerna heard that story, her eyes widened in astonishment.
The act of ‘breaking down a spell into syllables and piecing them together’ was a standard that was as complex as solving advanced mathematics with just addition and subtraction.
“Is such a thing usually possible?”
The homeroom teacher shook her head.
“There’s no way it could be. To do something like that with a 1-class cane… even using a calculator wouldn’t get it done in that time.”
It would probably take at least an hour just to write the formula by hand. It is not something that can be directly created in the brain to the level of actual operation.
“Is he that smart…?”
The homeroom teacher spoke with concern.
“How does Luke usually live at home?”
“Nothing special… He usually solves workbooks or reads books… something like that.”
“Hmm…”
From what she said, he sounded like an ordinary kid. Although his abilities were anything but ordinary.
“Then you mean he has never encountered a cane before?”
“Yes, not in front of me.”
How could a child who had never encountered a cane perform such high-level spell modifications? No, even if he had encountered one, it wouldn’t make sense.
Since she couldn’t understand it well, she hoped to find an answer in what Luke usually studied and asked.
“So, what kind of studies does he do?”
“The problem sheets he solves at home are 4-class workbooks. He says he dreams of being a mage…”
Pausing, the homeroom teacher raised a hand as if realizing something was strange.
“4-class, you say?”
“Yes.”
As Yerna shrugged her shoulders, the homeroom teacher questioned again for confirmation.
“If he’s at the 4-class level, that’s already at the Magic Academy level, is that really true?”
“Yes?”
Huh…? She hadn’t realized it was such a level. She just thought kids these days considered that basic. Luke did well on his own.
Seeing Yerna’s innocent expression, the teacher sighed and said,
“Perhaps that’s why Luke seems to be having difficulty adapting to school.”
She felt there was always something on his mind.
Would a child studying at the 4-class level find a 1-class magic class engaging? Naturally, it would seem boring and childish.
“Perhaps the difference in level between him and his peers is significant, which might make him feel a sense of disconnection. But since it’s the first day, I can’t say for sure. Just take my impression with a grain of salt.”
“Oh, I see…”
“Perhaps it’s better to ask him directly. But since he might not answer properly when asked from a teacher’s perspective, how about you ask him, as his guardian?”
At the teacher’s words, Yerna nodded.
“Yes, I’ll try.”
—–
While she was surprised by the incident that occurred right after the first day of school, she certainly thought that Luke might struggle to adapt.
So, she was quite worried.
Maybe it was a blessing that things unfolded this way right off the bat.
At least it wasn’t something she would find out too late, right? But still, calling for a guardian on the first day seemed a bit too much.
At least the fact that it wasn’t a bad situation was a small comfort.
For a while, while focusing on driving, Yerna suddenly asked Luke.
“Luke, is school less fun than you expected?”
Luke seemed taken aback, as if he had been hit on the nose, but quickly regained his composure and replied.
“No, no. I’m fine, so you don’t need to worry…”
“There’s no need to force yourself to attend. If you don’t want to go, it’s okay to drop out. There are ways to get recognized for your education. I’ll talk to Serena about it.”
“…….”
The offer was somewhat tempting.
Honestly, with the Academy being so busy and chaotic, he no longer wanted to experience a routine life.
Luke had always hoped for a relaxed, stable, and independent life.
The Academy represented a life that was entirely the opposite of that hope.
“I’ll consider it for now. Thank you for always caring, Yerna.”
Luke smiled lightly.
Py let out a deflated sound as if feeling truly disappointed, but it was probably better to decide after attending a few more days.
After all, it was just the first day.
If he dropped out right after such an incident, wouldn’t those kids worry for no reason?
He also felt guilty towards Serena, who generously covered his tuition.
Wouldn’t it be better to graduate if possible? Yes.
After all, there was plenty of time.
—–
A few days later, as usual, Luke was on his way to the bus stop to go to the Academy.
It was a listless step.
“The Academy really is exhausting.”
The learning place that was the Academy had become nothing more than a venue for Luke to confirm very basic facts.
In the past, it was new, and the desire for advancement fueled his passion for classes.
But now? Well…
Luke knew that not going to school in this age did not give a good impression.
Keeping children away from the Academy was considered abuse.
In the past, attending the Academy was a blessing; it seemed that the world had changed significantly.
Now, Luke was going to the Academy out of inertia.
Since there weren’t entirely unpleasant aspects, he didn’t quit.
In particular, he really liked the library. The atmosphere was great, and the quantity of its collection was quite good.
He had complaints about the questions related to unknown history, but other materials were quite satisfactory.
Especially, the literary section was usable.
Thanks to that, Luke was able to learn a good amount of social knowledge.
Moreover, the best part was that students could use it completely for free.
He could read as many books as he wanted without burdening Yerna.
The school meals… honestly, were good.
Every time, delicious meals, considering the nutritional balance, were provided abundantly; how could he dislike it? Every dish served so far had delighted Luke.
It reached a point where the meals at home seemed somewhat unsatisfactory.
Of course, he didn’t show it in front of her.
But the class time and the interactions with the other children were quite arduous.
During class hours, he would spend time studying with other workbooks he had brought from home, and since the teachers didn’t bother him out of their way, he managed to get by.
But dealing with the other kids wasn’t easy.
Eventually, Luke had to keep a certain distance from the other kids. At most, conversing with Shirud or Mary was all he did.
No matter how much he liked children, enjoying taking care of them as an adult was different from living alongside them directly.
Furthermore, Luke’s experience with peers was clumsy.
Due to always being outstanding in ability, he had only interacted with those ranked higher than him, and once surpassing a certain point, he only dealt with those ranked lower than him.
Currently, there were only two people he could refer to as ‘equal status’:
Kail Propston and Renie Arinseia.
Aside from the two of the Three Heroes, he had no equals.
“Kail Propston, if you could see me now, you’d probably laugh.”
The man who had died first was on Luke’s mind today.
“Heh! What’s with that look? Do you have such a hobby?” He would certainly be pointing and jeering.
As he waited for the bus, reminiscing about such pointed gestures, he noticed someone.
He hadn’t realized when they started watching, the young man greeted him with an awkward smile and a wave.
“Hey, do you remember me?”
“Was it Marco? Good to see you, Marco Albi.”
It was Marco Albi, a student he had met previously at the Academy.
—–
Now that he looked closely, Marco was wearing a uniform.
The last time he saw him, he had thought it was just a trend among youths.
Perhaps he wasn’t even an adult yet.
In this era, those under the age of 19 were considered minors.
“You said you were a student at Tenegan Academy, right?”
Marco nodded.
“You remember? That’s a relief. I would have felt awkward if you didn’t recognize me.”
Scratching the back of his head, Marco continued.
“That uniform is from Tigr Academy, right? I thought you’d do well in studies; it’s a prestigious academy, isn’t it? I heard the entrance exam is really tough.”
“It’s not really that hard. It’s an easy exam where you only have to write down the answers you know.”
“Well, if you know the answers, of course you’d write them!”
At Marco’s response, Luke became a bit curious.
Was it possible to not know the answers? The answers were all given in the workbooks; there was no reason to be wrong.
“If you don’t make any mistakes, then you should be able to get a perfect score too. Don’t be so humble.”
“Me? Ah, I can’t study that well. Just maintaining a middle-to-upper level is tough for me.”
“Is that so?”
A middle-to-upper level isn’t that bad, is it?
Maybe he was just being humble.
“Anyway, that uniform looks good on you. Oh, this isn’t me hitting on you, so don’t go reporting it or anything.”
“Pff, why would I do that to you?”
Caught off guard by the absurd joke, Luke burst out laughing, and Marco couldn’t help but chuckle along.
“Now your expression is brightening.”
“Huh?”
“You looked quite gloomy earlier.”
Luke suddenly became aware of his expression due to Marco’s remark.
Had he looked that serious?
He turned to Py, asking.
“Did I really?”
-Py,…
Py nodded with what seemed like a worried expression.
Indeed, he had been feeling restless lately, but did he have such worries?
In front of Yerna, he had tried to act inconspicuous, but he hadn’t been consciously managing his expression during these commute times.
“I feel like you used to smile brightly before, but now you look quite gloomy. Did something happen at school?”
“Something happened…”
Well, something did happen.
Could he say it?
He hesitated a bit, but then had a sudden thought.
Wasn’t Marco the best person to confide in?
He didn’t know anyone related to his troubles.
In that case, he didn’t need to worry about his concerns spreading to anyone.
With a mindset of ‘it’s worth a shot,’ Luke nodded and said.
“Marco, do you ever think you don’t want to go to the Academy?”
“Me? Of course, I think that all the time. Who wouldn’t?”
“Is that so?”
“What’s this, you just dislike school too.”
Marco laughed heartily at Luke’s very childlike way of expressing himself.
Saying such serious things while looking like a little girl who doesn’t want to go to school is kind of cute and funny.
It felt like a good idea to talk to him.
“Why don’t you want to go?”
“It feels like a waste of time. Isn’t it strange that attending school is an obligation?”
“Is it strange?”
Now that he thought about it, he had never questioned mandatory education.
Everyone went, so not going seemed peculiar, so he just attended.
“Well, if you’re thinking of dropping out, it might be better to stop, kid.”
“Call me ‘Luke Elushi.'”
“Alright, Luke.”
“Ugh. Is ‘kid’ really that annoying?”
Now that he mentioned it, was it always like this?
Marco scratched his head and continued.
“However, if you drop out, the social perception won’t be great.”
Marco shrugged.
But Luke still showed an unimpressive expression.
Was the idea of social perception not hitting him that hard?
He needed to explain it in a way Luke could understand…
“Ah, right. You said you want to be a mage, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Mages need that Academy diploma. If you drop out, you won’t be able to earn it.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. That diploma is only given if you take the graduation exam. Tigr Academy’s graduation diploma would be a big help in becoming a mage… Wouldn’t dropping out be a loss?”
Tigr Academy’s diploma.
It could be said to have the value of an entrance ticket to the elite course.
Dropping out would indeed seem wasteful.
Luke nodded in agreement.
“…….I see, it’s better to graduate after all.”
Graduation exam.
Certainly, there must be a way to graduate quickly.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea to consult a teacher about taking it in advance?
If that’s possible, he could become a mage much sooner than initially expected!
Thinking like that, Luke’s expression began to brighten.
Since books on magic above level 5 didn’t seem to circulate normally.
Becoming a mage could make it easier to get them!
Seeing Luke’s expression lighten as he thought about such things, Marco felt proud, thinking,
“I successfully convinced the girl who didn’t want to go to school.”
