The rest of the conversation consisted of "Turn right there" and "Turn left there". I dropped him off at the infirmary before finding my way back to the class. When entering the mat room again, I found that they've moved the class forward into a weapon and form lecture.
"Ah, you're back. Take a seat with the others." [Tellen]
I joined the others in sitting cross legged on the ground. Ms. Tellen was explaining the advantages of certain stances with a dagger and small shield by using Fina's duel as an example. It was pretty simple stuff, things I figured were probably taught in freshman year. However, this was a breakdown of how Fina's thought process had already won the fight.
"In the end, battles aren't won with sheer strength. It's wit. If you can predict your opponent's strikes, you win." [Tellen]
I felt like I'd heard Master talk about it before. He basically made a list of how people think as they grow stronger. First, you would think strength is what makes you strongest, then speed, then reaction time, then the ability to predict. Finally you'll end with the conclusion that reaction is really the best. I'm not too sure why though.
"Traditionally, using two skill weapons like this isn't very effective. Frankly, it puts you in a huge disadvantage. Daggers like these are usually only carried in case of emergencies." [Tellen]
She then continued to describe how some weapons were used and their purposes historically. I pretty much zoned out on this part. Anyway, I kind of idled until class was over. So, about four hours.
"Well, let's take a break guys. Come back in an hour." [Tellen]
Apparently class is about eight hours long with a one hour break. For normal students, that is. Fina is not like them. Four hours was our cue to leave because now we had to depart for the Mage Academy.
"We'll see you later Leynha." [Fina]
"Why though…! You're leaving me alone?! With these randoms?!" [Leynha]
"Sorry, that's just how it is. We talked about it earlier, no?" [Solace]
"Yeah, but I didn't think you guys would actually do it! Now I'm gonna be all lonely and I'll be made fun of because I'm a loner!" [Leynha]
"Don't be so dramatic… We'll see you after school." [Solace]
Leynha let out a sigh as if resigning herself to her fate.
"Fine…" [Leynha]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Leaving Leynha behind, we traveled to the Mage Academy. Unfortunately, we missed the first half of class so we had to go to one of the offices for some kind of permission slip. I think it was more of an identification method since we're special admission students. By the way, the system is pretty much the same as the Knight Academy. The facilities are probably different though.
"Please hand these papers over to your teacher when you meet them. It's currently break time so you have around forty minutes to kill before having to attend class." [Office Clerk]
The female office clerk handed us two pink slips of paper. I kinda wondered why they were pink, but I stopped caring pretty quickly.
"Thank you, ma'am. Have a good day." [Fina]
As we stepped out of the office, I asked Fina what she wanted to do.
"You wanna grab something to eat? We've got forty minutes." [Solace]
"I'm not exactly hungry right now. How about we take a look at the campus?" [Fina]
So she says even though we haven't had a bite to eat for like… four hours. I mean, we did have breakfast. Still, I can't say it was super filling.
"That's fine with me. I'll follow your lead." [Solace]
Fina and I toured the campus, her arm linking through mine. I didn't really say anything about it because realistically… It's not like I didn't like it. The Mage Academy had towers. So many towers. I mean, it was obvious from afar, but I didn't expect them to be so obsessed with it.
"Why are there so many towers?" [Solace]
"There's certain materials and spells that require specific elevations to be maintained or cast. It was the first archmage that found that out and helped develop hundreds of thousands of spells by revolutionizing magical theory." [Fina]
As expected of Fina. She just really knows things.
"You know, I thought we'd see people flying around in the Mage Academy." [Solace]
"Did you not read through Naballia laws?" [Fina]
"...Why would I?" [Solace]
"Because we'll be living here?" [Fina]
"I'm not memorizing, much less reading allat." [Solace]
Fina gave me a strange look.
"Okay… Basically you need a flying permit." [Fina]
"Like a driver's license?" [Solace]
Fina raised a brow.
"I thought you didn't read the laws? How did you know about that?" [Fina]
For a second I forgot Naballia of all countries actually had cars.
"Oh… Well, I thought that if there's flying permits then there would be some form of it for cars too." [Solace]
"...You know, sometimes I think you act dumber than you actually are." [Fina]
"Is that… an insult?" [Solace]
"It's a compliment." [Fina]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
We ended up wandering to some kind of plaza that had food stalls so I bought some snacks under the pretense that I was hungry. All so that I can find some sort of excuse to get Fina to eat. Later, we headed to our class to find that we had to ascend one of the many towers.
"Don't tell me we have to climb six flights of stairs…" [Solace]
Thankfully, they had elevators. Our first class was on the sixth floor of class tower 1, where an explosion containment spell was maintained. Basically the class was having a lab before we entered.
("I sure hope that they don't pressure us like the Knight Academy.") [Solace]
I kinda expected some form of confrontation, yet I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone was too immersed in their lesson, or labs. It was like everyone simply didn't care about anyone else other than their results.
("I could get used to this.") [Solace]
It must be some sort of thirst for knowledge. In which case, Fina fit right in. She followed along with the theories the teacher spoke about, and actively engaged in debates with other students. Me? I did jack shit. Matter of fact, I didn't speak to anyone. Why do you think I'm not mentioning any names? I didn't remember shit.
"Are you all following the lab correctly? Remember that the mana to material ratio is one to three! Any more will cause your spell to explode and any less will either lose function or lose efficiency!" [Teacher]
The teacher, a stern bald man, patrolled the class checking up on everyone's progress. He wore a decorated white robe and had a pink moustache and beard. The lab we had to do was carve a magic circle into a stone tablet, pour in some kind of compound that is prone to setting ablaze, and then activate it by feeding it mana at a set amount. The reason why it was a one to three ratio was because all tablets were different sizes, so the amount of material used varied.
("This shit is too advanced for me…") [Solace]
I went through about three tablets trying to get it right, but mixing the compound to hit a specific viscosity was incredibly difficult. It wasn't until I miraculously mixed it correctly and began pouring it that the teacher approached me.
"How is it going so far?" [Teacher]
His presence caused me to jolt, leading to my hard work ending up in flames. Literally. As I watched my compound burn, the teacher only shook his head in disappointment before moving on to another student.
("...Fuck.") [Solace]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The lab finished without any problems, for others that is. For me, I barely completed it after Fina came over to help me. I know I don't actually have to do anything for the class since I'm just there for Fina, but I get f.o.m.o. when doing nothing. Once class ended, we met up with Leynha and returned to the factory.
"Welcome back! How was school?" [Lascavall]
"It wasn't too bad. They taught me some stuff Uncle Vincent already showed me before." [Leynha]
"I enjoyed it. The experience of learning never gets old." [Fina]
"It sucked ass!" [Solace]
Three very different answers.
"Uh… Why was it bad for you, Alt?" [Lascavall]
"The Knight academy was whatever, but the Mage Academy was… Let's just say I'm not the best at making magic circles." [Solace]
Leynha nodded in agreement.
"I feel you, I feel you. The calculations required makes my head spin." [Leynha]
The fact that even Leynha of all people was pitying me tells me something.
"Don't worry, Alt. You'll get better with some practice." [Fina]
That's the thing, I don't WANT to practice. I want to be able to do it easily immediately. Sadly, I'm not a genius like that.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
About a week after that I gained the |Skill| |Alchemy|. Honestly, the difference between having a |Skill| or not is like heaven and earth. My hands no longer trembled when pouring compounds, my drawing was steady, and my calculations were automatic. It's like everything pops into my head and I actually don't need to think. Other than my own progress, I found that Fina had begun to make friends.
("This… makes me so proud.") [Solace]
In both the Mage Academy and the Knight Academy, it wasn't an uncommon sight to see her surrounded by fellow classmates. Though, I kind of felt lonely since I never joined in. I wanted her to have her own thing, in case I had to disappear again.
("Plus this country doesn't put much emphasis on hair color.") [Solace]
The culture here is incredibly tolerant. That's probably why I'm not considered a criminal here. They don't exactly push forward having faith towards the gods. Apparently it had something to do with how Naballia was before my fellow disciple's rule. In any case, I also found something out about |Unbound Mortal|.
("I can see form and force distribution now. Is this an effect of |Unbound Mortal|?") [Solace]
I figured it out during one of the Knight Academy lessons. While watching the teacher, I noticed how her attacks can be improved and the force distribution should be. It's like seeing the difference between slashing with the edge of a blade versus slashing with the flat side of it.
("I never noticed it until now. Have I grown stronger?") [Solace]
Maybe the |Spirit Guide| released some functions for me. In any case, about another week passed and something changed.
"...Hey, have you noticed that a lot of soldiers have been going in and out of the city?" [Leynha]
"...No?" [Solace]
"Not really?" [Fina]
We were lounging in the factory we dormed at, snacking while Lascavall was away.
"I guess you two wouldn't, considering you're always holed up somewhere." [Leynha]
"It's called studying." [Fina]
"Yeah, I'm just lazy." [Solace]
You must be dreaming to even CONSIDER the thought of me studying.
"So what's this about some soldiers going through the city?" [Fina]
Leynha scratched her chin.
"It's not like… suuuuper important, but I've seen whole platoons or whatever leaving fully armed. Sometimes I'd see trucks coming in with beat up equipment for repairs.
"Oh, I think I've seen Lasc working on those." [Solace]
"You mean those scraps he gives us to piece together?" [Fina]
"Probably." [Solace]
I never paid much attention to what he was making us do, so it was hard to remember. I think we were repairing armor or something similar? It didn't look like traditional metal plating.
("They had pockets and stuff too. What were we even making?") [Solace]
Just then, Lascavall returned to the factory.
"What's up, guys? I brought back some… something wrong?" [Lascavall]
Carrying a bag over his shoulder, he froze as he noticed our gazes.
"We were wondering why a bunch of soldiers were going in and out of the city." [Leynha]
"Does the borders of Naballia need reinforcement? I know we're surrounded by hostile countries." [Fina]
Lascavall made a blank expression.
"You guys wouldn't get it. It's adult stuff." [Lascavall]
Setting his bag down, he reached into it to pull out a small black box.
"What's that?" [Solace]
"A new method of communication. Lower power than a communication crystal, but cheaper and capable of mass production." [Lascavall]
He tossed one to me, allowing me to inspect it.
"This is…" [Solace]
It literally looked like a hand radio. Some may even call it a walkie-talkie though.
"Testing testing, one two three." [Lascavall]
His voice echoed through the box. As I lifted my gaze to look at him, I could see him speaking directly into another black box.
("So it IS a radio.") [Solace]
"Hello, can you hear me?" [Solace]
I tried speaking into it, but nothing came out on Lascavall's end.
"Pour some mana into it." [Lascavall]
Following his instructions, I tried again.
"Testing testing, one two three." [Solace]
This time, my words went through.
"Woah… that's awesome. Let me try." [Leynha]
She snatched the radio from my hand before I could reply.
"Hellooooo. Can you hear me?" [Leynha]
She found it far more amusing than she should have. Just hearing her own voice through Lascavall's radio made her giggle.
"Pretty cool, yeah? Its range is dependent on how much mana you put in. Just… don't put too much or it could explode." [Lascavall]
"Is this already the complete product?" [Fina]
"Testing phase. Have fun, but don't break it." [Lascavall]
He handed one of them to Fina before going into his personal lab. While Fina and Leynha were occupied with toying with the radios, I had other plans.
("Adult stuff, huh… It's usually pretty bad when people say that. I think I'll check it out tonight.") [Solace]