Chapter 36 - Chapter 35: The Start of the Magic Academy's Junior Division
The month of Earth ended, and the month of Water began.
Today is the first day of the first week of the month of Water.
In the world before, this would be the start of the new school year, the first weekday of the term.
According to the calendar, spring has already begun since yesterday.
Several days have passed since Mika entered the dormitory, and finally, the long-awaited day for the Magic Academy to begin has arrived.
It seems the academy's main building was indeed a single-story structure, and today, after breakfast, we were scheduled to head straight to the building.
Mika folded up the overly long sleeves of his robe and the hems of his trousers, grabbed his canvas bag containing the pen, ink, and bundle of paper that Messerite had told him would be needed for class, and left the room.
By the way, everything, including the canvas bag, had been purchased in town.
Messerite, his roommate, was also very knowledgeable about the city of Sarbengeal, so they had visited the recommended shops and gathered all the necessary items.
Ink was surprisingly expensive at three thousand Raets (three silver coins) per bottle, paper was two hundred Raets (two large copper coins) for five A4 sheets, and a small canvas bag cost one thousand five hundred Raets (one silver coin and five large copper coins).
A total expenditure of four thousand seven hundred Raets.
As Ninetiana had said, it seems a new life requires a fair amount of money.
"Oh, looks like you're ready. Well then, let's go."
Stepping out into the hallway, Mika descended the stairs with Messerite, who had been waiting for him to finish getting ready.
Upon reaching the dormitory entrance, the matron, Trilens, called out, "Good luck. Do your best."
Seeing Trilens off, Mika and Messerite headed toward the academy building side by side.
Although, the Magic Academy's building was just around the corner.
From the dormitory entrance to the academy entrance was only about fifty meters.
There were seven children entering the Magic Academy this year, and everyone had had a vague get-together after moving into the dorms.
It was just a brief greeting when they crossed paths in the dormitory hallway; there were no proper self-introductions.
Mika had just thought, "Is that how it is?" and left it at that.
Once the academy started, they would be seeing each other every day whether they liked it or not.
Incidentally, the breakdown of the students was four boys, including Mika, and three girls.
Mika and the others' classroom was on the right side upon entering the building, the second door among a row of them.
It seemed the room further back was used by the second-year students.
Three girls were already in the classroom.
The remaining two boys had not yet arrived.
The uniforms were almost identical for boys and girls; the only difference was trousers versus skirts.
After a while, the remaining two boys arrived, followed by a man and a woman who appeared to be teachers.
"I am Dagny, and this is Teacher Naporo. For the next two years, we will be the instructors guiding you all. If you have any questions, please consult us."
The two teachers stood before the lectern and offered a brief greeting.
Dagny was a woman in her early fifties with burnt-brown hair and a somewhat neurotic appearance.
Naporo was a man in his mid-forties with blue hair and a gentle demeanor.
These two were apparently the teachers who would teach Mika and the others about [God's Miracle] for the next two years.
Dagny exchanged a glance with Naporo, and Naporo began handing out bracelets to the children.
"These bracelets are proof that you are students of the Magic Academy. Wear them close to your body at all times. Consider that you may only remove them when you graduate from the Magic Academy."
With those words, they made everyone put on the bracelets right there.
The bracelets had a beautiful luster like platinum, and the plate was engraved with "Leventein Magic Academy [Magic Academy]".
After everyone had put on their bracelets, they were instructed to leave the classroom and move to the adjacent room.
Mika had been nervously anticipating that the next step would be student self-introductions, but there was nothing like that.
That room was about as large as the classroom.
However, while there were many chairs, there were few desks.
Two rows of five chairs each were lined up at the back of the room, and two desks were placed slightly apart near the front.
Mika and the others were made to sit in the back seats, while the teachers, wearing gloves, began preparing something on the desks.
What was prepared on the desks was something vaguely familiar to Mika.
A melon-sized crystal was placed on top of a somewhat dirty, green cauldron-like vessel.
Wasn't this the crystal used to measure magical power?
Without needing to think too hard, Mika knew how the crystal used for measuring magical power was used.
He knew to touch the crystal, but he had never seen what happened afterward.
Last year, there was no reaction. Six months ago, I was blindfolded.
He became a little curious to see what kind of reaction would occur using the crystal.
"Alright, then, Polnard-kun, come to the front."
The first person called by name stepped forward.
The boy called Polnard seemed to be acting somewhat jittery.
By a vague impression, his jittery demeanor reminded one of small animals like mice.
"It has been a year since you last measured your magical power. We will conduct measurements once every few months from now on, so please remember how your magical power changes."
Dagny spoke so that everyone in the room could hear, then instructed Polnard to place his hand on the crystal.
When Polnard timidly placed his hand on the crystal with a lack of confidence, the crystal's color changed to red.
It was red, but rather than a vivid red like a tomato, it was a slightly darker, duller red.
Did they measure magical power by color?
Or perhaps by light intensity?
Dagny and Naporo both checked the crystal and took some notes on something.
Mika watched the scene silently, and next, Messerite was called.
When Messerite touched the crystal, its color changed to red again.
However, this time it was a brighter red than before.
Next, a boy named Murt, who looked like a big bully, was called.
The result was a dull red similar to Polnard's.
Mika was called last among the boys, and he felt a bit of anxiety.
Mika had never seen this crystal react to him.
He had been measured six months ago, and based on that result, he was called to the academy, so he could guess that he must have exceeded the required amount, but that was merely a guess.
He didn't want to think about what would happen if the crystal didn't react this time.
Please, do it.
Despite being nervous and feeling his heart race internally, Mika kept a bored expression on his face, pretending not to care.
When Mika placed his left hand on the crystal, the crystal changed color to a pale yellow.
"Well..."
"Ho... This is."
Dagny and Naporo both raised their voices.
Mika was also surprised that the color was different from before, but he maintained his expressionless face.
Why is the color different! I can't tell if this is good or bad, so just make it the same as everyone else!
When Mika pulled his hand away, Dagny smiled brightly at him.
"To have this much magical power at the time of enrollment is wonderful, Mika-kun. You seem to possess quite a lot of magical power."
Mika bowed lightly instead of answering and returned to his seat.
"Wow, not bad, Mika."
Messerite whispered to him.
"It's just 'for now', okay?"
He answered with an air of nonchalance, but internally, Mika was doing a victory pose and shouting triumphantly.
Yeeeeeees! It worked!!!
Clearing the required amount of magical power was Mika's long-cherished wish.
Although the decision to enter the academy had been made beforehand, originally he had repeated various trials and errors with this as his goal.
He vomited, collapsed, and even suffered burns.
Now that he has achieved the mastery of magic, he still wants to honestly celebrate achieving his goal.
...But, saying 'quite a lot' is a bit ambiguous. I've been using magic non-stop for the past half year, so my magical power should have increased significantly.
Since the decision to enter the academy was made, Mika had been helping with logging work in the village.
He used [Earth Wall] to remove tree stumps, and when his magical power decreased, he recovered it with [Absorb].
Repeating such things, he could now use [Earth Wall] more than ten times a day. Without using [Absorb] for recovery.
The fact that even Mika received an evaluation of "quite a lot" suggests that perhaps the measurement six months ago was truly on the borderline.
If this were a mana sphere, there's a high chance I wouldn't have reached the passing line even if I made ten thousand of them. How high is the requirement level?
Along with relief, a cold sweat broke out.
If there had been no factory fire and he had just been using magic sparingly, he might have been rejected even at the nine-year-old measurement.
While Mika was thinking such thoughts, the magical power measurement turned to the girls.
Charl, a girl with long hair covering her nose with her bangs, showed a darkish red.
Cecilia, who seemed to have a strong personality, showed a bright red.
Finally, Rimliche was called and stepped forward with her head down.
Her messy hair was slightly better than when he first saw her, but she seemed nervous just stepping forward, making her face look somewhat blue.
...Is she okay, this girl?
It was making the observers nervous, as if she might collapse right there.
Prompted by Dagny, Rimliche placed her hand on the crystal.
"Huh...!?"
"What!?"
Dagny and Naporo were speechless.
Their eyes widened in surprise as they looked at the crystal, which had turned a beautiful, clear blue.
Even after a while, the two remained motionless, staring intently at the crystal.
Seeing this, the children in the room began to make a little noise.
"It's blue...."
"That girl is blue."
"...Is blue amazing?"
The children who didn't understand the situation began whispering to each other, wondering what was going on.
"...I wonder what's wrong?"
"I don't know?"
Messerite asked, but naturally, Mika didn't understand either.
Was it a good silence of awe, or a bad silence of shock?
Rimliche was unable to move because the two teachers were frozen.
Since no one said anything, she couldn't pull her hand away, and her posture, already bowed, shrank even further.
"L-Limliche-san. Thank you, you are fine now. You are blessed with a tremendous amount of magical power. It is truly wonderful."
Noticing the children's commotion, Dagny spoke to Rimliche.
Rimliche returned to her seat, her face turning bright red with embarrassment.
"Please remember the results measured today well. This is only your current magical power. There will be children whose power changes drastically over the next two years. Especially, Mika-kun."
Mika's name was suddenly called, causing him to jump.
"At this moment, children with as much magical power as Mika-kun are rare. However, do not become complacent about this; please devote yourself to training. There is a possibility that you can become an excellent mage, but that depends on your efforts, Mika-kun."
Mika nodded silently.
"...And, Limliche-san."
Rimliche trembled slightly when Dagny called her name.
"I have never seen a child blessed with magical power like yours. It is a wonderful talent. If you work hard, you might become the number one mage in the kingdom. Please keep working hard. The teachers will not spare their support for you."
Rimliche seemed even redder because everyone was focusing their attention on her.
However, it seemed she was happy to be praised by Dagny, as the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
The magical power measurement went from red, through yellow, to blue.
Based on the results of the seven children, that was the conclusion.
Yellow had more magical power than red, and blue had more magical power than yellow.
Putting Dagny's words together, it seemed that was indeed the case.
Hey, tell us that information beforehand...
Although the measurement was scheduled to take place right after the academy started, he wished they had provided the basic knowledge beforehand.
Once the magical power measurement was finished, they moved on to testing the ability to sense magical power.
This was likely "that" which Radi had done for him at the church.
The one where you stack your hands and send magical power.
Naporo put away the measurement crystal, and while he did, Dagny prepared another crystal.
At the academy, they test using crystals?
Radi had tested by sending her own magical power, but it seems the academy [here] has a crystal specifically for this purpose.
Six crystals the size of billiard balls were placed on a box, and a melon-sized crystal was placed on top of those.
"Alright, Polnard-kun, come over here."
Polnard, called by Dagny, stepped forward.
"Place your hand on this crystal, and if you feel magical power, raise your other hand."
They tried to test the ability to sense magical power, but the results were not good.
Including Polnard, the three people before Mika all failed.
No one raised their hand.
Is it that difficult...?
Finally, it was Mika's turn, but he was starting to feel anxious too.
He had undergone a similar test with Radi, but it was possible that Radi's test was easy.
If the magical power sent by Radi was far less than what he could perceive, would he be able to sense it?
...Limiter Off.
If he was going to measure the ability to sense magical power, it would be better to make the magical power within himself easier to move.
Mika muttered quietly so no one else could hear.
"Alright, please place your hand on the crystal."
Told by Dagny, Mika placed his left hand on the melon-sized crystal.
Dagny reached her hand into the box where the crystal was placed.
Presumably, she could operate something inside.
"If you feel magical power, raise your other hand opposite the one placed on the crystal."
As soon as Dagny said that, a faint, clear sound of "Kiiiiiin..." was heard in Mika's ears.
He felt a weak ripple-like fluctuation of magical power from his left hand, and Mika immediately raised his right hand.
"? What's wrong? Do you have a question?"
Dagny asked Mika.
Even during that time, the sound and ripples continued.
"No, I felt magical power."
"Eh?"
Dagny made a stunned face.
Seeing Dagny like that, Mika was now the one making a stunned face.
You're testing the ability to sense, right? Why are you spacing out there?
He didn't understand.
What was she saying after trying it herself?
"P-Please wait a moment. Can you release your hand for a moment?"
Following her words, he released his hand from the crystal.
Then Dagny fumbled around inside the box and instructed him to place his hand again.
"Alright, let's go."
Dagny said that, but he couldn't feel the magical power for a while.
After waiting about ten seconds, he finally felt the sound and ripples.
When Mika raised his hand, Dagny looked surprised again.
And then, the magical power sensation disappeared immediately.
Since the magical power sensation had disappeared, Mika lowered his right hand.
Then, Dagny went to Naporo and whispered something to him.
".........I... u..."
"......Ee..."
".........Yo... ii..."
The two teachers were whispering to each other about something.
...Hey, don't do things like that in front of children when it makes me anxious! Are you really teachers!?
What could he say, the level of the teachers was too low.
Their fundamental approach to education must be completely different.
Did pedagogy or educational theory even exist in this world?
He never thought the difference in cultural levels would show up in such a place.
It seemed the two teachers had finished talking, and Naporo came over with Dagny.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Mika-kun. This time I will operate it, so can we try again?"
Saying that, Naporo began fumbling around inside the box.
"Alright, it's fine. Place your hand."
Mika obediently placed his hand.
Naporo said nothing more, and Mika was made to wait for a full thirty seconds.
Then, when he felt the magical power and raised his right hand, Naporo let out a sigh, "Phew...".
...You guys, seriously, quit being teachers.
Mika was about to lose his temper.
No matter how you look at it, the attitude of these two was too harsh.
Mika felt his anger swelling inside him and told himself to calm down... calm down...
"Mika-kun's ability to sense magical power cannot be measured here."
Naporo said something like that.
Huh!?
Mika looked at Naporo with a cold eye, wondering what he was starting to say.
Can't measure it? But you just did it.
What was he saying?
The anger he had just calmed down seemed to swell up again.
"I have never heard of anyone sensing magical power just by activating a magical tool. You really have a high ability to sense."
Naporo smiled bitterly.
Huh? What does that mean?
The wind direction seemed to have changed a bit.
"Magical power is also used to operate this magical tool. It seems you can even sense that magical power. Certainly, this magical tool requires a lot of magical power, but normally it is not something that can be sensed."
Saying that, Naporo looked toward Dagny.
"As the teacher says, let's treat him as having been able to perceive the minimum amount of magical power."
Dagny nodded at Naporo's words.
"Alright, then Mika-kun, you may return. Sorry for keeping you waiting. Next is Charl-san, I suppose."
Mika twisted his neck, filling his head with many question marks as he returned to his seat.
He could feel the children's gazes concentrating on him.
"Mika, did you really feel the magical power?"
"Hm? Yeah, I felt it."
Messerite whispered to him.
"What does magical power feel like?"
"Eh?"
Had Messerite never felt magical power?
Had he not felt it when they tried it at the church?
Thinking that far, Mika finally realized.
I see. The children here are the confirmed group from the seven-year-old measurement, so they haven't undergone the church ritual.
The "Healer Candidates" sought by the church were children who missed the seven-year-old measurement.
The children here, whose entry into the Magic Academy was already decided, were originally outside the conditions.
Coming to the domain's Magic Academy while receiving the church ritual, like Mika, was special.
"It's a bit hard to explain... but I think it's fun."
"...Fun?"
Messerite made a face that didn't quite understand, and Mika smiled at him.
I really want you to experience that exhilaration without any prior knowledge.
Although Mika was of the "spoiler-allowed" faction, he wouldn't force it on others.
Mika was starting to get curious about what kind of reaction Messerite would show.
In the end, after Mika, no one else was able to sense the magical power, and the result was that only Mika could sense it.
However, it seemed normal for this to happen, and it was natural that no one could sense magical power on the first day.
After that, they returned to the classroom to listen to a brief explanation of future classes, and it was lunch break.
Returning to the dormitory to eat lunch, then going back to his room to change into gym clothes.
It seemed the Magic Academy's schedule was morning lectures and magic training, and afternoon physical exercise.
Physical education every day...?
During his school days, he wasn't particularly fond of physical education, but honestly, every day was a bit tough.
However, it seemed the academy [here]'s curriculum was set up that way.
Giving up, Mika changed into his gym clothes.
"What about the upper body?"
Mika asked Messerite what to do about his long-sleeved shirt and long pants.
Spring had just begun, but recently it had been quite warm.
"I'll wear them. If it gets hot, I can just take them off."
Mika decided to do the same.
He was also instructed to bring a water bottle, so he slung it over his shoulder and left the room.
Upon leaving the dormitory, everyone was wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
There was a large track on the field that seemed to be about 800 meters around one lap, and they were to gather there in the afternoon.
The second-year students were also gathering a little distance away.
It seemed that even in the second year, afternoon physical exercise was unchanged.
And then, what they did from there was... walked.
They started a little early, but it was just walking.
Anyway, they just kept walking around and around the track on the field.
The second-years had gone somewhere else, so no one knew what they were doing, but Mika and the others were made to walk endlessly.
No annoying orders like "don't break formation" were given, but they were simply made to walk.
If they got thirsty, they could drink from the water bottle they brought at any time, but stopping was not allowed.
For three hours at a steady pace, with Naporo at the front and Dagny at the rear, they were made to walk non-stop.
He deeply regretted wearing long sleeves and long pants thinking, "I can just take them off later if it gets hot."
When he tried to take them off, Dagny, who was walking at the rear, warned him, and he was not allowed to take them off.
Wiping away the sweat that dripped down lazily, Mika remembered the time he had just arrived in this world.
The Death March where he didn't know which way to go and just kept walking.
Three hours later, at the same time as Naporo's voice of "This is it!", everyone collapsed right there.
"Even if you have no appetite because you're tired, you must force yourself to eat dinner. Tomorrow will be even harder. That's all. Dismissed."
Leaving the seven children in a state resembling a pile of corpses, Dagny and Naporo returned to the building ruthlessly.
They did not tend to them or encourage them.
...I see... that's why they are quasi-military personnel...
The job of a soldier is to walk.
A soldier who cannot walk is useless.
There was even a saying that soldiers march long distances.
Mika felt he somewhat understood the meaning of becoming quasi-military personnel of the Domain Army upon entering the Magic Academy.
Mika lay flat on his back, thinking such thoughts.