Book 1 Chapter 24

[24]23

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

Laughter echoed through the cafe terrace at the entrance.

Celia, clutching her stomach as she laughed, hiccupped and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"So? You left magic class after barely solving one problem?"

"Are you done laughing?"

Leo, with a gloomy expression, drank his fruit juice.

"See? What did I tell you? Taking magic major classes is useless," Celia said, calming her laughter and raising her teacup.

"If you're from Zerding, you should be focused on swordsmanship."

"I'm not from Zerding."

"If you're learning Phoenix Breath, who else are you if not from Zerding?"

Leo gave Celia a bewildered look and sipped his tea.

"Anyway, you're not busy until the afternoon class, right? Want to spar with me?"

"Then should we do some physical training?"

"……!"

Celia's face turned pale.

If it were anyone else, it might be bearable, but Leo's physical training was akin to torture.

Remembering a hellish week at the Frobb mansion, Celia forced an awkward laugh.

"I'm going to practice swordsmanship…"

"You're not going to chicken out, are you?" Leo smiled sweetly.

"How disappointed will Uncle Gis be when he hears you ran away from physical training because you were scared?"

"Hey! You're getting revenge for me teasing you about going to magic class, you cheapskate!"

Celia shivered as she looked at her cousin, who was smiling wickedly.

"Okay, let's train hard."

"No. Let go of me."

Celia shrieked and struggled as Leo grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and dragged her towards the training grounds.

"Hey! Leo!"

Kal ran up, panting.

"What's wrong? What about class?"

"Professor Ren is looking for you."

Celia's face lit up.

"The professor is looking for you, Leo. Hurry up and go."

"Why is he looking for me?"

"You got first place on the magic theory exam."

"What?"

Leo and Celia looked surprised.

Kal, gasping for breath, continued urgently, "The class is in chaos right now! The professor is furious that the top-ranked student didn't attend class!"

***

When Kal brought Leo back to the lecture hall, the atmosphere was icy.

The gazes of the students who had passed the exam were fixed on Leo as he entered the lecture hall door.

Leo flinched for a moment under their stares.

'Why is the atmosphere like this?'

"Student Leo, where have you been instead of attending class?" Assistant Professor Anna of Ren asked quietly. Leo chuckled awkwardly and replied, "I was at the cafe."

"We said that class would start immediately after the exam! Why were you at the cafe…"

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

Just then, the sound of applause suddenly rang out.

Professor Ren approached with a smile.

"Student Leo! I am truly amazed by your genius. To skip all the easy problems, pick out only the most difficult ones, and then leave class. Hahaha! Well, perhaps the exam I gave felt trivial to a genius. Especially for a knight major!"

Although his face was smiling, his eyes were chillingly fierce.

Knights and mages had formed a competitive relationship for a long time.

In the Rodren Empire, one of the strongest human nations, the knight and mage factions, led by Zerdinger and Ruwalyn respectively, were divided and engaged in politics.

There were even extremists among the Lumern students who considered their own field to be the best.

Therefore, the fact that the freshman representative, known to be aspiring to the knight major, submitted a blank paper except for the most difficult problem in a magic major class was enough to create misunderstandings.

Furthermore, Leo hadn't returned to class after leaving.

Leo said urgently, "Professor, I think there's been a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

"I thought I had failed the exam. I didn't know I was first."

At his words, Professor Ren narrowed his brow and stared intently at Leo's face.

Although Professor Ren was among the younger Lumern professors, he was not so easily fooled by a freshman.

'It doesn't seem like a lie. But why didn't he solve the other problems?'

"I need to have a brief talk with student Leo. Assistant Professor Anna, please take over the class for me."

"Understood, Professor."

Anna bowed her head and stood at the podium. Professor Ren led Leo to the preparation room at the back of the lecture hall.

"Why didn't you solve the other exam problems?"

"Well…" Leo hesitated.

"Did you think they weren't worth solving because the problems were too easy?"

"That's not it… uh…" Leo looked around, muttering to himself.

'Ah, how embarrassing. I have to say it myself that I, who was a great mage in my past life, couldn't solve what teenagers can solve?'

But lying was out of the question.

If things continued like this, his school life could be ruined.

Finally, Leo replied in a barely audible voice, "The problems were too difficult for me to solve."

"What?"

He solved the most difficult problem, but then claimed he couldn't solve the others because they were too hard? What kind of nonsensical statement was that?

"I studied magic formations through self-study at home, and all I had were very old grimoires. So I only studied ancient formulas. I didn't know that modern magic formations were so complicated. I was ashamed to come to class because I entered the magic major with too complacent a mindset, as you said."

After saying that, he asked with a puzzled look, "But what do you mean I'm first place? I only managed to solve one problem?"

'So, he couldn't touch the calculation problems because he didn't know the structure of the activation formulas… and ultimately gave up on them and only solved the last problem?'

After hearing his explanation, he understood to some extent.

It was certainly possible that he wouldn't know activation formulas if he had studied only through old grimoires.

Activation formulas were a recent trend, but not ancient spells.

'If he only studied formula interpretation, it's not an impossible story.'

Professor Ren picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a magic formation on a temporary blackboard in the preparation room.

"Try to solve this. Then I will believe what student Leo said. And I will also tell you why student Leo got first place."

Once his anger subsided, he became interested.

The younger generation was sensitive to trends.

Activation formulas had already become deeply rooted among young mages, to the point where they could be considered mainstream rather than a trend.

In that sense, Leo could be considered outdated.

However, he had a strength that contemporary mages lacked.

'That's a solid foundation. The foundation of magic is ultimately the ability to interpret formulas.'

A tree with strong roots may grow slowly, but it will eventually grow large.

Professor Ren expected that Leo was already building 'his own magical world.'

There is only one answer in formula interpretation, but there are many paths to that answer.

He felt a strong curiosity about how this type of student, rarely seen among the younger generation, would approach formula solving.

The process of formula solving also revealed the mage's magical philosophy.

'Let's see what kind of interpretation method he has.'

He watched Leo's back as he stood in front of the blackboard, his eyes shining.

Leo, without a word, reached out to the blackboard as he looked at the problem Professor Ren had given him.

*Tak-*! *Tak*! *Tak*!

Every sound of chalk made Professor Ren tremble.

Leo, having written the complete answer, turned his head.

Professor Ren could not see Leo's solving method.

"I've solved it?"

Leo had solved the complex magic formation through mental calculation.

***

'Why isn't that guy coming out?'

Assistant Professor Anna looked curiously towards the lecture preparation room.

Either a warning or expulsion.

She expected a quick resolution, whatever the outcome, but it was taking longer than expected.

Among Lumern's magic professors, Professor Ren was the most passionate about magic.

Although not widely known publicly, he was hailed as a genius in the magic community.

Anna herself had read his magic papers and became a devotee, applying to be an assistant professor.

'Although his image has been somewhat tarnished since becoming an assistant professor.'

He was usually a dignified gentleman, but when it came to magic, he would exhibit all sorts of eccentricities.

*Crash*!

And as if to match Anna's worries, the door to the lecture preparation room burst open roughly.

The students were startled.

Upon seeing Professor Ren's face, Assistant Professor Anna looked at the ceiling and lamented.

'His seizures are back again. Please don't make a fool of yourself in front of the freshmen.'

Fortunately, Professor Ren quickly left the lecture hall.

Leo slowly emerged from the lecture preparation room.

"What did the professor say, student Leo?"

"He told me to attend class."

"Yes, please take your seat. We will resume the lecture."

Assistant Professor Anna picked up her chalk without showing any concern.

The students' faces looked strange.

The professor suddenly rushing out of the lecture hall from the very first class, and the assistant professor who paid no mind to it.

Something felt off.

Unlike the other students, Leo reacted impassively.

Of course, Leo didn't know why Professor Ren was acting like that.

'But mages acting crazy isn't exactly a new thing.'

Leo understood the nature of mages better than anyone.

***

*Crash*!

The door to the Magic Hall's faculty office burst open roughly.

The professors who were working looked up.

Upon seeing Professor Ren's face, they returned to their work with indifferent expressions.

"Senior!"

Professor Albi turned his head with a blank expression.

"Thank you! Senior! You've given me an incredible gift!"

Professor Albi grabbed the approaching junior's face and tossed him aside like trash.

Then, without a second thought, he left the faculty office.

He knew that getting involved with Professor Ren was a hassle.

Professor Ren, who had fallen to the floor, stood up and followed Professor Albi out.

"Why is he like that today?"

"Leave him be, it's not the first day."

The other professors also reacted indifferently.

"Senior! I will treat you to a meal soon."

"I'd like to hear the reason for all this fuss."

Professor Albi asked his junior, who was thanking him out of the blue, and Professor Ren smiled.

"Leo Frobb, whom I recommended as class representative."

"What about him?"

"Student Leo is a magic genius."

"…? But he's in the knight major."

"No. Student Leo should be in the magic department."

Professor Ren spread his arms.

"Such a magic genius in the knight major? Oh. Oh. That's the biggest joke. He's not the kind of person who should be wielding steel. Sending such a student to the knight major is an insult to magic, Senior."

Afterward, Professor Ren rambled on about what had happened in the first class.

After hearing the entire story, Professor Albi also looked surprised.

"Senior! Student Leo has acquired the formula interpretation skills of a fifth-year student through self-study! If this isn't genius, what is?"

"What do you want from me?" Professor Ren asked directly, smiling meaningfully.

"Please use your influence to ensure that student Leo definitively chooses the magic department."

"Choosing a department is the student's freedom, and if he's such talent, he'll choose magic without me telling him."

"I suppose that's true." Professor Ren looked convinced.

"If someone with such talent doesn't choose magic, they would be a weirdo."

"That's not something you should be saying."

***

Time had passed quickly since the new students enrolled.

Soon, the last day of temporary classes arrived.

After school.

Students sat in their respective classrooms.

Now, students would choose their majors and begin their studies in earnest.

Unbeknownst to the students, homeroom teachers had already been assigned to each class.

The teaching assistant, who was in charge of managing the students during the temporary class period, began the explanation.

"We will now begin the major selection and course registration. As explained, there are no elective liberal arts classes in the first semester of the first year. All courses are mandatory and fill the timetable."

There were a total of seven subjects that the students in the same class would take together, and the timetable was fixed. These included courses necessary for heroes, such as combat and hero studies, as well as language, math, history, etiquette, and morals.

In between these, they had to register for major courses.

The students in Class 5 quickly filled out their major application forms and course registration timetables.

The teaching assistant stood at the podium, meticulously checking the forms submitted by the students.

As he received the last form, he paused for a moment.

"Student Leo?"

"Yes, teaching assistant."

"You've written your major incorrectly. You've listed three majors."

The teaching assistant kindly smiled and returned the form.

Leo handed the form back to the teaching assistant and said, "No, I applied correctly."

"What?"

"I'm going to take all three majors."

Instantly, the gazes of his classmates were drawn to Leo.

Leo said impassively, "I'm an all-rounder."