The Strategy to Become Good at Magic Chapter 91

TL: I finished playing Danganronpa V3. DRV3 is again very similar to DR1 and DR2, but the ending of this game is quite possibly despair-inducing to the fans, not to the characters. If you want to taste the greatest despair for yourself, go ahead and do it, but it’s the absolute taste of yuck.

I’ll probably want to play DR 1 and DR 2 in the future to get that awesome feeling again.

Chapter 91 – School’s opening

After they were done looking at the prestigious Tower of Magic, the older student brought Sue to the Tower of Heroes, the Tower of Sages, the Tower of Alchemy…… Each major course had a corresponding symbol of a tower specially provided for excellent students.

At the same time, this was the Capital of Magic, and magic had the best facilities, so it was natural for other courses to be pushed away.

One could immediately recognize how dignified and comfortable it would be to live at the Tower of Magic with a single glance, but when it came to the other Towers, they were much more rundown. At the very least, Sue did not feel that it was a special thing to live within the Tower of Alchemy; she even thought she was going to enter the entrance of a dungeon, and if she opened the doors there would be skeletons or humanoid monsters leisurely strolling within……

“…… If there are any festivals, wouldn’t it be amazing if this spot is used as a Ghost House?!” Sue observed from afar and asked.

“A ghost house?!” The pa.s.serby looked lost.

“Erm……” Sue tried to think of a better description: “For example, putting on some scary things, dimming the lights and playing creepy music, and if you can find some appropriate people to put on some make-up and act like monsters depicted in stories, so you can frighten thrill seekers or get lovey-dovey couples to get inappropriately frisky with each other……”

“This suggestion sounds like a good one,” The pa.s.serby’s lips were convulsing a little, “but this is a symbolic tower of honor so it can’t be open to the public……”

“No freaking way, if you open it to the public, there’s at least a Ghost House, and if you don’t this place will be collecting dust,” Sue placed one hand at a nearby pergola and took a long look: “look, do you really think this place is suitable for humans to live in?! I think my dorm room for four is much cleaner than this place…… I think this place has no running water or electricity either right?!”

If this tower were built in one of Earth’s school, it would have been immediately repainted or demolished, with the reason of how badly it looked……

The pa.s.serby thought quietly for a while: “Well, one can’t really fault the towers for falling into such a run-down state. The main thing is that there has been no talented alchemist for nearly a decade, and the students enrolling into the magic cla.s.ses are more than the other courses…… For example, even if the majority of the students choose to take a particular non-magic course as their majors, they would still take a few minor magic courses. How far they go isn’t important, because they are at least currently up-to-date with the current world.”

“You’re also studying magic?” Sue asked.

“Haha……” The pa.s.serby looked a little awkward: “Let’s go elsewhere and take a look.”

Learning magic meant he had no personality, not learning magic hinted that he was useless…… Sue could feel sympathy for him and stopped her line of questions to continue taking a look at the school facilities.

There was no unique scenery within the advanced school sections. Other than the symbolic towers of professions, there was not much of a difference concerning the open areas, regardless of dormitories or cla.s.ses. It was a school after all, and there was no point in building it like a park or some special environment sector that needed preserving. No one would nitpick on it anyway.

One other point was that the Academy of Light was just too big. The uppercla.s.sman pa.s.serby told her that the area they were in was only a portion of the school sector, and to finish checking out the school required riding on a Magical Beast or a horse carriage. The size of the school was a small city after all.

At the same time, he told Sue that she had nothing to worry. The newcomers’ lessons are quite concentrated in a single location. There was not much of a problem to travel too far, and there were carriages set up in between major sections, allowing students to use them.

He also hinted that their courses were also tightly packed to the point where they would just tear up if they ever consider dating.

After they around for a while, the two went back to the dormitory. Lawrence was not afraid of Sue getting lost, but the fact that she would do unpredictable things like moving around on her white tiger to observe the school……

“Sue!” Lawrence felt his tears welling up in his eyes and charged towards her after discovering her from afar: “Thank goodness, you’re fine!”

The true meaning of the sentence was, “Thank goodness, you didn’t cause trouble!” …….

The pa.s.serby looked slightly embarra.s.sed, as it seemed like her guardian was out searching: “I’m sorry, I thought I merely brought a cute undercla.s.sman around the school, but it seems like I caused you to worry.”

“No, I should actually thank you.” Lawrence finally discovered there was a stranger and was a little red-faced as he thanked him politely: “If you wish, we can have lunch together?!”

The pa.s.serby immediately indicated he was still busy. It was a recruitment day, and the advanced students had representatives to ensure that the order was maintained, as well as helping newcomers by explaining on what courses to pick or any tips to live comfortably. It was a task to bring around the newcomers, so there was nothing to be polite about.

After a few polite exchanges before the pa.s.serby left, Lawrence reminisced about his past years in the school: “I also did the same thing after my third year. The initial reason was the convenient aspect of this job, where I got to know many cute undercla.s.smen girls……”

Sue glanced at her short arms and legs: “Like me?!”

“……” Lawrence’s expressions immediately caved in, and the corner of his lips spasmed a few times before he wiped away his sweat: “No, they were more….. meek.”

Sue did not mind Lawrence’s delay in his description, and she merely put up her hands and asked again: “It seems like that boy is around fourteen or fifteen?! Didn’t you say something like they would be expelled if they studied for six years and are still unable to graduate…… Is it because he started off late or he hit p.u.b.erty super early?!”

Since she was only five years old, she would be eleven after six years. No matter how she looked at it, it did not make sense to have an uppercla.s.sman at his age.

Lawrence laughed and explained: “In order to ensure that the school fees are not wasted and to have a successful graduation, most people would only enroll in the Academy of Light after having a certain level of fundamentals. There are very few wealthy families who have children with incredible talents that enroll at your age. Also, even after you graduate, you can still choose to learn other advanced courses or research further to become a grandmaster…… The majority of the students’ average age range from 13 years old to 18 years old. If you pay attention, you can find children of your age or even adults who are older than me……”

Sue silently wiped away her cold perspiration. No wonder she felt the children she encountered along the way were too few, and even thought that the parents or their siblings had come along to register for them, to think it was because they were a rarity because of their age……

This was good news, and yet that was also bad at the same time.

The good news was that the school was not as frightening as she thought, like making her wake up early every day, speaking aloud in cla.s.s, learning 1+1=2 or the multiplication tables, and then getting stars on her report book.

The bad news she was deceived by the queen. She carelessly entered the school and was immediately affirmed to have a panda’s destiny…… (TL: To be gawked at, like in a zoo.)

That queen must be lacking in the ways of the commoners’ knowledge and believed every little kid out going to school was at the age of 6 or 7.

[What the heck was “what else can you do at your age if you don’t go to school—“]

The only upside to her attending the school this early was because the shy chibi was considered as a n.o.ble as well, and he had to enter the school at such a tender age to waste six years of his childhood. It was no wonder that middle-aged man allowed her to take care of his chibi son. There really was not many choices he could get to have in this school……

Sue was tearing up as she felt she got cheated.

Destiny’s wheel traveled at 88 mph and one month quickly pa.s.sed by.

It was not as though Sue had not thought of turning back and sending in an application to quit school and have fun for several years, but every time she remembered the goal of getting close to the shy chibi, she quickly extinguished her thoughts.

But the most important reason was the administrator explaining to her that the application to quit needed a penalty fee. Quitting was fine, but if there were no penalty fee, then would the people not abuse the system and trouble the teachers?!

She had the money, certainly, but it was not to be wasted like this. In the end, she did it for money…… and the chibi, so she had to suck it up!

“Woah!! There are little kids……” One of the students in the a.s.sembly hall said.

[F&*#! Have you never been a kid before in your life?! Do you want me to get a diaper and throw it into your arms so you can hug it?!]

Sue pulled away from the blus.h.i.+ng chibi with a darkened face, and the two little conspicuous kids stood hand-in-hand and occupied a corner. Their ridiculously short heights made everyone focus their gazes on them.

It seemed like her thoughts were too simple. She was not just a panda; she had reached the levels of prehistoric dinosaurs, not only were they rare, they were the extinct types……

[Strange. Why I do not see that little brat Fedrus in the Opening Ceremony?!]

After thinking for a while, Sue understood why. He was the empire’s prince, and the highest ranking n.o.ble with a special grade status, so he would not be appearing in front of everyone to let them point and stare at him, in fact, he was probably in the princ.i.p.al’s office drinking fruit juice and eating chocolates.

“Sue~ I’m scared~” Eins had visited Sue every day for the past month shamelessly, and it was enough for both of them to get familiar with each other. His grubby little hands were sweating because of anxiety and dared not raise his head from the number of staring eyes.

“You’re feeling shy, right?” Sue consoled the brat without s.h.i.+fting her eyes: “Don’t worry, ignore the country b.u.mpkins and treat them like a bunch of carrot sticks.”

“……” Could she speak a little softer?! The carrot sticks had black lines on their heads. They were indeed country b.u.mpkins who reacted to the kids, but were they not regular?

Perhaps the commotion was too big; one of the teachers in charge of the order noticed there were two little children amongst the batch of newcomers. Because of her desire to protect the weak, the gentle teacher walked over responsibly: “My good children, are you able to see the stage from this spot?!”

“Erm…..” Eins’s wet eyes looked at the person-in-charge-of-speaking next to him with great expectations.

“It’s not an issue at all; it’s good enough if the words are clear. It’s not a big issue anyways whether the stage can be seen or not, it’s not as if I want their signatures.” Sue looked at the overly helpful teacher with a certain degree of exasperation.

“But it would be good if you recognize them. Surely both of you need to recognize the teachers and the princ.i.p.al at the very least,” the teacher was touched by them, they were such wonderful kids who did not want to trouble her, “how about this, let me bring you to the front so that the other students wouldn’t be able to block you, and let the elderly princ.i.p.al take a look at you two cute little angels?”

“…… There’s no need to.” Sue was struggling painfully.

The gazes she was having right now were already fiery hot, if she were to go in front, she would be melted down. The next day the entire school would know about the two endangered animals, and everyone would fill up the streets to catch a glimpse of them…….

[You bunch of bananas and watermelons! This isn’t a joke!]

“There’s no need to be so shy.” It was evident that motherly instincts were filling up the teacher. She only felt the fidgeting girl was being cute and ignored her protests by lifting up in the air and hugging her, then turning around and calling up the chibi: “The little man should follow me from behind. I’ll bring you both to the front.”

[#&! n.o.body is being shy with you……]

Sue was so agitated that she nearly smacked the teacher. If it were not for the eyes around her, she might have killed the latter with her incredibly high strength stats.

The commotion around Sue increased, and the surrounding conversations only became louder. Sue wanted to leave the place in tears…… There was no way she could live peacefully in the near future……

The teacher hugged and pulled both chibis to the forefront of the hall. A middle-aged male teacher expressed his surprise when he saw them both: “There are children at such a tender age applying this year?!”

“Yes, I picked them up from the sides.” The female teacher was pleased and satisfied.

[You b%@#^!] Sue’s heart was filled with despair and did not want to imagine her future life in the academy anymore.

“Hmm?!” The male teacher suddenly frowned, and went closer to sniff her: “This child has a familiar scent.”

“I haven’t taken a shower for half a month, so it’s normal if there’s an odd smell.” Sue who was finally released, fumed inwardly and answered with a darkened face.

“Sue?!” Eins immediately grabbed her hand upon seeing her release to the ground, afraid that someone was going to kidnap her again: “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. That person finally found her conscience and let me down…..” Sue was fine with standing because it was far better than to have someone hug her. She would come to realize in the future that she had thought of things much too simply, and came to understand a simple awkward moment like this was happiness compared to the future’s terrible events.

[There are different grades of despair that I can have, but…… surely I wouldn’t become famous in the school and suffer the worst kind because I got carried over right?!]

Both teachers were speechless. After a moment of silence, the male teacher changed the topic and asked: “Child, do you know any demi-races?!”

Sue glanced at him and countered: “Do you know me personally?!”

“No.” The male teacher shook his head. School had just started, and the new batch of students had not even attended their first lesson, where would he have the chance to know such a young girl?

“Then is there any point to knowing an unknown person’s known relations.h.i.+ps?!”

“…..” The female teacher felt dizzy from the litany of words, while the male teacher was against silenced for a moment: “But I feel like I have smelled your scent from somewhere……”

“……. I’ll take a shower immediately when I go back!” Sue gnashed her teeth.

Telling a little girl repeatedly she had a smell, was he a pervert or gangster?

After an hour worth of presentations, the school’s educators finally finished their speeches. Sue sighed with relief, and grabbed Eins before anyone else could crowd them……

[D$#@! Getting through this hour was really tough.]

“What—” There were constant screams and shouts from the ground.

[You bunch of country b.u.mpkins!]

“Ahhh—” The chibi held on to Sue as tightly as he possibly could by shutting his eyes and screamed as well.

“…… You won’t fall. I have great experience in flying.” Sue was at a loss for words.

“I’m flying…..”

“Yes, yes,” Sue sighed: “as long as you get used to it. There’s no problem…… Can you open your eyes and take a look where you’re at?! You can’t possibly follow me back to the female dormitory right?!”

The trembling chibi carefully opened a small gap from his eyes, took one look at the ground and swiftly shut them tightly. He repeated the same actions several times for a while……. Sue wanted to cry.

[Bro, this broom is burning Mana Crystals for fuel!]

The chibi eventually got used to it and peeked out carefully while holding on to Sue, and pointed in a direction: “That small red building over there.”

“Okay!” Sue lifted her broon and flew through the air in a pretty arc towards the building. They descended on the rooftop safely. Sue was glad that there was no one there. She let the chibi onto the ground and bid farewell: “Take a good rest, I’ll fetch you tomorrow morning for your military course, remember to bring along your magic mirror and textbooks.”

“This broom is?!” The chibi was at ease when both of his feet touched the ground, and resumed his curiosity after sighing.

“Errr…. I made it myself. Do you want one?!” She could ma.s.s-produce this simple single-digit alchemy item level at her mastery.

The chibi’s eyes were immediately filled with stars: “I can fly too?!”

“That’s not an impossible task……” She thought for a while: “But you need to get used to it. How about this, I’ll teach you how to fly if there’s a chance. Once you’re familiar with it, I’ll make you a broom……. But whether you can fly depends on whether your father permits you to do so, okay?!”

When she spoke, she realized that Fedrus might also need one. There was no need for him to get used to flying since he already had much experience on the tiger and broom during the time in the forest…..

The two children who flew up into the sky had a tremendous effect. In this world there were many were able to fly in the air, like a Grandmaster Wind Mage, or Winged demi-races, or adventurers with flying mounts…… But few used alchemy to fly up in the sky, not to mention the flying device’s shape was so……. unique.

No one in this world would understand why a broom was used for flying, at the very least a sofa would be more appropriate, or even a bathtub. Of course, Sue did not expect them to understand the influence from fairy tales from Earth.

But everyone’s focus was on the unique design.

“A Magic Formation that simulates wind movement?!” The Grandmaster Alchemist stroked his beard and nodded in admiration: “The idea is quite good. n.o.body had even considered of using an alchemist item for flight.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple. The force generated by the Magic Formation has to be constant, and achieving balance in air currents is a huge problem. Winged demi-races rely on their wings to regulate air flow, and Wind Mages and Magical Beasts regulate their Mana…… Why do you think there are so few humans and beasts capable of flight? The subtle control is even harder than some of the big-scale magic spells out there.” One of the Magic Sigil teachers also cut into the discussion: “if you want to carve all the Magic Formations to a broom, then there’s a need to calculate how much power each Magic Formation generates, then place them carefully and ensure that none of the power generated interferes with each other and causes an explosion…… I think that broom even has an acceleration function, and the calculations are going to become even more complicated. Ah, that’s right, you even need another Magic Formation that controls the overall scheme.”

“Which means this broom needs mathematics, physics, Magic Sigil’s theorem and even alchemy…… That many?!”

“So that’s why no alchemist made a flying tool. Perhaps they attempted to, but I think they would only reach the stage to allow the object to float. Stabilizing the power, removing the interfering air currents, accelerating and decelerating would all be failures.”

“This is why I always encourage the children to pick more courses. Knowledge is required to combine other sets to make things work.”

“Haha, perhaps you feel that the students in your cla.s.s are too little, and you want to collect more fees right?”

“This is one reason, but the main …… The Elven King’s socks! Don’t you want to have more students as well?!” The reb.u.t.tal came back

The teacher’s salaries are tied to the number of students.

“Agreed, agreed, my wife recently saw a ring and I didn’t want to fork money out for it. Yesterday’s dinner and today’s breakfast were mashed beans…… and it’s the type that just adds salt! I have a feeling that the same dish would be served for the next one or two months.”

“You poor chap! Come over to my house for a meal. If there’s a day where my wife sees something of interest, I’ll go over to your house for my meals instead!”

“Hahhh, these women are always like this……”