Chapter 144

What’s the most important thing for a fulfilling semester at the academy?

Well, opinions may differ, but I think the most important thing is course registration.

The academy is a place you attend to learn something. If you’re not going to gain knowledge, there’s no point in paying the expensive tuition fee.

The same goes for unnecessarily taking classes that aren’t relevant to you. If it’s not knowledge necessary for living… no, for surviving, it would be a waste of time to take it.

From course registration, which could be seen as the start of a semester, it was necessary to choose classes as carefully as possible.

What I needed was the knowledge I could learn at Luminor Academy, not just earn a diploma.

…Well, of course, having a diploma from the academy wouldn’t hurt for living in this world either.

“Lilith, have you decided on your classes for the second semester?”

“Yes. I’ve mostly decided.”

“…Can you tell me a little about what classes you’re taking?”

“First, I’ve registered for two lecture classes on controlling mana flow to improve accuracy. Although my way of handling magic has improved compared to when I first enrolled, I still think I need more practice.”

“Right, your Magic Arrows are still a bit unstable.”

“……”

“O-of course, since you can use triple casting, it’s okay even if they’re a bit unstable, but I think it would be best if you could reliably hit all three shots instead of just one or two.”

“…Yes, you’re right.”

I was just quietly agreeing with Ethan’s words, but why was he suddenly watching my reaction with all these words? [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Anyway, Ethan and I agreed that the accuracy of my Magic Arrows needed to improve.

“Other than that, I plan to take two required major courses from the Magic Department. Oh, and I’m also planning to take Practical Monster Hunting Training.”

“Practical Monster Hunting Training?”

“Yes. The end-of-semester evaluation for the second semester isn’t a duel between students but monster hunting in the Black Forest. I thought it would be good to learn how to deal with monsters in advance.”

In truth, I was just using the class as an excuse to enter the Black Forest to gain XP.

I don’t understand why they made a rule that first-year students can’t enter the Black Forest for personal reasons. Because of this, I couldn’t even level up properly despite coming all the way to the academy.

From now on, securing XP was more important than anything else, as leveling up was the fastest way to grow.

“Why don’t you take it too, Young Master Ethan? I think it will provide considerable practical experience for the hunting festival you’ll participate in at the end of the semester.”

“Sh-should I?”

“Yes. Of course, the choice is yours, so I won’t insist.”

“…No, I think I should sign up for it too, as you said. Thanks for the advice, Lilith.”

…Not bad.

As I mentioned before, if there were lectures I could attend together with Ethan, I planned to match our schedules as much as possible.

It wasn’t for any creepy reason like wanting to be with Ethan; it was just much more convenient for my duties as his exclusive maid.

It was better than drawing other students’ attention by coming to the Magic Department building like last time.

Also, we could also practice coordinating for the hunting festival at the end of the semester.

“Lilith, I’m just asking out of curiosity.”

“Yes?”

“Are you not taking the Magic Swordsmanship Class anymore?”

“…By Magic Swordsmanship Class, do you mean the Applied Magic Swordsmanship lecture class that the master teaches?”

“Yes. Of course, since you use a dagger, strictly speaking, it might not be a necessary class for you, but I was just wondering.”

“That was naturally included in my schedule, so I didn’t mention it specifically. After all, the master took my course registration form before we left for the academy.”

“…Oh, he took yours too. I thought Father only took mine.”

Well, unlike Ethan, I had expected this. Seeing as he advised me to sign up for the Applied Magic Swordsmanship lecture, he must have naturally told Ethan, who understands swords dozens of times better than me, to sign up as well.

Given Harold’s personality, he wouldn’t bother mentioning that Ethan and I would be taking the same class. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

For me, it was actually a good situation as I could comfortably secure a spot due to the harsh competition of course registration.

After all, magic swordsmanship was the most necessary foundational knowledge for Lilith to survive.

“Then, we’ll be taking two classes together this year.”

“Yes. It seems so.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Lilith.”

“…Yes. Me too, Young Master Ethan.”

…I almost got flustered for a moment when Ethan said he was looking forward to it.

He probably meant he was looking forward to the new semester. Surely, he wouldn’t be excited about having two overlapping classes with me instead of one.

“And for the last class…”

“…There’s more?”

“Yes. Since we’re paying expensive tuition to attend the academy, isn’t it better to take as many classes as possible?”

“…Right. It’s your choice, after all.”

Ethan gave me a look as if he couldn’t believe it, but his gaze wasn’t going to change my decision.

Still, I was considering my well-being and planned to take only 21 credits out of the maximum 22.

“Communication with Spirits”@@novelbin@@

…Well, it should be fine to invest in this subject for one semester.

It wasn’t a class I was signing up for because I particularly liked Sally.

The reason I chose “Communication with Spirits” as my last course was simple.

Considering the time I’d be spending with Sally from now on, I felt it would be difficult to cooperate with our current level of trust.

Perhaps because I tried to back out after hearing its story in Grainstone Village, Sally often showed a subtly arrogant attitude while traveling with me.

I needed to make it a somewhat communicable partner if not completely educate its personality as a human to a spirit.

Especially, I had to somehow stop it from waking me up when it was bored while I was sleeping.

{Communication with Spirits? Instead of taking such a class, why don’t you sincerely express your admiration for me every morning? Then I might respect you too, you know?}

“You think I’d fall for such nonsense after suffering you for a month?”

{Suffering~?! I just talked to you a bit because I was bored when you wouldn’t pay attention to me~!} [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“Don’t compare a spirit that’s awake 24 hours a day with a human who needs to sleep eight hours a day. If you had just guaranteed my right to sleep, I wouldn’t have bothered allocating time for this class.”

{Hmph~! I’ll prove to you that taking this class will be of no use!}

Blabber all you want. Whether you chatter or not, I’ll just diligently attend the class.

What I believe in is not the nonsense of this noisy fire spirit but the clear rewards I can get from finishing the class.

As long as I complete the class, I can get ‘+10 Spirit Affinity’, which means that regardless of its attitude, I’ll probably be able to turn it into a somewhat obedient creature later.

‘I’m a bit curious about how the Spirit Affinity points from the game will apply here…’

Well, I’ll find out after completing the class.

With such thoughts, I entered the classroom for the first meeting of the “Communication with Spirits” subject and already saw a few diligent students preparing for the first day of class.

Among them, I could immediately spot one fairly familiar face.

‘Oh, Agnes is taking this class too.’

Agnes Elizabeth Blaze.

Not only did she enter the Magic Department of Luminor Academy at the top spot, but she also showed an overwhelming gap with second place, making her the cream of the crop of the Magic Department.

Considering her future of becoming the Archmage of the Red Tower, she was by far the character with the most potential for growth among the current Magic Department students.

‘It wouldn’t hurt to get close to her.’

We were both in the upper ranks of the academy’s Magic Department, and from this semester, we were side by side in first and second place.

My rank had risen to second place due to the results of the evaluation battle at the end of last semester.

To avoid catching the eye of this crazy woman who “hunts the second place” during each end-of-semester evaluation event, it was important in many ways to build a rapport from now on. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

I really didn’t want to face her in next year’s first-semester final evaluation battle for various reasons.

Well, Lilith’s appearance itself tends to be quite likable to people, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to befriend her.

I also roughly knew her tastes and personality, having conquered her character once in the game.

“Hello, Miss Agnes Elizabeth Blaze.”

“……?”

Agnes tilted her head silently, slightly surprised by my sudden approach and greeting to the empty seat next to her.

Given her personality of not showing much interest unless it’s someone she finds intriguing, I thought she might not recognize me and was about to introduce myself first.

Unexpectedly, contrary to my expectation, Agnes seemed to know of Lilith’s existence.

…Judging by the content of her first words to me, it didn’t seem like she knew me in a good way.

“This is our first time talking close and personally, right? My name is Lilith Blackwood Rose…”

“…The crazy bitch who used Mana Blast in the final evaluation battle.”

…Wait, who’s calling who a crazy bitch?