3 bar menu

Chapter 25 – Part 1

---

Translator: Mii

Editor: Ryunakama

---

There is a golden bell tower hung at the clock tower of Galois Magic Academy, which will be the sign for the start of class and the times for meals at the academy.

Since our room is formerly a storeroom, there are no other students who live next to us, and I didn’t particularly greet anyone either. Even so, when we were heading to the large dining room where most of the students gather, I wonder what kind of looks they will give us. It will be the first step to know what kind of looks will be directed to us at Magic Academy.

Denzel-san already confirmed Selina’s permission to accompany me to the cafeteria and classrooms, but like Dana-san said, it seemed like Selina would need to have some courage to go around the school building.

The good news is Christina promised to have lunch together with us.

After changing my clothes to the Magic Academy uniform, we left our formerly storeroom residence.

「It looks good on you, Dran-san. I think it’s strange to have everyone wearing the same clothes, but I guess it’s a way to cultivate group consciousness, right? Do human beings have the habit to try fitting in as a group?」

「Fumu, Selina’s opinion makes sense. This is indeed a uniform, but it’s sewn with materials loaded with magic power. It can’t be compared with steel grass, yet it is harder than it looks. They should have spent a lot of money to make these clothes.」

We finally reached the entrance of the dining room while ignoring the line of gazes from the surrounding male students. Christina-san waited for us there, gathering the gazes of the surrounding people, and the steps of the students also greatly slowed down when they passed her.

Christina-san herself doesn’t seem satisfied with nor filled with a sense of superiority under those gazes, and she had a calm face.

「I’ve been waiting for a long time, Dran. So you already changed into your uniform, huh. It looks pretty great. The uniform has a defensive magical technique woven into it, and it will prevent you from getting stabbed with a knife. Now then, let’s quickly go. This place is making me uncomfortable.」

「Is it just me who thinks that it will be same even if we go to the main dining room?」

Christina-san seemed like she had the same thought with me and made a bitter smile. Selina and I also replied with bitter smiles to her.

「You will get used to it. They are just looking with curious eyes, so they will get bored soon.」

The New Year opening ceremony had just passed, and almost all of the students who went back to their parents’ homes have returned to the Magic Academy. When we arrived, there were a lot of students that had begun to sit at a large table.

There were some students who brought their small animal familiars, so it should be okay for me to bring Selina to the main dining room, even if she has a humanoid appearance in the upper body. With that, I heaved a relieved sigh.

＊

After we spent our remaining lunch break talking together, I was finally going to start my first lesson at the Magic Academy.

There was a small leather bag filled with textbooks and stationery in my hand, and Selina also held a bundle of papers and stationery behind me.

Even if Selina is a familiar, she could also take classes, so I had prepared her materials beforehand.

I opened the door which made a loud noise, and entered the classroom with Selina.

The school rule states that the seating of the classroom were ordered by attendance number, and the familiars who accompanied their master would stand near their master’s seat for small animals and the like, or at the back or outside the classroom for big animals and the like.

After I found my seat, I needed to move Selina to the back of the classroom. If I could choose my seat on my own, I wanted her to sit next to me.

When I entered the classroom, all of the student’s gaze were concentrated on me, like how they focused on the entrance ceremony.

I wonder if the first time they meet a new school friend who will study together with them for a year is always like this. Even so, not only did they keep concentrating on me as it is, they also started to whisper around each other.

Christina-san told me before that the ratio of males and females is fifty-fifty. I also could see the same faces from when I searched for my classmates on the bulletin board lined up in a row.

When I realized that I will study together with them for a year, I felt a deep emotion within my heart which I could only feel precisely because I had been reborn as a human being.

I wouldn’t know these people’s names and faces if I was still a dragon, or to be honest, I won’t even meet them in the first place.

「Selina, please don’t mind them too much.」

「Yes. I’m alright. I don’t really feel anything if it’s only this much.」

After making sure Selina had reached the back of the classroom where other familiars were gathering, I turned my eyes to my seat.

There are three rows of desks in the classroom, with around five desks arranged side by side per row. Two or three students would be seated at a desk.

My seat is located in the front row beside the hallway. It seemed like my other classmate had taken a seat there.

Before I managed to greet her properly, that classmate spoke even faster than me.

「Hello, nice to meet you~ My name is Fatima Criste Dissidia, let’s get along from now on, ‘kay?」

Somehow, her voice reminded me of a puppy that was dozing off below the sunshine. I felt relieved to know that my seatmate is friendly, and I shook her stretched out hand.

Fatima smiled sweetly with more of a friendly feel, and after looking at her soft smile, it made me wonder if she is really of the same age as me.

Her height only reached my shoulder, with her purple glittering eyes which were slightly narrowed, together with her lips and nose and other physical features made her seem kind of small and childish,

Her light pinkish hair that could be mistaken as white under the light was tied with red ribbons above both of her ears. If she unwinds the ribbon, her hair should be long enough to reach her shoulders.

Since she is in her second year of high school, she should be around fifteen or sixteen years old, yet with the small animal atmosphere around her and her small physique, she could be mistaken as eleven or twelve years old.

「I came from Bern Village. My name is Dran. Pleased to meet you too.」

「You don’t have to be that stiff. Come on, take a seat~」

Following Fatima’s words, I sat down on my chair and took out the stationery I thought I’ll need from my leather bag. Oh, it seems like Fatima had been staring at me for a while…

「Is there something on my face, Fatima-sama?」

「No, no, there’s nothing on your face. I’m just surprised since it’s been awhile since someone called me Fatima-sama.」

「Fumu, then you used to be called Fatima-sama, right? Since you are a noble, I thought I had to be careful about my wordings……」

「Uhn, Dran isn’t familiar yet with Magic Academy rules, so you might not know, but while studying at Magic Academy, you don’t need to be bothered with identity and tribes, you know? Besides, I already got used of the atmosphere here, sometimes I even forget that I am a noble~」

Fatima laughed embarrassedly while scratching her head, her gestures had a lovely charm like a small animal, making me want to stroke her head or hug her. She has the same feel as a loving puppy companion.

「Fumu, it will be easier for me then. Thank you for telling me.」

「Ahaha, you don’t have to speak that formally. I used to be friends with common people in middle school, and we act normal around each other. You can just call me Fatima, no need with the ‘-sama’. ‘Fatima-chan’ is also good~」

‘Since we are friends!’, huh. How cute.

Fumu, Fatima was honestly very cute, since her appearance and actions makes her look more childish than her actual age.

「Is that so… Fumu, then I’ll speak normally with you. Since this was the first time for me to talk with a noble, I actually felt very nervous.」

I might have been acting a little bit, but when I breathed out, Fatima laughed as if my actions were interesting.

「Fufu, I thought Dran would be a dreadful person since you were said to be the rival to the geniuses from the west to the south, yet Dran doesn’t look like it, eh. Well, I’m quite surprised that you brought a Lamia with you though~ Ah, the teacher came. We will be scolded if we are talking, so let’s stay silent~」

The door in front of me opened, and the one who came in was a plump female teacher in her forties who I saw at the interview.

She has somewhat drooping topaz eyes, with twin moles below her left eye.

All of my classmates closed their mouths tightly, and the tension in the class was rising.

Of course, I had secret expectations towards the class I will receive for the first time in my previous life and this life.

The female teacher stood on the platform placed at the staircase-like bottommost classroom. She looked at the entire class with a friendly smile, and her gaze paused when she reached Selina and me.

I wonder if I should think of all sorts of implications, or simply accept the expectation. Since everyone will know my future attitude, I shouldn’t think of it too deeply.

「Everyone, let’s thank the Gods, since we could welcome another good day today as well. I already said it before, but you will get a new friend starting today. Now, can you please introduce yourself to everyone?」

「Nice to meet you. I came from Bern. My name is Dran. I don’t have a surname, and I am also younger than everyone, so feel free to call me Dran. This is the first time for me to learn at this kind of place, so I might be rude since I don’t know most of the rules here. When I make a mistake, I would be glad if you could point them out to me. Now, I will introduce my familiar. She is Selina, a Lamia. Since Lamia’s are treated as demons, I understand that everyone was surprised, but I hope you won’t be afraid of her since she is a really kind girl. She also had lived in my hometown village as a member of the villagers.」

After Teacher Arneis finished listening to me and my familiar’s self-introduction, she smiled fondly at me again.

Looking at her smile, I truly feel that being a teacher is really a lifework and sacred occupation.

「Alright, well done. Like everyone already knew, Dran-kun entered our school starting high school because of special circumstances. You all are free to be as curious about him as you like, but he is still unused with this school’s daily life. I hope everyone can make this academy a better place to learn for him. And also, even if Selina is a familiar, she is a lady too, okay? Don’t be rude to her. It’s late to say this now, but Dran-kun, I am Arneis Lucine, who will be in charge of one of the high school lessons. I will do my best to teach all of you about the basic course class this year. Please take care of me.」

Fumu, it seemed like my impression just now was okay. Fatima who sat next to me also smiled while listening to Teacher Arneis’ words. I hope that the next teacher will be great too, yet…

After that, I continued to improve my basic skills in dealing with magic like what Fatima said, followed with general education lessons, but at the last lesson, I chose an elective course for combat, so Fatima and I parted ways there.

There are special facilities and spaces for exercising and experimenting on offensive magic in the Magic Academy, and the offensive magic lesson I chose were also held in a dedicated open space.

There is a special wall that will summon a barrier that blocks magic that came from the inside and outside around the open space, to make sure that the magic bullets won’t destroy the surrounding facilities and kill the students. In the open space, there is Selina and me, other students, and the teacher in charge.

The teacher in charge of this lesson is Alistair-sensei, who looked like a golem pasted with human skin. He scanned the students with his usual no expression face.

「Then, let’s start our lesson now.」

---

---