I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

4

Today’s menu was roasted pork with butter, bread, sausages, and soup.

The gaze of the dining hall in the main building, where the meal should be in full swing, lingered on almost one table.

“Um, it’s delicious.”

Calen, cutting the pork with a knife and skewering sausages with a fork on the opposite side, ate heartily.

And…

Me, sitting on the opposite side.

The gaze felt from behind was quite uncomfortable.

Well, for these people, nobles dining face to face was probably a rare sight.

It was a situation where Calen, a diligent practice bug known in the Knight Department, and Sohjak, a magic department eccentric, were sitting at the same table eating.

“…”

I slowly cut the meat with a knife and put it in my mouth.

The stomach that had gone to the edge of hunger was violently stirring, but due to the ‘dignity of lineage,’ I couldn’t just gobble it up like Calen in front of me.

In the silent dining hall, only the neat clinking of utensils could be heard.

After swallowing the chewed meat in my mouth, I muttered quietly.

“…It’s quite decent.”

At my words, Calen smiled subtly.

“Is that so?”

To be honest, well, it was so delicious that I might die eating it.

I’m starving to death, so anything would taste good.

Just five minutes ago, I was ready to chew on a rock.

This is simply because of the damn skill ‘dignity of lineage.’

Even though the food is disgustingly delicious, I can’t bring myself to say it’s tasty with this damn mouth.

Because of this guy, my way of speaking has strangely changed.

“Well, then I’ll go to the training hall.”

Calen, who had finished the meal without realizing it, stood up with the plate in hand.

As Calen, who was about to leave, hesitated, he turned to look at me.

“I might come back late in the evening, so feel free to go to bed first. I’ll have dinner at the Knight Department.”

Saying that, they disappeared into the crowd, hiding their figure.

I gently put down my utensils.

“… Gone.”

Slowly getting up from my seat, I headed towards the opposite exit.

It’s good they won’t be back until late in the evening.

Today, I had things to do as well.

* * *

Returning to my room, I opened the trunk.

“Hmm…”

In the trunk were a hand mirror, toiletries and necessities, a few books, and a perfume with the family crest engraved on it.

I took out the perfume, the hand mirror, and lastly, the book 《Fundamental Elements Theory and Elemental Applications》 that I had left aside in the morning.

Even though it was a textbook for first-year students, the book looked neat as if it had just been bought.

Upon a quick glance, not a single scribble or doodle was found.

“Adrian, you bought this but never even opened it.”

Silently flipping through the book, I turned to a page.

《Chapter 4: Basic Elemental Magic – Page 248》

Here.

This was definitely the page.

Having tread the path of the School of Magic in Ervan, I knew how to utilize this book.

As soon as I unfolded the section on Basic Elemental Magic on page 248,

I could choose to acquire one lower-level magic of the five elements.

It was called ‘Skill Rune,’ a concept where, in the game, through this Skill Rune, one could choose a lower-level magic skill in the first semester of the first year.

The trigger to acquire a skill was ‘unfolding a specific page in the book’ and saying it aloud.

“Page 248. Basic Elemental Magic.”

─Paat!

Immediately, a bright blue light filled the room.

I closed and opened my eyes to see a blue selection screen in front of me.

《Learn and select ■Basic Elemental Magic■.》

[Water: Create Water]

– Creates a mass of water that can be transformed at will.

[Fire: Fireball]

– Summons a sphere of fire at a designated location.

[Earth: Ground Rock]

– Makes a rock rise from the ground.

[Wind: Wind Blade]

– Draws sharp wind around and releases it.

[Lightning: Summon Lightning]

– Summons a bolt of lightning to strike.

Here, all the strategy sites recommend ‘Fireball.’

It is indeed a skill worth using, but ultimately, strategies are all for the protagonist of the original work.

Adrian is not the original protagonist, and from the start, he does not have all the abilities like that guy.

Here, I must choose magic that I can use without any burden.

“This seems good.”

What I chose is the Wind Blade, a wind elemental magic.

It has a relatively low mana cost and the effects are decent enough.

Moreover, lower-level magics are not particularly related to each character’s innate ‘elemental affinity,’ so it doesn’t matter what attribute you learn.

I immediately selected Wind Blade.

[Once a skill is acquired, it cannot be retracted■. Are you sure you want to proceed?]

Although the broken letters here and there bothered me, I didn’t have the time to analyze them in detail.

Perhaps as someone who is not the ‘protagonist,’ I could freely use such things.

“I choose.”

Light enveloped my body.

[You have acquired the skill, 【Wind Blade】.]

[From now on, you can use the skill by thinking about it in your mind.]

[Acquired skills can be checked in the ‘Character Information’ under magic details.]

Slowly, I closed the book along with the disappearing letters in the air.

‘The first stage is over.’

Testing magic in the room would create a mess, so let’s do that in a spacious area.

I happen to know a suitable place.

* * *

The main building and lecture hall of the Academy’s Department of Magic were closed, probably due to the vacation.

The only place I could go was the self-study room attached to the lecture hall like an annex.

Although it’s called a self-study room, peeking inside gives the feeling of a library with desks filled to the brim with books.

‘It’s been a while here.’

It’s been quite a while since I completed the Magic Department route.

It was probably shortly after starting the game.

Nostalgically reminiscing about the boss battles and events that took place in these locations, I was going through them one by one.

And since this place is the Department of Magic, it’s also a fixed appearance spot for ‘her.’

“It’s unusual. Adrian coming to the lecture hall.”

A voice came from behind, and I turned my head.

“Reyna?”

“Who else would it be?”

Black hair swaying in the wind.

Turquoise eyes looking at me.

I casually took off my hood.

“You came to the self-study room.”

“Yes, there are limits in the dormitory after all.”

Indeed, she was holding several thick books in her arms.

Reyna’s expression was unusually surprised.

“But did Adrian also collapse in the self-study room?”

“I just came to look around the lecture hall.”

“I see… Well, yes. Adrian always lied whenever he felt embarrassed.”

Reyna took a step forward.

“But since we’ve met like this…”

At the same time, I took a step back.

I’m Adrian.

I already knew what he was trying to say.

“Reyna, you said you aim to be the top of the year. Work hard. I’ll be off now, cheering you on. See you.”

I quickly changed my pace.

Far away, a faint voice calling out “Wait, Adrian!” could be heard, but I didn’t turn back, determined to the end.

Not yet.

The main story hasn’t even started yet, and I have no idea what will happen if I get involved with this guy.

I aimlessly walked out of the lecture hall and found myself on the campus grounds.

A chilly wind blew over the grassy field.

Not a bad place at all.

After confirming there was no one around by turning my head, I raised my arm and extended my hand forward.

Since it was a waste to go to the training ground just to practice a basic elemental magic, I planned to practice roughly here.

I closed my eyes and thought about the magic to manifest.

“【Basic Elemental Magic: Wind Blade】.”

In an instant, mana drained out.

Whoosh—

A strand of wind at my fingertips suddenly began to coalesce into a round shape.

Swish!

The condensed wind burst out from my grip to thinly cut the grass around.

“Phew…”

I wiped the sweat on my forehead with my sleeve.

This seemed to be my limit after three times.

If this was a fireball, I would probably have used it twice before experiencing mana depletion.

An incredibly scarce amount of mana.

I regained my dizzy vision and gathered my belongings hastily.

Three times a day.

But if I keep repeating this, it might increase to four, five, or even ten times.

Eventually, I could grow to the point where I can use multiple basic magics simultaneously without any trouble.

“I hope that’s really the case.”

I stood in the field, not walking, quietly gazing up at the sky.

The starry sky, which I had only seen on a computer monitor, was now vividly present before my eyes.

It was night.

Looking back, it had been a day with a lot going on, an incredibly tough day.

He rose, draped the robe over his shoulders, and lifted the trunk.

It was time to go back.

There would soon be a freshman welcome reception in the Merin Hall’s second-floor hall.

Shouldn’t he at least see the faces?

The protagonist, Erhan.

* * *

After dinner time.

The main hall of the general dormitory Merin was bustling.

It was because of the upcoming freshman welcome reception on the second floor of the main building.

Of course, attendance was optional, and it was an event organized by students, not an official one.

The official welcome reception would be held a month after the start of the term.

Kalen, who had returned from the Knight Department, was in the dormitory backyard, adjusting his sword while facing a scarecrow.

There were many offers to have dinner together, but Kalen politely declined them all.

“If this is the case, I should have asked Sohujak to wait a bit.”

Eating alone was fine, but if he had to eat with someone else, he preferred to eat with him like at lunch.

Perhaps it was because of something he heard in the room.

He wasn’t sure why, but that’s how it was.

“Let’s finish the quota quickly and go upstairs. I have to shower before Sohujak.”

There had been an incident this morning where he spilled the bandages.

Fortunately, it seemed like no one had noticed yet, but if he didn’t pay more attention, his secret as a woman would soon be revealed.

“Focus. Forget distractions.”

Swinging the sword 300 times a day.

He hadn’t fulfilled his personal practice quota yet.

“Ugh…”

Just as Kalen was about to swing his sword again.

“Kalen, still practicing today? You never take a break.”

A familiar voice reached him, and Kalen lowered his sword and turned around.

“Oh, Senior Lumen.”

He was a senior in the Knight Department.

Beside him were sophomores and juniors from the same department.

In the center was a boy with a large sword on his back, a boy with black hair whom Kalen had never seen before.

“This is Cha-seok, a new first-year student in the Knight Department. I brought him to introduce him.”

“Hello! Oh, luckily I became Cha-seok! I-I’m from the Mershe Village!”

Black eyes and matching black hair.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kalen Snowhite.”

As he reached out his hand, Kalen saw it.

Someone watching them from afar under a tree.

Although she was wearing a robe, she recognized her immediately.

“…Sohujak?”

Why was she there in such attire?

“Yes! Please take care of it!”

“······.”

“Um, Senior Snowhite?”

“Hm? Oh······ right, I’ll count on you too.”

“Got it!”

With a bright smile, Erhan turned around.

Glancing under the tree, Adrian was already gone.

‘He probably won’t see me… Erhan? Are they acquainted with each other?’

Calen tilted his head as if unsure.