7

Laika sat down in her seat with a composed posture.

“Um, Laika, where’s my chair?”

There were only enough seats for the students, and none for Ains.

“There are no seats for attendants. Normally you stand at the very back and wait.”

“…Cruel, isn’t it?”

Ains turned his gaze backward.

There he found Seidel standing perfectly straight without moving.

Their eyes met, and Seidel gave a small bow with a faint smile.

“If I spend a whole day like this my legs will turn to sticks… though my left one already is.”

Ains tapped his prosthetic left leg.

“…Your sense of humor is hopeless, Ains. Now hurry over there and quietly observe with Seidel.”

“Yes, yes.”

Ains walked leisurely.

At the very back, the top tier, he greeted Seidel beside him.

“I do not particularly enjoy self-deprecating humor.”

“…You heard that. Are you alright standing, Seidel-san?”

“I am used to it.”

Seidel glanced toward Kirishiya seated beside Laika, already chatting happily.

“…Ah.”

Despite her appearance, Kirishiya was surprisingly proactive. Ains felt sympathy for Seidel.

“I’m not used to it, so I’ll sit.”

“Ains-dono, there is no chair.”

Ains lightly tapped the plaster floor with his prosthetic leg.

Then the hardened floor behind him warped into the shape of a chair and solidified.

“Want one too, Seidel-san?”

Ains casually sat down.

“…N-no. I am accustomed to standing.”

Even Seidel, used to standing, was not used to what he had just seen, and his words faltered.

Not only Seidel but the surrounding students had of course witnessed it. The attendant of the top student who had cast beginner magic without chanting and three intermediate spells with abbreviated chanting would attract attention — along with his unusual appearance.

“…What was that just now?”

“Magic… I think?”

“He did it without chanting like it was normal.”

Students who had looked at Laika with admiration now looked at Ains with pure confusion.

(Alchemy… again a strange magic. And such skill… what exactly is Ains-dono?)

Seidel wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Laika held her head.

“I told you to behave…”

Beside her, Kirishiya stared at Ains leaning back and yawning with shining eyes.

The sliding classroom door opened and a female teacher entered.

“Alright everyone, quiet! It’s time.”

She clapped her hands and stood at the podium.

“I’m Hanna Wills, your instructor for the year. Nice to meet you.”

Standing at the podium, Hanna Wills had a healthy, toned physique and lively short hair.

“…She seems like a good person. Not very mage-like though.”

Ains muttered from the back.

“The Sorcery Academy is prestigious and attended by royalty. Teachers must have both skill and character.”

“I see.”

After Hanna’s introduction, the Class A students introduced themselves one by one. When First Princess Kirishiya and Laika — who had achieved outstanding practical results — stood up, the room buzzed.

Ains, uninterested in introductions of mediocre students, kept asking Seidel questions.

Seidel, a man of common sense and proper conduct, knew he should remain quiet but could not ignore Ains and answered awkwardly.

“Excuse me, attendants in the back, could you keep it down?”

Their voices had reached Hanna at the podium.

“My apologies, Instructor Hanna Wills.”

Seidel immediately apologized.

“S-Seidel-senpai? Sorry, but this is a student introduction…”

“I understand. My apologies.”

Ains watched the exchange absentmindedly and whispered.

“Do you know her?”

“Yes. She was my junior when I attended the academy. Not a particularly talented one, but she seems to have grown.”

The introductions resumed, and Ains quietly watched.

Afterward the first lecture began — a general overview of magical principles.

To Ains it was nothing noteworthy, even shallow.

Still, understanding it was an introduction, he listened quietly.

About ninety minutes later, the chime ended the lecture.

“That’s all for today. We have a ceremony, so let’s head to the main hall!”

The lecture ended, followed by a simple entrance ceremony, and the day concluded.

The next day.

Entering the classroom beside Laika, Ains followed her up the tiers as she greeted classmates.

Kirishiya, already there, greeted Laika and then smiled at Ains.

“Good morning, Ains-san.”

“Good morning, Kirishiya-san. You’re early again.”

“Honestly, when will you call me Kirishiya? You and Laika seem to take mornings slow.”

“I-I’m not used to it yet.”

Saying that, Ains climbed the tiers and greeted Seidel.