20 — Chapter 20

I want to avoid being in the same year as Prince Keith, and since Louise is starting to see me as some sort of rival, I am seriously considering skipping a grade.

Now, it’s time for the problematic subject: Magic Practicum. Even if I fail Art or Music later, I can still skip the grade as long as I pass the core subjects.

There is actually a designated “Magic Training Hall.” I suppose it would be dangerous to have fireballs flying around inside the school buildings. It looks like a massive gymnasium, but the floor is just bare earth. That’s probably better for using Earth Magic. But is there even a way to use Household Magic here? I’m getting nervous.

There are students from other years here, but the first-years are mostly huddled together. Suddenly—whoosh!—a ball of fire flies toward a target! So that’s a Fireball. It’s my first time seeing one. I’ve seen them in games and anime, but in person, they have real impact. I definitely don’t want to get hit by one. Ah, I see—an upperclassman was just showing off to the juniors. How cute. Oh, wait, a scary-looking teacher is scolding him now. Well, that figures.

“All First-Year Class A students, gather here!”

The one scolding the upperclassman was Mr. Shepard, the Magic Practicum instructor. He looked more like a PE teacher than a wizard. He seems like the type to give “passionate” (intense) instruction. I wonder if he’ll even recognize the value of Household Magic?

“Everyone, split up into groups based on your strongest affinity!”

Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and then Physical Reinforcement and Household Magic. Besides me, there were two other girls: Lucienne and Caitlyn, if I recall correctly. They’re both daughters of Viscounts, but unlike my family, they apparently have actual estates. Household Magic feels a bit awkward and inferior here, so we huddled together in a corner of the training hall. A group of teachers filed into the room.

“Report to your respective instructors to have your basic techniques evaluated!”

As expected, Mr. Shepard seems to be in charge of Physical Reinforcement. But he’s also overseeing Fire. Poor Prince Keith.

Louise is the only one in Light Magic. However, they went so far as to bring in a monk just for her. You can tell expectations are high.

“So, these three are the Household Magic users? I am Angela Jefferson. If you master Household Magic, you can do anything.”

Ms. Jefferson was an elderly noblewoman. Her hair was white, but she was hale and hearty. A spunky grandma-type teacher. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Since we felt like Household Magic was looked down upon compared to other magic, being told we could do anything made us very happy.

With this teacher, I might not have to recite those embarrassing chants. It might be fine for a ten-year-old, but for someone with a mental age of twenty-five, saying “chuunibyou”-style incantations is mortifying.

Since everything is in order of rank, Lucienne started first. Even among Viscount families, there are disparities based on the size of the territory or family history. Patience would probably know the details, but I’m not interested.

Oh, she’s reciting the embarrassing chant. But it doesn’t look like her body got much cleaner? Lucienne wasn’t exactly dirty to begin with, so it’s hard to tell. Caitlyn didn’t get a “pass” from Ms. Jefferson either, but she seemed to be enjoying the practicum, so that was good.

Finally, it was my turn.

“Be cleansed!” I chanted, just like always. I felt refreshed. Since I wasn’t dirty either, it probably didn’t look like much changed, but it really does make you feel invigorated. So convenient!

“My, Patience Granger. There is no need for me to teach you anything. You have already completed the Magic Practicum curriculum.”

Grandma teacher? Is that a pass?

Ms. Jefferson called over the hot-blooded Mr. Shepard and handed him a piece of paper.

“Wait, Ms. Jefferson. This student is only a first-year.”

Something is weird. Isn’t this for grade skipping?

“Yes, but I have nothing left to teach her. I am issuing a certificate of completion.”

Hold on! I hate standing out. Skipping a grade stands out enough, but I accepted that because of my circumstances. Grandma teacher, please have mercy! Ugh, I can feel Louise’s gaze again… I just have to tell myself it’s good that I’m on track to skip the grade.

I also passed the Magic Theory test on Friday. Many people passed that one. The textbook is thin, so you just have to memorize it. Since Prince Keith passed, Ralph, Hugo, and Louise passed as well. Even if I skip a grade, I have a feeling I’ll still end up in the same classes as Prince Keith and Louise.

Changing my mood, I headed to Art. I’ve always liked drawing. Patience was never able to buy paints, but she’s good at sketching. Her skill might even be better than my own. And here, too, I passed along with Louise. Sigh.

For Music, we had to play an instrument. Ah, the piano-like one is called a “Hanon.” It seems the name changes based on the size, but they generally just call it a Hanon. The sound is higher, closer to a harpsichord than a piano. I relied on Patience to do her best here, and I passed. Most of the girls passed Music. Including Louise, of course. Double sigh.

Prince Keith also passed by playing a stringed instrument that looked like a biwa. A lute, maybe? Naturally, once Prince Keith passed, Ralph passed too. He played a flute-like pipe. Hugo, unfortunately, failed. He played the same lute as Prince Keith, but he didn’t seem used to it. He probably should have chosen an instrument he was actually good at.

“Patience, haven’t you passed every single thing?”

Prince Keith glared at me. He’s clearly the type to get angry if someone has more “passes” than him. That’s why Ralph is being so reserved. But is that really okay? It feels wrong to me, but I’ll just make sure to stay away from Prince Keith.