Chapter 96

I was thoroughly exhausted after Cosmetology class. I had used a lot of magic, and the casual treatment of children in this world gave me a bit of a psychological shock.

“I have Sewing class next, but Patience, you have Alchemy, right?”

Princess Margaret also looked worn out from trying to style hair she wasn’t used to.

“Yes. It seems the teachers are rather underprepared for these curriculum changes. Are you going to drop Cosmetology?”

Family Medicine might be tedious, but at least you can avoid looking presentable.

“No, I’m terrified of what changes might have been made to Family Medicine. I would absolutely detest having to diagnose each other. Compared to that, having messy hair is a hundred times better.”

I would definitely want to avoid that too. Maybe it was a blessing that Childcare remained unchanged. Having noble young ladies take care of actual babies would be far too dangerous. The academy might be taking its time to think that over. If they don’t start them off as nanny assistants, a baby is going to end up dead.

Lost in these thoughts, I once again arrived at the mage track area, which was draped in its usual eerie atmosphere. I wonder if the wave of change has reached this place too? It’s too terrifying to imagine.

“Oh, Patience!”

Benjamin was gesturing for me to come over. He had secured his favorite spot in the very back by the window. It really did seem like his reserved seat. When I sat down next to him, Bryce, who had been in Magic Arrays with us, took the seat in front of us.

“You’re Patience, right? Benjamin told me Lord Caesar invited you to the Alchemy Club. Why don’t we join together?”

Wait, is Bryce not in the club?

“The Alchemy Club is mostly middle division students, so our numbers are quite small,” Benjamin explained. “Even when we offer to teach people, they rarely join. I’ve told Bryce to join countless times, but he kept making excuses, saying he shouldn’t join if he can’t even do alchemy yet.”

“Well, there’s no point in joining if I can’t do it. Besides, I’m already in the Magic Club.”

Suddenly, Benjamin’s hair stood on end. I think I’ll call him Lion-maru.

“The Magic Club is a club with absolutely no reason to exist!”

Is it really okay to badmouth another club at the top of your lungs like that?

“Hey, I can’t just let that slide. The Alchemy Club is a bunch of eccentrics on the brink of being disbanded, so don’t go acting so high and mighty!”

See? Just as I thought. Maybe I should switch seats.

“The Magic Club is nothing but a subcontractor for the Knights Club! Your main activity is just accompanying them on the winter subjugation. And lately, I hear you’re being dragged into practicing with them too.”

He was pouring oil on the fire.

“Bryce, you’re not actually going to join the Alchemy Club, are you?”

“Well, to be honest, I haven’t really been understanding the Magic Club’s recent activities…”

“Don’t say that! It’ll be a disaster if you leave too.”

Bryce sure is popular. He was being fiercely held back. I should make my exit. I tried to slip out of my seat quietly, but Benjamin caught me.

“With female students joining this year, and if Bryce joins too, the club will definitely escape being disbanded.”

Wait, is it seriously on the brink of being shut down? And besides, I never said I was joining.

“Hey, pipe down over there! Andrew, take your seat!”

So the boy from the Magic Club is named Andrew. I remember seeing his face in Class A too. That means the Class A mage track consists of only Benjamin, Bryce, and Andrew? That’s so few. The rest must be on the knight and civil servant tracks. I suppose that’s just how it is.

“I am Robin Kubrick, and I teach Alchemy. I believe alchemy is magic’s greatest masterpiece,” the teacher announced. “Why? Because while magic can only be used by mages, a magic item created through alchemy can be used by anyone—even those without a shred of mana—as long as it has a magic stone. You are all nobles blessed with magic, but do you realize that you represent a mere fraction of the Lawrence Kingdom? Now, let us study alchemy.”

Mr. Kubrick’s lecture was brimming with passion. However, it seems alchemy is completely out of the question if you don’t know magic arrays. I should thank Caesar for that tip.

“During the spring term, we will be making the most commonly used item: a lighting magic tool. If you can make this, you’ll never have to worry about putting food on the table, so give it your best.”

Not having to worry about food sounds brilliant! I’ll do my best.

“Open your textbooks. First, I shall teach you the theory, and then we will move on to practical application.”

From there, Mr. Kubrick’s passionate lecture continued.

“Now you should understand how to create a lighting magic tool. Let us build one. Come to the front and gather your materials.”

I felt rather anxious about whether I could manage it, but I took my materials back to my seat.

“Patience, if you get stuck, just ask me,” Benjamin offered kindly, though I knew his ultimate goal was recruitment.

The lighting magic tool kit looked exactly like a science project set from my previous world. I placed a magic stone onto the lighting magic array, set up the switch, and checked to see if the light would ignite.

“Oh, it turned on.”

Then, I attached the cover, and it was finished. Wait, isn’t the magic array the only important part here?

“Oh, Patience finished already! You definitely need to join the Alchemy Club.”

I completely glossed over Benjamin’s recruitment attempt. “But even if we call it alchemy, we just assembled the components. Anyone could do this as long as they have the lighting magic array, right?”

As we were talking, Mr. Kubrick’s enthusiastic voice boomed down from above.

“Precisely! That is exactly why if you can draw a high volume of lighting magic arrays, you will never struggle to make a living.”

That was a slightly different nuance from what he had said earlier.

“However, alchemy is also used to craft that very switch and cover. Of course, for this kit, those materials were made by metalworkers and glassblowers, but the preceding stage—generating the magic tool itself—is where alchemy truly shines. Isn’t it fascinating?”

I see. Once you put it on a mass-production line, it’s much better to let professional craftsmen handle the exterior components rather than crafting them via alchemy.

“Teacher, I don’t know if I’m capable of handling that preceding stage,” I spoke up.

“Is that so? In that case, you should drop by the Alchemy Club sometime. Caesar should be able to teach you. After all, I am required to teach things in a rigid sequence during these lectures.”

Mr. Kubrick really was pushing the Alchemy Club aggressively.

“Mr. Kubrick, even if you are the advisor for the Alchemy Club, please refrain from recruiting students during class,” Andrew from the Magic Club complained.

“Fair enough. In that case, Benjamin and Patience, you both pass and can skip the rest of this class. First-year lectures are nothing but assembly anyway, so it must be incredibly boring for you. The rest of you, hurry up and finish assembling. You should be able to do this with your eyes closed.”

Andrew looked like he wanted to say something, but since he hadn’t even finished assembling his kit yet, he sat back down and continued working. I didn’t see Andrew in the Magic Arrays class. Did Benjamin and Bryce not warn him that taking Alchemy without Magic Arrays is a complete waste of time? Or perhaps he’s taking it during a different period.

I’ve tested out of both Etiquette and Alchemy now, but unlike the elementary division, they don’t share the same class periods. I’m going to have to sit down and re-evaluate my schedule yet again.