(Continued)
“What’s your name, glass knight?”
Just asking, Ariel. He might confess to you too. I confessed first, but that was necessary.
“Mardoll.”
“Ah, the one who was late to the Combat Magic class? I’m Ariel! Nice to meet you!”
“Yeah. Nice to meet you.”
“Licht, I’m really not used to this.”
“Same here…”
Two people speaking casually and me using formal speech. And the person who didn’t say more than two words.
A yellow dog and a cat. The Dark Knight and the Glass Knight.
Two pairs of opposites.
It felt as if the cogs of fate were aligning perfectly.
***
How long had we walked like that? We reached the designated location after climbing the mountain without being late.
“This should be the place. Licht, do you feel anything?”
“Well, I’m not sure either…”
“Mr. Helmet, you don’t know something?”
*Introduction to Spirit Studies.*
In the lecture area, only a single tree stood alone in a large clearing.
Noticing something strange, the other students also began to murmur.
Just then, Mardoll pointed at it.
“The tree, it’s weird.”
He approached the tree. A knight placed his palm on the trunk.
Then, rustle, rustle. The leaves began to tremble. The falling leaves proved that it wasn’t an ordinary tree.
“Oh my, I’ve been found out.”
A woman’s voice came from the tree. Gradually, the trunk twisted, taking on the form of a person. A sweet scent of lilac.
She looked like a single flower.
“A Dryad..?”
A purple flower adorning her head, and pink hair.
Was she an original character from *Knight Hearts Academia*? This was the first time I’d seen someone I didn’t know appear. I was thrilled as if I were playing a game.
“Nice to meet you all. I’m Maria, your instructor for Spirit Studies.”
A small creature emerged from her hand. A cute green hamster. Was this a spirit? I had only seen large ones before.
“Since you’ve found me, I’ll give you a gift.”
Several hamsters lined up in front of the students.
“Chirp.” They made a sound and handed each of us a sealed envelope with their tiny hands.
“Oh, it’s a snack! It’s shaped like sunflower seeds!”
“It really is. Ariel, have you already tried
it?”
“Hehe… You know I love sweets.”
Kainel shared half of his snack with her, and Ariel ate it like a little squirrel. I wished that their affection would increase in moments like this.
“It’s delicious.”
“…It’s sweet.”
Mardoll, covering his face with his glass magic. And I, carefully lifting my faceplate to avoid exposure and shoving the snack into my mouth.
It felt a bit apologetic to the professor seeing the two knights behaving like this in tandem.
“What do you think is the essence of Spirit Studies, looking at these hamsters?”
“Cute.”
“They are cute!”
“Wrong, incorrect.”
Maria raised an index finger and shook her head. The hamsters also mimicked her, shaking their heads.
“The answer is that they are creatures born from emotions.”
“And unlike swordsmanship, magic, or divine power, they have one distinct advantage.”
The hamsters gathered into a large cluster. The crowd of mice had already grown substantially.
“It’s—.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the spirits transformed into several large flowers. They formed a ring of petals as if to protect the professor.
I bet they could block a missile.
“They are powerful even without being a giant spirit, like these hamsters.”
Once again, the tree trunk shot up, transforming into a massive golem. The tiny flowers adorning its head looked like accessories.
“And, they can be used in countless ways depending on their characteristics. In the case of the famous Phoenix, it provides an invincible barrier around it.”
Ah, this is about the Ten Heroes. She was talking about the living sun.
“In my case, I can use nature like this.”
The ground beneath us trembled. The sound of the earth shaking could be heard.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
‘She manipulated the roots to cause an earthquake. This school really is prestigious.’
I regained my balance, feeling once again the sadness of being the only one without mana in this world. There was a small sound next to me.
“Eep.”
“Hold on tight to my arm, Ariel.”
“…There’s nothing cute.”
Ariel was clinging to Kainel’s arm. And the glass knight, who remained completely still.
Oh, looking down, I saw they were standing on glass.
“That’s why, for most of the students taking this course, it will be challenging to even awaken their inner spirit.”
In the original work, there were fewer than a handful of characters who could use spirit magic.
The famous ones were the Phoenix and the Whale. The rest, even I, who had read the lore books, didn’t know.
“Being honest with one’s emotions is really difficult.”
She sighed. She revealed that the course would focus on theoretical studies rather than practical skills.
That means even someone without mana like me could take it. A perfect class. My memorization skills had already been honed to the maximum from learning patterns.
“This concludes today’s class. I hope you can all summon your spirits by the end of the semester.”
Indeed, the best professors are those who finish the first lecture quickly. Maria greeted the students and disappeared into the ground. Was this something only a Dryad could do?
“Now, the only thing left is Divine Studies.”
The nameless Saintess often performed healing prayers in the game.
I really wanted to learn it. I wanted to be able to heal her myself when she got hurt.
I turned and headed to the cafeteria to have lunch. I still had about an hour left until the afternoon class, so I had plenty of time to eat.
At that moment, just like yesterday, Kainel and Ariel walked in the same direction as me. Were they going to eat with a friendless guy like me again? They’re really nice. It almost brought tears to my eyes.
“Licht, are you going to sign up for the magic club today?”
“Yes. Ariel said she would too…”
I stopped in mid-answer to Kainel’s question.
The crown prince hadn’t left yet. The glass knight was standing next to the redhead.
“Yeah. Mr. Helmet. I think I prefer being with Kai.”
Behind Ariel, who was twisting a strand of hair between her fingers,
“Magic, club?”
The crown prince suddenly approached me.
Ugh. It was over. The clueless dog didn’t understand the timing.
A flag had been raised. You’re responsible for this.