The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

37. First Assignment

The day after the entrance ceremony.

The Academy’s new semester truly began. Asel woke up early, washed, changed his clothes, and then checked the timetable Leisi had brought him last night. A timetable evenly distributing Combat Studies and Magical Faculty classes. He hadn’t yet applied for electives, so there were quite a few long breaks in between.

‘At this pace, I could squeeze in some research now and then.’

Who knew what would happen if elective courses made it onto the schedule, but for the moment, he had time to spare. Maybe not research into the creation of magic itself, but exploring enchantment formulas and tinkering with magical artifacts seemed within reach.

Both were nearing their final stages. The process of imbuing jewels with formulas was already well underway. Now, all that remained was to begin the proper craftsmanship and infuse the formulas with mana. It was an easier task compared to his other research, which allowed him to finish relatively quickly.

Dissecting a magical artifact was the same. Though this wasn’t as easy.

The formula contained within the artifact was a type of defensive magic that automatically deflected attacks without the wearer even realizing it. It was precisely the kind of magic Acel desired, but that made it difficult to test its effectiveness directly.

The condition of ‘unperceived attacks’ was the problem. Not attacks invisible to the eye, but attacks that didn’t register in the user’s sensory range. For the artifact to detect and reflect external attacks on its own, attacks that Acel couldn’t perceive, was impossible to trigger even with assistance.

So, he had disassembled the formula, but couldn’t test the magic. He could alter the activation conditions, but that would defeat the purpose.

He supposed it was fortunate that he had deciphered the entire formula at least.

‘I don’t know what the first assignment will be, but hopefully, the artifact will activate then.’

With that thought, Acel rose from his seat.

The start of class was drawing near. Today was the first day, so there wouldn’t be any actual lessons, but there was a curriculum briefing for the Department of Magical Engineering. He needed to attend before it was too late.

He donned his discarded coat and left the dormitory room. Then, he headed towards the auditorium where the Department of Magical Engineering briefing would take place. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far, and he arrived before long. He opened the auditorium door and scanned for an empty seat.

“Oh, Acel!”

Just then, Elena, who was sitting in the back, spotted him and called out. Acel smiled brightly and returned her grin.

“You’re here early.”

He said, sitting down beside Elena. Elena giggled and nodded.

“I didn’t have anything else to do, so I just came. Ellen and Grace left ahead of me, and I felt a little lonely on my own.”

“Waiting for me?”

“I thought about it, but I felt bad waking you up. So, I came first.”

Elena said, cutely twisting her body. Acel smiled softly at the sight.

He thought so when they first met but she was such a bright child. Full of laughter, and fond of people. Simply talking to her eased his complicated feelings, even if just a bit. Her tendency to cling a little too much could be considered a flaw, but even that didn’t seem so bad if he thought of it as part of her charm.

‘She doesn’t cling much to other people, but she’s especially clingy with me and Ellen.’

He wasn’t sure why. Maybe she simply considered them her closest friends. They had taken the entrance exam together, and there was no awkwardness between them anymore. Acel was also quite fond of Elena.

There was no reason to dislike or avoid her, so it was only natural. He gently patted Elena’s head and leaned back in his seat. In response, Elena made a playful face and began poking Acel all over with her fingers. But her fingers couldn’t penetrate Acel’s shield and stopped in mid-air.

“Hmph!”

She tried to push harder, but the shield remained unmoved. Elena’s cheeks puffed out.

“That’s cheating! Turn it off!”

“I don’t want to.”

“Eek…!”

Elena made a strange sound as if frustrated and continued to poke Acel’s side. Acel paid her no mind and turned his head toward the familiar presence approaching.

Celine stood there, a listless expression on her face, now visible in his line of sight.

“Hey.”

“……Why are you sitting in the back? I was in front of you, why didn’t you come over?”

“Didn’t see you. When did you get here?”

Celine answered, settling into the seat beside Acel.

“A while ago. I figured you’d come near if I waited. But here you two are, all cozy. Are you two going out?”

She asked it without any real emotion. Acel, recognizing it as a joke, offered a wry smile, but Elena did not. Her face flushed crimson, and she frantically pulled back the hand that had been poking Acel. It was a far more extreme reaction than anticipated. Celine and Acel’s faces both turned toward her at the same time.

Elena, caught between their gazes, darted her eyes around in confusion. Her lips parted as if to speak.

“T-that’s the kind of thing you do after you get to know each other better, I think……”

“……”

“Of course, it’s not that I *dislike* Acel! B-but we’re just friends right now……”

“Right now?”

Celine caught her slip-up and grinned.

“So, later on?”

“……Stop it!”

Elena couldn’t hold back and let out a shriek. Celine chuckled, shaking her head slightly from side to side.

“Sorry, sorry. Just kidding. But if you react like you hate it, wouldn’t Acel get hurt? Right, Acel?”

Celine poked Acel’s side playfully as she asked. Acel readily decided to play along with her game.

“I am a *little* hurt. Do you really dislike me that much? Then I’ll move seats.”

“N-no! Don’t go. I don’t dislike you……”

Elena urgently pressed down on Acel’s thigh, the words tumbling out in a voice thick with tears. Her eyes grew dewy and glistening, with a hint of tears welling up at the corners. Acel, who hadn’t imagined she would cry, consoled her with a bewildered expression.

“Hey, it’s just a joke, Elena. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m not hurt at all.”

“……R-really?”

“Really.”

“……I’ll believe you.”

Elena muttered those words and then buried her face into Acel’s shoulder. Judging by how she wasn’t shaking, it seemed she wasn’t actually crying. Acel heaved a sigh of relief and patted Elena’s shoulder. As he did so, he shot a sideways glance at Celine.

She immediately lowered her gaze.

“I apologize.”

“Mean person!”

Elena mumbled, the words all jumbled together. Celine understood the meaning of what she said and pursed her lips.

‘You vicious b*tch?’

“Silence.”

At that moment, a man ascended to the stage in the auditorium. The chaotic atmosphere stilled in an instant, and the students’ gazes fixed on him. Asel narrowed his eyes, observing him.

‘At a rough estimate, Upper 7th Circle.’

Not quite on the cusp of the 8th Circle. Still, it was clear he was a formidable presence even amongst those in the 7th Circle.

That wizards of the same circle were on equal footing was a fallacy. The circles themselves were merely a construct, created for a more intuitive partitioning of a wizard’s capabilities. They were not an absolute metric. Quite often, one could find instances where a lower-circle wizard defeated a higher-circle wizard in a duel.

‘He couldn’t defeat a Grand Mage, surely.’

But it was clear he’d reached a similar level of mastery. If a Grand Mage were careless, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible for him to take their life.

‘The magic he wields… wind-based, perhaps?’

Wind mages were characterized by their mana flow, which was faster and more invigorating than others. This man possessed that trait.

It was Asel’s first time witnessing a high-level wind mage. He stared with curious eyes at the mana swirling around the man.

“Greetings. I am Firenze Killian, professor of wind magic and magical combat. I am also affiliated with the Airos Magic Tower.”

“…The Airos Magic Tower?”

“That’s the tower that specializes in wind magic. I heard they condone the wanderings of their affiliated mages, so is that why he’s doubling as a professor?”

The students murmured amongst themselves. But Firenze raised his voice again, and the silence fell as if by magic. A high-level mage’s words carried that much weight.

“Among the new students here, there will undoubtedly be those affiliated with some organization. Or perhaps children of esteemed families. However, within the Academy, your identities are all the same: students. Be warned, any act of attempting to suppress others using your affiliations or status will be met with immediate suspension or expulsion. There will be no leniency.”

“…….”

“Let us conclude the warnings there. Let us begin the orientation immediately.”

Firenze uttered those words and then posed a question to a student sitting in the front row.

“You. What do you think magic is?”

The student answered without hesitation, his voice brimming with confidence.

“Magic is a miracle that can directly bring about the various mysteries that exist in the world, as well as a discipline for exploring the secrets of the world.”

A truly exemplary answer. If you read books about magic, almost every one of them described magic that way. However, Firenze’s expression was less than pleased.

“Wrong.”

“…Pardon? What does that….”

“I said you’re wrong. If magic is a discipline as you say, then why are you in the Department of Magical Combat? Shouldn’t you be sitting like a bookworm, studying all day long?”

The student was rendered speechless. Firenze paid him no mind and addressed everyone in the auditorium.

“As that fool said, magic is a miracle. But it is not a discipline. It is an act of lethal wonder conceived to defend myself on the battlefield, and to kill others. That is how the first magic was born. A power created by observing and stealing the power of demons, and using it to kill them in turn.”

“…….”

“That is why we classify magic as magical combat. We will not conduct that sort of asinine education where one sits and reads books to learn magic. We will teach you how to use magic directly, sparring and developing a feel for it, so that even if you are thrown onto the battlefield, you can hold your own. Those of you who find that displeasing may submit your withdrawal forms within a week.”

Florence scrutinized the students, his gaze sharp enough to draw blood.

“Let me be frank with my personal opinion. I loathe those who puff themselves up as mages, just because they can manipulate a little mana. I loathe those who can wield magic, but tremble in fear when faced with real danger. And I have no intention of ‘graduating’ the things I loathe. Other professors might feel differently, but at least that’s where I stand.”

“…”

“If you’ve made it into the Academy, it means you’ve basically reached the 4th Circle. But it takes, on average, six years to climb from the 4th to the 5th. Eight years from the 5th to the 6th, and fifteen to reach the 7th. My plan is to ruthlessly shorten those periods through instruction. To forge powerful mages, that’s my objective. The Dean, thankfully, favors this goal of mine, and has personally assigned the first task.”

First task. A frown etched itself onto Asel’s face. He hadn’t imagined hearing those words on his very first day.

“The first task will commence in two days, lasting a total of two weeks. It will be a group assignment, undertaken alongside students from non-combat disciplines.”

“Excuse me, alongside?”

A student in the front row spoke, incredulous. Florence nodded.

“The Departments of Magical Engineering and Alchemy will be participating. Each team will consist of four members, with the composition being entirely random save for one non-combat student. In other words, everyone else on your team could be from the non-combat disciplines.”

“Isn’t that incredibly unfair?”

“Why would it be? Not a single word has been uttered about this task involving combat.”

The student fell silent. Florence adjusted his spectacles with a flick of his finger, continuing his lecture.

“Team members will be assigned randomly. You will each draw a paper, and the number on that paper will determine your team. If the paper you draw has a golden circle on it, that indicates you are the team leader. Bear that in mind.”

“…”

“Now, let’s discuss the task itself. It will begin with resolving a commission, one that has been vetted by an external guild and deemed safe enough to be handled by the Academy. These commissions range widely, from simple herb gathering to monster hunting, to investigating bizarre phenomena.”

“…”

“Your task is to select and complete one of these commissions, then use the money, goods, or other rewards acquired, to create an item related to the non-combat student’s specialization. If there is an Alchemy student on your team, you could craft potions. If there is a Magical Engineering student, you could construct a magical engineering device.”

A peculiar expression spread across the students’ faces. Florence, however, remained unfazed, signaling for the teaching assistant to bring forward a box for the team draw.

“Grading will primarily be based on the quality of the finished product. This task will factor into your first semester grades, so I advise you not to take it lightly. Furthermore, you are only permitted to purchase materials for the project using the rewards earned from completing the commission.”

“…”

“You are only allowed to use personal funds to buy items needed to complete the commission. I intend to demand a detailed account of expenses later, so be sure to record every purchase, noting the item and the amount spent. If you are caught using personal funds to purchase materials necessary for crafting the item, you will be immediately disqualified. Any questions?”

“… Are you sure this task was assigned by the Dean? It feels… staged.”

“Silence. Is that the best you can ask?”

Florence rebuked the student who had dared question him. When no further queries arose, he began calling out names, instructing them to draw a paper from the box. Asel crossed his arms, calmly awaiting his turn. He glanced over to see Elena and Celine wringing their hands together nervously.

“Please, let me be on Asel’s team…”

“Please, let our commission not overlap with that madman’s…”

*No one here is quite right in the head.*

Asel chuckled softly to himself. Not long after, Elena’s name was called. With a determined expression, she pulled a paper from the box, examining the number.

[13●]

Team leader of Team 13. She nodded in satisfaction, returning to her spot. And promptly resuming her hand-wringing.

“Let Asel be in the 13th group…!”

Asel chuckled at her desperation. Just then, Firenze called his name. Asel patted Elena’s shoulder and stood up from his seat.

“Draw.”

Approaching Firenze, he extended a box, saying as much. Without hesitation, Asel reached into the box and unfolded the paper he drew.

[2]

Group 2. He immediately showed the paper he’d drawn to Elena. Her eyes widened at the digit that was so far from her own, and the corners of her lips drooped. Celine, who followed Asel in drawing a group number, wore a similar expression.

“What group are you?”

“…11th.”

“That’s quite a distance.”

Asel let out a snicker, and Celine playfully thumped his back with a fist like a cotton ball. Firenze watched them for a moment, then conjured a wave of mana, silencing everyone.

“Then, we will conclude the briefing. There will be no further classes today, so use your time as you see fit. Regular classes will resume as normal tomorrow. Following that, for two weeks from the start of the assignment, your schedules will be entirely focused on solving the assignment, so concentrate solely on that. That is all.”

Firenze vanished in a gust of wind the moment he finished speaking. With him gone, a restless atmosphere settled over the auditorium. Asel watched the students who immediately began complaining loudly the moment the professor disappeared, then glanced down at the paper in his hand.

A black arrow had appeared on the paper, which had previously contained only a number. Elena, who had drawn the role of group leader, didn’t have one, so it seemed this arrow indicated the location of his group. It seemed that other departments had finished their group assignments as well.

Asel stared at the direction the arrow pointed, lost in thought.

‘Might as well go see their faces.’