Chapter 101: School Life (part two)

“Thank you for just now, Auguste-sama.”

“Hm~ about what~?”

 

As soon as we left the classroom of Elementary Summoning Magic, I thanked Auguste.

I don’t know whether Auguste intended to hide his embarrassment, but he was blatantly averting his gaze and feigning ignorance.

 

“Speaking of which, you have been a very shy person since a long time ago……”

“Fufufu, I’m no match for you. Well, I’m glad I could be useful.”

 

I said with a slightly mean tone of voice.

Auguste cast his eyes down as he controlled his laughter.

 

“But, that was surprising, right? That class was an elementary one even though having the foundation of a mage was the prerequisite for the lesson.”

“T-that’s true……”

“I have notes that I used in Magic Introduction when I was a freshman, so I will lend it to you later.”

“Thank you very much.”

 

After thanking Auguste, I headed to the classroom of Elementary Alchemy.

For the Alchemy class, there are some equipment I need to prepare, so I have to go with the spare time that I have.

I got into the Alchemy class with much difficulty, but it’s regrettable that Tricia and Harold are not in the Elementary Alchemy class but Advanced Alchemy.

 

As I stepped into the classroom, I felt that 70% of the students are from West Dorm.

The room was built like a chemical laboratory.

There are several wide tables for six people arranged, and the teaching materials required for this lesson are placed on each seat.

 

The teaching materials placed on the table are a small wooden box and two small bottles.

The label of the small bottles contains the name of a very common alchemical drug.

But the wooden box is labeled “Do not touch” and the contents are unknown.

I feel a somewhat disturbing sensation that contact is strictly prohibited.

 

While lightly greeting students with familiar faces, I took a seat.

This time, I sat around the middle section.

The teacher who is in charge of today’s lesson is a female teacher, Cornelia Schwefel.

She is a woman with a gentle atmosphere, and I hope she doesn’t have any question to be asked like the previous lesson.

 

It seems that the teacher hasn’t arrived at the classroom yet.

In the meantime, I kept preparing the instruments such as the athanor.

 

“Students who have forgotten the athanor for the class, I suggest you to inform me about that now.”

 

When I took out various tools from my leather bag, there was a familiar voice.

When I raised my face, I could see the back of someone with short black hair.

 

“Klaus-sama? Why are you in the Elementary Alchemy class?”

“I’m both the assistant and observer. What. Is it inconvenient if I stay here, Erica?”

 

He directed suspicious eyes at me.

Since I’m scared of him getting angry, I made a follow-up immediately.

 

“No, nothing like that……but, whose assistant-cum-observer are you?”

“You will know if you think about it a little. You can count the people who exercise their power with iron fist on me with one hand.”

 

Saying so, Klaus looked at the entrance to the classroom.

As I was drawn in,  I also focused my attention on that place.

 

The tall figure of a man entered the classroom gallantly, his navy blue coat with luxurious golden thread embroidery fluttering behind him.

It is a handsome young man with enticing features with the same golden-colored hair and green eyes as me.

His right eye is equipped with a monocle with demonic eye magic, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He is in his mid-twenties, but his smile is as sparkling as that of a boy.

 

No matter how I look, that is not Schwefel-sensei.

No, let’s face the reality soon.

The one who entered is my older brother, Eduart Aurelia.

 

Why is Onii-sama here?

Before I could voice my doubt out loud, my brother walked steadily and went up to the teacher’s platform.

 

“Yaa, greetings. My cute students. Are you enjoying your first day in the magic academy?

For many of you, this is our first time meeting. I am Eduart Aurelia.

Schwefel-sensei took an extended leave on a short notice due to some circumstances of her parents’ home, so during this time I will be in charge of the Elementary Alchemy class.

It’ll be just for a short while, but let’s be friends.”

 

When he gave a greeting with a big smile full of service, shouts of joy rose from the female students in the classroom.

 

“Speaking of which, I’m not a regular teacher. I think there will be many shortcomings. I want you to tell me if I make some mistakes or if there are some things you don’t understand.”

“Y-yes! Does sensei have a girlfriend!?”

 

The one who raised her hand was one of the group of girls who seemed to be from Aurelia.

While the girls were saying “Kya~ kya~”, they looked at the female student who took up such heroic action.

 

“Now, now, just keep the questions related to the lesson. Questions unrelated to the lesson can be asked when I am not acting as a teacher.”

 

My brother said so with a sweet but carrying voice, and winked as he took off his monocle.

The female students’ voices became even louder.

 

“Ah, right, as I am supposed to substitute for this class together with Schlammberg-sensei of the Golem classes, make sure you’re not absent on my turns, okay?”

 

When Eduart-oniisama called out, the girls answered “Ye~s” with their voice.

It seems that he grabbed the female students’ hearts very quickly.

That was a matter of course. It is obvious that the lip service was too excessive.

What are you doing, Onii-sama?

 

“Erica, there is a wrinkle between your eyebrows.”

“……!”

 

When Klaus pointed it out, I held down my temple.

Have I subconsciously been jealous of the girls who can say “Kya~ kya~” to my brother?

It seems that if one calls oneself a brocon, one will really become a brocon.

That is the mysterious power of words to alter reality. I have to be careful.

 

Klaus seems to have finished distributing the athanors to the students who had forgotten to bring it while my brother was introducing himself.

He who was empty-handed for some reason took a seat next to me.

 

“Klaus-sama, if you are an assistant, shouldn’t you return to the platform?”

“I will go when I am called. But, I think Eduart will feel saved if I am watching you here. I’m also worried about taking my eyes off of you.”

 

When I asked with a low voice with my line of sight still facing the teacher, that sort of answer came out.

As usual Klaus is a worry-wart. Well, I may be at risk and am not trusted.

 

My brother on the teacher’s platform began preparing several instruments on the desk.

A star crystal lamp, a cylinder made of black metal, a pedestal propping up gears and a rotation mechanism and a palm-sized golem.

After preparing the instruments, my brother showed a serious expression and opened his mouth while fiddling with the teacher’s pointer in his hand.

 

“What should I teach in this Elementary Alchemy lesson? Be it the contents of the textbook or the correct use of the experimental tools. I want to teach you about the attitude you should take when stepping into an unknown area.”

 

As he said so, my brother raised the teacher’s pointer.

Huh? If I look closely, the teacher’s pointer has unexpectedly been replaced by a wand.

 

When my brother waved the wand once, multiple magic circles were deployed at once.

It’s the Mage Finger spell that I have used before.

However, this seems to be a specialized wand which has been multiplexed and has its range extended.

 

By many invisible fingers, the curtains were closed all at once.

In the darkened classroom, only the pale light of the star crystal lamp above the desk was illuminating the surroundings.

My brother hung a black cover over the lamp and shielded the light.

No, if I look closely, it’s not a complete darkness, and a slight light is still visible.

 

The golem started to move the gears in the rotating mechanism.

The light projected on the ceiling also began to slowly rotate at such a speed that it would be unnoticed unless one looked closely.

When I looked closely, it was an exquisite imitation of the starry sky of this world.

My brother seems to have made a homemade planetarium.

 

“In alchemy, all the world is considered to be a distorted expression projected from an original pattern (idea). When we take this starlight magic lantern as a simile, the lamp is the original pattern while our world is nothing more than the illusion of a single projected star.”

 

Under the false starry sky, my brother started speaking slowly.

 

“The purpose of the alchemists is to arrive at the idea. To reach that end goal, we have to solve the expression leading to it. However, we don’t truly know what the idea is, nor how to reach it. Therefore, the alchemists set a single substance as a signpost.”

 

My brother cut off his words and added something to the device at hand.

A line of light corresponding to Polaris took on a golden, strong sparkle.

 

“That is gold. Therefore, we are aiming for the gold transmutation.

The way to the pattern and gold is far and steep and no one knows the right path. The goal may be wrong. The road itself may be shut off. But, even if that road is wrong, we won’t know until we start walking.”

 

Once again, when my brother operated the device, the golden light disappeared.

Instead the number of stars increased many times, and the stars that were originally visible began to shine brighter.

It became a sky full of stars like the one you see in the mountains.

 

“This is currently nothing but an imitation, but setting our signpost is a challenge to a grand re-creation.

If there exist gods that created the idea, it is a challenge to the work of gods.

If there is a distant, higher order world created by means of the idea, it is a challenge to that place.

Even if it is an unreachable step, we shouldn’t be afraid to step forward.

I think that the reckless challenge that seems barbaric is truly wonderful.”

 

When my brother waved the wand again, the curtains quickly opened and the classroom brightened.

The students had captivated eyes and looked like they had just woken up from a dream.

Eduart-oniisama looked around the students and spoke with a gentle voice.

 

“The time will come when you have to step into an unknown area that has not been marked with the forerunners’ footprints.

The wilderness without a signpost where you don’t know the correct answer and there is no guarantee that you can arrive somewhere.

In such a case, I would be very happy if you remember this lesson and make it part of your courage to challenge the unknown territory.”

 

My brother stared at the far side with a look like a dreamer and finished his words.

I have been studying alchemy with emphasis on practicality for survival.

But now I realized that in alchemy, there is also a side full of dreams like what my brother said.

I’m gonna have to get used to it, but I feel like I can learn with a fresh feeling.

 

Unexpectedly, my brother clapped his hand.

The students, including me, corrected our posture.

 

“Now then, footprints of the pioneers, this is your first step into them. It is an unknown area for you guys, but be sure to step in. The theme is cockatrice. It is a monstro of petrification that everyone knows of.”

 

My brother went down the platform and slowly walked between the experiment tables.

 

“The monstro named cockatrice is very dangerous. As you all know because it has the ability to petrify in its whole body. The part where the power of petrification is particularly strong is its spine, when it becomes a fossil naturally, it is said that the force is further concentrated.”

 

As he walked, my brother took off his alchemists’ gloves and took out another gloves.

Compared to the usual fashionable design gloves, this one looked like a rather worn out working gloves.

 

“Although this material is a little bit dangerous to handle, the spells that can be extracted are simple but elegant, and it is suitable for training to extract alchemical effects for the first time.”

 

My brother wore the working gloves and tapped the boxes that were in front of the nearest student with a fingertip.

 

“Well, the box in front of you. I guess you have been worrying about it, huh. Inside of that box is the fossil of cockatrice’s spine. As written there, it is very dangerous, so don’t touch it until there is an instruction, alright? I have prepared anti-petrification medicine, but I still don’t recommend touching it.”

“Why is that?”

 

A student who was in front of my brother raised his hand and asked.

Hearing that question, my brother smiled nastily.

 

“Well. That’s because this medicine is very bitter. It is to the extent that you would regret and think that you should have stayed petrified.”

 

When my brother joked with a loud voice, the classroom broke into laughter.

My brother took out the anti-petrification medicines from his pocket and put it on each experiment table.

 

“The main ingredients are mandragora and lizard. Mixing in acidic ingredients and essential oils of common rue will increase the effect. When preparing in case of an emergency, you may substitute common vinegar for the solvent.”

 

My brother who went around the classroom went up to the platform again and picked up a chalk.

Even while talking, my brother wrote the purpose and procedure of the experiment on the blackboard.

 

“Now then, let’s move to the experiment soon. Please open page six of the textbook. The objective is to separate the petrification effect contained in the fossil of the cockatrice from it, putting it into the solvent in form of a spell, making it a paralysis potion. Among you, who has made potions using athanor before?”

 

About 80% of the students raised their hand on the question.

I was hesitant to raise my hand.

I have used athanor a couple of times, but I have never succeeded in making a potion.

 

“Wonderful. Sensei is pleased that there are lots of enthusiastic students. Let’s light up the fire in the athanor. The experienced people will help the inexperienced people.”

 

Once again, my brother watched the students while walking between the experiment tables.

My brother and Klaus were helping some students.

Making sure that everyone’s preparation is completed, my brother called out to the students.

 

“Now, let’s open the lid of the wooden box. First of all, there should be the same gloves like the ones I wear, so wear them properly before opening the inner lid.”

“Sensei, I don’t have gloves.”

“Oops, that’s terrible. Hand out the spare gloves. Others who have no gloves, raise your hands. Students who are wearing their gloves should open the inner lid and place the fossil in the flask while taking care not to touch it directly.”

 

He gave directions to Klaus and distributed the gloves.

I have gloves, so let’s proceed to the next process.

 

I replaced my gloves with the working gloves and opened the inner lid.

A fossil piece of only about 3 mm square was placed on cotton.

Even with this size, it should be quite expensive.

As might be expected of a royal institution, this magic academy was lavishly supplied with good teaching materials.

 

“First of all, once you put the cockatrice fossil in a flask, add a flask worth of the first chemical solution and start heating it up. After a while, the flow of magical power that will form the foundation will be generated.”

 

Using a pincette, I carefully picked up the cockatrice fossil and moved it to a large flask made of quartz.

Then, I carefully inserted the first chemical liquid so as not to splash the liquid, and put the flask into the furnace.

After a while, fragments of something looking like Aurelia’s magical characters came up on the surface of the athanor.

Is this the occurrence of the fundamental magical flow?

 

“Next, add a drop of the second chemical which is a stabilizer using a pipette and build the spell written on page 6. At this time, you must make sure to build it with the athanor tightly sealed.”

 

I opened the athanor and added a drop from the second bottle with a pipette.

At the moment when the two kinds of liquids mixed, purple smoke blew up and a small light appeared to blink inside the liquid.

 

When I carefully added the chemicals, I could see my brother behind the athanor.

My brother stopped at my table and looked at my skill.

 

“Wonderful. If you keep your careful work as is, you will become a great alchemist.”

“Thank you, Sensei.”

 

I smiled at my brother’s gentle smile.

My older brother is the type to praise and push the students to perform better.

Even though I understand that most of his words are flattery, for some reason I still get excited.

 

My brother spoke to the students who have noticed other things and went around the classroom.

 

“In the case of a person who is likely to disturb the spell construction in the athanor, consider putting in a somewhat larger, total quantity of the second liquid, over the course of several times.”

 

I think it would be better to put the second liquid in a rather large amount.

For several drops of the second chemical liquid, I observed the mixture carefully.

Would it be okay now?

 

In the flow of the fundamental magical power, I began incorporating the spell.

Then, the spell components I had in mind appeared as letters and lines on the surface and in the periphery of the athanor and consequently vanished.

 

As expected, it seems that the spell was distorted and broken.

Still, I repeatedly constructed the spell carefully again and again.

 

I wonder how many times it had been.

In front of me, the magic spell I had begun to construct was disturbed again and even the magical flow itself was likely to disappear.

I quickly stopped this distorted and close to broken spell.

 

Aah, if only this distortion didn’t get in the way—

 

☆

 

“Then, let’s meet again in this class in four days!”

 

The next thing I saw was that Eduart-oniisama was giving a speech to end the lesson.

Looking next to me, Klaus had written something on several sheets of paper.

Oh, I must have suffered from a petrification effect from cockatrice a while ago.

 

Klaus looked up at me and raised his face.

My brother came close to me with a relieved expression.

 

“It seems that you have finally returned to your senses.”

“……maybe.”

“You were not moving the whole time because you received the petrification effect you were practicing on. Don’t ever interfere directly with the spell structure in the athanor again.”

 

Right.

I tried to directly modify the collapsing spell.

 

“But, why did I get petrified until the class ended?”

 

Since there is Klaus, he should be able to quickly dispel it, so why?

As I was thinking about it, Klaus exchanged looks with my brother as if uneasy.

 

“Well, Erica. Klaus-kun tried to dispel it with all his strength, but……”

“Sorry. It seems my power was not enough.”

“No, um……I thought that Klaus-sama will be able to dispel my immature spell in the blink of an eye.”

“Your stop effect was at an abnormal level of Hold and it was very tough even with the highest rank Dispel.”

 

As I was told, I didn’t even recognize the lapse of time just before the petrified state.

Even if I couldn’t move my body, in the normal Hold effect, non-voluntary organs such as the spirit and the internal organs still move.

Why do such wasteful and powerful effects only occur at times like this?

 

“Thinking that I should at the very least apologize, I wrote down the lesson just now.”

 

Klaus handed out a bundle of vellum papers which summarized the content of the lesson with a meticulous touch.

I’m sorry that I was holding unfavorable thoughts about him in my mind earlier.

 

“I was wondering whether to make a specialized wand for Dispel, but Klaus-kun advised me not to do it.”

“No, really, please stop it, Onii-sama.”

 

It seems that a bad reputation will be attached to me for interrupting the class and monopolizing the popular teacher.

Even so, my brother is sweet to me.

 

“But, as expected of my Erica.”

 

Saying so, Eduart-oniisama grinned and gently stroked my hair.

Hm? I’m happy that you stroked my hair, but what is it?

 

“What, Erica. You, are you not aware of it?”

“What is it?”

“The reason why Erica was petrified is because the effect didn’t dissolve in the medium, and it flowed into you who was interfering with it directly.”

“The effect itself was unusually powerful and it was not the chemicals but you that was infused with the paralysis effect. Think over it, setting these two circumstances aside.”

 

When Onii-sama and Klaus told me, it finally dawned on me.

 

“Ah, I……did I succeed in transmutation for the first time?”

 

I was so distracted by my mistakes that I didn’t notice it.

From the depth of my chest, joyfulness surged up.

Even though I had already given up thinking nothing would happened anyway.

 

“Congratulations, Erica.”

“Finally your hard work has been rewarded.”

 

My brother who is sweet and gentle congratulated me.

And Klaus was also smiling with a gentle expression, which I couldn’t imagine from his usual days.