“Ahahahahaha!”
Laughter echoed on the café terrace of the Hall of Beginnings.
Clutching her stomach as she laughed, Celia hiccupped and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“So? You left the magic class after solving just one question?”
“Are you done laughing?”
Leo drank his fruit juice with a sullen expression.
“Didn’t I tell you? There’s no point in taking magic major classes.”
Still giggling, Celia lifted her teacup and said.
“If you’re from the Zerdinger family, you should focus on swordsmanship.”
“I’m not from the Zerdinger family.”
“If you’re learning Phoenix Breath, then what else could you be?”
With an incredulous look, Celia sipped her tea after glancing at Leo.
“Anyway, are you free until the afternoon classes? Want to train with me?”
“Then how about some physical training?”
“...!”
Celia’s face turned pale.
Physical training with Leo was nothing short of torture. The week of hell at the Plov Family came to her mind, and she awkwardly laughed.
“I’d rather practice swordsmanship…”
“You’re not trying to back out, are you?”
Leo smiled sweetly.
“How disappointed would Uncle Gis be if he heard you ran away from physical training because you were scared?”
“Hey! Is this your revenge for teasing you about magic class, you petty guy?!”
Watching her cousin’s mischievous smile, Celia shuddered.
“Come on, let’s train hard.”
“No way. Let go of me.”
As Leo grabbed her by the collar and dragged her toward the training ground, Celia struggled in fear.
“Hey, Leo!”
Karl came running up, out of breath.
“What’s up? Why aren’t you in class?”
“Professor Ren is looking for you.”
Celia’s face brightened.
“The professor is looking for you, Leo. You should hurry.”
“Why is he looking for me?”
“You came in first place on the Magic Theory test.”
“What?”
Leo and Celia looked surprised.
Breathing heavily, Karl quickly explained.
“The class is in chaos right now! The professor is furious because the first-place student didn’t show up!”
***
When Karl brought Leo back to the Main Lecture Hall, the atmosphere in the room was icy.
The students who passed the test stared at Leo as he entered the lecture hall.
Leo flinched under their gazes.
‘Why is the mood like this?’
“Leo Plov, where were you instead of attending class?”
Assistant Professor Anna asked calmly, and Leo replied awkwardly with a smile.
“I was at the café.”
“I said the class would start right after the test, didn’t I? Why the café…”
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Suddenly, there was applause.
Professor Ren approached, smiling.
“Leo Plov! Your genius truly astonished me. Ignoring all the easy questions, solving only the hardest one, and then leaving class. Haha! For a genius like you, my test must have seemed trivial. Especially since you’re a Knight Studies major!”
Although he was smiling, his eyes were anything but kind.
Knights and mages had long been in rivalry.
In powerful nations like the Rodren Empire, the Zerdinger and Lewallin families led the knight and mage factions, respectively, dividing politics.
Even among Lumerne students, some extremists viewed their own field as superior.
Leo, the first-year representative known as a Knight Studies major, submitting a nearly blank test except for the hardest question, naturally caused misunderstandings.
Not to mention, he didn’t return to class afterward.
Leo hurriedly spoke up.
“Professor, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“I thought I failed the test. I didn’t know I came in first place.”
Professor Ren narrowed his eyes and stared at Leo’s face.
Despite being one of the younger professors at Lumerne, Professor Ren was not someone a freshman could deceive easily.
‘It doesn’t seem like he’s lying. But why didn’t he solve the other questions?’
“Leo Plov, I’ll need to have a private discussion with you. Assistant Professor Anna, please take over the class.”
“Understood, Professor.”
Anna nodded and took the podium as Professor Ren led Leo to the preparation room at the back of the lecture hall.
“Why didn’t you solve the other questions?”
“Well…”
Leo hesitated.
“Did you think they were too easy and not worth your time?”
“No… It’s just that…”
Leo glanced around nervously and muttered to himself.
‘Oh, this is embarrassing. Do I really have to admit that I, who was practically an Archmage in my past life, couldn’t solve problems that even teenagers can?’
But lying wasn’t an option.
If this continued, it could ruin his school life.
In the end, Leo answered in a small voice.
“The questions were too difficult for me to solve.”
“What did you say?”
Solving the hardest question but claiming the others were too hard? What kind of nonsense was that?
“I studied magic formulas at home by myself, but we only had very old magic books. So, I only learned outdated formulas. I didn’t expect modern magic formulas to be so complicated. I feel ashamed for taking magic major classes so lightly, so I didn’t attend class.”
After saying this, Leo asked with a puzzled expression.
“But why does everyone say I came in first place? I only solved one question.”
‘So he couldn’t solve the formula combination problems because he didn’t know activation formulas… and ended up solving only the last question? That makes sense to a degree.’
If he had only studied older magic texts, it was possible he wasn’t familiar with activation formulas.
Although activation formulas were a modern trend, they weren’t deeply rooted in history.
‘If he only focused on formula interpretation, it’s plausible.’
Professor Ren picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a magic formula on the blackboard in the preparation room.
“Solve this. If you can, I’ll believe what you said. I’ll also explain why you came in first place.”
As his anger subsided, curiosity grew.
The younger generation tended to follow trends.
Activation formulas had become so entrenched among young wizards that they were no longer a trend but the mainstream.
In that sense, Leo could be considered outdated.
But he also had a strength modern wizards lacked.
‘That’s a solid foundation. The essence of magic is, after all, the ability to interpret formulas.’
A tree with strong roots grows slowly but eventually becomes enormous.
Professor Ren speculated that Leo was already building his own “magical world.”
Formula interpretation has only one correct answer, but there are multiple paths to reach it.
Ren became intrigued, wondering how this rare type of student would interpret the formula.
By analyzing how someone solves a formula, one can understand their magical philosophy.
‘Let’s see what kind of interpretation he uses.’
With shining eyes, he observed Leo standing before the blackboard.
Leo silently looked at the problem Professor Ren had given and reached for the blackboard.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Each time the chalk struck the board, Professor Ren couldn’t help but shudder.
When Leo finished writing the solution, he turned his head.
Professor Ren couldn’t follow Leo’s method.
“I’ve solved it.”
Leo had mentally solved the complex magic formula without any written calculations.
***
‘Why aren’t they coming out yet?’
Assistant Professor Anna glanced toward the preparation room with a puzzled expression.
She had expected a quick resolution, whether it was a warning or dismissal, but it was taking longer than expected.
Among the Lumerne professors, Professor Ren was the most passionate about magic.
Though not widely known, he was regarded as a genius in the academic world of magic.
Anna had read his research papers and admired him, which led her to apply for her current position.
‘Though my impression of him changed after becoming his assistant.’
Normally composed, Professor Ren became eccentric whenever magic was involved.
Bam!
Anna’s concerns were answered when the door to the preparation room swung open violently.
The students flinched in surprise.
Seeing Professor Ren’s face, Assistant Professor Anna sighed, glancing toward the ceiling.
‘Not again. Please don’t embarrass yourself in front of the freshmen.’
Fortunately, Professor Ren left the lecture hall immediately.
Leo exited the preparation room slowly afterward.
“What did the professor say, Leo Plov?”
“He told me to attend the class.”
“Alright, please take your seat. We’ll resume the lecture.”
Anna picked up the chalk without paying any attention to the situation.
The students’ faces grew curious.
Between the professor who suddenly stormed out and the assistant who acted as if it were nothing, something felt off.
Leo, however, remained indifferent.
Of course, even Leo didn’t know why Professor Ren acted that way.
‘But wizards acting crazy isn’t exactly new.’
Leo understood wizards better than anyone else.
***
Bam!
The door to the Magic Hall staff office burst open.
The professors inside, busy with their work, looked up.
Seeing Professor Ren’s face, they returned to their tasks as if it were nothing unusual.
“Professor Albi!”
Professor Albi turned his head with a blank expression.
“Thank you! Professor! You’ve given me an incredible gift!”
As Ren approached, Albi grabbed him by the face and shoved him aside like trash.
Then, without hesitation, Albi left the office.
He knew dealing with Ren would only be exhausting.
Ren, who had fallen to the ground, quickly got up and followed after Albi.
“What’s with him today?”
“Just ignore it; it’s nothing new.”
The other professors reacted indifferently.
“Professor! I’ll treat you to a meal soon.”
“I’d like to know why you’re making such a fuss.”
Albi asked, puzzled by Ren’s sudden gratitude, as Ren grinned.
“The student you recommended as the first-year representative, Leo Plov.”
“What about him?”
“Leo Plov is a magic genius.”
“…? He’s in the Knight Department, though.”
“No. Leo Plov belongs in the Magic Department.”
Ren spread his arms dramatically.
“A magic genius in the Knight Department? Come on. That’s a joke! That student is far too talented for swinging swords. Sending him to the Knight Department is an insult to magic, Professor!”
Ren passionately explained what had happened during the first class, spitting as he spoke.
Hearing the story, Albi looked surprised.
“Professor! Leo Plov has independently reached a fifth-year level in formula interpretation! If that’s not a genius, then what is?”
“What do you want from me?”
Albi asked bluntly as Ren gave a meaningful smile.
“Help ensure Leo Plov chooses the Magic Department.”
“Department choice is up to the students. Besides, if he’s that talented, he’ll choose magic on his own.”
“True, I suppose.”
Ren nodded, convinced.
“If someone with such talent doesn’t choose magic, they’d have to be eccentric.”
“You’re one to talk.”
***
Time flew by after the freshmen’s entrance, and the last day of temporary classes arrived.
After school.
The students sat in their classrooms.
It was time for them to choose their majors and fully immerse themselves in their studies.
The students didn’t know, but homeroom teachers had already been assigned to each class.
The assistant who had overseen the class during the temporary period began explaining.
“Now, we’ll start major selection and course registration. As mentioned before, in the first semester of your first year, there are no elective liberal arts courses. Your schedule will be filled with required subjects.”
Subjects included combat, hero studies, languages, mathematics, history, etiquette, and morality—essential classes for heroes.
Each class had seven shared subjects with a fixed schedule.
Students had to register for major classes within the remaining slots.
The students of Class 5 quickly filled out their major selection forms and course schedules.
The assistant carefully checked each form as the students submitted them.
When they received the last form, they paused.
“Leo Plov?”
“Yes, Assistant.”
“You seem to have made a mistake. You’ve listed three majors.”
The assistant kindly returned the form with a smile.
Handing it back, Leo replied calmly.
“No, I applied correctly.”
“What?”
“I’m taking all three majors.”
All eyes turned to Leo.
Leo spoke nonchalantly.
“I’m All-Class.”
End Of Chapter
