CH 37

Lou entered the staff room with Bernard, took his seat, and prepared for the class.

Before long…

Kelturi came in and clapped her hands, informing all the staff of the meeting before the start of the spring semester.

Then she approached Lou.

“Lou-sensei, you have a match against Giselle, the Student Council President, did I hear right?”

When Lou nodded, Kelturi smiled mischievously.

To be frank, she must be feeling like a rubberneck.

“I expected you’d do something interesting as soon as you arrived at the school. By the way, I’m the homeroom teacher for Giselle and Nadia.”

“Oh! So that means…”

“Yeah! So I’ll be your witness on the day of the event.”

After saying this, Kelturi disappeared into the conference room.

Fran appeared next after Kelturi.

Obviously, she had been watching the exchange between him and Kelturi.

“Did the Vice-Principal say something to you?”

Fran asked with concern.

Lou smiled and gently shook his head …….

Then he urged Fran to go with him to the conference room.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ 

The agenda of the meeting…

It was to confirm how to proceed with the spring semester courses and the precautions.

After Fran’s opening remarks and a briefing from Kelturi, the meeting ended quickly.

After that, everyone moved to the classrooms of their respective classes.

Fran and Lou headed to Class 2C, where Fran was the homeroom teacher.

Lou was also assigned to be her assistant homeroom teacher.

This class will start their second year in April…

According to Fran, the class was fraught with various problems.

This immediately became apparent.　

When Fran and Lou entered the classroom, there was hardly any morning greeting.

Very few students even said, “Good morning.”

This included Michelle and Olga, who had become acquainted with them.

What were the rest of the students doing?

Some were reading textbooks, while others, who seemed to be noblemen’s daughters, were surrounded by their cronies and engrossed in chatting.

Some of the merchants’ daughters showed interest in Lou, pointing blatantly at him and chirping like little birds.

“Everyone! Quiet!”

One of the students suddenly stood up and shouted, making a loud noise with claps.

She looked very much like Kelturi.

At the sound of her voice and claps, the students who had been chattering fell silent.

The noble ladies also frowned, but quieted down with their cronies.

Then Lou urged Fran to proceed with her prologue.

Fran nodded and inhaled as best she could.

Then she said loudly.

“Good morning, everyone! Today marks the start of the spring semester. Let’s review what we have learned to prepare for the coming school year!”

Whooaaa!

A commotion started from the students.

Fran had never greeted them so energetically in the past.

Fran then introduced Lou.

“I’d like to introduce you to our new teacher, Mr. Lou Brandell. He will be the assistant teacher of this class starting this year.”

A few of the merchants’ daughters who had been making a fuss over Lou earlier were excited.

They started pointing at Lou again.

“Hey! Anna and Louise! You’re being rude to Lou-sensei! As punishment, stand up and introduce yourselves properly!”

Fran called out the girls’ names and ordered them firmly.

She wanted to make sure that Lou, the new teacher, would memorize their names as soon as possible.

Surprisingly, the two students listened obediently and stood up cheerfully.

“I’m Anna Bouchet! Nice to meet you, Lou-sensei!”

“I’m Louise Berthier. Please take care of me, Lou-sensei!”

While introducing themselves loudly and cheerfully, they made eyes and cast fiery gazes at Lou. 

Despite that, Lou maintained his calm smile.

“I am Lou, Lou Brandell. Nice to meet you, Anna and Louise.” (Lou used ‘I’ which is a rough or arrogant-sounding first-person pronoun here)

“Wow, he said ‘I’!”

“He has no way with words!”

Accusations came from some of the students.

Some whispered as they looked at Lou.

Fran ignored those students and decided to start the class.

“Let’s begin class immediately. Please open your Magical Studies I.”

In order to use magic smoothly, it is important to keep your mind stable and focused.

In order to do so…

The first effective method recorded is ‘Breathing Techniques’.

Breathing Techniques used by wizards are…

The rhythm is completely different from the breathing of the ordinary person.

Therefore, it can be hard to get used to and painful at first.

However, if you do this breathing exercise little by little and without straining yourself, you will gradually learn to do it naturally…

The rhythm of chanting magic formulas can be improved, and the calmness that comes from the breathing exercises can keep your magic stable.

Hence, no one who studies magic skips learning the Breathing Techniques.

Exhale, inhale.

Breathe in and breathe out, so to speak.

Then ziiip, hold your breath.

Repeat this with a certain rhythm.

For example, exhale four times in a row, and then stop.

Next, breathe in and out four times in a row, and then stop.

There are no strict rules for the number of breaths or the intervals between breaths in these breathing exercises.

Each individual should exercise it in a way that suits him or her.

Relaxing and discarding all other thoughts during the practice of stopping is also beneficial for developing concentration.

In addition to the basic Breathing Techniques is the training method that Schulvestre has taught Lou…

It is a unique method of recognizing and incorporating the presence of the spirit Sylph, who controls the wind.

Humans and other living things basically live by breathing in and out the air (*oxygen).

In other words, all living things, including those with wind magical attributes, as well as those with other attributes, have the divine protection of the wind spirit, Sylph. 

There are other advantages and benefits as well.

If your Breathing Technique becomes one with the gentle wind that is the breath of Sylph…

The effects on your Breathing Techniques can grow exponentially.

For even better results, it is recommended that you do this exercise outdoors.

It’s not only the Wind Spirit Sylph, but also the other spirits that can help you receive their blessings. The synergistic effect makes it easier to promote the growth of magical power.

“Let’s start with Breathing Techniques. May I have your attention, please?”

Fran called out in a loud voice, but even so, few of the students followed the breathing exercises as she instructed.

Everyone was reading different pages of Magical Studies I one their own, and some chatted with each other.

Lou on the other hand…

He was standing beside Fran at the podium, but after giving her a look, he went over to the students.

He went past the students who were doing breathing exercises earnestly with their eyes closed…

Then he saw one student, who was reading a completely different page, intently.

She was so absorbed that she didn’t even notice when Lou arrived near her.

Lou gently placed his hand on top of the page of Magical I that she had spread.

The student jolted in reaction and glared at Lou.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

The girl had chestnut hair and no makeup.

She looked restrained and diligent, but for some reason, she exuded stubbornness.

“It’s now time for you to do some breathing exercises together, not in the ‘Sensitivity Refinement’ page you’re reading.”

“I don’t need to do breathing exercises anymore. Besides, I’m not ‘you’, I have a name.”

The girl’s small shoulders shook as she protested, but Lou smiled calmly.

“Fran, or rather Francesca-sensei will decide if you need to practice breathing exercises or not. I want you to practice along with everyone first.”

“…Alright. But you referred to me as ‘you’ again. I have a name, Ollery Bou. Please stop calling me ‘you’.”

“Okay, Ollery. How about we start with some breathing exercises?”

He smiled again, and Ollery, who had been initially upset, nodded reluctantly.

Lou’s next stop…

It was before a nobleman’s daughter who was once again absorbed in chatting with her cronies.

Even after Lou stood in front of her, she wouldn’t stop chattering.

“‘You’re being a nuisance to the other students. If you’re not going to take the class seriously, could you please leave the classroom?”

Even when Lou said this, the student completely ignored him and did not stop chattering.

But as expected, three of her cronies stopped talking and stared at Lou.

Seeing the time was right, Lou snapped his fingers and instantly activated his magic.

Then came a surprise.

The student’s voice, which kept chirping like a little bird, suddenly ceased.