Chapter 15

In fact, there is no punishment higher than expulsion from the academy.

Is there a greater punishment than depriving a student of the opportunity to learn?

No matter how much of a class system it is, working at a restaurant is not considered more serious than being expelled from school.

It’s unpaid. A commoner’s salary is like a flea’s liver to a nobleman. It’s money you don’t have to have.

However, the severity of ‘punishment’ varies from person to person.

For some people, paying a fine may be a very big punishment, but for others, it could be the price of a meal.

Some people may think that being in prison means the end of their life, but others may like it because they are fed well and let them sleep for free.

In this way, punishment varies greatly depending on the inclination or conditions of the person receiving it.

Dean Clifford is a person who values ‘time’ more than anything else, and

investigator Gilbert is a person who is very anxious about ‘money’.

For these two, being told to waste a year’s worth of time and to work without pay is something bigger than expulsion.

‘Hmm, was it too much?’

The problem is that Catherine was excluded from all these calculations. Because I only focused on not getting caught by those two people.

‘...I guess it would have been better to be quick to forgive them already.’

It’s already past. At that time when I was having some trivial worries...

“Now, just a moment.”

There was someone blocking Ruid’s path to Delrin’s lake.

It was Catherine.

“Do you have something to say?”

“...Thank you.”

Catherine quietly lowered her head. Red hair collapsed. The expression on his face was as pitiful as that of someone who had been heavily drenched in rain.

He looked completely dispirited. Ruid was very unexpected.

I thought he would be angry at me for daring to serve him, a nobleman.

“I will definitely repay this favor someday. And last time... I was sorry.”

Catherine ran with her head still down.

Ruid looked behind him for a moment and muttered.

“A good thing must be a good thing.”

I’m glad it ended on a good note.

**

The obstructionist has been removed, and now there is nothing standing in Ruid’s way.

“It’s my world.”

I was able to sleep again and lead a peaceful daily life. Ruid was already happy.

He lay down lightly in the reserved seat. I took a pillow out of subspace and placed it on my head. I curled my body into the most comfortable position.

“ah.”

After lying down, I was disappointed that there was no campfire. But since it was a hassle to make, I decided to just sleep.

‘The weather is very nice today.’

A gentle breeze passed through my body. The wind was neither cold nor hot, so it felt very cozy.

The amount of sunlight was just enough to help me sleep, and the natural temperature was nice, so I didn’t need to use any magic.

Maybe it was because I had been wandering around recently, but I quickly felt sleepy.

“Zzz...”

Soon, Ruid fell into a deep sleep. Hercy and Amelia do not wake up Ruid unless there is something special to do. For the time being, there seemed to be no one to wake him from his deep sleep.

**

“Ugh, uhhh.”

A girl wandered through the forest and appeared at Delrin’s lake. Her name is Nia Ryan. I am a first-year student at the Ministry of Magic.

“What, the concentration of mana is like this...”

I wiped the drool that had dripped with my sleeve. I grabbed a tree and took a deep breath. My body felt heavy and it was difficult to breathe, as if I was in a very humid and hot area.

“Huh?”

Nia tilted her head. There was a person in the lake.

-Hey, are you stupid? She’s not a fairy, she’s a freshman.

Nia huffed and covered her mouth.

It reminded me of a story a friend told me in the past.

‘That’s a fairy! ‘No, Ruid!’

A blond boy was sleeping, curled up in a ball. Nia was excited because she felt like she had met a being from mythology.

I wanted to say hello to Nia because she was so friendly, but unfortunately I couldn’t.

‘Be careful, be careful.’

I didn’t want to wake my sleeping child. Nia passed by Ruid and headed to the lake.

I took out a small glass bottle from my pocket and filled it with water from Delrin’s lake. It was to collect samples needed for alchemy classes.

‘Wow, there it is! ‘Adrane’s flower!’

A rare flower that only grows in special places.

Adrane’s flowers seemed to be frozen blue and full of magic. It was my first time seeing it in real life.

Nia smiled brightly and stretched out her hand. Since I had a hard time coming, I was planning on breaking a lot of it.

But at that time, Nia felt an unknown chill and began to shiver. She looked to the side at the stinging gaze.

“....”

“Do you know how hard it was to get here?”

“Well, it must be difficult. “Because you have breathtaking specifications.”

“no? “You don’t know!”

Nia pointed her finger at Ruid. But I thought it was a little rude so I took it down. Instead, he put his hands on his waist.

“How difficult it is for me! Doing this right now... isn’t hard. what.”

Nia looked at her small hands. My body is not heavy and it is not difficult to breathe.

It was Ruid’s consideration. Even now, he was controlling the amount of magic around Nia.

Maybe it’s because it’s near the lake with the most magic power, but since I cast a simple spell, the road from tomorrow won’t be difficult.

“Tomorrow won’t be hard.”

“Hmm...”

Nia thought briefly. I really wanted to do an experiment today, so even though I thought I was going to die from exhaustion, I came to save it myself.

If we withdraw like this, the experiment will be delayed by as much as 20 hours. Nia was the type of person who would do anything to satisfy her desire to explore magic.

However, I don’t think it would be such a bad idea to come back tomorrow under this pretext. Nia wanted to become friends with Ruid.

“good. Let’s be friends instead.”

“...friend?”

“huh!”

Nia held out Adrane’s flowers.

“This is a gift to commemorate becoming friends.”

“....”

Ruid was dumbfounded.

**

——

[Magic Practice Guide]

First-year Magic Department students, did you do well on the placement test?

A month has already passed since the semester started.

Even though we haven’t had any proper classes yet, I hope you’ll have gained a lot by the end of the school year.

Therefore, before starting the full-scale class, I would like to take a basic skills test to gain practical experience.

Details, including location and time, are as follows.

Location: Center, Colosseum of Meeting.

Date: Next class time for the ‘Practice Magic’ subject.

Special invitation: 2nd year swordsman club leader, Amelia Windsor.

-Lude decided that there was no suitable opponent for Christopher Windsor, so he specially invited Amelia Windsor.

-Although it is an inevitable choice, a wizard must always prepare for battle with a knight.

-I am confident that these two will show a better example than anyone else of what a battle between a wizard and a knight should look like.

-This exam is only a test, so participation is not mandatory.

The above information is notarized.

Senior Professor of Practical Magic, Leffen Chaser-.

Senior Professor of Magical Theory, Phenicia Finens-.

—

“oh my god...!”

An official notice was suddenly posted on the poster. It was something no one expected.

“Windsor can only stop Windsor?”

“I can’t believe I can see Geomhee fighting...!”

“We will be able to see the skills of the ‘Lazy Ruid’ of whom there are so many rumors.”

“Who will win?”

“It’s definitely Amelia!”

“No, Prince Ruid will win. “If I were Amelia, I wouldn’t be able to do it right because it’s cute!”

The students at the Ministry of Magic were excited. In fact, no one knew the true meaning of this test.

This was more of a demonstration than a test. Geomhee, whose name is already known throughout the empire, and Ruid, who has been given a new nickname, the genius of the century.

There were already students placing bets on who would win. Of course, it was a penalty if the professor caught you, but it was a sin not to bet gold on something fun like this.

Meanwhile, Hercy, who was returning from class, also saw Daejabo.

“...what?”

Hercy rubbed his eyes in doubt. However, the names of the two people clearly written on the poster did not change.

“Lu, I didn’t hear anything like this from Ruid...?”

Hersi, thinking that he should quickly go and ask, walked briskly.

‘...But who will really win?’

It was a pure question. Luid was a genius, but Amelia was also a genius. He didn’t have a reputation as a swordsman for nothing.

Hersi soon arrived at Delrin’s lake. I was out of breath, probably because I had almost run. After taking a moment to adjust my clothes and breathe, I left the forest. An emerald colored lake was visible.

I always looked for where Ruid was lying. However, it wasn’t there today.

In the middle of the forest and lake.

Ruid was standing face to face with an unfamiliar girl.

Perhaps because they were the exact same height, they were twice as cute.

The girl held out a flower, and Ruid took it.

Hercy looked at that figure blankly.

‘Next to a cute kid...a cute kid.’

If there is a heaven, wouldn’t it be here?

Hercy was sure.