Volume 2 - CH 11

The white morning sun shone through the curtainless window.

I closed my eyes tightly against the glare, but then opened them straight after and got up. I quickly got dressed and prepared for class before breakfast.

I always did this, but I felt more refreshed than usual. I said all I had to say, perhaps because I was in front of everyone.

I don’t know how many people were persuaded by my speech, but I’m sure my speech had some effect on them.

I wasn’t attacked last night after I returned to my room and the ladder had not been tampered with when I left my room this morning.

They were still keeping their distance from me at breakfast, but I could definitely feel a change in the air.

On such a pleasant day, the afternoon class was a slow class with Cleaning Liquid-sensei, I mean, Harold-sensei.

When he stood on the podium, he had a languid and annoyed tone, and he wasn’t someone who should be teaching a class during the sleepy period after lunch, but today was a bit different.

The three stones held up between Harold-sensei’s slender fingers woke the students from their drowsiness.

“The mana contained in magic stones aren’t consistent. You can determine how much mana is in the magic stones by their colour. The magic stone containing the most mana is green, then yellow and lastly red.”

They looked like emerald, topaz and ruby, but they were all magic stones. They looked like traffic lights.

We were given information about the history and current status of mages in this nation and other nations and other things about the mage profession in between the Mitoan language classes.

These classes, which do not hand out homework, are regarded by the students as a way to relax.

I have a feeling that Harold-sensei teaches these kinds of classes a lot.

He must have played his cards well to avoid the language classes, which are hard to teach, and taking charge of the relaxation classes, which are well-liked by the students.

If he did, then he really is a skilful person. I take my hat off to him for his effort to win with the easy way out.

“Magic stones are green when they are mined, but as it consumes mana, it turns to yellow, then red until it loses its lustre and becomes just a black mass.”

The fourth stone that sensei pulled out of his pocket looked like a lump of charcoal. It has lost its transparency and thus has lost its colour and lustre.

It was like a battery.

It turning red before running out of mana was easy to understand. It was like the stone was warning us that it was about to run out, but why does it change colour?

The colour of a mineral depended on the elements it contained.

For example, corundum becomes a bright red ruby when only one percent of the atoms are replaced by chromium atoms, and iron becomes a blue sapphire when its titanium atoms are replaced by chromium.

Without it, corundum is a colourless mineral. What is the value of a gem?

Well, anyway, do the elements that make up the magic stone change when mana is used? It’s not radioactive, is it? Elements that are radioactive change their appearance rapidly.

But if that were the case, then the colour of the stone would change even without using its mana. There’s no way to stop an element from radiation.

If the colour changes only when a mage uses it, then mana must be an unknown power.

Hmmm, I still don’t understand it no matter how much I think about it.

I want to learn how to use it as soon as possible, but it seems like they won’t teach us that yet.

“The mana a magic stone contains depends not only on its colour, but also its size. A red magic stone which is more than twice the size of a green magic stone contains more magic than a small green magic stone. But it isn’t convenient to carry around.”

In short, the higher the density of mana in the stone, the closer it is to green, and the lower the density, the closer it is to red.

Harold-sensei continued his explanation as the students twisted the magic stones that he had passed around, but everyone was excited and couldn’t wait for it to get to them. I was also waiting for it in excitement.

But just before it was my turn, the boy next to me turned around and gave it to the person in the back. Hey!

Shyt. I sulked, then someone patted my back. When I turned around, I saw the sparkling gem.

Clifford handed me the magic stone as if to say, “Here you go.”

I was startled for a second, but gratefully accepted it.

“Thanks.”

“Hmph. It’s the role of nobility to show mercy to those beneath us.”

Clifford wasn’t an honest person.

I can take that as ‘It’s natural to help those who are troubled’, right?

“I admire that part of you.”

He is someone who can make his own decisions without being swayed by those around him.

He didn’t mock me with his classmates, and when it was time to criticise me, he came up to me and did it in front of Alec.

That’s the kind of person he was and that was why he was the best person to argue with.

I wanted to thank him sincerely, but Clifford looked startled and glared at me for some reason.

“I will take your teasing as an insult.”

“I wasn’t teasing you. An act of kindness deserves to be respected even if it’s not an achievement that will be recorded in history.”

“So, thanks,” I repeated in a whisper, but his frown remained. He didn’t seem convinced.

Then he suddenly thrusted his finger in front of me.

“Just wait. I’ll bring you to your knees one day.”

Hey, hey, how nice of you to tell me that.

I smiled back at him.

“Then, I’ll become important enough so that you can’t make me kneel in front of you.”

“I’ll also make it so you can’t say such audacious words again.”

It seems I’ve made a friend who I can have fun arguments with.

Now, the magic stone that I was able to touch thanks to him looked nothing more than a beautiful gem.

“Aime.”

Alec stopped me as I was leaving the classroom after school.

“Are you free on your next day off?”

“Yeah. I don’t have any plans since Rille-nee is working. What’s up?”

“I’ve arranged for you to go to her workplace. I’ll take you there if you’d like.”

“Huh? Really?”

I was kind of joking, but Alec made the arrangements for me to visit the medical department. I’m glad I asked.

“I’ll go, I’ll go! Take me with you! Thank you, Alec! You’re amazing! I knew you could get me into the palace!”

The thought of seeing Rille-nee made my heart sore and my tongue slipped.

Alec smiled wryly and Rock, as usual, told me not to get carried away. I’m sorry.

I was excited for a moment, then I calmed down.

“I’m sorry. Thanks, but you won’t get scolded for this later, Alec? If you will, then I’ll pass.”

“I have permission from the medical head. Besides, I’m already a prince who’s treated as eccentric by those around me. They won’t mind if I cause a little fuss now.”

“… What did you do to deserve such treatment?”

“The most recent is entering this school.”

“What did you do in the past?”

“I don’t think I did much, but I tried to figure out how to make people fly like birds.”

Your statement sounds a little dangerous. What exactly did you do? Does this have anything to do with how bitter Rock looks right now?

“… I don’t suppose the real reason why you wanted to become a mage was because you wanted to fly?”

“Ah, maybe.”

I didn’t know if he was joking or being serious, but I felt that his smile meant that he was half-serious.

It seems that mages of this world don’t always make their transport fly, but I wonder if there’s magic to make someone fly.

Still, who would think of it? The concept of flying on a broom was only from novels. The mental state of the person who thought that cleaning tools would do the trick is a mystery.

“They’re right. You might be a bit eccentric.”

“I’m honoured that you would say that.”

“What does that mean?”

But he evaded my question by putting his hand on my head.

“I’m just inviting a friend over. It’s nothing to worry about.”

That might be true generally speaking, but this is different.

But, well, he did get me permission, so I’ll take his word for it this time.