When we arrived at the training grounds, we found ourselves in a vast, open space with a sandy floor. It was a massive, dome-shaped arena complete with spectator seating.
"What is this place? It really looks like a Colosseum," I muttered.
"It’s used for both duels and combat exercises," Cedric informed me.
"Duels? People actually fight here?"
"There are a lot of people with high levels of pride here, so arguments can break out. But a fight between mages is a dangerous thing, right? That’s why they do it here. This place is under a special enchantment; if you’re injured or even killed inside the arena, you’re instantly warped to the spectator seats, completely unharmed."
What kind of crazy system was that?
"Wait, so even if I killed you right here, you’d just pop up in the stands?"
"Exactly. So if you’re going to pick a fight, do it here. To put it another way, using magic for a fight anywhere else results in severe punishment. That’s why we use this place for combat exercises, too."
Huh... it was just like a video game.
"Cedric, mind if we give it a go?"
"No thanks. I’m not very good at combat."
"What happened to the pride of the prestigious Seager family from Britain?"
"England, actually," he corrected. "And pride isn’t just about fighting. A true adult avoids meaningless conflict."
Well, Cedric was pretty thin. He looked weak, honestly. On the other hand, Frank looked like he could hold his own.
"Frank." I turned toward him and started shadowboxing.
"Are you some kind of barbarian?" he asked, unimpressed.
"Shall I be your opponent?" Ilmera volunteered, looking strangely excited.
"No can do. I don't hit women."
"Don't you know? Gender equality is all the rage these days."
I didn’t think gender equality was supposed to mean it was okay to punch women, but...
"My fists can dent iron, you know."
"Pass. Be kind to women then."
That’s what I was trying to say.
While we were chatting, Jenny arrived.
"Is everyone here? Then we shall begin the practical session for Basic Studies. For the benefit of Nagase, since today is his first day, I will explain: we actually cast magic in this class."
Our teacher was surprisingly kind.
"The practical for Basic Studies is low-key popular because you’re allowed to use whatever magic you want," Ilmera whispered to me.
"Now then..."
The teacher muttered something and produced a slip of paper that looked like a charm from nowhere, tossing it onto the ground. In an instant, the paper transformed into a robot that resembled a human mannequin.
"What the heck is that?" I asked.
"Please use your magic against this. Now then, Cedric, please show us an example."
"Yes, ma'am."
Called upon by the teacher, Cedric stepped forward to face the robot. He held up his hand toward the target.
"Fire!"
As he shouted the incantation, flames erupted from his palm and engulfed the robot. The automaton burned intensely for a moment, but the fire gradually died down. Once the flames were completely extinguished, the robot remained standing, perfectly unscathed.
"Yes, very good. This is the general idea of how you will discharge your magic. Do you understand?"
"Yeees."
That was easy enough to follow.
"I thought you said you weren't good at combat? That looked like a fair amount of firepower," I said to Cedric when he returned.
"Anyone can do that much. It’s just basic magic."
Is that so? I’d only ever seen fire as small as the flame from Toko’s lighter.
"Next, Nagase. Please give it a try."
The teacher called my name.
"I can't really use magic, though..."
"Hmm? I’ve heard you’re capable of Reinforcement Magic?"
It seemed the teacher already knew about my abilities.
"Is that okay to use?"
"Reinforcement Magic is a perfectly valid form of magic, so there is no problem."
Thank goodness.
"Alright, I'll give it a shot."
I walked up to the robot.
"Good luck!"
"Don’t overdo it!"
Cedric and Frank cheered me on.
"Leave it to me. I'm gonna turn this thing into confetti."
I was going to pulverize this mannequin.
"Just so you know, that target is also under the effects of reinforcement magic," the teacher added.
"I'm gonna blow it away!"
"He’s not listening... please, go ahead."
With the teacher's permission, I lowered my center of gravity and clenched my fist. I stepped in and drove a punch straight into the robot’s torso.
The robot was blasted off its feet, soaring through the air until it slammed into the wall. As it hit the ground, cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. It shattered into pieces and reverted back into a scrap of paper.
"Eh? Uh..."
The teacher stared blankly at the scattered remains of the charm.
"How was that?" I asked.
"M-my automaton... the reinforcement magic was supposed to block even a Flare... and those things are so expensive..."
The teacher was completely stunned, practically ignoring me. I started to feel a little guilty.
"W-well, I guess that’s that..."
The word "expensive" weighed on my conscience, so I hurried back to the group while avoiding eye contact with the traumatized teacher.
"I get it now. You’re a total muscle-head," Frank said.
"You’re a monster. Seriously, why did you even come to this academy?"
"T-that was incredible..."
"I'm glad I didn't try to spar with you," Ilmera added, backing away slightly.
"This is the only thing I'm good at. But I can take down a bear in one hit, you know."
I’d finished one off in my gramps's mountains just the other day. Impressive, right?
"A bear...?"
"And in one hit...?"
"Yuika was also cutting things to ribbons with her dual blades, wasn't she?"
"Are Japanese mages just a bunch of berserkers?"
So the mysterious Yuika was cut from the same cloth, huh?
"It was so expensive... n-no... next, Frank Hedrich."
The teacher was clearly depressed, but she pulled herself together, took out a new paper charm, and summoned another robot.
"Right."
Frank, Ilmera, and Noelle took their turns, followed by the rest of the students. They all discharged their magic at the new robot, but none of them could break it. They couldn't even leave a scratch.
"Yes, yes... now then, finally, Miss La Forge."
The teacher, looking much more satisfied now, called on Toko last. Toko stepped forward, gave me a sharp glance, and then held her hand up toward the robot.
"U-um, Miss La Forge?"
The teacher seemed to have a bad premonition and tried to speak, but Toko ignored her and silently activated her magic. In the blink of an eye, the robot was encased in ice.
"Ehh..."
While the teacher watched in horror, Toko snapped her fingers. The frozen robot shattered into a thousand pieces and reverted to paper.
"A second one?! My automaton...!"
"I suppose this is about right," Toko said.
She just had to compete with me. As expected of my sore-loser sister.
"Yes... it’s a bit early, but that concludes today’s Basic Studies class... don’t forget to review..."
The teacher slumped in dejection as she dismissed us. Without a word or a change in her expression, Toko immediately turned and left the training grounds.