Galgard Noble Academy was technically in the Royal Capital, but its need for vast grounds meant it sat right on the city's outskirts. Consequently, heading out to shop meant arriving first at the capital’s outer rim. This area was a hub of commerce known as Merchant Street, which made our supply run incredibly easy.
We purchased tools like hammers, saws, and chisels, along with lumber and stone, and arranged for it all to be transported back to the Academy. Since outsiders weren't allowed on campus, the deliverymen could only take the materials as far as the Main Gate. Next, we went looking for cooking utensils and tableware, finishing our run with groceries.
Sil had gone out hunting, but even if he bagged something, it was unlikely we’d be eating it tonight. Between draining the blood and submerging the meat in the river to cool it down, it wouldn't be ready until tomorrow at the earliest. We had to buy enough food to get us through today. I decided to try a different butcher than the one we used yesterday.
The area of the Academy closest to the Royal Capital was the House Area. This was a stroke of luck, as it made hauling the tools, lumber, and stone from the Main Gate much less of a chore. Still, making multiple round trips was a huge hassle.
Just as we finished moving everything, Bron returned, reporting that he had officially signed the contract. There were no issues with the paperwork.
"Well then, let's head to the forest," I said. "Sil is waiting for us."
"Wait, hold on," Bron interrupted. "I was told the Comprehensive Defense Magic class is being held this afternoon."
"Comprehensive Defense Magic? I thought that was scheduled for later?"
"I don't know the reason, but that’s the message I got. The schedule must have changed."
"It can't be helped. Studies come first. We have to hurry and call Sil back."
"Sil is fine. I caught him before he left and told him to stay put."
"...Man, poor guy."
"He's sulking, so make sure lunch is something good."
"Understood. Come to think of it, not many people at this Academy seem to eat lunch, do they?"
"Maybe that's why breakfast and dinner are so huge," Bron suggested.
"I see. Still, the flavor of that food..."
"Stop. I don't even want to remember it."
"Hahaha. Alright, for lunch today, let's make that vegetable stir-fry Sil likes so much."
At Galgard Noble Academy—and most academies in the Demon Kingdom—a student can graduate at any time as long as they hold three Certificates of Graduation. These certificates are granted upon completing a task issued by a teacher authorized to hold classes.
Calling it a "task" makes it sound easy, but it isn't. You only receive a Certificate of Graduation after attending classes properly and showing real results. However, since the assessment is left to the individual teacher, it’s unavoidable that some instructors are easier to get certificates from than others.
"Now we have all three. We can graduate whenever we want," Bron said.
I nodded, looking down at the wooden tags in my hand. One side of each tag was inscribed with "Comprehensive Attack Magic," "Comprehensive Defense Magic," or "Comprehensive Lifestyle Magic." The other side bore the words "Certificate of Graduation." Sil and Bron held identical sets.
"Is it really okay for us to get these so easily?" I asked.
"Who cares?" Sil shrugged. "They said we passed, so we passed."
Sil seemed fine with it, but I felt a bit dissatisfied. In every single one of those classes, we hadn't actually sat through a proper lesson. We’d just shown up at the meeting point and greeted the teacher. After a brief individual assessment to gauge our abilities, the instructors had simply handed us the tags and sent us on our way. It was the same story with today's Comprehensive Defense Magic class. I wondered if they were just being exceptionally considerate of us for some reason.
"Considerate? To us?" Sil laughed. "No way."
"You think so?" I envied his carefree attitude.
"I'm telling you! Look, this is a secret, but... I actually snuck a look at how the other students were being tested."
"H-Hey!"
"It's fine, I didn't get caught. Anyway, as for how it went... those guys were chanting every single line of their spells."
"What?"
"Surprising, right? Now do you get it?"
Ah. I understood.
Besides Hakuren-sensei, we had been taught magic by Lu-sama, Tia-sama, and Ria-onee-chan. Reciting every line of an incantation was the very first stage of training, back when we were being taught the basics with extreme care. In other words, these "Comprehensive" courses were just introductory level.
It made perfect sense now. We had moved past Chant Shortening long ago; we were already capable of Chant Omission. There was no reason for us to waste time in the beginner ranks. Now that I thought about it, the magic the Comprehensive Defense Magic teacher had fired at us to test our shields was incredibly weak.
I felt a wave of relief. It was just an introductory level. Still, we couldn't afford to get cocky. Urza and Alfred were already working on the stage beyond even our level: Direct Magic Power Manipulation. But then again, the Village Head always praised us so much whenever we used magic. Hehehe.
At any rate, we had our three certificates. We'd cleared the minimum requirement. Since this was an academy for the nobility, maybe they just kept the classes simple. Perhaps this was what Frau-sensei and Yuri-sensei meant when they said we'd be fine here.
Even with three certificates, there was no need to graduate immediately. If you wanted to learn, you could stay enrolled as long as you liked—provided you paid the tuition. Yuri-sensei had already paid for three years of our schooling, so we were free to take whatever classes we wanted for the duration. Since we were done with the comprehensive magic track, I thought maybe we should look into combat-related courses next.
"Why stop there? Let's collect every single certificate the academy offers!" Sil shouted.
"Sil's being weird again," Bron sighed. "I don't need all of them, but I'd like to take High-level Magic. I haven't seen anything like that on the schedule, though."
We checked the board where the class schedules were posted, but couldn't find anything that sounded like an advanced course. I'd heard that several magic teachers had quit around last year; maybe that had something to do with it.
Since class was over but it was too late to head into the forest, I started prepping an early dinner. I left the task of surveying the site and processing the lumber to Sil and Bron.
"The Village Head made this look so easy, but it’s actually pretty tough," Sil grumbled.
"That's because you're ignoring the numbers I wrote down, Sil!" Bron snapped.
"My bad, my bad. I'll just swap seventeen and twenty-nine. It’s the same thing, right?"
"It is not the same! I already decided seventeen was a pillar and twenty-nine was a floorboard!"
They were certainly lively.
For dinner, we sat around the fire, brushing sauce onto skewers of meat and grilling them.
"Gol, did you leave out the rest of the lumber on purpose?" Bron asked, showing me his tally on a wooden board. "What we have now will be gone once we finish the outhouse and the bath."
I knew we were short. "I couldn't buy it all at once because of the guild."
"The guild?"
"The Royal Capital Lumber Management Guild, I think. Apparently, you can't buy lumber in bulk unless you're a member."
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Sil complained, tossing his finished skewer into the fire. He looked disappointed by the quality of the meat. I’d prepared it myself, and I had to agree—it wasn't great.
"It's a guild. We were taught about this, remember?"
"Hmm... I think Frau-sensei mentioned it," Sil said. "The only part I remember is the bit about using merchants to silence them."
Well, as long as he remembered that much, we’d be fine.
"If we need a merchant, we really need to find Uncle Michael's shop. Let's all go look for it tomorrow... no, tomorrow we have to hunt."
"I know," I said. "The three of us will hunt tomorrow. As for the lumber, it's not that we can't buy it; we just can't do it all at once. We'll just have to gather it over time."
"I bet they'll wait until the house is almost finished and then jack up the prices," Bron said ominously.
"Would a merchant really do that?"
"Didn't you listen to the Civil Official Girls? They gave us a whole 'A La Carte' of horror stories about the Royal Capital."
"Oh... right. The 'Wall-less Mansion' incident."
A merchant had hiked the price of wall materials at the very last second, and the noble was so furious he just finished the house without them. It was fine in the summer, but once winter hit, it got so cold the noble finally had to give in and pay.
"But wasn't that because the noble broke a promise to marry his daughter into the merchant's family? I haven't made any promises like that, so we'll be fine."
"Maybe, but let's be careful. We're just country bumpkins here."
Bron was right. The Village Head had warned us, too. He said we were "vulnerable targets" who would always be in someone's sights. We had to be cautious and stay on our guard. He told us that even if we did nothing wrong, bad people would still come looking for us.
Thank you, Village Head. Though, I still think his advice to treat every unknown older man who speaks to us as a scammer is a bit extreme. It was a softer approach than Hakuren-sensei’s, at least. She’d told us to just punch suspicious people first.
The next day, I went to buy more lumber, only to find the price had been hiked significantly. But I didn't panic. Today, I had brought backup.
"Shopkeeper," a cold voice rang out. "Explain this price. Lumber prices are strictly regulated by the guild. I have received no reports of a shortage significant enough to justify a sudden spike."
With Uncle Beezel there, there was no problem at all. Just to be safe, I was glad I had detoured to the Royal Castle before heading to the market.