(Should the black cat little mage enter Zorian's body, the goddess arranges, and there is no need to gossip every day to listen to the tavern cat's story?) Haha, let's get to the point, the great magic school is new, thank you, come with me。。。。。 ）

。。。。 One: Good morning brother...

Zorian's eyes snapped open, and a sharp pain came from his abdomen. His whole body convulsed, and he was completely awake when he was completely awake, and there was no trace of sleepiness in his mind.

"Good morning, brother!" An irritatingly cheerful voice sounded above his head. "Good morning, good morning, good morning!!"

Zorian glared at his sister, but she just smiled cheekily at him, still lying on his stomach. She hummed a song visibly contented, kicking her feet in amusement as she studied the huge map of the world that Zorian had pinned to the wall beside her bed. Or rather, pretending to be studying – Zorian could see her looking intently at him out of the corner of her eye, waiting for his reaction.

That's what he didn't get by locking the door mysteriously.

"Get out of the car," he told her in the calmest voice he could.

"Mommy woke you up," she said matter-of-factly, without leaving her place.

"No, she didn't." Zorien muttered, holding back her anger and waited patiently until she let her guard down. Unsurprisingly, Kiriel visibly became agitated after a few minutes of feigning disinterest. Just before she exploded, Zorian quickly grabbed her legs and chest and flipped her over from the edge of the bed. She fell to the ground and let out a cry of rage, and Zorian jumped quickly to her feet in order to better respond to any violence she might decide to retaliate against. He glanced down at her and sniffed contemptuously. "The next time someone asks me to wake you up, I'll be sure to remember that. Hah"

"It's very likely," she retorted defiantly. "You always sleep longer than I do."

Zorian just sighed in defeat. Damn the little devil, but she's right.

"So......" she jumped excitedly, "are you excited?" ”

Zorian watched her for a moment, and she hopped around his room like a monkey drinking hormones. Sometimes he wished he could have the same endless energy as hers.

"About what?" Zorian pretended not to know and asked innocently. He knew what she meant, of course, but kept asking obvious questions about the quickest way to frustrate his sister and give up on the conversation he didn't want to have.

"It's back to the academy!" She wailed, clearly aware of what he was doing. He needs to learn some new tricks. "Learn magic. Can you show me some magic? ”

Zorian let out a long sigh. El has always treated him as her playmate, and despite his best efforts to discourage her, she usually stays within certain unspoken boundaries. This year, though, she was completely out of the question, and her mother completely disagreed with his request to control her. She said that all he did was read books all day, so it was as if he wasn't doing anything important...... Thankfully, the summer break is over, and he can finally get rid of them.

"Kiri, I need to pack my bags. Why don't you pester Toff and ask for a change? ”

She frowned unhappily at him, and then, as if remembering something, snapped back to her senses and ran out of the room quickly. Zorian's eyes widened when he realized what she was doing, but it was too late.

"No!" He yelled as he chased her, only to have the bathroom door slammed into his face. He knocked on the door in frustration. "Damn it, Kiri! You have plenty of time to go to the bathroom before I wake up! ”

"It's terrible to be you." That was her only answer.

A few curses, he was sure, she would stay inside for a long time, if only to annoy him.

Zorian quickly changed his pajamas, put on his glasses, and took a moment to look around his room. He was pleased to notice that El hadn't flipped through his stuff before waking him up. She has a very vague concept of (other people's) privacy.

It didn't take long for Zorian to pack his bags - to be honest, he never really opened them, and as he was packing his school supplies, he was annoyed to find that some of his textbooks were missing. He could try to locate the spells, but he was pretty sure he knew where they ended up - Kirill was used to taking them to her room, no matter how many times Zorian told her not to let the slimy little fingers get close to them. Instinctively, he carefully examined his writing supplies, and sure enough, they were greatly depleted.

It always happens – every time he comes home, El searches his school supplies. Leaving aside the moral issues inherent in breaking into your brother's room and stealing his stuff, what the hell is she doing with those pencils and erasers? This time he bought more for his sister, but it was still not enough, and he couldn't find a single eraser in the drawer, so he bought a whole pack before going home. It was never clear to Zorian why Kirille couldn't simply ask her mother to buy her some books and pens of her own. She was the youngest daughter and the only one, so her mother was always happy to spoil her - she persuaded her to buy her a rag doll five times more expensive than a couple of books and a stack of pencils.

In any case, while Zorian had no illusions of seeing his writing supplies again, he did need those textbooks. Thinking of this, he strode to his sister's room and ignored "Please do not enter!" ". A warning on the door, and soon his lost book was found in its original location - cleverly hidden under the bed, behind several handy stuffed animals.

Packing his bags, he went downstairs to get a bite to eat and see what his mother wanted him to do.

Even though his family thinks he just likes to sleep in, there's a reason why Zorian wakes up late. This meant that he could eat in peace because everyone else had already eaten breakfast by then. Nothing annoys him more than someone trying to strike up a conversation while he's eating, and that's when the rest of his family is at their most talkative. It's a pity that his mother didn't want to wait for him today, and when she saw him coming down, she immediately pounced. Before he could finish the stairs, she had already noticed something about him that she didn't like.

"You're not really going to get out like that, are you?" She asked.

"What's wrong with that?" Zorian asked. He wore a plain brown outfit, not unlike what other boys wore when they entered the city. It seemed good to him.

"You can't go out like this," his mother said, sighing bitterly. "What do you think people say when they see you wearing it?"

"Nothing?" Zorian tried.

"Don't be so hard," she snapped at him. "Our family is one of the pillars of this town. Every time we leave the house, we are under surveillance. I know you don't care about these things, but appearance is important to a lot of people. You need to realize that you are not an island, and you cannot decide things like you are alone in the world. You are part of this family, and your actions will inevitably affect our reputation. I'm not going to let you embarrass me like a normal factory worker. Go back to your room and change into the right clothes. ”

Zorian restrained himself, didn't roll his eyes, and turned his back to her. If this was her first attempt on him, perhaps her guilt journey would have been more effective. However, this is not worth arguing, so he changed into a more expensive outfit. It was totally excessive considering he was going to spend the whole day on the train, but when his mother saw him walking down the stairs, she nodded in satisfaction. She asked him to turn around and pose like a performing animal for a while before declaring him "quite decent." He went to the kitchen, and to his annoyance, his mother followed him. It seems that there is no peace of mind to eat today.

Fortunately, my father is on a "business trip", so I don't have to deal with him today.

He went into the kitchen and saw that there was already a bowl of porridge waiting for him on the table.

"I thought I should prepare something for you today, I know you've always liked to eat porridge," she said. Zorian didn't mention that he didn't like it since he was about eight years old. "You've slept longer than I thought, though. It was already cold when I waited for you. ”

Zorian rolled his eyes and cast a slightly modified "hot water" spell on the porridge, and the porridge immediately returned to a pleasant temperature.

He ate his breakfast in silence while his mother spoke to him at length about a dispute involving a crop that one of their suppliers was involved in.

"Mom," he interrupted, "I just woke up when Kiri jumped on top of me, and I didn't have time to go to the bathroom, and now you're pestering me while I'm eating." Either get straight to the point or wait a few more minutes until I'm done with breakfast. ”

"She did it again?" His mother asked, her voice visibly playful.

Zorian rubbed his eyes, said nothing, and then secretly pocketed an apple from a bowl on the table while his mother was not looking. Again and again, Kili Elle does a lot of annoying things, but complaining to her mother is just a waste of time. No one in this family is on his side.

"Oh, don't do that," his mother said, noticing his not-so-happy reaction. "She's just bored and wants to play with you. You take things too seriously, just like your father. ”

"I don't look like my father at all!" Zorian insisted, raising his voice and glaring at her. That's why he hates eating with other people. He returned to breakfast with renewed energy, eager to get it done as soon as possible.

"Of course not," the mother said lightly, and then abruptly changed the subject. "Actually, it reminds me of one thing. Your father and I are going to visit Daimen in Kos. ”

Zorian bit the spoon in his mouth to prevent himself from making sarcastic comments. Always wear the door this, wear the door that. At times, Zorian wondered why they had three other children when his parents were apparently so infatuated with their eldest son. Really, went to another continent just to visit him? What, if you don't see him for a year, will you die?

"What does this have to do with me?" Zorian asked.

"It's going to be a long visit," she said. "We will be there for about six months, most of that time spent traveling from one place to another. Of course, you and Tov will be at the academy, but I'm worried about El. She was only nine years old and I felt uncomfortable taking her with us. ”

Zorian's face turned pale, finally understanding what she wanted from him. Hell. No.

"Mom, I'm 15 years old," he protested.

"So?" She asked. "Your father and I were married when you were the same."

"Times are changing. In addition, I spend most of my day at the Academy. Zorian replied. Why don't you ask Tove to take care of her? He was a year older than him and had his own apartment. ”

"Tov is in the fourth grade," his mother said sternly. "He's graduating this year, so he has to focus on his grades."

"You mean he refused," Zorian concluded aloud.

"Besides......" she continued, ignoring his words, "I'm sure you know how irresponsible Fortov can be at times. I don't think he's fit to raise a little girl. ”

"Whose fault is that?" Zorian grumbled under his breath, throwing the spoon down loudly and pushing the plate away. Maybe Fortov was irresponsible, because he knew that if Zori had been stupid long enough, his parents would shift his responsibility to Zorian, hadn't she thought about it? Why does the deal with the imp always fall on him? Forget it, he doesn't want to suffer like this! If Fortov is too good to take care of Kirier, so is Zorian!

Moreover, this little rascal will undoubtedly not hesitate to report everything he has done to his mother. The best thing about going to school so far from home is that he can do whatever he wants, and his family doesn't know anything, and it's impossible for him to give up on that. Indeed, it was just an obvious ploy by his mother to spy on him so that she could teach him a little more about family pride and etiquette.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this," Zorian continued to say loudly. "A few minutes ago you said I was embarrassing my family. We don't want to corrupt little Kiri with my indifference, do we? ”

"I didn't—"

"No!" Zorian shouted.

"Oh, whatever you want," she sighed helplessly. "But to be honest, I'm not suggesting-"

"What are you talking about?" Kiriel shouted behind him.

"We're talking about what a terrible boy you are." Zorian immediately retorted.

"No, you're not!"

Zorian rolled his eyes and got up from his seat to go to the bathroom, only to find an angry little sister blocking his way. There was a knock on the door.

She knew that her mother would ask one of them to open the door

And just like that, Zorian found himself staring at a bespectacled woman in an expensive-looking khaki dress with a thick book on her arm.

The woman looked at him as she adjusted her glasses. "Zorian Kaczynski?"

"Uh, really?" He said he was not sure how to respond to this development.

"I'm Ilsa Ziletti from the Royal Academy of Magical Arts in Kooria. I'm here to discuss your certification results. ”

Zorian's face lost its blood. They sent a real mage to talk to him!? What did he do to guarantee this!? Mommy is going to skin him alive!

"You're not in trouble, Mr. Kaczynski," she said with a smile. "The college has a habit of sending representatives to third-year students to discuss a variety of issues of interest. I'll admit I should have seen you earlier, but I've been a bit busy this year. I apologize to you. ”

Zorian stared at her for a few seconds.

"May I come in?"

"Huh? Oh! Zorian said. Please forgive my manners, Miss Zeletti. Come in, come in. ”

"Thank you." She politely agreed, and walked into the house.

After a quick introduction to his mother and sister, the mother quickly decided that she had to go to the market in town and took El with her, leaving him and the mage alone in the house, who immediately scattered the various papers on the kitchen table.

"So, Zorrian," she began. "You already know you're certified."

"Yes, I received a written notice," Zorian said. "Silin doesn't have a mage tower, so I'm going to get the badge when I get back to Kooria."

Ilsa just handed him a sealed scroll. Zorian examined the scroll for a few seconds, then tried to open the seal in order to read it. Unfortunately, seals are hard to break. Even, this is unnatural.

He frowned. If Ilsa didn't think he had the ability to open it, she wouldn't give him the scroll like that. Some kind of test? He's not a special person, so it must be an easy thing to do. What skills does each newly born mage have......

Oh. He almost rolled his eyes when he realized what was going on. He poured some mana into the seal, which quickly snapped in half, allowing Zorian to finally unfold the scroll. The writing on it was very neatly written, and it seemed to be proof of his status as a junior mage. He glanced back at Ilsa, who nodded approvingly, confirming to Zorian that he had just passed some sort of test.

"You don't actually have to claim a badge until you're done with your studies," she said. "Badges are very expensive, and no one is really going to bother you unless you're planning to open a store or otherwise sell your magical expertise. If they do bother you for some reason, simply refer them to the academy and we'll fix the problem. ”

Zorian shrugged. While he does plan to leave his family, he prefers to wait until he graduates, which will be two years later. He motioned for her to continue.

"Oh well. Records show that you have lived in college dormitories for the past two years. I guess you're still going to continue? ”

Zorian nodded, she reached into her pocket and handed him a rather strange key. Zorian knew how locks generally worked, and could even pick out simpler locks for enough time, but he couldn't figure out how the key was supposed to work – it didn't have the "teeth" to mate with the pins inside the lock. Intuitively, he injected some mana into it, and the surface of the metal suddenly lit up with faint golden lines. He asked silently, looking at Ilsa.

"The way you stay in the third year is different from what you're used to," she told him. "As you may know, now that you are a certified one-ring mage, the academy has the authority to teach you spells of one ring and above. Since you'll be dealing with sensitive materials, you'll need more security, so you'll be moving into another building. The lock on your door is locked with your mana key, so you'll have to channel some of your personal mana into the key like you did before the door will unlock. ”

"Ah," Zorian said. He lazily turned the keys in his hands, wondering how exactly they had managed to get his mana signature. He thought that there was something to study later.

"Normally, I'd explain to you in detail what it means to be a third-year student at Theoria Academy of Magic, but I've heard you're about to start the train, so why don't we jump right into the main reason I'm here." : Your tutor and electives. If there's anything you want to know in the future, you can ask me. ”

Zorian is excited about this, especially when it comes to "mentors". There will be a mentor every third grade, who will meet once a week, and the mentor should teach students in ways that are impossible with standard classroom formats and help them reach their highest potential. Choosing one's mentor can make or break one's magical career, and Zorian knows he has to choose carefully. Fortunately, he asked some senior students which ones were good and which ones were bad, and he wanted to be able to at least get to the upper middle level.

"So which mentors can I choose?" Zorian asked.

"Well, actually, I'm afraid you can't," Ilsa said apologetically. "Like I said, I should have found you sooner. Unfortunately, all but one tutor is currently full of student slots. ”

Zorian had a bad premonition about this...... "Who is this mentor?" ”

"Zhao Xvim."

Zorian cried, burying his face in his hands. Out of all the teachers, Xvim is widely regarded as the worst mentor you could ever meet. It had to be him, wouldn't he?

"It's not that bad," Ilsa assured him. "These rumors are mostly exaggerated, and most of them are spread by students who are unwilling to do the work that Professor Xvim is asking for. I'm sure a talented, hardworking student like you won't have any problems. ”

Zorian snorted. "I don't think there's a chance to transfer, right?"

"Not really. Last year we had a very high pass rate and all the tutors were packed with students. Professor Xvim is the least burdensome of the existing tutors. ”

"God, I don't know why," Zorian muttered. "Okay, okay. What about electives? ”

Ilsa handed him another scroll, which was unsealed and contained a list of all the elective courses offered by the Academy. It's a long time. It's long. You can sign up for almost anything, even those that aren't strictly magical: advanced mathematics, classics, and architecture, for example. This is indeed to be expected, as Ikosia's magical tradition has always been inextricably linked to other intellectual pursuits.

"You can choose up to five electives this year, but no less than three. It would be much easier for us if you did it now, so that we could finalize the schedule on the weekend before the start of classes. Don't be intimidated by the sheer size of the list. Even if the course you choose doesn't interest you, you can switch to a different elective within the first month of school. ”

Zorian frowned. There were a lot of electives, and he wasn't quite sure which one he wanted to take. He's already been cheated in the mentor department, and he really can't mess up here anymore. It's going to take a while.

"Please don't misunderstand this, Miss Zileti, but do you mind if we take a break before continuing the discussion?"

"Of course not," she said. "What's the matter?"

"Not at all," Zorian assured. "It's just that I really want to go to the bathroom."

。。。。。 Two.....

When his family entered the Sillin train station, Zorian silently followed them, ignoring Tov's warm welcome to some of his "friends". He scanned the crowd at the train station, looking for familiar faces, but unsurprisingly, it was empty, and he didn't really know many people in his hometown.

"Why don't you join Tof?"

Because they are all immature fools

He sighed, looking at the empty railroad tracks with chagrin. The train was late. He didn't mind, but waiting in the crowd was nothing short of torture. His family will never understand, but Zorian hates crowds. Actually, it's not anything tangible – it's more like a large group of people projecting some kind of presence that constantly presses on him. Most of the time it's annoying, although it does have its usefulness – when his parents realized that dragging him into a small hall packed with people would cause him to get dizzy and faint within minutes, they stopped taking him to church. Fortunately, the train station is not currently crowded enough to have such a strong impact, but Zorian knows that long-term exposure can take a toll.

He hoped that the train would not be too slow for a long time, as he did not like to spend the rest of the day with headaches.

Tove's laughter pulled him out of his melancholy musings. His older brother, as always, is cheerful, sociable and has a smile that can light up the world. The people around him were clearly captivated by him, and despite his build, as thin as Zorian, he stood out from the crowd at first glance. He has such a presence around him. At this point, he is the same as Daimen, only Daimen has real kung fu.

He scoffed and shook his head. Zorian didn't quite know how Tove had been accepted into a so-called elite institution like Theoria School of Magic, but he strongly suspected that his father had done something to get Fortov in.

It's not that Fortov was stupid, because he was lazy. Completely unable to focus on the task, no matter how important the task is. Of course, most people don't know this - the boy is very charming and very good at hiding his shortcomings.

His father always joked that Tov and Zorian each had half of the daimen: Fortov had his charisma, and Zorian had his abilities.

Zorian never liked his father's sense of humor.

A whistle pierced the sky, the train entered the station, and the metal wheels braked on the tracks, emitting a high-pitched scream. The original trains were steam-powered machines that emitted billowing smoke and consumed large amounts of coal to keep moving, but this train was powered by newer technological magic engines that consumed crystallized mana instead. Cleaner, cheaper, and requires less maintenance. As Zorian approached, he felt the mana emanating from the train, though his ability to perceive magic wasn't developed enough to tell him any details. He had always wanted to see the cabin of one of them, but he couldn't find a good way to get close to the train operator.

He says goodbye to his mother and mischievous sister El, and then gets into the train. He deliberately chose an empty compartment, and despite the crowds, few people would ride this particular train.

Five minutes later, the train again whistled deafeningly and began its long journey to Theoria.

。。。。。 Three.....

A sharp crackling sound rang out, followed by the ringing of a bell.

"Now stop in Xhosa," an invisible voice sounded. It was crackling again. "I repeat, now stop in Xhosa. Thank you. ”

The speaker crackled at the end, and then fell silent.

Zorian let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. He hates trains. The boredom, the heat, the rhythmic thumping all made him drowsy, and Zorian didn't forget that that was the purpose of the announcer — to wake up passengers sleeping at their destination — but it was also annoying because of it.

He looked out the window and saw only a train station that was the same as the rest of the place. In fact, it's exactly the same as the first five, except that the blue outline on the large white slab reads "Ko."

sa”。 Apparently, station builders are working on some kind of template these days. Looking over to the platform where they stopped, they saw a large crowd of people waiting to board the train. Xhosa was a major trading center, where many newly formed merchant families lived, sending their children to the prestigious academy of Kooria to become mages and socialize with the children of other influential people. Zorian finds himself not wanting his classmates to enter his compartment with him, but he knows it's a pipe dream-

The first to enter the box with him was a chubby, bespectacled girl in a green turtleneck. She gave him a cursory glance, then began to read in silence. Zorian would have been overjoyed to have such a delightful traveling companion, but soon four other girls came in and took the remaining four seats for himself. The newcomer was loud and giggled easily, and Zorian was tempted to get up and find himself a new cubicle. On the rest of the journey, he sometimes looks through the window at the endless fields they pass, and sometimes exchanges annoyed glances with the girl in the green turtleneck, who seems to be equally annoyed by the other girls' antics and actions.

The trees on the horizon were thickened, and they were already approaching Kooria. There is only one city on this route that is so close to the Great Northern Forest, otherwise the train would have avoided being close to such a notorious place. Zorian picked up his bag and walked to the exit. His idea was to be the first to disembark and thus avoid the crowds that often occur when he arrived in Kooria, but he was already too late - by the time he approached, there was already a crowd at the exit. He leaned against a nearby window and waited, listening to the lively discussion of the three first-year students around him, who were excitedly talking about how they were going to start learning magic and something. God, will they be disappointed - the first year is all theory, meditation practice,

"Hey, you! You're one of the upperclassmen, aren't you? ”

Zorian looked at the girl who was talking to him, suppressing his irritation. He really didn't want to talk to these people. He had been on the train since early in the morning, and his mother gave him a harsh reprimand for not giving her something to drink while Ilsa was at home, and he was in no mood to do anything.

"I think you can describe me that way," he said cautiously.

"Can you show us any magic?" She asked eagerly.

"No," Zorian said categorically. He wasn't even lying. "This train is blocked in order to disrupt mana formation. They had problems with people setting fire and destroying the carriages. ”

"Oh," the girl was visibly disappointed. She frowned, as if she was thinking about something. "Mana shaping?" She asked cautiously.

Zorian raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know what mana is?" Yes, she's only in first grade, but that's just a beginner's. Anyone who has attended elementary school should know at least that.

"Magic?" She lamely tried.

"Uh," Zorian muttered. "Teachers are going to let you down. No, it's not magic. It's the power of magic – energy, power, and the mage shapes it into a magical effect. I think you'll learn more in the lecture. The bottom line is: no mana, no magic. And I can't use any mana right now. ”

"Well, okay. Sorry to bother you. ”

With a shrill scream and a spew of steam, the train stopped at Theoria's train station, got off as fast as it could, and squeezed past the first-year students who were staring in awe at the sight.

The train station in Kooria is huge, which is evident from the fact that it is closed, making it look more like a giant tunnel. In fact, the whole station is even bigger, because there are four more "tunnels" like this, plus all the supporting facilities. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world, and almost everyone is stunned when they see it for the first time. When Zorian first disembarked here, he did the same.

The sheer number of people passing through this terminal, whether it's passengers coming in and out of Kooria, staff checking trains and unloading luggage, newsboys shouting headlines, or homeless people begging for change, exacerbates the feeling of disorientation.

As far as he knew, the flow of people never really stopped, and even at night, it was a particularly busy day.

He looked at the huge clock hanging from the ceiling, and saw that he still had plenty of time, so he bought himself some bread from a nearby bakery, and drove towards the central square of Theoria, intending to sit on the edge of the square and eat his newfound food. Fountains there. Maybe a great place to relax.

Kooria is a curious city. It is one of the most developed and largest cities in the world, which is strange at first glance, as Kooria is very close to the monster-infested wilderness and is not in a favorable trading location. What really makes it stand out is the massive circular hole on the west side of the city – probably the most obvious dungeon entrance ever made, and the only level 9 mana known to exist. The sheer sheer amount of magic pouring out of the ground makes this place an irresistible attraction for mages. The presence of such a large number of mages sets Kooria apart from any other city on the continent, both in the culture of the people who live there and in the architecture of the city itself. A lot of things that would have been too impractical to build elsewhere are routinely done here, and if you can find a great place to watch the city, it's an inspiring sight.

He froze when he noticed a swarm of rats staring at him at the bottom of the stairs where he was about to descend. Their behavior was strange enough, but his heart did beat faster when he noticed their heads. Don't...... The brain is exposed!? He swallowed heavily, took a step back, slowly exited the stairwell, then turned and sped away. He wasn't sure what they were, but they weren't ordinary rats.

He didn't think he should be so shocked, though - a place like Kooria attracts more than just mages - magical creatures of all breeds find it just as hard to resist. He's just glad the rat didn't chase him because he didn't have any combat spells. The only spell he knew of that could be used in such a situation was the "Ghost Animal" spell, and he didn't know how effective it would be for such an obvious magical creature.

Somewhat shocked, but still determined to reach the fountain, he tried to make his way through a nearby park to bypass where the rats gathered, but had no luck today. He soon met a little girl on the bridge he had to cross, she was crying with tears in her eyes, and it took him five minutes to calm her down and see what was going on. He thought he could have pushed her away and made her cry there, but even he wasn't so ruthless.

"My bike!" She finally blurted out, with severe hiccups. "It fell in!" She wailed.

Zorian blinked, and the girl pointed to the stream that flowed under the bridge. Zorian looked over to the bridge, and sure enough, a children's bicycle was half-submerged in muddy water.

"Well," Zorian said. "Want to know how this happened?"

"Fell in!" The girl repeated, looking like she was about to cry again.

"Okay, okay, no waterworks, can I take it out?" Zorian said, looking at the bike suspiciously.

"You're going to get dirty," she warned softly. Zorian could tell from her tone that she wanted him to get things out anyway.

"Don't worry, I had no intention of wading through that mud," Zorian said. "Watch."

He made a few gestures and cast a "levitating object" spell that sent the bike jerked out of the water into the air. The bike was a lot heavier than what he usually practiced with, and he had to levitate the bike a lot higher than he was used to, but that wasn't beyond his reach. When the bike was close enough, he grabbed the seat of the bike and placed it on the bridge.

Zorian said. "The bike is muddy and wet, and I can't help you. I don't know what a cleansing spell is. ”

"Oh well, thank you" She nodded slowly, clutching the bike,

The weather also seems to be deteriorating rapidly – dark clouds are brewing ominously on the horizon, signaling rain. He decided to simply join the academy's student ranks, and that was it.

It's a long way from the train station to the college, as the station is on the outskirts of the city and the college is right next to the entrance to the cave. Depending on your physical fitness and how much luggage you need to tow, you can get there in an hour or two. Zorian was not in particularly good health, as he was thin and closed-minded, but he brought light clothes for the trip. He joined the group of students who were still flocking from the train station in the direction of the academy, ignoring the occasional first-year student who struggled with too much luggage. He sympathized with them because his bastard brother didn't warn him to keep his luggage to a minimum? And he was the same as them when he first arrived at the train station, but there was nothing he could do.

Putting aside the threat of rain and bad luck, he felt energized as he approached the academy playground. He was absorbing the mana of the environment that permeated the cave, replenishing the mana reserves he had used to levitate the girl's bike. Mage Academies are almost always built on top of mana wells, with the express purpose of taking advantage of this effect - an area with such a high level of ambient mana is the perfect place for inexperienced mages to practice spellcasting. Whenever they run out of mana, they can replenish natural mana regeneration by replenishing mana reserves from their surroundings.

Zorian took out the apple from his pocket and hovered it in the palm of his hand. This isn't really a spell, but raw mana manipulation – a mana shaping exercise designed to help mages improve their ability to control and channel magical energy. It seemed like a simple thing, but it took Zorian two years to fully grasp it. Sometimes he wonders if his family is right, if he is too focused on his studies. He was aware of the fact that most of his classmates had a fragile grip on magic.

He lifted the mana construct that held the apple in the air and let it fall into the palm of his hand. He wished he had some kind of rain spell - the first drops of rain had already begun to fall. That, or an umbrella. Either way is fine.

"Magic is sometimes such a deceptive thing," Zorian said gloomily.

He took a deep breath and started running.

。。。。。 Four......

Hah. It turns out that there is a rain charm. Zorian grunted as he watched the raindrops splash down on the invisible barrier in front of him. He reached over to the edge of the barrier, and the barrier passed unimpeded. He withdrew his suddenly wet hand into the safety of the barrier and followed the border all the way to the point where the eye could see. As far as he knew, the barrier enclosed the entire academy compound (no small feat, since the academy grounds were quite extensive), forming a protective shield that prevented rain—and only rain—from seeping into it. Apparently the academy has upgraded the security room again, as they didn't have this feature when it rained last time.

Shrugging, he turned and continued walking towards the academy's administrative building. It's a pity that the barrier doesn't dry you out when you pass by it because he's soaking wet. Thankfully, his bag is waterproof, so his clothes and textbooks are not in danger of being destroyed.

He slowed down, took it easy, and studied the buildings in the academy. Wards aren't the only thing to upgrade; The whole place looks ...... Beautified, I can't find a better word to describe it. Each building has been repainted, the old brick roads have been replaced by colorful ones, flowers are in full bloom, and small fountains that have not been used for many years suddenly come into play.

"I want to know what's going on," he muttered.

After pondering for a few minutes, he decided he didn't care. Sooner or later he will know if it matters or not.

Unsurprisingly, there are almost no students in the administration building. Most of them took shelter from the rain instead of moving on like Zorian, and those who didn't often shelter from the rain didn't live on the college campus, so there was no reason to be here today. For Zorian, it's perfect because it means he can get the job done here very quickly.

As it turned out, "soon" was just a relative word – it took him two hours arguing with the girl who worked at the administrative counter to get all the necessary paperwork done. He inquired about his class schedule, but was told it hadn't been finalized and that he would have to wait until Monday morning. Come to think of it, Ilsa mentioned the same thing. Before he leaves, the girl gives him a rule book that the third-graders must familiarize themselves with before sending him on their way. While searching for room 115, Zorian casually flipped through the rule book and placed it in a relatively inconspicuous compartment in his backpack, never to be seen again.

Housing is very bad, Zorian also had a very unpleasant experience, but it is free, and in Kooria the price of apartment space is seriously overpriced. Even the children of the nobility often live in the academy instead of their own apartments, and who can complain? And, living so close to the lecture hall would have cut down on the morning travel time and be close to the largest library in town.

An hour later, he smiled and walked into a fairly spacious room. He was even happier when he realized that he had his own bathroom. There was a shower room, which was not bad at all! This is a shared public bathroom with the entire floor. As far as furniture is concerned, the room has a bed, a wardrobe, a set of drawers, a desk and a chair. Everything Zorian really needs. It's so good than I'm used to. Ha ha.

Zolian threw his luggage on the floor, changed into wet clothes, and collapsed on the bed in relief. There are two full days left until the start of classes, so let's pack our bags tomorrow. He lay motionless on the bed, why couldn't he hear the sound of raindrops hitting the window glass next to the bed, the rain barrier. That's right!

"I have to learn how to cast it," he muttered.

His collection of spells is extremely limited at the moment, with only twenty or so simple spells, and as a certified First Ring Mage, he has access to parts of the academy's library that were previously inaccessible, and he plans to raid them to get the spells they contain. Also, now that they've proven their abilities, this year's class should be more focused on practical spell casting, so he should also learn a lot of interesting things in class.

Tired from a long journey, Zorian closed his eyes and planned to take a nap. He won't wake up until tomorrow morning.