The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 169: Exchange Students (4)

Merilda, Erika, Jarod, Romel.

They were the elf exchange students we were going to be seeing for the next couple months.

With the arrival of newcomers, the classroom was experiencing the noisiest time since the beginning of the semester.

Heerlein clapped her hands and settled the chaos at once.

“So, I’ll be off to prepare for classes. The next two hours are free period, right? Don’t fight and get along, okay?”

The students all nodded. Finally, Heerlein left the classroom with a wave.

Free period as soon as the exchange students arrive? Wasn’t this a bit negligent?

Maybe that was just me. The other kids seemed to like it.

The gazes of the students were equally distributed amongst the four elf students. I saw that much and then turned around.

My plan didn’t change; today would be the day I finish White Night.

“By the way, who’s the top dog here?”

“Top dog?”

“The top student, I mean. This class is the most studious and magically-skilled in Tilette, right? Then there has to be a first place in this class, too, no?”

A delinquent-looking girl chattered away.

Was her name Erika? I wish she’d be quiet.

“It’s rude to the Tilette students to do that as soon as we get here, Erika.”

“But you’re itching to fight, too, aren’t you, Merilda? To see how strong they are here.””

Erika answered cheekily. And the one who responded to her was a guy named Jarod who was sitting next to her.

“We should be similar if it’s just pure skill since Iliad and Tilette are both good schools.”

“Yeah?”

Jarod adjusted his glasses and rested his chin on his hand. Hearing his answer, Freyr quirked her head and asked.

“We’re similar if it’s just pure skills? What do you mean?”

“All of us have Elementals, so if we use Elemental Magic, you would lose.”

“...Are you trying to pick a fight with us?”

“I apologize but it’s the truth.”

Asshole. He was worse than the nobles here.

“I’m sorry. Jarod is a High Elf so he’s a bit of an asshole.”

“And being a High Elf makes you different? The times changed ages ago. That’s just an issue with him.”

“Can’t the two of you be quiet?”

The classroom was getting heated, but in a bad way, mostly.

It wasn’t the best atmosphere for studying in, but I could work with it somehow. Pulling myself together the best I could, I looked over the formulas and diagrams in my notebook.

If I fixed this part a bit, then I might be able to make it more secure.......

“So who’s in first place? I’m dying to know.”

“She’s there at the very front.”

“The very front? Who?”

“The Golden-Eyed over there.”

Fucking hell.

“Golden-Eyed? There’s a Golden-Eyed?”

Sighing, I picked up my writing pace to force myself to concentrate.

As I stuck with the ignoring strategy, I could feel a pen poking my side.

“Um, Aether.”

Lotte called me with her softened voice. It was a serene voice full of calm.

“The guys over there are calling you.”

Yeah, I know.

“Hey there, turn around!”

“Excuse the rudeness, but could you show us your eyes?”

If you know it’s rude, then don’t say it.

Inwardly cursing, I turned my head around. Four stupid elf faces came into sight.

Jarod the High Elf four-eyes, Erika the delinquent-looking girl with a headband, Merilda with an alluring figure contrary to her modest outfit.

And finally.

‘Romel’, the only one who had broken out into a cold sweat when he saw me.

I didn’t want to memorize them but I already did. Having a good memory was a bad thing, a bad thing I tell you.

“Wow, there’s a Golden-Eyed even at Tilette. I didn’t think the Empire would have any.”

“Are you the top student?”

I nodded in response.

“I know that it’s difficult to get into Tilette, so how did you pass when you can’t even use magic?”

“Aether passed with a perfect score on the written test. And she didn’t do badly on the practical, either.”

“...And you are?”

“Lotte Saliere. It’s nice to meet you all.”

Lotte smoothly exchanged a few words with the group of exchange students, and just like that she quickly connected with them.

She sure was good at socializing. Looking at it like this, Lotte was exactly the way I knew her.

I was more and more convinced. The source of Lotte’s stress was Rosemary, mostly.

“Anyway, Aether, was it?”

“...Why.”

I thought they’d naturally keep talking with each other, but Erika spoke to me again.

“How are you the top student when Golden-Eyeds can’t even use magic properly? Huh?”

Her question seemed like she was trying to provoke me. Guess she really wanted to cross staffs with me.

I still couldn’t be bothered. At times like this, the best thing was to not get affected and answer with the minimum.

I responded in a bland tone.

“Because I get good grades.”

“You mean studying?”

“Yeah.”

“What about combat magic?”

“I suck ass.”

Erika laughed, asking how that makes sense. Jarod and Merilda also seemed to be thinking the same thing, only reacting differently on the outside.

Only Romel watched the situation while sighing.

“‘Suck ass’, you say. You’re a funny one, aren’t you?”

“I get that often.”

“Still, it’s the top Academy in the Empire so you should be at least capable, yeah? I want to see how good you are.”

I waved my hand to say that she could take the win.

Please, my head hurts so don’t ask me for a duel.

“Do you really want to ask a disabled person born without mana for a duel, Erika?”

Disabled. It was a word that came out of that four-eyes Jarod or whatshisface.

“What? You dare call sis disabled?”

“Hey, you punk, my friend is fine!”

Rosemary and Freyr both got up from their seats angrily.

They were both short so there wasn’t really a difference. They just looked cute rather than threatening.

“I apologize, Jarod is twisting words again....”

The voice of apology came from Merilda instead of Jarod.

“The scriptures about Elemental faith consider not being able to use mana as a disability. Since Elementals are related to the Goddess, he probably meant to say that the Golden-Eyed were abandoned by the Goddess as they can’t control mana at all.”

I’d heard something similar before from the hardcover, so there really wasn’t anything to get mad about.

Yet despite Merilda’s attempt to clear things up, Rosemary and Freyr’s anger didn’t seem to abate easily.

“Hey, come out! I’m going to crush you with my golem!”

“A moment. Where’s the mana grass....”

Freyr pointed at Jarod while fuming, and Rosemary searched for cigarettes with the force of someone ready to kill all four elves.

Unable to leave it, I stood up and put a hand on each brat’s head.

“Sit down.”

“But sis, those barbarians first...!”

“It’s disrupting my studies.”

“Okay.”

Rosemary sat down first, then seeing my expression, Freyr suppressed her temper and withdrew as well.

“Okay, then let me put it differently. Who’s the best at combat out of the first years? Lotte? Or the two kids who just got up?”

“Kid? You want to get beaten?!”

“Doesn’t seem to be the purple-hair kid, at least.”

Freyr jumped up, triggered. Lotte, who couldn’t keep watching, picked her up and sat her back down.

Letting out a sigh, Lotte asked Erika.

“Why are you so obsessed with dueling?”

It cut right to the core. At the question like a well-sharpened blade, Erika and the others stayed silent.

Except for one clueless asshole.

“...Because we want to learn something from here and take it back with us.”

It was Romel.

He hadn’t said a word before, but since he was the first to speak up at Lotte’s question–

My gaze couldn’t help but turn to him.

Our eyes locked for a moment. Romel went ‘hm, hm’, clearing his throat as he looked at me.

Soon, he ignored it and continued without caring.

“Iliad was partially destroyed a few days ago. A giant sea dragon appeared and devoured everything. Several professors passed away, and this ambush happened in the middle of the night so we couldn’t even react properly. We’ve practically come here for refuge.”

The mood in the classroom turned somber, like they were mourning someone.

“We’re here to get stronger. Erika, Merilda, Jarod–”

“.......”

“And myself as well.”

I knew that voices like that were usually genuine.

“So there has to be something we learn from here.”

It was a solemn, serious voice. With that, Romel finished his short vent.

The atmosphere of the classroom, which had been hot like a griddle heated with charcoal fire until a moment ago, froze over in an instant.

“Not really? I’m just itching to fight with someone strong.”

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“Erika, stop killing the mood!”

“Anyway, there’s nothing like a good fight to get acquainted, yeah? So the Golden-Eyed really is the number one in combat magic?”

It didn’t seem like it was going to end easily.

I knew these types of people pretty well, the type who kept bothering someone until they got what they wanted.

I had to deal with them in a timely fashion, even for my research. So that they couldn’t interrupt when it was important.

“You really want a fight?”

“Yeah, show me everything you’ve got! If it’s not enough, you can also fight with Merilda or Jarod.”

I like how candid she was.

“Hey, why are you deciding on your own......!”

“You know avoiding a fight after mocking her for being a disabled race that can’t even control Elementals makes you an asshole, right? Mr. ‘Jarod Rothschild’ of noble High Elf blood?”

“Erika, you...”

“It won’t be fun to just do it. How about the loser treats the other to a meal?”

I had no choice but to get up.

The next period was a free slash self-study period, anyway. It was perfect for a pre-lunch exercise.

I didn’t care what happened to Erika or the others. My gaze had been on one elf only this whole time.

“You there, Romel, right?”

“Y-yes. What about me?”

“You come, too, even if you don’t want to. I’ll take you on as well.”

Romel’s face went stiff.

That’s right.

Even if he had made cosmetic changes to his face with magic or something, it was obvious from that characteristic behavior or the way he talked.

That you’re someone who I need to beat the hell out of.