In my past life, I had defeated rogue mages, dangerous bandits, lethal assassins, and high-class beasts.
But the terror I felt then was nothing compared to what I felt on the first day of school at the Imperium Magic Academy.
The lecture building looked more like a royal castle than an academic institution. It was about three floors high, with tall arched windows and doors that were elegantly decorated.
At one corner of the building stood a large bell tower, which rang too cheerfully for what was basically an elimination chamber designed as a school.
Inside, the bright hallways were packed with two types of students. The commoners who were just here to improve their magic, and the bright-eyed nobles who made sure the commoners knew not to cross them.
And . Forr grand mage reincarnated as a noble, now surrounded by a bunch of little narcissists.
I sighed. It was only a matter of ti before the wrong person found out that I had no magic whatsoever.
*****
The first class of the day was History of Magic.
Professor Long had a long grey beard that reached his belt and the patience of a man who had long stopped caring if his students passed or failed.
"The origin of magic has so many theories," he began. "So say it was a gift handed down to us by the gods. Others suggest it was always a part of humanity. I say, both are true."
I took down notes, like a dedicated student. Not because I needed them, but because I had to act like I needed them.
Of course, I knew about the five major theories of the origin of magic. I could write a full thesis on each one while battling a Hellspire.
But I had to act the part, otherwise soone might figure out that the noble son of House Stormborn was actually an old mage with twenty years of experience.
Also, Professor Long punished students who weren’t taking notes.
So I wrote.
For a mont, I glanced around the class, hoping to find Lucy in a corner sowhere, then I rembered that she had been assigned to Class 1A.
Most of the nobles had been assigned to 1A, and 1B, while the rest of us who barely passed the second exam were dropped in 1C.
I had to find a way to restore my magic before I got kicked out of the academy entirely.
*****
The second class of the day was Potions and Enchantnts.
And I already hated it.
What was the point in being a mage, if you’re going to spend the rest of your life making health and mana potions?
Even worse, the professor who took it was the sa large woman with the dull voice who gave the orientation speech.
"In a dangerous adventure," she droned on. "Or in a necessary duel, a health potion made just in ti could be the difference between life and death."
Or you could just get a healer in your squad. Better still, you could try to learn healing magic.
To be fair, she was right. There were a few healers in the world, and having a potion at hand could help a lot.
It was a really important class, but it just wasn’t for .
From that mont, I made up my mind to always skip that class.
*****
During lunch break, I found Lucy at the school orchard.
I had previously stepped into the dining hall. It was like a war zone, with every table belonging to one alliance or the other.
I knew that Lucy wouldn’t like to eat in a noisy place, so I made my way to the quietest place in the school.
There she was, seated alone with a book on her lap, glancing around as if she were waiting for soone.
As soon as she laid eyes on , she pulled out two lunchboxes from her bag and offered one to .
For a mont, I was afraid she had the power of foresight. But I quickly realised she didn’t, otherwise she could have stopped Theo’s arrow by herself.
"Thank you," I nodded. "How are your classes going?"
"Good. Yours?"
"Good."
And the rest of the al was eaten in silence.
*****
Our next class was Magic Foundation and Theory, and our horoom teacher happened to be our Tutor.
Miss Fumiko wasn’t a professor yet, but she was hands down the most beautiful tutor in the school.
She was a tall, caral-skinned woman in her thirties, with long straight blonde hair. She was dressed in a tight elegant robe that brilliantly displayed her gorgeous figure.
Her eyes were covered with spectacles that seed too large for her beautiful face, but gave her a serious look.
She paced in front of the lecture hall, heels clicking across the polished stone floor, and spoke out loud with a sophisticated clarity.
"Magic," she began, "is not energy. It is a refined output. The sum total of four factors; Mana, Thoughts, Gesture, and Words. In other words, magic is the final product, ford when raw mana unites with the intention, physical gesture, and spoken word of the Spellcaster. There are spells..."
The entire class scribbled notes frantically, as if their lives depended on it.
anwhile, I sketched Miss Fumiko.
Of course, I already knew how magic worked. I understood it so well that I learned the spells from the seven bloodline affinities.
These lectures were pretty much a waste of ti to .
A hand went up. It was a commoner.
"Yes?" Miss Fumiko asked.
The student stood up modestly. "Can a common mage cast a spell from a bloodline affinity?"
Of course, if you’re Drey Belford.
"It is quite impossible," Miss Fumiko answered. "Bloodline magic is deeply anchored to the ancestral mory written in our blood. That is why it is easier to cast a spell that the body already rembers through bloodline than to copy a spell from a different bloodline."
Miss Fumiko seed to be highly intellectual and answered all questions presented to her with utmost clarity.
If any tutor could help with my magic problem, it was definitely going to be her.
So, I raised my hand.
"Yes, Stormborn."
I spoke slowly and carefully.
"If the mind of one body is transferred to a different body, does it retain its magic from the previous body, or does it change to its new host?"
There was a brief silence before Miss Fumiko answered.
"No Mind Affinity spell allows the caster to inhabit soone else’s body." She smiled. "This is too advanced for your class, Stormborn."
"I’m not referring to a Mind Affinity spell. I’m talking about a... soul transfer."
Miss Fumiko’s smile quickly disappeared.
There was another pause. This ti it was longer.
Several students glanced around. Their gazes shifted from to Miss Fumiko and back to .
"Are you referring to a Dark Affinity spell?"
I shook my head, then lowered my voice.
"I’m talking about... Reincarnation."
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