Chapter 30: A Thorn in the Side (2)
y7t8NlIThe class became noisy. Class 5? It wasn’t just an early promotion, it was a ticket to the 2nd-highest floor. This was an unconventional decision not only for students but for the school as well.vVFpnn
TWXH8G“Teacher, I object! How can Shirone jump two classes? He can’t even use any magic.WSyK
Zw9VThis was the first time Siena heard of such a thing. Ethella had also never mentioned it, but maybe she didnt know either. After all, one never really used magic in the lower-level classes.fS4Y
uNpg5K“Is that true, Shirone?”nYQJ
ts73tHis classmates looked back at Shirone. Their eyes seemed to be saying:f5Luxd
SK5fPlease just say you can’t. Say you can’t.fYSj5lW
n6J“Yes, there’s no magic I can use yet.”6Wsmk
y6K“Hmm”fvk
X4gDtEven so, there was no problem with early promotion. Magic was taught in earnest starting from class 5, and the curriculum of the lower class focused on strengthening the Spirit Zone.A5b3
AoFFyiShirone had mastered the basics of the Four Way Formation, and the size and durability of his Spirit Zone were not inferior to those of the upper-leveled class. Therefore, in determining the exact class, five was quite appropriate.nuK
9iiBut it was indeed quite unusual that he still couldnt use magic. If you were a student, you were bound to try and use magic secretly. After all, the only reason one would ever come to the academy would be to learn magic.0sAg7I
4mIuIk“I, too, find it a bit questionable. However, there is no magic evaluation until Class 6. Shirone’s early promotion will progress as originally planned.”4gMPdU9
8yjP3Vg“I can’t allow this!”shLeiT8
1PFzDIfMark, the implicit leader of Class 7, jumped to his feet. He was a student with a large square jaw to match his big size.GMzZs
70NCnZG“How can you show such favoritism? Please, provide us a reason why. You said omniscience is just as important as omnipotence! I do not and cannot understand the special treatment given to Shirone!”rrlcnsP
nDPOBY“That’s right! To be honest, even if I compete with him in terms of grades and achievements right at this moment, I’m confident that I’ll win! He can’t even keep up with the theory class!”gFr
Sz5KK“If you promote Shirone early, I will present this situation to the student council and hold a hearing!”TQA9G
cdpThe students’ protest was much stronger than expected. Even though they were young, they were all children who pushed through competition from Class 10. Siena had expected them to be spurred on by this happening, but they were burning with hostility as if facing an arch-nemesis.T7zKa75
HAeWgThere’s something I don’t know.iOnagPr
vrxFg2Siena realized that the situation had turned pretty serious considering the look of the students faces who were set on fighting as if this was a war. If their resistance was this strong, it could adversely affect the class atmosphere, opposite to how she had originally hoped it would.gGBxG4
bwd1VNn“This hasn’t been officially decided yet. Accurate notices will be announced after an instructor meeting. I will wrap up today’s class here.”mc2j
xb1oU* * *Kro
8HAfSiena, who returned to the instructors office, placed her chin on her hand and fell deep in thought.ixP
WjDOCompetition was inevitable due to the nature of this specialized academy. Also, the students were aware of this fact and voluntarily enrolled in the academy.VEZ
lYa67XNWhat was it? Those strange looks in the students eyes?6t3uDW6
eAkEifyIt wasn’t simple jealousy. Early promotion had been around for a long time, but it was the first time that there was such a strong backlash to someone receiving it.L3Q
CmN“Excuse me, Ms. Siena.”j0SPm
ObkLkA female student named Maria came to see Siena.XgC9r
wf8FaShe was the oldest in Class 7, at 19 years of age. She has not been promoted for four years and has been drifting in place.oHAb5
GbY9i40She was not lacking in talent at all, but because she had a timid and fearful personality, the academy pitied her, as they knew the atmosphere in the academy was not one that welcomed someone like her.DxzIF20
OWA43X“Yes? What’s the matter, Maria?”8EvQOK
QgCvcaB“Um I have something to tell you.”PEzERyW
VII117Maria, who was hesitant for a long time, confessed everything. What kind of treatment Shirone was currently facing in class, and why the children were so angry at the announcement a while ago.Lf1w
idFNAs the story progressed further, Siena’s frown deepened more and more. They were tormenting Shirone with a method that was too foul to be considered a simple emotional quarrel.Pi5D
0p3moAs if they planned to do so, whenever they encountered Shirone, they would pretend to vomit, and there were many cases where they intentionally flocked around Shirone and talked among themselves.gUE4m
VFOD5jgMaria ended the story in tears.cw75o
0yk“I’m not really affected by it now now, but looking back, I was treated like that once too, at least to a degree. At that time, I didnt care about studying or anything. Honestly, I think Shirone is amazing. How can he be calm in such a situation?”jtJ8
9muSiena grasped the full extent of the situation. One student was being ostracized by a group. Without fair competition, There was no reason for this academy to exist.WuMWq
hoL“Alright, thank you for telling me. I’ll take care of it from here.”yOml5rt
ACzil* * *m9qyzAl
A1UShirone arrived at the dormitory around midnight. The bullying got worse ever since the early promotion was mentioned, so he found it better to just return early and read a book.Pd5
vpdTKnock, knock.G5iCwD
l0WDqSomeone knocked on the door. When he checked the time, it was already past 1 a.m.Zgj
DC4moWho is it at this hour?cXcPYF
tSeQITIt was a time when students were unable to go out and for employees to leave work. Could it be that the kids came all this way to bully him?PSIEjX
jrrKtHe couldn’t easily approach the door because anxiety left him stunned, but he heard a familiar voice from the other side of the door.25svi
jEih84C* * *OZXtx9B
p1Bs* * *WYS
v2bjUFB“Shirone, are you sleeping?3Vt
MA9“Ms. Siena?”y39onRj
ZZtShirone hurriedly opened the door. It was really Ms. Siena.iTYSF
lK90fT8“Can I come in?JiuUX6
Ikefx“Oh, yes. Come in.”xXkl1K
nTLLWas Ms. Siena on watch today? Her hair was still a bit wet as if she had recently come out from the shower.elwRJZ
kSqZbvThe Intermediate class dormitory was not a place for female instructors to come and go at night, as students in their early 20s also resided here. However, Siena chose this time to interview him secretly away from his classmates.uMC8
Lu3VUnlike the rooms of other male students, Shirones was very tidy and organized. Guessing from Shirone’s personality, she checked each book on the desk. There were textbooks as well as books on subjects that he had yet to learn.WMWzCw
1UQj0QSo its true. His thought process is extraordinary.USMz6
iBb9Without observing closely, one would think the books were spread open with no relation whatsoever, but if someone knowledgeable saw this, they would notice that all of them were very closely related fields.yRlbe
A4EESiena could roughly assume the reason why Shirone could not use magic yet. It was not because he couldn’t, but because he didnt want to start yet.zNR
ULpAsHe was weak in omniscience from the moment he entered the academy. He is desperately looking for ways to make up for his shortcomings. This kid doesn’t want to just learn magic He wants to become a mage.7j4gQM
CVOKQXSiena supported Shirones decision. The process of linking and finding the relationship between different fields was difficult, but it was a worthwhile one. This was because linked knowledge was never forgotten.QdI
1C5hvj“Excuse me, teacher. Would you like a cup of tea?”MDX
fNlPyE“No, it’s all right. I came here because I wanted to ask you something.”6Ze7O
aSu3As Siena sat on the bed, Shirone dragged over a desk chair. It was his first time seeing her face up so close. She looked much younger than during academy hours, perhaps because she had her hair down and was in plain clothes now. He lowered his head gently, feeling embarrassed for some reason.qsmAgKR
xkASSiena looked at him calmly.FXTg
zFiLlaHes quite the shy boy. Is this his usual personality?hIr0M
xEEqHHis reaction was very unfamiliar to her because in class, Shirone would stare and focus so intensely at either the board or her that it seemed like he was trying to burn a hole with just his eyes.oGB
Wli“Isn’t academy life difficult?f3WO
yct“Yes, but it’s fun. And I find it enjoyable to study.”xnv
TPB“…Why didn’t you tell me that the kids were bothering you?”BAMavp
S6Znp4Shirone had already anticipated shed ask that. In fact, it would have been stranger not to know. Due to recent events, the kids started to bully Shirone quite openly.6jmw39P
37gQ7l5“It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about it.8kgOO
7P2uSiena, who heard of the students abusive actions from Maria, didn’t believe what Shirone said.njubXI
919s“You can be honest about this. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by.”Grh7r
l40“It’s really okay. Its a pity that I cant make friends, but if they find me unlikeable, I cant really do anything about it.”PrV7HfK
ZjZBty“The bullying is whats wrong.”8S7nWO
fTW“Well, how people think of me and the emotions that come with it isnt something I can just change on a whim. Of course, it was hard at first, but now Im okay. I can’t help it if the kids of Class 7 don’t like me. But that doesn’t mean I’m hated by everyone in the world.”iOayTT
wxifSiena could understand. For some, the group they belonged to was everything to them, but to those looking up, such a group was no more than a stopover.7c5a
WVIddn“I want to meet more people. And I believe there is someone out there who will listen to me more seriously.”u3x
8B0ih9EShirone had an apparent attitude towards early promotion. If Ethella thought that he should be placed in Class 5 at the very least, then there was already someone who accepted Shirone without feeling inferior.akk3ZG
ZmI“Shirone, I certainly sense your determination. I’ll make mention of this at the instructors meeting.”NZVmtE
h2y* * *UYZJGZ
wTrI“And with this, we conclude the presentation of our discovery regarding Shirone’s early promotion.”xmcrVPa
ykEtTWith headmaster Alpheas and the Intermediate class instructors in attendance, Siena submitted the documents relating to the case of Class 7 bullying and sat down.r0Vl
e7aEThe teachers who read the contents frowned. The circumstances in which Shirone was being persistently ostracized under the pretext of not being able to use magic were being revealed one after another, in detail.lQZa
9Idzm“Does this even make sense? This is why they would bully a kid in their class? How Disappointing.”bXkA5
iAuuD“It’s quite possible in the lower-level classes. There are many young children, and there are also students who have thick hair, but stay behind because they have no talent. After all, theyre only kids, and kids often lack the wisdom to make the right choices.dDbQN
51F“Then we’d better promote Shirone quickly. That child will be able to graduate in at least 4 years. Now that nearby academies are challenging the Alpheas Magic Academy, the more early graduates, the better.”nNrDXKR
RH9OkteThe age of graduates was also part of the data that proved the excellence of a specific academy. If an academy didn’t perform well enough to help students graduate in a timely manner, their credibility, along with the students, would decrease.8d7Yv
Zt7There are rumors flying around that the other academies are now stepping up in order to produce early graduatesceOU6hw
BIffIt was a standard method used to elevate a normal academy to a prestigious one. After all, once that prestige was won, outstanding talents would gather, and then the quality of the class would also improve naturally.mcaZK
biCFcIn the face of severe checks from other academies, the solution the Alpheas Magic Academy came up with was to educate and focus on students with excellent quality in order to help them graduate earlier through the early promotion system. In that sense, the instructors had high expectations for Shirone.VnsGtkX
tNm“I, on the other hand, disapprove of this.”I6J2W2
bbpoN1Thadd raised his hand and voted against it. And automatically, Sienas face wrinkled. At this time, considering the fact that early promotion had become a standardized reality, she was annoyed to death at seeing Thadd, once again, picking a fight. However, Alhpeas expressed interest in the first different opinion.5XtapJ
Gs1“Against it? Why is that?”r09u
qwOoT“I know that Shirone is talented, extremely talented, but the whole point of this case is focused on Shirones inability to use magic. That’s where the resistance of the children comes from. Shouldn’t we be talking about that?”cTnV
AeSaiSiena spoke.2uMPjV
3FEjO“I’ve already mentioned this, but sure, Ill say it again. Hes not in a position where he can devote himself to one discipline. Instead, hes focused on mastering all aspects of knowledge. Personally, I also think that this is the optimal way for Shirone to grow.”IxT5Y
q1v“I’m not questioning that choice, the problem is that Ms. Siena favors him too much.”FMOlOp
gQdx” What did you just say?”56fxmr
y90Zv“Anyway, the Class 7 children also attend the academy and they also study hard. I mean, the problem of Shirone not having enough time to acquire knowledge is not something we have control over. Most of the students who come to this academy prepare extensively beforehand because they know its gonna be hard. Thats why I dont think its fair that Shirone gets a special pass in regards to the assessment because he didnt have enough time. If not, why cant other students be promoted early? Even if their Spirit Zone is weaker than Shirones, in theory, they have the upper hand.”m4DT
VEsx5“Stop pettifogging! Im not judging this case emotionally. It’s a conclusion based on pure academy regulations. The main thing that is truly evaluated in the lower-leveled classes is the Spirit Zone.”TX2GISn
SB6lg“The problem is the students’ opposition. This incident may motivate them less. Are we instructors supposed to just bet everything on one genius, forgoing the other less genius students?”wg4s1
yjiG“Well, its also not our job to just neglect those who are talented because of the misguided jealousy of other students!”KcL
SazS0The two stood up, slamming their hands on the table at the same time. This was a common sight to see every time there was a meeting held.hOhGAV6
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