Following that, the entrance ceremony was brought to a close post-haste. I garnered a bunch of attention and to be honest, Iâd have run away if I could, but after that I had to go to the classroom to get some teaching materials. My parents, Lyell and Maria, were currently surrounded by the nobility. Itâs only natural considering their flashy entrance, I kind of feel like they deserve it.
Luckily, Letina shared my class, and she served as a great screen to keep our fellow students away. Even so, she couldnât block their gazes. It felt like I had a bed of nails attached to me as I walked towards my classroom. Itâs not like there werenât nobles among the younger students who wanted to approach, but even they seemed to feel cowed by Letina the Marquessâ daughter. At times like this, Iâm grateful for her houseâs status.
When we entered our classroom, there was a piece of paper with our names and numbers, and a diagram of the classroom on the blackboard showing each seat with a number. In other words, it was directing us to get to our assigned seats.
âHey Nicole, this is your seat.â âAh, thanks.â
In my previous life, I was a half-demon, and an assassin on top of that, so I never got to partake in something like a proper school life like this. I had received a basic education at private schools like churches, everything beyond that I learned from personal experience or from my peers. Because of that this whole thing with the entrance ceremony and everything is so confusing to me. I feel keenly aware of every little thing and want to do what I can to protect what I have now.
âIt wasnât my intention toâ¦â
It seems that thanks to inheriting Mariaâs beauty, no matter what I do, it causes people to feel like they need to fawn over me. I leaned my head forward while sitting down, causing my blue-ish silver hair to fall down across my cheek, it was slightly annoying.
âWhy are you feeling down?â âI mean, I didnât want to stand out like thatâ¦â âYouâre still not used to it? Youâre their kid after all you know.â âWell yeah.â
Whatever, canât change whatâs been done. Anyways, my magic skill is at the worst possible level. I donât think I have a gift for it, in fact, Iâll probably be the worst in the class. Once it becomes known, Iâm sure everyoneâs interest in me will fade. Until then, Iâll endure everyoneâs gazes and pretend Iâm air.
The tense atmosphere was brought to an abrupt end as Cortina walked in, roughly pushing the door open.
âGood morning ladies and gentlemen. Hurry up now, take your seats.â âEh? Ehhhh!?â
It was common knowledge that Cortina worked as an instructor at this school, but even so, having her enter a classroom was still a bit shocking for us, of course that includes myself.
âEveryone seated now? Alright, letâs start with introductions. My nameâs Cortina, Iâll be your homeroom teacher!â âPfft!?â I sputtered having heard such a grand declaration from my homeroom teacher. By the way, that Letinaâs eyes were all aglitter while she had her hands clasped in front of her chest. It was pretty remarkable how reverent her pose made her look.
âWha, Wh-wh-whâ¦.â âIncidentally, I wonât give any preferential treatment to my acquaintances Nicole.â âY, yeahâ¦â
Cortina chuckled as she glanced at her lectern. Bringing along Maria and Lyell, and becoming my homeroom teacher, it seems sheâs enjoying herself making all these secret maneuvers.
âWell then, letâs get down to business. First, look in your desk drawers. There should be a textbook inside, correct?â
As she said, I looked in my drawer, though itâs not a drawer like the one youâd find in a chest, itâs more like a shelf attached to the bottom of the tabletop. Inside, there were several textbooks and several wooden plates.
âYou have one book on grammar and another on the basic theory of magic. To put it simply, you have to learn both the common continental alphabet as well as ancient magic characters on top of practical exercises to gain a feel for your own magic power.â
I already did that, so it seems like Iâll have some leeway here. Incidentally, my language comprehension is perfect so I donât think Iâll gain anything from this class.
âWait, was there a need to even come to schoolâ¦?â
If you stop and think, apprenticing under Maxwell may have been the better option.
âJust studying isnât good enough for proper growth, so Iâll be having you do basic exercises as well.â âEhhh..!â the students let out a collective grunt of discontent after hearing Cortinaâs explanation.
Originally, Cortina was a chief tactician. Sheâs been on actual battlefields more than once or twice. Even if she does poorly, sheâs probably still better than me. On the other hand, this class is a bunch of bean sprouts training their magic since childhood, itâs likely theyâre not used to exerting themselves physically.
âI wonât indulge your whims here. Academic magical researchers are one thing, but if you plan on going out on adventures, youâll absolutely need physical strength!â
The students stop their complaints after hearing Cortinaâs reasoning, given her experience on the battlefield. As a hero, her words held weight, and more than likely they didnât want to get on her bad side.
âThatâs all for today, starting tomorrow weâll have a full class. Be ready to get moving.â âYeees!â
Since theyâre still just young kids, it seems theyâre good students who are easily persuaded to follow instructions with a little lecture.
The only exception I can think of is that Donovan guy who was indescribably rude.
Cortina then imparted us with various pointers before finally letting us out.