According to Ana, her family had more than enough Magic-Users, and since she was a female as well, she got away with doing anything she wanted.
It kinda made me feel like she was abandoned, but to her, it couldn’t have been any better. She was able to drown in her study and research, even being able to choose the career path she wanted.
Her parents were rich and powerful nobles, so enrolling her into Ainzlark was no big deal.
As I already expected, the exams for Scholars greatly differed from ours. There was no Mana Core Grade exam or practical magic session.
Other than the rigorous written portion of their exams, the Scholar entrants had to solve various riddles and perform practical analyses of problems. They were also interviewed and bombarded with nerve-wracking questions which would determine their Class within the Academy.
“I intentionally scored lower so I would end up here!” Ana proudly said once again.
I truly felt like spanking her head, but my self-control saved the day.
“Lewis Griffith never faced this kind of challenge during his time, so when I end up rising above everyone else despite my Lower Class Status, I’ll be able to prove myself.”
‘Something is certainly wrong with this child.’ I concluded with a sigh.
Well, even oddballs had uses. I just had to make her into the ideal image… and she’d be more than good enough for the task.
“Anabelle… you can surpass Lewis Griffith, not by putting yourself at more of a disadvantage, but by excelling with all you have.”
Anabelle fell silent the moment I said this, her face clouding up.
“Mana is a huge part of you, you can’t deny that. Just because you aspire to be better than the Great Sage doesn’t make you an Inept like him.”
These were words she probably didn’t hear from anyone else since they allowed her to live her life, but she needed to understand something very pivotal.
“Lewis Griffith was bound by his inability to use or sense mana, that was why his theories and discoveries couldn’t reach the peak. If you want to do better, be better. You have the power to reach a higher summit… don’t waste it trying to follow his path and beat him in his own race!”
My voice grew stricter and firmer as I tightened my fist. I didn’t know why I was so worked up on this matter, but it ate at me the way Ana was blindly trying to prove something to the ‘me’ of the past.
‘It’s because I’m Lewis Griffith that I know…’
“Don’t waste your time on the route he went through. Forge your own path and take a swifter journey through Magic. That’s the only way to win!”
I said this because that was what I realized. This was the principle I was living with—to surpass my previous self, I was going to actively use magic.
“Discovery is born out of experiments, not so? Then… why not experiment on what Lewis Griffith was never able to? Your own Magic!”
Upon making this final statement, I stood from my seat. Anabelle was still petrified, listening to my blunt words.
‘This may seem hypocritical of me to say, but…’
“Don’t waste your life on theories you’ll never be able to apply for yourself. Magic is only fun when you’re able to do it yourself… remember that.”
I put the books on my table into my bag and began twisting my body to jump over the desk that separated me from the forefront of the class.
“Hup!” I hovered through the hurdle and landed safely away from my seat.
Flinging my bag to my back, I took a careful stride across Ana, and walked past her. She was still a bit shaken by my unfiltered words that chastised her immature thinking—at least that was what I could pick up from her slightly bulging eyes and flinching body.
“Think about what I just said and decide on what you want to do. I need to be off now…”
With that as my final statement, I left the young girl.
‘Huu, I know it’s not my business, but… did I go too far?’
I had certainly given her a lot to think about over the weekend. This could play out in a bunch of ways, but I hoped things turned out well… for her sake and mine.
“When we see next week Monday, I’ll fully begin what I have in mind. For now, though, I should gain more knowledge about the state of Martial Arts. Maybe I can learn a few… hmm…”
I made my way to the library after considering my next course of action. This weekend would certainly be very busy for me.
*****************
“Haa, just like that, the first week of class is over. Time flies really fast, doesn’t it?”
Edward was the one who broke the awkward silence between the two friends.
He gazed at his partner, Anabelle, as subtly as possible. He hoped she would have worn off the awfully glum expression on her face… that hope died.
There was no change in Anabelle’s face, no, her entire demeanor.
‘Damn… what’s got her so down?’ Edward wondered to himself.
Ever since he finished his classes and met up with Anabelle, he had found her like that. She didn’t utter a single word about what was bothering her and he didn’t want to make her mood worse.
With that in mind, Edward decided to leave the lecture grounds along with a sulking Anabelle and hope that her emotional state would improve as they went on.
“Hey, Ed…” Anabelle finally spoke up, causing the one she addressed to nearly freeze up.
“Y-yeah…?” The boy found himself stuttering, looking at Ana keenly.
He couldn’t mess up and say the wrong thing, or he would lose the opportunity he had. Since he had been Anabelle’s friend for very long, he knew her well.
Her next statement would be decisive.
“Do you think I should… have registered as a Magic-User?”