Our Lecturer, Neron Kaelid returned to class soon afterward and began our first course for the day— Basic Magic Knowledge.
The first class was nothing spectacular, for some of us at the very least. This was because the privileged among us were already familiar with the topic since our Magic Tutors gave us the knowledge before we enrolled in Ainzlark.
It was trite for any well-off household to have a tutor to train their child in magic should they show an affinity for it. As such, almost all the Magic Users within the classroom were familiar with what our tutor was explaining.
The concept of mana, spells, and ultimately magic.
However, I could tell from Neron’s teachings that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the way he taught all of us. He must have been following a curriculum and was merely dispensing what he was instructed to.
‘I see… the Academic system, uh?’
I was certain the higher class students were already being taught more advanced subjects to place them on a higher pedestal than us. The fact that they intentionally made us waste a lot of time on such fundamentals meant that the faction opposing our class wanted us to be terribly behind the others in both knowledge and power.
Even our libraries were different, so it was certain that the Middle and Power Class students had more advanced materials than we did.
‘I only have to endure for a little while longer.’
By the time Neron was done with his lecture, nearly an hour had elapsed. Lectures took a maximum of one hour, and a break of at least thirty minutes was given before the start of a new one.
When he was done the adult in the room gave a deep sigh of dissatisfaction and told us that classes were over. Though he would be returning in an hour’s time to take the next Lecture, Neron already appeared exhausted for some reason.
I stared at him curiously, a little disappointed that he chose to follow the mainstream approach dictated by the Academic board rather than take a more radical approach. There was no I could blame or judge him though… this was merely a job, after all.
He left the hall, giving me an hour of free time while others had to leave the main lecture hall for their Electives.
Electives were thirty minutes long, most of which occurred in the afternoon. Still, a few were occasioned in the morning. I remained seated as over half of the students left the hall to attend the Elective that would soon commence in one of the subsidiary halls in the Lower Class territory.
The other students either talked among themselves, excused themselves to have a light snack, read for the next class… or slept. I was interested in neither of those things. I finally had access to such rich surroundings and an hour of free time… there was something that called my attention more than anything!
“I should get to it!”
Beaming, I brought out a book that contained several pictures of plants and information written about them. That’s right! It was Alphonse’s gift to me. With the lush gardens that surrounded our vicinity and the opportunity to find several herbs I needed, I couldn’t keep myself still.
“Now then… time to commence the search!”
********************
The search was extensive. To ensure I didn’t miss a single detail or make an error, I carefully observed the plants and plucked them. Since this was a public garden, I was able to see so many useful herbs. There were no rules against plucking flowers and plants, so long as they didn’t do any extensive damage to the garden itself. Magic was always circulated around the field, ensuring the plants would grow back and maintain an optimal state.
Since no one would miss the herbs, I took as much as I deemed necessary. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any rare herbs for more complex potions since this was a general garden. It wasn’t like I expected to find any, but I had hoped a miracle could occur.
“Meh, let’s go back…” I muttered, realizing it was about ten minutes to the end of our break.
The herbs were enough for me, and I placed them all in a sac I weaved with magic. I saw a few students watching me from a distance as I returned— they must have been observing me for some time.
Paying them no heed, I dragged my robust sac into the classroom where most of the students offering their electives had already returned to. They gave me peculiar glances, but I turned away nearly instantly as our gazes met.
‘I can just put the bag near my seat. The plants already have ample magic energy in them so they’ll be preserved enough until I get home…’
Using this line of thought, I placed the sac on the chair beside me— after all, no one sat around, to begin with. Everyone still watched with surprise, but there were no rules against this either… not that anyone had ever thought of taking a bunch of plants on the first day of school.
From the school’s brochure and Alphonse’s words, Alchemy and Medicine Arts were Second and Third Year Elective Courses. The current students didn’t have any intensive knowledge or interest in plants as of now.
“Today was a great find. Let’s have better hopes for tomorrow”
After all, I wasn’t done exploring the plant life around the Lower-Class territory.
**************************
Classes ended pretty early for me.
While others rushed for their Elective classes, I remained in the hall. Some students who had noticed that I had not even bothered leaving for a single Elective wondered if I actually chose any.
Of course, I didn’t!
With the Lecture Hall nearly empty, except for a few who would have their own courses in a little over thirty minutes time. They hung around, but I didn’t have the luxury for that.
‘I should be on my way to my dorms right now… but I have to wait for that Edward guy for our duel…’