Chapter 11 - First day as a third grader

Today was the very first day of my third-grade year. It had been three years since I was enrolled in this school, and in that time, I hadn’t returned home. This school doesn’t have summer or winter breaks, which made me really homesick.

Who wouldn’t be? The days here had become quite repetitive. Wake up early in the morning, eat breakfast, go to school. In the afternoons, I tutored Emilia in science, literature, and mathematics. I also had afternoon tea with her.

On weekends, I would visit the stables and spend time with Andrew and Mark. However, since they were busy tending to their horses, we didn’t get to talk much. There was one day when I wanted them to teach me how to ride a horse, but they said, “You need to be at least 13 years old before you’re allowed to ride one.”

If I weren’t a reincarnated person, I would surely have become angry and said irrational things to them.

There were also many school activities that happened annually, but since we were still considered too young, we weren’t allowed to participate.

But now it’s different. Why? Because I am now a third grader! This is the grade where we children are finally able to participate in activities! I couldn’t hide my smile as I changed into my uniform.

Knock* Knock*

“It’s open!”

I heard a knock at the door and replied as soon as I finished brushing my hair.

“Excuse me.”

Turning around, I saw Emilia, who had grown quite tall, like me. When we were first graders, we were nearly the same height. But now, she was about 5 cm taller than me, who was only 135 cm. I was still happy to see her because she hadn’t changed her hairstyle and retained her cute appearance.

“Breakfast is ready, Miss Lumina.”

“Thanks, as always.”

I walked toward the door and exited my room without looking back. With so many students at school, I had become accustomed to maintaining a dignified demeanor, even if it was just the two of us. I had once tried to tell her I was tired of it and wanted to stop, but the sad look she gave me when I said that broke my heart. So, I decided to continue.

I went down to the canteen and, as usual, was the only one eating. After I finished, I waited for Emilia to clean up before leaving the dormitory.

“It’s getting quite hot, huh.”

“It’s because summer is just around the corner.”

As we talked while heading toward the school building, I noticed a familiar figure approaching from the corner of my eye. The person approaching us was my magic teacher, Eclara.

“Good morning, Miss Eclara.”

“Good morning, Miss Lumina.”

When she was close enough, I greeted her with a slight bow. Although my mother had instructed me never to bow to those beneath me, I did so because Eclara was now of higher status than me. She had become a servant of an Elite, unlike me, who was a general studies student.

“It’s quite a surprise to meet you here.”

“I’ve been waiting for you. Now that you’re in third grade, you won’t be free in the afternoons anymore.”

I tilted my head in confusion at her words.

“Why?”

“Even though you’ve been at this school for three years, you’ve never greeted me. Did you think I didn’t notice you?”

Though her face was expressionless, her voice conveyed her irritation.

“Well, I’ve been busy.”

“With what? I don’t think general studies students are that busy.”

I understood her point. When we were first and second graders, our studies usually ended in the morning, and we were free in the afternoon, unlike the Magic Course students who had training in the afternoon.

“I’ve been reading lots of books in the library.”

“You’ve always liked reading, Miss Lumina.”

She gave a wry smile upon hearing this.

“Ah, that’s right. Since it’s such a rare occasion, why don’t we have tea? It’s still quite early.”

“That’s true.”

When she accepted my suggestion, I used magic to manipulate a patch of earth and turn it into a table. Emilia, who had grown accustomed to this, prepared a cloth and arranged the tableware. Since the second week of first grade, she had been bringing an entire tea set to the school building, usually carrying a large suitcase.

I sat on one of the chairs and condensed the surrounding water vapor into the teapot Emilia had prepared. By exciting the molecules of water inside the teapot, I was able to heat it with a minimal amount of mana.

“Did your magic improve?”

I shook my head.

“Then how are you able to do all these things so quickly?”

“Well, if I were to explain, it would take three months just to cover the basics before getting to this step.”

My magic usage had evolved since first grade. While teaching Emilia about science, a thought occurred to me.

Whenever I used magic to ‘create’ water and fire, I felt my mana depleting. But when I ‘manipulated’ the wind, the mana usage was minimal. By using magic to condense the surrounding moisture, I could gather the same amount of water while using less mana.

Since then, I had meticulously reviewed the various states of matter and integrated this knowledge with magic. As a result, my efficiency improved. Previously, I could make 12 ice cubes; now, I could make 24!

“I can’t do chantless magic like you and my master, so even if you tell me, I still won’t be able to do it.”

I raised an eyebrow at her mention of ‘master.’

“That master… is it okay if you tell me who he is?”

“His name is Pax Karmerot. Since I now have a master, I have a surname. I wanted to tell you this ever since I saw you three years ago, Miss Lumina, but you never came.”

(Pax Karmerot… that name sounds familiar.)

I sipped the red tea to refocus my thoughts and replied.

“Well, you’re always in the Magic Course Building, so we couldn’t really meet.”

“There are no students in that building during the afternoon, so you could have visited then.”

She took one of the chocolate chip cookies from the center of the table as she finished explaining how I could have visited her.

“Well, there’s a reason why I don’t like going near that building.”

“Reasons?”

“Yes.”

Cough* Cough*

Emilia, who stood behind me, started coughing. I quickly made eye contact with her and revealed my intentions.

(It’s okay if I don’t act in front of her, right? She's known me even before I started at this school.)

(But your image as a noble might be affected because of this.)

(Everything will be fine, so don’t worry. Besides, why do you care so much about my image?)

(For certain reasons.)

(Haa~ Then I’ll just make it as vague as possible.)

All these thoughts exchanged in an instant, and when I removed my gaze from her, only a second had passed.

“What reasons?”

“They’re quite personal, so I don’t like sharing them.”

“Is that so? Then I won’t pry any further.”

“By the way, you mentioned you now have a surname. Can you share it with me?”

She smiled slightly and declared something surprising as she stood up.

“My new name is Eclara Dien Rot.”

“Eh?”

I froze in place upon hearing her new name.

“I’ll take my leave now. If we stay any longer, you might be late. Let’s meet again, Miss Lumina.”

My gaze locked onto her disappearing silhouette as Emilia started cleaning the table. My thoughts raced, and I quickly recalled who Pax Karmerot was.

(Isn’t this just like the game!!!)