Lunch hour.
Ann came out and sat in the academy garden with a gloomy look on her face.
In shock.
She thought it would be a little better, but the amount of mana didn’t change in an entire year.
At the age of 10 when she was supposed to be growing up, it was logical for the mana to increase. Even Heon managed a 20MP raise.
She didn’t mean to undermine Heon, but she thought that some amount of rise would be there.
‘Does the path of a magician really not suit me?’
Ann recalled her talks with Siegfried.
-Ann. What does Ann want to be?
-A Magician! A very amazing magician!
-Why do you want to be a magician? Any specific reason?
-Uh… the family is a magician family… and…
-And?
-My family is having a hard time right now. so I want to be a great magician and revive it. a great magician is what I’ll be!
-But you can revive your family even if you aren’t a magician.
-But Myers family is a magician family. I hate anything other than magic.
-…Ann can definitely do it.
At that time, she roughly guessed what Siegfried was trying to tell her. However, she used her child-like face as a shield and prevented him from saying it to her.
She knew.
She had no talent for magic.
Even if she worked hard all her life, 4th class is what she’ll always be in.
And the world is full of 4th class magicians. This was because the 4th level is something which didn’t need too much effort.
Far from revitalizing her family, she couldn’t even maintain her face in the academy. Even her father was a 4th class magician.
“Find another path…’
Ann hugged her knees close to her. She never thought of a path other than magic.
It might be strange for a 10 year old to worry about her future, but in most cases, the existence of a magician is decided from birth.
In fact, there was still a chance for Ann until she reached early teens, but seeing the results didn’t encourage her.
“No. it shouldn’t give up. Finn is also 14, but now he saw a rise.”
Finn has been attending this academy because of his stubbornness. She heard that even his family advised him to drop out.
But today?
Finn has grown tremendously as if his potential had exploded. Now, after going to middle-school, he would be a full-fledged magician.
“There is nothing I can’t do. If it is me…”
Words to build confidence, but she sighed.
“Sister.”
She heard a familiar voice and turned to see a light blue haired body with sleepy eyes come to her.
It was Ann’s younger brother, Armie Myers who entered the academy this year.
“What are you thinking here?”
He was walking around the academy to check the place and found his sister sitting all alone.
“Armieeeee….”
“Woah! What are you doing here?”
As Ann suddenly went in for a hug, Armie was flustered and pushed her away.
Armie who pushed then asked.
“Why are you acting like this?”
He asked her with an annoyed face.
“That… I had my mana test today and it wasn’t much different from last year. A year has passed with no results to show. What should I do? I guess I really am not good at magic….”
Armie, who listened quietly, put his hands in his pocket.
“If my sister isn’t talented, 90% of the academy students need to give up and leave.”
Armie who sat next to her sighed looking at his sister.
“Remember when mom said that everyone has something they are good at?”
“Yes.”
“Sister’s mind is amazing. It is a pity that your mana isn’t growing, but would most wizards come out and try to fight you using brains?”
“Why would they fight using their brains?”
“They wouldn’t! Because you are good!”
Ann didn’t understand it.
Seeing that, Armie said,
“It is just like that. I am too lazy to explain. So, I meant this. Even if you don’t have a lot of mana, there are things you can do.”
“But mana is important to magicians. Great magicians can’t even think of running out of mana. Forget rebuilding our family, I am worse.”
“Why are you worried about that? If anyone hears, they will think that the family’s burdens are put on you.”
It was true that the Myers family was in a worse situation than in the past, and they only had the title of noble for name but were in a desperate situation.
In their small estate they were living like the local crowd.
“Still, our family needs to get back to its former glory.”
“No. There is no reason to be stubborn and revive it. We just need to live like we are living.”
“You comfort seeking bastard.”
“Sister thinks too much about complicated stuff.”
“This cute bastard! I only have you!”
“Euk!”
Ann hugged him tightly.
The difference between 10 and 8 was only 2, but when such a young brother came up with a reasonable explanation, the two years difference didn’t seem much.
Armie yelled at Ann to get him out of her grasp.
Yet, she hugged him like a doll and shook him around and let go only when she was tired.
She fell back on the grass.
“Don’t hug me from now on. It is tiring.”
“But you know, I have a friend named Finn in my class.”
“I know. The brother who too old to be in elementary school?”
“Yes. He kept struggling and only saw the light today. He was having such a hard time… it was great.”
Ann’s expression as she said it was smiling, but she looked sad.
“But I was envious and jealous of him. I am bad right?”
Armie looked at Ann who was lying down,
“Why are you bad? Mother and father were the same when they went to school. People just get jealous. Instead, don’t hate him. Don’t spend too much energy hating them but use it as a driving force to develop it further.”
“I should try it.”
“It is fine. If you feel envious or jealous, use it as a driving force and use it to evolve. Not once were mother and father wrong till now.”
“Why does my brother look so mature today?”
“Don’t hug! If you do, I will use a fireball.”
Realizing what she would do next, Armie moved back a little.
It was an attacking stance, but to Ann it was like her brother making fun for her.
Thanks to him, she laughed a little. And seeing her expression lighten, Armie too smiled.
“Come to think of it, there are kids who suddenly improved their skills in my class.”
“Hm?”
“I wasn’t here last year so I don’t know, but the teacher incharge was quite happy with it.”
“Name?”
“I don’t remember the name but… Ivan, right Ivan.”
“Ivan?”
“Yes. His grades have improved a little since last year, but the teacher liked it since his mana was higher than before.”
Ann knew of this student called Ivan.
A child who works hard but never gets much results.
Ann was good at studies but Ivan wasn’t good at either of them. So she remembered the talks about him dropping out.
‘Wait, even Betty said that.’
Her roommate Betty had brought up Ivan’s topic a few days back.
That he was drinking Apophis X and his grades improved a bit.
At that time, she didn’t think that her grades would improve just by taking in nutritional supplements.
‘Wait. Finn too drank Apophis X…’
She saw him drink three bottles a day at the academy.
He recommended it to her but she never drank it.
“Come to think of it, all the teachers were talking about the rise in the level of student’s mana this year than year.”
Ann felt weird about it.
But then she shook his head.
“What nonsense…”
It was a conjecture.
It doesn’t make sense to increase mana just by drinking some nutritional supplements.
The first time she saw Finn drink was 1 week ago. It was impossible to increase mana in one week.
It had to be a coincidence.
Apophis X was a nutritional supplement. Anyone could drink it.
A week had passed but Siegfried’s words still lingered on his mind.
‘Damn it! Why is the thought stuck in my head?’
Jamie rubbed his eyes in annoyance.
Disciple.
Nonsensical sound.
He was thinking of choosing a different path from that of his previous life, and taking a disciple was an expectation.
This time he wasn’t going to take disciples. To make an enemy of those whom he brought up was terrible.
And the disciple would come to kill him.
“Let’s focus on the next class.”
Jamie ruffled his hair and moved. Today was the day for Beta class, which was the average class in elementary.
“Mr. Jamie.”
Javelin’s voice came from behind.
“I see you are going to class?”
“Yes. Today is Beta class’s day.”
“Ah. Are you used to it?”
A week had passed since he started teaching. Now he was getting used to life here.
“Not bad. There are a lot of talented children here.”
“Haha. I am glad. I was worried what would happen if you didn’t consider them as such.”
“What is there not to like? I am only here for a month.”
“True.”
“But, why are you here?”
“Yes that. I forgot. Hahaha.”
Javelin was a man with laughter.
Most of his expressions were smiling or laughing or laughing and speaking. And it was difficult to know what was actually going on in his mind.
Like Elder Offen Ginger.
“I was here thinking what to do if you hadn’t adjusted here, so I came to talk.”
“I see. But you don’t have a class today?”
“Yes. There is no class. Ah, one minute.”
Javelin looked at his watch. A strange light flashed and when it tapped his finger mana flowed from his body.
“I have a call. Work hard! Yes, 3rd elder.”
Javelin moved as he spoke to the 3rd elder.
The word 3rd elder out of nowhere meant that something had happened.
‘It doesn’t match.’
Serpent Gerol and Javelin Cutter.
Two different personalities, so he never expected them to be acquaintances.
However, there is no way to know a person by their appearance.
Jamie shrugged and started to walk again when he heard students walk to the side.
Their eyes are too wide open and mouths constantly arguing about something.
Curious, he listened.
‘A drink?’
Why were students speaking of a drink with such scary expressions on their faces?
‘Must be for some reason.’
There are people who can only focus when they have certain things.
So Jamie started walking again, and then looked back.
The students who were speaking about it with scary faces weren’t there, as they walked away.
“Is it because of my mood?”
A strange feeling rose in him, but he didn’t know the reason.
Has to be his mood influencing this.
With that, Jamie headed to the Beta class.
