Skip Magician 8

Test

Chapter 8. Overtime

"Everyone except Theodore, review the Royal Style One-Handed Magic Swordsmanship forms."

"What about me?"

"You skipped the exam, so you don't know what you can and cannot do. That's why I'll personally instruct you one-on-one."

"Alright."

"Do you think I'm taking it easy on you, you brat?"

Following Instructor Glorios's orders, I picked up a wooden sword and waited. Soon, others arrived with the instructor.

"Rejoice, Theodore. An instructor who's too good for delinquent students like you has graced us."

"Hey."

"Oh, from the entrance exam."

I didn't know her name, but she was pretty, so I remembered her. Is she also an instructor at this academy?

"Um... Instructor, right?"

"It seems introductions are in order."

"Hey! You're taking the Magic Knight exam without even knowing who she is!?"

Oh, she seems to be quite famous. But honestly, I've never been interested in Magic Knights since I was a kid, so I have no clue. I haven't read newspapers either, and the only things I know are the ancient heroes written in books.

Besides, the beautiful lady seems to be saying it with a wry smile, so cut me some slack.

"You faced me in the entrance exam. My name is Riester Noble... I'm entrusted with the position of Third Division Commander of the Kouria Kingdom Magic Knight Corps."

"Oh, you're the division commander... I apologize for my rudeness."

"You seriously didn't know?"

"It's okay, Glorios-san. What the Magic Knight Corps needs is unwavering strength, not fame."

"Well... that's true, but..."

Being a division commander places Riester above Glorios, the instructor. Maybe it's because of age, but Riester refers to Glorios with '-san', while Glorios seems to show respect to Riester.

Glorios left to attend to the other students, leaving me behind with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

"Now, I'd like to assess your abilities... You're stronger than Jeremiah, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't know until we try."

"Hmm... I don't think so. During this year's entrance exam, there were only three people I wanted to face directly with a sword, and among them, only you instilled fear in me."

Fear? What does that mean? I remember at that time. I aimed to break the opponent's wooden sword with my first strike. Since no one stopped me, I attempted to attack. But my wooden sword got crushed barehanded.

"I didn't understand what the test was about because my wooden sword got crushed barehanded at the time."

"...I see. You saw my palm strike."

"Of course, well..."

It was crushed, after all.

"Besides that?"

"Besides that?"

"At that time, did you not see how I shattered the wooden sword with just my palm?"

"I did. It was lightning."

"As I thought."

As I thought?

"That was the power of my grimoire."

"Huh?"

It wasn't regular magic!?

I thought it was some super-speed magic or something, fast enough that it didn't register in my eyes. But it's a grimoire. No wonder I couldn't find anything resembling it no matter how many magic circle books I read.

"Aren't grimoires something only a few geniuses can use? You might be a genius since you're a division commander."

"Is that so? But there are quite a few Magic Knights who use grimoires."

"Magic Knight Corps seems like a scary organization after all."

"Do you think so? Training is tough, but there are many holidays and good pay."

"That's not what I meant."

And your high pay is because you can become a division commander in the Magic Knight Corps.

"So, judging by your reaction to hearing about grimoires, you can use one too, right? You won't show it, though?"

"Yeah, that's okay. But I want to know if it's something people could use in combat. My teaching approach will change based on the answer to this question alone."

Even though she's a division commander, she's willing to teach.

"...The Third Division has the most people in the Magic Knight Corps, and it's based at a fortress near this Chronos Magic Knight Academy. So there are many instructors here. I'm quite busy, so I'm not here every day. But I come with a reasonable frequency, so if you have any questions, ask when you see me."

She didn't casually read my mind, did she?

Well, whatever. But there are several things I want to ask, so I might as well ask now.

"Are you from a noble family, Riester-san?"

"Huh? Why do you ask?"

"Well, becoming a division commander at such a young age, I thought maybe you were born into nobility..."

"Huh? Why would being born into nobility make you a division commander?"

Ah, it seems people in the Magic Knight Corps really don't know any measure other than meritocracy. But even in the Kouria Kingdom, where the Magic Knight Corps primarily guards only the capital, powerful nobles from the provinces have their skilled knights.

"When did you learn to use a grimoire, Riester-san?"

"...Sorry, I don't know. I just found out I could use it. But maybe I could already use it when I was a student."

Since I haven't read extensively about books related to grimoires in the library, I don't know, but generally, grimoires are considered an expression of the soul. In other words, those who possess a grimoire are perceiving their soul.

Here's a question, though: Can humans perceive their souls while living? The answer is no.

Those who possess a grimoire are thereby capable individuals, as Riester mentioned, but no one knows the exact circumstances under which they acquired the grimoire. Isn't that peculiar? 

It's not like Santa Claus left behind a present; there must be some cause. Otherwise, wielding a grimoire would not be a sign of prowess but merely luck.

"On the contrary, when could you use a grimoire?"

"Since I was born."

"Haha, that's a funny joke... isn't it?"

"I don't intend to joke about such an obscure topic."

I have been able to use a grimoire since I was born. This is the truth. Well, in my case, it's quite exceptional scenario.