Skip Magician 9

Test

Chapter 9. It Seems You Can See Grimoires

"I... I want to see the Grimoire, but I'll resist."

"Please do."

Well, I understand the curiosity about what a human Grimoire, usable from birth, is like. But exposing the Grimoire without any benefit would be akin to suicidal, after all. I think the powerful aspect of Grimoires is that they're not so easy to deal with just by looking at them, but just in case.

"It's a bit late to ask, but..."

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you take the exam? Could it be? You're not interested in becoming a Magic Knight?"

"No, I'm not."

With an immediate response, Riester-san seemed astonished, as if she couldn't close her mouth. Well, coming from someone who aims to become a division commander, it might be an unbelievable story, but for me, earning money as an adventurer and living freely seems more fitting.

"Not seizing someone as promising as you would be unforgivable for the Magic Knight Division Commander."

"Huh?"

"If you became a Magic Knight, you could quickly become a division commander."

"But wouldn't that be busy?"

"...Well, I can't deny that."

See? I never really wanted to be tied down by a country or anything like that. If I were to become a division commander, they'd grant me a knightly title. And if that happens, the expectations placed on me as a noble would increase. Could I handle that? At the very least, I'm not from a noble background, and my past life wasn't bourgeois either, so I can't participate in high society, right? I can't do noble work, and I lack manners. I might say something weird to the king and get beheaded.

"Riester-san... what are you doing? Isn't this about evaluating abilities?"

"Huh? Ah, it's not necessary for him. He's the only student who broke my wooden sword during the exam."

"I-Is this guy!? The one who casually skipped the exam and ended up at the bottom of the rankings!?"

"Yeah. He seems uninterested in becoming a Magic Knight."

"Then why did he join the Magic Knight Department?"

The Chronos Magic Knight Academy that invited me said that apart from the Magic Knight Department, additional academic exams were required. I only came to this academy because they said the library was great and the school was easy. I was planning to switch to the Regular Department or the Magic Department when I found an opportunity.

"...Theodore, can you perform the Kingdom Style One-Handed Magic Swordsmanship?"

"Well... Someone told me  I sparred with in today's class that my style is clumsy because I mix in self-taught techniques."

"You don't necessarily have to be good. Show it to me."

Well, even if the division commander acknowledges the skill, as an instructor, she'd want to confirm it with her own eyes. With the wooden sword handed to me, I demonstrate the form of one-handed magic swordsmanship as instructed. By the way, one of the reasons my swordsmanship is clumsy is that I'm aware that the act of swinging the sword slowly to show the form is something I've never done before, so it inevitably becomes awkward. In addition, my self-taught swordsmanship rhythm is different from the standard Kingdom-style one-handed Magic Swordsmanship. With a different rhythm, each movement becomes awkward. There's no other word for it but clumsy.

"You're certainly clumsy."

"Yeah, terribly clumsy."

Shut up.

"But, your swordsmanship itself is consistent. And although it's peculiar and hard to understand. I can see room for incorporating magic. Now, do it faster."

"Faster?"

"Showing the form slowly alone is meaningless."

Ah. I see. Then, the awkwardness from earlier should disappear, right?

Normally, it takes several minutes for all the forms of swordsmanship, but naturally, someone who can perform them quickly can do them as fast as they want. If it's just the basic forms, they can finish in seconds.

"Alright, how was that?"

"...Sorry, I couldn't see it."

"You're incredibly fast. Also, all the awkwardness from earlier is gone."

It's good if Instructor Glorios didn't see it, but Riester-san saw everything. As expected, people aiming to become division commanders fundamentally have different abilities.

"I don't understand why someone with that skill wouldn't become a Magic Knight... But for now, I understand that you're not a failure. Just take the exams seriously."

"I'm sorry about that... genuinely."

"Yeah, that's on you."

I reflected on it.

There were various things, like talking with the division commander and showing my forms in front of the instructor, but I managed to finish the extra training, so I headed straight to the library.

While nodding politely to the receptionist, I searched for books about Grimoires today, not magic circles. Like the Grimoire Riester-san briefly showed me during the exam, I might have encountered numerous Grimoires without even knowing.

"Haha... this is interesting!"

"Uh, it's common sense to keep quiet in the library, you know?"

Feeling genuinely sorry, I turned around, only to see Elixira glaring at me with obvious displeasure.

"Oh, it's rank 983."

"I'm Erixila Bifrance!"

"It's common sense to keep quiet in the library."

"Sorry..."

Being scolded by the librarian with an exasperated expression, Elixira immediately lowered her voice and deliberately sat next to me.

"What were you doing after being taken away by the instructor?"

"I showed her my forms... and had a chat with the division commander."

"W-What!? The division commander who came to the academy... the one known as the top talent of the academy, Riester Noble, the Third Division Commander!?"

"Yeah."

The top talent of the academy. She did seem like a genius, but I didn't know she was called that.

"I... I wanted to talk to her. Is that why you're reading books about Grimoires today?"

"Yeah."

A Grimoire is something that manifests one's soul and abilities, and according to the book, its abilities and forms are limitless, depending on the shape of one's soul. In theory, everyone has one, but in recent years, very few have been able to manifest it, and those who do are treated as geniuses just for mentioning it.

It's incredibly difficult to manifest a Grimoire, so it's only natural to be treated as a genius. It's special circumstances that I can use one from birth, but anyone who manifests a Grimoire in this world is undoubtedly a genius.

"...Actually, I can use a Grimoire."

"Haha, that's amusing."

"I absolutely don't believe you."

What does someone who's being swung around by a sword have to say? If I were to say it like Princess Elissa, Erixila is someone from the side who doesn't have it, so she should just give up.

"...I'll show you. My Grimoire."

"Huh?"

For example, if Elixira really could use a Grimoire... wouldn't it be incredible to find out about it for free in a place like this?

Before I could even think about whether I should tease her a bit, Elixira placed her hand on her chest and closed her eyes.