Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 96 (Part 2):
“Shall we start right away? This corner is narrow, so pull back the curtains in the middle and move your desk to the center.”
While Helmut pulled his desk and moved it, Alea gave him instructions without lifting a finger.
From now on, she was the teacher, and Helmut was the student.
“A bit to the left! Stop. Right there.”
The desks provided by the academy were designed to be assembled separately, with one end fitting into a bookshelf and the other supported by a drawer.
However, there were separate assembly legs to use them independently.
When he assembled and placed the desk legs, a long desk that the two could use was installed in the center of the room.
The vertical width wasn’t that wide, but the horizontal width was generous enough that two people could sit diagonally across from each other and use it.
“This should be enough.”
Alea brought a chair and placed it diagonally across from Helmut. She also brought pens and notebooks.
Helmut brought out the textbook for Understanding Magic. The exam period was approaching, so he had prepared the textbook just in time.
“How far have you gone with the curriculum? What’s the scope of the exam?”
“The scope of the exam is up to the last class’s progress. We’ve gone up to page 232 now.”
History classes were easy once you memorized them. The transfer exams were also multiple-choice, so memorizing was enough.
But this “Understanding Magic” class was different.
The exam was an essay. It couldn’t be helped that it was disadvantageous for the Swordsmanship Department students.
The class, which was mainly composed of thoughtful and creative magic, always ended with the professor urging students to reflect on what they had learned that day.
The few students from the Swordsmanship Department looked like their heads were about to explode every time they attended the class. The level of difficulty was overwhelming even for rote learning.
First of all, there were many terms that they had never heard before. It was a class that started with the premise that the opponent was a mage.
The Swordsmanship guys complained that such a common education class was unfair.
“As expected, it’s similar. Professor Luxen has a fixation on this. The exam range is exactly halfway through the textbook.”
“The book is 542 pages long, so we have about 40 more pages to cover.”
“And one of his characteristics is that he never repeated the questions he gave last semester’s exam.”
“How do you know that?”
As far as Helmut knew, Alea had no friends. Really, not a single one.
Alea was undoubtedly the least sociable top student in the history of Greta Academy.
“Oh, there are plenty of guys who tell me even if I keep quiet.”
Alea replied indifferently. After quickly flipping through the pages, she said.
“There’s hardly any notes.”
“I don’t know what to write.”
Professor Luxen talked too much, and his speech itself was quite fast. It’s ridiculous to take notes with a quill.
Helmut concentrated on remembering what Professor Luxen said.
He heard that magicians also brought magic recorders to record lectures.
Your problem is that you don’t know how to study. Even though it might be the case for the Swordsmanship Department guys, students from other departments finish their pre-study before entering the academy. They even learn study skills.”
“It’s fortunate that you have a good concentration.”
Alea added.
“The point is that in this essay exam, it’s important to logically describe your thoughts about the problem. To logically describe it, you need common sense, right?”
The word ‘common sense’ was the one Helmut felt the least confident about. Alea prodded him subtly.
“I can give you history tutoring if you want, how about one more wish?”
“…50,000 marks?”
“That’s ridiculous. Just handle that on your own.”
The deal fell through. Alea unfolded the book and began explaining. Her voice was pleasant to listen to.
As Helmut quietly listened, he suddenly raised his head.
Come to think of it, they were close. Alea’s breath was clearly audible. They hadn’t talked from such close proximity often.
It was a brief moment. Alea was a skilled magician. Whether it was due to her cautious nature or her senses were sharp, Helmut couldn’t tell.
Her long silver hair swayed on the desk, reaching out. Her hair was neatly trimmed as it descended slightly from her shoulders.
Her long eyelashes, like a fan, were also silver. Her eyes, looking into the book, had a deep and subtle shade, like amethyst.
Her features were flawless, like a porcelain doll. Even Asuka, who harbored ill feelings, would have admired her beautiful appearance.
It was strange for other academy students who simply believed Alea was a man.
To Helmut, Alea was a completely different being, unlike any other human.
Sian and Asuka were different beings from Helmut, but Alea was even more so.
It was a feeling that couldn’t be expressed in words. Was it because of the characteristics of the magic that Alea had?
“Here, this part is crucial. In terms of absorbing magic, there are gender-based physiological differences. The fact that different locations for better magic absorption exist between genders. Some in the academic field consider it as a matter of personal difference, so Professor Luxen, unlike the textbook…”
In her explanation, more passionate than ever, Alea’s voice flowed incessantly.
Helmut’s gaze naturally fixated there. Her lips, with a lovely pink hue, continued to move.
Soft and tender, like flower petals. His stomach churned. It was a different feeling from indigestion.
“First, you need to understand Professor Luxen’s teaching style for ‘Understanding Magic.’ He’s quite lenient in magical experiments. However, that doesn’t mean he ignores opposing opinions. This professor enjoys debates and if the counter-logic is sound, he appreciates it. So, you’re… listening, right?”
Helmut snapped back to attention. He had somehow drifted off. His mind felt as if it had been sucked in.
Alea closed the book with a cold expression.
“I don’t like explaining the same thing twice. Don’t keep getting distracted.”
“I wasn’t getting distracted.”
Was he really getting distracted? Helmut felt bewildered and stopped talking.
It was the first time he had completely lost his way, leaving his goal behind.
He didn’t think this class was particularly interesting, but it wasn’t that training was his forte either. He believed he could focus whenever he wanted. So why now?
It was an inexplicable phenomenon.
“It seems like your concentration has waned. You weren’t like this when you were studying for the transfer exam.”
For some reason, his mind felt scattered. Was Alea causing this distraction?
But Alea hadn’t changed from before. She didn’t seem to be using magic either.
‘It must be my problem.’
Helmut regained his focus. Maybe this was what Sian mentioned as ‘everything else becoming interesting except the textbook right before the exam.’
“I’ll concentrate now, please continue.”
What mattered now was the mid-term exam. He shouldn’t let his attention be diverted elsewhere.
Alea’s explanation continued calmly. Helmut forced himself to listen carefully.