Chapter 72 - Magic Academy
I felt like I was gradually getting a sense of the layout inside the castle. I went to where everyone was waiting in the dining hall and called out to them. "I've delivered a message to Alabarta. The soldier asked us to wait in the reception room on the first floor, so let's take our necessary belongings and wait."
Everyone responded in various ways and headed towards the bedrooms where they had stayed overnight. In the bedroom, Ayle was checking her clothes and changing her outer garment. Eliza and I also prepared to go out.
Everyone was ready within about fifteen minutes, but outside, Strass was standing with an impatient look. It seemed the men had finished getting ready in no time.
"What took so long?"
"I finished in about five minutes, but generally, it takes anywhere from ten to thirty minutes for things like makeup, dressing, and washing hands." I offered my general opinion as a representative of women.
"Thirty minutes… What's the point of dressing up so much…?" Strass muttered and scratched his head.
If the women of the world heard that, Strass might be roasted alive.
Unaware of his terrible remark, he led everyone towards the reception room.
When we arrived, Alabarta was standing by the door with a proper posture. Today, he wasn't in armor but wore cloth wrapped around him. It looked like some kind of ethnic costume.
"Welcome, everyone. I will guide you today." Alabarta pounded his chest with his fist.
"I was thinking of visiting the magic academy, but wouldn't it be better for a magician to guide us?" I asked
But Alabarta, with a motivated expression, shook his head. "What are you saying? I also attended the magic academy, although it was a beginner's class. Hahahaha!"
He laughed alone and began walking. Seeing this, we briefly exchanged glances but decided to hurry and follow him.
Maple Leaf was said to be a country specializing in healing magic, which was also referred to as sacred magic. Considering that the predecessor of the Holy Empire was a religious organization called the Maple Leaf Holy Church, this somehow made sense.
However, if a country became overly specialized in healing magic, other magicians with different talents might not have a sufficient environment to research their own magic. While specialization sounded good in theory, it eradicated the idea of integrating multiple types of magic from the start.
With this concern in mind, I walked through the Holy City and eventually arrived in front of a large building.
Like the other buildings, it had white outer walls and a white roof, but what stood out were the numerous large round pillars. It was a massive building with the appearance of a Greek-style temple.
Although it looked nothing like an educational facility, many of the people entering and exiting were boys and girls, and they wore clothes similar to Alabarta's, giving a somewhat student-like atmosphere.
Fiddiq Academy also had everyone wear the same uniform. Perhaps it was the norm here for everyone to have a fixed uniform.
Alabarta asked us to wait a moment, so we looked at the academy buildings from the outside. Soon, he arrived with someone. It was a middle-aged man wearing a small dark blue cape over a white outfit. The man looked at us with a gentle smile and tilted his head slightly.
Alabarta stood in front of us with the man, cleared his throat, and held out an open palm to the man beside him. "This is Cameron-dono, a senior teacher at the Holy City Magic Academy. In Maple Leaf, senior teachers are the highest level of magicians, equivalent to court magicians, and Cameron-dono is recognized as one of the highest level magicians in the country."
After Alabarta’s introduction, Cameron gave a deep bow. "I am Cameron Ridge. Nice to meet you."
Alabarta then glanced sideways at us, turned back to Cameron, and introduced us. "As I mentioned earlier, this is Aoi-dono, a senior teacher at Fiddiq Academy. Then there are general teachers Strass and Eliza. Also, there are students who are nobles from other countries, including Cote-dono. Lastly, there's Shenley, who is from our country and enrolled at Fiddiq Academy."
"Oho." Cameron blinked upon seeing Shenley.
Noticing the gaze, Shenley flinched and looked down.
"Shenley, is it? I see. So you were able to enroll in Fiddiq Academy. Well, that's good. I recall you couldn't use healing magic. At Fiddiq Academy, you'll likely be treated as a magician of considerable level. I guess It must be a case of appropriate placement."
Although cheerful, his comment carried a subtle disdain towards Shenley, causing her to shrink back.
Thinking the conversation was odd, I decided to speak up on behalf of Shenley. "Shenley is a diligent and very talented student. I'm sure she will become a great magician in the future."
Cameron momentarily paused and then smiled again with his usual gentle expression. "I see. That's good to hear. After all, it's hard to develop talents other than healing magic at our academy. On the other hand, at Fiddiq Academy, you can learn various kinds of magic simultaneously, right? That's wonderful. The educational curriculum must be excellent. If we tried that at our academy, we would end up with only mediocre magicians."
With that, Cameron let out a soft chuckle.