novelraw Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Second Semester
“Then I’ll return this to the library now. We won’t have any reason to look at this book again. We’re guaranteed for Class 1 anyway.”
I said that as I took the book from Kiena.
Now that we both knew what kind of mages we were, this book had served its purpose here.
“Yeah! Right!”
Perhaps it was because she’d shed the heavy burden of expulsion, but Kiena’s expression looked noticeably brighter.
The same went for Hei.
After that, I returned the book to its original spot and glanced around the nearby shelves.
‘Strange. Was there really only one copy of this book?’
It was something I was only realizing now.
In my previous life, it had been so widely used that it served as a beginner’s textbook for novice students, but in this era, there was only one copy—left abandoned in some dusty corner.
The bookshelf where my Master’s book had been was filled entirely with other worn and faded volumes.
It felt like a small museum tucked away inside the library.
Well, three hundred years had passed, after all.
Perhaps these had all become relics of a bygone age.
That would explain why only a single copy remained.
My Master had passed away long ago… and my own death had been just as distant.
I slid the book back into its place, bowed my head once more toward it, and then left the library.
It was my gesture of gratitude toward my Master.
Tomorrow marked the start of the new semester.
For the rest of the vacation, Hei and Kiena focused entirely on training without 《Beginner’s Guide》.
During the eight weeks of vacation, Kiena had continued summoning animals, while Hei succeeded in forming a sphere of the fire element.
Since both were now within the guaranteed passing range for the exam, their expressions had naturally brightened.
There was no training today.
With classes starting tomorrow, I suggested we rest for a day.
Magic didn’t rely on physical strength but instead used pure, 100% mental power.
Overusing magic could cause one’s mental strength to collapse.
Especially for Kiena and Hei, who were only just stepping into the beginner’s stage, their mental endurance was still fragile.
To strengthen it, appropriate rest was more important than constant magical use.
So the three of us gathered in the dining hall to eat together.
The sun had already set, and a chilly wind was blowing beneath the darkening sky.
“It’s weird. We eat this every day, but why does it taste so good today?”
Among the three of us, Hei had the biggest appetite.
He stuffed his mouth full of food like a squirrel as he spoke.
“Isn’t it because you’re thinking you’ve finally passed the exam?”
Kiena asked.
“Maybe? Hehe.”
“Oh, right, Kiena. Once we pass the midterm exam, the rest of the semester’s free time, right?”
I wanted to make sure. Until now, I’d only assumed—it wasn’t something I’d directly asked before.
Would it be the same as the academy I attended in my previous life?
“Yeah, that’s right. But we still have to attend the required classes.”
So it wasn’t exactly the same.
“Required classes?”
“《History of Mages》. That’s a mandatory course.”
After hearing Kiena’s answer, I immediately checked the schedule through Mob.
It was a class that took place once every day without fail.
And it happened to be the very same subject I’d attended on the day I was reincarnated—the one where I’d been introduced as the incompetent Archmage.
‘I should take that one too.’
I still hadn’t fully grasped the state of this era.
It wasn’t a bad subject to attend.
“Let’s rest well today and start the semester fresh tomorrow.”
And thus, the final day of summer vacation came to an end.
When morning arrived, noisy voices from the hallway reached all the way into the dormitory.
“Ugh, maybe it’s because there were lowborns staying here all vacation, but doesn’t the whole hallway stink?”
“So it’s not just me who smells it?”
“At least Kiena’s pretty, but aren’t the other two just a waste of air?”
“Exactly, haha.”
Look at these kids.
The only ones who’d stayed at the school over break were me, Kiena, and Hei.
Calling us “lowborns” meant they were children of noble families, then?
Those from noble families referred to themselves as aristocrats.
Well—some of them, anyway.
It was just a title they used to flaunt that they were born superior to commoners.
To me, they were all equally pathetic.
That’s why, in my previous life, I’d never founded a family name even though I had one.
I hadn’t wanted to in the first place.
But since I held the title of Archmage, there were endless noisy voices saying I should uphold the order of the Magical Society—so to avoid the hassle, I simply created a surname.
That’s why there was no Arkis Family.
It was merely a unique surname representing me alone.
Yet, even after three hundred years, those rotten customs still lingered.
Some families not only looked down on common-born mages but also oppressed and persecuted them.
They were the kind of mages who claimed that magic was a privilege exclusive to the noble families, and that the appearance of common-born mages was a rebellion against the natural order of the world.
Even in my previous life, my Master and I had tried to warn and reform such families—but it hadn’t been easy.
Well, considering how stubborn they’d been, it wasn’t surprising that they hadn’t vanished even after three centuries.
‘Let’s see what these brats look like.’
Just whose precious children were they supposed to be?
When I stepped into the hallway, three students stood there.
They looked even younger than me.
“Ugh! The smell!”
As soon as they saw me, they pinched their noses in mock disgust.
Was it childish teasing, fitting for their age? Or insolence far beyond it?
Hard to say.
“Well, well, who do we have here? Isn’t this Artel, the one who fell asleep during the last class of the semester? I was hoping you’d stay asleep forever, but what a shame—you woke up?”
‘This brat’s got quite the mouth…’
I looked over the three of them carefully.
All had black hair and eyes, but one had strands of white scattered through his hair like streaks of silver.
It meant he’d found his element and had achieved a degree of resonance with it.
Didn’t I mention that each element had its own color?
As one’s mastery deepened, the body would begin to synchronize with the element.
At first, the color of the hair began to change to the element’s innate hue, and when mastery reached 100%, even the eyes would change color.
That was what they called ‘Assimilation’.
It was the process of an Elementalist becoming one with their element.
Now then, white… that meant either Flewd or Light, didn’t it?
It was impossible for an Elementalist of Flewd to appear so easily, so it seemed much more likely he was of the Light element.
Still, there was always that slim chance—I wanted to confirm it for sure.
“What’s your name?”
“How dare a lowborn like you…!”
Instead of answering, he flared up in anger, glaring fiercely at me.
His expression screamed, ‘How dare someone like you speak to me?’ as if he wanted to make it known to everyone around.
Truly, a situation that only made me laugh in disbelief.
I wasn’t exactly known for being patient.
The moment that student glared, I had to suppress the urge to jab him between the eyes with my fingers.
“Russel, let it go. Touching trash like that will only stain our honor.”
The student beside him spoke up.
Thanks to that one line, I learned the name of the white-streaked boy.
Russel.
That name was all I needed to remember.
Judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like conversation would get anywhere.
There was no reason to continue—it might just drag out my temper on children.
I shook my head and turned to head back into the dormitory.
Then, at that very moment—
“How dare you turn your back on me?”
Flash—!
A burst of light exploded, and a flicker of brilliance danced before my eyes.
‘Light element?’
“Ugh…!”
“Agh… I can’t see…! Russel…! Cancel it!”
But it wasn’t me who suffered—the two beside him were the ones in pain.
As if water had splashed into their eyes, they crouched down, clutching their faces.
“Hmph, how’s that? Lowborns like you probably haven’t even found your elements yet, but during vacation I received special tutoring from my family! I found my element—and I can even cast 1st Circle magic!”
Russel declared proudly.
“……”
So that was an attack on me, huh?
It seemed to be a flash spell.
It had no particular lethality—just a basic Light-element spell that temporarily robbed one of their sight.
Now the question was… should I bother reacting to this or not?
To this student named Russel, Artel was probably just a commoner who slept through class.
If I stood here unaffected, wouldn’t he find that strange? But no—after seeing his magic, I changed my mind.
He couldn’t even properly control it yet.
The fact that his two companions were also caught by a spell aimed at me was proof enough.
In times like this, ignoring it was best.
As I opened the dormitory door, Russel’s furious voice rang out.
“How dare you ignore the Michael Family?”
Ah, so it was the Michael Family.
No wonder that temper seemed so foul—there was a reason behind it.
A family that had been a constant headache even three hundred years ago.
But it wasn’t just about the family—the Light Elementalists had always shared that chronic flaw.
Just as an Elementalist bore the color of their element in their body, they also inherited aspects of its nature.
Light Elementalists, in particular, had an especially peculiar trait: they acted as though the world revolved around them, always desperate to shine brighter than anyone else.
Among any group, they carried an almost obsessive need to be the most radiant presence.
Naturally, that made them the best at looking down on others.
Take Rus Alfric, for example—the Light Elementalist who once served under me.
He had often earned my scolding for never fixing that very same arrogance.
‘Well, if even Rus Alfric, head of the principal Light family, was like that, what could I expect from one of its branch houses like yours?’
Families like Michael, which weren’t principal but rather subsidiary to the main element lineage, were known as Constituent Families.
And since Russel had been ignored despite flaunting his family name, his anger had clearly boiled past the point of control.
“Stop right there, Artel!”
Russel amplified his flash spell, trying to stop me.
But to me, it wasn’t even dazzling—it was like having a candle flickering in front of my face.
I ignored him and continued into my room, though one thought lingered.
‘How insolent. A kid who’s learned nothing but bad habits.’
He boasted about his noble lineage and used the word “lowborn” to insult commoners.
That was one of the strict taboos my Master, back when he was the Archmage, had outlawed.
And yet, just like a typical mage of the Michael Family, he had casually trampled over that decree.
It made my blood boil.
‘I’ll have to teach him a lesson. Break that bad habit of his.’
Using magic on me was one thing.
There was no way he could’ve known that I was Archis Eimer, the former Archmage.
The idea wouldn’t even cross his mind.
But insulting commoners—that I could never forgive.
Both my Master and I had been born as commoners and orphans; it was something that struck a deep chord.
‘This is the magic of the very commoners you despise.’
Snap.
I flicked my fingers.
I sent Russel’s own flash spell right back at him from down the hall.
Let him experience for himself what kind of effect his magic really had.
Understanding it with your head and feeling it in your body are two entirely different things.
“Gaaah! I can’t see! My eyes—my eyes are burning!”
Moments later, Russel’s scream echoed through the corridor.
What an overreaction.