REAPER SCANS
[The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student]
[Translator – Aine ]
[Proofreader – Ash ]
Chapter 23
“Ahahahahahahahaha!”
Laughter filled the café terrace of the Hall of Beginnings.
Celia, still holding her stomach, sore from laughing, wiped tears from her eyes as she let out a few more giggles.
“So, you left after solving one single question?”
“Is it that funny?”
Leo, sipping on a glass of fruit juice, wore a glum expression.
“Didn’t I say sorcery classes were pointless?” Celia, who calmed down her laughter, said while lifting her teacup.
“You know, as a Zerdinger, you should really focus on swordsmanship.”
“I’m not a Zerdinger.”
“If you’re not a Zerdinger training with Phoenix Breath, then what are you?”
Celia took another sip, looking at Leo’s bewildered expression.
“Anyway, you’re free until class, right? Want to train together?”
“You want to do some strength training with me again?”
“…!”
Celia paused, contemplating.
She knew Leo’s workouts bordered on torture for anyone other than him.
Recalling the past grueling sessions at the Plovs’, she chuckled awkwardly.
“Perhaps I’ll stick to swordsmanship…”
“You don’t wanna go with me anymore?”
Leo grinned.
“Imagine Uncle Zeis’ disappointment, hearing you were avoiding some basic fitness training.”
“Hey! Are you trying to get back at me for teasing you just a little bit!”
Celia shivered at Leo’s mischievous grin.
“Alright, let’s go train.”
“No, let go!”
As Celia struggled, Leo playfully resisted, tugging her along.
“Hey, Leo!”
Carr rushed over, breathless.
“What’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“Professor Len’s asking for you.”
Celia’s expression brightened.
“Leo, the professor wants you. Hurry.”
“Why?”
“You got the top score on the Magical Theory test.”
“What?”
Leo and Celia exchanged shocked glances.
“What?”
Carr took a short breath before urging him further:
“The class is going wild! The professor’s furious you’re not there!”
* * *
Upon Carr and Leo’s return to the lecture hall, a chilly atmosphere enveloped the room.
As Leo entered the classroom, he felt the weight of the passing students’ gazes falling upon him.
A brief sting crossed Leo’s expression as he noticed their attention.
‘What’s with this atmosphere?’
“Leo, why weren’t you in class?”
Anna, one of Len’s assistant professors, asked quietly, prompting an awkward smile from Leo.
“I was at the cafe.”
“You were supposed to come straight back to class after the exam. Why the cafe?”
Clap clap clap
Applause suddenly broke out, drawing attention.
Approaching with a smile, Professor Len addressed Leo.
“Leo! Your approach to the test was impressive. Skipping the easy questions and tackling the hardest right away. Ha! Seems my test was too easy for a genius like you, especially with a knights studies background!”
His smile contradicted the intensity in his eyes.
The rivalry between knights and sorcerers was longstanding.
In the Lordren Empire, one of the most powerful human nations, the two factions led by the Zerdingers and Lewellins were what decided their nation’s politics.
Among the Lumene students, too, those of each field held strong beliefs of their field’s superiority.
Thus, an aspiring freshman knight entering a magic class and possessing the capability to answer only the hardest question raised eyebrows.
Moreover, Leo hadn’t even bothered to return to class afterward.
Leo interjected urgently, “Professor, there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“I thought I failed. I had no idea I got first place.”
Professor Len narrowed his brow at the words, staring at Leo.
Despite being one of Lumene’s younger professors, Len wasn’t going to allow himself to be easily fooled by a freshman.
‘I don’t think he’s lying, but why didn’t he attempt the other questions?’
“I believe I’ll be meeting with Leo for a while. Anna, please take care of the class for me.”
“All right, professor.”
She quickly made her way to the podium upon his request.
Professor Len took Leo into the room behind the lecture room, the class preparation room .
“Why didn’t you answer the other test questions?”
Leo hesitated.
“Did you find them too easy?”
“Not exactly…”
Leo, avoiding the professor’s gaze, mulled over his response.
‘This is so embarrassing. Do I have to admit I struggled with questions that all these kids could solve because I still think of myself as a great sorcerer in my past life?’
But lying wasn’t an option.
To continue putting off a response could mean perpetuating a bad first impression, leading him down a difficult road for the rest of the course.
Leo finally confessed in a low voice, “I couldn’t solve them. They were too difficult.”
“What?”
He was the sole student to answer the most difficult question on the test, but he couldn’t tackle the other questions because they were too tough? Seriously?
“I self-studied old sorcery techniques at home, and I didn’t realize how complex modern sorcery was. I didn’t come back to class after submitting the test because I was embarrassed, thinking I was too unqualified to have signed up for the sorcery minor.”
After saying that, he asked with a puzzled face.
“And, also, how did I get the top score? I only solved one question”
“So, you didn’t understand the means to cast spells, so you didn’t have the means to solve the preceding equations? You’re saying that you just gave and solved the last question?”
After listening to his mental flow, he better understood to some extent.
Certainly, if he had taught himself with old books, he may have never heard of spell invocation standards.
Although their modern incantation rituals were the latest development, there weren’t any historical methods that were mimicked by the formula.
“If you’ve only studied old sorcery techniques, it’s understandable, I suppose.”
Professor Len held a piece of chalk up to the preparation room’s blackboard, writing a formula for a spell.
“Let’s work through this together. Then I’ll show you how you got the top score.”
His anger subsided, and he became interested.
The younger generation was sensitive to trendier means of achieving the same ends.
Thus, the use of invocation formulae had not only become a trend, but it had become deeply rooted in the mainstream use of sorcery.
In this way, Leo may even be outdated in comparison, possessing a strong foundation in the theory of magic itself.
‘After all, the essence of sorcery lies in interpretation.’
Trees with strong roots grow late, but they eventually grow large.
Professor Len predicted that Leo would already be building his own magic world.
Through the modern means of interpretation, there was only one correct answer, but in reality, there were many ways to approach a correct answer.
He was curious about what kind of thinking an unconventionally-taught student like him would produce.
In watching a sorcerer solve a problem, there were ways to gain insight into their magic philosophy.
“Shall we see your interpretation?”
Leo approached the blackboard eagerly.
Without a word, he reached up, chalk in hand, analyzing the question Professor Len had written.
Squeak, squeak
Professor Len watched, amazed and trembling.
Leo finished writing the correct answer and turned around.
“I’m done.”
Leo had solved the intricate question mentally.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Aine]
[Proofreader – Ash]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
“Why’s he taking so long?”
Anna glanced at the door of the class preparation room, puzzled.
She had expected a quick resolution, but their meeting was dragging.
Among Lumene’s sorcery professors, Len’s passion for the craft surpassed others’.
Though not widely known, he was hailed as a genius in the sorcery community.
Anna had read and admired his magic thesis, so inspired that she applied to be one of his assistant professors.
‘Being an assistant professor has certainly changed my image.’
Knowledge of her capabilities often brought out unexpected sides in people.
Boom!
As if in response to her impatience, the lecture preparation room door burst open.
Anna sighed, hoping Len wouldn’t embarrass himself in front of the freshmen.
Thankfully, however, Len left the room promptly.
Then, Leo slowly emerged.
Carr asked eagerly, “What did Professor Len say?”
“He wants me to attend class.”
Anna interjected, “Alright, take a seat. Let’s continue.”
Anna resumed teaching, seemingly unfazed.
But the students exchanged puzzled looks.
It was unusual for a professor to leave abruptly like Len did.
And it was also unusual for an assistant professor to not seem to have a care in the world for such behavior.
But Leo remained composed, understanding their quirks to be normal for sorcerers.
Of course, he didn’t know why Professor Len was quite so agitated, though.
‘Well, it’s not uncommon for sorcerers to act strangely.’
Leo truly had quite the grasp on sorcery.
* * *
Boom!
The door to the teachers’ office slammed open in the Tower of Heroes.
The professors glanced up briefly, spotting Professor Len, before they returned to their tasks.
“Professor!”
Professor Albi acknowledged Len’s presence without expression.
“Thank you! You’ve given me the most amazing gift!”
Albi swiftly glanced towards his enthusiastic junior, with a gaze similar to that you’d expect when catching a whiff of a smelly trashcan.
He quickly left the teachers’ office.
He knew he’d be exhausted after being involved with Professor Len.
Len quickly followed him out.
“What’s gotten into you today?”
“Oh nothing.”
The other professors reacted calmly.
“Let’s grab a drink sometime, Professor.”
“Any reason for this commotion?”
When Professor Albi asked, his suddenly grateful junior laughed.
“Leo Plov. The student you recommended as the freshman class representative.”
“What’s going on with him?”
“Leo’s a natural at sorcery.”
“…But isn’t he a knight?”
“No, Leo belongs in the sorcery department.”
Professor Len gestured widely.
“Putting such a magical talent in knighthood? Ridiculous. He’s not meant to wield swords or armor. Sending him to the knights is an insult to the field of sorcery.”
Len continued on to recount the incident from their first class.
Professor Albi, upon hearing the story, was equally astonished.
“He taught himself to decipher complex sorcery at a fifth-year’s level! What is he, if not a genius?”
“Well, what do you want from me?”
Len chuckled, responding to his senior’s bluntly worded question.
“Let’s encourage Leo to pursue sorcery.”
“The student gets to decide which department they want to go into. If he’s that talented, he’ll choose sorcery without your urging.”
“True.”
Len seemed convinced.
“If he doesn’t, it’d be a waste, with all that talent.”
“I doubt you’ll see that happen.”
* * *
As time passed, the freshmen had settled into their new school routine.
Before they knew it, the final session of their temporary classes had arrived.
After school that day.
Students gathered in the classroom.
It was time to choose their majors and delve into their studies.
Though the students were unaware of this, homeroom teachers had already been assigned to each class.
The assistant teacher leading the students during their temporary classes began to explain.
“Today, we select and apply for classes. I’ve already explained it, but there are no elective classes available for first-semester first years. All the courses you’ll take now are required courses, and your schedules will be filled.”
These required courses were spread through seven required subjects, from hero studies, combat, heroics, languages, math, history, etiquette, to ethics.
In the meantime, students had to pick their majors.
The students of class 5 diligently filled out their applications and course schedule applications.
The assistant teacher, standing at the lecture podium, flipped through the students’ documents.
Reaching the final paper, he paused for a moment.
“Leo?”
“Yes, sir?”
“You made a mistake here. You’ve selected three majors.”
He smiled kindly, handing the paper back to Leo.
Leo said, returning the document back to the assistant teacher.
“No, that’s correct.”
“What?”
“I intend to pursue all three.”
All of his classmates looked at Leo, surprised.
Leo stated calmly.
“I’m an all-class student.’
____
