Lunch passed without a hitch.
At least, that’s what I would’ve said if it had.
Obviously, it didn’t.
The entire time, she interrogated me about what I’d learned from the library, while sitting beside me instead of across from me, being outrageously close the whole time.
She asked what page I was on, then told me to show her my magical progress.
Naturally, I did. I wasn’t about to waste the perfect chance to show off. Still, I kept it as subtle as possible. The last thing I wanted was to paint a target on my back this early.
But her excited voice echoing through the hall made that nearly impossible.
Especially when I showed off the more high-level spells right in front of her.
She looked at me like she’d just watched her own child take his first steps.
Normally, that wouldn’t have been a problem. Two people hanging out in the cafeteria before their next class? Showing off magic in a magical academy? Classic.
The problem was... the pair wasn’t exactly normal.
One was an outrageous pervert and bastard.
The other was as kind as a saint.
Even the most tired, half-dead student in the room would’ve noticed something was off.
"So you’re an empty vessel, huh? That makes sense."
Annabele muttered the words with a nod after hearing my explanation. Obviously, I didn’t bother explaining the soul stuff.
I still needed a trump card up my sleeve.
As for me casting spells while I was asleep, I still didn’t have a proper explanation for that, other than being a prodigy.
Although, somehow, she accepted that answer pretty quickly too.
"After all is said and done, it’s good to see you got discharged early. Although..."
Annabele squirmed in her seat, as if the thought alone made her uncomfortable.
"Recent head trauma and P.E. don’t mix well. What if your condition gets worse?"
Her concern made sense.
Naturally, I wasn’t paying attention to that.
I already had a better idea in mind.
"Well, how about this? After class, I’ll tell you if anything bad happened, and then you can heal me. Does that help with your concern?"
"Hmm... it would be better if we told the physician about it. I’m sure he didn’t know you’d have P.E. almost immediately..."
"But I can’t waste this chance. Think about it, I said I wanted to change. That means physically too, not just magically."
I added that last part with complete confidence, only to find her sighing and crossing her arms at me.
"Fine... but if it hurts even a little, you come to me immediately, okay?"
Annabele Thorne Rose.
The kind of woman who wanted to be useful to everyone.
And yet, everyone avoided her out of fear that they’d end up taking advantage of her kindness.
It was an interesting reversal.
Normally, people like her would be overworked.
Here?
Apparently not.
The only person who really relied on her was Lucius.
But now... he had competition.
And not to brag, but someone as useless as me would definitely attract a girl who wanted to be useful more than he ever could.
Actually...
Was that even a brag?
✧ ✦ ✧
P.E. had finally arrived.
And in this academy, it was a much bigger spectacle than the average P.E. class from the schools I originally came from.
First, there was the field.
It was massive.
There was a huge circular track for running, a rectangular arena for sparring, weights for muscle building, and just about everything else you could name.
This place definitely wasn’t wasting money, especially for an academy situated directly in the capital city.
Surprisingly enough, though, the curriculum was lax.
From Reyn’s memories of the orientation, the academy apparently promoted self-learning above all else when it came to practical and physical fields.
You wanted to get buff? Then the academy would ask which muscles you wanted to train, whether you wanted a trainer or preferred to go solo, and then you’d tell the observers.
Even with magic, they had specialized teachers for each magical aptitude. Or, if you wanted, you could train alone. The academy didn’t really care, as long as you performed well.
The only time they followed a rigid curriculum was for politics and law.
Which was obvious enough, really.
As for how Reyn managed to survive this long in the academy?
All it took was the bare minimum, and a bit of bribery from his father.
But now, all of that was going to change.
"Headcount done! I expect you all to return here after two hours for the progress assessment. Dismissed!"
The head trainer’s voice boomed across the field as the classes stood in square formations. The moment he gave the final word, everyone dispersed, already moving toward their teams, partners, or whatever exercise they had chosen for the day.
As for me...
It was straight to the basics.
Muscle building and weight loss.
Boring, sure.
But if I wanted to look better, it was what I needed to focus on first.
I headed toward the weight training area, passing clusters of students already paired off for sparring or stretching in groups. A few glanced my way. Most didn’t bother hiding their surprise.
Reyn Brimstone, voluntarily walking toward the weights instead of sneaking off behind the equipment shed to harass someone?
Unprecedented!
I ignored the stares and approached one of the academy trainers stationed near the weight racks. A stocky man with arms like tree trunks and a clipboard he clearly had no intention of using.
"Lord Brimstone." His tone was flat. "Here to hide from the head trainer again?"
I met his eyes without flinching.
"I’d like a trainer. Muscle building and weight loss at the beginner level."
The man blinked. Then he laughed, a sound that drew a few more stares from the people around us.
"You? A trainer? Last time I saw you in this area, you tried to bribe me to say you’d been running laps."
"Yes, a trainer. One that would account for me healing myself mid-training using light magic, preferably."
He studied my face for a long moment, surprised by my calm answer. Whatever he found there made his skepticism waver.
"Fine, I’ll be your trainer. I don’t think my co-workers would even agree to work with you. But if I see you harassing someone or sabotaging the weights, you’re on your own, got it?"
"Got it."