Shut-in Magician - Chapter 44

Laetitia was saying that if he wanted to study magic, then why not go to the world’s greatest magic academy.

“You like reading books, don’t you Shiu? So, how about reading books from the school library instead of Loire’s Royal Library?”

Shiu’s eyes began sparkling when he heard the word ‘library’. Old man Stan smiled wryly and continued the conversation, “Oh yeah. They have magic books that could be considered forbidden there. And their library surpasses any other.”

“Really?”

Shiu got excited and leaned forward, but…

“But, the academy is very prestigious right? The magic academy in Latrisha Kingdom. You can’t enroll in there unless you have a famous person’s recommendation or have the highest results in school, right?”

“Ah, yes. But, Shiu would be fine, wouldn’t he?”

“Where can you find a famous person?”

“Oh my, can’t he just enter a normal magic academy? Then, he could just become the best student there.”

“…… That takes a long time.”

“Does it? Well, Shiu’s only 12 years old.”

“Tisan, Shiu’s still 11,” Emina corrected her and Shiu laughed.

“Then, he’s at the age where he can attend school. Or, is next year the age when he’s supposed to attend school? I’m certain I read in the papers that an 11 year old kid got accepted into school.”

“Really?” Shiu asked and Emina answered, “Schools accept children from the age of 12, so magic academies should be the same.”

However, he was only interested in the books.

“But, you have to pay tuition.”

What a waste, he thought and the adults around him began thinking. Then, “…… I’ll pay for your tuition,” Kiahi said. Even old man Stan offered, “No, I should be the one paying for his tuition. I could recommend him at the school I went to before as well.”

“Yeah, you should rely on us too. You helped us with Agricola and the magic bags.”

“Yeah. It’s cheap if we think of it as an investment in the future.”

They each said calculating words, but there was a tinge of playfulness in their tone.

Shiu replied, trying to move the conversation along.

“I think I have enough for the tuition. I don’t know how expensive it is, but I probably have enough. But it’s a waste of my time. You know, I have a lot of knowledge about different things, right?”

Shiu thought that it was a waste of time to be taught what you already know.

However, they seemed to have a way to change his mind.

“Ah, you can skip grades. If you pass the exam, then you can advance into the next year. They use a class selection system, so you only need the absolute minimum to pass. There’s a lot of kids who skip grades like that.”

Emina continued the explanation, “People with top grades can also get a scholarship. At least you can commute to school if you go to Loire’s magic academy, right? We’re here for you if you’re struggling with your living costs. You can rely on us more. Because you always try to do everything alone, Shiu-kun.”

Emina gradually said things that a mother would say. This made Shiu happy but embarrassed at the same time.

He was extremely grateful to them and turned bright red in embarrassment.

Kiahi nudged him with his shoulder and everyone started laughing when he retorted the same thing. It seemed like it was entertaining for them to see Shiu acting shy.

Shiu got redder and redder.

He first had to study at Loire’s magic academy before he could enrol in Latrisha Kingdom’s magic academy. There was also a school library at Loire’s magic academy and they also seemed to have a variety of books. Shiu started thinking more about enrolling in school.

There was a skipping system like Emina had said. And it wasn’t like he had to attend classes from morning to night. He also heard that some people worked while studying.

He announced that he would be paying his own tuition.

He didn’t inherit a lot of money from his foster father, but it was enough for him to live on for several years.

He had defeated a lot of thieves on his way to the Royal Capital. He had money that he’d took from the thieves and also items from his hunts. And he’d also started selling magic bags recently. They were being sold by word-of-mouth, so he didn’t sell a lot, but they were still 『magic bags』, which were expensive items. Foremost, the inherence he’d received from his foster father should be enough to pay for tuition.

Saying that, Shiu refused everyone’s offers.

However, he wanted to save money. So, he decided to study hard in order to get the scholarship. He’d barely managed to get his application in on time for the next year.

And on the day of the exam―――.

It was easier than he’d thought it would be and he finished it quickly.

Come to think of it, the minimum age to enter the 『academy』was 12. There was no way an exam for a 12 year old would be hard. It was good enough if they knew more than middle schoolers, although the middle-school level of this world was only at the same level as primary school in Shiu’s previous world.

But he was worried about ‘trick questions’ in the middle of his exam.

Anyway, Shiu was able to enter Loire’s Royal Magic Academy.

He didn’t know what the scholarship was like until he went to school, so he made as much money as he could. Nevertheless, his work at the guild was going well and his magic bags were selling. Shiu began to think that there wouldn’t be any problems even if he didn’t get the scholarship.

Shiu lived his days peacefully.

Feles was also growing up healthily and would run around energetically.

He only took rank 10 quests from the guild and was happy. His magic bag production was also progressing favourably. He had made some for stock, but it was still too early so it just accumulated.

He had also finished the magic bag for Kiahi’s party and put the 《USER AUTHORITY》on everyone in the party.

His friendship with them greatly deepened than when he’d just had the study group. The study group continued and he would often go out for tea with Laetitia.

The repairs on Gladius’ sword was also going well.

The time for them to part was approaching.

Shiu went to the Falcon’s Inn like usual for the study group and Agricola also came along.

Gladius’ sword was finished and they were going outside the Royal Capital to try it out on the next Wind day. He invited Shiu to come with them.

“We’re going to stay out for the night and go all the way to Royer Mountain.”

Kiahi had borrowed a carriage. Royer Mountain was too far to travel to by foot and it was tiring to make the trip back in one day. A cheap carriage was enough for five people to travel in.

“You’re going camping? It’s been awhile since I’ve done that.”

“You walked all the way to the Royal Capital, didn’t you Shiu? You’re so amazing.”

“Ehehe.”

Shiu acted like a child in front of them for some reason. It was embarrassing and he scratched his head.

“Well, but we’re pros. You can leave it to us.”

He patted his chest and Shiu nodded in agreement.

Agricola also joined in on their study group. He became interested in it after hearing about it from Gladius. He warmed up to Shiu as they were talking and they began talking about magic conservation.

Agricola regretted it a lot that he didn’t participate in the study group from the beginning because it was so interesting. He liked to read books and experiment like Shiu. Agricola was going to settle down in Loire and work at the smithy he’d used to fix the sword.

Shiu promised Gladius and his party that they would meet again, even if they left the Royal Capital.

They left the Royal Capital before the sun rose on the day they were going to Royer Mountain.

They lazed around inside of the carriage and it was quiet, probably because everyone was still drowsy. Gladius and Kirch took turns at driving the carriage, so Shiu was free.

“Hey. Was the exam that easy?”

“Yes. I was surprised. They also checked if I had magic and stuff.”

“Using a crystal?”

” Yup. Oh, I couldn’t believe that there was no 【privacy】at all.”

“What’s privacy?”

“Mm, personal secrets? It’s something personal. Because, you know, your abilities are supposed to be a secret, right?”

“Well, yeah. The guild is thorough though.”

“I was surprised that information management is so sloppy.”

“Isn’t that bad?”

Kiahi looked worried and Shiu told him secretly. Even they knew that Shiu had appraisal magic. It was fine if he misrepresented his status a little.

“You can interfere with the crystal you know. Through, information manipulation?”

“…… Hey you.”

Kiahi looked amazed.

“It’s so nice to have appraisal. Your appraisal is at level 5, right?”

“…… Ahaha.”

“Stop laughing, are you trying to play it off?! Seriously.”

“It’ll make me anxious,” Kiahi said. Agricola looked at Shiu in surprise and Laetitia shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway, if you don’t manage your information well then people will notice.”

“I know. But, I didn’t think that my status would be read out immediately.”

The person in charged calmly read the status out loud in the test hall. Shiu was nervous. He had borrowed the crystal at Bariado Tool Shop and practiced camouflaging his status a lot. Fortunately, the crystal used at the school was a low accuracy one and it was easy for him to camouflage his status.

Even now, he was always casting 《STATUS CONCEALMENT》because of the dangers of living in the Royal Capital. He was always practicing it, so he could use it unconsciously. He always had 《EVERY DIRECTION SEARCH》and 《STATUS CONCEALMENT》up in case of emergencies. That was why he thought that it was necessary for him to use magic tools as a cover.

“I guess I have to cover up my magic with magic tools.”

“Well, I just remembered this now, but magic tools aren’t something that are easy to make, you know?”

“I can just tell them, 『I want to become a magician who can make those kinds of things, so I entered school』, right?”

“But your original goal is to 『read the forbidden books』, right?”

“Not just the forbidden books. I also like the ancient language, so I want to study that as well. At any rate, I want to read ancient texts.”

“I can’t understand why you’d want to. If it was me, then I believe that I’d fall asleep if I read a book.”

“Ah, me too,” Laetitia raised her hand.

“You did well to become a magician with an attitude like that, didn’t you?” Shiu asked.

“Cause I’m an elf,” she smiled and replied. It was different for people who originally held magic. They were certainly a race that other races were jealous of.

Translator: Blushy
Editor: HSM

Chapter end