I’m Not Becoming a Graduate Student! – Chapter 28

“…??”

The grotesquely contorted face of Estroja.

Sion blinked in surprise, momentarily flustered.

When he opened and closed his eyes again, Estroja’s face was once more adorned with a picture-perfect smile.

As if she hadn’t made that odd expression at all.

“Apology accepted. The duel should always be fair… it seems the problem lies in my skills not measuring up, despite Sion-san’s effort to control his strength.”

“….”

“So there’s no need for you to apologize.”

She smiled sweetly.

As she brushed past Sion, still wearing a dazed expression, Estroja whispered in a voice only he could hear.

“I won’t forget this.”

“…!”

When Sion turned around in shock, Estroja was confidently walking away.

Watching her followers naturally gravitate toward her, Sion thought.

‘…She’s definitely a scary woman.’

Sion rubbed his goosebumps-covered arms.

The distorted face he thought he had imagined, and the whisper still lingering in his ear.

Both were imprinted vividly in his mind, as if he had just woken from a nightmare.

“Hey! Sion!”

Suddenly!

Someone clapped an arm over Sion’s shoulder from behind.

There was only one person who would do such a thing to him.

“Patrick?”

“Wow… I feel so betrayed right now. How are you doing this so well? Huh? Was all that talk about being in the Circle a lie?”

“No… that’s not it.”

“Not it, huh? Still, you did well.”

Patrick grinned broadly and patted Sion’s back enthusiastically.

Embarrassed, Sion scratched the back of his head.

Leaning in, Patrick whispered.

“You probably didn’t see it. Estroja fell in such a disgraceful way.”

“…Disgraceful?”

“Absolutely. She just stumbled backward and fell right over. Can you believe it if I said she turned a complete somersault?”

“……Ah.”

The large amount of dirt stuck on Estroja’s back.

If she rolled around on the ground… it made sense now.

And so did the anger directed at him.

‘Feels like I’ve touched someone I shouldn’t have….’

To be honest, if someone asked if it felt satisfying, he would definitely say ‘yes.’

But the fact that she was the daughter of the Parawell Marquis, one of the Empire’s three great magic families, hung heavily in his mind.

…She wouldn’t try to get back at me later or lead a bullying campaign, would she?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Geivolg appeared before Sion.

“Hahaha! Sion-kun, that was quite an impressive performance!”

“….”

“Were you surprised or what? You’ve got a deep understanding of swordsmanship, contracted a spirit on your first try, landed a hit on that illustrious Professor Ronda Magret, and now you’ve taken down the Lady Estroja! It’s hard to believe all this happened in just a week! Hahaha!!”

With a flourish, Geivolg raised his index finger and laughed boisterously.

“C-Could you keep it down…?”

“Why? Your achievements transcend status! If you want, after graduation, you can—”

“Geivolg. We’re still in class. What’s all this racket about?”

Mehden’s cold voice silenced Geivolg.

He had to come and intervene because Geivolg was causing a ruckus, clearly unconcerned about others.

Geivolg immediately bent at the waist to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Professor! I got carried away with excitement about my friend’s achievements!”

“…Understood.”

Mehden said no more and moved on.

Was it because Geivolg had the status of a prince of the Rodenburg Kingdom?

“Sion, was it?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“…Do you really think you cast a first-circle spell?”

At Mehden’s question, Sion nodded immediately.

“I only used a modified version of a first-circle spell.”

“…Is that so? Understood.”

Mehden turned away, as if he had finished his inquiries.

He again headed toward the training hall when suddenly he stopped in his tracks and glanced over at Sion.

“The score for this class is 100 out of 100… thus, an A+.”

“…!”

“So next time, make sure to control your strength. If you do not accurately assess your opponent’s skills, it can disrupt the class.”

“Th-Thank you!”

An A+ declared in his first class.

It was akin to saying, ‘there’s nothing more to teach.’

Sion bowed deeply to Professor Mehden, his heart racing.

‘An A+ for sure…! Maybe I can get a scholarship.’

Sion clenched his fist.

According to Professor Noias, starting from the second semester, he would have to manage his tuition on his own.

Earning money for that would be good, but aiming for a scholarship was also a feasible plan.

Having secured an A+ in one subject, he felt he could aim for more in the next.

With hope rekindled thanks to Professor Mehden’s words, Sion continued to watch the remaining duels alongside Patrick and Geivolg.

*

After class ended.

Sion was walking alone across the academy campus.

He had initially planned to have dinner with Patrick, but…

‘I never imagined Professor Mehden would call for me separately.’

After all classes had finished, Professor Mehden Demurniza had summoned Sion for a private consultation.

The conversation was brief.

– Where did you learn magic?

– Uh… I learned rudimentarily before entering the academy, and I’ve learned a lot since coming here.

– …You learned here, you say?

– Yes. Like Barrier and Elemental Magic…

– ……….

Professor Mehden, who had been prying in detail, looked increasingly shocked with each question.

Ultimately, he made Sion an offer.

– Your talent is of the kind that appears once in a thousand years. Would you be interested in studying under me?

– …Study?

– Yes. I shall mentor you directly; after graduating, you can continue your postgraduate studies under my guidance—

– I’m sorry.

As soon as the topic of graduate school came up, Sion bolted from his seat.

Maybe someone else would’ve welcomed such an opportunity.

After all, Demurniza was one of the three great magic families of the Empire and supposedly had dragon bloodline in him.

‘But I can’t be a graduate student. Being a graduate student…!’

Everything else was acceptable, but not being a grad student.

Even though this place lacked stormy weather that could wipe a saved game off a computer, and there were no tyrannical supervisors to torment and exploit him…

Still, the trauma tied to the concept of ‘graduate school’ and ‘graduate student’ was unavoidable.

‘Should I head to the training hall…? Hah, I need to sort things out first.’

Sion ended up at the lake park on the academy campus.

In the park, a couple of student lovers strolled by.

He plopped down on an empty bench and rubbed his temples.

What he was most curious about from today’s class was the definition of ‘first-circle magic.’

‘I definitely thought I was using first-circle magic. But Professor Mehden claimed it was second or third-circle magic.’

Sion’s magic was purely a modified version of first-circle magic.

Of course, he didn’t use it as is, but he controlled the shape, activation speed, angle, and power by himself.

He had never learned second or third-circle magic, and his heart still remained in the first circle.

He should’ve asked Professor Mehden, but he fled as soon as the graduate student topic arose, leaving his questions unanswered.

“Setting that aside… the most pressing issue is to become a second-circle mage.”

There were two ways to become a second-circle mage.

Either through solitary practice, struggling to condense his mana.

Or, asking a close professor for environmental assistance in achieving a second-circle.

The former was on hold since he had already failed once, and the result had nearly cost him his life.

That left him needing to approach a professor for help.

But… who was he supposed to ask?

Sion picked up a nearby twig and started writing names in the dirt.

SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1ZE5JK1E0eE5nckRmY0xmU3hwbHVIR3BLY2hMekJJVnV4UURtZHlsK25LQQ

Professor List

– Ronda Magret

– Heruj

– Lunia Yggdrasil

– Mehden Demurniza

– Bariyes

– Shabrina

– Noias

This was a rundown of the professors he had met thus far.

‘For now, let’s eliminate those who aren’t specialized in magic.’

To get assistance raising his circle, he needed someone experienced in magic.

So naturally, Professors Heruj and Bariyes got crossed out.

‘Lunia is the most approachable and reliable professor to ask… but honestly, I’m not sure about her.’

She lacked confidence in her teaching and actually seemed to need Sion’s help more than the other way around.

But asking her for help involving something that could put his life at risk?

…With no offense to Lunia, he just couldn’t trust her that much.

That left Ronda Magret, Mehden Demurniza, Shabrina, and Noias.

If he asked Mehden Demurniza, he felt like he would respond with, ‘I’ll help you, so become a graduate student,’ so he passed on that.

Shabrina seemed friendly and kind enough that he thought maybe he could ask her, but since he had only met her once during orientation, it felt awkward to approach her.

Noias had directly told Sion, “I can’t help you any further anymore,” so he was also out.

As Sion marked an ‘X’ next to each professor’s name he had written in the dirt, only one professor remained.

“That leaves Ronda Magret…?”

Professor Ronda Magret.

A professor who taught ‘Basic Magic’ to first-year students at the academy and who had tried to put herself on a pedestal only to inadvertently become a victim herself.

‘If I bring a gift to apologize while also asking her for help…? No, feels a bit presumptuous… Maybe it’d be better to ask Shabrina, and if she declines, then approach Lunia instead.’

Sion shook his head firmly.

Asking Ronda Magret to help him raise his Circle after she soaked him during class seemed off no matter how he looked at it.

If it were disguised as an accident where she was trying to get back at him, maybe that would be more acceptable.

“Looks like I can’t ask Professor Ronda Magret.”

“What do you mean you can’t ask?”

“…Huh?”

Sion looked up at the voice that had come from beside him.

A low, yet slightly prickly familiar voice he had heard several times before.

And it was a voice he certainly didn’t want to hear.

“What are you doing here, Sion student?”

“Professor Ronda Magret…?”

Before he knew it, Ronda Magret had sat down beside him on the bench, her gaze fixed closely on Sion’s face.