“OUR best foot forward, eh…?”
Mathias was standing on the campus grounds, muttering to himself as he gazed at the backs of his fellow students in front.
Rueger’s words had stuck with him like a fishbone in the throat.
Mathias wasn’t sure what strengths he brought to the table. Last year he felt like he’d been nothing more than baggage the team was dragging along with it.
Sighing, he continued gazing out at the assortment of other students conducting various activities. In the distance, some were even using the new steam-enhanced roller boots. Steam hissed from their shoes as it pushed the wheels under their feet at incredible speeds.
His gaze returned to the many variations of hair color—blond, brunette, redhead. Lots of bright colors. He could also see the different ways their hair parted. It was a different perspective, looking down at the tops of other people’s heads.
Mathias was the tallest boy in the year. No, in the entire school.
Up on Mathias’s level, you spent a lot of time looking down on the tops of people’s heads. You got used to never getting a good look at their faces. Besides, that made a lot of things easier for him.
Felix often chuckled over the mismatch between Mathias’s bulky frame and shy personality. He’d always hated talking to people he didn’t know that well, and the years had only made that worse. Maybe that’s why he felt so at ease, spending time with the other three.
They didn’t look at Mathias any differently. They all acted like his appearance was totally normal. Like the red color of his eyes was just another feature, the same as his height.
I guess in the end, my strengths lie in—
“Next up, Mathias.”
“…! Yes, I’m ready.”
They’d called his turn. Mathias was currently taking his Foundation of Magic class and was the last one to be called on.
They were all lined up according to their elements, and Mathias was at the back of his row. The row to the right consisted of fire element students. The left, earth elements. Then to the left of that, you had the water element students. Starting with the second year, classes were taught by element since the curriculum became much more specialized than before.
Mathias’s teacher was named Assistant Professor Trout.
“You’re an air element student, correct?”
Trout was male but had a sultry voice that was reminiscent of a witch. He blinked rarely and often looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep.
Mathias had heard that Trout had been teaching at the Academy for two years already. Trout ought to have been a veteran air elemental magic teacher, but it was odd how he never tried to advance his career and stayed an assistant professor.
As Mathias went to join his rank, the girl at the back of the line shuffled a few steps forward with mild alarm.
Clearly, nobody wanted to get too close to him.
Mathias still didn’t have a single friend in class. Spending all his time with Felix and the others probably hadn’t helped, but the real nail in the coffin of his social life was the fact that everyone still suspected him of being a Demon Claw carrier.
In other words, he was treated like a walking disease.
So absurd. So irrational.
But he understood how they felt at the same time. If he hadn’t been there with Mia and the others, he’d probably share the other students’ horror of Demon Claw.
Still, the looks of fear and disgust etched deep wounds on Mathias’s heart. As if the blood-red eyes he was cursed with weren’t enough to have to deal with.
Mathias sighed, feeling gloomy, just as Trout raised his voice.
“Mathias Weiss…what’s the matter? Come on, get out your wand.”
Mathias jumped a little. Scrabbling frantically at his chest pocket, he realized he couldn’t find it anywhere.
Darn! I forgot it!
Actually, a gifted mage like Mathias didn’t need to use a wand. All a wand does is concentrate the body’s magical energy in one place and condense its potency. But Mathias’s magical energy didn’t need concentrating or condensing to be effective. He really was naturally gifted.
“I…forgot to bring it.”
A cold bead of sweat slid down his back as he answered.
“You forgot to bring your wand to a practical magic session?”
Trout was incredulous.
“What are you telling me here? That you’re not really motivated to be in this class? Or is it that you’re so exceptional you don’t even need a wand? In which case, perhaps you’d like to give us a little demonstration? I’ve seen those eyes of yours. You’ve got a rare gift for magic, I’ll wager.”
Trout smiled, reddish-brown eyes crinkling around the corners. Mathias hated people who smiled at you while they were trying to embarrass you in front of others.
The students standing in front of him had all turned around to look. He could feel himself trembling slightly under the pressure of so many curious glances.
“How about conjuring up a heat haze for us? That should be a cinch for you.”
Trout had named a high-level magic spell. It was advanced magic, only mentioned in the higher-grade textbooks.
A heat haze was a handy spell that could be used to disguise one’s appearance. Mathias had been planning to master it at some point. But lower classmen weren’t supposed to attempt such magic at their level. Mathias wrung his hands, feeling oddly raw and exposed.
“I ain’t got…I don’t have much experience. I can’t do magic like that yet. And I don’t even have a wand to try it with.”
Mathias hung his head contritely, and Trout backed off, seemingly mollified.
This year’s gotten off to a terrible start already…
Trying hard to keep from frowning, Mathias retreated back behind his usual safe wall of silence.