Aha, thought Saito. So in this world, magic is the equivalent of science and technology in my world. I think I understand now the reason Louise is so proud to call herself a magician.
“Now, everyone, please recall that the basic magic of the Earth element is 'transmutation'. While there will be people here who have already learned this in their first year, basics build foundations, so let's review it once more.”
Chevreuse turned her attention to the pebbles and twirled her wand over them.
She then whispered a spell, and they began to glow brightly.
When the light dimmed away, the pebbles had been changed into sparkling lumps of metal.
“Is that g-g-gold, Mrs. Chevreuse!?”
Kirche leaned forward over her desk.
“No, it isn't. It's plain brass. Only Square-class mages are able to transmute to gold. I'm just…” Chevreuse gave a self-important cough. “A Triangle mage…”
“Louise.” Saito poked her.
“What? We're in the middle of a lesson here!”
“What's all this about squares and triangles supposed to mean?”
“It's the number of elements that they can add to a spell, which also determines the level of a mage.”
“Huh?”
“See, for example, you can use an Earth spell on its own. But if you add Fire magic to it, the overall power of the spell increases greatly,” Louise explained to Saito quietly.
“Oh, I see.”
“Those who can stack two elements like Fire and Earth together are called Line mages. Mrs. Chevreuse, being able to combine three elements, Earth-Earth-Fire, is a Triangle mage.”
“What happens when you add an element to itself?”
“It reinforces that element and makes it stronger.”
“I see. So in other words, you could say that the teacher over there is a fairly powerful mage, because she's a Triangle?”
“Exactly.”
“How many can you add, Louise?”
She didn't answer.
The teacher noticed them talking.
“Miss Vallière!”
“Y-Yes?”
“Please refrain from private chatter during lessons.”
“I'm sorry…”
“Since you have the time to chatter, perhaps I should have you demonstrate for me?”
“Eh? Me?”
“Yes. Try changing these pebbles here into a metal of your choice.”
Louise didn't stand up. She simply sat there looking troubled and fidgety.
“Hey, come on! She's pointing at you!” Saito nudged her.
“Miss Vallière! Is something the matter?”
Mrs. Chevreuse called for her again, but Kirche raised her voice in concern.
“Umm…”
“Yes?”
“I think it would be better if you didn't let her…”
“And why is that?”
“It's dangerous,” Kirche answered plainly. The majority of the class nodded in agreement.
“Dangerous? How so?”
“This is your first time teaching Louise, right?”
“It is, but I hear she's a hard worker. Now, Miss Vallière. Don't you worry, just try it. You won't be able to do anything if you dread making mistakes.”
“Don't, Louise!” Kirche cried, her face pale.
But Louise stood up.
“I'll do it.”
With a nervous expression, she walked briskly up to the front of the room.
Chevreuse stood next to Louise and smiled.
“Miss Vallière, you have to visualize vividly the metal that you wish to transmute them into.”
Giving a cute little nod, Louise waved her wand. She had never looked as adorable as in that instant when she pursed her lips to begin chanting the incantation – it was almost otherworldly.
Even knowing her true personality, Saito was momentarily enamoured.
In the morning sunshine streaming in from the window, Louise's strawberry-blonde hair sparkled enchantingly. Her hazel eyes shown like jewels, and her skin was a flawless white. Her sculpted nose was befitting of nobility.
If only her breasts were more filled out, she'd be perfect – almost too good. But no matter how cute she is, that personality of hers is a real pitfall, Saito lamented.
But as he sat there pondering, the students sitting in front of him had for some reason hidden under their chairs. Don't they see how cute Louise is? Still, she doesn't seem to be very popular. Rather, she gets called 'the Zero' and made fun of. Just looking around here, there aren't any girls nearly as cute. Only Kirche rivals her in looks.
Closing her eyes, Louise uttered a short rune and flourished her wand.
The pebbles on the desk promptly exploded.
Louise and Chevreuse caught the blast full-on and were thrown against the blackboard, as people screamed. Frightened familiars added to the chaos. Kirche's salamander suddenly woke from its sleep and stood up on its hind legs, breathing a jet of flame. A manticore burst into flight and smashed through a window to escape. Through the hole, the giant snake that had been peeking in earlier slithered in and swallowed someone's raven.
The classroom was in pandemonium.
Kirche stood up and pointed a finger at Louise.
“That's why I told you not to let her do it!”
“Jeez, Vallière! Save us some grief and just quit school already!”
“My Lucky got eaten by a snake! Lucky!”
Saito stared in shock.
Mrs. Chevreuse lay on the floor; judging by her occasional twitching, she wasn't dead.
A soot-blackened Louise rose slowly. She was a miserable sight to behold. Her torn blouse revealed a slender shoulder, and her panties could be seen beneath her ripped skirt.
Still, what an amazing girl. She didn't seem at all fazed by the discord in the room. She pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the soot off her face.
“Looks like I messed up a little…” she said, in a weak voice.
Of course, that elicited a vehement response from the other students.
“That wasn't 'a little!', Louise the Zero!”
“Your success rate is always ZERO!”
Saito finally understood why Louise was called “the Zero.”
Chapter Three: Legend
Mister Colbert, a teacher who had dedicated twenty years to Tristain Magic Academy, was by now a mainstay figure.
His Runic name was “Colbert the Flame Snake,” and, naturally, he was a mage specializing in fire magic.
Since the Springtime Familiar Summoning a few days ago, he'd been concerned about the commoner boy that Louise had summoned. Or more precisely, he'd been concerned with nothing but the runes that had appeared on that boy's left hand. They were rare runes indeed, so for the last few nights, he'd confined himself to the library and had been researching various texts.
Tristain Magic Academy's library was located in the same tower as the dining hall. The bookshelves were unbelievably tall, about thirty mails in height, and the way they were lined up against the walls was a spectacle to behold. And rightly so, since this place was crammed with the history of everything following the creation of the new world in Halkeginia by the Founder Brimir.
Colbert was now in a section called “Fenrir's Library” that only teachers were allowed entry to.
The ordinary bookshelves, to which students had free access, didn't hold any answers that could satisfy him.
He Levitated up to an out-of-reach shelf and scanned it intently for a particular book. His efforts were rewarded as his gaze fell upon the title of the book. It was a very old text which held descriptions of the familiars that had been used by the Founder Brimir.
His attention was focused on one particular paragraph written in it, and as he read on in fascination, his eyes grew wide. He compared the book with the sketch he'd made of the runes on the boy's left hand.