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Chapter 16: Confusion and Heart-to-Heart Talks
Ashura put on Saint Gobban Academy’s uniform, a dark green magic robe.
Only after he donned the uniform did the boy no longer look so out of place among the others.
Next came the first class of his academy life, a basic magic course taught by homeroom instructor Ella.
Ella was worthy of being an outstanding graduate, and with her good looks as well, every freshman listened with rapt attention.
The single exception was Ashura who sat in the back row, for he had never studied anything about magic.
He had merely overheard a magic meditation method from his fourth sister and, driven by curiosity about what magic elements looked like, had tried meditating a few times.
Now this total novice had to sit through a high-level magic lecture.
Although the boy was extremely bright, cold sweat still streamed down his back, and the lesson sounded like an alien language to him.
All the other students listened attentively, and no one noticed Ashura’s odd behavior in the rear.
Only Clara, who followed the lecture with ease beside him, sensed his low spirits, yet she said nothing and merely cast him a silent glance from time to time.
The Magic School held classes in the morning, left the rest of the day for free cultivation, ran 5 days a week, and gave 2 days off on weekends.
Throughout the morning Ashura took 4 classes, each taught by a different instructor on a different magic subject, 2 of which focused specifically on lightning element magic.
Even though he studied with full concentration, his foundation was so weak that he could not understand a word of what the instructors said.
After all, he lagged several years behind his classmates, and any family capable of raising a magician possessed considerable resources.
Cultivation materials and private instructors were luxuries a mere third young master of a minor vassal state’s General’s Household could never afford, so at present his gap with the others on the magic path was enormous.
Ashura realized that, at this rate, he could not bridge that gap within 3 months.
The assessment in 3 months might very well kick him out.
The boy felt deeply frustrated and utterly uncertain about his future.
Carrying these worries, Ashura pushed open the door of Dormitory 138, and the 3 people chatting over tea in the living room looked up at him.
When the trio saw the magic robe on Ashura, they were even more bewildered.
Hadn’t he said yesterday that he was Warrior Stage 3, so how had he ended up in Magic School?
Just what secrets was he hiding?
Facing their puzzled gazes, the dejected Ashura had no intention of explaining.
He waved a greeting and tried to head upstairs to his own room.
But the eldest, Jin Ze, called out, “Third, I have some excellent tea here, come sit and have a cup with us!”
Ashura, already on the stairs, froze when he heard the address “Third.”
His 2 elder brothers at home always called him “Third,” and the term instantly warmed his heart.
He looked back at the 3 smiling boys, then smiled as well and said, “Sure, I happen to be thirsty too,” and turned toward the tea table.
Still wearing the magic robe, Ashura sat down without any decorum, crossed his legs, and drained a cup of tea in huge gulps.
He could not tell good tea from bad; he only wanted to quench his thirst.
Jin Ze, seated beside him, gave a helpless smile, shook his head, and refilled the cup with another brew made from priceless leaves.
The second brother kept his usual cool silence, savoring the tea carefully as if he could taste its exorbitant value.
The fourth’s eyes sparkled at everyone, as though he had good news to share.
After Ashura finished a second cup, Jin Ze refilled it and asked, “What’s wrong, Third, you don’t look very cheerful; did something happen?”
“Was it a beauty confessing and you got rejected? If it’s the former, tell us and we’ll see if we can help; if it’s the latter, we’re afraid there’s nothing we can do!”
Ashura shot Jin Ze a grateful glance.
The elder had not asked about the magic robe at all but instead opened with a lighthearted question.
So long as Ashura chose not to answer, he could make up a small excuse and they could keep drinking tea and chatting.
After a brief silence, Ashura told his 3 roommates about his current strength, why he had never studied magic, how he had passed the test yesterday to enter the academy, how he was placed in a class today, and how he could not understand a word of the magic lessons.
Of course he omitted the threat to his family and the details of his journey to the academy.
He did not know why he opened his heart to them; perhaps that word “Third” released some of the burdens he had long suppressed.
The trio were dumbfounded; they had never imagined that such an apparently harmless boy carried such a dramatic backstory.
Nor had they expected him to be daring enough to break into the academy like that.
Apparently he had not been modest or hiding his strength yesterday; it was indeed luck and guts that got him admitted.
None of the three were fools, and after a moment’s thought they understood the predicament the boy now faced.
Yet they still could not come up with a good solution right away.
Jin Ze said gravely, “Third, only you and I are mages in this dorm, and my magic has progressed slowly these years because I had to learn the family business.”
“But I can teach you the basics of magic initiation; the problem is that I practice the water element, not lightning, so topics specific to lightning magic might be beyond me.”
“Also, I’ll pass you a fundamental magic meditation method so you can accumulate more magic elements.”
After hearing this, Ashura thanked Jin Ze sincerely, but Jin Ze waved it off, saying it was only right since they were dorm brothers.
Arthur, the second brother, thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know magic and can’t help much, but I have an older cousin in an upper-year class who is an earth-element magician.”
“He ranks among the top in their year, so I can bring him over to instructor you.”
Ashura thanked him as well, but said that with his current foundation Jin Ze’s guidance was enough, so there was no need to trouble Arthur’s cousin.
Fourth brother Angelo first took out a bracelet from his storage ring.
Then he said to Ashura, “Third bro, I don’t understand magic either, but my family specializes in forging, and this bracelet is my proudest work; it can boost a low-level magic skill’s power by 20%.”
“You have to attack a dummy in the assessment in 3 months, right, so this should help, but it’s single-use only; I can’t craft one with unlimited charges yet.”
With that he handed the bracelet over and scratched his messy hair in embarrassment.
Ashura took the bracelet pressed into his arms and met the 3 pairs of encouraging eyes around him.
His own eyes grew slightly moist.
Their selfless help moved him deeply.
He silently remembered their kindness and vowed to repay them someday.
In fact, his earlier honesty had already drawn the four of them closer.
It dispelled their preconceptions and removed the barriers among them.
They were all young lads, and who would reject a few good friends nearby?
If Ashura’s explanation had brought them closer, then Angelo’s news elevated their little group even further.
Eyes shining, Angelo told the three a piece of news that excited every boy.
It was the freshman top-ten beauty ranking.
No one knew how he had managed to get this information in just one morning.
With a lecherous grin, Angelo rattled off each beauty’s name, class, and basic details, saying that the current list was unordered and that later rankings would factor in more criteria.
Ashura heard a familiar name… Clara.
He curled his lip; that silver-haired girl was indeed pretty, but her head seemed a bit off since she dared call him an idiot.
If he were not likely to lose, he would flatten that proud nose of hers.
After finishing the last beauty’s information, Angelo was still unsatisfied.
Smacking his lips, he declared that he would keep refining and adding to the list.
Suddenly he said regretfully, “Our non-combat department actually has an alchemy beauty named Tang Guo whose looks are enough for the top 10.”
“Sadly, she seems unable to see, which knocks her image down a lot, so she can’t make the list; what a pity.”
After hearing the personal information of the ten beauties, the four boys’ eyes gleamed with a wolfish light.
They all turned to look out the dorm window at the girls’ dormitory across the road.
Youthful hormones filled Dormitory 138.
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Moofie[Translator]
Just a college student that studied in China with HSK6 that loves reading novels~!