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Being originally an assassin, magic rituals starting from alchemy were actually things I wasn’t very good at.

I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but I was inattentive with minor details, and it was in my nature to do things simply, so medicine dosages that needed careful attention could be called my natural enemy.

I tended to roughly dump the medicine into the vial and create a large cloud of mysterious smoke, or spoiling the medical efficacy again and again, so I felt like I was establishing an image of a clutz even in this senior grade.

But when it comes to magic theory, I produced outstanding results, given that I studied directly under Maxwell.

“Hey, Nicole! We have to change quickly.”
“Huh, isn’t the next class practical magic training?”

Once our first period ended, Letina told me we needed to change, which confused me.

Practical magic training—in other words, we just had to release spells, so there was no need to change. Even during the elementary grade, we didn’t really change clothes aside from physical training and swimming.

“The practice this time is to form parties and subjugate monsters.”
“Huh, I didn’t hear anything about that.”
“The senior grade teaches more practical applications of spells, you know? Of course there would be real combat.”
“You have a point.”

Fortunately, I had prepared the designated gym clothes. Since I was such a clutz in these kinds of general stuff, I needed to change clothes.

“Yeah, daily preparations are important.”
“Normally, you wouldn’t need those, you know?”
“Shut up and let’s go to the locker room already!”

Dodging her retort, I grabbed her hand and rushed out of the classroom.

Boys and girls couldn’t change in the same classroom at this age, as expected. Letina, who was an elf with an eccentric personality, would probably not mind it, however.

Thinking about it like that, Finia might actually be a miraculous existence given her humility.

We rushed into the locker room and switched into the designated gym uniform. There were already a few girls inside, so it turned into a boisterous scene.

Me of ten years ago would’ve probably enjoyed this situation, but it was no longer something I was conscious of nowadays. It was certainly not often you’d see young girls changing before you, but even my body was feminine now so I got used to seeing it.

“Ugh, I feel like I lost here…”
“What are you talking about? Don’t you have a crushing lead among our class?”
“I don’t mean that.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“Nevermind.”

My body had all the right curves while my limbs and waist were slender and dainty. I had shining silver hair and a beautiful face, highlighted by my heterochromatic eyes and eyepatch.

As Letina said, my appearance was outstanding among our class… no, the entire school. But that wasn’t what I wanted. What I wanted was, you know, to look more… gallant or something.

At any rate, doing sharp movements required us to change down to the underwear. I put on the one intended for training—I sure have gotten used to doing this—and changed into leggings and short sleeves.

Then I put an unrefined coat on top and we headed to the meetup place.

Before long the bell that signaled the start of the class was heard and the teacher in charge of the practical class showed up.

“I see you’re all here. Whoever is absent, speak up.”
“They can’t if they are absent.”

The teacher broke the tension with a cliche joke, had the students stand in a row, and took a roll call.

After that, he spoke about today’s plans and called about ten Adventurers to the sports grounds. Cloud and Michelle were also among them.

“H-Huh?”

They realized that I discovered them and waved back at me. They had smiles like kids pulling off a prank.

“As planned, we will do magic practical training inside the forest today. Of course, you are probably not used to such things, so the Adventurers will follow you as guards.

At the teacher’s words, the ten-odd Adventurers gave slight bows one by one. They were lined up with tense expressions.

“They are your seniors when it comes to acting inside the forest. Even if you’re nobles, be sure to listen to what they say. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your lives.”

At those words, I heard the students swallow saliva here and there. As expected, even noble kids couldn’t hide their nervousness before a real battle.

Letina and I, who had abundant experience, were already used to it, however.

“Now then, form four or five-member teams. Then have the Adventurers accompany you. I reserved the second and third period for us today, so you can enjoy yourselves in the forest until noon.”

With that, the students started making teams as they saw fit. I teamed up with Letina, but the other students didn’t approach us.

“Why…?”
“That should be because this is a practice where you entrust your lives to each other. You faint all the time so it is natural to avoid you, no?”
“Ugh, but I have the most experience here.”
“I am the only one who knows that.”
“Guh.”

No matter how much of a beauty I was, the ability was what mattered when it came to life-threatening situations.

But as the saying went that when one door shuts, another opens, a pair of girls called out to me.

“Miss Nicole. If you don’t mind, could you join us?”

It was the girl that greeted us at the lockers in the morning.

She seemed like a little docile student, but her personality was exceedingly gentle for an academy like this full of haughty students.

“Uh, are you sure?”
“Of course. Miss Letina also has excellent records, so I would like you to join by any means.”
“Then, we’d be glad to.”

Even if they were too unskilled, with me and Letina there, and even Michelle and Cloud, there should be no problems.

Michelle and Cloud probably also came along with that goal in mind.

“Err…”
“Ah, I am Celica. Celica Belion. She is Zanastia Amamiya.”
“A dwarf…?”

The other girl that she introduced seemed too small for a senior student. However, her last name Amamiya was the surname peculiar to a certain region of the Matara Alliance.

Commoners like Gadius didn’t have surnames even there, but since she did, she must have been quite a well-bred exchange student.

“I am Zanastia. Please call me Zanas. Let’s get along.”

She said and gave a vigorous bow. That gesture made her look so much like an elementary student that it would be apt to call her one.

At any rate, with this, our group met the number requirements.

“Then me too!”

Then another person called out to us. It was the boy called Sullivan.

He was slender and of average height. If not for the flippant atmosphere around him, he would look quite like me before I reincarnated.

Still, he had quite the guts to call out to our combination.

It should be quite awkward for a boy to push himself into a group of girls. I gazed at Letina and she shrugged lightly in response.

“Well, I guess it’s fine?”
“Aw yeah!”

We reached the maximum number of people, so we could now participate in the class.

I worried what would happen for a moment, it seemed like we’d be able to safely get into the forest now.