io. Remember it this time.”

“I’ll try my best.”

While all the teachers were quietly keeping an eye on her, Leticiel responded to the Dean.. Lucas’ words appropriately. Although she had no interest in the Dean and the other teachers, she was interested in why she had been called here.

“Now then, let’s move on to the reason you were called here.”

“Okay.”

“You, it seems that you rewrote a Magic Formula during class. In that case, can you rewrite this Formula for me?”

After saying that, Lucas presented a small-scoped, yet complicated Formula with a large expression.

However, even if the scope had been increased, that complex Magic Formula would not change due to the fundamentals of the expression’s calculation methods. Leticiel then received a quill pen from a teacher, and slashed through the Formula without any hesitation as if she was wielding a hatchet.

Leticiel simplified the expression while reducing the number of polynomials, ignoring the teachers who were not able to keep up. In the blink of an eye, she had finished rewriting the Formula.”

“..This is..”

Even Lucas was amazed by the Formula that only took Leticiel a moment to rewrite. He carefully went through through it once before raising his head to stare at Leticel once again.

“The Formula you just saw was a standard Magic Formula in this kingdom. What are your thoughts on it?”

“..Hah?”

Leticiel, who had been slightly on guard while anticipating what Lucas would say, was so taken by surprise that she ended up with a foolish reply.

“It’s fine for you to be frank. Unrelated people have been dismissed.”

“Okay..”

Leticiel blinked. She couldn’t understand why the Dean and the teachers would want to hear her opinion, but she felt that it might be a good opportunity.

While Magecraft and Magic were different fundamentally, the Formula they used were the same. If they said it was fine, then there was no reason to hold back. And she could just push all the responsibilities on the academy afterwards.

Leticiel made a gentle smile. It was finally her chance to correct their faulty knowledge.

Lucas and the teachers waited intently for Drossel’s answer.

Compared to the old Basic Formula, the one rewritten by Drossel had superior Magic Power consumption and conversion efficiency, while lessening load on the processing circuit.

These Magic Formulas had been perfected since the founding of the Platina Kingdom and hadn’t been modified once until now. Those very Formulas were easily rewritten by Drossel, who was supposed to be a poor student.

She had been given up on by her family, ignored by her surroundings, hated and shunned by everyone. The faculty was at a loss for words on how such a girl could have obtained that unknown knowledge. As people who taught others, there was no way they wouldn’t be interested in that reason.

However, they would come to regret their curiosity before long.

“What I want to say, right..? Fufufufu.. I can go on and on about that.. thing.”

A freezing wind silently whirled through the conference room. The faces of everyone in the room turned pale as an ominous chill crawled up their backs. However, as only Leticiel knew of Magecraft’s existence, nobody realized she was the cause of that phenomenon.

Leticiel was angry. However, even though she was angry about the extremely inefficient Magic Formula, unlike what had happened during second period, her anger didn’t erupt indiscriminately.

Although she was properly controlling her emotions by suppressing her anger, she invoked her Magecraft to restrain the surroundings. Leticiel had no intention of letting anyone escape from the conference room.

“I can start, right? First things first, this kingdom.. well, it’s probably the entire world, but I’ll talk in terms of country first. This kingdom’s Magic Formulas are a complete and utter joke. First, their appearance isn’t beautiful at all. What’s with those pointless mess of words and numbers? The point is not to make them complicated. The most important thing is the content of the formula. It’s important to keep it as short as possible by only including the essential pieces. And then, Magic Power..? The conversion efficiency is the absolute worst. I was baffled time and time again that nobody questioned why the Formulas were so inefficient. In the first place..

(Omitted)

..To sum it up, you said this kingdom’s Sorcery.. no, Magic Formulas right? In any case, they’re a blasphemy against Formulas themselves. Do you understand it now? Well then.. that’s all I have to say, but.. Oh my? What happened, everyone?”

Leticiel, feeling refreshed after getting everything off her chest, looked around her. She was standing before the conference room’s blackboard as she had decided to incorporate some demonstrations during her explanation.

Reflected in Leticiel’s eyes was the aftermath of the chilling wind; those who had fainted, those whose eyes had lost focus, and those whose souls had left their bodies collapsed on their desks.Perhaps her Phenomenon Interference power had run amok again during her explanation.

(As I thought, it’s hard to control a Magic Powerless’ body..)

Amidst the disastrous state of the conference room that was comparable to the term ‘scene of carnage’, an indifferent Leticiel was thinking about something else entirely.

Aboard the sinking ship of teachers, only Lucas had been able to stay fully conscious. He was deep in thought with his chin rested on his hand. Looking at Leticiel with intense curiosity, he opened his mouth.

“..Hey, do you want to do Formulas research in a laboratory? I don’t mind even if you do it as a club.”

It seemed that even though she had spoken at length on the topic of ‘What makes a Magic (Sorcery) Formula’ until just now, her points hadn’t reach him at all. And because of that, he tried to forcefully change the topic.

Incidentally, she didn’t talk about Magecraft. To be more precise, she didn’t have any spare time to talk about it. Leticiel had devoted herself in researching Formulas, furthermore, she had perfected them. When a research maniac who could talk about Formulas for an entire day was asked to talk about them, it was impossible for them to do something skillfully like weaving in another issue.

“..Um, were you listening to what I was saying? If you want, I could repeat it..”

“Wait. Wait wait wait, I’m not telling you to repeat it, I’ve heard more than enough! I’m saying this because I heard what you said!”

The sight of Leticiel ready to start talking again was enough for Lucas forcefully stop her without bothering to hide his impatience. As she was cut off, Leticiel backed down with a vexed face.

“I understand your points for the most part, but they’re still views and theories that we’ve never even heard of before. Accepting them through your explanations alone would be impossible. That’s why we must first do research and verify these claims.”

“You’re right..”

“No matter how many times you say it, we won’t be able to understand your views. After all, it’s impossible to believe what you’ve come up with on your own. But I’m interested in what you said. So I’m asking for your cooperation in this matter.”

“Cooperation..”

In short, Lucas was saying that he was interested in what Leticiel said and wanted her to research it in detail.

When Leticiel thought about it, since her awakening as Drossel, she hadn’t been able to immerse herself in her past life’s hobby of researching Magecraft. If the academy would be willing to provide her the funding and equipment, then it would be a considerably tempting offer.

However, before giving Lucas her answer, there was something Leticiel had to ask him.

“Can I ask you a question first?”

“What is it?”

“What is a laboratory..? And what is a club..?”

Of course, Leticiel knew what the words laboratory and club meant. However, she didn’t know what they would entail at Lucrezia Academy.

Lucas, with his mouth opened wide, silently exchanged a mute stare with Leticiel. As this was already her third experience with this awkward silence today, she paid it no heed.

“..I’ll ask this just in case, but you really are a student of Lucrezia Academy, right?”

“Yes, it would seem so.”

“..Both laboratory and club were also explained during orientation, did you pay any attention?”

“I don’t really remember.”

“..It was explained just over a week ago, you know? Or rather, why didn’t you remember it?”

“Right.. Maybe because I had no interest in it.”

“You’ve only been talking in vague terms like that since earlier. “

After all, it was not Leticiel who had attended the orientation.

Of course, Leticiel didn’t voice it out loud, but instead simply tilted her head, as if to ask him, ‘What are you grumbling about?’.

Lucas massaged his temples. The sight of the girl practicing the saying of ‘if nothing goes right, go left’ made him realize that he had delved into something bothersome.

After that, Lucas taught Leticiel about the academy’s laboratory and club system.

Every teacher belonging to the academy had their own laboratory to serve as their research facility as well as their private space. Teachers would put something like a sign outside their laboratory to indicate their research objective and they would often be found in their own laboratory when not in class.

As they could learn things not included in textbooks at a laboratory that matched their interests, it was not unusual for students who wanted to obtain more advanced knowledge and information to join a teacher’s laboratory.

Incidentally, Lucas’s laboratory’s topic was ‘Independent Research’. While it seemed like a sloppy topic at first, it was meant to urge students to study on their own and satisfy their own curiosity.

As for clubs, each of them were an organization formed by a group of students with the same goal. A club’s purpose was to help each other improve while aiming for that goal.

In addition, unlike laboratories, there weren’t many clubs at the moment. As this Lucrezia Academy was full of nobles, many of the students would leave for parlors or tea parties and evening parties after school.

“..Even if you said that, you’ve been acting really strange, you know? Did you eat something weird? Or did you hit your head or something?”

“I just forgot for some reason.”

“Hah? Even if you..”

“I just forgot for some reason.”

“No, like I was saying..”

“I just forgot for some reason.”

“It’s impossible for..”

“I, just, forgot, for, some, reason. Do you understand?”

“Alright. You just forgot it for some reason.”

In the end, Leticiel interfered with the Mana in the room for a little bit and caused a blizzard to form around only Lucas. When she pressured him with a wide smile, Lucas immediately swung his neck downward. She had already said that she had forgotten for some reason, she didn’t want him to delve too deeply into it.

(Just now, it seems like I’m just answering all his questions with ‘I just forgot for some reason’, doesn’t it..)

Oblivious to the fact that she had been using the same excuse for everything so far, Leticiel once again employed the same tactic. She then started to put together her answer to Lucas’s offer.

”Dean, I have a question about joining a laboratory. Will the academy provide all the research funds and equipment?”

“Ah, naturally. If it’s just that, then there won’t be any problems. I’m in charge of handling budgets and facilities after all.”

“I got it. If it’s under those conditions, then I’ll accept the offer.”

“Very well. Then I’ll make the arrangements for the laboratory, so wait a bit.”

“Thank you very much.”

Hearing Leticiel’s answer, Lucas nodded.

“Also, I would like to put the club on hold for now. I don’t have any friends I can invite at the moment.”

“Got it. You can do whatever you want. If you want, you could just make one. If you don’t, that’s fine as well.”

“Okay, I’ll do so.”

At that moment, the sound of a bell could be heard from outside the room. Puzzled, Leticiel turned her head towards the entrance of the conference room and looked up at the clock.

“..Eh?”

The clock hanging on the wall was pointing at exactly one o’clock. Leticiel blinked repeatedly as she looked back in her memory.

Lucrezia Academy’s first period started at nine in the morning. A class was fifty minutes long, and there were ten minute breaks in between classes. There were three classes in the morning which ended ten minutes before noon. Between noon and one o’clock was lunch break and fourth period would start afterwards.

Leticiel had run to this room at the end of the third period, or in other words, ten minutes before noon. Even discounting the time taken to reach the conference room, Leticiel had been talking for an hour straight.

(Oh my.. I had too much fun.)

Although nobody would be able to understand why she thought that frozen hell was ‘fun’, there was no one in her mind to retort .

“..It looks like fourth period has started.”

“That seems to be the case. You would be late regardless if you go to class now, so let’s just go to the cafeteria. I’m hungry.”

After saying that, Lucas stood up from his seat and quickly headed out of the conference room. Leticiel was confused for a moment, but quickly followed after.

It was ?then that Leticiel noticed that she hadn’t had lunch either. Having been made aware of that fact, her stomach suddenly made a rumbling noise. Lucas, who was walking ahead of her, turned his head to look back at her with one eye. His eyes seemed to be smirking.

“Oh..? That was quite an admirable sound. So even the Ice Demon can act like a human.”

“Oh my, even the Ice Demon is still a human inside. Getting hungry is simply natural.”

“Hahaha.. You’re right.”

“In that case Dean, with a muscular body like that, you must sound like the beats of a large drum when you’re hungry.”

“You.. You’re really not cute at all.”

“Well, if you’re looking for someone cute, then please find someone else. I’ve already left the thing called friendliness behind in my previous life.”

“..You’re talking about yourself, you know..”

While they were exchanging that sort of empty conversation, she earnestly crammed the locations of school facilities as well as the routes into her head. This was Leticiel’s goal for going to the cafeteria with Lucas.

Meanwhile in the Large Conference Room..

“..O-ooow.. My head, hurts.. What just happened..”

“Aargh.. I’m covered in sweat. What was that blizzard? Where did it come from?”

“A supernatural phenomenon? None of us used Magic, right?”

“Is it possible that.. Miss Drossel is the cause of this?”

“..If I’m not mistaken, I heard Miss Drossel caused something to happen during second period as well.”

“..But she’s a Magic Powerless, you know? If you think about it logically.. Wouldn’t it be impossible?”

“You’ve got a point..”

“Anyway, my legs are trembling..”

“..Wait, everyone..! This is not the time to take it easy! Fourth period has already started!!”

“”””Whaaaat!?””””

The teachers’ screams resounded.

* * *

The first day at the academy since her transmigration had ended somewhat peacefully.

When the last class ended, Leticiel hurriedly packed everything back into her bag and joined the stream of students leaving the classroom.

When she reached the entrance dyed by the color of the evening sun, Leticiel was greeted with the sight of many carriages lined up next to each other. Among the carriages that were to take their noble masters home, there was one that stood out conspicuously with its family crest and gaudy exterior. It was the carriage of the Filiaregis Duke household.

She boarded the same carriage she had taken this morning and returned to the Duke’s residence. Leticiel paid no heed to Christa, who had returned at the same time, as she headed straight for her room and dove into bed.

The fact that she had been thrown into an entirely unknown new world right after her death had mentally exhausted Leticiel beyond her wildest dreams. She rolled around on the soft and fluffy bed.

“Welcome back, my lady.. Are you feeling alright?”

Ruvik, who had just entered the room, was greeted by the sight of his master lazing around and raised a worried voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just feeling a little tired.”

After replying to Ruvik, Leticiel reflected on the events that had happened today.

Although she had learned many things about this world all day, it was merely a drop in the ocean. The state of affairs outside of the kingdom, the current political system, there were still many things Leticiel wanted to learn about.

“Hey, Ruvik. Besides reading books, what’s the quickest way to obtain information about the kingdom?”

Without knowing why herself, Leticiel asked Ruvik that question.

Of course she would be able to obtain information from reading books; however, the information recorded in books wouldn’t tell her much about the current state of society.

“Huh? Um, right.. In that case, you can just read the newspaper, right?”

“..Newspaper?”

The unknown word made Leticiel tilt her head. Ruvik maintained an unconcerned face and continued on, as if overlooking why she didn’t know what newspapers were.

“Y-yes.. Newspapers inform you about events as well as special sales for the day. They’re a valuable source of information for lower-class people like us. However, the newspapers for nobles and the newspapers for the masses are two completely different things.”

“Oh my, I have no interest in nobles’ newspapers. Ruvik..? Do you read the newspapers as well?”

“Yes. To tell the truth, reading up on the current events from the newspaper delivered every morning is a simple hobby of mine..”

While saying that, Ruvik seemed to be embarrassed and scratched his head while smiling. It appeared that the fact that the masses had little entertainment didn’t change, even in a thousand years.

“I see. In that case, could you bring that newspaper thing to me tomorrow? I’m very interested in it.”

“Hah.. I understand. If you don’t mind it being my copy, I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

Even after all that had happened, Ruvik still listened to Leticiel and earnestly offered his thoughts. Although Ruvik was the first person to have gotten involved with her following her transmigration, without any of Drossel’s memories, Leticiel wasn’t confident enough to be frank about her situation.

“Also.. How about trying to talk to the townspeople? I have to live at this residence as part of my job so I couldn’t tell you anything regarding this matter..”

But looking at the figure of Ruvik, who was contemplating Leticiel’s question as if it was his own, Leticiel thought just for a moment that he might be someone worth trusting.

“I see. But I shouldn’t be outside at this time of the day.”

By the time Leticiel had returned home, the sky was completely dyed a scarlet hue. She had no intention to do something as reckless as going to the town just before nightfall.

“Say, Ruvik. Do you happen to know anyone who’s well-informed about the state of the town?”

“Let me see.. I do have a friend who commutes from the town, and if it’s around this time then he hasn’t gone home yet..”

“Well, that’s good to hear. Where might your friend be right now?”

“Huh.. My lady, you want to meet him right now..?”

“Oh my, it’s fine, right? If your friend has yet to go home, then he should be somewhere around the residence, shouldn’t he?”

After deciding that, Leticiel promptly left the room with Ruvik in tow. She heard from Ruvik that his friend worked as the residence’s head gardener, and that he’d be conducting the final check on the plants in the garden around this time.

“..Ah. My lady, there he is.”

When they got to the garden, Ruvik raised his voice. His eyes were pointed to the back of a rough-looking muscular man squatting before the flower bed.

“Cloud!”

Hearing Ruvik’s voice, the man called Cloud stopped moving his pruning shears and turned around.

After locating Ruvik’s figure, the man was about to raise his hand, but caught himself when he noticed Leticiel standing behind Ruvik, and immediately stood up while putting his hand down.

“O-oh! Lady Drossel, it’s rare to see you at such a place, what can I do for you?”

“Cloud, my lady is interested in the current state of the town, so she wants to hear about it from you.

“Huh? F-from me..?”

Cloud’s eyes opened wide, having heard a request he would never have expected to come from a Duke’s daughter.

“Yes. I wanted to go there myself, but it’s already this late.”

“I see, so that’s the reason.. However, I can only tell you about the area where I live.”

“Oh my, that’s more than enough.”

In the orange-dyed garden, Leticiel and Ruvik had a lively conversation with Cloud.

Both Ruvik and Cloud held no prejudice towards Leticiel at all. Without being patronizing, they seriously answered any question she had, no matter how trivial they were, to satisfy her curiosity.

As she spoke with the two servants who didn’t shun her like the others of this residence in a completely unknown world, Leticiel felt it was the first time she had a peace of mind.