New chapter of Control Engineer is out! (2/2 chapters)

 

 

First Day of School, Afternoon

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From the afternoon onward, the compulsory lectures in general education began immediately. The first subject was Introduction to Ancient Elvish Language, and the instructor who stood at the lectern was Ruida-sensei.

“Le-let us begi–… let us begin.” (Ruida)

She stumbled over her words. As she was an instructor, I assumed she must have been in her late twenties at the very least. Yet perhaps because she wore glasses, she appeared rather young.

“Now then, as indicated by the title of this subject, Ancient Elvish Language, I believe you all know this already, but there is no longer any human being who uses it as a daily language.” (Ruida)

Judging by the lack of reaction, everyone seemed already aware of that fact.

“Although the population of elves residing within our own country is quite small, there is a fair number of them living across the seven neighboring nations. However, as I mentioned earlier, even they now employ the language of humankind as their common tongue.” (Ruida)

I see, so that is how it is.

“Now then, why do we study Ancient Elvish as a compulsory subject? It is because the script of the ancient elves is used as one of the structural elements in the activation symbols of magic art.” (Ruida)

That had been stated somewhat indirectly in the admission guidelines as well.

“Let us begin with a bit of history.” (Ruida)

The history of the ancient elves she spoke of matched precisely what Morgan-sensei had once taught me, that they had once possessed a level of scientific knowledge surpassing that of humankind, that their civilization began to decline following the great dragon vein upheaval approximately five hundred years ago, that many of the existing forms of magic art are in truth the legacy of ancient elven technology, and that with their decline, much of their linguistic knowledge was lost as well.

“Elvish remains inscribed upon the monuments found in ruins scattered across various regions, yet for many long years, its meaning was impossible to decipher. However, about 70 years ago, a certain discovery changed that situation, the Gazette Stone.” (Ruida)

The Gazette Stone, hmm.

“The Gazette Stone bore roughly 500 characters, and most astonishingly, two other languages were engraved alongside it. One of them, as it turned out, was Argenese. This discovery greatly accelerated the progress of decipherment.” (Ruida)

How fervent Ruida-sensei’s tone had become.

“Even so, with such a limited corpus, the work of deciphering Ancient Elvish remains incomplete.” (Ruida)

I see. If 500 characters are insufficient, then what of that document’s Elvish subset? The quantity of information it contains would surely be incomparable to that of the Gazette Stone. If I were to find a way to make it public, it could prove to be an extraordinary academic contribution.

But then, what would happen if I were to publish information about Ancient Elvish? Would anyone believe me? In the realm of scholarship, one must always present evidence and proof. And what would I say? “I am the reincarnation of a human from a planet called Earth. The evidence lies within a document that somehow came to reside within my mind.” No, if I were to say such a thing, I would undoubtedly be taken for a lunatic or, at best, a fraud. Were our positions reversed, if I were the boy sitting beside me, I would never believe such a claim. For the time being, it must be set aside.

“Thus, even by the standards of this academy, it is not possible to fully elucidate the Elvish language. The purpose of this course is to interpret the words that appear within the activation symbols of magic art.” (Ruida)

I see.

“Therefore, unlike a typical foreign language, we shall not begin from grammar.” (Ruida)

The ensuing hour and a half was nothing short of torment. It was not that Ruida-sensei’s teaching was poor, far from it. The other students were quite engrossed in the lecture. Had this been four years ago, when I had only just begun learning magic art from Morgan-sensei, I too might have been among them.

For me now, however, this course is unnecessary. Yet as it is compulsory, I have no choice but to attend. There will apparently be an examination at the end of the month, and I shall simply pass it swiftly and apply for exemption. There seems also to be an advanced course, but I wonder what it entails.

At length, the second period ended. The third period held no lecture. Instead, there was an individual meeting with the supervising instructor.

“Leon-san.” (Assistant Instructor)

An assistant instructor came to call me.

My turn comes sooner than expected, about the third, perhaps.

“Please proceed to classroom 6125.” (Assistant Instructor)

“Yes.” (Leon)

Upon stepping into the corridor, I saw the sign for room 6122. So, farther down.

22, 23… here it is.

The entrance seemed rather narrow. Then, I opened the door.

“Excuse me.” (Leon)

Ah, just as I thought, quite cramped. Ten people seated would fill the room completely.

“Have a seat here.” (Lirin)

Lirin-sensei indicated the chair directly across from her, glancing down at some sort of ledger.

“Leon-kun, 14 years old… let me see… hmm. You do have a scholarship. Have you brought the relevant documents?” (Lirin)

“Yes, I have.” (Leon)

I took them from my bag and handed them to her.

“Hmm, from the Lachesis Foundation, is it?” (Lirin)

“Do you know of it?” (Leon)

“Yes, by name at least. The terms are quite favorable. You will need to ensure you present regular reports so they do not withdraw their support.” (Lirin)

“Yes.” (Leon)

Indeed, that is true. Since the scholarship does not need to be repaid, it is only fair. Her lack of surprise suggests this is not without precedent.

“Good. Next, confirmation of your current address. You are not in the boys’ dormitory, correct? Then, please write your name, residence type, and address on this form.” (Lirin)

“Yes.” (Leon)

Residence type? That must mean one’s living arrangement, at home, with relatives, or the like. Boarding, then. I circled that option. I see there are also entries for official quarters, which must be for students of military status.

After writing down my address, I returned the paper.

“Beiter Street, hm? That’s nearby.” (Lirin)

I nodded.

“Now then, I believe you were informed of the outline of your results during the secondary examination, but I shall repeat them. In the practical test, your magic art activation ranked first in the Faculty of Magical Studies this year.” (Lirin)

I see.

“You don’t seem surprised. Does that mean, for you, Leon, it was only natural?” (Lirin)

“No. During lunch break, some of the students from the Art Skills Department mentioned that possibility.” (Leon)

“Art Skills Department? Ah, that special associate professor again.” (Lirin)

Lirin-sensei grimaced, shaking her head several times before her expression returned to normal.

“Be that as it may, one would have to go back quite far in the records to find anyone who achieved higher results than you.” (Lirin)

“I see.” (Leon)

For some reason, she gave a wry smile.

“Now then, let us narrow down the courses from which you will earn credits.” (Lirin)

“Excuse me.” (Leon)

“Yes?” (Lirin)

“In the secondary examination, there was also a test of total mana capacity, was there not? May I know the results of that as well?” (Leon)

“You may, though I must tell you beforehand that I do not place much faith in them.” (Lirin)

“The Lennart Method, correct?” (Leon)

“Yes, that’s right. You have a good memory for names. The method itself, and indeed the very concept of mana quantity, perhaps not to say it is meaningless, but it lacks quantitative rigor. Still.” (Lirin)

It seemed to be something of a habitual phrase with her.

“As for your result, Leon, your index was above 800.” (Lirin)

“Um, pardon me, what does the index represent?” (Leon)

“Well, the average for an ordinary person is defined as 100. Thus, an index above 800 means eight times the average human value or more, but truthfully, it’s questionable. To put it simply, anything above 800 should be regarded as unmeasurable.” (Lirin)

“Unmeasurable?!” (Leon)

“Indeed. In fact, any reading above 400 is barely linear. The reproducibility is poor as well. I often think there ought to be a better metric, but alas, there isn’t.” (Lirin)

“I see.” (Leon)

A very scholarly remark indeed.

“In any case, as a rough guideline, they say that to make a living as a magic art practitioner, an index of at least 400 is desirable, and for one aspiring to be an advanced combat-oriented magic art practitioner, 600 or above is preferred. Take it only as reference.” (Lirin)

So, the margin of error is considerable. Still, as an indicator, it seems I am not unsuited to being a magic art practitioner.

“With such aptitude, I suppose it makes sense.” (Lirin)

“Pardon?” (Leon)

“I heard about it. You clashed with the dean during the interview, did you not?” (Lirin)

“Ah, yes. But the quarrel was not with me, it was with the head administrator.” (Leon)

“Hahaha, I know.” (Lirin)

“Let us return to the subject. We must decide which courses you will take. Between theoretical and engineering branches, either is fine for now. Do you have a preference?” (Lirin)

“Yes. If possible, I wish to pursue both. Furthermore, I intend to obtain national certification as a magical technician while enrolled.” (Leon)

To master control, both theory and engineering are essential. And to broaden one’s professional choices, a national qualification is necessary. I also wish to create magical tools.

“A magical technician, is it? That is quite a difficult certification. It requires not only written exams but also practical skills.” (Lirin)

“I understand.” (Leon)

“A fine resolve. I shall support you. There are preparatory courses offered as electives as well. If you complete several required credits and finish the Science and Technology Department program, your practical experience requirement will be waived.” (Lirin)

“Yes.” (Leon)

“Very well. In that case, we shall make that your primary track and narrow down the necessary subjects accordingly.” (Lirin)

 

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