Following Beatrice closely, they began heading toward the central part of the school. Next up was getting Lily officially registered for her mandatory classes and introducing her to her electives.

Lily was rather excited to find out what her curriculum would be, and so was Arakil, as this would finally be his chance to gain some more knowledge of the current era of magic.

When they entered the classroom, Lily immediately spotted Thomas and Arthus seated, along with a mystery man. She gave them a quick and friendly wave.

"Is this the last student from yesterday's batch?" the man asked.

"Yes, just Lily from our end," Beatrice answered back.

"Excellent. Then we can get started. Please take a seat with the others," he said, gesturing to the open desks.

Lily nodded and hurried to one of the open desks. She opted to sit next to Arthur, as his Familiar Sphii was perched on his shoulder with her eyes closed. Thomas' Familiar Yona, on the other hand, was on his head, and her gaze had followed Lily ever since she arrived.

Lily didn't know why the cat was so interested in her, but she didn't want to find out, so she chose the safer option. The man walked behind a podium at the front and center of the classroom. He cleared his voice and began speaking in clear and precise tones, easily projecting his voice to the entire room.

"I'll quickly reintroduce myself for our newcomer. I'm Professor Elius; I teach PMC and am also one of the dormitory supervisors," he said proudly.

PMC? Lily wondered.

"Here at Regarth, our curriculum is divided into mandatory classes and electives. You are required to take at least one elective, and while technically there is no limit on the amount you can take—they must be taken within reason. Just because they are electives does not mean you can slack off and fail them."

"Classes are usually broken down into one morning and one afternoon class; however, depending on your electives, you might also have an evening class or even a class over the weekend. Now, I'll first go over our mandatory classes. And please save any questions until after I am done."

He cleared his throat and leaned down on his podium.

"Dungeon Studies, our first and most iconic class, will teach you the ins and outs of dungeon exploration and survival. This includes dealing with monsters, treasures, first aid, and so forth. Because there is a large variety of topics, you will have three lessons dedicated to it per week. Initially, it will be two theory lessons and one practical, but as the year progresses, the practical slots will take over."

"Next up is Spellcasting Fundamentals. In this class, you will learn gestures, incantations, and control. This is all about helping you become a better mage, as practice makes perfect. In addition, you will be learning a variety of spells to assist in your everyday life outside of combat. This class is twice per week."

Lily desperately wanted to ask a question but bit down on her tongue.

"Arcane Theory and Principles, while often dull, is a mandatory subject per kingdom regulations. Here, you will learn some of the history of magic, along with its ethical use and responsibilities. This class is only once per week, but that doesn't mean you can neglect it. Without passing it, you will not earn your license and be limited to mere cantrips while inside cities or towns, except in situations of self-defense."

Arakil will probably like this one.

"Our next class is Practical Magical Combat or PMC. While there will be some minor overlap with the practical Dungeon Studies classes, which also involve combat practice, this one will focus more on defensive training, duels, and subduing. While monsters might be the most common threat, one can never overlook that sometimes the greatest threat is other people. This class is two times per week and never on the same day as Dungeon Studies."

"The final mandatory class is Bloodline Focus, or as some call it, Personal Development. Here, you will be prioritizing your own personal type of magic, most likely your bloodline, and advancing it. While I said it is a class, oftentimes, it is a period of self-study and reflection. The reason being that even if you share a common bloodline with a teacher or another student, it might manifest itself differently in you."

"Now, that doesn't mean we will be abandoning you entirely, as we have teachers who specialize in helping our students visualize and awaken hidden aspects of their bloodline. Some choose to treat this class as a 'freebie,' but if you can't demonstrate at least some form of personalized growth every semester, then you can fail. This is allocated once a week, but you are obviously encouraged to better yourself whenever possible."

That leaves one slot for electives, at least during the day and excluding weekends.

"Before we move on to questions, I will also add that handling or developing your Familiar will be a minor part of every subject except Arcane Theory and Principles. With a larger portion being in Personal Development. Now… any questions?" Professor asked and paused to open the floor.

Lily and Thomas' hands shot up, but he was a little faster than her, so he was picked first.

Thomas stood up from his seat and asked, "How does the Bloodline class work for humans?"

Oh… that's a really good question.

Professor Elius nodded as if expecting it.

"That's why it also has the nickname of Personal Development. You will be encouraged to pick a magical specialty to focus on, whether that be an element, a classification of magic, or something else entirely. Some past students have even adopted an adaptability approach. The choice is yours, and your teachers will help you along the way."

"Thank you, Professor. That answers my question," Thomas replied politely before returning to his seat.

Professor Elius then gestured towards Lily. She stood up; her hands balled into little fists.

"How does Spellcasting Fundamentals work for students with incompatible bloodlines?"

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The professor gave a friendly chuckle before replying, "This is almost the polar opposite of young Thomas' question. Unlike with humans, it is decided on a case-by-case basis—usually, we have the student focus on utility spells that match their bloodline."

"However, in the case of students with full incompatibility, then we drop the student down to one or even zero lessons and replace them with Bloodline slots. The hope of trying to keep them in the class is that even if they can't learn new spells, the lessons will still improve their control. Do you happen to know what you fall under?"

"Partial-full incompatibility?" Lily replied, although she was unsure what to call it.

"Could you… elaborate?" the professor asked.

"I can cast other spells, but their output is so miniscule that even basic cantrips barely have an effect."

"I see… it will be up to your teacher to decide, but I would assume they'd drop you down to one lesson at minimum, and if you truly are seeing no benefit from it, then you can drop it entirely. However, do be warned that dropping Spellcasting Fundamentals puts a much higher emphasis on your Bloodline Focus."

"Thank you, Professor Elius," Lily said and returned to her seat.

"If you don't mind me asking ahead of our classes, what is your bloodline?" he asked. "I had heard a rumor that we would be receiving a special student this year, but I had no idea it would be the first Lagia mage. So upon seeing you and your peculiar Familiar, I can't help but have my curiosity peaked."

"It's… umm… star magic," she replied.

Arthur burst out laughing, "You still haven't workshopped a better name yet?"

"It's only been a day," Thomas quickly pointed out.

The professor, however, ignored the interruptions, "Star magic, you say? Fascinating… I look forward to seeing a live demonstration during PMC."

Lily nodded while giving a quick glare at Arthur. He gave her a toothy grin and a wink in response, which just further exasperated her.

"Do you have any further questions before we move on to a brief explanation about electives?" the professor asked, trying to move on.

Arthur raised his hand and stood up before the professor could even give him permission.

"When do we get to go into the dungeon? Are we allowed to use our PD slots to explore it?"

Lily was dumbfounded. If this was Instructor Richardus' class, he would have gone ballistic at such a rude kid.

"PD?" the professor responded.

"Personal Development. Seemed to be a thing with PMC, so thought I'd copy it," Arthur replied.

The professor's face visibly drooped as he seemed suddenly tired, "I see. To answer your question, there should be a small dungeon outing on the last day of your first week. As for using PD slots to explore the dungeon, yes, some students do use that."

"Yes! I know what I'm going to be doing," Arthur cheered.

"But!" the professor continued, looking a tiny bit frustrated. "First years are only allowed with special permission and only after passing the first-semester test."

Arthur's excitement visibly deflated as he slumped in his chair.

"Damn… so much for making money in the dungeon," he whined.

"Right. Moving on?" the professor asked. Nobody else spoke up, so he continued.

"For first electives years, we have the following: Alchemy 101, Beast Handling, Sorcerous Warfare, Thaumaturgical Agriculture, Hearthcraft and Household Charms—"

"Hearthcraft?" Arthur blurted out. "Is there seriously a magical cooking class?"

"Boy, you better stop interrupting before I put you over my knee!" Beatrice suddenly shouted from the back of the room.

Arthur flinched and sunk deeper into his seat.

"Magical cooking is one of the activities," Elius replied, with a tiny smirk at the corner of his mouth. "Professor Melina runs it, and it's highly popular, so spots are often coveted."

Thomas raised his hand, and after the professor nodded, he said, "Sorry… but I thought this was a school focused on dungeons and future adventurers. Why is there a cooking class?"

"It isn't just a simple cooking class. It's done entirely through magic and encompasses every single household chore you can think of. All students who took part in her class came out with outstanding levels of control over their spells, far and above even the star pupils in Spellcasting Fundamentals. Furthermore, these are electives and are designed to round you out and provide you with some other benefits you might have overlooked. You won't always be in a dungeon, and you won't always be out on a quest or bounty."

Thomas was bobbing his head in understanding; it looked like he was slowly being won over.

Beatrice cleared her throat, grabbing everyone's attention, "In addition to that, and more

. Doesn't everyone dream of magic to resolve all of our daily activities? What if you barely had to lift a finger to do the dishes, wash your clothes, or tidy the room. It's a wonderful class, in my opinion."

Oh wow… I actually think I want to take that class. It sounds like a lot of fun, and I already love my magical bath.

"Ridiculous…" Arthur muttered under his breath.

[Until we hear more about the other options, I'd honestly say this class might be the best of the bunch. Also, unless I'm mistaken, I feel like Beatrice was trying to drop you a not-so-subtle hint about the subject.]

"So, any questions about electives?" Professor Elius asked.

"Wait, that's all of them!?" Lily blurted out.

She quickly realized her mistake and covered her mouth, blushing. Arthur let out a chortle while Thomas sucked air through his teeth.

The professor blinked a few times, surprised by Lily's outburst. But neither staff member scorned her—likely since it was only her first offense.

"Yes? There are more when you get to your second year. But there's quite a large variety for first years to choose from, in my opinion."

Lily removed her hands from her mouth, "But, but, what about enchanting? And glyphs?" she stammered out.

"Oh?" Elius looked genuinely surprised this time. "Those are second-year subjects. There was a time when it was offered for first years, but most students found it too tiresome to get involved with. Even amongst second years, it's one of the least picked subjects."

Lily frowned, "I wanted to do enchanting… I've practiced glyphs until my fingers felt like they would fall off."

"Really?" Thomas asked.

"You actually enjoy those boring scribbles?" Arthur joined in.

Lily's ears drooped.

"I even had my glyph evaluated by Tresnia…" she mumbled.

"Wait, you're the same person?" Elius pressed.

"What do you mean?" Beatrice asked.

"There were a few rumors, and naturally, I figured it was one per student, but now it seems that Lily here is the source of at least two of them. Unless your blood happens to be poisonous?" he joked.

Lily frantically shook her head, "No, I hate blood, and mine is definitely normal."

Professor Elius chuckled, "So Lily, here is the one who drew a perfect alchemy glyph. So much so that the examiner in question was accused of fraud."

"Is James okay!?" Lily asked. He was the friendliest of the three evaluators, and she didn't want him to get in trouble.

"I don't know his name, but I heard that his story was corroborated by both Helia and Stremweth's evaluators for validity. Which turned out to be a headache for Tresnia, as they couldn't keep the results under wraps."

"I'm glad it worked out," Lily replied, happy that James didn't get in trouble.

"First star magic, then the floating book, and now glyphs, what's next?" Arthur asked.

"My big sister is a dragon," Lily answered with a grin of her own.

Arthur's expression was priceless, and soon, she couldn't help but let out a few giggles.

"Right…" Professor Elius interrupted, trying to regain control. "I believe you will likely be able to take Enchanting as a subject, but I'll need to double-check with the headmaster and the professor in charge. That is assuming you're okay with being surrounded by a bunch of second years?"

Lily bobbed her head, ears flopping energetically. She didn't care if it was for second years; she was sure that anything Arakil put her through was far more difficult.