The day after Raffy and Sylvia had comforted her all over again. Wraith was once again facing the time of practice with a strong heart. She still doesn't seem to be relied upon as usual, and she's continuing to be handheld since yesterday.

　But that doesn't mean I can't skip it, and it's time to look around endlessly at the students. It's not really a pain, but there was definitely a sense of time being wasted.

　And so, as Lace moved her legs halfway around mechanically, I saw Leisha beckoning modestly towards us.

　Remembering that she had asked me to come again yesterday, Lace went to Leisha. She seems to have not yet picked up anything while the students around her are frantically building their golems, and she smiles as she clutches the magic stone.

''What's up?　It's not good to slack off. Seth will be sad.
'How on earth do you get the idea that I'm slacking off...'

　With Risha's ability, she should be able to make a golem without a problem. That's what the question was about. At those words, Risha's smile that had been on her face disappeared and she turned her zit eyes to Wraith.

''Then what's the matter with you?''

　Leisha doesn't answer the question, but gives a childlike smile as she comes up with a prank.

''Lace-san, let's show them what you're capable of as quickly as possible.
What?
You do have the magic stone, don't you?
Yeah, I have one, but...

　As soon as Lace said that, Leisha suddenly said, "Dr. Lace, show me how it's done! I say out loud. Of course, Wraith is confused, knowing that Leesha had made the golem the day before all by herself.

　However, since Leesha intimidates me with her eyes, telling me to hurry up, I have no choice but to take out the magic stone that Helgar had given me before the training. It's something I hadn't had a chance to use until now.

　Do I not have to explain to you in particular that you should show me an example? While wondering, I went through the steps of creating a golem, which I was getting used to.

　In the quiet space, the eyes of the students are unexpectedly drawn to the room. Perhaps it was curiosity that made them do so, but they all stopped making golems only this time.

　There are various rumors circulating about how capable the teacher is.

　And then--

...What?

　No one would have been able to tell whose voice had leaked out of his mouth. The only thing most of the students understood was that they would have sounded similar.

　Some would have underestimated them.
　Some would have looked down on them.
　Some would have scoffed.

　Just who could have imagined?

　I'm not much older than I am, and I'm not much older than I am, and I'm not much older than I am, and I'm not much older than I am, and I'm not much older than I am, and I'm not much older than I am.

　The one that Lace casually created was a cat-shaped golem, the same as the golem that Lisha was making yesterday. However, its movements were as if it was really alive, nimbly bouncing on the soil.

　The golem, which received all the students' gazes at once, dexterously climbed up Wraith's clothes and clung to his head as he came to a halt.

　Lace made sure of that and looked at Leisha.

'Is this how it's supposed to be?'

　Looking at Wraith, who didn't look particularly proud, Leesha didn't know what he looked like now.

　She'd heard about it from her brother. He also knew some of the rumors.

　Substandard, genius, not knowing his own weight.

　The words that seemed cliché - yes, I heard them many times.

　But still. The karma that I actually saw, I had to say that it was indeed substandard. That's the only word that could describe him.

　A cat-shaped golem made of dirt running around is a scene that doesn't have a shred of flair to it. If someone who didn't know anything about it saw it, they wouldn't think anything special.

　But this is a magic academy.

　It is a place where talented people who have passed the rigorous examinations and have accumulated knowledge and experience until now gather. I'm not going to be the only one who can do this.

　That's why I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

''This isn't a puppet anymore, it's more like the creation of life...''

　Risha's half-unconscious muttered words would have represented the students' thoughts. The basic premise is that golems don't move around in the first place. To be more precise, they can't move around. If it was only durable, no one could first create a body that was dense enough to move around.

　If the body had even the slightest flaw, it would surely follow the path of disintegration through intense exercise. However, the golem that Wraith had created showed no sign of that. I don't care if he still took time to build up his body slowly, but this is a golem that he made on the spot in an instant.

　How strange is that?

''Oi, is that right?''
Uh, yes.

　Lace waved a hand in front of Leesha's unresponsive face to check her out. He stretches as if to relieve himself of fatigue as he releases his focus, suspicious of Leesha's reply in a hard voice. And that's where he realizes for the first time that he's attracting attention.

''Eh, what...?''

　Leith's shoulders shrank and she was puzzled by the situation as she was being looked at en masse by all the students who had been lightly passed over when she spoke to them before. She couldn't help but look at Leesha and she gave a wry smile.

Now, I think I finally understand my brother's feelings........
What, what do you mean...?

　While Leesha gained sympathy for her brother, Wraith couldn't hide her confusion.



　******



Well, the shape change isn't working as well as I'd like...
'Oh, then you should try drawing the shape of the golem you want to make on the ground, even if it's just on the ground, and try to do it while looking at it. Maybe it will be a lot easier than doing it without looking at it. If it's still too difficult, call me back.
Thank you!

　After receiving advice from the Wraith, the boy cheerfully thanked her and promptly did what he was told. In the meantime, another girl was calling out Wraith's name.

'I can do the form itself, but it fell apart so quickly...'
'If you can create a shape, maybe you're not 'compressing' enough when you're building it. I think just being a little more strongly aware of it will change that.
Okay, I'll try!

　As soon as he finished advising the girl, another student called for him. Lace worked without time to be baffled, as it was very different from the previous day's busy schedule. The questions from the students didn't stop after Leesha told her to make a golem.

　As a wraith, it was much better than having too much time on his hands, so he was willing to answer the questions that were thrown at him one after another. Now that she's here at the academy, she's finally demonstrating her teacher-like nature. The fact that I am happy with that fact makes me keep moving without a break.

　As I was running around like that, the end of the exercise soon came. Yesterday, the time until the end seemed so long, but now it's gone by so fast.

''I'm going to start making a golem for training in earnest in the next exercise, so that's what I'm going to do.

　When Helgar told them that, the students looked at Wraith in a flash. The meaning of the gaze is clear, Helgar sighed and handed the magic stone to the Wraith.

It's probably because they want you to follow their example. But that doesn't mean anything will change dramatically, but... well, I can understand why you feel that way.
I see.

　I don't know much about it, but Wraith nodded for now and accepted the magic stone. If you want to see the creation of a golem, it's a cheap order of business.

　As for the procedure for the training golem, it would be good to refer to the procedure that Raffy and the others helped us with before. Well, we won't be making a golem that transforms this time, though.

　Wraith will create a humanoid golem with a sword, just like before. Of course, the material isn't mithril, so it's greatly inferior in terms of durability.

''Alright, then, someone should try attacking it with magic.

　At Helgar's words, the next person who caught my gaze was Lisha. She's one of the best mages in this grade. Wraith shudders as he remembers the time he was blown away by Leesha.

　Leesha understood the meaning of her gaze and took a step forward, pointing her right hand at the golem. She kneads her magic power and exercises her magic.

''【Wind】''

　A sharp blade of wind arose and flew quickly towards the golem. A Wraith's golem would be able to avoid it, but it didn't move now. As it was, the wind blade hit the defenseless golem directly.

　However--.

Intact...?

　The one who muttered in dismay was Leisha, the person who released the magic.

　No matter how substandard the Lace was, it was impossible to imagine that the magic would hit a golem made of earthen material and not even a scratch would enter. Was it the same for the students who were watching as well, or did they all have astonished expressions on their faces?

　If it had been anyone other than Lisha who had released the magic, they might not have been surprised yet. After all, she was outstanding even among her age group. Her classmates understood that best, and that's why the surprise that her magic didn't work was so great.

　The person himself had a little bit of confidence as well, staring intently at Wraith's face.

''What's going on, that golem.......''
'No, as you can see, it's just a regular golem I made.
'Do you know what an ordinary golem is?　Do you know what the word "normal" means in the first place?　At least I don't think an 'ordinary' golem made of dirt would be unharmed by magic.
Why are you a little angry...?

　When he emphasized the "normal" part, there was definitely plenty of sarcasm in his words. Wraith stepped back, lightly horrified by Leesha's straight face as she crowded in on him.

　Finally, the students looked at Helgar as the Wraiths' conversation was interrupted.

　In other words, they were going to let themselves make something like this.

　Helgar shook his head with a reluctant look on his face.

'Don't worry, we won't demand this level of excellence.

　At that word, the students shook their heads so vigorously that they could almost hear the buzzing sound.