Chapter 40: Shad's Compulsory Course

Although the blonde writer, Miss Dorothy Louisa, had also arrived, the Academy would still deliver the items required for Hiede’s enrollment at the scheduled time. With half an hour until then, the four of them had time to continue their conversation.

Dr. Schneider, acting as the nominal host of the correspondence ring-術ist group, was happy to lead the discussion.

From this, Hiede learned more common knowledge about ring-術ists. For instance, under normal circumstances, coming into contact with an unfamiliar [Relic] would not immediately trigger a prompt from "the other me." Therefore, relying on "the other me" to locate relics was unrealistic; the identification of [Relics] was a key research focus for the Department of Library Management.

Hiede was clearly not normal.

[Outlander, your soul is exceptionally sensitive to the four elements, which is why you can make me easily discern relics. This is not my specialty; it is yours.]

The whispering voice in his ear explained. Hiede initially thought it was an excuse, but upon reflection, he found the explanation quite logical.

Even he himself was unsure whether the peculiarity of "the other me" was truly special, or if it was special because he was an Outlander.

The middle name "Suren" could be explained by the other party knowing his core runes in advance; the "Northern Common Language Starter Pack" provided could also be explained by the other party having obtained the fragmented memories of the original owner that he himself had not, due to the nature of "the other me"; the warning about the ring was merely because she had discovered that peculiar relic.

Thinking this way, Hiede became confused himself...

"Wait, why is your voice female?"

Hiede had almost managed to talk himself into a muddle.

[Perhaps even you cannot fully understand your own personality.]

"Don't talk nonsense."

Hiede took this as an implication that he was somewhat effeminate.

Beyond the fact that relics could not be easily discovered, Hiede also learned that Dr. Schneider’s group typically met on Saturday afternoons to share learning insights, ask for advice on individual problems, and communicate with the Academy via Dr. Schneider’s manuscript pages.

Even without these pressing matters, they could share intelligence, exchange items, or complain about the burden of their studies. The latter was usually the main agenda.

The group did not impose mandatory tasks on its members, but if someone needed help—such as with Academy tasks that could earn practical credits—the others had to immediately consider whether they had the time.

As ten o'clock approached, the group cleared the coffee table, and Dr. Schneider placed the poet-grade relic’s paper page upon it. When the grandfather clock in the corner struck the first chime of ten, the paper glowed, and a parchment scroll, rolled into a tube and tied with a red ribbon, appeared.

Hiede quickly picked it up, untied the ribbon, and unfurled the scroll; it was his first-year correspondence study plan.

Saint Byrons Academy usually held its grade advancement examinations at the end of each winter. Since Hiede had enrolled in the summer, it was impossible for him to complete all his studies this year, so it would likely take him over a year and a half to finish the curriculum tailored specifically for him.

"Actually, the first year usually takes one to three years to complete, as these are foundation courses... Oh, you have your work cut out for you."

Father August, sitting beside Hiede, saw the list of mandatory first-year courses on the study plan:

"Herbs We Know"
"Basic Potion Studies"
"Introduction to Elementary Alchemy"
"Introduction to Astronomy"
"Introduction to Occultism and Rituals"
"Fundamentals of Spiritual Rune Theory (Part I)"
"Basic Ring-術ist Course: Thaumaturgy"
"Basic Ring-術ist Course: Sorcery"
"Introduction to Ancient Languages (Fifth Epoch 0–2000)"
"Introduction to Ancient Languages (Fifth Epoch 2000–4000)"
"Introduction to Ancient Languages (Fifth Epoch 4000–5793)"
"Ancient Literature" (Choose one: Serious Literature, Popular Literature, or Other. Must be completed before the fifth year.)
"Folklore, Religion, and Civilization"
"History (I)"
"Fundamentals of Time Travel Theory" (Core Academic Course)
"Practical Time Travel Training" (Core Academic Course)
"Containment and Management of Relics" (Core Academic Course)
"Basic Theology (Part I)"
"History of Saint Byrons Comprehensive Academy and General Education"

There were 19 mandatory courses in total, totaling 53 credits. By the end of this year, Hiede only needed to earn 15 credits to pass the year-end assessment and continue his first-year studies into the following year.

The books that followed totaled over 100 volumes, including textbooks, required reading materials, and supplemental literature for the courses.

Hiede and the other three worked together, constantly taking the textbooks that appeared from the manuscript page and stacking them aside.

Watching the "mountain of books" grow, the anxiety the Outlander felt about his future life suddenly vanished. He felt as if he had returned to his hometown, back to the life of a student.

"How about it? The 50-pound tuition fee is well worth it, right? These mandatory courses are tailored for you and are quite fundamental, as the first year is all about building a foundation. But don't worry, except for the core academic courses, you have three chances to fail an assessment. If you fail three times, you must postpone the assessment for a year and pay the tuition again, but you won't be expelled."

Father August, seeing Hiede intimidated by the sheer volume of books, offered comfort. In this age of steam and industry, illiteracy remained high, and as ordinary citizens, most would never encounter so many books in a lifetime; hence, the priest tried to console the "unsophisticated" young detective.

Yet, this was exactly the life the Outlander was familiar with.

Hiede’s 19 mandatory first-year courses required him to submit several papers or assignments after self-study, with some requiring exams or practical assessments.

Year-end assessments were held at the end of the year, but exam seasons occurred in late July and December. If Hiede’s learning progress was fast, he could pass some exams as early as the end of July.

These were only the mandatory courses for a correspondence ring-術ist. To complete a full year of studies, he also needed to earn sufficient practical credits.

The first-year requirement was 40 practical credits, but the Department of History had strict regulations regarding their source. At least 10 of these credits had to come from "Time Exploration" activities.

The Department of History had the fewest students at Saint Byrons, and most were upperclassmen who had transferred in.

This was because the core of the Department of History relied on time travel using the [Time Key], a relic of the Old God [Father of the Infinite Tree], which required spiritual runes related to the concept of time.

Hiede’s core course, "Practical Time Travel Training," involved using a key provided by the Academy to perform a guided time travel session, completing the course upon submitting a report. However, such safe, guided time travel did not earn practical credits.

If one were to find or purchase [Time Keys] of varying grades on their own and return with valuable information, history, or knowledge, they would be awarded significant practical credits and other rewards, such as relics, thaumaturgy or sorcery collected in the Great Library of Saint Byrons, or precious knowledge.

Thus, the Department of History and the Department of Library Management, through time travel and relic containment, could be considered the easiest departments in which to earn practical credits and Academy rewards.

"Although these foundation courses look complex, once you get started, you'll find they aren't that difficult. Look, this is the list of elective courses you are permitted to choose from."

After the more than 100 books were finally delivered, a brand-new parchment scroll appeared on the table. The doctor helped Hiede open it, took a glance, and handed it to him:

"Elective credits can be converted at a rate of 10 points to 1 practical credit. And these elective courses are the truly valuable ones—the real expertise of the professors. Of course, elective courses cost gold pounds..."

"Elective courses cost gold pounds?"

Hiede was startled, then immediately realized this was not the world of his past. Moreover, even in his past world, while elective courses in his hometown were free, some schools in Western nations charged for them as well.