Chapter 4
Tuesday
"As stated in previous lectures, runes were recognized as an official study of magic in the year 642. There has been extensive study on the subject within the last 100 years, which has greatly enhanced the levels of magic."
Gajeel sat back in his chair and blinked his eyes rapidly to stop himself from falling asleep while Professor Jose droned on and on about magical theories. A few students sat at attention with their notebooks out in front of them, but others, like himself, seemed on the verge of a mental breakdown.
I wouldn't even be in this stinkin' class if it wasn't a core class.
He closed his eyes for a moment, smirking when the voice in his head began her usual rant. He tried to cut back on the language, he really did, but sometimes there really was only one word to describe the sheer boredom he experienced every Tuesday and Thursday when he was forced to look at Professor Jose's greasy mustache and listen to his gravelly voice.
A yawn finally forced its way out of his mouth. He managed to cover it in time, but he could see Lily give him a look out of the corner of his eye.
Oh, that pasta looks good! They usually don't have any by this time!
Gajeel leaned forward, fatigue momentarily forgotten. He flipped to the back of his notebook where a list of 'favorites' was well underway. After scratching 'pasta' under a dozen other food options, he studied the rapidly growing list. For someone who apparently forgot to eat on a regular basis, she was quite picky when it came to things she actually liked. He managed to fill an entire page of her favorites in just a day, anything from colors to classes to flowers. While it made him feel like a stalker on occasion, he figured it would definitely help once they were able to meet face to face.
"Now as you can see on the Periodic Table of Elemental Magic, runes come from the Crystalzine element, which is found in abundance in the country of Fiore. Because of this, runes have been discovered to be one of the easiest magics to master."
Gajeel looked up from his notebook with a frown.
"This also means that runes are the strongest out of all the written magics, allowing mages to easily overcome any sort of opponent."
His hand shot into the air. The professor stuttered to a stop and Lily snorted. Even the rest of the class glanced at one another.
Professor Jose cleared his throat. "Yes, Mr. Redfox? Do you have something to add?"
"Wouldn't Solid Script be a strong opponent against runes?"
The professor's eye twitched. "What do you mean?"
Gajeel sat back and crossed his arms, lips twitching. "You say that runes are the strongest written magic, but I think Solid Script is better. Runes are too finicky. You try to set them up, but one mess up and instead of an indestructible barrier you get a wall that sets yer clothes on fire. But Solid Script is flexible. You can use it whenever and however ya want, the limit is only yer imagination. Sounds to me like that would be more handy in a real fight."
The room was dead silent. Gajeel bit back his self-satisfied smirk and listened to his Soulmate's inner monologue of her lunch's perfection.
"While some mages do ascribe to that philosophy," the professor huffed, "it is not as common of a practice as one might think. I wonder who gave you such information."
Gajeel lost the battle and smiled widely at the thinly veiled assumption of his cheating. "I just happen ta know an expert on the subject. The way she teaches has almost a musical tone to it, not some random droning sound."
Lily choked on a laugh and the professor turned purple.
"Yes, well…everyone turn to page 216 and answer the three questions on the bottom of the page."
The room filled with the sound of rustling papers. Gajeel crossed his ankle over his knee, a smile still sitting on his face.
I think I get why that bookworm always wants to answer questions in class…that was fun!