Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 250: Magic Theory Class

If the nobles were to measure a person’s true value from their own perspective and use that as the focus of their social interactions, then Astrid Calliste would undoubtedly be the most worthy person to befriend in Class A. freewēbnoveℓ.com

She is both the cherished daughter of Emperor Hibbort and a potential supporter of the crown prince’s succession.

She is also the beloved junior of Countess Charlotte and the actual founder of the Empire’s Monthly. The political value behind her is not to be underestimated.

Many nobles who had received advance notice of Astrid’s enrollment had even instructed their children before entering the imperial capital to try to establish a good relationship with the third princess.

At the very least, they should ensure that her attitude towards them remains friendly, and under no circumstances should they provoke any direct conflict.

So when Astrid stepped onto the podium, everyone’s gaze naturally shifted to her.

Beyond the awe at the princess’s stunning beauty, there was a genuine respect that welled up from within, stemming from her status being far superior to their own.

The noble circle is strictly hierarchical, and status far outweighs everything else.

Even a princess without blood ties, as long as she is acknowledged by Hibbort, is the esteemed third princess, and no one can question that.

And yet, the first words from this imperial princess were an outright defense of a certain commoner.

"Miss Lyra is not only the daughter of Mr. Peter..."

"...but also my best friend."

Astrid scanned the room, her gaze sweeping over the young nobles who had previously shown disdain, her tone calm and unyielding.

The message conveyed by her words was crystal clear: this pink-haired girl named Lyra Beckett was Astrid’s person. Anyone who dared to mistreat her would be seen as challenging Princess Astrid herself.

What background did Lyra have? What could a village girl possibly possess that would attract Astrid so much, making a noble imperial princess lower herself to call her "best" friend?

As everyone pondered this in secret, Lyra, hearing the words, felt her pupils slightly dilate.

The complex emotions in her heart, like snow touched by warm sunlight, melted away bit by bit.

I am Princess Astrid’s... best friend?

Did she hear that correctly?

Raising her head, Lyra saw those clear, bright red eyes fixed on her, exuding nobility yet carrying an indescribable unique charm.

No, she hadn’t misheard. Princess Astrid had indeed said that.

So, this was how she was seen in Princess Astrid’s heart... even better than Miss Lydia...

A warm sensation enveloped her entire body. Lyra could sense the gazes of those around her, filled with surprise and confusion, but at this moment, the girl had no extra energy to care about such things.

To Princess Astrid... she was the best friend...

So happy.

If a person’s mood could have a visible external manifestation, Lyra had no doubt that countless pink bubbles symbolizing joy would be floating around her right now.

Silently staring at the silver-haired princess on the podium, even after Astrid finished her speech and turned to step down, Lyra remained immersed in those words, her sky-clear eyes sparkling.

The next second, the classroom erupted in enthusiastic applause. Lyra, hearing the commotion, finally snapped back to reality and clapped faster than anyone else.

Astrid returned to her seat and saw her desk mate, the pink-haired girl whose eyes were filled with her, and gently curved her lips. She crossed her arms on the desk, her snow-white, smooth elbow lightly touching Lyra’s arm.

"Why so excited?"

Understanding that Astrid was teasing her, Lyra still couldn’t contain her excitement and tried to lower her voice as she spoke.

"Princess Astrid..."

Before she could finish, Lyra saw the woman brush her hair aside, revealing a small, delicate earlobe, her tender skin glowing with a jade-like, warm luster under the light.

"You are also... my best friend..." Lyra said.

Although she wanted more than just friendship with Princess Astrid, for now, having this relationship was enough to satisfy her.

No, "satisfied" wasn’t the right word, it was more like ecstatic.

Hearing Lyra’s response, Astrid smiled softly and didn’t explain further.

Her main purpose in saying this wasn’t specifically to boost the favor of the destined female lead, but to use this opportunity to intimidate those lurking in the shadows.

Lyra was the person she had brought into the academy, and her friend. With this introduction, anyone who wanted to act against her would have to consider this identity.

While this wouldn’t completely deter the old nobles and the second prince’s faction who were already planning to suppress her, it would at least keep some of those who hadn’t chosen sides neutral, making them think twice about the actual benefits they could gain from their actions and whether those benefits were worth offending a favored princess.

But...

Astrid’s peripheral vision caught Lyra, who had been smiling ever since she stepped off the podium, her eyes curved into crescents, even her ten delicate fingers adorably clutching her sleeves.

Lyra was indeed very happy... because of what she had just said...

Was being her friend really that joyful?

Astrid wondered if she were to charge a friendship fee, Lyra would squeeze out a bit from her academy expenses to pay her monthly.

Thinking about these trivial matters, Astrid’s gaze returned to the podium, continuing to listen to the next person introducing themselves.

Meanwhile, Lyra, having calmed down from her initial excitement, unconsciously pressed her knees together, the thin, milky-white stockings slightly revealing a hint of pink.

Princess Astrid’s words might not necessarily reflect her true feelings.

Even she had noticed the fleeting looks of disdain from the nobles below. As an imperial princess skilled in social interactions, Princess Astrid must have seen them too.

Perhaps she hadn’t said it because Lyra was truly her best friend, but rather to support her, ensuring she would face fewer scornful looks and disdain from others in the future.

Princess Astrid truly was such a kind person.

Thinking this, Lyra wasn’t sure whether to feel happy or sad, but after a moment, the faint warmth flowing in her heart reminded her that she was more happy than anything else.

Even if it wasn’t what she hoped, being Princess Astrid’s best friend, the princess’s actions were indeed protecting her. She felt the other’s kindness and concern.

’Don’t be too greedy. This is enough.’

Her pounding heart gradually calmed. Lyra glanced at the flawless profile of the person beside her, her white-stockinged legs gently rubbing together under the desk, silently making a resolution.

Princess Astrid was very kind to her, so in the future, she must also repay Princess Astrid well.

’Work harder, Lyra!’

Another half hour passed, and after all the freshmen who didn’t need introductions had finished, the homeroom teacher, Rowen, glanced at the wall clock.

Seeing there was still time, he proposed selecting two class representatives.

Since it was a self-recommendation process, when Rowen announced the selection of class representatives, the room fell into a brief silence.

After confirming that Astrid had no interest in the position, several seemingly outgoing nobles expressed their intentions one by one.

Ultimately, through anonymous voting, the class president and vice president were decided.

Linda Jostlin, daughter of Marquis Jostlin, was elected as the president of Class A, while the vice presidency went to Alaric de Varnay, a formerly unnoticed student who earned the role thanks to his respectable speaking abilities.

"Alright, that concludes the morning’s activities. This afternoon, we’ll officially start classes according to the schedule. I hope everyone gets a good nap and comes back refreshed."

As soon as the man finished speaking, the bell rang. The students packed up their textbooks and prepared to head to the cafeteria.

Astrid walked to the back, gently taking Amalia’s hand, and left the classroom under everyone’s gaze.

Lyra quietly followed, her heart filled with questions but choosing not to voice them.

If Princess Astrid said she was her best friend, then it must be true.

Nothing else mattered.

After lunch in the dining hall, the group returned to the dormitory. Lyra briefly glanced at the schedule; this afternoon, there was only one long magic theory class, starting at two and ending at three forty, with a ten-minute break in between.

The Elizabeth Academy of Magic operated on a five-day academy week with two days off.

Apart from attending classes, there were no restrictions on their time; they could return to the dormitory or engage in free activities after class.

Tomorrow’s schedule, however, was quite packed: an Elemental Introduction class in the morning, followed by Magic Humanities, and in the afternoon, Mental Strength Training and Arcane Theory.

The only consolation for Lyra was that her two elective classes were on Saturday morning; once she finished those, she could enjoy a full day and a half of vacation.

In contrast, Astrid’s two elective classes were less favorably timed. One, Basic Herbalism, was on Saturday afternoon, and the other, Linguistics, was on Sunday morning, effectively splitting her weekend.

Removing her dress and thin coat, then placing the milky-white knee-high stockings in the wardrobe, Lyra stepped onto the hard steps of the bed.

She glanced at the two princesses separated by a corridor on her left, gradually closing her eyes for a short nap.

At 1:20 PM, the head maid and new dormitory head, Elise, woke everyone up on time. After changing clothes and washing their faces, they arrived at the classroom ten minutes before class started.

The magic theory teacher for Class A was a woman in her early fifties, a mid-level archmage with a kind face, who preferred to be called Miss Case.

"New students, please turn to page forty-two."

Since the placement exam had already filtered out a batch of students, those currently sitting in the classroom had a decent foundation.

Therefore, Miss Case could skip the most basic parts and start with the knowledge points that advanced apprentices needed to understand.

Feeling the faint body fragrance from the person beside her, and the occasional elbow brushing past the centerline of the desk, Lyra gripped her quill tightly, her attention quickly focusing on the teacher.

"As Miss Gemini mentioned, mental strength is a compulsory course for every mage aiming to become strong. I believe everyone has already felt in their previous practices that the intensity and quantity of mental strength directly affect the effectiveness and duration of magic."

Miss Case held the chalk used for teaching, drawing a circle on the blackboard, then filled in the term "mental strength" inside it.

"But I wonder if any of you have thought about this: what is the underlying logic behind chanting magic incantations and channeling mental strength to guide elements?"

The woman’s tone shifted, her fingers tightly gripping the chalk as she drew a single arrow pointing to the right and wrote a question mark.

"Let’s discuss this first."

As the sound of discussions rose and fell, Lyra glanced at Astrid. They both knew this part of the content, so there was no need for discussion.

After a minute, Miss Case waved the chalk and cleared her throat.

"Some of you might have already previewed this part of the knowledge, so I won’t keep you in suspense."

With that, she wrote another term next to the question mark: mana.

"As we all know, mental strength is a necessary condition for casting various spells. But in fact, what drives the arrangement of elemental particles isn’t mental strength itself, but the mana converted from mental strength."

"If we compare mental strength to freshly harvested coarse wheat in a field, then the final effects of various spells are the processed products of this coarse wheat, like bread, ale, or more refined travel rations, all made from coarse wheat, differing only in processing methods and additives."

"You can think of it this way: mental strength is the raw material, the coarse wheat itself; mana is the processing, the steps like grinding and fermentation; elemental particles are the additives needed for secondary processing; and the final product is the external effect of the spell."

"In summary, mental strength is converted into mana, which drives the arrangement of elemental particles, and through a series of steps, we obtain the magic we desire."

As she spoke, Miss Case waved her wand, instructing the students to synchronously enter the elemental vision.

After chanting a spell, a flame burst into the air, a beginner-level apprentice spell, Ignite.

After this simple demonstration, Miss Case circled the term "mana" on the blackboard, drew a single arrow pointing to "mental strength," and placed a cross above it.

"Coarse wheat that has been made into bread, even if ground, only becomes fine breadcrumbs and cannot revert to its original state."

"Similarly, the conversion from mental strength to mana is a one-way process, with no possibility of reversal."

Astrid had already learned this during that night with Charlotte when testing elemental affinity.

The spell Aura Vault’s effect was to store mental strength, not mana, which is why it could provide mental strength to the user.

Seeing that the students showed no signs of confusion, Miss Case nodded in approval, thinking that their foundations weren’t weak, and there was no need for her to pause and wait.

Such students were the easiest to teach and also the most efficient.

Turning around, she completed the diagram on the blackboard and continued speaking.

"So here’s the question..."

She pointed to the term "magic incantation," her voice soft.

"What is the purpose of magic incantations?"