Art Appreciation

Fran had not wanted to attend this Art Appreciation class. After all, there was no assessment, which meant no Contribution Points she wanted. But guided by the images in her memories and a trace of lingering curiosity, she came anyway.

As soon as she entered, she ran into someone she knew: Bela from Swordsmanship Class. A blonde girl sat beside her.

Bela raised her hand and beckoned her over to sit with them. Fran did not refuse and walked over.

Bela first introduced the blonde girl to Fran.

"This is Lai, my friend."

Then she introduced Fran to Lai.

"This is Fran. I met her in Swordsmanship Class."

After they exchanged greetings, Fran sat down beside them.

"Fran, which family territory are you from?"

Bela assumed that since Fran had a Breathing Technique, it must have been some kind of family inheritance. She must have practiced it for many years and only happened to master it before that Swordsmanship Class. Otherwise, how could Fran use a Breathing Technique so easily in actual combat? That was impossible without years of practice.

Everyone had a different physique, physical condition, and resistance to blows. Although one could watch how others used Breathing Techniques in combat, that person was not oneself.

Therefore, being able to use a Breathing Technique in actual combat inevitably required years of trial and exploration.

It could not possibly be that she had watched how her future self used it, learned it now, and instantly knew how. That was absurd.

"Huh?! I don't have a family."

The original owner had been a complete orphan, raised in an orphanage. Once her spiritual power talent was detected, she had been sent here.

"Then how did you get your Breathing Technique?"

"I bought it from a street stall."

"??!"

The smile on Bela's face nearly slipped, but she also knew Fran must have had some reason for saying that and was merely using a lie to brush her off.

Soon, Art Appreciation class began. A male teacher dressed in extravagant clothes stepped up, carrying several paintings.

He first pulled back the curtain covering one painting, then began his explanation.

"As we can see, this painting depicts a natural wilderness scene. We can see the tension within it through the leaping motion of this deer..."

Fran widened her eyes, yet she could not make any sense of the painting. The teacher's explanation went in one ear and out the other; none of it sank in.

She turned to look at the other two. Bela was the same as her, looking as though her soul had already left the classroom, while Lai stared at the painting with rapt attention.

Bela also noticed Fran looking at them and whispered,

"Oh, so you don't have an affinity for nature Spells either..."

Fran seemed to have heard something incredibly useful. She wondered why the original owner knew nothing and had simply come here to look at paintings. She herself could not feel a damn thing.

She grabbed Bela's arm and, with the earnest spirit of asking questions without shame, asked Bela to explain in detail, ignoring Bela's astonished expression.

It turned out that this Art Appreciation class was indeed mainly for appreciating art. However, the teacher had specially treated these paintings, and some Apprentices with an affinity for specific Spells would become immersed in them upon seeing them.

Many Apprentices had chosen this class specifically to determine what kind of Spells suited them. This information was not covered during the course itself.

After hearing this, Fran was thoroughly impressed by the original owner. They were all Apprentices, so why did everyone else know so much while she knew nothing?

Fran began recalling which paintings the original owner had found interesting. Although the person had changed, she figured the body was still the same. What if it retained some of those affinities?

Then Fran witnessed the original owner's peculiar taste in art. The first painting showed only a woman's face, while her body was that of an owl. It looked downright creepy, and Fran felt nothing.

The second showed a warrior killing an enemy with a sword. The hand gripping the sword was covered in densely overlapping scales, and his eyes had vertical pupils. Fran still felt nothing.

After that, nearly all the paintings the original owner had been interested in were variations of those two: wolves with human faces, a mage with scales on his face...

Fran resolved never to come again. She might as well go home and practice Wind Blade Art. She still had not brewed the Energy Potion, and that was money!

The teacher suddenly unveiled the final painting. Its background was pitch-black, dotted with countless bright points, like the night sky.

Fran suddenly felt that she could understand it. She stared at the painting, ignoring the teacher's explanation.

This was not a real starry sky. The instant she looked at it, she had a strange feeling: every "star" was the same distance from the others, rather than being scattered at random.

When all the stars were connected, they formed a marvelous pattern that carried a wondrous meaning in her eyes.

[You observed the celestial phenomenon of a certain moment preserved in a painting. It seems to have had some indescribable effect on you. Star Gazing Art proficiency +20]

When she came back to herself, she found Bela and Lai watching her from the side. Somewhat embarrassed, she turned her head away.

"Fran, have you tried any Spells from the Astrology School?"

Lai spoke first. She was very concerned about Fran's reaction. Fran had been far too immersed. Lai had never seen anyone completely fail to hear the teacher's explanation and only wake up after the painting had been put away.

"Uh..." Fran hesitated, but decided to tell the truth.

"Yes. I have a Star Gazing Art."

"What is that? Just because a Spell has the word 'star' in its name doesn't make it an Astrology Spell!"

Lai felt that Fran was messing around. Why had she made up such a Spell? It was fine if she did not know one!

"How about this? I'll invite you to join the Night Sky Reading Club. We can provide some Spells from the Astrology School there."

Lai was also a member of that club. She did not have much talent in this area herself, but she did not mind helping others.

Fran knew that some clubs existed somewhere between school-controlled and completely independent, serving as a transitional option. Generally speaking, they did not set especially high entry requirements.

Such clubs rarely had Spells. A transitional option was just a transitional option; they kept the distinction clear.

But the Night Sky Reading Club had Spells? Some Spells were exclusive to a school. Without joining, one could not buy them no matter what.

Fran was very interested in Spells, and by extension, interested in the Night Sky Reading Club.

"It isn't controlled by a school?" She still wanted to confirm it. After all, she did not want to join any particular school yet and wanted to keep her options open.

"No. Very few people know about this club, and it's invitation-only. Some members have also joined school-controlled clubs."

"Then fine, I'm in. When do we go?"

"Come here the morning after tomorrow... I'll take you there."

"Oh, right."

"What is it?"

"Do you know any club that teaches Enchantment Art? I've always wanted to join one like that."

Fran had asked Teacher Rita, but Rita said she did not know. So Fran wanted to ask these two Apprentices she could actually talk to.

Although their gazes remained full of surprise, Fran received a definite answer.