Becoming a Magic School Mage

Chapter 4

The individual rooms assigned to the students were unexpectedly large and comfortable. The headmaster may have been stingy in other ways, but at least he hadn’t taken away even their private rooms. Of course, while Ehan was pleasantly surprised at this revelation, the other noble students were gaping at the bleak, empty rooms waiting for them.

“I-is this... a room for beggars?”

“Did someone loot the room?”

They said blankly, collapsing on the floor in despair.

The rooms looked bigger than they were because there was inside them except for a desk, a chair, and a bed. Ehan put away the clothes he had received, set down his luggage in the corner, and then took out a book.

On Einrogard was a thin volume containing basic information about the school that all the students had received before their arrival. So there are mandatory classes I absolutely have to take, but the rest of our schedules are up to us to decide. And we can spend the first month trying out classes before making our final decisions...

As strict as this school seemed, it gave its students free rein in this respect. Once a student was admitted, Einrogard paid no attention whatsoever to what they chose to study.

—"Mages are those who seek the truths of the universe. The upperclassmen and professors may aid you, but you must be the one to choose and walk your own path.” - Osu Gonadaltes

So that’s the headmaster’s name. Armed with this tidbit he hadn’t asked for, Ehan wrapped things up and rose to his feet. Since the tower had confirmed he could go to the first-year common room, he intended to talk with some of his classmates.

* * *

Yonehr was already in the common room when Ehan arrived, offering him a friendly wave when she spotted him. They soon struck up a conversation about the classes they were considering.

“I want to learn alchemy,” she announced.

“Alchemy?”

“Yeah, I’ve always been interested in alchemy. My dream is to start my own workshop and become a supplier for the imperial family.”

“That sounds pretty profitable,” Ehan said contemplatively.

“Do you want to partner up?”

“Hmm. I’ll think about it. Running an alchemy business isn’t easy.”

Ehan didn’t jump on board right away. Just as Yonehr had always been interested in alchemy, Ehan had always been interested in business. Alchemy sounded promising in theory, but competition in the empire’s market was cutthroat. Guilds started by elite alchemists were engaging in relentless warfare to corner the market, and tactics like giving out free potions to adventurers’ guilds, spreading malicious rumors about rival guilds’ products, and monopolizing the supply of potion-making herbs were all par for the course. Everything Ehan heard about the trade was ruthless enough to make him wary of setting foot in it.

Maybe a stable career is the smarter choice. His primary goal was to become an imperial official—in other words, a public servant. No matter the era, civil service was always pretty cushy.

“What are you interested in, then?” Yonehr asked.

“Me?”

The question caught Ehan off guard. The truth was, he’d been thinking of taking classes that were easy and had little to offer in the way of competition. Learning was great and all, but his grades would be seen by potential employers when he graduated, so he needed to pay attention to them.

“I figured I’d take a month to explore all the classes before making my final decision. It’s not good to rush into things,” Ehan improvised.

“Wow... That’s impressive.”

Ehan gave her a puzzled look, not understanding what was so impressive about it. What did she mean?

“People usually decide on a specialization before they come here, based on their preferences. But that’s not always the best approach...” Yonehr clarified.

It was hard to know what kind of magic you had an affinity for until you tried it out, and it just wasn’t efficient to stick with a discipline that wasn’t a good fit. A mage who was serious about the pursuit of knowledge should know when to set aside their stubbornness to choose a better path, but it was only human to want to follow the path one desired. It wasn’t easy to abandon that impulse.

“Is that a rule of House Wardanaz?” she asked.

Why does everything keep getting tied back to my family name? Ehan thought, dumbfounded. He hadn’t fully grasped the impact of his family’s name until he had come here, but the way the Black Tortoise Tower students had looked at him just now had been particularly illuminating. It was possible that the reputation of House Wardanaz was much more intense than he’d thought.

Just then, Guynando burst in with an urgent shout. “This is terrible!”

“What is it?”

“I think my room’s been robbed! There’s nothing inside!”

Ehan and Yonehr just stared flatly at him.

* * *

Introduction to Basic Magic was a mandatory class for all first-years, but it looked like only the Blue Dragon Tower students were in Ehan’s section.

“Why does everyone look so off?”

“I’m starving, I’m tired because I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, and these clothes are chafing me,” Yonehr said.

Guynando nodded in agreement. When he woke up early this morning, he’d thought yesterday must’ve just been a bad dream. He’d gotten out of bed, expecting a breakfast of warm white bread topped with fresh butter and a steaming bowl of spiced chicken soup on the side. But that hadn’t been a dream after all, and he was met with nothing but hard brown bread, hard rice balls, and a glass of cold water.

I thought the food was fine... Ehan thought. He might’ve lived a pampered life after being reborn into House Wardanaz, but his past life had been full of struggle.

“Huh...? Am I seeing things?” he’d asked his upperclassman. “If I’m working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., then when am I supposed to eat?”

“Here you go, take this energy bar. Make it last— It’s all you’re getting today.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m not the one you should be complaining to. I have to survive on energy bars too. But there’s a feast waiting for you after work!”

“If you say instant noodles, I’m going to kill you.”

“Sorry. It’s instant noodles.”

Ehan had been speechless.

“But there are triangle rice balls t—”

Shaking off the memory, Ehan concluded, All in all, I think I’m better off now.

But all the other Blue Dragon Tower students looked visibly drained—and this was just one day after they arrived at Einrogard.

The classroom for Introduction to Basic Magic was on the first floor of the main building out of consideration for the new students, as they were more likely to get lost the higher up they went. The door creaked open, but no one was going in.

“Huh...?”

“I-is this the wrong class?”

“No, you’re in the right place. Come in and sit down.”

Ehan was puzzled by the panicked whispers of the crowd milling about the entrance to the classroom. What was going on?

The answer came quickly: there was a troll in the classroom.

There was a long silence as everyone stood frozen in place, too stunned to step inside.

“I said, get in here!” the troll bellowed.

“Uh. Um...”

The students hesitantly stepped into the classroom, their faces filled with terror and dread. Trolls were monsters so violent and vicious that even those who’d spent their whole lives holed up in their estates had heard of them. Naturally, everyone was shocked to see one dressed like a professor and waiting for them. Was this a class or a troll buffet?

“All right, let me introduce myself. My name is Garcia Kim, and I’m half-troll. I know everyone’s scared, but there’s really no need to be. I don’t eat humans... unless I’m really hungry.”

This was met with silence.

“That was a joke, but I guess it fell flat,” Professor Garcia said, looking deeply apologetic for making the atmosphere even more awkward. “Right then, moving on! As our headmaster always says, time is our most valuable asset. So shall we begin the lecture?”

With a flick of a staff, the students who were still standing up were propelled along into their seats.

“Each of you here is a fledgling mage given the title of ‘Steel.’” Some of the more arrogant or stupid among you may have secretly tried your hand at magic already, but most of you likely haven’t. This lecture aims to show you what magic is and help you find the discipline best suited to you. The path of magic is narrow and dangerous, and you must walk it alone, but I hope to be the compass that guides you before you begin your journey.”

The students’ faces softened at those gentle words. This professor’s a hundred times better than that skullmaster.

“Now, let’s start with the very basics. What is magic?” Professor Garcia asked.

Princess Adenart answered coolly, “Magic is the act of a mage imposing their will upon the world to effect change.”

“Correct— The act of twisting the world through the caster’s will. The question now is ‘how.’ How does one alter the world?”

“Through the power of mana?”

“Very good. Magic energy, mana... We tap into these primal forces to change the world. Everyone here should be able to sense magic energy and recognize it within themself.”

The students all nodded their heads. As Einrogard was a place that only accepted those with an aptitude for magic, its new students had of course already awakened their magic energy.

“But that is merely the starting point. To truly use magic, you must go beyond. You must evoke the magic energy by the force of your will, weave it delicately into strands, and then manifest it. Many believe magic requires incantations, or gestures, or reagents, but the most important factor is your will— The will of the spellcaster. You must not forget that. Of course, you’ll naturally need incantations and gestures. You’re still novices, after all. All right, I’ve rambled on long enough. You’re probably starting to doze off, so let’s move on to some hands-on practice. Please take out your staffs and try summoning up your magic energy.”

The air pulsed with a humming pressure as the young mages began to draw out the energy inside themselves. Ehan focused right alongside them, feeling the energy within him flowing out to pool in his staff as he channeling his magic energy into it.

“Now, holding onto that energy— Don’t lose focus! Conjure up an image of light in your mind, whatever you think of when you think of light. It can be bright, warm, sparkling… Anything you like,” Professor Garcia instructed.

The room filled with the sounds of exertion. Controlling magic energy was like trying to rein in a wildly bucking stallion: a moment’s lapse in focus, and it would slip the lead and scatter.

“Strengthen that vision of light in your mind... And shout out an incantation. It could be anything— ’Illuminate,’ ‘Light,’ ‘Shine,’ ‘Bright light,’ anything that springs to mind will work.”

“Illuminate!”

“Bright light!”

“Light, as dazzling as the sun and as beautiful as my glory!”

“Keep it short! Lengthy incantations will only make you lose focus at this stage,” Professor Garcia warned.

Concentrating to channel magic energy, changing that energy with one’s will, and finally completing it with an incantation—Ehan felt like he now understood what magic was. Of course, grasping the theory didn’t mean he could pull it off right away.

Pop!

“Urk!”

Bang!

“Augh!’”

Boom!

“Gah!”

Sounds of failure and frustration erupted from the young mages around the classroom. The troll professor’s staff swished through the air, a smile spreading across its owner’s face. A failed spell could lead to losing control of the gathered magic energy, which could then run wild and hurt the caster. It was the professor’s job to prevent that from happening.

“All right, don’t lose your nerve or panic just because you failed. No one gets it right the first time. As long as you have magic left in you, keep trying!”

On the second attempt, the room was once again filled with the sound of pops and groans. Secretly, Professor Garcia was amused. “Luminescence,” the most basic of spells there was, generally still took first-time mages more than a month to master. That was how challenging magic was. But the professor had no intention of voicing that fact, as it was something the students would have to experience for themselves.

“That’s right! Again!”

By the third attempt, some of the students began to drop like flies, exhausted from burning through all their reserves. Magic used up a lot more energy than one would expect. More than half of the students slumped into their seats, exhaustion in their faces.

“Again!”

On the fourth try, nearly everyone’s legs gave out, leaving only a couple who were either lucky or had especially good control.

“Again!”

The fifth attempt.

“Again!”

The sixth.

“Again!”

The seventh.

“Um... Professor, I’m truly sorry to interrupt, but do I have to keep going...?”

Professor Garcia paused mid-shout, finally realizing the strangeness of the situation. Typically, students hit their limit by the fourth try, or at most the fifth. But one student was still standing, even after the seventh attempt.