Chapter 58

I can't even remember how many times I've tried.

It was a bead that I barely managed to complete.

"...Eihan?"

"?"

"I'm not very familiar with that magic, but didn't it get too big?"

Yoner asked with a perplexed expression.

The other students were also flustered.

The water bead, which was initially the size of a fist, had now...

grown to the size of a massive boulder.

At that point, it was questionable whether it could still be called a bead.

Sssssssssss-

The giant water bead spun, making a menacing sound.

Asan spoke to his friends as if questioning their reaction.

"Wodanaz wouldn't fail to control a magic spell. This is definitely how it's supposed to be, 100%."

"R... Really? For a first-year student's magic, it seems too... dangerous."

Rowena stuttered, and Neillia, standing beside her, got angry on her behalf.

"What do you think Wodanaz is! Wodanaz can do this!"

"......"

Eihan was grateful for his friends' support, but it also felt like a burden.

Eihan suddenly felt the pressure.

'Did I push myself too hard?'

There were always words of advice for young mages.

-Don't tamper with a well-crafted spell.

A spell is already a complete formula and world in itself. An inexperienced mage tampering with it would not end well.

What Eihan was doing wasn't a huge transformation, but it was still a modification.

'Did I do it wrong?'

Maintaining the rotation of the water bead, which was strongly compressed, was difficult for Eihan.

Eihan didn't know, but this was a spell that even upperclassmen had to study professionally to handle.

A high-difficulty spell that required maintaining the bead's shape and making it rotate with a fixed amount of magic power!

Of course, Eihan didn't know this.

So Eihan poured more magic power into it.

To maintain the rotation.

As he injected more power, the water bead started to rotate, but the shape of the water bead couldn't withstand the magic power and began to distort.

So Eihan decided to increase the size of the water bead, thinking there was plenty of water around.

However, as the water bead grew larger, the rotation began to slow down again.

...Eihan poured even more magic power into it.

Under normal circumstances, either the mage would collapse or the water bead would burst.

However, Eihan had too much magic power to collapse, and his concentration was far more impressive than expected, preventing the water bead from disintegrating.

After several minutes, Eihan finally completed it.

A water bead that barely maintained its shape, rotating in a completed form!

...But it was dozens of times larger than the original!

'No. It definitely feels controllable.'

Eihan aimed the water bead... no, the water sphere at the golem.

Maintaining the spell was already difficult.

'Go!'

Bang!

With a loud noise, the water bead shot out. The water bead, unable to control its own power, flew off course from the intended target.

'Oh no!'

Aiming for the golem's back, it ended up hitting the golem's shoulder.

Eihan clicked his tongue in disappointment.

'Can I recreate this now? My head is already pounding after making one...'

Thud!

"......"

"......"

"?????"

The students present couldn't believe what had just happened, blinking their eyes.

The mud golem, hit on the shoulder, exploded into pieces.

"Wowwwwwwwww!"

"Wodanaz! Wodanaz! Wodanaz!"

"Did you see that!? I told you!"

"......"

Eihan looked at the remains of the mud golem with a dazed expression.

Even with a miss, it was this powerful...

It was unclear whether it was due to the power of the water bead or the weakness of the mud golem.

'At least Professor Vlad's teachings weren't wrong. Thanks to them, I survived.'

Of course, Professor Vlad had never specifically taught this.

* * *

"Wodanaz. Are you okay? Let me carry you."

"No, I'll carry him."

"I'll carry him."

When Eihan, who had used magic, started to stagger, his friends rushed over.

As they grabbed Eihan's arms and legs, he felt a headache coming on.

"...I can walk on my own."

"Oh, really?"

After a brief rest and a sip of the remaining coffee, Eihan's mind returned to normal. He was amazed at his own recovery ability.

'Coffee might actually be a magic potion in any form.'

Swallow-

"Hmm. The rain has weakened a bit. Neillia, is it okay to start now?"

"Originally... I wanted to wait a bit longer, but..."

"Everyone, let's go!"

"Wodanaz says it's okay to go!"

"...Listen to me completely, you brats!"

Before Eihan could finish, his friends started to move, making Neillia frustrated. Eihan called the friends back to their original positions.

"I wanted to wait a bit longer, but seeing the mud golem, I don't think we should relax. Let's move now while the rain is weaker. I'll lead, so just follow me. Don't stop in the middle, don't stray, and don't get distracted by anything interesting..."

"Oh, is that a yew berry? It must be delicious."

Smack!

Eihan hit the Black Turtle Tower student on the back with his staff.

The student exclaimed in surprise.

"S-Sorry, Wodanaz-sama!"

"Sorry!"

The atmosphere instantly became orderly. The Black Turtle Tower students straightened their clothes and posture.

Neillia looked at Eihan gratefully, but Eihan sighed inwardly.

'Damn. I should have made someone else do it.'

Neillia ended up playing the role of the kind teacher, while Eihan became the strict one.

Of course, it was an effective setup often used during field trips or excursions...

...but Eihan wanted to be the kind teacher.

'I should have made Neillia do it.'

Unaware of Eihan's ulterior motives, Neillia finished her explanation.

"Form groups. Make sure no one is missing. If there's a problem, speak up immediately. Got it? Let's go!"

The students lined up and started moving.

The formation was so orderly that it was hard to believe they were magic school students.

* * *

"Light!"

Eihan lifted a ball of light to illuminate the surroundings.

He did this to help the students following behind.

Not only Eihan, but other students who could use magic also cast spells to help their friends.

Seeing this, Eihan thought to himself.

'Can I try a fire spell now?'

A fire spell might be the most suitable in this situation.

Although the rain had weakened, the students were still shivering from the cold.

'Professor Garcia advised against it...'

Professor Garcia had discouraged Eihan from using fire element spells on campus until his magic skills were more proficient.

There was a risk of Eihan getting hurt.

But in this rainy situation, the risk seemed minimal.

More importantly, the concern was whether the fire would even ignite in the rain.

Indeed, students who knew the <Fire Creation> spell were failing to cast it in this rain.

The continuous rain and the cold, damp environment were affecting the mages' concentration.

'Can I ignite a fire in this situation?'

The moment this doubt arose, the spell was already half-failed.

'Let's try.'

"Blaze!"

Eihan visualized fire and recited the incantation.

He had memorized the movements perfectly from watching his classmates during Professor Garcia's lectures.

Whoosh!

"!!!!"

"!!!!!!"

Neillia, walking beside him, perked up her ears and jumped.

Eihan had spewed a fierce flame in front of him.

The flame disappeared instantly, but the shock remained.

"?!?!?!"

"Sorry."

Neillia didn't scream to avoid startling the students behind her, showing her Shadow Patrol training.

Instead, she expressed her shock with her whole body, waving her hands, widening her eyes, and shaking her feet, making her feelings clear.

"Really sorry. I didn't expect to lose control like this."

"What... what did you do?"

Neillia asked in a shocked voice.

"Fire Creation."

"...???"

Neillia doubted her ears.

When did a small flame spell become like that?

"It's my first time using it, so I failed to control it. But now I'm fine. I've got the hang of it."

Eihan adjusted the size of the fire, showing that he wasn't lying. A ball of fire floated in the air.

The intense heat warmed Neillia's body, and her expression softened.

"Blaze!"

"??"

"Why?"

"Um... nothing."

Neillia wondered if it was okay to use 1st Circle spells so frequently but didn't say anything.

Just as Eihan respected Neillia's skills as a hunter, Neillia should respect Eihan's skills as a mage.

That's what friends do.

"Oh, but can I float multiple fireballs like this?"

"......"

Neillia glared at Eihan.

Thanks to the fire and light, the students' pace quickened.

The fireballs Eihan summoned warmed the students' frozen limbs.

'Professor Ingeldel is not here, as expected.'

Eihan arrived at the spot where Professor Ingeldel had been and looked around.

Although Professor Ingeldel was not in sight, Eihan was not disappointed. He had been secretly confident all along.

'As expected, it's a trap set by the professors.'

Creak-

"?"

The bone summoner suddenly trembled in fear and hid behind Eihan.

It seemed to be afraid of the spot where Professor Ingeldel had disappeared.

'What is it?'

Eihan focused his mind.

He felt a familiar magic power from where Professor Ingeldel had disappeared.

Where had he seen it before?

Bang!!!

"?!?"

All the students turned their heads in surprise.

From the opposite direction, a mud golem was charging fiercely.

* * *

Eihan's group had a leader, Eihan, but the Phoenix Tower and White Tiger Tower students did not.

When the mud golem appeared, the students offered various opinions.

-Throw potions to knock it down.

-Attack it together. Distracting it from all sides will give us a chance.

-Use magic to attack?

-Just do everything.

-That's a good idea.

What happens when you don't refine dozens of opinions into one and just do everything in a project?

It obviously turned into a mess.

-Throw! The potion is effective! It's definitely a potion made by Bartrek!

-Isn't that a potion made by Priest Sianna?

-Oh, right? I must have been mistaken.

-Everyone, scatter and stab it! Prevent it from regrouping!

Despite the chaotic attack, the students fought quite well.

They threw improvised potions to weaken the mud golem and used swords and spears to chip away at its body, showcasing the combat skills of those from knight families.

But that was as far as it went.

When the potion's effect wore off and they couldn't bring down the mud golem, the students started to be pushed back.

-...Retreat! Retreat! We'll be crushed if we stay here!

-Run! Run if you want to live!

Realizing that their weapons were no longer effective, the students started to run.

Right towards Eihan's group!

Eihan muttered to himself as he watched the chaos approaching from a distance.

"Such useless people, they won't be of any help in life..."

Neillia decided to pretend not to hear, for Eihan's image.