Chapter 27

Shen Li blinked her eyes and repeatedly confirmed the scene in front of her.

No, it's not just Shen Li.

The students around her, and even Eliza, who should be the teacher, froze in the middle of the class, staring blankly at a single point.

On the other hand, Rox, who was drawing everyone's attention, just sat silently in his chair, looking straight ahead.

The class had started, and he would respond when called upon, but he seemed to lack energy.

Eliza occasionally glanced at his face and resumed the lesson.

"…Well, let's continue the class. Uh, due to the wide range of changes in the properties of earth, the magical language that means 'rock' cannot be changed when abbreviating incantations or trying to create new magic. Conversely, if you want to change it to a different property, you can gradually alter the rock part, and you might eventually achieve the desired property change."

After saying this, Eliza tightened her expression and continued.

"However, if you're unlucky, creating new magic can take years. Being a magic researcher is a popular job, but you must be prepared to do it."

When Eliza spoke a bit sternly, everyone became solemn. Indeed, many students must be considering the path of magic research.

In the midst of this, Felter, who was sitting next to Rox, spoke up.

"…I'm not interested in magic research, but I want to improve the body enhancement magic to my desired form. I don't know what to do, so I'm taking all the classes I can. Would any magic research help in improving body enhancement magic?"

Felter asked an outrageous question, and Eliza hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"Uh, well… Ah, yes. You should ask Mr. Aoi, who is a leading expert in magic research! He will surely give you a wonderful answer…!"

For some reason, Eliza turned to me, sweating coldly, and said this. Everyone's gaze turned to me, and Eliza bowed her head slightly.

It was a complete pass, but there was nothing I could do.

With a wry smile, I cast an earth magic spell.

"Mineral processing."

I said this and created a fist-sized rock in my palm, which I then began to shape.

"This magic simultaneously activates both shape change and material change. Normally, a rock projectile spell just creates a rock, but the incantation includes a magical language that fixes the material to create the rock."

While explaining, I shaped the rock into a human form, making it resemble Eliza as a light retaliation.

Seeing this, the students exclaimed in amazement.

"The material-fixing magical language is a magical language that leads to material change. This application can also be used in water magic, such as turning water into ice. Even though they are different attributes, they are not unrelated."

After saying this, Felter opened his mouth to say something, but Eliza ran over in shock before he could.

"Wait, wait a minute!? That magic!? Aoi, that magic!?"

I held out the doll as I pushed Eliza's head away with one hand.

"Here, please."

"Wow! Thank you! Ah, it's me!?"

Eliza was surprised to see the doll that looked just like her.

Glancing at her, I looked at Felter. He opened his mouth again with a sulky expression.

"…So, the magic that changes the shape of the rock can be connected to improving body enhancement magic?"

"I can't say for sure. For example, body enhancement can come in various forms. There are types that increase strength, leg power, stamina… and there are also types that increase defense. How they relate to each other. With so many options, it's not easy to say which one is the right answer."

Felter frowned and nodded in response.

"Increasing strength can slow down your legs, and hardening the skin can reduce flexibility and make movement difficult. The same goes for other enhancements. Strengthening one aspect can weaken another. This is why body enhancement magic is not widely used and why there are few researchers."

After saying this, Felter stood up and walked over to me.

He went in front of Eliza and lifted the doll he was holding.

"Hmph."

He grunted and crushed Eliza's doll.

"I, I…! I'm in pieces!?"

Ignoring Eliza's scream, Felter looked at me.

"Having strength alone is meaningless. But if you could eliminate the weakening part, body enhancement magic would become the most combat-specialized magic."

Hearing this, Rox reacted.

"Felter! How dare you be so disrespectful to a teacher…!"

Surprised, I turned around.

"R, Rox?"

I heard Eliza's shocked voice, but Rox didn't respond. He stood up and walked over to me.

"Felter, apologize. In the academy, students have a low rank. If you show disrespect to a teacher, you could face severe punishment."

Rox warned sternly, and Felter looked puzzled.

"…Are you really Rox? The Rox I know was a strong man who never flattered anyone."

Rox took another step forward with a serious face.

"Apologize. It's not too late."

Rox demanded an apology again, and Felter's brow furrowed.

"…I only follow those stronger than me. I acted with you because you had a strong spirit that didn't bow to anyone. The Rox who asks me to apologize to a weaker teacher is not the Rox I know."

Felter, unusually, said this with anger, and Rox clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"You still don't know true fear."

With that, Rox returned to his seat.

"…So, let's continue the discussion."

After looking at Rox's back as if it were something trivial, Felter turned around.

"…It's good to have the desire to learn magic, but your attitude towards teachers is indeed unacceptable. It's important to respect everyone, regardless of who they are."

"Why? In a fight, I would win."

"That's the logic of a beast. If the other person is superior to you in aspects other than strength, you might lose in the end."

"The Kearns family rose to power through martial strength. We won through battles."

Felter held a firm belief. His unwavering will and words made me understand how he was raised.

And that he looked down on Eliza based on her appearance and attitude.

"Alright. Then, let's have Felter fight Eliza, whom he considers weaker."

When I made this suggestion, Eliza's eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "What!?"

If you find this even a little bit "interesting" or "want to know what happens next," please press the ☆ at the bottom of the page to rate it! It will be a great encouragement to the author!