Chapter 39

I stood in the corner of the back row, my mind reeling as Aoi Konominato began her lesson.

Aoi's magical prowess was undeniable.

That much was clear from the rumors. She was said to be a master of both wind and fire magic, and even water magic.

I, too, can use other forms of magic, but I can only speak with confidence about water magic.

That's why I can understand Aoi Konominato's pride. At her young age, she stands among the top mages. Anyone would think themselves special and believe they can do anything.

But that's a mistake.

I have a similar past. I was born into a viscount's family with a territory that could be blown away by a breeze, and neither of my parents were mages.

I was able to attend the academy due to my innate magical talent, but after that, things were miserable.

I studied hard to understand magic more deeply than anyone else, trained rigorously, and conducted extensive research.

Through all that, I eventually became the top student at the academy and went on to become a teacher. My efforts were not in vain. If everyone put in the same effort, they should all become top mages. If I achieve that, I will surely be the first senior teacher from Mapleleaf Holy Empire.

However, I wasted several years. Due to family issues, I was desperate to produce results. But the more anxious I became, the worse the outcomes.

In the end, I angered the son of a duke from Bushmills Empire and almost got expelled from the academy.

But after ten years, I was able to settle down. I realized that if the content isn't clear, the students won't understand.

I aimed to teach them in a way that even a monkey could understand, and if they could use one or two advanced spells by the time they graduated, I would consider it a success. Through this approach, I became a senior teacher, and my family was elevated to the rank of earl.

Aoi Konominato's methods won't work that way.

"Excuse me."

I called out and opened the door. When I entered the classroom, I was surprised by the number of people.

No, many of them weren't students. The students were Coat, Ail, Liz, and Bell, sitting together in the front row, with Shenli in the center. There were also Dean and... I was surprised to see Felter Cairn and even Rox.

But the students were only those seven. The rest were Strass, Eliza...

"Are you joining us, Spyside teacher?"

When I asked, Spyside looked uncomfortable, glanced away, and pointed outside the window.

"The headmaster is also observing, so I thought I would see what it's like..."

I turned to the window in surprise and saw Headmaster Glen quickly ducking down.

What nonsense. The headmaster is the most skilled mage in the academy. Why is he observing?

What could be so special about this lesson?

I sat in a corner at the back, still puzzled.

Aoi looked at me, glanced at the attendance list, and began.

"Everyone is here. Let's start the lesson."

She then looked around and raised her palm.

"Today, we will learn about lightning magic."

After a brief pause, she continued.

"Purple Lightning Sphere."

Immediately, a pale purple glowing sphere about fifty centimeters in diameter appeared on Aoi's palm. The sphere pulsed and flickered with a sound like an explosion, and everyone's faces froze.

Of course, mine did too.

Aoi grabbed the sphere with both hands and stretched it out, creating a thin, lightning-like shape.

I couldn't help but stand up and exclaim.

"That's impossible!"

I couldn't keep quiet. I had intended to remain silent until the end of the lesson, but I couldn't bear it. It might have been out of fear, but I couldn't tell.

When I shouted, the lightning disappeared like a mirage, and Aoi spoke.

"Why do you think so?"

Aoi said this calmly. I slammed my hand on the desk and shouted again.

"There are no known users of lightning or thunder magic in history! It's considered a secret spell passed down orally, but no one can use it now!"

"I don't know about the past, but this spell is my original creation, so I can teach it. In fact, my master can use it now."

"Ridiculous..."

The ramblings of a genius.

No, perhaps she's a monster.

Various counterarguments came to mind, but I felt they were incoherent and didn't voice them.

I sat back down, leaning against the chair.

If she can teach it, let her try.

I thought.

When I fell silent, Aoi looked around again, her expression unchanged, and continued.

"Let's start with the structure of clouds. Clouds form when water in the air rises and condenses or crystallizes in the cooler upper atmosphere. The amount of water that rises depends on the temperature; more water rises from rivers and seas when it's warm, making the clouds larger and thicker."

As she spoke, Aoi used water magic to create a ball of water and gradually turned it into mist.

The mist rose and gathered near the ceiling of the classroom.

"This is a simulated cloud. It's thin, so we'll make it thicker. I think it's enough to do this much today, so everyone, let's try our best."

Aoi then said, "Let's start with the incantation... something like this," as if she had just thought of the words.

The first step is to generate and fix water. The second is to heat it. The third is to make it rise. The fourth is to circulate it. The fifth is to cool it.

While adjusting her mana, Aoi chanted, and a small-scale version of the spell she used appeared.

When I actually cast the spell, I could feel the movement of my mana. Although it wasn't included in the incantation, it seemed that the cooled water would fall and be heated again, causing it to rise.

"This is the structure of clouds. Those who can do it, try to increase the amount of water while maintaining the cycle."

Following Aoi's instructions, I tried it. It wasn't impossible, but it was quite difficult. I thought most people would give up.

I looked around.

"It's difficult..."

"Brother, use your imagination! Visualize the structure of clouds as Aoi-sensei described!"

"...Is it surprisingly easy?"

"Dean, you're doing great!"

"Ha, I'll make mine bigger faster, Felter."

"...Shut up and focus."

"Ah...! Shenli is amazing!"

"Liz, focus!"

But everyone, despite the noise, was successfully casting the spell.

No, some of them were even better than me.

I was surprised and looked at Strass and the others. Even Eliza, who I thought could only use earth magic, was creating a small ball of water.

"Eliza-sensei, remember the way to create and the properties of water that I taught you before."

"Y-Yes...!"

"Stay calm, Eliza."

"Hmm, interesting... So this is a cloud."

Eliza, who lacked the aptitude, was struggling, but everyone else was successfully casting the spell.

Even Eliza, with advice from Strass and Aoi, eventually created a cloud.

"...What. How are you doing it? We're all participating in the same lesson and working on the same new magic..."

I looked up at the cloud that wasn't growing much and then glanced out the window.

Outside, Headmaster Glen, who had created a heavy rain, was laughing madly, drenched in the torrential downpour.