Chapter 40

Foah unexpectedly participated in the class quite sincerely.

At one point, my attention was drawn to Headmaster Glen, who was causing a commotion outside, but without any advice from me, he just puffed up and left.

Since the headmaster was being so unruly, I opened the window to scold him, and after confirming that he had dropped his shoulders, I looked at the students in the classroom.

Everyone had done a decent job, but would Foah be convinced by this?

No, it would still be difficult.

There was less than ten minutes left, but I decided to try to cram in a bit more.

"Alright, this is today's review. As I always say, to use magic, you must understand the mechanisms of things. Just like how Professor Eliza, who could only use earth magic, learned other elemental magics by understanding the mechanisms, you can learn all magics except for non-elemental ones. There may be differences in the time it takes to learn, but for now, everyone has achieved this."

As I said this, Foah widened her eyes and stared at me intently.

Indeed, even Foah hadn't realized this.

If so, this information would be very useful to her.

I smiled and looked at everyone in turn.

"Then, to learn lightning magic in the next class, let's review the properties of water."

---

"How was it?"

After the class ended, I asked Foah.

Foah looked at me as if choosing her words carefully.

"…Am I an unfit teacher?"

When I confirmed, Foah frowned and pulled her chin down in a sullen manner.

"…I don't know yet. But for now, it was a good class. I'll count on you next time."

With that, Foah turned her back and left.

Eliza, who had come out into the hallway, frowned at her retreating figure.

"Foah is being stubborn. She's definitely surprised inside and thinking, 'Aoi is amazing!'"

"Is that so? If she acknowledges it, I would be happy, but…"

"She does! That's why she said she'll count on you next time. She'll probably come to class earlier than anyone else!"

"That's just a way of saying she wants to observe a bit more, right?"

When I replied to Eliza, Strass, who came out next, nodded slightly.

"Don't worry. Foah may look tough, but she's surprisingly reasonable when you talk to her. Even if not immediately, she probably already acknowledges Aoi inside."

Strass gave his seal of approval.

Well, if they say so, it should be fine. We have class again tomorrow, so I'll observe until then.

While thinking about this, I decided to prepare for tomorrow's class content.

---

The next day, Foah was sitting properly in the classroom.

Everyone looked at Foah in surprise for a moment, then sat down in their seats, glancing at her.

She was sitting so normally that I couldn't help but stare, but Foah closed her eyes silently and waited quietly for the class to start.

I called out the names of the participants and, after confirming everyone's name, I began.

"…Let's start the class."

The moment I said this, Foah opened her eyes.

Feeling a slight fear from Foah's intense gaze, I raised my palm and created a cloud as I had done yesterday.

"First, let's review yesterday's lesson. Everyone, try to create a cloud. If you don't understand, please let me know."

As I said this and created a cloud, everyone was surprisingly more accustomed to it and was creating larger clouds than yesterday.

Even Eliza was creating a decent cloud.

"Truly, Fidic Academy. Everyone is excellent."

After saying this, I explained the mechanism of lightning.

"I think those who created clouds with their own magic have a sense of it. Water evaporates due to temperature and rises. When the temperature is high, the evaporated water rises more vigorously. This is why summer clouds are thick and tall. Inside these clouds, the water that has been cooled at higher altitudes and is descending rubs against the rising water."

As I explained, I demonstrated by moving countless tiny ice particles up and down to make it easier to understand.

As I increased their number and speed, the static electricity that had been barely visible increased visibly.

"When objects collide, static electricity, which is a tiny lightning bolt, is generated. Understanding this mechanism and elevating it to magic is the lightning magic."

When I said this, everyone forgot to maintain their clouds and looked at me.

"…So, lightning magic is a derivative of water magic?"

In response to Strass's question, I shook my head.

"Water magic alone can only create uncontrollable thunderclouds. Even then, since the environment hasn't actually been changed, the clouds will disappear if the magical circulation and maintenance are stopped."

When I answered, Strass pondered and grunted, and Spyside spoke up.

"However, that would mean performing magic with multiple people. Interfering with another's constructed magic is extremely difficult, but let's ignore that for now. Didn't Aoi-sensei demonstrate lightning magic alone the other day? In other words, there must be a way to activate lightning magic alone?"

Spyside's words made Foah look up.

While receiving everyone's gaze, I quietly expressed my theory about the norm.

"…First, I believe it's a mistake to think that a person can only use one attribute of magic at a time."

When I said this, everyone murmured.

Among them, Rox stood up and spoke.

"…Is this about the simultaneous activation of two attributes that has been passed down in the royal family? No, as a legend, it's probably passed down in various places and royal families, but like lightning magic, it's almost a legend…"

After saying this, Rox had a sudden realization. Then, Shenli continued his words.

"Then… did lightning and thunder magic disappear because there were no more magicians who could simultaneously activate two attributes…?"

At Shenli's words, everyone waited for my response.

However, I don't know that much, even if asked. But in the past ten years, my teacher, Owen Millers, has also mastered lightning magic.

It shouldn't require special talent to simultaneously activate two attributes.

"…To my knowledge, there are two magicians who can simultaneously activate two attributes, and the same applies to lightning magic. I speculate that it may have been lost because they chose to pass it down as a secret tradition."

I added that it was a speculation, and Coat, who rarely gets excited, stood up.

"Then… can we…?"

"Probably."

After answering, I raised a finger.

"It may become an experiment, but if everyone can master the basics of lightning magic, I believe it will be proven."

In the silent classroom, Foah, who had been silent until now, raised her hand and asked a question.

"…How long do you plan for this curriculum?"

"A week."

I answered with a bit of leeway.

With these excellent students, I think they can learn the basics in about three more classes.

However, Foah opened her mouth with a stern look, as if to say something.

But she quickly closed her mouth and shook her head slightly.

Then, she quietly conveyed her own will.

"…Understood. I'll count on you to continue."

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