Chapter 43

I had Eliza sit on the sofa in front of me and poured her a cup of tea.

A gentle, soothing aroma spread, and the room seemed to brighten up instantly.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any snacks."

"Oh, no! Don't worry about it at all!"

Eliza took the cup of tea with a look of gratitude. She's so cute.

She must have been too hot, as she flinched immediately after taking a sip. She's so cute.

"...So, why do you want to become my disciple, Eliza?"

When I asked her again, Eliza straightened up and looked at me seriously.

"...As I mentioned before, I am researching magic circles."

After this preface, Eliza began to explain her research.

"In the dwarf kingdom, there are very few people who can become magicians. Perhaps Aoi-sensei can provide equal opportunities for everyone to become a magician, but at the moment, there is no prospect of improvement. However, everyone has magic power. If we can revive the magic circles, it might be possible for everyone in the dwarf kingdom to use magic."

"...Indeed, with magic circles, all you need is the ability to imagine and control magic power to cast spells. But even now, don't magical stones that can be infused with magic power provide some level of effect?"

"That's not what I mean. I'm talking about things like the fire magic stones used to light lamps and fires. They are convenient tools that support daily life, but they don't offer the same level of convenience or versatility as magic. Moreover, if the study of magic continues to lag behind, it will certainly affect the nation's strength. I want to make my homeland, Gransanz, more prosperous."

Eliza looked at me with determination and spoke sincerely about her country.

Her resolve and passion were impossible to ignore.

I smiled and nodded.

"...Alright. I will teach you about magic circles, though I must warn you that it took me ten years to learn. It's not easy, so be prepared."

When I said this, Eliza's face lit up, and she replied with a bright "Yes!"

...

"This is..."

"I don't remember there being a building like this..."

Strass and Speyside voiced their doubts as they looked at the building. Shenli tilted her head in confusion.

"Didn't Aoi-sensei build it?"

Everyone turned to look at me when she said this.

"Yes, yesterday."

When I answered, a silence fell over the group.

It seemed they had accepted it. Feeling relieved, I moved to the door.

"Let's proceed as if nothing happened!"

"Aoi-san!? You built this in one night!?"

Strass and Eliza were surprised, and I frowned. They always treat me like a troublemaker, which is quite rude.

"I did get the dean's permission, you know."

"Is that so..."

Strass and Eliza slumped their shoulders, and Felter shrugged.

"...It's just like her."

Rocks nodded in agreement with Felter.

"Indeed. We're getting used to it."

Speyside sighed in resignation at their conversation.

"...This time, it's a different kind of technique. In the past, there were buildings constructed using magic, but now the mainstream method is to create blocks with stone magic and then cement them together with mortar. It's faster than building without magic, but it still can't be done in a day."

Speyside explained, and Foal shook her head.

"...This technique is interesting, but now we need to focus on continuing from the other day. If you can spare some time after class, it would be good to ask questions."

I smiled at Foal's suggestion and thought it was a good idea, so I asked everyone to open the doors in turn.

"Excuse me, everyone. Could you open and close the doors one by one?"

They looked at each other, but Strass soon grabbed the doorknob.

Immediately, the door was enveloped in a thin light starting from the handle.

"What... is this...?"

To Strass's surprise, I nodded and explained.

"Only someone with enough magic power to cast advanced magic can open this door. The mechanism is simple. When you grip the handle, it measures the concentration of magic power. If it detects a certain level of magic power, a simple lock mechanism engages."

"...Simple, huh? Well, it might be simple just hearing it, but..."

"Alright, let's go inside for now."

I pushed Strass's back to open the door. As he entered, his magic power was absorbed, and part of the wall glowed faintly.

The room was a simple box with ventilation and drainage holes, but it didn't feel too dark thanks to the light from outside and the glow from the magic.

"...There's nothing here?"

Ileu muttered unconsciously, and I couldn't help but laugh. It seemed to voice everyone's thoughts.

"This is a practice ground for offensive magic. It can't handle extremely powerful, wide-area spells like a dragon's breath, but it's fine for regular advanced magic."

After explaining, I cast a lightning spell.

"Lightning Bolt"

A white ball floated in the palm of my hand, and white lines of electricity shot from my fingers. The ball grew rapidly, eventually reaching the size of a bowling ball.

Then, it was fired like a bullet. It left a trail of blue-white lightning and flew to the back of the room.

A deafening explosion and the sound of the wall being destroyed echoed.

Everyone covered their ears and winced, staring in shock at the scene before them.

"...There's a hole."

Rocks muttered, and Coat pointed at the hole in the wall, flustered.

"Ah, well, even a strong barrier can be penetrated by lightning magic, right?"

I shook my head at Coat's words.

"It's just a wall about a meter thick. Magic with physical destructive power, like ice or stone, could penetrate it. However, this building cannot be destroyed by magic below the advanced level."

Everyone would have their doubts, but they understood the meaning of my words when the broken rocks floated up and filled the hole.

"...It's repairing itself..."

After Shenli's words, Eliza ran up to me, excited.

"Is this the power of magic circles!? I remember there was a building with a similar function in the ruins of the Bushmills Empire..."

"Please calm down. We'll discuss the building next time. For now, we'll practice the lightning spell here."

I showed Eliza my palm to calm her down and told everyone.

Here, there would be no damage to the academy.

"I'll add directionality to the lightning spell I taught you the other day. Once you learn the incantation and magic control for this, you can say you've learned the lightning spell. Let's start shooting."

I said this and began the lesson.

By the end of the class, everyone had learned the lightning spell, though with varying levels of power. After class, they were all discussing the new spell with satisfied looks on their faces.

Shenli and Dean also came to ask me questions.

As I listened to them, Foal walked over casually.

Noticing she wanted to talk, I asked the others to be quiet and turned to her.

Foal looked down at me with a serious expression and spoke quietly.

"...It was a good class. It seems I was mistaken."

I couldn't help but smile at Foal's words.

"Then, would you like to continue the classes?"

"...Yes, please. And if possible, I would like to participate as well."

"Thank you."

I thanked her, and Foal nodded slightly before leaving.

Thus, I finally gained the recognition of one of the senior faculty members, Foal Perno Rozes.

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