Master and Disciple
Master and Disciple
The master's class was ordinary on the surface. Wasn't the title itself simple? Understanding Magic and Practical Application.
But that was a course name on the level of magnificently trolling people, just like that Basics of Magic or whatever book I'd read back when I was holed up in the temporary detention center.
The understanding of magic the master spoke of was magic based on Magic Power, not Mana.
In other words, it meant the magic used by Demonfolk or dragons, and practical application meant how magic using Mana should handle such opponents.
Even from just a brief read, the contents were intensely fascinating from my standpoint. What caught my eye most among them was that war magic, researched and derived solely for battlefield combat, was shifting away from the old human-vs-human concept that aimed for short-term decisive battles, and transforming into a debuff form that manipulated and administered Mana as a contaminant in various forms to cause a kind of poisoning symptom in the Demon King's Army and lower their combat power.
Since Mana consumption was far less compared to casting other spells and the effect was excellent, boasting enough versatility that even knights like me who could only manage a really weak flame could learn and use it, what was needed to wield this newborn magic was precisely the process of understanding Demonfolk magic.
To roughly analogize, it was close to the concept of studying an obscenely sturdy machine you can't smash, so you figure out which parts are fatally critical and tamper with them, and the effect on the battlefield was apparently nothing short of groundbreaking. Depending on proficiency the effect varied wildly, but the weakening of Demonfolk was palpable, and it was in fact a magic that shifted the paradigm of war and contributed to the war dragging on for the past seven years—so it was written in the master's course introduction.
And it was also what the master was currently lecturing on with a serious look in front of the students. Aside from the bit where I had to stand at the edge of the podium like a wooden doll, it was beneficial content for me too, so there was no nodding off.
At first listen, it sounded like the sort of thing that would make knights cry foul and call it cowardly, but maybe because the spec gap was so severe from the start, or perhaps knights hung up on fairness had all died off ages ago, but it was treated as a must-have skill you'd weep with regret over if you could learn it and didn't. Seemed the long war had made the stuffy old knights a fair bit smarter.
Very fortunately, the absolute majority of students who came in for this trial class were showing immense interest as well. Maybe because their minds were still soft and malleable, or maybe because the swordsmanship department knight aspirants who couldn't use Mana at all weren't here—I didn't know the reason, but I saw almost no indifferent reactions.
While I was idly thinking that perhaps the academy's educational policy had also changed due to the long war and lightly loosening my neck, the master's explanation began drawing to a close.
"Obviously, this can also be applied to humans. However, not only is the effect minimal compared to Demonfolk, but if the opponent possesses superior ability to the caster, the probability of it having no effect becomes very high. Does any student have a guess as to why this difference occurs? Yes, the student with their hand raised there. Why do you think?"
"Since Magic Power and Mana are so vastly different, it clearly plays the role of a contaminant, but I think it's because the degree isn't as severe between the same Mana."
"Insufficient impurity can be reinforced through the spell formula, so calling that a perfect answer feels slightly lacking. But you got half of it right. Any other opinions?"
What could it be? From my standpoint, I couldn't guess at all. Even after pausing briefly and giving them time, when no one else readily raised their hand after that last student, the master nodded and continued speaking.
"Actually, this very reaction is the normal one. To us, Mana, refinement, and transformation are all too familiar, while Demonfolk magic is utterly foreign. If there had been a student who could answer that question, they would either be exceptionally good at deduction or have a deep interest in Demonfolk. Even the teaching assistant, who falls into the latter category, looked completely lost, so there's no need to feel discouraged."
Using me as a sacrifice to lighten the mood out of nowhere? But it wasn't exactly wrong, so I just gave a faint smile and a slight nod. For some reason, it felt like all eyes in the lecture hall turned to me at that moment, but I paid it no mind, and the master turned right around and started drawing something on the board behind them.
"Human magic is a history of advancement and improvement. It is a power that has continued from the very moment all humans—elves, dwarves, beastmen, our Human Race, and so on—became able to use Mana, and it is a future power that will endlessly develop onward. Only after going through a series of processes where you build your own world through thoroughly studying and schematizing that power as theory, do you finally stand as a mage. We who actually handle that power don't feel it keenly, but in that process, the Mana circuit in our body becomes a single vast labyrinth. While we stack, organize, and open paths in ways we can understand and use, to an outsider it becomes a sanctuary only we can comprehend."
After drawing a rough circle and scratching the inside haphazardly with chalk to make it look like tangled thread, then smudging parts with a finger to mimic a maze, the resulting picture was no different from scribbling, but it was a perfect example.
"But the magic of Demonfolk who use Magic Power is different. Because whether they physically enhance themselves or cast magic, they essentially possess a Magic Organ that must be materialized and completed."
A circle of similar size was drawn next to that rough circular maze, and this time, the master, who had merely erased about two spots to make nothing but clear passages, finally turned to face the students.
"This spell formula, called erosion magic on the battlefield, attacks the Demonfolk's Magic Organ, not their magic circuit. No matter how powerful a Demonfolk mage is, it is an organ that inevitably exists, and an organ that cannot be strengthened. Hence it exerts a large enough effect that you could practically call it guaranteed. But humans are different. Attacking the Mana Refinement Organ cannot properly fulfill the role of a contaminant, just as that student mentioned earlier. As I added the extra note, raising impurity through the spell formula will have an effect against an equal-ranked enemy, but it becomes equally minimal against a high-ranking mage."
The master turned again, drew one large arrow toward the center of the circle containing the thread-tangle maze, and continued the explanation.
"Thus, for this magic to properly exert its effect on humans, it naturally must attack the Mana circuit, but as you can see, another person's Mana circuit is their own private labyrinth and difficult to penetrate. Above all, to breach it, it becomes a highly advanced magic on a similar level of difficulty as operating dispel, making it extremely inefficient. Unless, that is, you can see the flow of magic and intervene."
Seeing scattered laughter burst out at that last remark, it seemed like a pretty well-received joke, yet I actually felt cold sweat forming.
So basically, I was casually using something that other people dismissed as just a joke? Epaga, when I have an audience with you, there's one more thing I'll have to ask about.
"This is precisely why even after the Demon King's Army analyzed this magic, they couldn't find a sharp countermeasure. And it is also the core of the class I will be teaching going forward."
As the master slowly erased the board, I seized the chance to sneak a glance at the clock, and it was exactly five minutes before class ended. In fact, the master, who had begun wrapping up with such precision I almost suspected they had a built-in biological clock, looked over the students with a straight face and continued.
"This erosion magic is ultimately a product of knowledge. It is a usage method humanity obtained after analyzing and researching an unknown enemy. It is proof showing how important it is to train oneself to discover new thinking and perception through diverse knowledge. Therefore, while this class may someday be considered stale, for now its purpose is to help you once again realize, through unfamiliar concepts, just how special what we possess is, and to establish a new foundation to move forward."
And that was why it was a common required subject. Because it was sufficiently beneficial even for knight aspirants who didn't dream of becoming magic knights or spellblades.
"If you end up taking my class, you can expect content like this to make up the majority of it. Let's leave it here for today. Thank you for gracing this seat with your time amidst your busy schedules."
There was no need for me to raise my hands first to force applause. After the students' voluntary round of applause, the master took a simple Q&A session and then stepped down from the podium.
"More manageable than I thought. More comfortable than when I worked at the royal palace."
To the master, who spoke with a smile and a short sigh, I responded with a smile of my own and gave a brief impression.
"It was an informative class. Thanks to it, if nothing else, I could confirm for certain that I'm not of Demonfolk lineage."
"Ha ha. No matter how thinned the blood gets, Demonfolk always grow horns. Unless you're filing down horns in the mirror every morning, you can't be a member of the Demonfolk."
Well, that was new knowledge. Felt relieved that I'd be able to absorb useful knowledge for a while without falling into bouts of obsessive compulsion.
"But if I were to create a Magic Organ, would I then become vulnerable to that erosion magic?"
"The essence of this magic is closer to hindering the Magic Power in the body from moving according to the user's will. I told you last time, didn't I? That even Demonfolk aren't completely free from the danger of Magic Power. Even if it can't be directly shoved in, the essence of this erosion magic is that constant threat. So it won't have any effect on you."
Since I was already using Magic Power according to my will without a Magic Organ.
I remembered what they'd told me before, so I could grasp the unspoken part without having to hear it.
"This much almost makes me doubt whether I'm really using Magic Power."
"Indeed. It seems both you and I have a long road ahead."
A road you can see, even if long, was better than being lost. Thinking that, I just showed a smile for now.