Chapter 187: Proof 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 187: Proof 9
Of the seven opponents facing Clara, not a single one was a mage.
Consequently, they had no idea what kind of spell Clara was preparing as she hovered in the air, suspended by Flight Magic.
However, the mages spectating from the second-floor balcony of the auditorium realized exactly what she was doing. They were struck with immediate horror.
"Mana Explosion?"
"She’s using that inefficient spell now? Why?"
Mana Explosion was a spell that detonated every other active spell the caster currently maintained. It was notorious for providing a pathetic return compared to the massive amount of mana required to trigger it.
"Wait! Is she planning to detonate every single Magic Missile in here?"
"Holy shit... is that even possible?"
"Well, if she isn't, there's no other reason to use Mana Explosion."
The spectators couldn't even fathom the amount of mana required just to fill the auditorium with Magic Missiles. And now she was going to use all of them as fuel for a Mana Explosion?
They only knew, vaguely, that it would require far more mana than it took to create them in the first place.
"I knew the Adelians had vast mana pools, but to have that much?"
"Exactly how much mana does it take to explode this many Magic Missiles, anyway?"
"How should I know?"
It was a calculation far beyond the level of an average academy student, but students weren't the only ones present.
Mages were beings of endless inquiry. If they left a question unanswered, there could be no progress. One student, unable to contain his curiosity, approached a magic professor standing a short distance away and asked politely.
"Professor, I am Merna from the second year."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I want to know how much mana is required to fill the auditorium with Magic Missiles like this and then trigger a Mana Explosion on all of them."
The professor, who taught magic theory, smiled at the young mage. Usually, young mages didn't ask questions even when they were puzzled. It wasn't out of a sense of pride—wanting to figure it out themselves—but rather because they mistakenly viewed ignorance as a source of shame.
"Seventy-eight advanced spells."
"Pardon?"
"If you factor in the Mana Explosion, the amount of mana Clara used in this match would be enough to cast roughly seventy-eight advanced-tier spells."
The number was so staggering that not only the student who asked, but everyone nearby gasped in shock.
A single advanced spell could annihilate a village. Ten could breach a fortress wall.
Lowest, Low, Mid, Advanced, and Highest.
The higher the grade, the more difficult the spell was to learn, and the mana requirement increased exponentially. An ordinary mage couldn't even learn advanced magic, and even among those who could, very few possessed enough mana to cast five advanced spells in a row without rest.
In the Academy, Joden was the only student capable of such a feat. Even if you included the faculty, only Professor Elicia and the Principal could match it.
And the spells Clara had used in this match were: Magic Missile, Barrier, Flight, and Mana Explosion.
In order, their grades were Lowest, Low, Mid, and Low.
"Professor, I don't quite understand. Even if she used a lot of Magic Missiles and triggered a Mana Explosion, does it really require enough mana for seventy-eight advanced spells?"
"Magic Missile is a spell that usually fires immediately upon casting. However, Clara held those missiles stationary in the air for several minutes. Maintaining even one requires significant mana, yet Clara controlled thousands of them simultaneously."
To a mage, mana was what stamina was to a warrior. Having nearly infinite mana was no different from having nearly infinite physical endurance.
* * *
Like stars in the night sky, the blue-tinted Magic Missiles filling the auditorium began to turn red one by one.
— Whirrrrrrr!
— Whirrrrrrr!
— Whirrrrrrr!
— Whirrrrrrr!
The reddened Magic Missiles emitted a bone-chilling sound that made the very air vibrate.
Watching from the first floor, Lucas sensed the ominous atmosphere and called out to Loki beside him.
"Loki. Shouldn't we stop this? I don't know the details, but if that spell goes off, this whole auditorium is going to be blown away."
"Eh, it'll be fine."
The other Special Class students nearby felt relieved at Loki's calm voice. Even though Loki was strange, eccentric, peculiar, abnormal, and a total lunatic, they still trusted him.
"I suppose you wouldn't have left this without any preparation. Did you tell Clara beforehand? Or is there some kind of device installed in the auditorium?"
"I didn't do anything, though?"
"What?"
Loki grabbed Frederick, who was about to bolt out of the auditorium, and added a follow-up.
"I said I didn't prepare anything."
As the Special Class students looked at him with suspicious eyes, Loki shrugged.
"Why do you think I asked Professor Idra to oversee the exam?"
"Because she's the club's advisor and it seemed fun?"
Loki gave a bitter smile at Sepia's remark.
"I can't say that wasn't part of it."
Magic tool creators were generally far removed from combat. It was rare to find someone like Loki who used magic tools as a primary means of fighting rather than just support. It was difficult to carry numerous tools, and even harder to use them correctly according to the situation.
However, there was one person who was powerful using only magic tools, without the need for swordsmanship or magic.
A magic tool creator who graduated at the top of their class for all three years at the Academy, became a high-ranking adventurer shortly after, and became the youngest professor on the continent at the personal request of the Academy's Principal.
—......................
—......................
—......................
As if the bone-chilling vibrations from moments ago had been a lie, the red dots fell silent.
But they weren't dormant. The red dots began to blink frantically, a final warning of the catastrophe to come.
The students participating in the exam had already lost their will to fight and fallen to their knees. Just as the professors on the second floor began to manifest their mana to protect the nearby students—
"Alright, that's enough!"
A cheerful voice, completely out of place for the situation, rang through the auditorium.
The red dots that had been blinking madly lost their light and were sucked one by one into Idra's hand. More accurately, they were absorbed into the ring on her finger.
"Match over! Student Clara is the winner! Congratulations! Clap clap clap!"
Under everyone's gaze, Professor Idra spoke with her usual bright smile and airy tone.
"I trust no student is going to argue that they could have blocked that even if I hadn't absorbed it? I purposely waited until the very last second to stop it, after all."
".............................."
"You... you should have just stopped it sooner..."
The words of a student who had already collapsed to his knees with tears in his eyes echoed like a hollow refrain through the silent auditorium.
* * *
Upon hearing Idra's declaration that the match was over, Clara ignored the stares of the other students and walked out of the auditorium.
Perhaps because everyone had gone to watch the match, the Academy grounds were unusually desolate.
‘I wasted too much time.’
She hadn't intended to get involved in such a farce from the start, but that man had threatened her with the Book of Forgotten Memories...
And besides the waste of time, there was another reason she didn't want to stay in that auditorium.
Clara’s confident stride came to a halt.
"............................"
The reason she wanted to leave was standing right in front of her.
He was a man who always wore a cold, icy expression, but now he looked even colder. His gaze was so frigid it was hard to believe he was looking at his own flesh and blood.
Joden Adelian.
Third-year top student, Academy Student Council President.
And Clara’s older brother.
"Pathetic."
If voices had seasons, Joden’s would be midwinter.
"When you first cast those Magic Missiles. Why did you stop instead of firing them immediately? The match should have ended then."
Clara, usually so bold, flinched as if intimidated by Joden’s words.
"But you hesitated, and as a result, your opponents regained their composure and charged at you."
If anyone else had said those words, she would have ignored them or argued back fiercely, but now, no words came out.
"Arrogance—the greatest enemy of a mage. Have you become conceited just because people praise you for having a bit of mana?"
".................."
"Come to think of it, during the midterms, you only used low or mid-tier magic and didn't use a single advanced spell."
"..................."
"Are you... afraid?"
Clara eventually walked past Joden.
It wasn't an act of defiance. It was an escape.
Walking forward without looking back, Clara didn't see it. She didn't see the expression Joden, the man who always looked so cold, wore as he watched her retreating figure.
"Sigh..."
After a short sigh, Joden’s face returned to its icy mask.
"You might as well come out now."
A person appeared out of thin air.
"Caught me. I came to catch up with Clara, but I missed my timing to step out."
Loki shrugged and approached Joden.
"By the way, why don't you just be honest? Tell her you were worried she'd get hurt because she was holding back so much."
"I am deeply grateful to you for saving my mother. I've said this many times."
"So suddenly? I've told you before, I received plenty in return, so you don't need to thank—"
"Then stop doing it."
Joden, who had always treated Loki with polite respect, cut him off. Loki didn't ask, "Stop what?"
"I don't want to."
"Whew..."
As Joden exhaled, the air grew cold. A sudden chill wrapped around Loki's entire body.
But it was familiar.
Loki pulled his cane out of his Pocket Dimension and pointed it at Joden.
"Shall we have a go at it, like in the old days?"