That's Not How You Use Magic (2)

The casually tossed provocation had a considerable effect.

Ayla, who hadn't lost focus until then, looked at me.

"Were you speaking to me?"

Her reaction all but said, I don't know who you think you are, saying something like that so shamelessly.

I saw her eyes sweep over me.

"So, who are you? Are you a professor?"

"I'm not a professor. I'm an outside instructor."

"Ah, an outside instructor… I get the general idea."

Ayla showed an odd reaction at the words "outside instructor."

Without any particular comment, she nodded.

Maybe it was because I wasn't a professor.

The feel of the word was different, after all.

I quickly swept my eyes over the Golem Ayla had been fighting.

Up close, the difference was palpable.

She had left wounds on a Golem that most couldn't even scratch, so I promptly revised my assessment.

"Better than I thought."

"…!"

Hearing that, Ayla moved stealthily.

She stood in front of the Golem without anyone noticing.

"Were you watching me fight from the beginning?"

"I watched from the middle."

At that, Ayla's eyes sparkled like a child who had found an interesting toy.

"I reviewed it in my own way… Do you think there are things I could improve?"

"Yes. There were a few things, small ones."

"In that case, could you spare me a moment? Opportunities like this don't come easily. Please."

Ayla wore an earnest expression.

The moment I heard those words, I almost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠burst out laughing in spite of myself.

She was demanding feedback from a stranger she hadn't even asked the name of.

Ayla had no intention of missing a chance to grow stronger.

I thoroughly approved.

I supposed she wasn't the Magic Tower Master's disciple for nothing.

I wanted to respond to that attitude.

But everything in the world had a proper order.

Before I pointed out her shortcomings, we exchanged brief introductions.

"Let's start with introductions. I'm Karon. And you are?"

"Ah, ah! I'm sorry. I'm Ayla. I'll be a first-year if I pass the entrance exam. I look forward to working with you!"

Buoyed by Ayla's energetic introduction, which radiated a green, freshman feel, I got down to business.

"Well then, let's begin."

"Yes!"

First, I loosened up lightly and checked my Mana.

Even though it was suppressed by the Artifact, there was no problem at all.

Next, I tapped the deactivated Golem—tap, tap—and asked:

"For starters, do you know what your own problems are?"

"Hmm, unnecessary countermeasures, I think."

"And otherwise?"

"I'm not sure."

As expected, she had realized one of the two.

This made the method simple.

It was time for the manual I'd used on my subordinates to shine.

First, I pointed out the problem to the other party.

Then I created a situation that let her realize it firsthand, and that was it.

Really, it was nothing special.

As a prime example, I had once taken a subordinate to the Northern Region of the Continent for a month.

He improved on his own once he was thrown in with demonic beasts and Monsters.

The ones who endured paid their keep handsomely.

I could proudly call it the surest and fastest method.

The problem was, if it reached the chancellor's or the Magic Tower Master's ears, it wouldn't end with being called a madman.

I had to adopt an academy-appropriate teaching style.

Setting aside my regret at discarding a shortcut, I extended my index finger.

"The first is unnecessary countermeasures. You'll realize this one only once you experience an opponent exploiting a gap."

"That's something I'm already aware of."

"Good. Progress will be quick, then."

Next, I extended my middle finger.

"The second is that I can see unnecessary Mana waste. I estimate the cause is a lack of experience."

"A lack of experience? My master did mention that, certainly…"

Ayla, who had been nodding along, displayed doubt at the phrase "lack of experience."

As expected, the Magic Tower Master had identified the problem too.

Only, he had likely wished that Ayla would realize and pioneer it herself, so he had given her only minimal hints.

I offered a hint that was a little closer to the answer.

"Just because you diligently pile up knowledge doesn't mean it's over. You have to experience it in person and internalize it to make it certain."

"Hmm…"

Ayla, perhaps sunk deep in serious thought, was silent for a long while.

I gave her enough time to think while I summarized the solution.

"In the end, to solve the problem you have to run around diligently. This depends entirely on your own effort."

"So, what that means is it can't be fixed right away."

"Precisely."

I nodded at Ayla's answer and moved a good distance away from the Golem.

From that point on, I would point out the problems I saw.

For that, we had to clash.

I drew up my Mana and gave a light flick of my hand.

"I'll give you a short demonstration right here. Attack me with everything you have."

"Really?"

"Yes. You won't be able to break through anyway."

The moment I said that—

Whoosh!

The flames Ayla unleashed engulfed me.

I had cast a defensive spell in advance, so I didn't have so much as a scratch.

It was astonishing that a first-year could already wield Level 3 capability.

"In truth, that kind of surprise attack works quite well."

Even accounting for the ambush, the power was decent, but her Mana distribution felt clumsy.

In all likelihood, her Mana waste stemmed from that.

Even after I took several more attacks, nothing changed significantly.

Still, I held her unhesitating manner in high regard.

"Your boldness is good, but your Mana utilization is slightly lacking."

I'd left a short opinion, so I intended to make her feel the problem ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in a single stroke.

I'd done close-quarters combat recently; today it was time to go about things the classic way.

After setting aside Multicasting as a handicap, I took Ayla in slowly with my eyes.

She looked thoroughly tense because I'd blocked every attack.

"Here I come."

The first was a light one-shot.

I threw out flames precisely to the degree that Ayla would feel a sense of crisis.

In an instant, I was threatening her defensive line.

"In-Instructor?"

"That was a taste."

"P-Pardon? That's a lie, right?"

Her reaction was, what could you even do with Fireball, a basic spell, to draw out performance this stupidly overwhelming?

I watched as her barrier slowly recovered.

During that time, Ayla seemed to be racking her brain over how to counter me.

She would shore up her defenses further and aim for an opening.

A very textbook response.

Since the fundamentals were in place, I stirred in a spoonful of real combat.

I showed the consideration of warning her in advance.

"Try to find where I am."

I cast Fireball immediately and aimed for the floor.

Boom!

Fragments scattered in all directions, producing a cloud of thick dust.

Not missing the moment when the sound of Ayla coughing rang out, I erased my presence.

At the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time, I used Mana to pinpoint Ayla's location and moderately suppressed my own Mana so she couldn't detect it.

She would have to be at least Level 5 to perceive this.

Even considering this difference in ability, the first problem—unnecessary countermeasures—revealed itself.

At times like that, she could not rely solely on Mana detection; she had to mobilize every means.

Only then would her odds of survival go up.

But I could feel that Ayla was still lacking.

She hadn't yet reached the threshold.

Her experience was surely insufficient.

"You'll need to keep your wits about you."

From within the dust cloud, I deliberately launched blind attacks to draw her attention.

From ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then on, she would be intensively guarding this area.

And so, I slowly moved around behind Ayla.

When I drew close, I could see at a glance that Ayla was extremely tense.

"Miss Ayla."

Tap, tap—when I rapped on the transparent barrier from close by, I felt her Mana waver.

I saw her panicking at the unexpected situation.

"You did well."

"I definitely couldn't feel you there…"

Not detecting an enemy was no different from death, and even if you survived, a grievous wound was certain.

I shrugged at the dumbfounded Ayla and left my feedback.

"Don't be overly reliant on Mana detection. You must make use of everything you've got. You might not believe it, but even intuition can help from time to time. The core of it lies in blending these harmoniously."

Ayla nodded, wearing an expression of amazement.

Riding the momentum, I brought up the next problem.

"Your Mana distribution in offensive magic isn't clean. You might manage if you finish things in a short battle, but in a drawn-out fight you'll struggle."

"Hmm, this is harder than I thought."

Ayla's reaction was only natural.

Combat was always difficult.

It was not unlike a hellscape crawling with every variable, and only those who could respond adeptly and push forward survived.

However, this was not an issue that could be resolved short-term with advice given on the spot.

She would have to steadily accumulate experience and equip her own countermeasures.

So, Ayla attempted to internalize this first experience.

She tilted her head as she looked at the traces of the spar.

A moment later, Ayla looked at me with a slightly crestfallen expression.

"Hmm…"

She didn't seem to have found a suitable breakthrough.

If it had been one of my subordinates, I would have worked him to the bone until he understood, but this was the academy.

I approached in a manner befitting a student.

"In my opinion…"

Her skills would improve steadily at the academy.

With good facilities, professors, and the Magic Tower Master as her mentor, she had no reason to rush.

Therefore, my job was one thing.

To be unstinting with praise for Ayla.

I cleared my throat quietly.

Then, I listed the points that had stood out in our spar.

"Your boldness and the power your magic commanded were substantial. It wasn't for nothing that you left a wound on a sturdy Golem. If you fix the earlier problems based on this…"

When I cut myself off mid-sentence and drew it out, I could feel Ayla's secret anticipation.

As if to reward it, I delivered a frank answer.

"Your future shows great promise. That's not a joke; I mean it."

"You think my future shows promise… Thank you."

Her crestfallen demeanor from just a moment ago had vanished, replaced by an unmistakably buoyant air.

If she'd had a tail, she probably would have been wagging it at a terrific speed, like a puppy.

With this, the first lecture came to a close with great success.

The rest would be more than resolvable as she progressed through academy life.

Just as I decided I had enjoyed helping Ayla, she called to me.

"Instructor."

"What is it?"

Suddenly, she straightened her posture and approached me.

I tilted my head, wondering what this was about, and Ayla slowly opened her mouth.

"My master told me to see and learn many things at the academy. I think this was probably what he meant."

Then, she drew a deep breath, released it, and spoke.

"Is there more you can teach me besides this? I want to get a hit in on you, Instructor."

Hearing those words, I involuntarily let out a sound.

"That is interesting."

I'd meant to end it at that point, but a serious request had been made.

If it had been anyone else, I would have politely refused, but because it was Ayla, I was torn.

Aside from my subordinates, this was my first time teaching anyone.

How far I should teach was ambiguous, and I would have to change my educational methods.

Nevertheless, I judged that if it was Ayla, it was worth trying, and so I spoke to the girl who looked tightly wound with tension.

"Very well. However, I have one condition."

"What sort of condition?"

Before telling her the condition, I matter-of-factly conveyed the location of the quarters where I was staying.

"If you come here three times a week, I'll teach you."

"H-Huh? That's it?"

"Of course, you'll have to come at dawn."

"The time frame is no problem. How will you decide the days?"

"You may choose whichever days suit you."

I provided Ayla with maximum convenience.

Anyway, if she was going to follow me, she'd have to build up her stamina first; if she couldn't even do this, she wouldn't be able to stand at the starting line.

"Have you chosen?"

What remained was Ayla's choice.

It didn't take long to hear the answer.

"Of course. Is it going to kill me or something?"

Ayla smiled brightly and accepted.

"Miss Ayla, I look forward to working with you from now on."

With that, the goal of establishing a point of connection with the Magic Tower Master's disciple through the Running Crew was brought to a successful close.