Magic Class (2)
“You truly are a genius! As expected, geniuses have their own methods!”
Professor Rafel Straht grabbed both my shoulders and shook me back and forth wildly.
Of course, her strength was so feeble that it barely moved me at all.
Undeterred, Rafel beamed with excitement and exclaimed,
“To witness chantless magic in action!”
“Chantless? What do you mean?”
“When you cast that spell, there was no magic circle, was there?”
“Magic circle? That's exactly what I was wondering about. How do others even deploy one?”
That was the very reason I'd judged myself talentless in magic.
Magic circles were beyond me. Sure, when I started self-studying magic, I'd learned the concept, but they boiled down to “memorize and use.” Since I sucked at memorization, I'd given up.
But Professor Rafel's explanation was a bit different.
“That's because you don't need to memorize magic at all, my boy. You deemed it unworthy of the effort, didn't you?”
“Well... that's not wrong, but...”
To be precise, I'd thought memorizing magic circles wasn't the proper way to learn magic.
Logically speaking, even the simplest sword techniques required reciting convoluted circles if done with magic. There had to be some other method that everyone else shared—something beyond rote memorization.
No one could possibly memorize every single magic circle out there.
Then, at some point, I'd learned to manipulate mana intuitively, and even succeeded in infusing it with intent to manifest phenomena.
So I'd assumed everyone else did at least this much. Hell, I'd thought magic circles were the advanced technique.
“I know all about it, you see. Now, give me your hand.”
“What?”
Whoosh—
Suddenly, she snatched my hand.
Then she started kneading it like dough.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh. Just stay still for a moment. Hm-hmm...”
She hummed a little tune while massaging my hand, then giggled softly.
I tried to pull away, but Professor Rafel wouldn't let go.
“I told you, didn't I? Theory is just what the mediocre masses contrived to chase after geniuses' footsteps. Magic circles are a perfect example.”
“Okay, I get it. But why are you groping my hand, you little kid professor?”
“Just wait. Let me feel it a bit longer.”
“Huh?”
“What a lovely texture. Oh, don't misunderstand—I'm just checking your mana flow. Ahem...”
As she said that, she overlaid her own hand on mine and locked our fingers together.
It tickled oddly, so I tried to yank my hand back, but this time she braced with real force.
“Hold still!”
“What the hell are you even doing?”
“Just a bit more...! I'm so close to figuring it out!”
Now she was clinging to my hand like she was begging.
It came out of nowhere, but seeing that expression, I couldn't bring myself to pull away harshly.
Her cheeks were flushed pink as she fussed at me.
Is this kid really a professor?
“Hey, be honest. How old are you?”
“Asking a delicate lady's age? Have you no noble etiquette? If I weren't focused on my research, I'd have flung you sky-high.”
“Cut the sales pitch.”
“...If I tell you, will you lend me your hand for a while?”
“You're already using it. Fine, ten minutes of hand access.”
“You...”
“Me?”
“Urgh...!”
She clawed at her hair with her free hand.
Then...
“Twenty! I'm twenty! There, now you know!”
With that, she yanked my entire arm toward herself.
She fiddled with my hand in her soft one, concentrating intently.
“No arguments! As promised, I'll peer into your hand and focus, so don't talk to me.”
“Sigh... do whatever.”
This went on for about fifteen minutes.
Finally, she patted my shoulder.
“Now, cast any small spell in this state—just something simple.”
“I told you, I need to concentrate.”
“Can't concentrate like this?”
“How could I?”
“At least try.”
With our fingers still interlocked, I extended my free hand into the air.
I closed my eyes. Felt the mana threading through me like fine silk.
That was the template. Next, focus the mind to gather it in one spot.
Concentrate it at my fingertips, like it was seeping out from under my nails.
Mana is energy. Compress it to a point, and its density builds until it surpasses ignition—then it blazes.
Whoosh—
Like that.
The problem? You have to keep supplying mana. Without fuel, the flame dies in seconds.
That was why I could never perfect Fireball.
“See? You're doing it just fine. And... so this is how it works...”
She closed her eyes too, intrigued, sensing the mana flow alongside me.
Then she extended her own free hand.
Crackle—cracklezap—
“Mm...”
I felt her mana gathering at her fingertips. But it didn't obey her will easily.
It wobbled like a toddler's first steps—clumsy and unsteady.
“As expected, it's tricky...”
In the end, no spell formed at her fingertips; the mana just fizzled and scattered.
It wouldn't gather properly, and even when it did, she couldn't sustain it.
Still, she smiled, satisfied.
“Good. I saw it. I get the gist.”
“What 'gist' exactly?”
“Now, hurl that flame into the air.”
I eyed the magic on my free hand.
As she said, I tossed it into the void—but as expected, it snuffed out quickly.
“Mana supply stops, and poof—it's gone.”
“Then try a standard Fireball.”
“What? I told you, I can't do Fireball.”
“I mean, use a magic circle.”
“Magic circle? I didn't memorize it.”
“Pardon? Why on earth would you memorize it?”
She released our interlocked fingers.
Then, right in front of me, she deployed a magic circle.
“Wait—! You crazy professor!”
“No worries. I'm not aiming it at you.”
A yellow magic circle, the same hue as her eyes.
“Just stare right through it. The key is intent. The circle merely aids in manifesting your intent into reality.”
“And what changes if I look?”
“Keep staring, and something will reveal itself.”
Nothing to lose.
I stared straight through her magic circle as instructed.
A pentagram at the center, glowing yellow strings orbiting it like dancing planets.
It evoked the cosmos—the pentagram as a star, strings as planets, even tiny satellites orbiting them.
Then the strings wobbled, reassembled, and transmitted as intent straight to my mind.
-Become a massive fireball and incinerate our foes.
“What the...?”
Like telepathy...
I jolted in surprise. But what came next shocked me more.
“Now, replicate it exactly.”
Her voice triggered an instinctive response.
I thrust my hand into the air. Recalled the intent I'd just felt.
Unknown words spilled from my lips.
“Oho... straight from the star language to incantation. Impressive—replicating it perfectly on first sight. With practice, you'll drop the chant. But even that's not true complete chantless magic.”
Regardless of her explanation, my spell activated.
A white magic circle bloomed at my fingertips, poised to launch at my command.
I released it like loosing an arrow, and mana erupted as a ferocious fireball, rocketing forward.
Boom—!
“What... it actually worked?”
I now knew exactly how much I'd misunderstood magic all this time.
And separately...
“Incredible! Such power!”
The auditorium was a wreck.
The protective barrier had activated, but it shattered helplessly, blasting all the seats away.
Yet this mad scientist beside me just lit up with glee.
“Now, do it chantless!”
“What the—?”
“You've got the sensation in your hand now, right? Use your original method!”
Professor Rafel urged me on.
She looked like an adorable little girl on the surface.
But in truth, she didn't care if the auditorium crumbled further—she chased only magical breakthroughs. A strange madness gleamed in her eyes, making me shudder involuntarily.
Still, I was curious too—not just about her, but my own magical potential.
Just how far did the talent Kael left me extend?
I knew I shouldn't give in to this devilish professor's whispers, but I extended my hand anyway.
This time, intuitively. No magic circle.
I manipulated mana without deploying a circle.
It gathered at my fingertips, ignited...
Last time, I fed it plenty of fuel but kept it unstable, so it wouldn't burn out all at once.
I restructured the mana.
Infused it with a touch of intent.
And then...
Boom—!
For the first time, I successfully launched a proper Fireball—my way.