Magic Class
p>The end of magic knows no limit.
p>As a mage, this was a saying that I should have known by heart—the foundational bedrock of all magic, if ever there was one.
p>Surely among those who approach magic with true sincerity, few would not carry this thought in their minds.
p>Then here is one question.
p>“One thing I’d like to ask… What exactly is magic…?”
p>“““…….”””
p>What is magic?
p>To be honest, this was a question without a clear answer.
p>In simple terms… well, it was more like a multi-faceted essay question.
p>But as true mages, even if the ground beneath our feet may be the same, the branches we follow must differ. Each of us must carry our own unique answer.
p>The only reply was silence. It seemed even this question had yet to be raised.
p>‘Haa… the road ahead is long.’
p>I never imagined they had so little to go on. A deep sigh escaped me.
p>Perhaps it was because I had raised Meiel’s body and mind to such heights that no simpler question surfaced. After agonizing for about ten seconds, I finally came up with something easier and new.
p>“Perhaps conceptual questions are too hard, so let me ask something more straightforward… In using magic, what is the most important thing…?
p>My students turned to each other. Some seemed eager to speak first, others already preparing to answer. The first hand raised belonged to the pope’s daughter, Pina.
p>Having observed her daily at the temple, she was now quite familiar to me. I nodded, and Pina looked at me with a gentle smile.
p>“I believe it is the incantation, Master.”
p>“Oh, that’s reasonable.”
p>“It has some truth to it.”
p>“That’s what I was going to say, though…”
p>The students murmured among themselves that Pina’s answer to the incantation seemed fitting. Yet it fell far short of what I had in mind. I shook my head.
p>“No, that’s not it…”
p>“T-then what about me? Is it perhaps the distribution of mana?”
p>As soon as I shook my head, a boy immediately raised his hand.
p>Fran, the representative character of the shamanic job group.
p>“Umm…”
p>The students began whispering again, this time saying Fran’s answer about mana distribution also seemed possible.
p>Mana distribution. It was not entirely incorrect, so I let out a small sigh, but it still was not the direction I had envisioned. I shook my head once more.
p>And once Fran’s turn was over, I lifted the chalk I was holding with my mana.
p>Since the two best students had given their answers, there was no need to hear more. No one else had raised their hands either.
p>So I moved the floating chalk and began writing the answer on the blackboard. The chalk clattered against the board following the rhythm of my staff.
p>Once the chalk was finished, I tossed it into a corner of the blackboard and turned my gaze back to the students.
p>The words I had written on the board were only two.
p>
p>“The most important thing when using magic is ‘imagination’…”
p>“……Imagination?”
p>“Suddenly?”
p>“Is imagination that important?”
p>Every single one of them tilted their heads in confusion, as if they had not expected such an answer. Yet I paid them no mind and continued speaking.
p>“Mana is nothing more than the raw material that makes up all things in this world… You may have studied incantations and such, but in truth, those things are all unnecessary. You only need to imagine… firmly believe, and maintain an unwavering imagination…”
p>Mana resides within every creature that exists in this world. In humans, in animals, even in the pebbles rolling across the ground.
p>That was the reason I had been able to conjure the chalk and blackboard with my mana just moments ago.
p>As I had spoken earlier, once one reaches the pinnacle of handling mana, anything becomes possible—transcendence included. With mana, there is nothing you cannot achieve.
p>For that reason, far more important than anything else was imagination.
p>“A mage can, in theory, manifest anything he can imagine… Of course, this requires sufficient mana on his part, but… you there.”
p>“M-me? You mean me, Master?”
p>“Yes… Tell me the image of the strongest attack you can imagine…”
p>The students showed expressions of hesitation at my claim that anything could be realized. I wanted to demonstrate directly, so I pointed at one of the extra students standing in front.
p>Explaining with words a hundred times over was far slower than showing it once with my eyes.
p>“A huge fire dragon… I suppose?”
p>“A fire dragon…?”
p>I nodded at the extra student’s words and brought my staff down with a thud.
p>Just like when receiving Shaty’s magic, I erected the Artidect Shield across the entire training ground and also unfolded a visual distortion barrier.
p>I would demonstrate a truly grand-scale offensive spell. I did not want anyone to misunderstand what was happening.
p>Kakakagagaaa───────
p>The students who had been silently admiring the earlier opaque shield let out small gasps of amazement. I struck the ground with my staff to refocus their attention.
p>“You all have to do this, so watch closely… Magic is always imagination and a firm image… Believe in yourself without doubt. Then the mana matching what you imagined will flow out…”
p>I imagined a huge fire dragon. The moment my image solidified, the mana began draining from my body. Roughly 1/120th of it.
p>I glanced at my status window to check the mana levels and looked up at the sky. What I saw was nothing but a colossal dragon made entirely of flames.
p>It was a fire dragon so massive that even Shaty’s fake meteors seemed small by comparison.
p>The flame-maned head was barely large enough to fit in one glance, while the body stretched far beyond the clouds, leaving nothing visible. Yet even from such a height, the warm heat radiated toward us.
p>Without the Artidect Shield, it would have been no exaggeration to say we would have been incinerated instantly.
p>Opening that maw would have been simple enough to swallow the entire academy whole.
p>Once my eyes left the fire dragon, the other students stared up at the sky in fear, trembling. It was likely the awe and reverence they felt toward Meiel.
p>“This can’t be…”
p>“How is this even possible?”
p>“Professor, you’re insanely strong!”
p>Students who had been chatting noisily moments ago now fell into a stunned silence. I let the aura of the hovering colossal fire dragon descend straight toward us.
p>Kwaaahaaaaaaa────!!!
p>The impact of the dragon striking the ground, the explosion of flames, and the shockwave that followed swallowed even the students’ screams.
p>“It’s warm.”
p>I felt a brief warmth amid the aftershock of the fire dragon’s roar, then stepped down from the podium as the flames dissipated and the students came into view.
p>“Uwaa…”
p>“Uuu…”
p>“E-ears are still ringing…”
p>The students were still trying to recover from the shock of the dragon’s landing. But it was not that they could not hear. I looked around at them all and said,
p>“Did you all see that…? Magic can always be used as long as the imagination is firm—even without incantations. Of course… incantations help solidify the image, so for less experienced mages they may be necessary, but… since you are all being taught by me directly…”
p>I checked the clock. More than an hour remained. There were still lessons left and items yet to be distributed. So I smiled cheerfully while wearing a grin that would have looked demonic to anyone else.
p>“From now on, for the remaining time, everyone will use magic without incantations, pouring all their power… If even one of you succeeds, the lesson will end on time, but if none of you succeed, there will be no lunch break, so hang in there…?”
p>The students, including Shaty, Pina, and Fran, all rushed to grab their wands and staffs at once. It was one of the most entertaining scenes I had ever witnessed.
p>This is what it feels like to be a teacher?
p>* * *
p>“Are you ready?”
p>“I’ve made sure of it.”
p>On the outskirts of the Fhara Kingdom, in a forest where no one would come.
p>A man and a woman, both wearing deep hoods, asked their subordinate beside them.
p>Instead of answering, the subordinate took two sets of the Lua Academy uniform and two glowing purple crystals from their pocket and handed them over.
p>Uniforms and crystals that did not need any adjustment since they had already been tailored for humans and women.
p>The man and woman each accepted one item from the subordinate and smiled.
p>“Khhahaha! This is perfect. Finally, the day has come to declare war on the human race.”
p>“Don’t rush. It’s not like the task is finished yet, is it? Still…”
p>The man laughed loudly as he shouted, and the woman who tried to calm him could not hide her excitement. A small laugh escaped her as she trailed off.
p>Then, gazing at the ugly building in the distance—the Lua Academy, where their enemies had gathered—she muttered to herself.
p>“It’s inevitable to get excited… Hahaha.”
p>Because she was thinking of killing everyone.