Guarantee Men's Rights (4)
I could say that the very concept of remote lectures actually originated from Earth. The academy is basically like a university, and most classes involve students going directly to the lecture halls in person. But what if this new idea of remote lectures gets introduced?
'The faculty would probably drop dead from exhaustion.'
Just lecturing to people on the other side of a screen would be problematic enough, not to mention all the other issues that would crop up. But through this, I could reap enormous benefits.
The seed had been planted.
Ederson, the Dean of Academic Affairs, cut off the connection through the mana panel. The panel itself draws on the wearer's mana, so prolonged use naturally leads to fatigue. Even for an S-rank like him. Maintaining the panel alone gives you a slight headache, and conversing remotely through it must be exhausting too.
'But he'll think it's feasible, right?'
It's not that hard. No matter how much this is a medieval fantasy world, it has everything it needs. The rest is up to the dorm students to decide, and for now, to catch my breath, I turned my eyes to the people in front of me.
"Remote lectures? You think that's even possible?"
"It's not impossible."
In response to Unia's question, I pointed to the wall.
"Just look at the massive mana screens in the infirmary or the command room—they can show real-time footage from far away, right?"
"It's not impossible. In fact, it's pretty straightforward."
Rydmila agreed with my point.
"Take the empire's regular speeches, for example. The emperor addresses the people through mana screens on a schedule, or the propaganda departments of each agency use them for announcements, don't they?"
"Y-yeah! Our empire does regular speeches too."
Evangeline didn't seem to find it all that tricky either. Of course, the "regularity" of those mana screen speeches probably differs greatly between the empire Rydmila mentioned and Evangeline's Di Ershi Empire, but I'm no fool who points that out on purpose.
"It wouldn't be problem-free—that'd be a lie—but at least that way, we could escape the 'Mana Drain' threat. Right?"
The girls from the special class nodded lightly, and I perked up my ears toward the two instructors chatting among themselves.
"So, we're completely preventing students from running into each other—at least in the lecture halls?"
"Less 'preventing' and more 'minimizing,' maybe? The practical training in three weeks will still mix boys and girls in teams anyway."
"That's... haa. Another victim popped up, and they're still planning to mix them?"
"The 4-person teams of two boys and two girls symbolize the academy's Four Stars. It's not exactly a school rule, but it's tradition."
"Isn't student safety more important than tradition?"
"We have to trust the students. Even in 2:2 teams sent to separate training grounds, not every girl is going to Mana Drain the boys."
The instructors seemed to have their own headaches. But since they were talking about the "practical in three weeks"—the end-of-month training—my proposal itself felt like it wasn't a huge issue. For two reasons. First, since they handled the old school building, they didn't need to agonize over remote classes specifically.
"More importantly, Esta. If students are taking classes remotely from the dorms, what would you do?"
"I don't quite get the format yet, but if it's remote instructions, we'd focus on theory. Minimize practicals as much as possible."
"I think the same. If we go remote for real, early on it'd have to be theory-heavy. For experiments... we'll figure it out step by step."
And even if they ended up in that position, the more they thought about it, the safer "theory classes" would be. Ideas would come naturally. For alchemy lab practicals, separate boys and girls, or split morning/afternoon for the lecture halls, or designate days where one group does remote and the other in-person theory.
"As a 'temporary measure,' it's appropriate. But if it drags on, interactions would only happen within the same gender, and someone's bound to snap eventually."
"With the angel issue on top... the girls would complain. Especially those more into courtship than studies."
There'd be complaints, no doubt. Even if it's for happy marriages after graduation, with the boys' mana sticks growing "evenly," plenty of girls in the new semester want that fresh romance—walking cherry blossom paths together in the spring breeze, starting puppy love.
But if that's impossible? Already holding back, suppressing themselves, only for a few crazy girls to commit crimes against boys, making everyone suffer? And if the academy blocks it outright?
'That's when angels pop up en masse.'
Angels would target those mental cracks in the girls. Then the boys' dorms wouldn't just face Mana Drain girls, but a flood of lily yuri angel girls castrating boys.
'So many problems.'
If everyone just abandoned angel faith for the "ancient faiths," that'd fix it. Ancient faiths have lilies too. Heaven preaches "only lilies," but ancient goddess worship respects love's diversity. As long as no harm to others and they take responsibility for their love, no divine punishment.
'Just growing pains.'
Pains of growth in normalizing the world's faith. Starting with the Jerque technique, I'd subtly revive ancient faiths banished to the demon realms one by one, and those who felt its effects would later aid me—and the hell dukes. For instance, if "Jerque" appeared, boys benefiting from the technique would praise him inevitably.
*Bzzzt.*
Lost in thought, the mana panel reconnected.
"Only way?"
Approval rate: 100%. Not surprising.
"Yes."
"Right. It's only... at the moment mana is infused, growing according to the wearer's will."
"Ah. I mean, after turning 17."
No matter what suspicions Ederson raises, any guy would swallow hard.
"At minimum, up to 17 is guaranteed. After that... up to the individual, right?"
* * *
A little later, during the time Ederson said he'd come to the old school building, I created the Mana Skin enchanted with the Jerque technique right in front of everyone.
"That's...?"
"Making it isn't a big deal. But I have to be the one to do it."
I pointed to the colorless drawers shimmering between my hands.
"Ta-da. Mana Skin. For men."
I made the Mana Skin right in front of them. It looks like regular underwear, but it's actually a magic tool woven from ultra-fine mana fibers.
"Were you thinking it might be some chastity belt or something?"
"...Well, since it's a magical device, I figured it might have elements like that."
"Wearing something like that would be torture. To maximize mana stimulation, it has to be skin-tight."
I pressed the front of the drawers firmly with my hand.
"See? It stretches too."
"So...?"
"It's reinforced for when it grows."
I jabbed my finger toward the inside of the drawers exaggeratedly, then mimed covering the front with my other hand.
"During Mana Drain, this mana barrier counters it. Inside the underwear, there's another layer—'visible only to good people's eyes'—that serves as the final bastion protecting the wearer's mana."
"It could still be breached."
Rydmila and Evangeline blushed a bit, glancing awkwardly, but Unia approached it purely from a magic theory angle, asking seriously.
"It's a mana barrier, but what if they absorb the mana wholesale?"
"It blocks essence, so it's fine."
"Essence?"
"Mana Drain sounds like mana, but it's really stealing a man's 'essence.' The woman converts that essence into mana inside her body."
In other words.
"As long as this has physical form, theoretically, it can act as contraception too."
It's a giant mana contraceptive device in underwear form.
"Ah."
Unia let out an exclamation.
"......I see?"
With a very faint smile.