Magic's Essence: Emotions and the Academy's Defiance
Sena's servant magic. It was exactly the concept of 'magic' as we know it. In common fantasy novels, games, or comics, wizards are seen as just one job or combat style. But here, magicians were perceived as overwhelmingly powerful beings on another level entirely. Powerful magic. An unknown mighty force. Humanity was infinitesimally small before it. Possessing magic symbolized power itself. That's why, even though this Luna Magic Academy belonged to the human side's Le Kingdom, it received zero influence from the kingdom.
"Please take it into consideration. His Majesty the King will personally welcome you all."
At Luna's entrance, a periodic scene unfolded. A general who had arrived with the kingdom's envoys. Facing him was a professor from the magic academy. The professor shook his head with a cold expression.
"The magic academy will not get involved in the kingdom's war in any way."
He refused flatly. A flicker of humiliation crossed the general's face before vanishing.
"The magic academy is undeniably a faction under Le Kingdom. His Majesty respects Luna's choice personally, but during an ongoing war, do you have no desire to contribute to your nation?"
"This is a remote highland far from the battlefield. The war's aftermath won't reach here, and we even have a treaty not to interfere in each other's affairs."
"But if the war turns and the enemy reaches this far…!"
"The capital would fall first. Even if they did come here, what could they do against Luna?"
The students heading to class overheard the conversation and snickered. The general's face flushed beet red as a result.
"Don't forget the history of what happened when a tyrant once led ten thousand troops to conquer Luna and met disaster."
"…We'll head back for today. But the kingdom desperately requests Luna's aid, so please show some respect."
"Our academy currently has students from the elves at war with you. We will absolutely not get involved."
"…We'll see about that."
The professor stood firm—arrogantly so—without flinching before a kingdom general. Once the shrunken, pathetic-looking general departed and the professor had watched his carriage leave before stepping away, Julia finally spoke up.
"The kingdom has no shame. Why don't they consider that the magic academy has citizens from the enemy elf nation as students?"
"This war's dragging on especially stubbornly. I wonder why they're so fixated on it."
Sena responded offhandedly in a disinterested tone as she passed by. Julia, who took an interest in diplomacy, puffed up with a smug smile. She looked like she was dying to explain.
"Le Kingdom and the neighboring Elf Forest have repeated wars and truces throughout their long history. All over one trivial little city in between."
"What do they even want with that tiny city?"
Grand chimed in, and Julia's voice grew a bit quieter—not as much as mine would have, but still.
"That city serves as the border between the two nations. Controlling the border gives the advantage in conquest, whether in war or diplomacy."
"I heard it was originally an independent city."
"I don't know about that far back. With both nations' tyranny, it's probably caught in the crossfire like a shrimp's back exploding."
It was just before passing the entrance gate and entering the building. Sena suddenly excused herself.
"Sena, I'll accompany you this far and then head off to work."
"Permission granted. Good work."
"See you later, Lee Hyun."
"We'll meet again later, both of you."
I ignored Julia completely to the very end, then slipped away from the group. Here at the academy, I had another servant role to play. I quickly grabbed a broom and rag from a corner storage room inside and started cleaning the entrance and hallways. There was no real need to rush, but I had to show myself like this to the students who were always nitpicking my every move.
"Hey, trash! Working hard again today?"
"Yes, yes."
Sure enough, the mocking greetings from students came flying right away. I gave half-hearted replies while pretending to clean diligently.
"Lee Hyun, throw this away for me."
"Here you go."
"Trash! Still got that shit-eating face today?"
"Must be 'cause of your ugly mug."
"Lighten up that mug! As the ice witch's servant, keep some dignity."
"It'll lighten up once you pass by."
But I had my own personality too. Trading barbs and staring down the students' mockery had become my daily routine. Those poking jabs caused massive stress, but I endured steadfastly. For the day I'd eventually escape this place. I'd made a promise with Sena. Around graduation, she'd guarantee my future freedom. Then I'd make my choice. Learn swordsmanship from Grand or magic from another servant. Mastering even one would give me a skill to survive in this other world. After that, I'd seduce a rich, beautiful virgin, train her thoroughly, turn her into a body that only craved me, marry her, and live happily ever after.
As I mentally built my own forward-thinking(?) wishlist, class time wound down and the students thinned out. That's when I prepared to launch my covert plan. Pretending to sweep the hallway with the broom, I approached a classroom in session. The heavy door was firmly shut. Cracking it open let the professor's magically amplified voice leak out.
Should I go in and listen today?
I wondered if it was okay, but of course it wasn't. I was officially a 'servant.' I couldn't attend classes. But as a servant, I could enter. I deliberately entered holding the broom in plain sight.
The vast classroom was a tiered, semicircular amphitheater packed with thousands of students in rows. At the bottom podium, the professor and assistant were deep into a magic lecture. Some students near the door glared at me, but seeing the broom, they just turned away. Satisfied with the reaction, I claimed a seat in the far back row.
Around me sat others. Middle-aged appearances, even some elderly. They weren't students—just magic scholars permitted entry to study magic. Nearby sat neatly dressed nobles. They were the kingdom's envoys. Dispatched to the academy, they studied magic on behalf of the interested kingdom. Of course, as outsiders without formal enrollment, they couldn't sit with the front-row students. So they had no choice but to listen from the back.
Not quite the academy life I dreamed of, but I can at least feel like the protagonist of an otherworld academy story.
I opened my notebook and focused seriously on the lecture. The professor's voice resonated clearly throughout the grand hall.
"Magic. It is the power of emotion. The principle of magic stems from the emotions of living beings."
The assistant professor calmly clasped his hands in front, and a blue glow gathered above his palms with an emotionless expression.
"A caster's emotions and mood drastically alter magic's power. For a magician, the key virtue is calmness."
The assistant's expression was indeed calm—beyond that, utterly indifferent to the world.
"Yet even pro magicians falter with emotional turmoil. A moment's rage or distraction scatters the magic's flow."
The professor tried to trip the assistant demonstrating the spell. The assistant wobbled, confusion flashing on his face as the glow dimmed. From that look, no prior consent. It was funny enough to laugh at, but not a single student cracked a smile—they stayed dead serious.
"The calmer you master your emotions, the easier magic becomes to wield, and you can reach our fated 'Realm of Magic.'"
There it was. The thing every magician harped on endlessly. The 'Realm of Magic.' It was every magician's lifelong aspiration and ultimate goal. Their greatest achievement, the destiny they must fulfill across generations. It was why all magicians stayed at Luna.
"But Professor, there are cases where magic surges momentarily from intense rage. What about that?"
One student interjected in a challenging tone. It felt less like a lecture and more like a debate. The professor didn't reprimand the attitude but countered directly.
"That's precisely our homework to solve. As I've said repeatedly, emotions are the core of magic."
The professor swept his hand, gathering a blazing red glow.
"Rage disrupts magic's flow, but a seasoned magician freely harnesses turbulent emotions for explosive power."
The glow faded. The professor, fierce as a battlefield soldier, poured his passion into rage.
"This is what we must research. Based on findings that 'stimulating' emotions unleashes magic's power, dive in passionately."
The lecture was wrapping up. I slipped out earlier than the students. Then I organized the info in my head.
Emotions measure magic's power. Calmness lets you wield it freely; heightened emotions boost intensity.
What was the 'stimulation' the professor emphasized? Figuring that out would unlock the path to the Realm.
If stimulation extracts magic's power, finding ways to stimulate emotions is my immediate task.
Putting the broom back in the storage room, I suddenly stared at its handle. 'Stimulate' emotions?
After lunch, avoiding the students' eyes, I hid in a personal research lab inside the academy. Sena had rented the whole place, and one person practically lived there.
"Come on in, Lee Hyun."
Middle-aged look. Slightly lean build. The brown-haired man with round glasses set down his magic parchment and greeted me with a kind smile. In all my time in this world facing discrimination, he was the only one who'd treated me warmly.
"Leden. You're here."
I greeted Leden politely. Oh, by the way—Leden was Sena's second servant. The second lifeform she'd created after Grand. Not a homunculus, but an exquisitely crafted 'doll' infused with life.
"I'm always here, you know. Lady Sena's here too. Say hello."
Sure enough, Sena emerged from the back of the lab, expressionless. I exchanged a light nod with her.
"Sena's here too."
"Rest a bit."
Outside, I'd just get tossed around by students, so Leden's kindness spared me that. I tidied the messy desk—parchments, magic crystals, wands—to earn my rest. Meanwhile, Sena and Leden reviewed the lecture from earlier.
"Stimulation determines magic's power. That means it correlates directly with emotions. Any intuition, milady?"
"If I knew, the magic scholars would've figured it out ages ago."
"True enough. Grasping this correlation would reveal ways to break magic's limits, but I just can't get a feel for it."
I eavesdropped while fiddling with the tidied desk.
"What is 'stimulation,' anyway?"
Sena voiced her curiosity indifferently. Leden shook his head perplexedly.
"That's the problem—we don't know."
"No, I'm asking literally. What does 'stimulation' mean?"
My ears perked up. When Sena fixated not on magic but the word 'stimulation' itself, something flashed in my mind.
"It means any action that provokes a reaction. Like this."
Leden extended a finger and poked Sena's hand.
"Do you feel the pressure? That's stimulation."
"How does that apply to emotions?"
"Hmm, making someone angry? Sad?"
"That feels insufficient."
"Pain… maybe?"
I muttered unconsciously. But the two, focused elsewhere, heard me yet showed no reaction. Did they think it was just to myself? Watching them chin-propped in concentration, I felt miffed at being ignored so thoroughly.
"How can we effectively stimulate emotions?"
I put force into my voice.
"How about hitting them?"