Chapter 20

Having stayed with the Wardanaz family for so long, Ihan had forgotten just how much Imperial nobles loved to show off.

Imperial nobles valued honor more than life itself and took pride in dining luxuriously—even if they were on the brink of bankruptcy!

"Ugh. I really suffered for no reason."

"Excellent! Two from the Azure Dragon Tower!"

"?"

Ihan turned to the side.

The princess had also raised her hand. Not only that, but she was looking straight at him.

And her gaze wasn't particularly friendly. In those blue eyes was a chill, distant emotion.

'What's going on?'

Ihan fell into thought.

Being disliked by the princess—one of the top talents in the Azure Dragon Tower—wasn't exactly ideal.

And as far as he could remember, he hadn't done anything wrong to her.

If anything, he'd only shown her kindness.

They'd hunted a wild boar together, discussed helpful topics for students like useful lectures...

'I even made plans to get her help with homework and exams later. Is it because I've been hanging out with Gainan?'

Tap tap—

"Wardanaz."

Asan Dalkard whispered.

"I think Her Highness is starting to believe a strange rumor about you."

"A strange rumor?"

"That you're looking for ways to slack off and avoid working hard at magic. Completely absurd nonsense, of course."

Asan looked genuinely upset, as if it were his own reputation being attacked.

There was no way someone from the Wardanaz family would act like that!

But Ihan was shocked.

'Wait... that's spot-on. How'd they know?'

It was so accurate, it gave him chills!

And strangely, Ihan didn't feel particularly ashamed by it.

Because it was true.

But Asan seemed deeply offended by this baseless slander.

"I'm really disappointed in the princess for this. Of course, the person who started the rumor is the worst, but believing something so ridiculous…"

"Well… I mean… it's not impossible to believe?"

"…?!"

Asan was horrified.

Wardanaz…

Just how generous can you be?!

Even though the students of the Azure Dragon Tower were from high-ranking noble families, no one embodied the noble ideal like Wardanaz.

At that moment, Asan finally understood why his family had sent him to this academy.

It had to be so he could meet someone like this.

"You're truly incredible, Wardanaz."

"??"

Ihan blinked in confusion at Asan's response.

'Did he eat something weird?'

"O light!"

"Shine!"

Both Ihan and the princess successfully cast the Light Creation spell.

A glowing orb of light formed at the tip of their wands and hovered in the air like a lantern.

The princess's light felt cool and sharp, while Ihan's shone with the intensity of the sun.

Professor Garcia clapped joyfully.

"Excellent! It's rare to see students succeed with a light spell in the very first week. I'm thrilled to have such talented individuals in my class. But don't feel anxious or discouraged if you haven't succeeded yet. Light Creation is the most basic of first-circle spells—it's meant to help you understand what magic is. Whether you're early or late to master it, it doesn't change the path of your magical journey."

'That doesn't sound very convincing…'

Ihan thought.

Of course, as Garcia had said, you couldn't really judge a student's potential based on this one light spell.

It was like saying someone who learned addition quickly would be good at calculus later—clearly not the case.

But for the students currently burning with competitive spirit, that logic wouldn't land.

In fact, most were silently screaming, "I'm going to master it before anyone from the other tower does!"

Garcia smiled and continued.

"The reason we started with Light Creation is because this semester, we'll be studying elemental magic. And through this spell, you've subconsciously started to learn how to use elemental techniques."

"!"

The students straightened up with excited expressions at Professor Garcia's words.

Elemental magic!

Elemental magic ranged from simple elements like fire, water, earth, and wind to more complex ones like darkness and plants.

It formed the foundation for mastering more complex and advanced spells.

Want to summon a spirit?

To summon a fire spirit, you had to have a basic grasp of fire-elemental magic. Without that, you couldn't control the spirit.

Want to create an artifact?

To use gemstones with fire attributes or to imbue spells with fire-based magic, one naturally had to have a decent understanding of fire elemental magic.

Going on a long journey or getting assigned to a remote part of the Empire?

Even basic elemental magic could earn a mage respect. Just being able to light a campfire or prepare drinkable water made them extremely valuable personnel.

That's how elemental magic worked—it started with the easier ones and could be applied to various other forms of magic. It served as the essential foundation every new mage had to go through.

It was, in a way, like learning basic arithmetic before studying advanced mathematics.

"Today, we'll keep practicing Light Creation, but at the same time, I'll be testing you on various basic elemental spells. Each person has an affinity for a certain element, and finding that element is very important."

The students began whispering excitedly with intrigued expressions.

In truth, mages didn't need to learn every single type of magic. They only needed to study the fields they were interested in.

That's why, rather than learning all the elements, it was more effective to discover the element that suited them best and focus on mastering it.

This was why Professor Garcia didn't obsess over Light Creation—it was just a stepping stone.

"Alright, then…"

Professor Garcia tapped the classroom floor with his large staff. Instantly, candles appeared in front of each student and lit themselves.

"The technique is the same as Light Creation. But this time, instead of summoning light, you're creating flame. Be a bit more careful—unlike light, fire can burn."

Gulp—

A few students tensed up.

"With the incantation that comes from your heart… Ignite!"

A blazing flame burst forth in front of Professor Garcia. It burned on its own without any fuel—an arcane flame, born purely of magic.

"Go ahead. There's no need to be too afraid. I'm right here with you."

"Ignite!"

"Flare…"

"Sizzle…"

"Whoosh…"

The students concentrated hard, trying to conjure the image of 'fire' in their minds.

Some quick-witted ones understood what Professor Garcia was aiming for and brought their hands close to the candle flames or stared intently at them.

When focusing one's mind, having the physical source nearby helped form a stronger mental image.

Using their innate magical focus, they visualized fire.

Then, drawing on their mana, they spoke the incantation with the determination to create that fire.

Ihan also focused, intending to learn fire magic at a normal pace, without drawing unnecessary attention—unlike what happened with Light Creation.

"Hold on. Just a moment."

"?"

But Professor Garcia stopped him.

"Ihan, you shouldn't practice fire magic."

"???"

Ihan blinked, puzzled.

Now that he noticed it—he was the only one without a candle in front of him. Instead, there was a copper bowl filled with gently rippling water.

"Why not?"

"Because it's dangerous."

"…."

Ihan understood immediately.

During Light Creation practice, he had repeatedly lost control, causing the light to explode.

The light was just bright—it didn't do harm.

But if fire exploded?

'Hmm. People would definitely die.'

Ihan nodded. It was a completely reasonable restriction.

"It's better to wait until your mana control improves and your elemental sense becomes more refined."

"Understood."

"Until then, try practicing Water Creation. Even if you mess up, it's not dangerous."

Water.

Like fire, it was one of the core elements.

While it was hard to visualize something like metal or lightning, most people could easily imagine water.

It was simple. Familiar.

And unlike fire, failure didn't pose a danger.

But...

'Water's kind of underwhelming…'

The downside of water elemental magic—

It wasn't that it lacked style…

...well, there was that too.

'But more importantly, it's not very useful.'

Its usefulness was kind of questionable.

Offense?

Fire or lightning were better.

Defense?

Earth or metal were stronger choices.

If there was one advantage, it was that you could conjure your own drinking water while traveling...

'A very underwhelming advantage, honestly.'

For Ihan—whose goal was to score a cushy government mage job and coast through life—that kind of survival-based utility wasn't very compelling.

But what could he do?

Practicing fire might literally burn the classroom down.

"Spring forth!"

"You're so lucky, Wardanaz. Getting personal guidance from the professor."

Asan, practicing beside him, muttered jealously.

To Ihan, it just sounded like nonsense.

'Does this look like special guidance to you?'

Ihan just wanted to practice fire magic like everyone else.

Why did he have to mess with a barely-useful element…

"Spring forth!"

"Spring forth!"

SPLASH!

On his third try, a blob of water materialized in midair.

"!?"

A chunk of water the size of a fist—not just a few drops!

Ihan was shocked, and so was Professor Garcia.

Even though he had gotten a bit more used to things after succeeding with the Light Creation spell, pulling off a Water Creation spell on just his third try?

That wasn't something you saw every day.

And it wasn't even just a droplet—it was a whole fist-sized ball of water.

That kind of result was only possible if you were truly well-attuned to the element.

"Incredible!"

"Everyone, look over here! Ihan has successfully cast a water elemental spell!"

"Whoaaa…!"

"Amazing!"

"As expected of Wardanaz!"

The students from the Blue Dragon Tower looked on with cheerful admiration, while those from the White Tiger Tower frowned and watched with a tinge of jealousy.

Clap clap clap—

Professor Garcia applauded and said,

"Ihan is doing wonderfully. I hope the rest of you can follow his example. But everyone, there's no need to feel anxious. Every person has an element that suits them best. Once you find your matching element, you'll quickly get the hang of things. A student who grew up near a volcano or in a forge might have an affinity for fire. Those who lived near rivers or oceans may be suited for water. Students from harsh, wind-blown lands may find air more familiar… The more used you are to a certain element, the easier it is to form a mental image and control it."

Ihan, listening to all this, tilted his head in confusion.

'But I didn't grow up near a river or the sea?'

His only "water-related" memory was metaphorically "drowning" in class from being scolded by professors.

Maybe his natural disposition just happened to match the water element?

That wasn't a bad thing, but still…

'It would've been better if I had an affinity for something rare, like lightning or ice.'

It was a strength, sure—but a slightly underwhelming one. He couldn't help but feel mixed about it.

Suddenly, he felt someone staring. He turned his head and caught the princess quickly averting her gaze. She had definitely been watching him intently just moments ago.

'Huh?'

As his thoughts wandered, the floating ball of water lost its shape and splashed to the ground.

Professor Garcia gave a nod and said,

"Ihan's next task will be to maintain the form and keep the water stabilized after summoning it."

"Understood, Professor."

Now that he'd figured out how to summon water, maintaining it through focus would be relatively easier.

Ihan answered absentmindedly.

But then, a question popped into his head.

"Professor, how long should I maintain and stabilize it?"

"Oh, no need to worry about that—you'll probably run out of mana bef— Wait, actually…"

For most beginner mages, mana would deplete long before their concentration gave out.

But this particular freshman was the opposite.

With his immense pool of mana, that was unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Professor Garcia nodded, then smiled cheerfully.

"Just keep it stabilized until the end of class!"

"…???"

Ihan blinked.

Uh…

Wasn't that basically punishment?