Episode 110. First Class (2)
The first class for the new students at Capotini Magic School.
Professor Eggler’s ‘Introduction to Design Magic’.
Thud thud.
Professor Eggler walked up to the podium with a dignified stride. Then he crossed his arms and looked around at the students.
“My name is Professor Egeler.”
A brief introduction was delivered.
It was just one word, but it showed how different he was from Professor Benitez.
While Professor Benitez’s speech was recognizable as respectful and considerate of his students, Professor Eggler was closer to being a strict principled person.
“I value discipline and hierarchy. But I’m not the type that only strives for victory like Professor Solana.”
The cadets’ expressions were filled with tension. Most of the cadets had expected Egeler to have a gentle personality based on his appearance at the entrance ceremony. But in reality, he was a sharp-tongued soldier.
‘They say you were a soldier once.’
Rubin thought quietly. Professor Eggler was said to have been active in the Magic Brigade at the same time as Keegan.
Since it wasn’t in the information provided by the Imperial Order, most cadets probably didn’t know about it either. Rubin also found out about it while talking to Haneke after the entrance ceremony.
That was when.
“Can anyone define design magic?”
Professor Eggler looked over the students and asked a question.
As soon as those words were out, two people raised their hands. One was Chloe, with sparkling eyes, and the other was Dahlia, who remained expressionless.
“Hmm, two. Yes, the blue-haired cadet.”
“Design magic is… … .”
“No, if I point out someone, say their name first.”
“… This is Dahlia Delin.”
“Tell me, Cadet Dahlia Delin.”
“Design magic is… … .”
“Stand up and answer.”
Dahlia stood up from her seat, frowning so as not to be seen.
If this was going to be used as a model for proper presentation format, it would have been better to hand it over to Chloe.
“Design magic is the study of enchanting processed mana stones to manifest according to specific conditions.”
“It sounds like you’re reciting the dictionary verbatim… But that’s the way I prefer to answer. 5 points for the store.”
“thank you.”
Only then did a triumphant smile appear on Dahlia’s face. She turned her head slightly to look at Chloe, but unfortunately, Chloe seemed completely oblivious to her competitive spirit.
“It’s just as Cadet Dahlia said. The ability to enchant processed mana stones so that they manifest automatically without the need for a magician is called Design Magic.”
The stone tablets that Professor Benitez had handed out before class to get to know each other also had design magic built into them.
“assistant.”
Professor Eggler nodded to his teaching assistant, who then walked around the classroom and placed a thumbnail-sized square rock on each student’s desk.
“Magic Stone.”
Professor Eggler continued speaking immediately.
“This small stone is called a magic stone. As the name suggests, it is a stone with traces of magic. It is a regular mana stone that has been processed so that magic can be embedded in it.”
The cadets picked up the magic stone and examined it. The magic stone was a clear, light blue color.
“Isn’t this pretty heavy?”
“This little thing weighs a kilogram.”
“Is that why that teaching assistant is so sloppy, because he has to carry a bunch of magic stones to every class? Look at those arms, Luden.”
Oscar snickered, pointing at Eggler’s assistant. But Professor Eggler was not one to let such gossip slide.
“Hey, talkative cadet?”
“Yes, Professor… this is Oscar Tunio.”
“Press the given magic stone with your thumb.”
It was an ominous instruction. Oscar hesitated and smiled awkwardly, but he could not refuse the professor’s instruction.
In the end, I had no choice but to press the magic stone with my thumb as the professor told me to.
But whether it was because of the pressure, or the warmth I felt on my thumb, I was certain that the conditions for the magic stone to be activated had been met.
The blue magic stone suddenly turned red.
“Eww!”
Oscar shouted. At the same time, something happened that made all the kids burst into laughter.
Pushshit!
What popped out of the magic stone was flour. The flour shot into the air and landed right on Oscar’s head.
“No useless chatter, Cadet Oscar.”
“…All right.”
“Okay, then let’s continue the lesson.”
Professor Eggler resumed class.
“What we’ve just handed out to the cadets is nothing more than flour sprinkled on them, but in fact, these magic stones can contain both high-dimensional attack magic and barrier magic. Also, the principle of the communication stone is contained within them. In fact, there is no important facility on the continent that does not have design magic based on magic stones. As a joke, it is said that there is more design magic in the empire’s mainland than there is human hair.”
Professor Eggler then listed some of the continent’s most famous buildings that have a lot of design magic built into them.
The Tower of Light and Rebellion was like that, as was Philimond’s Imperial Court and the White Tower.
“The magic stones embedded in places like the Tower of Light and Rebellion are on a completely different level from what the cadets are seeing right now. The ones here now are just Grade 4 ones that have been improved for educational purposes, and the ones distributed throughout the continent are Grade 3 magic stones. However, most of the Magic Stones embedded in the Tower of Light and Rebellion are Grade 2 magic stones.”
You can find up to 3rd level magic stones with just a magic detection tool.
However, the story changes from the second-grade magic stones. The second-grade magic stones built into the mainland empire and important facilities of each kingdom have high-level magic built into them, and they are not easy to find.
“It would be foolish to go through a security facility with design magic built into the base of a second-grade magic stone. But… … .”
Eggler paused there for a moment.
“Sometimes, unexpected events occur in the world. There are people with incredible auras, or people who are on par with great magicians. They are the ones who can even destroy the design magic of second-class magic stones.”
“I have a question!”
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“Raise your hand before you speak. Ask, Cadet Oscar.”
“So, Professor, we will learn how to dismantle a second-grade magic stone through design magic?”
“The field where it is harder to destroy than to create is Design Magic. When you reach ‘Advanced Design Magic,’ you learn how to create a second-grade magic stone, but you cannot learn how to dismantle it. No, even if I knew, I wouldn’t teach you. Do you want to know why?”
Instead of answering, Oscar nodded vigorously. Professor Eggler’s expression hardened.
“…Because this is not a place to train rebels. I don’t want the stain of being a rebel’s teacher etched into my career.”
In a way, it was a natural thing to say. Dismantling the design magic engraved on the 2nd-grade magic stone meant challenging the empire.
At that moment, Oscar’s hand suddenly rose.
“I have a question! Then what is a first-class magic stone?”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Cadet Oscar.”
Oscar, unable to read Eggler’s displeasure, continued asking questions shamelessly.
“I heard that there is a place hidden in our school that has a Grade 1 magic stone embedded in it. Is that true?”
Several students who seemed to know about the rumor looked at Eggler with sympathetic eyes.
Eggler seemed deeply offended that such a childish horror story was mentioned in his class.
“Oscar.”
“Yes, Professor!”
“Press the magic stone.”
“… Yes, Professor.”
Push it.
Once again the flour exploded and the classroom erupted in laughter.
“You need to know up to the 3rd grade magic stone. If there is a student in the school who finds the hidden location of the 1st grade magic stone, I will personally give him 50 points in the shop.”
It was obvious sarcasm, but perhaps Oscar took it seriously.
“And if you ask me another useless question, I’ll give you 50 points. Do you understand, Cadet Oscar?”
“… Yes, Professor.”
Professor Eggler’s class continued after that. It was mostly a general explanation of facts about the magic stone.
Currently, the only 1st-grade magic stone on the continent is in the Imperial Palace of Filiarque, the capital city. The design magic there contains a high-dimensional magic that only detects the blood of the Imperial family.
The fact that magic stones can only be handled by kingdoms and certain merchants recognized by the empire, and that the producers are also designated, etc.
Meanwhile, Professor Eggler asked several questions, and those who answered correctly received a prize.
Rubin, who is not interested in stores, did not compete in the correct answer, but Chloe was different. She already got 10 points for the store.
“It’s almost time to end class now.”
Time passed by so quickly.
Professor Eggler adjusted his glasses that had fallen down.
“Before we end class, I’m going to ask you one last question. You’ll only have five seconds to answer.”
At that moment, Rubin saw his assistant chuckle, knowing that something funny was about to happen.
“The student sitting in the front row on the left will answer first. If the first student cannot answer, it will be the next student’s turn. If none of the cadets here can answer, the scheduled magic will be activated from the 4th grade magic stone given to the cadets.”
It has already been revealed what kind of magic is embedded in it. Oscar covered in flour was an example.
Naturally, the cadets were in an uproar.
I don’t know what the question is, but somehow it doesn’t seem like a question that expects a correct answer.
‘This is something you can only see at the beginning of the semester!’
The teaching assistant who was trying to control his expression that was about to burst out into a snicker. He was always running errands for the strict Professor Eggler, but he was able to feel a different kind of fun today.
For years, the first class of ‘Introduction to Design Magic’ ended with the same sight: flour exploding.
Why?
Because no student has ever answered this question correctly.
‘Of course there are smart and talented students. But Professor Eggler is so clever that he weeds out those students in advance.’
Originally, there was a place for students to trust. The idea that even if they didn’t get the answer right, another smart student might.
For example, the youngest daughter of the Witherspoon family, or Dahlia of the Delin family.
“For your information, students who have already answered my question correctly will not be given a chance to answer.”
It was the moment when the students’ hopes were dashed. At that moment, Dahlia raised her hand.
“Dahlia Delin, I have a question. So can I avoid flour?”
“no.”
One word of sternness. There is no escape. Originally, the first class had to be covered in flour.
The teaching assistant smiled again as he imagined the classroom after class, with flour flying around and students frowning.
“And there is no chance to answer for Oscar Tunio, who is already covered in flour.”
“I don’t mind turning it over again… It’s such a shame.”
“No, there’s no need to feel sorry. If no one gives the correct answer, the magic stone will activate again.”
“Ha… Twice?”
Oscar clutched his head as if he was going to tear out the fact that he couldn’t avoid it.
At that moment, Professor Eggler looked at the teaching assistant and nodded again. Then the teaching assistant passed through the students again and shouted loudly.
“The soundproof curtain will be activated from now on. You will only be able to hear what the professor says. You will not be able to hear what other students say. Please think carefully about your answer.”
As the teaching assistant returned to his seat, something in the classroom seemed to crash down.
Wheeing.
A subtle vibration echoed throughout the cavernous classroom.
“I have a question.”
Professor Eggler looked at the cadet in the front row on the left.
“There’s a design spell that’s been in operation ever since class started… Did you all notice it? If you know, let’s answer one by one.”
There was design magic? The cadets looked around in surprise. They tried to talk to the person next to them, but it was useless because of the soundproof curtain.
Phew.
Every time I open my mouth, that sound just rings out.
“… Wrong. Next.”
Before I knew it, the first cadet’s turn had passed. The cadet’s answer was not heard, and only the professor’s voice was transmitted to all the cadets.
“Wrong.”
“Wrong.”
“Wrong.”
“Dahlia Delin, you have no chance to answer. Pass. Next.”
“Chloe Witherspoon. Pass. … Next.”
“Wrong.”
The atmosphere quickly turned desperate as students who seemed likely to get the correct answer were not given a chance and only wrong answers continued to be given.
Soon the professor’s eyes stopped on Rubin.
‘Luden Poinen. The student that Professor Benitez has chosen.’
“Tell me what you think is the correct answer, Cadet Luden.”
Rubin’s lips parted. The other cadets did not hear Rubin’s answer, and only Professor Eggler’s voice rang in his ears.
And after a while.
The professor’s face was filled with shock.
