EDM 2

The news of Aisha’s successful Aura manifestation spread throughout the academy in less than three hours.

Throughout the academy’s history, there had only been a handful of talents who manifested Aura in the eighth grade, making it a remarkable achievement for the swordsmanship department. This was the Rigel Academy, one of the Empire’s top three academies, and while it had various departments, it was strongly associated with magic, making it inevitable that magic would be prioritized over other subjects in its operation.

But now that a potential Sword Master had emerged, the swordsmanship department would undoubtedly attract the attention of higher-ups. The swordsmanship professors had already begun to cherish Aisha as if she were a national hero, and the students looked at her with envy.

On the other hand, the atmosphere in the magic department was not so good. Contrary to its reputation as a “prestigious magic school,” the Rigel magic department had not produced a single Archmage in the last 20 years.

Of course, Archmages were not common, and awakening was ultimately a matter of individual talent, so it wasn’t something the school could achieve through effort alone… But the professors didn’t care about that.

“Making such a fuss over mere Aura manifestation. Everyone, there’s no need to be discouraged.”

Just because someone manifests Aura doesn’t mean they’ll all become Sword Masters. Professor Daconeer said in her characteristic prim tone. She was trying to act calm, but it was clear that her pride was wounded.

“The swordsmanship department has never produced a great alumnus, so it’s about time they had someone talented. Our magic department students all have excellent qualities, so I hope you will continue to devote yourselves to your studies.”

Daconeer went on to encourage the students. The students answered, “Yes,” but they subtly glanced at each other, as if they didn’t quite agree with the professor’s words.

As mentioned, awakening as an Archmage was ultimately a matter of innate talent. If anyone could become an Archmage simply by devoting themselves to their studies, they wouldn’t be revered as such great beings.

Kafka stared blankly into the air, thinking about the scene he had witnessed earlier. The blue Aura, so vivid even from a distance. If she could emit that much Sword Energy with her first manifestation, then, contrary to Professor Daconeer’s wishes, Aisha was likely to awaken as a Sword Master before graduating from the academy.

It was the same in the webtoon version of Knight of the North Wind. Not only Aisha, but all of Soren’s friends grew into remarkable figures and graduated from the academy.

Who else was there besides Aisha? Kafka quietly retraced his memories. It had been quite some time since his reincarnation, so he couldn’t remember the details of the webtoon very well unless he focused. There was Medeio from the alchemy department, Dexter from the healing department…

“Sonder?”

There was one more person besides them, but who was it? Were they in the magic department?

“Sonder!”

A sharp voice pierced his ear. Startled, Kafka flinched and turned his gaze. Professor Daconeer, who had approached unnoticed, was looking down at him with cold eyes. He had been too obvious about daydreaming.

“Sonder, you must be very happy that your sister has achieved such a great feat.”

“Ah, yes…”

“Even if you’re twins, the elder is the elder. You mustn’t fall behind your sister as her older brother, must you?”

Who knows, Sonder might become an Archmage if he tries hard enough. Daconeer said, twisting the corners of her lips. Giggles of mockery could be heard from all around. Kafka sighed inwardly. It seemed another round of ridicule disguised as encouragement was about to begin.

It was wrong for a professor to harass a student, but the Rigel Academy itself was a place where the law of the jungle prevailed, and Daconeer even had a personal grudge against the Sonder Dukedom—so she often used this method to belittle Kafka under the guise of encouraging him. Insulting the “crippled” eldest son born into a prestigious magic family that had produced countless Tower Masters was the greatest joy of Daconeer’s teaching career.

“You must become a son who is not ashamed of your great mother’s name, mustn’t you?”

“…”

“Answer me. You must, mustn’t you?”

“Yes, I must.”

“Then you should practice magic instead of running around in the bushes like a child. How sad would your mother be if you failed this exam again?”

Bringing up his mother, it seemed she was still bitter about losing to Artemis, the current Tower Master and Duke Sonder, in the Tower Master election 15 years ago. Kafka wore a polite expression as if he were listening attentively, but he let Professor Daconeer’s words go in one ear and out the other.

‘But she still hasn’t figured out that I’m smoking.’

Judging by her saying “running around in the bushes,” she seemed to be mistaking the ingrained smell of Milenka smoke for something else. This was fortunate for Kafka. If Professor Daconeer caught him smoking, it wouldn’t end with just demerit points. A disciplinary committee would be convened, his parents would come to the school, and it would become quite a nuisance…

He would have to be careful for the time being. Kafka mentally drew a map of Rigel Academy, wondering if there was any other secluded place besides the emergency staircase. Meanwhile, Professor Daconeer continued to lecture him, but it didn’t matter. It probably wasn’t anything important anyway.

After spending 30 minutes of the two-hour class ridiculing Kafka, Daconeer finally began the lecture. Today, they would be learning about how to apply transformation magic, following on from the previous lesson.

Daconeer drew a magic circle on the blackboard with chalk and explained the principles and applications of the magic. Although her personality was a bit prickly, she was a good lecturer, and the theory was easy to understand.

Kafka wanted to just gloss over the lecture since he couldn’t use magic anyway, but he found himself captivated by the lecture and memorized all the transformation magic formulas without realizing it.

“Now, let’s have someone demonstrate.”

At Daconeer’s words, the classroom instantly fell silent. It was clear that anyone who stood out would be called upon, but it was too difficult to succeed with just the theory. Moreover, since the professor was in a bad mood today, there was a high probability of being humiliated and punished if they failed.

“Hmm, who would be good… Sonder?”

Was she still not done with her “Sonder stomping”? She was already annoyed that a talent had emerged from the swordsmanship department, and it seemed she was even more upset that it happened to be Aisha, the Duke Sonder’s daughter. Kafka swallowed the sigh that was about to escape him and slowly rose from his seat.

“Come up here and give us a demonstration.”

Professor Daconeer said with a smile. Kafka reluctantly walked to the front of the classroom and stood facing the long desk in front of the blackboard. There were magic books and chalk needed for the class, and the instruction to demonstrate meant to use the application method learned today to transform one of these items into something else.

“Well, anything is fine. Do as you wish.”

If it were another student, she would have given specific instructions on what to transform into what. That way, even if they failed, it would be easier to console them by saying, “Actually, I gave you a very difficult spell.” It was a moment where Kafka felt the full force of Professor Daconeer’s malice to properly humiliate him.

“…”

Although it was a form of harassment that didn’t even tickle Kafka.

It wasn’t the first time he couldn’t use magic properly, and he was already used to being ridiculed like this. He had been despised to death even by his own blood relatives, so what was Professor Daconeer’s prank to him?

“Reformátio.”

Kafka took out his wand, thought about the magic formula, and recited the spell. As expected, there was no reaction.

He glanced at Professor Daconeer, who gestured for him to try again. With an indifferent expression, Kafka poked the chalk with the tip of his wand again and chanted “Reformátio.”

This meaningless act was repeated ten times. After about five failures, small snickers erupted from every corner of the classroom. Some of those sitting in the front row even looked at Kafka with pity, as if they felt sorry for him.

“It seems it was too difficult for Sonder. Then, Miss Termina.”

Professor Daconeer dismissed Kafka and called out a student named Termina. Maria Termina. She was considered the top student in the eighth grade and the class representative, and she was also a distant relative of Professor Daconeer.

Kafka almost chuckled at Daconeer’s obvious intentions.

“Sonder, go back to your seat, and Miss Termina will demonstrate.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Maria confidently walked to the front of the classroom, took out her wand, and picked up the chalk just like Kafka. In a cheerful voice, she chanted the spell “Reformátio,” and the chalk transformed into a wand-shaped peppermint candy.

“Excellent! It’s especially difficult to transform inedible objects into food. Miss Termina, very well done! With this level of achievement, becoming an Archmage is not just a dream!”

Daconeer made a noticeable fuss and urged the students to applaud. It was blatant favoritism, but it couldn’t be denied that Maria had shown outstanding skill, so subdued applause echoed through the classroom.

“Thank you, Professor.”

Maria wore a bright and confident smile. She was showing a rare, excited expression. As Daconeer had said, creating food with transformation magic was extremely difficult. It was almost impossible to succeed without practice, having only heard the theory.

Some students glanced at Kafka, trying to gauge his reaction. They seemed curious to see if he was showing any signs of resentment or sadness.

But Kafka, as always, had an utterly indifferent expression as he stared at the wand candy that Maria had transformed. A much more important fact had come to his mind than the petty harassment.

‘The last person I couldn’t remember earlier.’

He remembered. It was definitely Maria Termina.

Soren, Aisha, Medeio, Dexter, Maria. The hero party in the webtoon version of Knight of the North Wind.

As the puzzle was completed, Kafka’s eyes narrowed. Aisha’s sudden Aura manifestation. Maria’s successful execution of a high-level magic spell in one try.

With Soren’s appearance just around the corner, were these events merely coincidences and individual achievements?