It wasn't just mages who could wield mana.
A swordsman who had trained their whole life swinging a sword could learn to condense mana and coat it onto their blade.
That was the realm of Aura!
Because it was so cool and flashy, many noble children dreamed of learning swordsmanship after seeing it.
Even those from mage families were no exception.
So when Ihan first said he wanted to learn swordsmanship, Alarong thought:
"Ah... he must want to learn Aura. He'll be disappointed once he knows the truth."
Alarong was a strict knight.
He didn't go out of his way to tell Ihan the truth. He figured Ihan would give up on his own.
But Ihan endured much better than expected, and a satisfied Alarong eventually decided to tell him himself.
…But to his surprise, Ihan didn't seem all that interested in Aura.
"I just wanted to train myself enough to protect my own body."
"…!"
Alarong couldn't help but admire those words.
It was a level of maturity no child should have.
To think he was learning swordsmanship with such sincerity.
"Actually, Master Ihan... you too may be able to use Aura someday."
"No… I'm good. I just want to be a mage..."
"Aura isn't something you grasp just by swinging a sword for a year or two. But if you keep training as I've taught you, I believe you'll realize it someday."
"I just want to be able to protect myself, Sir Knight. I want to live my life in an office."
Regardless, Ihan continued to train just as Alarong instructed.
It wasn't because he wanted to become a Swordmaster or grasp Aura — he just figured it wouldn't hurt to stay in shape.
And now, those efforts were paying off.
"This feels... better than I thought?"
Ihan was surprised at himself.
It wasn't surprising that he struck the boar cleanly as it charged at him — it was a technique he had learned and endured countless blows from Alarong to master.
The staff provided by the magic academy was extremely sturdy — it could be used as a club with no problem.
But when Ihan struck the boar, he felt the surrounding mana ripple and gather into his staff.
It was a sensation he had never felt during his sword practice.
"Is it because I started learning magic?"
Perhaps this was what Alarong meant when he said "You'll realize it someday."
The natural feeling of mana gathering into his weapon.
Of course, it was still far from the level of Aura.
To form Aura, one needed to gather and condense much more mana.
But even this much was enough.
An attack imbued with mana had far more destructive power than a regular swing.
"Grrrk..."
The ferocious boar, which had been grunting wildly, staggered and fell over after a single blow.
Nillia, who had been watching, stared at Ihan in disbelief.
"Did I miss something?? Did he use magic??"
The world of magic was vast — there were, of course, body-strengthening spells like enhancing strength or agility.
But those were too difficult for a first-year student who had just entered the academy.
"Did you defeat it!?"
"I... think so."
Lowering his staff, Ihan checked the mutant boar's breath.
It was definitely dead.
Yoner got up with help, still in disbelief.
"Is this class really allowed to be like this?"
"I've been wondering that since we met the headmaster."
Sure, alchemy required exploring deep into nature — but for first-year students who hadn't properly learned any magic yet to be wandering around with monsters like this roaming nearby…
Just calling it a boar felt wrong — given its power earlier, it could've easily snapped a thick tree in half.
"Maybe I shouldn't take Alchemy class..."
Ihan seriously considered it.
Assuming the professors at this magic academy were all a little insane, calculating the odds of survival...
Classes outside the classroom seemed far more dangerous than those inside.
He had thought this would be an easy course, but after encountering monsters like this, it could only get tougher.
"They might tell us to go deeper into the forest and collect troll saliva next."
"Ugh..."
Even Yoner furrowed his brows at that thought.
He wanted to open an alchemy workshop — but he didn't want to die for it.
"W-Wait! You guys aren't thinking of skipping the class, are you?"
Nillia spoke up urgently.
Her friend circle was already thin.
These two were the only friends she had managed to make.
If they stopped attending alchemy class, she would have to endure the class alone again.
"You can't do that! You're both part of the Azure Dragon Tower. Don't you have any pride?"
"I don't."
"I care more about practicality than honor..."
"..."
Hearing the words of the two noble heirs, Nillia sulked completely.
"Fine! Do whatever you want!"
"Wait. Why are you sulking?"
"Yeah. We haven't even decided for sure yet."
"…Really?"
Just as Nillia turned her head to ask, a familiar cry echoed from nearby.
■■■!
"…Looks like another one showed up."
"…I might really skip this class..."
"..."
The three of them rushed over to find another mutant boar — the same kind they had just fought.
Realizing that there wasn't just one of these creatures but at least two in the area, Ihan quickly made a decision.
"Yeah, I'm done with this class."
"Hey...!"
"This isn't the time to be arguing..."
Yoner pointed down below.
The boar wasn't alone — it was threatening some unfortunate students.
Six students.
Among them was the imperial princess, Ardenahrt.
They were in a much better situation than Ihan's group had been.
"They'll probably handle it on their own."
"Huh?"
Yoner glanced at Ihan, then back down, then at Ihan again.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Let them deal with it themselves."
Nillia grumbled.
She didn't have a good impression of the group that followed Ardenahrt.
They looked like sycophants clinging to the aloof and arrogant princess.
"I'll take care of this!"
"!"
One of the six students stepped forward.
Ihan recognized him as a noble he had seen around the dormitory.
"Who's that?"
Of course, just because he had seen his face didn't mean Ihan knew who he was right away.
He knew of the imperial noble families — but not necessarily the faces of their children.
"Asan Dalkard."
"Ah, from House Dalkard."
"…You know the family but not the face?"
Yoner was confused.
House Dalkard.
While House Wardanas had traditionally served as the Emperor's advisors, House Dalkard had long held the positions of Imperial Chancellor or Treasurer.
A house famous for its outstanding and precise management skills.
"If it's House Dalkard, they should be reliable."
"Yeah. Unlike Gainan's family, I think we can trust them."
"?"
Listening in, Nillia tilted her head in confusion.
Did he just mention the prince?
Asan was tall and lanky, but the way he stepped forward with his staff looked fairly convincing.
Ihan realized that Asan had trained in swordsmanship to a certain degree.
Masters recognize each other.
"That Dalkard fellow has learned swordsmanship too."
"Well... in that case, it should be fine."
Yoner breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't want the six people below to get hurt.
Asan gripped his staff and aimed it at the boar.
"I can read your movements 100%."
He took a step forward.
"You cannot escape my predictions, pig!"
Another step.
His stride was perfectly measured, as if drawn with a ruler. Ihan was quietly impressed.
'A walking compass?'
The Empire's swordsmanship was as diverse as its magic.
Powerful and heavy swordsmanship, fast and light swordsmanship, swordsmanship full of changes and complexity...
And according to Alarong, there was even swordsmanship like the one Asan was using now.
—Based on complex mathematical calculations, a geometric swordsmanship that creates shapes centered on the user's position with every step...
—Oh, that sounds interesting. Can I learn it?
—...What!? That sounds interesting to you!? Doesn't that sound like crazy swordsmanship?
Since Alarong didn't know that particular style, he had only taught Ihan the swordsmanship he was familiar with — but seeing Asan move with his staff reminded Ihan of that conversation.
Thorough!
Asan taunted the boar while stepping precisely, and the boar, angered, charged at him.
Asan sidestepped like a matador and viciously jabbed the boar's side with his staff.
"Ha!"
-Bwee!
Crash!
And then Asan went flying.
The enraged boar had suddenly slammed its body sideways after an abrupt stop.
"..."
He hadn't been hit directly, but the impact was still tremendous. Asan tumbled across the ground.
"Guh... My calculations were wrong..."
"...So he's just a guy who trained hard in swordsmanship."
Ihan muttered.
It seemed like Asan had practiced swordsmanship diligently but lacked real combat experience.
That's why his form was good — but he couldn't handle a charging boar and ended up getting blown away!
"Let's help him."
"!"
At Ihan's words, Nilia was surprised.
She hadn't expected him to step in and help in this situation.
'Is this the dignity of a noble...?'
Unlike other nobles who only talked big, he was personally stepping forward in a dangerous situation.
It was like something out of a storybook. Nilia was slightly moved.
"If we help him now, we might be able to ask for favors in future classes. For exams or assignments. Especially since he has connections to the princess."
"..."
Nilia's moment of admiration vanished.
You shallow opportunist...!
Adenart gestured behind her.
Even without words, her meaning was clear.
The remaining four students hurriedly hid behind her.
Not that hiding would do much good...
Adenart suddenly felt a sense of loneliness.
She was the one who told them to move aside, but that didn't mean she was happy about the situation.
But this was just another duty to fulfill.
Like all the other tasks she had completed perfectly until now, Adenart intended to handle this boar perfectly as well.
'Read its breathing. When it charges—'
Wham!
With a tremendous crash, the boar tumbled sideways.
"?!??!"
And then Ihan appeared from behind it, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Good thing I didn't get noticed."
"Now you understand how important it is to approach against the wind?"
"Yeah. A hunter's wisdom is impressive."
"If you keep taking alchemy classes, you might deepen that wisdom even further?"
"No. I don't want that."
"..."
Ihan had already made up his mind.
No alchemy for me!
'I'll live in the lecture hall instead.'
Adenart stood frozen for a moment but soon recovered and bowed her head.
"...Thank you, Wardanaz."
"It was nothing, Princess."
Nilia, watching from the side, whispered in confusion.
—Why are you speaking formally?
—Good question. I guess I got swept up in the mood.
Since they were all students of the same age and the school rules encouraged casual speech regardless of status, informal speech was the norm — but since the princess spoke formally, Ihan unconsciously followed suit.
"By the way, if you feel indebted to me, may I ask for a favor?"
Adenart nodded.
"If you know any easy classes to get good grades in, could you recommend them?"
Given that the princess had a wider network than Ihan, she probably had access to a lot of useful information.
That's what Ihan thought.
"..."
Of course, from Adenart's perspective, it was a bit of a dizzying request.
What is this Wardanaz family mage saying right now?
Surely he's not asking because he wants to coast through classes... Is there some other meaning behind this?
"I know a class that's easy to get good grades in!"
A familiar Dwarf voice called out from behind.
Ihan suddenly felt a chill of dread.
Just like the time he had run into his old graduate school professor...
Tap—
As Ihan tried to quickly move away, Dwarf Professor Thunderstep grabbed his collar.
And with a cheerful voice, he said:
"That would be Alchemy class, Wardanaz."
"..."
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