Classes at Ouboro Academy began.
That being said, it was an abysmal affair where unmotivated instructors simply read aloud from what appeared to be magic textbooks. Self-study would have been vastly preferable.
However, experiencing the practical training firsthand only highlighted how much better the indoor lectures were by comparison.
During a joint practical session that included upperclassmen, the dedicated magic instructor smugly demonstrated a low-tier spell once, declared that everyone should imitate it and practice, and promptly vanished into the school building.
Tracking him with my Divine Eye, I found him fooling around with a woman inside his assigned faculty room. It was utterly disgraceful. The instructors were beyond merely lacking motivation. If it were up to me, I would have fired teachers like that on the spot.
At any rate, this practical training was essentially identical to self-study. As expected, most of the students were not practicing seriously at all, merely chatting away among themselves. Like teacher, like student.
A few individuals, including Ariel, Schikke, Seth, Kusuki, Lumine, and Rose, were taking the joint session seriously, practicing by casting spells at targets.
To begin with, I cannot use basic magic. More accurately, it would be better to say I cannot use offensive spells that are completed entirely through magic alone. Of course, by using Magic Armament, I can imbue a stone with magic power to enhance it, and by flicking it with the muscular strength boosted by Vajra Power, I can give it a respectable amount of offensive power. However, that only applies when enhancing a physical object by infusing it with magic power; it is not an attack purely generated by magic. Naturally, using my swordsmanship allows me to produce a similar phenomenon much more efficiently, but it still requires the medium of swordsmanship technique.
Consequently, I am incapable of this kind of magic practice. Refusing to sink to the level of the instructors and students at this academy, I decided to pass the time by controlling magic power with my right hand to write letters in the air. This at least counted as magic training.
That said, since I keep my magic power concealed, this magic was entirely invisible in the first place.
Here, magic power is divided into two types: visible magic power and controlled magic power. Visible magic power is emitted externally according to the intensity of magic power an individual possesses, and is also referred to as an aura. Once it surpasses a certain threshold, this visible magic power alone can affect physical matter. This magic is visible alongside any action, becoming particularly pronounced when activating magic or skills.
In contrast, controlled magic power is essential for exerting the effects of magic, skills, and special abilities. All effects are realized through this magic forming a consistent flow. Apparently, very few people are capable of seeing it.
Naturally, Belze and I can visually perceive this controlled magic power, and the concealment I speak of refers to rendering all magic invisible, including this controlled magic power. Not even Belze could likely see the flow of magic power I was currently using to write letters in the air.
Therefore, no one could perceive what I was doing, and to them, it probably looked like I was merely idling around like the other students. Even so, as long as I am satisfied within myself, I truly do not care what anyone else thinks. So this was fine by me.
Lumine appeared to be learning magic from Rose at the moment. She obediently cast spells as Rose instructed, rejoicing innocently whenever she succeeded. That was likely Lumine's true nature.
Regardless, a small handful of other eager students at Ouboro Academy did exist, gathering around Rose to ask for instruction. Rose did not seem to mind it either; above all, teaching others is a shortcut to improvement. I believe that holds true whether in martial arts or magic.
As I watched from a distance—
"Hey, get lost! That spot belongs exclusively to us!"
A group of students who appeared to be upperclassmen marched over and plopped themselves down in the area Rose and the others were using.
"Muto-kun, we are currently using this spot, are we not?"
Rose glared at the boy with a silver undercut, raising her voice in a manner uncharacteristic of her.
A considerable amount of irritation laced Rose's tone. Given that she knew his name, Rose and the boy named Muto were likely acquaintances. Judging from her attitude, however, their relationship was certainly far from amicable.
"Aww, look here, Princess. Sorry to break it to ya, but we've always used this spot. Newbies can go fiddle around in the corner."
Muto spat out the words as he perched himself on an adjacent broken target.
Rose gritted her teeth, but as she attempted to move to the neighboring target—
"We're using that one, too. You lot go to the far corner."
"That is unreasonable!"
"Unreasonable? Princess, you already know what kind of guy I am, don't you?"
As Muto laughed mockingly,
"Why must you always, always be like this?!"
Rose finally lost her composure and raised her voice.
"I just do whatever I want. Doesn't matter where I am."
I could not fully grasp the situation, but that boy named Muto probably just wanted to act tough in front of Rose. Perhaps he was at that age where boys get all flustered over puppy love. Well, isn't that charming? Still, between this and that Sage boy from before, Rose was surprisingly popular.
While I was entertaining such frivolous thoughts, the wild child next to me—who had turned bright red like a boiling kettle and was trembling all over—finally exploded.
"Don't you dare go spouting whatever nonsense you please!"
Lumine approached Muto and his crew with an enraged shout.
"The hell are you?"
Young Muto tried to intimidate Lumine, but she was hardly the kind of girl to care about such things. If anything, she dashed forward, intent on punching him. Good grief, that tomboy...
"You've got some nerve bearing your fangs at me!"
"Lumine!"
Ignoring Rose as she tried to rush over, Muto tightly clenched his right fist toward the charging Lumine.
Kicking off the ground a few times, I moved behind Muto, grabbing his right shoulder from behind to immobilize him. At the same time, I caught Lumine's incoming right fist.
"Both of you, stop right there."
I told them with a smile.
"Let go! Let go of me!"
Lumine swung her captured right fist around, trying to break free, but naturally, I was not so soft as to let her shake me off.
"I will let go. That is, if you behave yourself."
Lumine had always been like this. She was reckless—or rather, once she started running, there was no stopping her. Well, Lumine getting angry at Muto and his group was surely due to their disrespectful attitude toward Rose.
"I'll... behave."
"Good girl."
Releasing the right hand of Lumine, who had finally stopped thrashing around,
"Would you mind doing the same?"
I asked Muto near his ear to check his intentions.
"..."
Shaking off my left hand,
"We're leaving, guys."
After stating that curtly, he vanished into the school building. The other students in his entourage exchanged glances and followed after him.
"Who was he?"
"He was a student at Saint Clan Academy just like me, but after nearly beating an upperclassman to death, he was expelled and transferred here to Ouboro Academy. The boys in his circle are the same."
I see. When people are young, they often feel the urge to act like delinquents. As long as they do not cross the line, it will simply become one of youth's bitter memories.
"More importantly, Lumine."
Stepping in front of Lumine, I took hold of both her shoulders and leaned forward slightly to meet her gaze.
"Wh-what is it?"
To Lumine, who had turned bright red for some reason,
"Listen to me. You must not wield your strength carelessly. You are only to use your power when you feel it is truly necessary. Do you understand?"
I admonished her gently.
"I-I get it already!"
Patting Lumine on the head a few times as she looked away,
"Now then, please continue."
I urged Rose and the others to resume their practice.