I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 796 - Side Story 69: The Importance of Basics (2)

What does mana mean to a mage?

For some, it would still be a subject of exploration to be unraveled. For some, it would be fuel to activate magic, and for others, it might be a law that exists naturally.

However, if there is one truth that all mages do not deny, it is that mages must dominate mana.

"Mina. Your magical power is far too strong. It's very free-spirited and irregular. Just by you thinking something, mana reacts accordingly."

Mina listened attentively to Rudger's words in an at-attention posture. The sight of her with her eyes wide open and her mouth in a triangle shape was quite a spectacle. Should I say she looked like a rabbit?

He was about to tell her she didn't need to listen that seriously, but since she herself was so earnest, Rudger quickly continued his explanation.

"Magic activating just by reaching your thoughts is like a person acting on instinct. Humans are rational and social beings. They don't immediately blurt out what they think in their heads, but go through several processes of consideration. The process by which mages cast magic is the same. But you don't have that."

If she feels cold because the weather has gotten chilly, flames suddenly rise around her. Where would you find someone who would envy that?

The moment she thinks the weather is hot, mana whips up a snowstorm?

Excessively powerful mana reacts reflexively without even a second's delay just by reading its master's will.

The magic's power may be strong, but can you really call that a great mage? Not being able to control one's own magic and instead being swayed by it?

"Then, what should I do?" 

"Basics."

Rudger stated it flatly.

"You need basics."

Of course, it's not an easy task. It's like making a child who knows how to fly start over from learning to walk. But to fly properly, you need to know how to walk and run. If you don't, you'll eventually fall.

"The most basic way all mages handle mana. You need to learn that. Can you do it?" 

"I'll, I'll try."

It was a voice that trailed off, but at least she didn't say she didn't want to. Rudger suddenly held out a water bottle to Mina.

Mina looked up at Rudger with rabbit-like eyes, her gaze asking what this was.

"It's a mana suppressant. Just in case, drink it." 

"A suppressant?" 

"To tame a beast, you first need to cage it."

Mina hesitated for a moment, but took it with her tiny hands. After opening the lid and sniffing it, Mina took a sip and grimaced deeply.

"It's bitter."

She looked at Rudger with eyes asking if she had to drink all of this. Though it was a pitiful sight that reminded one of a doll, Rudger was merciless.

"Drink it all. You can't leave even a drop." 

"Ing."

Mina made a groaning sound but didn't refuse. Squeezing her eyes shut, she gulped down the mana suppressant and hurriedly removed her mouth from the bottle.

It was truly unimaginably bitter. To the point where she wondered if all the taste cells in her mouth might be destroyed. She frowned so much her muscles felt like they might cramp.

But perhaps because it was medicine Rudger had given her, the effect appeared immediately. Her body felt heavier than before, and soon it became difficult even to breathe.

"Haek. Haek." 

"Calm your breathing. It's a kind of phantom pain that occurs as the amount of mana flowing in your body decreases from before."

When she focused on Rudger's words and calmed her breathing, she could definitely breathe. Mina raised her arm. The subtle magical light that had been flowing from her whole body had diminished.

She still seemed to glow because of her white skin and hair, but the self-luminescence had disappeared.

"Hmm. Even though I used something fairly strong, the effect is less than half of what I expected."

Rudger himself muttered after analyzing Mina's condition in detail. It was a suppressant made using much more powerful medicinal materials than what he had used on other students before.

With this, even a regular mage would have to lie down unable to move for several days. But Mina, as if nothing had happened, calmed her breathing and quickly shook off the pressure.

The magical light had diminished, but the mana rampaging inside her body was still vast. Because the mana she originally possessed was so enormous, the result of maximum suppression was only that much.

'This is truly an unbelievable level.'

Still, he had managed to block the wildly surging water with a massive dam. Of course, it would only last a few days, but he could have her drink the suppressant periodically.

What was important was from now on.

"Try operating your mana in that state."

Mina acted as instructed. After concentrating, she flowed mana onto her palm.

"Create a sphere of mana. You can do that much, right?" 

"Yes."

A bluish sphere of mana rose above Mina's palm. If it had been other students, they would have created one the size of a fist with that mana, but Mina was different. The size kept growing and expanding until it swelled to the size of a two-story house.

Even though it was just a created sphere of mana, you could feel the violent energy surging within it. It was simply surprising that this was the result of drinking the special mana suppressant.

"I did it. But it's much smaller than usual." 

"Now reduce it." 

"Huh?" 

"Remove the mana. Reduce the size and dilute the concentration, making it shrink on its own."

Mina immediately did as told. Of course, because she hadn't properly received this kind of basic training, she ended up using her usual method.

Something like, shrink on your own. Her mana, reading that will, dispersed in an instant.

It didn't even take a second for the giant sphere to disappear, and no mana remained on Mina's palm.

"Ah." 

"As you saw, just by you flowing your will, mana reacts this urgently. You only relaxed to reduce the size, but it all disappeared."

Mina nodded seriously, taking that part to heart.

"So concentrate even more. Reduce it but don't let it disappear. Don't just wish for it, command it strongly to achieve that result."

Mina tried again. The sphere created above her palm had shrunk in size from before. Still, it was nearly the size of a house-sized rock, so it still looked threatening.

Mina recalled the advice Rudger had given and concentrated. As she strained with wide-open eyes, the sphere of mana like a giant rock began to gradually, bit by bit, shrink in size.

Like a balloon slowly deflating, when its size had shrunk to the size of a person's upper body.

Puff!

The sphere lost its power again and dissipated.

"Ah."

Mina lamented in disappointment. Because the feeling had been better than before this time.

"Don't be disappointed. For a second attempt, you did very well." 

"Really?" 

"Continue like this. The target is for the sphere's size to be small enough to grasp in your palm."

Though she thought it might be too small, Mina decided to do it because she had seen hope that she could.

"Don't forget. No matter how talented you are, in the end, what's important is the basics. And building those basics is endless repetitive mastery. Just as people don't consciously think about breathing, you too must handle mana that way."

There are no shortcuts to basics. It's a process of embodiment, engraving it into your body through endless practice.

However, because Mina had a constitution that could use magic without learning the basics, it wasn't easy for her.

When you can fly, there's no need to walk. But conversely, if your wings make you fly on their own even when you don't want them to, that's a problem.

So Rudger had tied down her wings with something called a mana suppressant. Though they weren't completely bound, at least there wouldn't be wild rampaging like before.

After that, several more attempts continued, and she finally succeeded after a full 5 hours had passed.

"I, I did it!"

Mina, rarely raising her voice loudly. She smiled brightly looking at the very small sphere of mana resting on her palm. Then, because her concentration wavered, the sphere soon disappeared, but success was definitely success.

"Excellent."

Rudger spoke honestly. 5 hours. A child with such a small frame wouldn't have the stamina to endure that.

Nevertheless, Mina didn't stop. She kept trying with the determination to succeed somehow, and finally was able to grasp success.

Naturally, Rudger watched that process without missing a thing for 5 hours.

"Now that you've succeeded once, it won't be as difficult afterward as it was at first. Don't forget the feeling right now and keep practicing. If you rest on your laurels, that sense will rust and become dull again." 

"Yes."

Mina immediately floated a sphere. Because she was still inexperienced, its size was about that of a basketball, but she quickly reduced the size.

Seeing the small sphere completed again, Mina repeatedly erased it and made it again.

'As expected, a genius is a genius.'

Holding vast mana in her body, and even controlling that mana with her will. Though she stood out because of her unique constitution, just watching the process of her performing basics now, Mina was worthy of being called a genius.

Of course, that didn't mean he could judge her entirely by talent alone. Without effort, she would never have succeeded.

"The next process is to compress that mana thinly." 

"Compress?" 

"Like this."

Rudger flattened the sphere of mana floating above his palm and changed it into the form of a thin rectangular plate.

"Don't reduce the amount of mana, but change only its form while maintaining the total quantity."

Just then, a leaf flew down on the wind. Rudger brought the thin plate of mana to that leaf.

Shwick.

The leaf was cut far too easily. It was a result that went beyond simply making a thin plate to even sharpening it keenly.

"You need to be able to do this." 

"Eh."

When she looked at him with eyes asking "Is that possible?", Rudger gazed at Mina silently. So it is possible. Mina's shoulders drooped.

Thinking about all the trouble she had making a fist-sized sphere, that would be more difficult if anything, certainly not less so.

"You've done enough for today, so rest now. Of course, even when you return to your lodging, don't forget to practice separately." 

"Yees."

Though Mina said so in a trailing voice, her voice was definitely clearer than before.

She herself didn't realize it, but her heart was much lighter and more energetic than before.

That experience of being able to control it herself without being swayed by mana. It was an experience more precious than gold to Mina right now, and would become flesh and blood to help her grow in the future.

Pop!

"Ah. I failed."

Just in case, Mina, who had been compressing mana, muttered quietly while looking at the sphere of mana that had burst like a water balloon.

It seemed like it would take more time to get used to it.

Hermoa Entiro sat in a small lecture room where one-on-one meetings were possible, facing Rudger. It was her turn for class.

"Hermoa." 

"Yes! Teacher! I'm right here!"

Hermoa answered Rudger's words full of anticipation. She was overflowing with motivation. She had to be.

In this boring Theon, she had finally met a real mage worth learning from. Thinking of Rudger's level, she had practically rolled out the red carpet.

If she absorbed all of Rudger's teachings and made rapid progress as a mage, she could reach the blueprint of the future she so longed for much faster.

The life of a successful person!

That was what Hermoa desired most.

"Hermoa Entiro. There isn't much I can teach you."

But when she heard Rudger's words, Hermoa opened her mouth without realizing it.

"What? Wh-what do you mean?" 

"It's about your unique constitution. You can feel magic with your skin. More precisely, with your sense of touch. I'm right, aren't I?" 

"Th-that's..."

Hermoa glanced around and then nodded. It was her secret and unique constitution that had been revealed from their first meeting anyway. There was no need to hide it now. Rather, doing so would only give Rudger disappointment.

"I haven't experienced that constitution, so I don't know what it feels like. I also don't know how you feel and accept magic with it."

Hermoa's magic was probably deeply connected to her own constitution. So Rudger couldn't immediately present any particular vision for her.

"C-couldn't you just teach me your magic theory, Teacher?" 

"No. As an educator, I can't pass it over roughly. So I've brought someone new suited to you."

Who else could it be? Just as Hermoa was curious, the lecture room door opened and a person entered.

"Really now. Even so, calling me for something like this?"

Navy blue hair that looked cold just to see. White skin that contrasted with it, and a cold-looking beauty that would draw admiration even from another woman.

Hermoa immediately recognized her and covered her mouth with both hands.

'It's Duke Flora Lumos!'