When the sun peaked over the tops of the Institution buildings, the rays shone down on a beautiful elf, laying on a wide luxury bed. Her beautiful golden hair glittered as the rays passed through it and revealed a glowing radiance from her face.
Bythre woke up with a drowsy expression on her face and heavy eyes. She slowly raised her body and looked around—Si Sheng wasn't there.
'W-Where did he go..?' She began to panic. This scene was all too familiar. Never would she want to repeat that.
Quickly jolting out of her tiredness, she sprang out of bed, flinging the blanket across the bed, with heart racing in her chest as she headed towards the bedroom door.
Her negligee swayed and flapped from her frantic movements as she desperately clambered to the door. She opened the door and flashed into her office.
Then, she became relieved. Si Sheng was sitting in a chair reading by a reticulated tracery window, letting the morning light filter in and brush up against his smooth face and ashy hair, his eyes reflecting the gentle morning light as they scanned the pages of the leather-bound book he was reading.
Bythre sighed in relief as her worst nightmare hadn't come true. Si Sheng was still around, he didn't abandon her.
Si Sheng, having noticed Bythre, called out to her.
"Good morning Bythre, did you sleep well?" The voice was filled with warmth and a calm tone resided in his voice, reminiscent of the morning sun. It felt like a parent's embrace during a harsh winter.
"Ah... Yes. I slept well. Good morning."
Bythre replied to Si Sheng's greeting while watching his eerily picturesque smile and was somewhat caught off guard due to her swell of emotions that had yet to die down.
"By the way, Bythre, you might want to change. I can see, well, everything."
Si Sheng said this while pointing at Bythre's attire, to which Bythre looked down and realized that her breasts were visible through the negligee.
"Tell me that sooner!" she said as she stormed off back to the bedroom with her ears dyed red, flapping up and down in embarrassment. Si Sheng got to see something quite interesting that morning. To say the least, he was satisfied.
***
Bythre had woken up, thus Si Sheng planned to finish the book he was reading and join her for breakfast.
Si Sheng had read a few books about the Fujin Empire by now and formed a fairly good idea of how they used to be. It was a traditional empire with imperial royalty who were revered as gods among men, at least to the uninformed masses.
Another thing that was interesting was a special court called the "Ten Retainers", which was a council of sorts that was filled with the ten best people in their individual fields, whether that be swordsmanship, magic, politics, economics, etc.
However, the positions were available to anyone to get, as long as they had the ability, they were allowed to join. But, traditionally, the council was filled with nobles or people of combat-oriented fields. There was no mention of something like a farmer or fisherman on the council. However, blacksmiths and tailors had been on the council before.
The primary reason for this disparity was that the people of the Ten Retainers were supposed to lead and direct the military in times of war. They were also the protectors of the empire, so they had to be strong. That was the reason as to why certain professions hadn't been in the Ten Retainers before. Additionally, they would almost always gain a certain amount of political strength, which would allow them to influence laws and the like. This was another reason why professions like farmers, fishermen, bakers, etc. weren't on the council; the nobles wanted to maintain an iron first rule. If commoners were allowed to have enough influence over the government, the nobles would lose power and would be overthrown, thus only a few commoners ever became a part of the Ten Retainers, due to the nobles meddling.
Whatever the case may be, the Ten Retainers was a formidable force, something that Si Sheng believed to be on par with the Council of Elders, given the feats attributed to the Ten Retainers. It was pretty interesting, but that was it. He wouldn't know the state of this council till he actually came into contact with the outside world. And, thus, he pushed the thoughts back into a file in his mind.
After finishing the book, Si Sheng put the books back on the shelf and, at the same time, Bythre walked out, dressed in tight, black pants and a modest, beige blouse, ready to go.
***
Bythre didn't cook, mainly because she didn't have time. That didn't mean she didn't know how to, just that she didn't. So, Bythre would eat out or go to the Institution cafeteria for meals.
That's where Bythre took Si Sheng for breakfast, the cafeteria, mainly to help him get acquainted with the campus and how things functioned since he'd be living there from then on.
The cafeteria, for students and faculty, was entirely free, so it was a good place to go if you didn't have money. But, the food there wasn't your run-of-the-mill, garden-variety meal, no, the Institution's culinary arts department made it, so the food was very good, most of the time. It was equivalent to a Michelin one-star restaurant. This was sustainable thanks to the donations of all the families that attended the institution, which included royalty, nobles, wealthy merchants, etc.
"Let's eat. This place has excellent food, you'll probably use it for your meals, so I'll show you around the place."
It was like a restaurant. You were given a menu when you entered and then seated at a table. It was really better to call this a restaurant than to call this a cafeteria.
The atmosphere was pleasant, and the noise wasn't loud. The waiters were attentive and friendly despite Si Sheng's obviously non-elf appearance. It was literally a restaurant, and a wonderful one at that.
"Well, the food is nutritious and service is as well, but why spend so much money on this place when it could be used for other expenses?"
"Hm? Because it's good?"
"That's your reason...?"
"Well, most of the students are nobility or from some upper-class family, plus this is touted as the best institution in the country, so the facilities have to match. That's why we go to such extremes. Also, this serves as a place to teach the culinary arts students. They get credits by working here for a certain amount of time and can take classes based on their experience working here. It's a win-win in my opinion."
"I guess... Are rich people really this spoiled?"
Si Sheng couldn't understand the necessity of such a high-class facility on campus that didn't directly influence the institution's research endeavors, and the students' necessity to have this free facility.
Back on Earth, although his family was well off, he wouldn't be called rich by this standard. No way could he go out any time he wanted and get free Michelin class food. It was an absurd notion to him. However, he didn't dislike it. I mean, it's free food, fantastic food at that.
Another thing Si Sheng noted, just because the institution was called the First Magic Institution, didn't mean they only taught magic. There were many other paths that one could take—weapons classes, like swords and spears, liberal art classes, like politics, history, etc., and many others. Bythre told him this when he questioned her as to why there was a culinary arts department. This was interesting to Si Sheng and would allow him to understand the world to a greater degree than just learning magic.
***
After finishing their meal, Bythre and Si Sheng returned to Bythre's office.
"From now on I have to work, so I suggest checking out the campus or listening in on a lecture."
"What do I do about my appearance? Wouldn't I cause a stir if I did that?"
"What are you talking about? Everyone basically knows about you already, at least on campus."
"Huh...?"
"What do you expect when the Dean herself escorts you around for a full day and you're witnessed going into her office and not coming out? Especially with your appearance... well, you don't have to worry too much! Just go have fun!"
"Ehhhh..."
With Bythre's whimsical words, Si Sheng started his exploration. He was particularly keen to listen in on a lecture.
***
The campus was large. It felt like waking through an entire city just getting from one end to the other. Despite that, it was beautiful. The architecture, reminiscent of the neo-gothic style, was aesthetically pleasing to Si Sheng, and he admired the craftsmanship required to make such intricate buildings.
The landscaping was no different. The plants were positioned in a pattern that one would describe as being designed using Feng Shui. The plants were meticulously groomed, and the boulders placed in a disorderly order. It really made one admire the beauty and care put into the campus.
Walking around campus, Si Sheng definitely felt the stares of people everywhere he walked. It couldn't be helped, given the scenario, but it didn't bother him too much. No one stopped him or tried to talk to him, so it was favorable for him.
Just as Bythre suggested, Si Sheng went to check out a lecture.
The lecture was being held in a large theater-like lecture hall with students in ascending rows of seats in front of the center stage. Some were taking notes, others listening, some doing whatever.
Si Sheng listened in from the back row in the auditorium where no one would notice him. He didn't want to use his skills because he'd have to split some attention in maintaining the skill accompanied by listening to the lecture, making him not able to focus on understanding the lecture's information, which he didn't want. He could always remember the lecture and understand later, but he didn't want to wait, so he just relaxed and listened to what the professor had to say.
The lecturer was talking about magic, which intrigued Si Sheng and really sucked in his attention.
"Magic is what happens when a catalyst, yourself, converts mana using a chant into a physical phenomenon that is of the desired form depicted by said chant. In essence, magic is the external expression of manipulated mana. In simpler terms, you can think about magic as something that happens when you construct your mana into a certain form, using a chant as a means to shape the construct, and releasing it. Now, can anyone give a demonstration?"
"Here!"
"Yes, Ms. Turlun, if you would. Show us a non-destructive spell, please."
The woman called up on stage was familiar to Si Sheng. It was Taro, the elf that was a part of the group that brought him to Ljosalfheim. By the time that thought finished, Taro had climbed up on stage. When the lecturer conceded the stage to her, she chanted her magic.
"Light Column!"
After she chanted this, a half-meter diameter column of warm white light formed in the direction she directed her hands. Shortly after it disappeared, the crowd of students gave her a round of applause. For what, Si Sheng didn't know. Was that something impressive? It seemed too much to receive a round of applause just for using such a simple spell. Whatever it was, Si Sheng didn't care, he was only there to listen to the lecture, not aimless semantics. In all honesty, he was just being dense. It was common courtesy to applaud someone after they aided a performer or someone on a stage, regardless of how amazing or not they were.
"Thank you, Ms. Turlun. Now, as you can see, Ms. Turlun is slightly exhausted, not by much, but nonetheless, it took energy from her to perform that spell. In other words, her mana was partially exhausted as a result of using the spell. Additionally, especially when it comes to more complicated spells, mental energy is used up or your ability to concentrate. In a battle, or in an exhibition, if one doesn't have enough mental energy then their spell will fail. However, nothing fatal happens in that case, thankfully. The mana used up till the point of cancellation is dissipated into the atmosphere. Other than that, nothing deadly occurs; one would only feel somewhat exhausted after using up so much energy. With all that being said, spells don't often fail due to the wanted spell being within the range of the user's level. For example, someone at the C tier would be able to use C tier and below magic, but wouldn't be able to use A tier magic, necessarily. If one were to attempt to use an A tier spell, there is a high probability that it would fail, due to it being out of the range of one's ability. That doesn't mean it won't succeed, however, but it is highly unlikely to work. You'd need the appropriate amount of mental energy and mana to process and cast an A tier, and someone at the C tier just doesn't meet those requirements, strictly speaking. Now, can anyone tell me what happens to mana once it dissipates into the atmosphere?"
With the long spiel about failed magic activation, the lecturer asked another question, this time about what happens to the mana dissipated due to a spell's activation or failure.
"Yes, if I may."
A tall, dirty-blonde, short-haired elf boy wearing round glasses raised his hand to the lecturer's question, waiting for approval.
"Go ahead, Mr. Reth."
"Thank you, teacher. Then, the mana that is dissipated is absorbed by the world. Whether that be by other organisms, the mage that cast the spell, or the world itself. All things absorb mana, thus whatever is around the area will absorb it."
"That is mostly correct. Most of the mana will get absorbed by other beings, the mage, or the world. But, the location of spell activation will contain a mana trace, although small, that won't be absorbed and will continue to exist in that environment until it burns itself out. If the spell is powerful enough, the trace will actually absorb nearby mana and grow, creating mana zones that are known for spawning dungeons and other creations like swarms or stampedes. That is why high-level attack magic should be used with caution or discrepancy due to both its immediate effects and the aftermath. Although, the only known spells strong enough to create a mana zone are of the SS and SSS tier, which makes artificial mana zones incredibly uncommon. But, don't be discouraged into not using high-level spells, if you ever achieve such a feat. There are ways to remove the residual mana so that a dungeon or swarm does not form. Well, I've talked enough for today. Tonight, I suggest reading through chapter nine for tomorrow's lecture. If you have any questions, I will be here for a couple minutes, otherwise have a nice day."
With that, the professor ended his lecture. Mana traces, mana zones, failing spells, different common-sense notions of this world that Si Sheng didn't know about, he acquired. For him, this lecture was precious due to the gain in understanding of magic. Apparently, it was more flexible than he previously realized, which made him excited. It was truly fun learning about magic.