"Good. Now, I hope you have seen from our brief fight, if it can even be referred to as such, that I am very capable at what I teach. I would make you all at least passable at the same. As I stated earlier, this is a place for you to realize your own inferiority. And, motivated by that realization, strive to become better. Now, sadly, not all are truly cut out to be mages. However, all of you here have demonstrated at least some aptitude for magic, so hopefully that won't be a concern. You are all capable of great achievement in this field if you put your mind and efforts towards it; yet, you are likely to be met with naught but failure should you not.
"Now, as for what I will teach you. I am capable of two branches of magic, and passable in several others, though I would not dare attempt to teach them. Here, you will have the opportunity to learn both the magics of elemental manipulation and straight magic. Though this 'class' is intended to focus more on application of magic than the history and theory behind it, I shall briefly explain the difference in how they are used.
"Elemental manipulation is intended to manipulate the elements. These are most commonly wind, water, fire, and earth, though there are many others. These manipulated elements can be used for a broad range of military and non-military applications, though of course we shall here be focused upon the military applications and other uses that shall be of some use while on the field. It is important to note that although all elemental manipulators can manipulate all elements to some small degree, few are proficient enough at more than one or two for their manipulation to be actually useful.
"The other form of magic that I shall teach is straight magic. Unlike elemental manipulation, which all mages are capable of, only about half of you are likely to be capable of this type. Today's main purpose, other than this basic overview, is to find out which of you are capable of it.
"Straight magic is far more rigid than elemental manipulation, requiring the memorization of specific spells and then using them to one's advantage in battle. Where elemental manipulation is limited only by the mage's skill and creativity, straight magic will simply do the task that it's designed to do, or won't, depending on the mage's ability. For example, the spell I cast earlier, dispel magic, simply cancels out whatever magic it is used against. For this to occur, the mage casting it must know every detail of the spell being destroyed, and ideally should be more powerful than the caster as well. There is no way that dispel magic would ever be used for anything other than that purpose.
"Compare this to elemental magic, for example. There are various ways that I could have manipulated elements to deal with that fireball attack. I could have summoned a ball of water to quench the flames, or used wind to blow it away. I could have formed a wall of earth to defend myself, or even, if I were much more powerful, I could have condensed some earth to a size so small that it generated its own gravitational force and pulled the fireball in."
[Hold up… did he just say that it's possible to use elemental magic to form a black hole?!]
"Yet, despite the fact that any of those elements could be used to destroy the fireball, they could also be used to do a whole manner of other things, whereas dispel magic is only for dispelling spells. Now, have I made the difference between the two magics clear?"
"Yes sir!" we answer.
"Good. Now, onto our next order of business: finding out which of you are actually capable of straight magic. Don't be disheartened if you cannot; there have been countless capable mages in history who have been limited to only elemental magic. And besides! There are many types of magic outside of these two, any number of which you may be proficient in. Now, gather into a line, all of you!"
We do as he commands, forming a line roughly 30 people long.
"Anyone who has experience with straight magic, step forward." Seven cadets step forward, all of them from the fancy clothes crowd.
"Alright. Now, anyone who has been tested previously and knows that they cannot, take a step back." All but myself and one other step back.
"Am I to assume that neither of you know whether you are capable of straight magic?"
"That is correct, sir." I answer, as does the other cadet.
"Then, you first." He approaches the other cadet. "I'm going to cast a spell that allows me to read magical flow. You will repeat the words I give you out loud, while clearly picturing that occurring in your mind." He then picks up a stick, handing it to the cadet. "Picture the stick breaking, and, when I tell you to do so, simply say the word 'break.' Do you understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. I will now cast the spell that will allow me to sense the magic movement. Sense magic flow! Alright, now clearly picture the stick breaking and say the word."
"Break!"
I half expect the stick to shatter into a million pieces with explosive force; however, nothing visibly changes. The other cadet frowns in obvious disappointment, only to have his disappointment alleviated by Sir Lector.
"Why the disappointment? I clearly sensed magic flow within you; you are completely capable of straight magic!"
"Then why did nothing happen?" he asks.
"It would be quite strange for the twig to break on your first try. Straight magic is the magic of visualizing the desired result, and channeling that vision through your words, whether spoken or mental. This takes extensive practice and a very strong will to pull off, so it is no surprise that nothing happened. Alright, you next."
He turns to me, handing me the twig. "Do you need a reminder of how to proceed?"
"No, I remember."
"Alright. When you are ready, go ahead."
I look at the stick, and picture it shattering to a million pieces. "Break!" I forcefully command.
I am unsurprised to see it still fully intact. I turn to Sir Lector, but he just shakes his head in disappointment.
"I'm sorry to have to say it, but I felt no magic moving within you. I'm afraid to inform you that you simply aren't cut out for this type of magic."
With a silent nod, I take a step back and join the majority of the class that are incapable of this magic. [Well. I guess I'm really not the protagonist of this story, eh? Not that I ever thought I was. First sold into slavery, now I discover that I am part of the 50% of mages who can't even use one of the two major branches of magic. Well, it could be worse. At least I am capable of elemental manipulation, and I suppose I do have that overpowered proficiency in leveling.]
"Only a quarter of this group, eh? Oh well, as is how things go." Lector says to us. "On to the next order of business. We'll work out each of your proficiencies in straight magic later this week, for now we'll focus on elemental manipulation."
He waves a hand, and a row of targets appear, facing us from a position parallel to our rows.
Upon noticing that the class is still split into two rows, he instructs us to gather back into one row. "We wouldn't want a wayward spell from the back row to strike a fellow soldier in the back, would we?"
"Each of you, fire one spell at the target in front of you. Use whichever element you are most capable of. With this test, we are going for accuracy rather than power, so just focus on hitting the center of your target without completely destroying it. I'll assume that I don't need to tell you how to use elemental manipulation, is that correct?"
To be honest, I actually have no idea about the specifics. However, out of fear of receiving further disappointment from him, I stay silent.
"Good. Now fire one burst at the target."
Immediately, a number of attacks of various elements are released at the targets. Even more attacks are released every second as I struggle to find the feeling that I have felt a few times prior, the feeling of power being conducted through me. As fewer and fewer attacks are released, I find numerous gazes resting on me. [Oh, I hope I can do this. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if I couldn't…]
I keep searching within myself, trying to call that feeling again. I am met with little success, until I recall that I actually have a skill called magic sensory. I imagine it activating, and I immediately sense the mana around me activating. I quickly imagine the mana catering into a ball, and a green tinged ball of what I can only assume is wind appears. I imagine it flying into the target, where it lands on the outer rim, ripping a deep cut into it.
[Hmm. This is all rather interesting. I had thought that everything in this world relied upon skills, but apparently that does not apply to straight magic. Straight magic requires will and visualization, whereas elemental manipulation simply relies upon activating the right skills and imagining the elements doing your bidding, which seems more in line with the idea of skills. That's why I got hung up when casting the spell; I was visualizing some ethereal power doing as I command, like with straight magic, when the proper way is to simply use skills to do it. Interesting. I wonder where this difference comes from? I guess I should probably ask Sir Lector at some point; I'm sure that he would know.]
While I am contemplating this apparent oddity, Sir Lector checks each of our targets. He is mostly silent while doing so, only taking time to congratulate the one cadet who manages to hit the center of his target and compliment him on managing to not burn it despite using the fire element; this stands out from most of the other fire element manipulators, who did not manage to control the power of their attack and whose targets lie in ashen mounds.
"Overall, not entirely unsatisfactory," he remarks. "Though I must say, I am disappointed that those who have apparently already received education in this realm are only at this measly level. Not being able to control output? Not hitting the center of the target? These are shortcomings that I would expect from children first handling the elements, not from so-called mages who have received the best education money can buy. Well, at least you didn't kill each other; you would be amazed how many classes can't even hit such a low bar. Furthermore, for those of you who have not received a formal education in this area, these results are perfectly acceptable. Well, I had intended to do a bit more to test your capability today; however, due to that interruption to our class earlier, I am afraid that we simply do not have enough time. Class dismissed."
I had thought that the swordsman cadets had dispersed quickly, but it is nothing compared to the speed with which this class fled, seemingly melting away into air, quickly leaving just myself and Sir Lector.
"Oh, it is you. Well, thank you for not interrupting my class like those buffoons," he says, easily lifting the dead noble's body off the ground.
"There is no reason to thank me; I simply did as one should when before a teacher. I will say that I gained a new appreciation for the difficulties that you face, though. That was truly ridiculous the way that they behaved. I must admit, I half thought that you were joking when you described the type of soldier who you have to deal with; now I see that if anything you were too lenient in your description."
He sighs. "It would be one thing if they were only talentless or only fools; it is the combination of such that makes them so unbearable. If they were talented, and haughty and shortsighted because of it, I could perhaps understand their dispositions. Yet that is simply not the case. They are so woefully incompetent that, despite being given all the resources and training that one could possibly ask for, they cannot even perform a basic attack with any acceptable level of precision. Well, I assume that you are not here just to bear my complaints. What is it that you need?"
"I do not mind listening to your complaints, but it is true that I am here to ask you some questions. You see, I am rather ignorant as to the nature of skills as a whole. So, I wonder, why is straight magic seemingly not dictated by skill? For example, the magic sensory and magic manipulation skills allow one to sense and form elemental particles, bending them to his will. Compared to straight magic, which you say requires sheer willpower, a method of conduction, and the genetic predisposition for such, it seems quite different."
"I know exactly what you mean, and the answer lies within the creation of the two, vastly different schools of magic. The first, elemental manipulation, alongside its higher form, mana manipulation, is built into the skill system, as well as the universe itself. It was created by the god of the universe for use in constructing everything within it. As the god of the universe also had a hand in creating the skill system, it makes sense that the system features elemental and mana manipulation, both simply referred to as "magic" by the system. Alongside these, necromancy, artificery, enchantry, and alchemy are built into the skill system. On the other hand, straight magic, created by the god of magic much more recently is not included; nor are the schools of blessings, curses, transfiguration, or conjuring. That covers 11 of the so-called '13 magics,' though the other two are technically under the realm of the first 11; sorcery, a subset of straight magic; and sanguimancy, a subset of necromancy. Because these magics are newer, or simply aren't recognized by the gods behind the skill system, they are not included; does that make sense?"
"Yes sir. Thank you, but I must be off. I'll miss dinner if I am not!"
"If you wouldn't mind sitting with me, we could continue talking over dinner; you cannot believe how nice it is to actually have a student who seems interested in my teaching."
"If you would be willing to have me, a slave, sit beside you, then I would be honored."
"Ha ha! You know, I was a slave once myself; I could care less about what others think of you sitting beside me!"
"Well, in that case, we best be off; we don't want all the food to be gone."
"Hmph. I am an instructor and a commander in this military; if they cannot even ensure that I am provided with a proper meal, then the war may as well already be lost."
We talk about the war, or, rather, he answers my questions regarding it, all the way to the main hall where dinner is being held. From him I learn that our kingdom is doing quite well in repelling the advance of the Arenese Empire, though that is not because our force is more powerful. As he puts it, the Arenese have made a lot of enemies in the recent decades, and that combined with three states fighting for independence, countless smaller rebellions, and ceaseless waves of monster attacks has put the empire into a sorry state. Even just last week, one enemy army was reportedly devastated to the point where not even a third of the force remained, while another was forced to retreat back into the heart of the empire.
"I probably shouldn't mention this to a new recruit such as yourself, but apparently the primary threat on the front is an unusually organized group of monsters, a threat rumored to be led by a demon. Though, again, these are only rumors."
"A demon! How much of a threat does one of those pose?"
"Well so recently as a century ago, sightings of a demon would put an entire nation on alert. They combine the brute force of a mighty monster with the cunning intellect of a human, to a truly devastating effect. Furthermore, they tend to be masters at mana manipulation, the higher form of elemental manipulation which boasts a significant power increase. However, the massive number of them that have been pouring into our world in the far east in the past three hundred years has necessitated humans find a way to fight them.
"Nearly every nation of power worth considering has a division devoted specifically to the handling of demons; furthermore, the Church has an anti-demon task force that travels wherever it's needed. These forces are more than the match of any demon that pops up in the west now and then.
"The Eastern Holy Empire, the headquarters of our church, suffers the most from demon attacks, as it borders the demon 'nation' – as if there could ever be such a thing – and so also has the most numerous and experienced demon hunters. Actually, the Arenese Empire is the largest in the world to not have any specific anti-demon force, and they're suffering for it right now; after all, the demon that we're having issues with is in their territory, not our own. The Arenese, demonstrating their heretical views, rely upon their relationship with the dastardly dragons – dragons of all beasts! – to manage their demon threat for them. The Arenese, as I'm sure you're aware, worship the 'three heroes' as they call them. Dragon interferers they are, the ones who allowed the Arenese to crush Kliesvast a millennia ago. From this relationship, Aren has gained the protection of the bordering nation of Kliesnat, the nation of the Greed Lord and of fire and earth dragons. Of course, the Greed Lord, father of all fire dragons, is the creation of the evil dragon, who is allied with the ruler of the demons. And, from that rather convoluted relationship, are safe from the aggressions of the demon nation in the east. However, this relationship does not protect them from wild demons, such as the one currently terrorizing their frontier. Serves them right, allying with evil and rejecting the goodness of Our Lady in Heaven, Aenea. And I've done it again, talking all of our time away; we are here already!"
[Yes, you really do talk too much. Revealing what sound to be rather secret pieces of information so casually, you really don't know how to hold your tongue. Well, such is certainly good for me. I need more information more than anything else, and you seem all too willing to deliver! To me it seems as though he is simply looking for someone to share his knowledge with; after all, he has put himself in a position to teach others of his craft. Though perhaps I am misreading him…]
"Oh, already! Time passes so fast when I listen to your teaching, I also hadn't noticed the time passing at all! Are you certain that it will be alright for me to sit beside you at dinner? I desire to continue to learn from you, but I wouldn't want to inconvenience you…"
He waves away my concerns, saying "Not at all! The commanders have grown used to my antics by this point, there will be no problem. But are you sure you want to put up with me for the entire course of a meal?"
"Of course there will be no problem on my end! How could any new recruit even think to turn down the considerate request of a military commander!"
"Ha ha ha! Well, let us enter," he says, pushing open the large door to the dining hall.
[He really is quite strange. On one hand, he exudes an almost overly kind and considerate aura; on the other hand, he accepts no insult and takes great pride in his field of expertise. It simply seems unreal comparing him now, and even when we first met, before the lesson began, to when he was challenging his new student to duel to the death after initiating an exchange of insults between the two. I'm certainly no psychologist, but this does certainly seem rather strange.]