Henry blinked his eyes and stood up. He walked down the podium and arrived before Judy. Henry was taller than her, so he looked down.
He already expected to be in the limelight after his grand performance in the exam. It was inevitable.
"Henry, I heard that you're very talented. Coincidentally, I have a problem regarding my spell chant. Can you help me?" Judy asked with a slight smug grin.
"Chant? I'm not that good with it," Henry replied.
He didn't know if his knowledge of chants would suffice for this time period. He'd rather not embarrass himself.
"You're still young. You should be more proud. Listen to my chant and tell me what you think is wrong," Judy dismissed him. "O' Firmament, bring down your sword, strike before me!"
Nothing happened, but the image of lightning striking the podium flashed in the eyes of the students. Henry was amused at the sight.
He held his chin and looked up at the sky.
"That spell is incomplete. If I'm not wrong, it should be a spell from a different era."
Henry gazed at Judy meaningfully.
"Nonsense! This spell is a heritage of my family!" Judy shook her head in humiliation.
"Your family must have gotten it in the past, and it was passed down until it reached your hands."
Henry was calm as he replied to her. For him, it was just a spell. It was still not as good as chant-less spells.
"Hmph. Prove it."
Judy was not willing to back down. Her family was well-known in the kingdom. She wouldn't let a humiliation go so quickly.
"Do you have a sword?"
"Why would a magus have a sword?" Retorted Judy.
"It's in the crux of your chant. Your spell needs a sword as a medium!" Henry revealed, shocking the crowd of students.
It was so absurd, yet they sounded so true coming from his mouth. Judy was flabbergasted.
A thought occurred in her mind as she came to a shocking realization. She remembered that most of her ancestors wielded swords!
"You! Bring a sword!"
Judy ordered a random student at the front row of the podium.
"Yes, Ma'am!"
It was none other than the son of the mayor. He was shocked too and didn't dare to disobey the order of a Magus Teacher.
They all silently waited for a few minutes before the son of the mayor came rushing in. He was sweaty while carrying a sword in its sheath.
Judy took the sword and closed her eyes. She sensed the inner structure of the blade and familiarized herself with it.
"If this is wrong, you have to do community service," Judy solemnly warned Henry.
This was a crucial moment in her life. A puzzle that left her parents and grandparents confused was about to be answered. She took this event seriously.
"Rest assured. I'm confident with what I said." Henry flashed her a smile.
Judy's heart skipped a beat in nervousness. She took the sword out of its sheath and chanted, "O' Firmament, bring down your sword, strike before me!"
Powerful swirls of lightning gathered at the tip of the sword and created a strong gust of wind that blew the wig of a bald student away.
Judy opened her mouth wide in shock.
Crack!
"Stop!" Henry shouted in horror.
Judy ceased supplying the sword with mana and looked at the lightning-shaped cracks all over the blade. It would have exploded if Henry hadn't shouted.
She looked at him in reverence. Her family's lost glory! This was it!
With a shaky voice, she asked, "Why d-did the sword break?"
"You know the answer. You used the sword," Henry answered and returned to his seat.
His actions, demeanor, and lack of reaction to the spell succeeding, created a halo of peerlessness over his head. All the students present were forced to accept his dominance over them.
"Because the sword is not made for this use?" Judy asked.
She knew the answer, but she asked to confirm it further. At this moment, Henry's words carried weight within her mind.
"Correct. That sword is a steel sword. It's not designed to handle the torturous flow of mana."
Judy felt grateful for Henry's honest words. She slightly bowed to show her respect and gratitude.
"Good," Henry muttered to himself.
Her character needed a bit of polishing, but she was a good person.
Henry was a bit shocked earlier when he heard the chant. He could make out that this chant descended from his own spell!
Henry used a sword in the past to strike at his opponents swiftly. He combined the fatality of the blade with the adaptable style of magic.
Once he realized that, Henry was certain of the answer. It must be from an era after his death.
The influence Henry had in his era was so significant he could still see traces of it in the present. For Henry, that was a great feeling.
Judy took a few minutes to calm down. She remembered the task at hand and resumed.
She listed the rules of the academy and guided the students on which magus teacher to consult regarding specific elements of magic.
She would glance at Henry from time to time throughout the class.
Felicia intently listened. The world was so big, and she was widening her view by being exposed to the academy. Slowly but surely, she would mature out of her country bumpkin-ness.
Henry waited several hours, and the class ended. They were new students, so they didn't get much to do for today.
The rest of the day was allotted for the new students to get to know each other and become friends.
"Are you Henry?" a male senior student stopped and asked Henry.
Following behind him were seven other students. Two were female, and they stood side-by-side with the student who spoke.
Henry was walking with Felicia when they stopped him. He glanced at their faces and noticed the unconvinced looks they had.
"Why are you looking for me?"
Henry already knew the answer. Trouble found its way to him again.