The mandrake tea spat out by the principal splattered onto his desk.
A few drops even landed on Professor Miho, but she swiftly evaporated them with foxfire. However, it seemed she couldn't prevent the tea's pungent aroma from spreading. Blocking her nose, Miho spoke.
"I didn't modify the spell formula to allow casting with just 0.05 Makina. You can't imagine how…"
"How complicated it becomes—I understand all too well."
Principal Grandar dabbed at his mouth with a tissue, replying calmly. The dark brown mandrake tea stains on his white beard were wiped away, leaving the tissue visibly smudged.
Glancing at the stained tissue, Grandar continued.
"Mandrake tea tastes great, but it's a bother when it stains your beard… Ahem. Anyway, you're saying the boy calculated and deployed the spell formula on the spot?"
"Yes."
"I knew his mana sensitivity was extraordinary, but to channel that sensitivity into spellcasting…"
"Couldn't he have prepared that formula in advance?"
"Didn't I tell you that when I first measured his mana capacity, it was 0.04 Makina? How would he have known to prepare a spell that requires 0.05 Makina?"
"..."
Miho fell silent. She knew the truth.
There was no practical reason to learn an impractical micro-mana spell formula like that. And how could anyone anticipate when such a spell might be needed?
It was just that the reality was so unbelievable that she had thrown out a baseless suggestion.
"Even if we set aside the spell formula itself, the fine mana control required to manipulate such a small amount... Even a fifth-circle magician would need absolute focus to cast magic of that scale."
In response, Principal Grandar wordlessly opened a desk drawer and retrieved a sheet of paper. He placed it in front of Miho for her to see.
Miho examined the paper—it was a mana affinity test result.
Not a standard mana capacity test, but one of the principal's own design, intended to measure mana affinity with utmost precision.
The results were displayed as two bar graphs: one for mana capacity and another for mana sensitivity.
"This… what is this?"
"It's Noah Ashborn's mana affinity test."
The graph lengths were staggeringly different.
His mana capacity was almost negligible, barely above the baseline, while his mana sensitivity shot up to the very top of the graph. Next to the graph, the following ratings were written:
Mana Capacity: B+
Mana Sensitivity: SSS
"SSS?"
Miho blinked, doubting her eyes. The principal rose from his seat, walking over to a white apparatus near his desk.
"This mana affinity tester was of my own creation, and I can confidently say it's a masterpiece. To measure affinity with the utmost precision, I extended the grading scale to SSS. Frankly, I thought such a level was purely theoretical."
In other words, even the principal, who had designed the tester, never expected anyone to reach SSS.
"So, are you saying Noah Ashborn is nearing the human limit for mana sensitivity?"
Miho's voice trembled slightly as she spoke, but the principal shook his head.
"Not nearing—it's beyond that. He's surpassed what I thought was an impossible threshold. His mana sensitivity was so high that even this tester couldn't fully measure it."
"...Principal."
When Grandar turned at her call, Miho's eyes burned with a strange intensity. Her crimson pupils swirled as though caught in a vortex.
"Oh no."
The principal instinctively stepped back.
Those were the distinctive eyes of a fox beastkin, a phenomenon that surfaced whenever a strong desire overwhelmed them. This trait often led to misunderstandings, as people believed fox beastkin could hypnotize others with their gaze.
But what exactly was driving Miho's desire?
"Principal, have you told any of the other professors about Noah's mana sensitivity?"
"Not yet."
"Can you promise not to tell them?"
Grandar immediately recognized the nature of her obsession.
Miho muttered under her breath.
"With mana sensitivity capable of micro-magic, he's the perfect candidate for illusion magic… Finally, the successor of Miho Twin-Tail's legacy—"
The principal cleared his throat loudly, interrupting her.
"The boy has only been at the academy for two days."
But Miho wasn't listening.
"How do I take him as my disciple? Should I just use enchantment magic…?"
The principal shook his head in resignation.
---
The next class was Introduction to Enchantment and Magical Crafting.
As usual, students who had joined societies shared bits of information before the lecture began.
"Who's the professor for this class?"
"Ameline Lavoisier? From what the seniors said, she's apparently a bit eccentric."
"Why?"
"When they asked her about this class, she shuddered and said she'd rather teach combat magic."
"Is magical crafting that dangerous?"
"That's what I'm wondering too."
According to the chatter, Professor Ameline had a bad reputation.
However, her first impression was completely at odds with the rumors.
"Hello, everyone."
She entered the classroom timidly, greeting the students with a shy smile.
A young woman with frizzy brown hair, large round glasses, and an armful of a large box, she looked more like an awkward librarian than an eccentric professor.
After setting the heavy box on the desk, she gave an awkward laugh and introduced herself.
"Um… My name is Ameline Lavoisier, and I'll be teaching Enchantment and Magical Crafting. Pleased to meet you."
Her voice was soft, almost timid.
No matter how I looked at her, she didn't seem like the type of person with a nasty personality. She gave off the impression of a socially awkward alchemist who spent too much time cooped up in her research lab.
"And people think this is more dangerous than combat magic?"
Forming magic circles, brewing potions, and crafting artifacts were exactly the types of work I aspired to do—essential, supportive roles that didn't require risking one's life in the frontlines.
I couldn't see how it would be more hazardous than battle magic.
Ameline began taking items out of her box one by one.
"Um… This is phoenix claw powder. And this is mountain iceflower extract. Oh, and basilisk skin…"
She muttered to herself as she laid out an array of magical materials, each more exotic than the last.
Rudy clicked his tongue in disbelief.
"Are we supposed to memorize all of that?"
"Probably," Irina replied, pointing at the materials Ameline was placing on the desk.
"I've heard of phoenix claw powder before. Apparently, it can create flames that even the ice magic of the Velun family can't extinguish. And mountain iceflower extract is used for crafting ice-element artifacts. As for basilisk skin, um…"
She paused for a moment, clearly struggling. Then she hesitantly added:
"It's the skin of a really strong monster."
"Got it."
I decided to chime in at that point, sensing that her knowledge had run dry.
"Still, knowing even that much is impressive."
It was far better than me, who knew absolutely nothing.
After laying everything out, Ameline turned to the class and began explaining the materials.
"Now, we'll learn how to handle these materials. Um… First, let me tell you their names. This is phoenix claw powder. It's not from an actual phoenix but from a snail species called phoenix claw snails. If you grind their shells, you get this powder, which is used for crafting powerful flame magic artifacts. By the way, they're called phoenix claw snails because red-maned hawks love eating them. Sometimes, when they're caught by a hawk, they leave their shells behind…"
Her explanation was long-winded and meandering. She spoke as if she were rambling to herself rather than teaching a class, and her voice was so soft it was barely audible.
"She's… peculiar, for sure," Rudy muttered.
"Agreed," I replied, nodding. Her demeanor screamed "shut-in alchemist," but I couldn't figure out how that made her dangerous.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally finished describing the materials and addressed the students.
"Um… Now, I'll show you a basic material synthesis. Please come forward to collect your materials."
The timing couldn't have been better—I was starting to feel bored. Judging by the yawns, the other students felt the same.
Slowly, everyone stood and lined up to receive their materials.
"This is phoenix claw powder, and this is mountain iceflower extract. Take a little of each."
Ameline handed out the two materials. Thankfully, they were ones Irina was already familiar with. One was used for flame magic, the other for ice magic.
Rudy, Irina, and I collected our materials in turn. Since the supply was limited, each student received only a small portion.
"Do you think we're supposed to mix these two?" Rudy asked.
"Probably," Irina replied with a nod. "There's a recipe that uses phoenix claw powder and iceflower extract to create…"
She trailed off mid-sentence. It seemed she didn't know the recipe after all.
Ameline saved her from the awkward silence by continuing her explanation.
"Um… On your desks, you'll find a small metal plate…"
There was indeed a small plate on each desk. I'd noticed them when we first entered the classroom but hadn't known their purpose. They were apparently for synthesizing materials.
"First, pour the mountain iceflower extract onto the plate."
Following her instructions, the students began pouring the blue, viscous extract onto their plates. I followed suit, carefully pouring the liquid.
The extract wasn't cold to the touch, but it exuded a faint chill, a clear sign that it was imbued with ice-element mana particles.
"Definitely magical."
The frost forming on the metal plate was evidence of the mana particles at work.
"Next, slowly sprinkle the phoenix claw powder over the extract."
Ameline's voice suddenly became clearer and more deliberate, breaking from her usual hesitant tone. Sensing something odd, I hesitated and glanced around.
Most students were obediently sprinkling the powder onto their plates. But Irina wasn't.
"Irina?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"What's wrong?"
She seemed hesitant, her eyes conflicted. I leaned closer and whispered.
"Do you know what this recipe is?"
She glanced around nervously before leaning in and speaking quietly so only Rudy and I could hear.
"Yeah… It's the recipe for an explosion."
The moment she said that—
Bang!
Boom!
Pop!
Explosions erupted across the classroom.
While the blasts weren't particularly powerful, the sheer number of them turned the room into chaos.
"Aaaah!"
"Kyaaah!"
Students who had been caught in the explosions now had soot-blackened faces. Only Irina, Rudy, and I had managed to avoid the blasts.
"Thank goodness."
Amid the pandemonium, Ameline stood at the podium, laughing.
"Ahaha! How was that, everyone? Fun, right? This is why improper handling of magical materials can be dangerous! So, remember to always follow the exact recipes from books, not just verbal instructions."
Professor, shouldn't you have given us the recipe book before saying that?
"Oh dear, I forgot to hand out the recipe books, didn't I?"
"..."
Ameline Lavoisier was indeed an eccentric and dangerous professor.