“I will now conclude the curriculum.”
As the bunny ears, which had been twitching through the brim of the hat, drooped forward, a momentary silence filled the classroom.
Clap, clap, clap—
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!!!
And then, a burst of applause echoed softly in the brief silence, and it quickly turned into a loud round of applause directed at Lumillion, who stood at the podium.
“Wow…! I think fire magic is the coolest among all elemental magics!”
“Professor Lumillion’s class looks incredibly fun, even just from a sneak peek!”
“Awesome…”
“Do you think the class will fill up? No, I should hurry and sign up now!”
This new semester, Lumillion’s curriculum for the course Complex Understanding of Elemental Magic was quite spectacular.
Water, fire, wind, earth.
The subject focused on understanding the four most basic elements in magic and what magical properties emerge when these elements combine, as well as what kind of magic can be cast using those properties. Lumillion definitely managed to capture the attention of all the students who came to take the class.
Among the most praised aspects was the fire elemental magic, where students could draw elaborate and complex magic circles, or perform a trick where Lumillion could control the heat so precisely that even though flames were burning on her hands, not a single hair would be scorched. The students couldn’t help but give a standing ovation.
“Heh heh, this curriculum is so successful…”
“Bunny ears are so cute!!!!”
“…Well, let’s just gloss over that.”
Having completed what she felt was the perfect curriculum, Lumillion smiled as she received the round of applause pouring in from the packed classroom.
With the prejudice of being a rabbit beastman, learning magic had been a struggle for Lumillion. But thanks to her passion for magic, she had now reached the position of a popular professor at the Skythia Academy.
After the applause ended, she watched the students rush out of the classroom in a hurry to sign up for her class, feeling a sense of accomplishment as she cleaned up the classroom. She then walked out into the hallway, slowly making her way down it.
“Ah! Professor Lumillion! Hello~!”
“Professor! I have a question about fire magic in elemental magic!”
“This curriculum was perfect again, Professor Lumillion.”
“Professor, would you like some carrots?”
As she walked down the hallway with her bunny ears twitching adorably, her small, cute steps making a boing-boing sound, those who saw her couldn’t help but smile and greet her warmly.
“Perfect, my career will continue to soar!”
Chewing on the carrot given to her by the students, Lumillion puffed her cheeks out, humming a tune as she felt incredibly happy.
She was currently a highly regarded professor, but one day, she dreamed of surpassing this academy and being recognized even at the Magic Tower, where she hoped to have her name engraved in the Hall of Fame.
Despite her small stature, Lumillion had big aspirations and was satisfied with her graph of success, which kept going upwards.
Twitch—
“Hmm?”
As she decided to return to her office and continue her research, Lumillion caught the sound of a commotion nearby. Turning her head toward the noise, she saw a group of students gathered, talking excitedly while looking at a flyer pinned to the wall.
[An Illusionary Magic Show! We have something to show you!]
And on that poster was Felix’s curriculum advertisement.
“Professor Felix is promoting his curriculum…?”
“That troublemaker professor?”
“Did he eat something bad?”
“What’s this? It’s not even a circus flyer…”
In a way, it was just a somewhat ridiculous promotion, but the reason the students were murmuring was because the flyer was for Felix’s curriculum.
Felix Evergarden.
At this academy, the Basic Understanding of Magic is a compulsory subject in the magical realm. As the name implies, it deals with the basics of what magic is and how to use it.
It’s a foundational subject, more about understanding the definition of magic and learning how to use it, rather than learning magic itself. It’s somewhat like a moral studies class that modern elementary students take.
Since those entering the academy in the magical realm are assumed to already have some control over magic, it could be considered an unnecessary subject, but it was a relatively new course that had only been established after Felix, the Honorary Professor, joined the academy.
Though it was a required course, attendance wasn’t really checked, and attending once a week pretty much guaranteed a B. Felix’s lectures were also very poor. So, the faculty and students alike knew that this subject was something Felix had created as a convenient course to fulfill his role as a professor at the academy.
But now, Felix was unexpectedly promoting his curriculum, which left the students who had taken his classes very confused.
“Hmm… looks like he actually prepared something?”
Lumillion, recalling her conversation with Felix from yesterday, raised her ears in surprise.
But then…
“Even so, how far can he go?”
Lumillion snorted and shrugged.
“Looks like the pressure’s getting to him.”
Having witnessed Felix’s behavior and knowing he was a fake professor who couldn’t even handle magic, Lumillion found his actions to be quite ridiculous. Felix seemed to be scrambling just to show some effort, but Lumillion doubted anything would change in the end.
“If he just gave up, it’d be one thing, but he’s so stubborn and foolish… I can’t help but see his value dropping even further.”
“It would be funny though?”
Lumillion imagined Felix stumbling through the lecture, unable to even read the textbook smoothly, let alone deliver a proper lecture. It felt like the pent-up frustration was suddenly being released.
“…Should I go check it out?”
Then, the thought crossed his mind that it might be entertaining to witness Felix’s pitiful state firsthand, asking him difficult questions during the lecture to embarrass him and knock his pride down to the lowest point.
Curious, Lumillion glanced around at the gathered students to find out when and where Felix’s curriculum would begin.
“Of course.”
As time passed, Lumillion, who had arrived at the classroom where Felix’s curriculum was taking place, murmured while nodding her head.
Compared to the packed classroom from this morning, where many participated in the curriculum he had led, the classroom scheduled for Felix’s curriculum was eerily empty.
There were only a few students scattered across the spacious room, like a few stubborn strands of hair still clinging to a bald head.
“Yawn…”
“When does it start?”
“I wonder what that clueless professor will try to show us.”
The few students there had no interest in Felix’s curriculum at all; they were simply present to watch him flounder.
“I guess I can add another line to my resume. What class should I try to teach?”
Having already predicted his victory, Lumillion, who had pushed Felix aside to secure this general education class, was pondering what kind of lesson he should try to teach next.
Step, step…
Ears perked…
“Oh, you came! I thought you might not, but seeing a familiar face, it’s nice!”
“…I just came to see your clueless self.”
“Ha ha, don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t go as expected.”
The classroom door opened, and Felix, smiling brightly, appeared. He walked toward the podium while ignoring Lumillion, who stood with his arms crossed at the back of the room, and began his self-introduction.
‘What? Why does he look so relaxed? I don’t like it.’
Felix, who appeared in front of the empty classroom, didn’t show any signs of nervousness, impatience, or resignation, even though the room was nearly vacant. This left Lumillion feeling strangely uncomfortable, causing his brow to furrow slightly.
“Alright! For those who’ve been waiting, I’m glad to see you here for today’s curriculum. I’m Felix Evergarden, and I’ll be teaching the course Understanding the Basics of Mana this semester.”
Without paying attention to Lumillion’s mocking gaze, Felix walked confidently toward the podium and began his introduction while looking around the room.
“Before we dive into the curriculum, I’d like to ask one question.”
“Can anyone tell me the definition of Mana?”
“What’s mana…?”
“What’s he talking about?”
As Felix raised his finger to ask the question, the students, who were expecting a different type of class, looked confused and puzzled. After all, everyone in the room could feel and use mana, so they naturally reacted as if they were being asked something odd, like a story from childhood.
“Would anyone like to answer? No one?”
Unfazed, Felix continued to scan the room, waiting for a response.
“…”
“Oh, yes, Professor Lumillion.”
“Huh? Professor Lumillion!”
“Why is the professor here?”
The silence continued until Lumillion arrogantly raised his hand from the back of the room. Felix immediately pointed to him.
“Mana is one of the elements that make up the world, or a fundamental element, and it’s the energy consumed when using magic… essentially, a resource. I don’t understand why you’re asking such an obvious question.”
Pointed out by Felix, Lumillion arrogantly adjusted her glasses (using his middle finger), and as she explained the definition of mana, she added a sarcastic remark while looking down on Felix.
“That’s correct. In fact, the very first page of the textbook you’ll be studying in this course clearly defines mana.”
Despite Lumillion’s sarcasm, Felix was undeterred and pointed to the textbook he was holding in his hand.
“Mana is required to use magic, but it’s not limited to that. Warriors who enhance their physical strength or magic tools also use mana. It’s something very close to our daily lives, even if you’re not a wizard.”
“So, what you’re saying is, even a professor who can’t use magic can pretend to be a professor by using magic tools, right?”
“Hehe!”
“That’s how fake professors are.”
“Eventually, they can’t use magic, so they just keep making excuses, right?”
“Isn’t that right, Professor?”
After Felix began explaining about mana, the students openly laughed at him and giggled among themselves. Even the well-known Lumillion, who was quite famous at the academy, mocked Felix openly in front of the students, making them feel more emboldened to turn Felix into a laughingstock.
“Hmm, you’re right. Even though some can’t use magic, there are many who can handle mana, and they each use it in their own way.”
“But generally, the most common way to use mana is through magic.”
“Like this.”
Snap—
Whoosh—
“Huh? What’s this?”
“I can’t see anything!?”
“What is happening…?”
But this time, Felix, who had been laughing nonchalantly, flicked his finger with a snap~! sound, and suddenly the classroom, which had been bright just a moment ago, was engulfed in darkness.
Despite the sunlight streaming through the windows and the luminous stones scattered around the classroom, the entire room was covered in pitch-black darkness, so much so that it was impossible to see anything. The students became flustered and started moving about in confusion.
“What’s going on?!”
Lumillion was equally surprised, but it wasn’t the darkness of the room that shocked him.
“That was definitely magic! How did that person use magic?”
Before Felix made a sound, his body had been imbued with mana. When he flicked his finger, the mana concentrated, and the magic activated. Lumillion, as a professor, didn’t miss that moment.
If what she saw was true, Felix had cast a spell that covered the classroom in darkness without any magic circle, incantation, or even a magic tool.
It was hard to believe that Felix had completed such a spell so naturally, a spell that would normally take some time for Lumillion to perform. Lumillion’s mind was in chaos, and she couldn’t even think of using her signature fire magic to light the room.
Just as the students and Lumillion were becoming increasingly bewildered, and the noise grew louder…
Whoosh—
“Screee?!”
“What, what’s that?!”
“A blue light… a magic circle?”
Suddenly, a bright blue light illuminated the room, and Lumillion and the students, turning toward the source of the light, were left speechless.
Behind Felix, a massive magic circle appeared in midair, large enough to completely cover the blackboard, emitting a radiant blue glow.
“Then, let’s begin the Basic Understanding of Mana curriculum.”
With the glow of the magic circle behind him, Felix spoke with a smile on his face.