The air grew heavy as they discussed dark matters.
Remarkably, Professor Verlix remained jovial despite the topics that they discussed.
"It's good that the radicalization process is going well," the professor remarked with a more serious tone. "We will need them when the time comes for our plans with the Magic Contest."
A mixed, conflicted expression emerged on Headmistress Lenolia's face as she pondered the matter.
Professor Verlix raised an eyebrow. "Having second thoughts?"
"…First thoughts, rather," she replied, heaving a deep breath. "It conflicts with my duties as Headmistress."
Professor Velix gazed at her with a sympathetic question.
"However, you know that you swore absolute loyalty to Twilight when you joined the organization."
Her expression grew more serious.
"I did. I do not intend to break my oath. I just wish it didn't come at the cost of my duties to protect my own students," she heaved a sigh. "I take my duties as Headmistress seriously."
The air grew tense as she voiced some dissatisfaction with the plan.
"…Rest assured," she continued with sharpened eyes. "I intend to execute this plan as I am expected, regardless of my personal emotions on the matter."
Professor Verlix smiled with a hint of approval.
"For a better world."
"For a better world," Headmistress Lenolia echoed, shifting her attention to the good professor. "So, why have you come to speak to me at this juncture? I highly doubt it was for mundane chit-chat."
"You're right," Professor Verlix admitted with a light tone. "I came here to speak to you about Cæ. You did mention that you were too busy for him, and that's understandable, but what you probably should know is that he probably isn't as averse to Twilight as you might imagine."
She frowned. "He was not even amenable to something as milquetoast as equitism, what makes you think he would be amenable to Twilight?"
"Well…" Professor Verlix continued with an eager tone. "When I asked him why he was pursuing magiconomics, he said that he wanted to understand why the world was broken and to understand how he could fix it."
She raised an eyebrow with a hint of curiosity. "…Interesting. He always struck me as simply someone who was ambitious, driven, and confident of thriving. Only someone with his background, who has the confidence to thrive, would have no leanings towards equitism. I figured that he does not harbor the desire to change the system because he's confident that he can win the race. And frankly, he has the right to be confident. After all…"
Her gaze softened with a hint of appreciation. "He's a genius in magic and especially in combat magic. He's brilliantly intelligent and scored almost perfect scores in all exams despite taking every single one of them in his very first year while simultaneously running a novel, successful business."
She shook her head.
"His very existence makes me feel even more certain about the work that Twilight does and its need. Just imagine if he had joined the magicademy at the age of sixteen. Just imagine how monstrous of a prodigy he would be."
"…It is indeed unfortunate," the professor heaved a sigh. "He will go on to become a great mage and a successful entrepreneur. I have no doubt about that. However, I believe that he does have some inclinations in the direction of Twilight. I believe that…"
He directed a pointed gaze at her. "…if you tell him about Twilight, he will be inclined to join us."
She shook her head. "I cannot take that risk. If he refuses, I will have to kill him. I cannot risk that. He's too valuable an asset to this country and even our organization. It is too risky to inform people of Twilight before we mould them to accept Twilight."
"It is risky," Professor Verlix admitted. "However, there is much to be gained in this case. The young man is a phenomenal asset. I look over all the data on his business ventures, and the numbers are astounding. He is truly remarkable. I have no doubt that he will eventually become someone powerful. I'm sure you realize that his potential is virtually boundless. He has far more potential than any of these other so-called 'elite' talents, despite being twenty-five years old."
She heaved a deep breath as she considered his words.
Indeed, Cæ had great potential.
Despite being well past many would consider the prime age of growth, he brimmed with the bottomless potential of an infant. His rate of growth was stunning, and he didn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
"…I might be willing to consider it, but only after extensive testing and probing into his true opinions and feelings," she remarked. "I am a diviner, so I can personally work on the matter. However, not any time soon. I have yet to get all the investigators and other parties who have been sniffing around this magicademy and inquiring into me regarding the battle with and the death of Master Mordir of the Colohen Mafia."
From inquiries from the Ministry of Magical Affairs to the Mage Association, to law enforcement and investigative agencies, as well as questioning from the board of directors who had hired her.
Not a single person could simply ignore the death of a master mage.
Some even criticized her for killing Master Mordir, and it shockingly wasn't even a fringe position.
And it, to a certain extent, even made sense.
Each master mage was a powerful strategic weapon for a nation. The death of even a single one represented a great loss to a nation, especially to a nation like the Democratic Republic of Elendir, which, while not weak, was not even close to a superpower and had enemies.
She heaved a sigh as she thought about just how many matters she had to attend to.
"I will see what I can do with Cæ after this storm blows over."
"Understandable."
While the two of them spoke, Cæ felt rejuvenated by learning more about magic on the very first day. Having returned to gaining more magic knowledge and continuing his journey into the abyss of magic was truly thrilling.
Magic had become one of his few joys.
Ever since he learned about magic from the old guide to magic that he had gotten from Mr. Selvig, he had gained a love and passion for magic that was quite unlike anything he had ever experienced in his entire life.
"You have studied three fundamental forms of magic thus far," A woman in her mid-thirties smiled. "However, as you might have realized, there are more fundamental forms of magic. Of eidos. In this class, Advanced Fundamental Forms, you will learn about them and how to master them."
In a packed lecture hall, the professor directed a sweeping gaze to the many students of the Senior Program seated in every available seat. They grew engrossed in her words, placing great importance and weight on everything that she said.
"The higher fundamental forms are extremely important to all higher-level magic and industries," she informed with a serious tone. "Absence of this skill will make you unemployable in any serious capacity in most industries. Apprentice mages, while very important, cannot aim high in the magic job market. While students of other magicademies would be reasonably satisfied with this achievement, all of you must aim higher in your magic careers. Being stuck at the apprentice rank would be nothing short of a disgrace to this esteemed magicademy and an insult to your talent that many others would kill to have."
Her words, while true, weren't the most pleasant.
The students stiffened as they felt the pressure mounting on them, feeling the weight of expectations of not just the teacher before them, but virtually everybody in their lives. It wasn't fun that a professor felt the need to remind them of this at the very start of the class.
Cæ raised an eyebrow.
He didn't care about not disgracing the magicademy or about the insult to his talent.
He was entirely immune to the weight of expectations that he, of all people, felt from everybody around him. His great performance in the Apprentice Program, his touted combat prowess, and his remarkable leadership skills all gave everybody the impression that he was virtually guaranteed success.
And in truth, he didn't think they were wrong, either.
"The first advanced Fundamental Form that you will be learning is the form of automation," she remarked, as she drew a wand from a thin holster attached to her forearm, under the long red sleeve of a one-piece full gown dress. "Watch carefully."
A magic circle emerged before her as she cast a spell with a graceful wave of her wand.
Immediately, a fish emerged from the wand.
A fish made of conjured water.
One that floated in the air.
The students stirred, murmuring with interest as the fish began swimming midair amidst the students in the lecture hall. It began moving with remarkable autonomy, almost as if it truly was alive on its own.
Several girls began giggling with delight while the boys grinned with amusement as the fish easily and swiftly dodged their attempts to catch it. The air grew silent as the fish appeared before Cæ, swimming right in front of his very eyes, almost as if trying to provoke him to attack it.
CLASP
His hand surged towards it with a blinding speed, grabbing the fish in his hand before any of them could even react.
The students widened their eyes while the professor sharpened hers.
He gazed at the struggling fish in his hands, desperately trying to escape his unyielding grip with his gray eyes, before shifting his gaze to the professor.
"How are you doing that, professor?"
His words directed the attention of the students back to the professor as they grew stunned at the fact that she wasn't even holding her wand.
She wasn't casting magic.
Their attention returned to the struggling magical water fish in Cæ's hand.
"…That was a demonstration of the fundamental form of automation," she revealed with a surprised tone. "By automating the information in the magic and imbuing it with enough magical energy to last a while, I can allow the spell to autonomously function for a limited amount of time. Even though I had automated with a reaction time that should have been enough to avoid any of you touching it."
WHOOSH…
The fish struggling in Cæ's hands faded out of reality.
"Magical automation is the art of imbuing one's will into one's magic along with excess magical energy to allow the spell to function without their conscious intervention," she informed them. "Automation is one of the most important Fundamental Forms in magic. You will have to imbue enough information in your spell to allow it to function without your intervention, and that requires fundamental changes in the eidos that will be quite different from anything you have ever studied and practiced before."
Many students grew curious at her words.
How did one imbue one's will in magic to automate it?
They didn't even understand how such a thing was even possible. After all, magic occurred because of the convergence of form and physicality, something that required conscious intervention from one's mind. Thus, the very concept of automated magic seemed rather strange to the students who had operated within the three fundamental forms introduced to them in the Apprentice Program.
"This is the power that you will learn to harness in my class," the professor informed them with a sagely smile. "Prepare yourselves, for it will not be an easy journey."