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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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He’d given much thought to how to conduct the orientation.
He’d finally decided to start by emphasizing the dangers of savages.
“How much do you know about savages?”
Whether due to the prolonged war or its location outside the Empire’s borders, the reason wasn’t clear, but most citizens, excluding those near the border, were ignorant about savages.
They didn’t consider them a threat to their lives.
“Tell me anything you know about them. Correct answers will earn extra credit.”
The mention of extra credit prompted the students to offer their knowledge.
“They’re a coalition of various heteromorphic races.”
“Correct.”
“I heard they have a high birth rate, so they’re endless, even if you keep killing them.”
“It varies by race, but I’ll consider that correct.”
“They lack a unified language, so despite being a coalition, they don’t communicate and act individually by race.”
“Incorrect.”
The student who gave the first wrong answer faltered.
“The savages completed their own common language exactly fifteen years ago… two years before the war broke out.
Therefore, there’s no problem with their communication, and that’s why multiple races participate in battles together.”
He pointed out the contradiction in the student’s information.
“If they didn’t have a unified language, how could they form a coalition in the first place?”
The blond student blushed, seemingly embarrassed.
And rightly so. It was a bit much not to know such basic information about an enemy they had been fighting for so long. However, this was the average level of awareness among the Empire’s citizens, who hadn’t truly grasped the threat.
“Anything else?”
“……”
Silence fell over the classroom. He wanted to applaud them for at least knowing something. Some people thought savages were like goblins or orcs.
“So, two of you will receive extra credit. Well, that’s fine. You’re here to learn, after all…”
“I have a question.”
A red-haired student raised her hand, interrupting him. Amy Helios, whose name was prominently displayed on the VIP list.
“Yes?”
“The name of this class is ‘Survival Techniques Against Savages’.”
“That’s correct.”
Amy asked, with a genuinely perplexed expression.
“Are we likely to encounter situations so dire that we’d have to fight for ‘survival’ against savages?”
It was a novel question, but he maintained his smile.
“Hmm, why do you think that?”
“I understand the Empire’s Magical Legion is incredibly powerful. Are there situations where savages can penetrate their magic and approach…?”
“Is a mage’s magical power infinite?”
He’d tried to listen patiently, but he couldn’t resist rebutting. His question made Amy’s eyes flicker with surprise.
He continued.
“Magical power can be replenished with mana potions. Using magic stones allows one to cast magic without consuming magical power. I know this much, having some knowledge of magic. So, now we have infinite magical power.”
“Then, is a mage’s mental strength infinite?”
Two things were required to cast magic: magical power, the energy to activate the spell, and mental strength, the means to control it.
Even with sufficient magical power, if mental strength was lacking, the magic would either fail to activate or run rampant, consuming the mage.
“Unlike savages, humans are physically frail. While we burn our lifespans staying awake for three days and nights, they can endure a week without blinking an eye.”
Infinite magical power might be possible, but infinite mental strength was not. Because mages were human.
“Did you ask if there are situations where we’d have to fight for ‘survival’ against savages?”
The image of a mage collapsing, coughing up blood, flashed vividly in his mind. He had much more to say, but he stopped, fearing his PTSD would flare up.
“Yes. There are. There were… many.”
A sliver of his emotions leaked out. A chill swept through the classroom.
“If you plan to spend your entire lives within the academy, or within the capital, you don’t need to take my class.”
Both locations shared one thing in common: they were the safest places in the Empire.
“If enemies can set foot in these two places, then… that would be the moment the Empire falls.”
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The Empire, falling.
The Sirius Empire, the sole empire on this vast continent.
A nation no one could, or dared to, challenge, falling.
Had those words truly come from a professor’s mouth?
It was a dangerous statement, one that could ruin a family.
However, Professor Allen’s aura, his background, the strange energy that had just swept through the classroom, silenced the students.
Amy, who knew through Eil that Allen was a war veteran, guessed his words were true.
“If the Magical Legion alone could repel the savages, the war wouldn’t have dragged on for so long.”
Allen was right.
Amy, brilliant enough to rank first in Minerva, knew this.
Yet, she felt a surge of something within her. It was the ‘pride’ deeply rooted in her heart.
“Isn’t that because others are incompetent?”
“Incompetent… you say.”
Allen’s smile deepened.
“A swordsman kills one person with a single swing, but a mage can kill several with a single spell. A skilled mage’s magic can turn the tide of battle. Isn’t it the incompetence of the commanders that prolonged the war against savages, despite having such asymmetrical power?”
The Helios Dukedom.
Inheriting the lineage of fire magic, they had produced generations of archmages.
Their ancestor, Helios, was said to have driven out the heteromorphic races with magic akin to the sun, contributing greatly to the founding of the human nation, the Sirius Empire.
Perhaps that was why the Helios family was excessively obsessed with the omnipotence of magic. Some even looked down on those who weren’t mages.
“If all troops were mages, or if even the power of the magic towers were deployed, the war would have ended in less than a year. The savages would have been annihilated long ago.”
Deep within Amy’s emerald eyes, a profound pride flickered like a flame.
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Amy’s disrespectful tone brought back a familiar memory.
‘Eil was also quite obnoxious at first.’
Eil, dispatched from the Magical Legion, had initially looked down on other soldiers.
He’d kept his distance, following only the commander’s orders and barely speaking to other soldiers.
His attitude had changed drastically after a certain battle.
“Amy Helios, the only daughter of the Helios Dukedom. Is that correct?”
He pushed the lectern aside and asked.
“Yes.”
“I know someone who’s quite familiar with the Dukedom. He said you possess the greatest talent in your family.”
Was he referring to Eil?
Amy briefly thought of her brother and nodded confidently.
However, it didn’t take long for her proud expression to crumble.
“I’m curious about the magic he praised so highly. Why don’t you show me?”
“…Excuse me?”
He pressed on, looking at the bewildered Amy.
“Your precious magic. Cast it. At me.”
“……”
Silence descended upon the classroom once more. Did she not understand what he meant?
“Are my words that difficult to comprehend? I guess having magical talent doesn’t equate to high comprehension.”
“…Are you trying to die?”
Whether she finally understood, or whether she was offended by his informal speech, Amy glared at him with venomous eyes. He tilted his head and chuckled.
“If you can even inflict a minor burn, you don’t have to take my class. I’ll give you the highest possible grade, even if you don’t attend. So, stop talking and just cast it.”
From observing Eil, he’d learned that stubborn mages needed a dose of reality. And he’d learned one more thing.
“You’ll regret this.”
“Are you always this long-winded? Is this all the Helios family amounts to? If you don’t have the confidence to hit a stationary target with magic…”
Sometimes, words weren’t needed to convey a deeper meaning. Like the way he sneered, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“…You asked for it.”
Crimson flames erupted from Amy’s fingertips as she bit her lip.
“Amy, that’s…!”
Ariana’s horrified expression hinted at the spell’s power. Feeling the heat approaching, he calmly activated his Divine Power.
“Green Blood Skin, Simile.”
His arm instantly turned green. Just as he raised it, the wave of flames engulfed him.
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“Are you crazy?! How could you use advanced magic on a professor?!”
Ariana grabbed Amy by the collar and yelled. Amy roughly shook her off and straightened her clothes.
“I controlled the power. At worst, he’ll have some burns. He’ll recover quickly with treatment.”
“Are you serious? Do you want to get expelled?”
“Shut up. He brought this upon himself. At worst, I’ll get detention.”
Judging by Eil’s words, Allen seemed to be a high-ranking soldier, but that didn’t mean he could compare to a ducal family. Moreover, since he had provoked her first, she could reasonably expect leniency.
“If it’s really a problem, Sena can heal him.”
As a Saintess, Sena possessed the strongest healing abilities in Minerva. It was jokingly said that she could bring anyone back as long as they were still breathing.
“Huh? Uh… well, I can do that, but…”
Sena, who had been watching the scene unfold in a daze, muttered nervously. Ariana thumped her chest in frustration.
“Regardless of the professor’s condition, the fact that you attacked him is the problem!”
She then shook her head and muttered.
“Ha… Amy’s reign as number one is over.”
“That’s…”
Just then, a calm voice spoke.
“It’s fine. As long as you keep quiet, no one will know.”
The heads of the conversing girls snapped towards the voice.
“There aren’t any monitoring spells here, so how would anyone know? No one will find out.”
The wave of flames that had engulfed the lectern suddenly converged into a single point. In the blink of an eye, Amy’s magic rested in Allen’s palm, resembling a miniature sun.
“I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble either, so…”
As Allen closed his hand, the miniature sun vanished. Despite being hit by advanced magic with his bare hand, his body was unmarked. Even his clothes remained pristine.
“…!”
While everyone stared in silent shock, Allen simply smiled.
“Let’s all keep quiet, shall we?”
The students began to fear Allen’s smile.
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“Anyway, putting that aside… do you understand now, Amy Helios?”
Some savage races were immune to magic. A prime example was the Azure Forest Giants. These behemoths, two to three times the size of an average human male, were impervious to most magic.
“There are savages immune to magic. Without magic, a mage is no different from an ordinary person.”
He decided a brief explanation was necessary. He channeled his magical power and waved his arm. A translucent screen appeared in mid-air.
“Image magic…?”
He showed the students his memories.
The Azure Forest Giants, massive monsters with green skin. Eil, surrounded and attacked by them.
Himself, desperately firing sword beams to save Eil.
Even though he was the one casting the spell, the scene was so vivid it triggered his own trauma. He glanced at Amy, who was staring with her mouth agape.
She must have been shocked, having her magic so easily neutralized after casting it with such malice. But wasn’t it a good thing?
At least she wouldn’t have to fear for her life. Eil would have certainly died if he hadn’t intervened.
“There are savages that mages should face, and savages that swordsmen should face. What happens if you don’t understand these matchups and act accordingly?”
He made a throat-slitting gesture with his thumb, making Amy flinch.
“I’ll teach you everything about savages. Their habits, weaknesses, how to deal with them… I’ll drill it into you until your body reacts instinctively, not your mind.”
He chuckled, remembering his days training clueless recruits. He pointed at the classroom door.
“If you still think you don’t need my class after all this, leave now.”
No one moved.
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