The moment the magic struck the dummy, a massive explosion tore through the training ground.
The shockwave hit like a wall. Students threw their arms up to shield their eyes as violent wind swept outward in every direction. When the dust settled, what remained was a crater where the dummy had stood, a hole blown clean through the wall behind it, and scorch marks pressed into the earth itself.
Ard slowly lowered his hand and dispersed the dark crimson aura surrounding him. His expression did not change as he looked at the destruction.
'My salary'
He was thinking about the repair costs.
The students, meanwhile, could not find words. Some stood frozen, faces blank. Some smiled in a way that had nothing to do with happiness. Others had gone pale, pupils shrunk to points. Every reaction was different, yet they all shared one thing.
Cold sweat.
They were terrified. They were amazed. And beneath both of those feelings, quieter and more unsettling, was a third one they had not expected.
'Is this what we are going to learn?'
"As you can see, this is magic without mana."
"Wah, that was incredible, Professor Ard."
Elisha appeared from directly behind him.
Ard lurched backward in surprise, completely destroying the composed atmosphere he had just created.
"He, Headmaster! Do not suddenly appear behind me like that!"
"Fufufu. This is fun."
Elisha glanced toward the ruined wall and smiled softly.
"It is only your first day teaching, yet you have already destroyed part of the academy. Honestly... I am not sure this month's salary will be making its way into your pocket~"
"Wha..."
Ard stood there with his mouth slightly open. Something inside him had visibly cracked.
"Hahaha! I am joking, joking! There is no way I would do something that cruel to my little Ard!"
She hugged him. Tightly. His face went directly into her chest and stayed there while he struggled to breathe and she only held on harder.
'This feels like being constricted by a snake.'
"Le-let go of me..."
Eventually she released him, still smiling. Ard straightened up and fixed his collar, expression returning to neutral within a few seconds.
'She is absolutely enjoying this.'
"Ahem. As you all witnessed, this is magic without mana. The effects differ greatly from standard mana-based magic. Why? Because—"
"Magic without mana is far purer, and it carries characteristics that are difficult to understand. It requires deep comprehension of the world itself. In exchange, it has no upper limit."
Elisha had finished his sentence for him.
"Correct." Ard continued without missing a beat. "Mana itself is an artificial system. Long ago, living beings could not use resonance stably."
To simplify it, a Great Mage had created the concept of mana as a form of energy. Mana acted as fuel, making magic easier to use and significantly more stable.
"This also allowed ordinary people to use magic. The drawback, however, is obvious. Magic becomes limited by however much mana a person possesses."
While he explained, Elisha had taken to touching his cheek, then his ear, then the end of his ponytail, as though she were simply passing the time. Ard was clearly irritated by it, but he ignored her. He was teaching.
"Any questions?"
Silence.
Perhaps the students were still processing what he had said. Or perhaps they were more focused on why the Headmaster kept attaching herself to him. At the moment, she had both arms around one of his again.
'What exactly is she doing.'
He tried pulling free. As expected, it did not work.
Then Claire raised her hand.
"What about dark magic and holy magic? The Great Mage you mentioned would be Great Mage Vali, who reached the transcendent realm. He was human, correct?"
"Wow, that is a very good question~" Elisha said.
Ard thought for a moment.
"Think of the Great Mage as the inventor of mana itself. Ah, let us use firewood as an example. Firewood can be used for many things. Cooking, for instance. With it, you can create a proper meal."
Claire frowned slightly.
"I still do not understand. What does firewood have to do with magic?"
Ard paused, searching for a clearer angle.
"Simply put, the Great Mage only created the concept of mana. Dark magic and holy magic came later, developed by different people, but all of them built on what the Great Mage originally made. Holy magic and dark magic do not represent good mana or evil mana. Everything depends on who is using it and how."
Silence again, but a different kind. Attentive.
"Remember this well. Do not judge someone by the magic they use. You have no right to assume that a dark magic user is evil or that a holy magic user is righteous. Dark magic is commonly associated with demons, and holy magic with churches and divine blessings. But that association does not define good and evil. Understand?"
"Understood!"
"Did that answer your question, Claire?"
"Yes. Thank you."
'She seems calmer now.'
"Alright. That is enough for today. Go rest. And I mean actually rest."
The students began dispersing, already chatting as they left, making plans, voices lighter than they had been when the day started.
"You are actually quite good at teaching, Professor Ard."
'Well. In my previous life, guiding and teaching people was essentially my entire purpose'
"It is nothing special. More importantly, there is someone who wants to meet you."
"Who? Could you not simply have sent someone to call me?"
"Hmm. Perhaps I simply wanted to see you."
Elisha smiled. Still holding his arm.
Ard shivered slightly at that smile.
"Alright. Let us go meet them."
"No need. I am already here."
A woman's voice. One Ard recognized immediately.
He turned toward it, and the cold sweat arrived before the thought did. His face went pale. His expression stayed flat, but every other sign was there.
If Elisha had not been holding his arm, he would have already been gone. Running or flying, he had not decided which, but either would have worked.
'Why does she always grab my arm like this. What kind of physical strength does a woman even need to make this difficult'
* * *