episode_0059

Just asking to be taught magic seemed to change the atmosphere of the room itself.

Even Iris’s attitude as she looked at me now.

“I already told you about that from the start. You don’t have even a pinch of talent for magic.”

“But if the headmaster personally guides me, wouldn’t there still be some improvement?”

She sighed deeply at my words and stared at me intently for a moment.

Contrary to her overall fresh image, the alien red eyes among them shone even brighter. Perhaps it was due to her mood.

Observing me for a longer time than when we first met, Iris seemed to come to a conclusion and spoke up.

“Regardless of my recent behavior, I don’t want to teach you magic.”

“May I ask for the reason? Even if you receive instruction from a Grand Magus who is considered one of the best in the entire Armenian Empire, I don’t think there would be no improvement at all.”

“It’s a waste of time. Instead of teaching you, I could randomly pick any other magic department student with closed eyes and they would likely show more progress.”

Casually getting up from her seat, Iris grabbed my arm and pointed out.

“You are someone whose talent makes it doubtful if you can barely reach an average level with more effort than others. If I look at your body, there are hardly any traces of effort to manifest magic. Do you think there is a reason for me to help a student who doesn’t even make an effort?”

‘Can everything be so obvious at a glance?’

It seemed like a waste to tarnish my innate ability, “Geomseong,” so I mainly trained in swordsmanship and aura manipulation, occasionally making efforts to handle magic in spare time.

In Sungyoa, there was no problem with just learning and using magic, so I didn’t realize it would become an issue in reality.

I thought magical abilities could be easily acquired through appropriate repetition if you had mana, but it turned out that complex calculations and precise mana control were required for magic manifestation.

“If you keep insisting on this, I can consider it. However, if becoming stronger through magic is part of what I mentioned before about wanting to protect everyone, think about whether you need to be the target.”

It’s a dilemma.

There is nothing in Iris’s words that I can directly refute.

‘I partly agree with those words myself.’

However, it’s not too late to decide after proceeding with Main Scenario #2 and gathering additional information.

Until then, I want to keep as many possibilities open and try.

Since I have never chosen to learn magic like Yukal before, perhaps this could be one of the paths I should take.

As this could take a considerable amount of time or even be impossible, I should start as early as possible.

Seemingly sensing the conclusion I had reached internally, Iris sighed.

“It seems your desire to learn magic yourself, Yukal, remains unchanged.”

Releasing my arm, she raised a hand as if to show me, lightly releasing a few mana orbs.

“You’ve already taken classes on mana emission, right? Try it like me.”

‘Think of slowly releasing mana outside your body.’

I tried with all my might to release mana for a long time while holding onto my arm, but I couldn’t… do it.

Looking at me, Iris, seemingly unsurprised by the expected result, instructed me without much enthusiasm.

“I’m trying to create a concrete structure similar to mana emission using aura this time.”

Every day, as I trained my aura, the transition from mana to aura was quick, and in just a few seconds, a blue aura sphere floated in my hand.

“Don’t you find it strange? You go through an additional process, yet you don’t feel awkward about it at all. On the other hand, you struggle with manifesting mana directly and externally.”

Listening to Iris’s words, it did indeed seem strange.

Handling mana itself is the same, so why isn’t it working?

While mastering magic is another matter, shouldn’t emitting mana be a success in itself?

“The essence of knights and mages handling mana is almost indistinguishable. That’s why among the renowned figures in history, there are many who excelled in both areas from a young age.”

Iris swiftly took control of the aura I created and continued speaking as she examined it.

“But there aren’t many aura users. What do you think the reason might be?”

“Because it’s not very efficient, right?”

“Exactly. Ultimately, to withstand the strain on the body, like knights, one must refine their mana as close to their own body as possible, which puts pure mages at a disadvantage in absolute mana quantity. Moreover, reaching the top in any field is not easy, and with mediocre talent, you won’t excel in either.”

Come to think of it, there wasn’t a single aura user character in Sungyong-ah.

Many fantasy enthusiasts dream of a spellblade who wields both sword and magic simultaneously, so numerous players tried to fulfill hidden conditions to learn both but all failed.

Could this be related to what Iris said?

It bothers me that emitting only mana doesn’t work.

“Your case is somewhat different, but for now, don’t worry about it. Since you seem to have aptitude in fire magic, focusing on that area for training would be beneficial.”

Having an affinity for fire magic is probably… because I’ve been hit a lot by flame traps while looting stat stones and suffered significant injuries while subduing those who harassed Claire.

Although now integrated into magical resistance, I had acquired fire resistance characteristics as well.

Or maybe I possess some affinity related to fire due to having an arson skill.

“After all, you’re not learning magic to wield a sword. You seem more inclined towards using it as a sudden move to create openings or as a supportive means.”

“She can even speculate up to that point; Iris is truly remarkable.”

“For now, I am also considering that direction.”

“For now, keep practicing solely emitting pure mana externally. If you fail at that, I won’t be able to teach you magic.”

It’s somewhat obvious that emitting mana outwardly is necessary to trigger phenomena based on it, but whether I will succeed remains uncertain.

As Iris pondered slightly, it seemed like something came to her mind, prompting her to add further.

“If you fail to handle pure mana to the end, it might be better to try utilizing aura instead. While you may not be able to implement magic with aura, if you simply seek destructive power, you can apply it as much as you want. It seems like I won’t be able to guide you in that area since it’s not my expertise.”

“I’m already utilizing aura. Are you referring to aura armor or aura blade?”

This is enough for me to train alone and I am confident that I can surpass the level of professors without needing such a long time.

They are known to not have any separate derived skills even if they raise their skill levels.

Iris nodded at my words.

“No, it’s not just that level. What I’m talking about is the inheritance of the legacy that those who tried to surpass magic with a sword in the past attempted. They tried to unleash a power similar to magic not simply by wielding it on their bodies or swords.”

Isn’t this excessively inefficient behavior?

I can expel Ora from my body outward, but I doubt if I can generate that much power.

“Beyond that, succeeding in creating Ora from the air without passing through the body.”

“That’s impossible. The process of accumulating mana involves embodying it in the body, so how could one do such a thing…”

“Well, I don’t know that well either. Unfortunately, it seems difficult to get much help within the Ardent Academy.”

My head becomes complicated again at Iris’s words.

“If someone has succeeded in that, could it be possible with Yukal’s talent?”

If what she said is achievable, maybe that should be the goal.

Creating Ora in the air ultimately allows knights who have no other way of attacking besides close combat or expelling Ora to perform zero-range attacks.

If the number increases, it’s no different from handling multiple Ora Blades.

It would provide pressure similar to facing several knights at once.

Just thinking about the methods that come to mind immediately is this level, but its value and utility are endless.

“Let’s stop the lesson here today. Yukal, you seem to have a lot on your mind and need time to organize yourself. It would be good to succeed in mana emission next week if possible.”

With Iris’s words to end the education here, the steps out were unusually heavy.