NOVPUBHonestly, when Chris first suggested the wager over Aidan and Jeban’s duel...
I didn’t show it outwardly, but I was pleased.
This was a bet I had no choice but to win.
It’s not that Jeban lacked skill. He, too, was a student walking the path of magic at Seorn. His talents and abilities were surely adequate.
Especially students from wealthy merchant families or noble lineages—they receive rigorous early education from a young age, so it’s only natural they start far ahead of commoner students by the beginning of the semester.
It had only been two weeks since the new academic year began.
Still far too early for most commoners to catch up to their noble peers.
But that’s fine.
Because Aidan isn’t like the average student.
There’s a reason I jokingly refer to him as the “shonen manga protagonist.”
Professor Chris Bennimore doesn’t seem to realize that.
If he’s in charge of first-year manifestation classes, he must’ve at least skimmed through the student rosters to identify those with unusual potential.
And yet, he’d paid no attention to Aidan.
From that, I could deduce one clear thing:
Chris Bennimore didn’t even glance at the commoner student lists.
He probably only bothered to memorize the names of the noble families he needed to keep track of.
It’s unprofessional as a teacher—but I get it.
He was born a noble, raised a noble, and will continue to live as one.
For someone like that, being asked to mentally store information about people from a completely different world—commoners—would be distasteful.
So not giving them any attention at all? That’s actually a smart move.
Accuse him of classism, of discrimination? I don’t intend to.
This is simply the kind of world we live in.
But I bet he never imagined that’d come back to bite him.
Aidan got into Seorn not through conventional magical knowledge but solely thanks to his [unique] type of magic.
A sort of entrance privilege, if you will. But that doesn’t mean Aidan is unworthy.
On the contrary, the Headmaster wants more students with rare and unusual magics to gather here.
Even if Chris realizes what kind of magic Aidan uses now, it’s already too late.
The wager is already official. Claiming ignorance to nullify it would only expose his own failure to do proper research.
Even if he uncovers Aidan’s potential, Chris won’t be able to back out of this bet.
But seriously... what the hell is this kid talking about? 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
He wants to win with his own strength?
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what nonsense Aidan was spouting.
Only belatedly did I realize just how idealistic and stubborn this kid really was.
He’d even tried to save the werewolf that attacked him.
So of course he’d say something like this.
I considered telling him to get his head on straight—but then I hesitated.
Maybe... this is a good opportunity to test him.
Just how capable is Aidan, really?
Sure, he could lean on that [unique] type magic and win with it—but isn’t that a bit too one-dimensional?
If he truly has the will and the talent to learn something new, maybe this is the time to find out.
Elemental manifestation is too basic. I couldn’t use that alone to gauge his full potential.
In that case...
I’ll need to teach him something more definitive.
I glanced down at Aidan.
He flinched when he noticed my gaze.
“Aidan.”
“Y-Yes?”
“If you truly want this, fine. For the next three days, I’ll teach you how to prepare for the duel.”
“R-Really? But that’s...”
“The dice have already been cast. Chris will surely give Jeban some advice and help him sharpen his basics. This isn’t just a duel between you and Jeban—it’s about pride. Between myself and Professor Chris. As teachers. As magicians.”
“Then... does that mean you’ll teach me your magic?”
I shook my head. Passing down magic itself isn’t something that can be done so easily.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘sure-win’ spell I can hand you. And besides, three days is far too short to learn something new from scratch.”
If it were something as simple as elemental manifestation, maybe. But there’s no point reviewing that again now.
“Still... that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to teach you.”
A duel between magicians is not purely about magic.
The speed of your spellcasting?
The amount of mana?
The precision of your spell?
No.
That’s not enough.
The idea that magicians fight with magic alone is a shallow misconception.
“Aidan. I’m going to teach you how to fight against a magician.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. But we only have three days. The most I can give you is the bare minimum. It’ll be hard—possibly even too hard. You might fail. Will you still do it?”
“Yes! I’ll do it!”
Aidan’s voice rang out, loud and resolute.
Good. That’s the spirit.
Of course, even if he refused, I wasn’t planning to let him off the hook.
“In that case, we’re starting today.”
“W-Wait—right now?”
His dumbfounded face made it obvious he hadn’t expected to begin immediately.
I nodded, then glanced at the two figures lingering a short distance away.
“You two as well.”
“Huh?”
“U-Us too?”
Leo and Taishy. They froze when I called them, but didn’t refuse.
Naturally. Aidan wasn’t the only one getting stronger, and it looked like the three of them would be sticking together for the foreseeable future.
If I’m going to invest in someone, I might as well train the whole trio.
Three days left.
Chris and Jeban are already guzzling down imaginary victory wine.
I don’t plan on spoiling their toast.
Let them drink up all they want in their little daydreams.
But after seeing what happens in three days... let’s see if they can still savor it.
Honestly?
I’m starting to look forward to it.
* * *
“Ughhh... I’m dying...”
Night had fallen, and the dorms were dark.
Aidan collapsed into bed, his body limp with exhaustion.
He’d prided himself on never skipping training since arriving at Seorn—but Ludger’s regimen had gone far beyond what he imagined.
Maybe it was because he used to be a soldier?
Groaning, Aidan rubbed his aching muscles, recalling how Ludger had also worked Leo and Taishy into the ground right beside him.
“I didn’t think training would be this physical...”
What Ludger had taught them wasn’t spellcasting or formula construction—it was literally how to move their bodies.
Well, technically he had used his head too... since it involved both physical and mental coordination.
Aidan couldn’t even count how many times he’d rolled across the training field floor.
And to think there were still two more days of this...
Still, I can feel I’m improving.
Even if his body was sore, Aidan had no complaints.
His instincts told him this was helping.
But... why does Professor Ludger believe in me?
Did he not think Aidan would lose to Jeban?
Then... why?
Was it because of my magic?
That seemed plausible. Teachers did have access to student records.
But even so, Aidan didn’t think that alone would be enough for Ludger to put his faith in him.
Ludger had never even seen him use his [unique] magic before.
And the spell had been taught to him personally by his master—it wasn’t something one could understand just by hearing its name.
Could it be that Professor Ludger knows something about my master...?
The thought crossed Aidan’s mind as he slowly closed his eyes.
He was too exhausted to even change clothes. Sleep claimed him immediately.
* * *
Two days later.
Aidan was sprinting across the outdoor training field, breath ragged.
“Huff... Huff...”
Waiting in his path was Ludger, hands clasped behind his back.
When Aidan spotted him, he pushed himself harder, closing the distance.
Ludger extended his right hand.
In that instant, a glowing white orb of mana shot toward Aidan.
“Kh!”
Gritting his teeth, Aidan twisted his body to dodge—and just as he began to channel his own mana...
Thud.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“Ugh?!”
Aidan’s legs tangled, and he tumbled to the ground.
He managed to dodge the spell, but still had to roll several times across the dirt.
Ludger calmly approached him.
“Mana circulation is one thing. Moving your body is another. Don’t try to overlap them. Recognize them as separate processes.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Covered in dirt, Aidan sprang back to his feet.
“You failed again. Add another lap. Go.”
“Yes, sir!”
Without hesitation, Aidan resumed his sprint around the training field.
Leo and Taishy, sitting on the bench and trying to catch their breath, looked at Aidan like they were staring at some kind of monster.
“Unbelievable. I’m already so tired I can’t even move, but look at him—he’s still going.”
Taishy genuinely marveled at Aidan’s endless stamina.
She had trained her body fairly well before coming to Seorn, but she couldn’t hold a candle to Aidan.
She’d tried to keep up, clenching her teeth and pushing herself, but in the end, she had to admit defeat.
“He’s just that determined.”
Leo, being smaller in stature and with less ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ stamina than Taishy, had been the first to take a break.
But his eyes were sharper.
To Taishy, Aidan might have looked tireless—but Leo could see it clearly.
Aidan was at his physical limit.
And yet he kept running—driven by nothing but the will not to lose the upcoming public duel.
“Hmph.”
Taishy didn’t fully grasp Leo’s words, and simply continued watching Aidan with a dazed look.
This was the same boy she’d treated so terribly, who had never once complained.
In fact, he’d smiled at her, invited her to eat together, even called her a friend and reached out first.
Now she couldn’t take her eyes off him as he trained with everything he had. Even covered in sweat and dirt, there was something about him that looked... kind of cool.
Was she going too far, thinking that?
Before they knew it, Aidan had completed another lap and was charging straight at Ludger again.
Ludger raised his hand.
He’s coming.
Both Leo and Taishy tensed at once.
Sweat formed on their clenched fists.
Aidan, gasping and close to collapse, was met with another spell from Ludger.
It was a basic manifestation spell: [Glowing Stone].
It would hurt if it hit—but it was one Ludger was going easy with. As long as Aidan stayed focused, dodging it shouldn’t be a problem.
But...
Dodging while running was a different story altogether.
Yet—
Aidan twisted his body mid-run and slipped past the incoming magic. The moment Taishy saw it, she jumped up from her seat without thinking.
“He dodged it!”
“Not yet. What matters is what comes next.”
Leo was right.
Dodging wasn’t the end—he had to retaliate.
Aidan immediately began channeling mana, not stopping his run for a second. While in motion, he activated the spell formula.
To move the body while simultaneously invoking magic—a split-function technique that required using body and mind separately.
It might seem simple on the surface, but to someone who hadn’t yet mastered magic, it was one of the most difficult feats imaginable.
More difficult than drawing a square with one hand and a triangle with the other.
Split cognition.
He had to move and manifest magic independently.
Aidan, you can do this.
Leo clenched his fists.
To manifest magic, a mage had to concentrate intensely. That was why inscribing and memorizing formulas was so important.
Most mages stayed still while casting.
Which meant they were always vulnerable during spellcasting.
To compensate, they would usually raise barriers or shorten their formulas to minimize risk.
But some had chosen an entirely different path.
If staying still made you vulnerable, then just don’t stay still.
Some mages began training their bodies to the limit, using magic on the move.
Not scholars. Not researchers. But wanderers and adventurers who fought the unknown through action.
Combat Mages (War Mages).
What Ludger was teaching Aidan was the most fundamental of combat mage techniques:
[Moving-Magus].
“Nggh!”
Aidan took a deep breath, drawing up his mana.
His legs didn’t stop. He had no time to catch his breath.
No words were necessary. Only willpower mattered now.
As he ran, he invoked his mana separately.
And then—above his outstretched hand—a spell began to form.
Leo and Taishy, watching from afar, opened their eyes wide in shock.
Aidan released the spell.
A basic first-circle manifestation spell.
[Glowing Stone]—the same one Ludger had fired at him.
Weaker than Ludger’s. Dimmer. Less refined.
But without a doubt, it was properly cast—and it flew toward Ludger.
Thunk!
With ease, Ludger raised his gloved right hand and caught the glowing stone.
Leo and Taishy involuntarily cried out, “Ah!” in disappointment.
They really thought he’d land a hit.
“Huff... huff...”
Panting, Aidan staggered to a stop before Ludger, trying to steady his breathing.
“Aidan.”
“Huff... huff... Yes, Professor?”
“You pass.”
Thud.
Before Ludger had even finished his sentence, Aidan collapsed flat onto his back.
With a satisfied smile of accomplishment.
“The duel is tomorrow. Get some proper rest tonight.”
“Huff... huff...”
Aidan didn’t even have the strength left to reply.
Ludger gave a faint chuckle as he turned away.
“You can do it.”
But Aidan was too exhausted to hear him.
