Chapter 201 - Learning About Forbidden Spells

Nathan Evenhart:

Three days had passed since studying in the library, and I was nearly fully recovered. Finally, I’d rid myself of the bandages around my arms and could move normally again. The only lingering discomfort was a slight pain when swallowing, but with the ongoing healing potion treatment, that should disappear today or tomorrow. The potion is extremely expensive and accessible to only a few due to political restrictions.

Thankfully, my family is nobility.

In my lap, a cat was sleeping, occasionally snoring.

I was in a classroom, but this time, our group was divided again, with other students attending a different class.

"What’s this class about? It’s a new time slot we didn’t have before," Chloe asked.

"Unfortunately, it looks like theory..." I replied.

The only theory class that really interested me was Professor Sinclair’s, which covered the Human Empire, but her lessons were sporadic. We’d had only one of her classes so far, and there was no set schedule for the next. Besides being a teacher, she served as a military consultant and historian. She was important in all three realms, despite certain restrictions. I’d heard that she often attended military meetings about the border.

"Good afternoon!" The voice snapped my attention back to the class.

An elderly woman entered the room. She was an aged elf and seemed to be our new teacher.

"My name is Obana, and today I’ll be giving a theory class on spells and enchantments." The teacher raised her hand, and leaves began to fall like a gentle rain.

A plant-element mage.

The only mage of this element I’ve had contact with is my mother, so the prospect of meeting another plant mage, especially one who’s to be my teacher, is intriguing. Plant magic has always fascinated me—the way it shapes and manipulates the essence of nature itself, controlling life around it with a gentle or devastating touch.

Then there’s Syvis, of course, but asking a princess to demonstrate her abilities just because I find them interesting would be somewhat improper. She’s always been generous in sharing what she knows, yet I can’t take advantage of her position to satisfy my curiosity.

My mother also kept her plant element a closely guarded secret; it was something few outside the family knew. Since retiring from military life, she left her former fame and the weight of her title behind. I heard that, in her service days, she was a soldier feared by many. Her mastery of plant magic was rare among humans—a skill that earned her the moniker “Head Cutter.” Therefore, I can’t go around revealing that I’m the son of this famous soldier or that my mother wields the plant element.

The leaves hovered in the air and drifted toward the students.

"Please touch them lightly with your fingertips, but be careful not to hurt yourselves," the teacher directed.

The students began touching the leaves. Chloe and I brushed our fingers across a leaf floating in the air, and I was taken aback.

Sharp... this leaf feels like a blade.

Other students tested it as well, slicing through feathers with ease.

The elf snapped her fingers, and the leaves gathered, forming five birds of leaves that flew around the room.

"I am both a Summoner and an Emitter. What you’ve just seen is a deadly spell known as 'Green Blade Ravens.' It’s a forbidden spell."

"Wow!" a student exclaimed, and others began whispering as the ravens disappeared when the teacher dispelled them.

"In today’s lesson, I will discuss types of spells and the reasoning behind forbidden spells. How many of you can cast a spell at this level?"

Chloe and I raised our hands.

My family is one of mage assassins... so knowing spells of this caliber is the bare minimum requirement.

"So, only two students know spells of this level. I presume they are the high nobility," observed the professor.

"We are," confirmed my cousin.

The rest of my group was in another class, but I was certain they also knew how to cast forbidden spells. Chloe and I couldn’t lie about it—it’s obligatory knowledge due to our positions in nobility.

“Forbidden spells are primarily used by Combat Mages and Shooter Mages. These spells are purely lethal and aren’t taught to just anyone. The kingdoms strictly regulate what is taught within their armies, and these spells are restricted to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands. Generally, only families of high nobility freely have such spells in their arsenal, passing them down to their children,” the teacher explained.

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There was also spell trafficking on the black market. Some spells were sold illegally, and acquiring them often involved using magical runes. These runes, sealed within books or scrolls, allowed mages to store their mana alongside the spell’s formula, enabling the knowledge to be transferred to other mages who studied the rune.

Forbidden spells that had become somewhat common could be found on the black market, but the rarest ones remained restricted to noble families, especially high nobility. There were cases where nobles purchased spells from the black market to expand their family’s magical arsenal. Some families were renowned for possessing secret spell knowledge unique to them due to their own inventions. The magical market was vast, encompassing everything from spell purchases to magical equipment, mostly accessible only to mages.

Professor Obana walked over to a book on the table and touched a specific page. She then approached the chalkboard, tapping it, which caused the board to display the page from the book. The page showed illustrations of two mages: one with a cheerful expression and the other with a villainous look.

“These spells aren’t taught to just anyone because their sole purpose is death.”

I had learned a few forbidden spells from my family over the years, in addition to the intensive lessons from Professor Adrihna, who trained me in military magic. She’d truly gone a bit overboard in what she taught my cousin and me, introducing techniques many would consider dangerous.

There are various types of mages, but it all boils down to the distinction between a common mage and a military mage. Common mages tend to focus on utility or academic magic, while military mages specialize in combat spells and magical tactics for warfare. As the daughter of a duke, Adrihna had an advanced understanding of magic, refined by her noble upbringing and the expectations that came with it. Her Special Eye, a rare gift allowing her to see beyond the ordinary, further enhanced her skills, making her teachings all the more valuable.

Though I had trained in spells across various elements, I hadn’t received specific training for my primary element—thunder. Thus, I created most of my thunder spells myself and even developed a few exclusive spells by combining different elements.

My most powerful spell combined the primary elements of nature, but I could only test it once, and I nearly died in the process. My aunt classified that spell as extremely dangerous and forbade me from using it again due to the risk it posed to both me and those around me—I couldn’t even control its aftermath.

That spell consumed all my mana instantly, leaving me on the verge of death. It’s been two years since I last used it, and I’m eager to test it again with my current control and mana reserves.

The professor turned the book’s page, and the board displayed several sequential images. In each image, a mage was forming a ball of water, which grew larger in each subsequent frame until it became a massive sphere of water above the mage.

“The mastery of an elemental domain allows us to perform simple feats, but to reach greater power, we need to learn spells at different levels,” Obana explained, writing below each image that showed the mage and his increasingly larger water balls.

The spell levels could be classified as:

0 - Forbidden

1 - Beginner

2 - Exceptional

3 - Advanced

4 - Epic

5 - Supreme

6 - Mythical (Banned)

7 - Legendary (Banned)

" Forbidden spells belong to a special class. They can exist at any level, but their sole purpose is to kill. For instance, a mage skilled in creating rivers and artificial rain might learn a Supreme river creation spell, but there could be an even more dangerous forbidden Epic spell. These spells are classified as Level 0 precisely because they can adjust to any level, and their use is restricted due to their exclusive intent to cause death. For example, a fire mage can ignite a simple campfire, but the spell 'Red Meteor' summons a giant fireball capable of setting an entire forest ablaze, or the spell 'Inferno Eel' creates a fiery serpent that coils around its victim, burning them alive."

The professor turned the page, and the image on the board changed to that of a mage with his mouth open, indicating he was speaking.

"The more complex the spell, the harder it is to cast. That’s why we use a process called 'chanting.' Speaking the spell helps channel our mana, serving as a form of mana muscle memory to activate the magic."

That’s exactly what I do to activate the Celestial Aspects. Because of the complexity of circulating my mana through my body while directing it to my eyes, I needed to create activation mechanisms. After all, I possess both Special Eyes and Celestial Eyes.

The professor held a wand and conjured a sphere of green leaves.

"The more you practice, the better your control over the spell becomes, and eventually, you won’t need to chant it. However, the more powerful the spell, the greater the mana cost, so it’s rare for mages to practice such spells casually."

Most students here were from families of common nobility, without any military tradition. For them, the path to mastering powerful spells would be long and arduous. The academy, of course, will introduce more advanced spells in the future, but I doubt it will teach anything specifically tailored to military use. After all, not every student here is interested in a career on the battlefield.

Many prefer more stable careers, aspiring to become Builder Mages or Engineer Mages, specializing in creating and maintaining magical structures and devices. There are also those with the rare gift of healing mana who pursue the path of Healer Mages, valued positions that offer a more peaceful and rewarding life without the need to wield a weapon or face the dangers of direct combat.

The variety of aspirations within the academy showed that, for many, magic was a tool for progress and creation, not for destruction

"That’s why Advanced spells and above are rarely used due to their complexity. You must also be mindful of limitations. Beyond a certain level, spells become tied to specific mana categories, meaning you won’t be able to cast them unless you possess the required category."

Emitter and Summoner mages have a broader range of spells, which is why they typically use wands or staffs and don’t often rely on weapons. A skilled Transmitter mage can cast a fireball, but it won’t reach the distance or potency of one cast by an Emitter mage, who specializes in long-range spell attacks.

As the spell level increases, it becomes tied to its mana category. I could cast a fireball or a fire serpent, but I’d never be able to summon a fire golem without my special eyes, as it’s a complex Summoner-class spell. Summoners are the rarest and most gifted in magic, as their mana can create living creatures made from their elemental nature.

"Always practice chanting spells in your free time and do it safely, along with mana manipulation. This is crucial for training your mind to divide attention in combat."

The professor turned the page, and the board displayed a mage surrounded by large flaming spheres of earth, hovering in the air around him.