The classroom hummed with the whispers of voices as students settled into their seats, their wooden desks arrayed in orderly rows on top of the crescent steps as you went further back. Rays of sunlight filtered through the high windows and cast light on the classroom. The blackboard at the front bore chalk markings from the previous lesson, but Professor George wasted no time erasing them as he prepared for today’s lecture.
This was the Fundamentals of Magic Lesson, one every single first year had to attend and as such, all nearly fifty members of the House of Mischief were present as classes were divided by houses.
Erik leaned back slightly in his chair, his gaze briefly scanning the room. It was a full house—every first-year student from the House of Mischief was present, their varying levels of energy evident. It was clear though that most didn’t pay much attention to the words uttered by the senior man who taught them. It was as Elizabeth said, brash and troublesome students. Instead, Erik could hear whispers about him.
“Hey, you see that guy?”
“I heard he beat a third year!”
“What, he beat that bully?”
“I won’t believe it until Colin comes out and says it.”
“It has been almost a week and no one has seen him yet, it seems that he hasn’t left his house in shame ever since…”
Indeed, Erik was patched up after the intense battle and hadn’t seen the bully ever since. It's a shame as he wanted a servant. The girl he saved thanked him profusely and introduced herself as Clara. She seemed like a studious person and said she would help him with whatever he needed in the future—despite Erik not having fought for her, it didn’t seem a bad trade in the end.
Beside him, Emilia slumped over her desk, her head on her crossed arms. Her slow, even breathing suggested she was moments away from dozing off. Erik smirked faintly. She never seemed to care about much, least of all paying attention in class, but that suited him. Emilia didn’t ask questions or make idle conversation, letting him focus on whatever he wanted—qualities Erik had come to appreciate in his seatmate.
At the front, Professor George cleared his throat, his voice cutting through the chatter. "Good morning, everyone. Let’s begin with today’s topic: mana out & enhancement.” The chatter around the classroom quieted a bit, yet many students still seemed to not care, however, George wasn’t annoyed by them either as he continued like nothing.
“Mana,” the professor began, tapping his chest in the sternum, “originates in the mana core and flows through pathways across your body to manifest into spells. Imagination shapes it, but output capacity—the amount you can channel—determines the strength of your magic.”
George paused, glancing at the students before continuing. “If your output is low, it doesn’t matter if you have large reserves of mana—your attacks will be weak. Also, training your output will increase your spellcasting speed.
Erik straightened in his seat, his attention sharpening. This wasn’t just theoretical as it felt practical and relevant. Just a couple of weeks ago, Bob Lee had touched his back and opened his meridians or whatever name he had given to them. He told Erik that he would unclog his mana pathways and increase their efficiency. That seemed related to this, somehow.
A grin span across Erik’s face as he understood it was all connected. Perhaps that beggar’s touch wasn’t so bad after all.
His thoughts briefly went back to when he pushed his [Ablaze] to his limit against Colin. That surge of power felt different and groundbreaking. Because of that, he named the attack [Inferno Strike]. Erik was sure that attack took all he had, and yet he wasn’t out of mana afterward.
‘My mana output is limiting his spells,’ he thought while biting his nails. Yes, that must be it. To become stronger he would have to increase that part of his skills, but how?
“Wow, it's not every time I see you that interested,” Emilia mumbled, with a simple glance, Erik could see her still in the dozing off position but looking at his sheet of paper.
Erik chuckled in response. “It’s not all the time I have trouble in fights so I have to learn, I guess.”
“To increase your output,” the professor continued, “rigorous training is key, but balance is vital. Overexertion can cause permanent damage. Alternatively,” he added, writing ‘magic-enhancing equipment’ on the board, “items like mana rings can temporarily boost output. However, buying quality equipment on campus requires a large amount of required points, which most of you don’t yet have.”
Those words lit up Erik’s mind. Magic equipment. That was what Colin used, that glowing bracelet he had. It must have been empowering his attacks, If Erik had something like that, that fight might have gone very differently.
Well, Erik didn’t need to buy one either way. He had his late father’s gauntlets. He couldn’t use them right now, though. They were broken and needed some high-quality repair. Could that be done at the academy? He remembered there being a blacksmithing class, so maybe. However, that would probably cost points.
Erik sighed. “Only allowed out on Sundays…” Erik muttered to himself, recalling the school’s rules. That would probably be his best shot though, go out and search for some skilled blacksmith to repair it. Or should he go to a fancy magic item store? He had no idea honestly and that made him even more nervous.
Emilia tilted her head toward him, her sleepy gaze sharp enough to catch the edge of his mumbling. “Planning something sneaky already?” she teased, her voice as soft as her ever-lazy demeanor.
“Not yet,” Erik replied with a grin. “Just thinking about how to repair a magic item.”
“Oh,” she said, stopping. From her tone she sounded surprised, almost interested. “Well, I know someone who can do it but they live like… a few thousand kilometers from here? Not very close.”
Erik chuckled slightly, glancing at her. “That far away? Just who the hell are you.”
“I’ve told you,” she said, her eyes squinting. Her cheeks pouted like she was a small kid.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“I’m a princess from—”
“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Erik said before starting to take out his stuff to leave the classroom as the lesson had just ended. He wouldn’t hear her delusions like last time. What princess even wears slippers everywhere and sleeps all the time?
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Erik stepped inside his room, instantly taking in the scenery that was growing familiar. It was medium-sized—not as big as the room he’d briefly enjoyed at Duke Phillip’s estate but larger than the modest one he’d shared back home. Thankfully, he only had to share this room with one person instead of his two siblings so he had plenty of room for himself without feeling too lonely.
The room had two beds pushed against opposite walls, each accompanied by a matching desk and closet. A single window between the beds let in the daylight and warmed the place. Erik’s side of the room still bore signs of his hurried unpacking—or lack thereof. His bag lay crammed into the closet, his bag still wasn’t organized even after him being here for a while.
His fingers tumbled through through clothes and books before feeling a metal. A grin spread across his face as he pulled the gauntlets out of the bag. They were as broken as the day he laid his eyes on them after his father died.
“At least they’re not rusty,” he muttered before placing them over his bed.
Erik had no knowledge of weapons and as such he didn’t quite understand the extent of the damage—however, it was obvious even to a blind person that they were in quite a bad shape. Phillips said it should be possible to restore them but there wasn’t any craftsman skilled enough to do it back home as repairing magic items while still keeping their properties and durability intact seemed like a strenuous task.
As Erik was lost in his thoughts, he heard the cranky noises the door always made when opening. He glanced to the side and saw Kyle.
“Hey, how are you?” he asked while stepping inside the room and laying his books and notebooks on his desk.
Despite Kyle being a 4th year old, he was placed in the same room as Erik. Now, the boy didn’t particularly mind as Kyle had shown himself to be a nice and reliable person.
“Not bad,” Erik replied, glancing at Kyle as the older student set his books on the desk. “Just trying to figure out what to do with these.” He nodded toward the gauntlets resting on his bed.
“Huh, those look old. Where did you get them?”
“They were my father’s,” Erik said, brushing his fingers along the worn metal. “He used them back when he was in the army. They’re magic items, or at least they used to be. I’ve been hoping to get them repaired, but it’s not an easy job.”
Kyle inspected the gauntlets, his eyes tracing the faded runes and the deep dents marring the surface. He touched the gauntlet. “No kidding. Even in this state, I can feel it tugging my mana away. Those must be very strong gauntlets.”
“Yeah, my father is the strongest person I know,” Erik said with a smile as he watched the equipment closely. Kaf was a formidable warrior, someone Erik wanted to reach and surpass one day, for now, he seemed like an unreachable mountain, however.
“Well,” Kyle stepped back and leaned against his desk. “You might have some luck if you ask around the blacksmithing class.”
Erik blinked, turning to Kyle. “Do you think they can do this? What about the cost?”
“Well, I’ve heard that some of the students are incredibly skilled. They might not be able to do a full restoration, but they could at least assess the damage or give you advice on where to go next. Besides, I’m sure most wouldn’t mind working with high-quality equipment for free.”
Erik nodded slowly. “I guess it might be worth trying out.”
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The day was almost over. Erik made his way to the training grounds to practice some magic in order to get stronger but as he made his way, he spotted Clara in the hallway near the training grounds, clutching the same usual books to her chest—it seemed like she wouldn’t go anywhere without them. She gave him a shy nod as their eyes met.
“Hey,” he said, getting closer. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, hi!” Clara replied, her wide hazel eyes lighting up with recognition. “Um, good! Thanks again for… you know, back there.” She hugged her books a little tighter, A faint red spread across her cheeks.
“No problem,” Erik said with a shrug. “I had my own reasons,” it was good whenever someone would compliment Erik but it felt almost wrong considering he did it out of his struggles instead of her.
“Either way…” she said, hesitating before continuing. “You were really impressive, by the way. I mean, that [Inferno Strike] thing? It looked so powerful.”
Erik scratched his cheek slowly and looked upwards. “Yeah… it kinda came in a clutch. Either way, what are you doing?”
“Oh,” she said, sounding taken aback by the question. “I was just having class so I’m gonna go to my dorm and relax.”
Erik chuckled slightly. “Come on, really? The day is still not over, you should be practicing your magic skills so no one can bother you like before.”
Clara gave a small laugh but shook her head. “I’m not much of a fighter, honestly. I didn’t even sign up for any combat classes.”
Erik blinked several times. “What? Seriously? What classes did you take, then?”
“Well…” Clara adjusted the books in her arms. “Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Magical History, and Summoning.”
His eyes widened as she responded to him. She was in blacksmithing, maybe she…
“Hey,” he said, stepping even closer to her.
“Huh—”
Erik firmly placed his hands on both her shoulders. A smile curled on his lips slightly as she watched her eyes intently. “Come with me to my room!”
“What!” she nearly screamed, her shoulders trembled and her gaze avoided him.
Erik on the other hand couldn’t stop grinning.
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“You know…” she said slowly, in a soft voice as she analyzed Erik’s gauntlets. “I could have sworn you had another reason in mind to invite me,” she said, glancing at him.
Erik raised his eyebrows. “Like what?” he answered.
“N-Nothing,” she quivered, her gaze shifted back to the worn equipment as she felt the weight of his eyes on her. As she touched and felt the equipment though, her eyes widened in realization. “This is top-notch quality!” She nearly shouted.
Throughout her life, Clara had been interested in magic and how it affected the world. Despite having awakened only a year prior she managed to enter the academy and pursue her dreams. She wasn’t particularly good in magic but by using his wits she hoped to succeed. Because of that, she had become quite adept at magic equipment before even coming to the Academy, it was almost second nature to her and she knew this equipment was powerful.
These gauntlets surely would surpass 4th tier if they were restored to 100%.
“Hey, do you think I could repair your gauntlets as part of my project?” she asked. “Well I wanted to ask if you could repair them, but what is that project?”
“It's something we do in the blacksmith class that gives us a grade at the end of the year. The professor already talked about it to us, we can either create something from scratch, mix a bunch of things into something different, or restore equipment. I’ll take a while but I’d like to do yours. I’ll just have to like write a report and display it in class but afterward, they’re yours…” she spoke with enthusiasm as the explanation kept going, her face displaying a full-on ear-to-ear grin.
Erik chuckled. “Wow, I can’t believe you’re the same person who stutters all the time.”
She straightened herself back. “I… uh-h,” she quivered like before, her cheeks getting warmer as she could feel her anxiety levels rising.
“Relax, I’m just teasing,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “If you think you can fix these and want to use them for your project, go ahead. Just… take good care of them. They mean a lot to me.”
Clara looked up, her cheeks still pink but her gaze now steady. “I promise I’ll treat them like they’re my own,” she said, her tone resolute. “I’ll start researching what I’ll need right away.”
“Thanks. Really,” Erik said, handing the gauntlets to her.
With that, Erik could rest assured that the weapons passed down to him were in good hands. Soon he would achieve power like never before.