As final exams approached, the courses at the Magic Department were reaching their last sessions, and Professor Charles’s Basic Magic class for first-years was no exception.
The students were now learning the most difficult spell they had encountered all semester.
The name of the spell was Naphizano’s Splitting Flame.
This was a multi-hit spell where, upon hitting a target with a fireball, the fireball would split into three and burn the targets behind it as well.
“If you can handle this spell freely, you can basically consider yourselves to have mastered everything we’ve learned this semester. It will also be on the final exam, so make sure you get the hang of it. Understood?”
As a chorus of “Yes!” echoed through the room, a hand shot up.
It was Jacqueline.
“I have a question, Professor.”
“Yes? Go ahead.”
“The spell we learned last time was also a Naphizano spell. And this one is too.”
“You need to be precise. The one I taught you last time was Exploding Flame, and this one is Splitting Flame, right?”
“Well, yeah, but… why are we only learning Naphizano’s fire spells?”
“That’s because the Naphizano series of the Santouan school is known for being simple and stable, making it ideal for beginners.”
“It’s not just because the royalty fees are cheap?”
“Wha—where did you even hear that kind of… Ahem.”
Professor Charles cleared his throat.
“In short, Miss Dogwood, you’d like to learn some fire spells outside the Naphizano series, correct?”
“Yes!”
“You’ll get to do that in the second semester.”
“Ooh, second semester…”
Jacqueline’s eyes sparkled as she asked,
“What kind of class will that be?”
“The course is called Basic Magic II.”
“Still basic…”
“Well, that’s because you’re all still first-years. And if you fail this exam, you might end up reviewing the Naphizano series again next semester. So rather than thinking about the future, you should be focused on the now, don’t you think?”
“Of course. I’m confident.”
“Confident, are you? Then why don’t you be the first to do the practical demonstration, Miss Dogwood?”
“Yes, sure!”
Even though she had been called up first, Jacqueline showed no sign of hesitation as she got up and walked to the front.
Professor Charles folded his arms and looked at her as if to say, “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Over the past few months, the professors had formed a fairly consistent opinion of Jacqueline Dogwood.
In theory classes, she had a high tendency to doze off; in practical classes, she showed a lot of enthusiasm, but her skills didn’t quite keep up.
That’s the case for most students anyway.
The Laurencia Royal Academy didn’t aim to produce one extraordinary mage. It focused on training ten decently capable ones.
It might not have been well-equipped to support true geniuses, but it could at least turn even the most talentless students into usable assets for the Royal Magic Department.
And the harsh truth is… this girl’s talent is just about at that level.
Once Jacqueline stood at the designated casting area, Professor Charles spoke.
“You remember the procedure, right? Let’s begin.”
Jacqueline nodded.
Charles sent out an invisible magical signal.
About twenty meters ahead, a training dummy that had been lying on the ground sprang upright.
Taking a deep breath, Jacqueline began to chant.
“Twelfth Sentinel, the enmity of Santouan roars like thunder, overwhelming the spirit of our foes! Naphizano’s Splitting Flame!”
As she recited the incantation, a blazing fireball formed and shot toward the dummy.
Up to this point, it was no different from the previously learned spell, Exploding Flame.
But then, Boom!….on impact, the fireball split into three smaller flames that surged forward for a second round of attacks.
Right on cue, Professor Charles sent out another magical signal.
Three more targets rose up 100 meters away.
Jacqueline was momentarily flustered.
The split flames had veered off course. They didn’t align with the positions of the targets that appeared 100 meters away.
But that too was part of Professor Charles’s intention.
Just like we practiced… like this!
Jacqueline pulled her outstretched hands to the left, as if yanking back the leash of a lunging dog.
Amazingly, the flames’ trajectory curved slightly in response.
Eyes wide with focus, Jacqueline continued to guide them, and the three flames arced gracefully before striking the newly raised targets dead-on.
Clap-clap-clap!
Professor Charles instinctively applauded.
Jacqueline who was surprised and impressed by what she had done exclaimed,
“Did you see that? I did it!”
“Wow, you followed the instructions perfectly. Very few students pull this off on their first try.”
“Ahem. I’ve always been confident when it comes to hitting the target. The problem was that it wasn’t my target before…”
The rest of the class looked on in stunned silence, whispering among themselves.
“Was she always this good?”
“Probably just got lucky.”
“Yeah, she was near the bottom of the rankings on the midterm.”
“Are we about to lose one of our designated seat warmers?”
“No worries. Her written grades are garbage.”
“Quiet, everyone!”
The professor shut down the growing murmurs.
“If you’d reviewed last class properly, any of you could do the same. But let’s be honest….how many of you can actually do it? So let’s give Miss Dogwood a round of applause!”
As expected from forced applause, there was little sincerity behind it, but for Jacqueline who was being recognized in front of her peers for the first time, it was enough to make her scratch the back of her head, bashfully embarrassed.
Returning to her group, she flashed a V-sign with her fingers.
“Hehe, how was my performance?”
“You’ve improved a lot.”
“Wow, must really be your day. Even Shannon is giving you praise. Is the sun rising in the west tomorrow or something?”
“Oh, shut up.”
Shannon let out a sigh, wondering if she’d praised Jacqueline too soon, but soon after, she began to observe her with a curious gaze.
A mage’s skill is determined by their knowledge of spells and theory, their mental strength in handling mana and their mana field, and the quality and structure of their magical circuits, which are part of the soul.
All three of knowledge, mind, and soul are things that are difficult to develop significantly in a short time.
In other words, a mage’s skill grows gradually, built up slowly but steadily through effort.
That’s why Jacqueline’s sudden improvement caught Shannon’s attention.
Did she have a talent I hadn’t noticed? If not… the only likely area is the mental aspect. She said something happened during the volunteer work when they went to drive out the homeless. She brushed it off without giving much detail… could that be related?
Shannon found herself seeing Jacqueline in a slightly different light.
But the person who was most shocked by Jacqueline’s change wasn’t Shannon.
As the day’s classes ended and students began to scatter in all directions,
Rita was left standing with her mouth wide open, as if the sky had just fallen, after hearing Jacqueline say she wanted to study with her in the library.
The shock was so great that she dropped all her notebooks in a messy heap.
“Jacqueline, you want to review?”
“Uh… well, when you look at me like that, even I get a little hurt.”
Seeing Jacqueline’s dejected expression, Rita finally burst into laughter.
“Ahaha, sorry, sorry. I was just really surprised. What’s gotten into you? You always made up some excuse whenever I asked you to study together.”
“Well, I guess… ever since that volunteer work, I’ve realized just how much I was lacking. I figured if I want to improve, I need to study too.”
“You’re not Jacqueline. Who are you? Give me back my friend!”
“Oh, come on! I said stop teasing me…”
In the end, Jacqueline turned bright red and covered her face with both hands.
There had always been several reasons why Jacqueline hadn’t shown much interest in studying.
First, she’d felt that what was taught in textbooks had little impact on actual magical ability.
And second, even if she got good grades on exams, she couldn’t find much meaning in competing with her peers.
However, after experiencing a life-threatening moment during the recent storm, Jacqueline realized she was in no position to be picky about anything.
“I’m going to take studying seriously now. I’m going to do really well on the finals.”
At those words, Rita reacted with genuine delight.
“Great. Let’s go to the library together. I’ll walk you through everything. From key summaries to past exam questions.”
“Then maybe I’ll help out with the practical side of things.”
“Shannon, you’re going to help too?”
“Yeah. It sounds fun. Like we’re raising Jacqueline, or something.”
“Pfft. What’s that supposed to mean?”
Aside from Jacqueline, who let out a mock whimper, it was a happy moment for all.
And so, the three of them headed toward the library.
They were passing in front of the Hall of the First Magic Department when it happened.
“Hey, you three…heading off to study?”
“Oh, hello, senior.”
A few second-year students from the Magic Department and specifically, members of the student council called them over briefly.
Jacqueline answered.
“Yes! We’re going to study. Finals are coming up soon, after all.”
“Well now, good for you.”
A cheerful and friendly mood.
Most second-years avoided getting involved with first-years after the initiation incident, but the student council was a bit different.
Thanks to that very incident, the “loud and rowdy crowd” had been keeping a lower profile, making it easier for the student council to go about their work.
As a result, there was hardly any resentment toward the first-years, and among them, Jacqueline was being well received by the upperclassmen thanks to her easygoing nature and sociability.
One of the seniors pulled out a small paper-wrapped package from a box they were carrying and handed one to each of the three.
Inside were small cookies.
“Take one each. These were supposed to be handed out tomorrow, but no one will notice if a few go missing.”
“You’re giving us snacks?”
“It’s for the Magic Department event. There’s also a late-night snack event tonight, so stop by here before heading back to the dorms after studying. The event runs all week, so keep that in mind.”
“Wait, our school has benefits like this?”
“They were originally planning to spread the event out over the next semester, but they rushed everything forward. You know how we just elected a new student council president? There’s a chance the new one might ask to reclaim the budget approved by the previous president, so they’re trying to use it up quickly. The funding they provided was quite substantial.”
“I see.”
Jacqueline didn’t fully understand the complicated explanation, but the idea of free late-night snacks every day left her oddly moved.
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