Book 6: Chapter 3: Mana Test (2/2)
That's exactly right. Monica's ability to calculate has allowed her to create numerous new magic formulas and mastered the art of no-chant spells.
However, Monica absolutely could not allow herself to pick this course.
How can I find an excuse to leave this place? As she pondered this, Felix opened the door to the classroom and called out to the teacher standing at the podium.
”Professor Macgregan, I've brought two candidates who wish to observe.”
”Hmm?”
The teacher standing at the podium slowly turned around to look at their way.
He was a small old man with thick white eyebrows and a long beard that hid his eyes and mouth… Monica recognized him.
While Monica turned pale and Casey looked curious, Felix said cheerfully.
”This is Professor Macgregan, the teacher in this practical magic course. Until a few years ago, he was a teacher at the most prestigious magician training institute, Minerva…”
P-Professor Macgregan!?
Macgregan was the teacher who had taught Monica magic when she was a student at Minerva. Naturally, they were acquainted.
She had heard that Macgregan had retired from Minerva at about the same time Monica was graduating, but she never imagined that he was teaching here!
The words ”mission failed” raced through Monica's head.
I-It's over… the whole thing's been exposed…
As Monica stood there looking like a dead man, Macgregan said in a tone that was rather cute for his age.
”……Who are chuu?”
”I'm Felix Ark Riddile, the student council president.”
”Oh, so you're that student council president… yeah… thanks for bringing them here… uh, are you two the visitors? I'm sorry, but I don't have very good eyesight. Are chuu boys or girls?”
”Both of them are girls.”
”Ah, so they're girls. Yes, yes, more girls are taking this course these days.”
His tone was cute for his age, and he spoke uniquely, referring to other people as ”chuu” instead of ”you”, just as Monica remembered.
…and also, the fact that he has trouble seeing.
Maybe… h-he hasn't noticed? I still have a chance. I can still escape now.
To begin with, Monica came to this school not as ‘Monica Everett' but ‘Monica Norton.' Unless someone called her by her first name out loud, it was unlikely that she would be recognized as the same person…
”Ohhhh! Is that you, Monica? Are you picking a practical magic course too, Monica?”
Monica's head went total blank for a few seconds.
As Monica came to her senses, she was approached by Glenn Dudley, who was in high spirits today, and Neil Clay Maywood, another student council member.
Neil greeted Felix politely when he caught sight of him.
”Hello, President. And Miss Norton too. Are you all going to be picking this course?”
Felix shook his head at Neil's words.
”Unfortunately, I have not taken it, but I thought it might be suitable for Miss Norton, so I was showing her and her friend around.”
”What? Really? I can barely manage counting two-digit addition… Maybe I'm just not very good at it?”
The fact that Glenn had also come to this classroom meant that he was planning to pick a practical magic course.
That reminds me, Glenn… is an apprentice magician, I think?
Glenn has performed his flying magic several times in front of Monica. It's not an easy technique, so Glenn must have some talent.
As Monica was thinking about this, Macgregan cleared his throat, ”Ahem.”
”Don't stand there talking at the entrance, please come and take your seat. Also, on the subject of what makes someone is suitable to become a magician and what doesn't, I'll explain it to you so that it's easier for the other students to understand.”
Macgregan urged Monica and the others to sit down at an empty seat.
Even Felix, who was not a candidate, sat down next to Monica with an amused look on his face. She hoped that he could back to his job of showing the students around as quickly as possible.
”Okay, ahem. First of all, to become a magician, all you need is these three talents. It's ‘amount of mana', ‘ability to comprehend magic formulas', and ‘skill to manipulate mana'.”
Macgregan wrote the three aspects he had just mentioned on the blackboard and circled the words ‘the quantity of mana' first.
”Whatever you say, the most important talent is the amount of your mana. Without it, you couldn't cast any spells in the first place. Nowadays, it's easy to measure with a mana measuring tool, but to be an apprentice, you need to have about 50 points of mana. Over 100 is pretty good, over 150 and you could become one of the Seven Sages.”
When he mentioned the word of ‘Seven Sages,' Monica's heart jumped again.
Oh, how bad for the heart!
”Next is ‘ability to comprehend magic formulas'… magic formula is like mathematical equations. As chuu all said earlier, this is the reason why children who excel in mathematics are suitable for magicians. The magic formula is ‘the blueprint and framework of magic,' that is. The more you comprehend the magic formula correctly, the mooooooore accurate your magic will be. It was what the Silent Witch had said, though.”
*Monica shriek internally*
”Oh, incidentally, many of magic formulas that ”Silent Witch” created, often appear on written tests, so keep that in mind.”
Please don't keep that in your mind!!
”Well, it's no exaggeration to say that she's an amazing magician that turned the theory of modern magic upside down.”
That's an exaggeration. Please stop with that praise!
Monica's complexion was no longer pale, but ashen. She would like to escape from this place right now if she could. Next to her, Casey whispered, ‘Monica, are you okay?' but Monica could only give a small nod with a strained smile on her face.
”Finally, ‘skill to manipulate mana'. This refers to the process of weaving mana based on a magic formula, and it requires a great deal of sense. A girl with excellent sense can effortlessly turn mana into a spell, while a girl with poor sense will always end up losing her mana. In many cases, a child can use spells to some extent, even if their understanding of the magic formula is low if he has excellent ‘skill to manipulate mana'. In crafting, even with a rough blueprint and framework, you can still create some kind of form. Well, you can't expect a good product out of it.”
Perhaps Glenn was that type of person. Even if this type of person does not have a good comprehension of magic formulas, they can formulate a spell to a certain extent with their natural sense.
”Well, it's preferable to have all three of these talents. The basic premise is that you can't use magic if you don't have mana. All the students who want to take this class have to have their mana measured.”
Macgregan then placed an armful ornament on the podium. It was a metal base with a clear crystal ball on it. The pedestal has a number scale from 0 to 250 on it.
”This is called a mana measuring tool, and if you put your hand on this crystal ball, it can easily measure your mana. Here, just like this.”
When Macgregan placed his hand on the crystal ball, the crystal ball glowed a pale blue, and the number on the scale moved to 158.
His mana numbered 158… he's unquestionably at an advanced magician level.
”My mana is 158, with blue light, so my best attribute is water… You can easily find out what your mana is like. Pretty impressive, isn't it? Okay, you two, take turns touching it.”
………….do I have to?
Monica's heart beat fast with an unpleasant sound.
The general guideline for the quantity of mana is as follows: 1~49 is for ordinary people with no talent, 50~99 is for apprentices and low-level magicians, 100~149 is for intermediate magicians, and 150 and above is for advanced magicians. Over 200 is rarely seen.
And since Seven Sages are required to have mana of 150 or more, they must be measured once a year. Therefore, Monica knew exactly how much mana she had.
M-My last measurement was… 202.
Since the amount of mana grows at its peak in the latter half of the teenage years, there is a possibility that it may have increased even more if things went badly.
And having mana over 200 was not a common number by all accounts.
W-W-W-W-W-What should I do!?
Monica shuddered as her whole body was drenched in cold sweats.