* * *

    Corvus was running late for class.

    Was it because she was hoping that the Saintess and her apprentice would be able to spend some time together?

    While that wasn’t entirely wrong, it wasn’t the only reason. She was late because she was busy preparing for class.

    Considering that the skill level of the students who had chosen her as their first choice was too high, she couldn’t take a lighthearted approach when teaching them.

    A Mage who was personally escorted by Freya Cahn, and the other whose entrance ranking was among the top.

    Even though she wondered, ‘Why me and not someone else?’ Corvus still took her preparation seriously.

    It would have been different if she hadn’t accepted them as apprentices right from the start, but she had already taken in all the students who chose her as their first-choice.

    Since she had become their teacher, it was important to teach them properly and if they were students of the Seeker of Crossroads, they should learn something.

    Still, she had a faint hope that perhaps those highly skilled students had somehow recognized her true value beyond the barriers of their races…

    However, the moment she opened the door of the southern rest area, where the class was to be held, Corvus immediately understood why the other students had signed up for her class.

    “…You’re a bit late.”

    Cheon Yeomyeong greeted her with a somewhat awkward smile and behind him were three girls.

    The Saintess lay unconscious on the table, and the blonde girl beside the table, awkwardly greeting her, was likely the one called Soe Miri.

    Naturally, the girl with the cold expression who bowed her head was probably Hong Seti.

    Although they were both looking at Corvus, the sharp senses of the Beastfolk did not miss that their attention was focused on Yeomyeong.

    One man and three women.

    Corvus clacked her beak, akin to a human clearing their throat.

    Recalling that even the previous Saintess had faced the same fate, she wondered if this was the fate of the Saintesses.

    Thinking of the future that awaited the Saintess, tears almost slipped from her eyes.

    “My apprentice. What on earth have you done?”

    However, the moment she observed Yeomyeong’s body closely, all other thoughts flew out of Corvus’ mind.

    “…Why? Is there a problem?”

    “A problem? Of course, there is a problem. Your mana… your mana is strange.”

    “I’m not sure what you mean…”

    Throwing all the teaching material she had painstakingly prepared onto the floor, Corvus dashed over to Yeomyeong.

    “Look at your condition! You are leaking mana like a novice Mage!”

    “…”

    Regardless of Yeomyeong’s confusion, Corvus walked around him in her characteristic birdlike gait, inspecting his body.

    “How could… in such a short time…?”

    “…”

    “Did you perhaps take an elixir while I wasn’t aware?”

    Seti’s body twitched and froze at the mention of the elixir.

    It was a subtle reaction that only Soe Miri, sitting right next to her, noticed.

    “…Corvus, please stop circling me and tell me what’s going on.”

    Anyway, only after Yeomyeong spoke up did Corvus cease her racket. She stared at Yeomyeong with her crow-like black eyes and said.

    “You still don’t get it?”

    As all eyes, excluding the unconscious Saintess, turned toward her, Corvus spoke with a voice full of conviction..

    “Congratulations on stepping onto the Crossroads.”

    * * *

    What was magic?

    Beyond the Dimensional Portal, mages claimed that magic was a noble spirit capable of transforming the world.

    Although it was hard to say if ‘thanks to this’ was the right way to put it, they didn’t hesitate to use this reasoning to elevate themselves to a privileged class. ?????Ν??????s?

    Since they were born with a noble spirit, they believed they should receive equivalent treatment.

    On the contrary, Mages on Earth, who proudly considered themselves as scholars, classified magic as a study of manipulating mana.

    They argued that the material was merely mana, and that it was part of science, like existing physics or mathematics.

    This difference in opinion occasionally gave rise to political and academic conflicts between the Mages on Earth and those beyond the Dimensional Portal.

    However, that was none of Yeomyeong’s business. Nor did he care about it.

    It wasn’t the historical conflicts of Magic Tower and academic society that mattered to him, but how useful magic was.

    Hadn’t he realized this rather painfully while fighting the enemies he had encountered, especially the dragons like Kahal Magdu and Orsay Taboul?

    The combination of formidable physical strength and magic.

    The moment Corvus confirmed his talent for magic, Yeomyeong had no doubt that the combat techniques of dragons were within his grasp.

    While it may have seemed like an arrogant thought, he was confident. After all, he lacked neither the talent nor the experience.

    Corvus had a similar thought. Judging by how he managed to grasp the true intention of the Black Wing Flow that quickly, she was confident that Yeomyeong wouldn’t find it difficult to wield magic with his talent.

    Or so they thought.

    But when the magic class actually began, they faced an unexpected obstacle.

    “…You don’t know a single spell? What in the world do you mean by that?”

    “…”

    Corvus’ bewildered question left Yeomyeong at a loss for words, so he remained silent.

    As Seti cautiously tried to wake the Saintess at the back, Corvus asked again.

    “…This isn’t a joke, you don’t even know one? Not a single one?” S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    “Yes, really. There’s no reason for me to lie about this.”

    “ I suppose you must have had quite a tumultuous experience before coming to the academy?”

    Faced with a mix of misunderstanding and consideration in her words, Yeomyeong smiled bitterly.

    In some ways, Corvus’ misunderstanding was reasonable.

    In modern society, aspiring Superhumans were likely to acquire basic knowledge about the three paths during their elementary education.

    Usually, these include the fundamentals of magic and introductions to Karelin martial arts.

    Especially when it came to magic, even those who could only sense mana, the half-baked Superhumans, often had the path of scholars opened to them, so they received the most education.

    Yet Yeomyeong didn’t even know a single spell. To Corvus, it was like a high school graduate not knowing basic arithmetic.

    Forget about receiving Superhuman training, he never even attended a regular high school; he never thought this would hold him back one day.

    Yeomyeong scratched his nose and replied.

    “Corvus, I think you’re misunderstanding something… I’ve never received any Superhuman training before transferring to Lord Howe.”

    “…So you’re saying that you learned everything on your own before you transferred?”

    “Yes, well… there were a few people who taught me a little bit of this and that, but for the most part, I learned by myself.”

    “…”

    Was it really that hard to believe?

    With a snap, Corvus clamped her beak and glanced at Seti and Soe Miri with a questioning expression, as if to ask, ‘Is this really true?’

    But the answer to her question came not from the two, but from another direction.

    “…You don’t believe it, do you? But there’s no need to doubt him. Yeomyeong doesn’t lie about things like this.”

    The Saintess, who had awakened, said while rubbing her neck.

    “And how do you know that, Saintess?”

    “Corvus, have you forgotten who my mother is?”

    “…”

    Although the Saintess’ response was merely a light excuse, Corvus could not refute it. It was a perfect excuse with no room for counterargument.

    Yeomyeong cleared his throat, and Corvus, unaware of the truth, shut her beak as if contemplating something.

    After a brief silence, just as the Saintess was gesturing at Soe Miri to ask Seti something, Corvus spoke again.

    “Your talent has always exceeded my imagination, my apprentice. So even if you don’t know any spells, there are still ways.”

    “…Ways?”

    “Not just one but two options. One is the traditional method: to start learning and practicing spells now.”

    “…”

    “The other is… a much faster but painful method. And while I suspect you will choose the latter, I must first ask you this, my apprentice.”

    “What is it?”

    “…What do you wish to achieve with magic, my apprentice?”

    It was an unexpected but at the same time, a serious question. Without a moment’s hesitation, Yeomyeong answered.

    “Power.”

    “…Power?”

    “To be precise, I wish to be able to use the powerful combat magic that the dragons I fought in Manchuria used, and what you showed me last time.”

    Was his answer on par with Corvus’ expectations? She burst into laughter.

    “Ha! I knew it!”

    “Aren’t you going to ask why I desire power?”

    “When a man desires power, the reasons are pretty obvious: instinct, authority, and… women.”

    Corvus’ voice dropped to almost a whisper when she mentioned “women,” as if she were sharing a secret.

    Yeomyeong swallowed a dry laugh.

    “That’s not the reason….”

    “Ah! To win over the Saintess, you need to have at least that level of ambition.”

    “…Corvus.”

    Only after Yeomyeong spoke in a serious tone did the crow stop laughing.

    “Anyway, let us begin with the second method right away!”

    Corvus shouted as she spread her wings wide.

    Amidst the scattering black feathers, the girls, having their own intentions, watched Yeomyeong and Corvus with a mysterious gleam in their eyes.

    * * *

    The second method that Corvus spoke of was far from the traditional approach of learning spells first and completely internalizing them through meditation later.

    Instead, it involved trusting in his senses and talents for reading mana and casting the spell in front of him.

    Although it may have sounded simple at first glance, the reality was a bit more extreme.

    An ice spear created by Corvus formed in the air and immediately flew through the rest area.

    “Um… Is it okay to just leave them like that?”

    Before the Saintess could finish her words, an ice spear pierced Yeomyeong’s shoulder.

    Blood splattered, and Yeomyeong’s face contorted in pain.

    Although he didn’t scream, his expression clearly conveyed his agony.

    “Hey? Seti? Are you just going to watch them?”

    Only after the Saintess called her name did Seti respond.

    “It’s his choice, so what can I do?”

    “But, still…”

    “Just think of it as training. Directly feeling the magic with your body is something other Mages do all the time, right?”

    That was usually done when learning a spell like warm wind, though! Who on earth would be crazy enough to receive an attack spell directly?

    The Saintess wanted to yell that at her, but she kept her mouth shut after seeing Seti’s tightly clenched fist hidden under her arms.

    And the next moment, another ice spear pierced Yeomyeong’s body. This time, it hit his calf.

    Losing his balance, Yeomyeong stumbled and collapsed onto the rest area floor.

    Startled, the Saintess stood up, but seeing both Soe Miri and Seti remain steadfast and hold their ground, she slumped back her chair.

    While she pondered over this, Corvus opened her beak.

    “So, are you able to understand now?”

    “…Yes, to some extent.”

    Yeomyeong replied as he yanked the ice spear from his shoulder.

    “Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and demonstrate!”

    As soon as Corvus finished speaking, Yeomyeong manipulated his mana.

    The movement of the mana for magic was completely different from that of martial arts, which flowed through his blood vessels.

    The mana that flowed from his body, following his thoughts pooled in the air, merged with the ownerless mana and settled into place.

    Like knitting a garment, he intertwined each thread of mana… and completed the spell.

    What emerged after this complex process was a small ice spear.

    Although it was less than half the size of Corvus’ ice spear, its sharpness was no less.

    Since the size varied depending on the mana used, simply completing the shape meant he had mastered the spell for ice spear.

    While Yeomyeong stared blankly at the ice spear he created, Corvus burst into laughter.

    “Ha! You succeeded! You managed to create a perfectly shaped ice spear with just five hits!”

    “…It’s much easier than I thought.”

    “Don’t go saying that outside this class. Other Mages take nothing less than two weeks to learn this spell properly.”

    “…”

    “Heh, at this rate, you’ll probably be able to learn more than ten spells this week itself. Now, now, don’t stop; let’s move to the next spell…”

    Just as Corvus was about to continue excitedly, Soe Miri interrupted her.

    “Um, Ms. Corvus?”

    When Yeomyeong turned his head, he saw Soe Miri smiling subtly, her face looking more animated than usual.

    “What is it, Miss Soe Miri?”

    “I was just wondering if it’s okay for us to just be watching the two of you.”

    At that comment, Corvus scratched the back of her head with her wing.

    “Oh dear, I apologize. I got carried away and neglected my duty as a teacher.”

    “No, it’s fine. There are plenty of people who get excited just by watching Yeomyeong.”

    …?

    Everyone raised their eyebrows at her joke, and Soe Miri added.

    “Since we’re at it, I’d like to make a suggestion, if that’s alright with you.”

    “A suggestion? What kind of suggestion?”

    After confirming that all eyes were on her, Soe Miri glanced around the rest area and said.

    “So, everyone here is gathered because of Yeomyeong, right?”

    “…What?”

    What was she talking about? Ignoring Yeomyeong’s frown, she continued.

    “Since we’re all gathered here, how about we actually help out instead of watching from the sidelines?”

    “Helping out in what way…?”

    “I’m not talking about a formal match… but by being his sparring partner. Yeomyeong can only use magic, while we give it our all. What do you think?”

    “…Hmm.”

    “Doesn’t that sound good? We’ll learn something while fighting against Yeomyeong, and more importantly, isn’t Yeomyeong the type who learns better from real battles than just practice?”

    The Saintess next to her grumbled, while Corvus squinted, pondering over Soe Miri’s suggestion.

    Yeomyeong shook his head slightly at the two of them. What were they even saying in front of the person in question?

    “I have only learned the ice spear—how can I be ready for sparring?”

    “I think you should be able to use other spells as well, shouldn’t you?”

    “What?”

    “You’ve been hit with plenty of other spells, right?”

    “…”

    As Yeomyeong swallowed the words rising up his throat and stared blankly at Soe Miri, Corvus chimed in.

    “My apprentice, I personally feel that Miss Soe Miri’s suggestion is quite good.”

    “…”

    “Learning by being hit and mastering through fighting. Isn’t that the ideal lesson?”

    And also, building some affection. Corvus’ last words were whispered soft enough for only Yeomyeong to hear.

    Yeomyeong suppressed the urge to twist the crow’s neck and shook his head.

    No, rather, he was about to shake his head when Seti raised her hand.

    “…I’m in.”

    “You too, Seti?”

    Yeomyeong responded with an expression like Caesar looking at Brutus, but Seti pulled an iron hammer out of her bag as she answered.

    “Miri is right. Sparring is better than just watching.”

    Was it because she was yet to clean the Secret Society member’s dried blood off her hammer? There was a strange persuasiveness in her voice.

    “…If that’s the case, fine, do as you wish.”

    With the majority in agreement, Yeomyeong raised both hands in an exaggerated show of surrender.

    “Well then, since Yeomyeong has agreed, shall we start right away?”

    Just as Soe Miri was about to get to her feet, the Saintess stood up first.

    “…I’ll take the first match.”

    Before anyone else could say anything, she drew a revolver from her skirt pocket.