My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 36

"Hmm, that's quite a good thing, though."

Looking at the results alone, it was very good.

They had found an efficient way to practice mana manipulation, and the person who received the gift was also very satisfied.

By using the Magic Restraint to force a state of constraint and handling a small amount of mana, then gradually loosening the restriction to handle more mana efficiently.

It was a groundbreaking training method that only Arina, with her immense Magic Affinity, could do, and Maril marveled at the ingenuity of the magician who thought of it.

"Still, it doesn't look good."

But that's that, and this is this.

Two rings attached to one ankle, like an anklet, looked quite strange, regardless of their practicality.

To put it nicely, it's a unique fashion, but to put it badly, it reminds one of the Magic Restraint anklets worn by sex offenders.

'No, come to think of it, they're the same.'

Both are Magic Restraints, after all.

Isn't this just criminal fashion?

The only difference is whether there's an added location tracking function or not.

'To think of walking around outside wearing this.'

Even though she wore it with the thought that it would be good to get used to it during daily life.

Maril was convinced that in this aspect, Arina's diligence was a flaw in an otherwise perfect gem.

"It's okay. Normally, if you let your pants down long enough, no one will see it."

Right now, she had lifted her pants to show Maril, but usually, no one would notice.

As Arina began to lower her pant legs while saying this, Maril couldn't bring herself to add anything.

That's because it's the method commonly used by criminals to hide the anklets on their feet...

"Still, I've gotten used to it now. At first, it was so suffocating that even breathing was hard."

It felt like the air suddenly turned from a gas into a liquid.

She had to consciously breathe.

"Well, if you like it, that's fine."

Seeing Arina happy with her own achievements, Maril couldn't help but smile along with her.

It was only natural for Arina to be this happy.

After all, she must have felt like she was finally taking a step forward from the stagnant situation.

"But did you really need to follow me? I could have gone quickly by myself."

They were currently walking through the Academy Corridor.

Maril was on her way to submit the results of the assignment that Professor Magnus had given her recently, which she had completed quickly, to his office.

"It's okay. I didn't have anything else to do anyway."

"Nothing to do? You've been busy reading books during every break lately."

"Ha ha..."

Arina laughed awkwardly at Maril's words and turned her head away.

Whether it was surprising that she had finished the assignment so quickly or whether she was looking forward to Professor Magnus's reaction.

Of course, Maril expected that Professor Magnus wouldn't show much of a reaction.

In any case, it was clear that Arina had followed her out of curiosity, thinking it would be fun.

'It wasn't that big of a deal, though.'

To be honest, from Maril's perspective, even this took a long time.

Although the assignment contained many processes and rituals she hadn't learned yet, the knowledge up to the advanced level was already memorized in Maril's head.

She submitted it late because she had casually solved it whenever she had free time.

But even that seemed miraculous and made her friend proud in Arina's eyes.

She looked like a parent eagerly awaiting how others would perceive their child's genius.

'On the contrary, the impressive one is her.'

While high intelligence like Maril's was an essential talent for a magician, the greatest talent that transcended all fields of study was Magic Affinity.

Although not as high as Maril's, intelligence could be somewhat overcome through effort, but as of now, Magic Affinity was something one had to be born with.

Though currently struggling with rituals and mana manipulation in the academy's curriculum, Maril thought.

If Arina could overcome this moment, she would be able to brilliantly display her talent.

After all, Arina was a born genius who never stopped working hard every moment.

"Well, sometimes a change of pace is necessary."

"Yeah, you're right."

"They say the brain works better when it's given a break."

"That's true."

Maril hadn't pushed her brain hard enough to feel the need for such breaks, but.

It couldn't be just idle talk in many books.

Arina nodded in agreement with the excuse Maril provided.

"Leave it there."

With a lighter heart, Arina followed Maril to Professor Magnus's office.

However, her expectations were dashed the moment they entered the office by Professor Magnus's following words.

Contrary to expectation, his voice was calm and indifferent.

Busy with work, Professor Magnus, who had been looking at documents on his desk, turned his head toward them and gestured to the table in front of him.

"What's wrong?"

"Aren't you going to check it?"

Her disappointment burst out as a complaint.

Didn't he say he would test it when she brought the assignment?

Of course, she wasn't trying to argue about the unfairness of it.

"Hmm."

F Fortunately, there was no one here to misinterpret her words.

Professor Magnus stared at Arina for a moment.

Then he turned his head toward the green orb, which bore his Mana Imprint, placed on the table by Maril within the Spell Puzzle.

"There's no need for that."

If it were anyone else, he would have been suspicious.

For example, if Arina had brought the results this quickly, he would have tested whether she had sought help from another magician.

But all those assumptions were rendered useless because the one who brought it was Princess Maril Raymond.

Her genius was already the talk of the royal family and the magical community.

"I thought it was submitted too late. Did you procrastinate?"

It wasn't indifference.

On the contrary, Professor Magnus was looking at Maril with surprising accuracy.

"Don't slack off on your effort. You have a special talent compared to others, but if you just stand still without a goal, you'll only be overtaken by others."

It wasn't just her.

On the other side of the sofa and table, the documents piled on Professor Magnus's desk were filled with the characteristics and evaluations of the first-year students he was currently in charge of.

A perfectionist who created work for himself.

But he was also meticulously observing each student.

"I'm sorry, Professor."

Arina's question turned into a reprimand directed at Maril.

As Maril gave a wry smile and bowed her head, Professor Magnus turned his gaze back to the documents and spoke.

"If you're done, leave. I've heard you're busy with assignments from Professor Scape as well. Oh, and..."

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Professor Magnus lifted his head again to look at Arina.

"What's needed for the manifestation of magic is extremely rational calculation and computation, but what's needed to move mana is flexible and free imagination."

"What?"

"Don't just look at the outcome; visualize the movement of mana in your mind. For example, there's a faucet."

Imagine a faucet in your mind.

Then, imagine turning it to control the amount of mana flowing out.

Whether to use a little or a lot.

"While others need to increase their available mana first, you need to focus on handling what you have. If you visualize and practice in your mind, it will be easier."

"A faucet..."

It was advice worth its weight in gold, given that he knew what Arina was struggling with the most right now.

It was advice a magician could give, unlike a Black Mage like Cain.

"Thank you so much!"

In a way, it was advice that came a bit late for the current Arina.

His words ultimately meant that she should practice using magic by visualizing the physical constraints of the Magic Restraint in her mind.

But it wasn't entirely unhelpful advice.

How should one handle magic power?

What Professor Magnus said was ultimately about the methodology of that.

It varies from person to person, but this is how he uses magic power.

The experience of an expert magician is always helpful to those who follow in their footsteps.

"I'd like to explain in more detail, but if I do, it might be seen as overstepping Professor Scape's class. For more details, go ask Professor Scape directly."

"Yes!"

Professor Magnus watched the two leave the office and chuckled softly.

The conditions for being a good student were simple.

How well one follows the teacher's words and how much they are willing to accept the knowledge the teacher has.

In other words, how passionately one can work hard is the condition of a good student, and by that standard, Arina was an exemplary student.

To the extent that he wanted to teach her more as a professor.

'Maril lacks a bit of passion.'

That's simply because she lacks motivation.

There hasn't been any challenging content in the current curriculum to ignite her competitive spirit.

Well, there's a solution prepared for that later.

Whether she will accept his proposal or not, he didn't know.

'There is no such thing as a good teacher. Only good students exist.'

That was the theory held by Spencer Magnus as a magician and professor.

Anyone can teach.

What's important is how much you can convey.

As a professor, what Spencer Magnus could do was create an environment where their talents could flourish.

And within that environment, all he could do was pass on everything he could teach them.

Whether they would accept the knowledge he imparted, or give up because it was too bothersome or difficult, was another matter.

To produce as many good students as possible.

For that purpose, Spencer Magnus was working hard today, and he frowned at one of the topics that came up during the morning faculty meeting.

"To do that, we need to create an environment where students can focus on their studies without worry."

It was about a rumor that had spread among the students recently.

It hadn't spread much among the freshmen, but from sophomores and above, it was a common rumor that you could hear just by walking the hallways.

The main content of the rumor was that one day, an app that they had never installed appeared on their smartphones.

And the moment they opened it, their magic power would significantly increase.

'Nonsense.'

It's not just freshmen who struggle with handling magic power.

No, the difficulty increases with each higher grade.

Unlike freshmen who struggle with the basics, one of the difficulties faced by students from sophomore year and above is the actual amount of magic power.

The app commonly known as 'Magic Boost' among the students easily solved that problem for those who were struggling.

But Spencer Magnus denied the very essence of that app.

The reason was simple.

Equivalent Exchange; there is no power given without a price in this world.

Even elixirs that increase magic power vary in the amount one can absorb based on their effort, yet this app increases magic power just by being turned on without any effort?

Setting aside whether it actually exists, it certainly has side effects unknown to the students, and by its very existence, it denies the importance of self-development through effort, which Spencer Magnus could not tolerate.

'The most important thing when studying magic is the diligence of consistently moving forward for your goal.'

One can never become an excellent magician by relying solely on shortcuts.

But at the same time, he understood the feelings of the children who had no choice but to rely on such an app.

They are growing children.

An age where they are easily swayed by the temptations around them rather than being suspicious.

It's only natural for students tired from the competitive society of the Academy to seek an easier way out.

If this app actually exists, it's not the students' fault.

It's the fault of the adults trying to exploit the students' minds.

'Therefore, this is a problem that professors must solve.'

Uncover the truth behind the rumor.

If the app exists, find out how it works and who distributed it.

That was the content discussed at the faculty meeting, and as soon as the meeting ended, Spencer Magnus took action.

"I'm sorry for being late, Professor Magnus."

One part of the investigation process.

Establishing a hypothesis on how such a thing could be possible, assuming such an app exists.

While recalling one of those hypotheses, Spencer Magnus's gaze moved towards the door through which Arina and Maril had left, to the man with a staggering gait entering, Professor Carlson.