“Icicle! Fireball! Ice Lance! Wind Blade!”
Lilia gripped her Mage’s Staff tightly, spells tumbling from her lips in quick succession.
For a first-rank Mage, her spellcasting speed was already outstanding.
But in Charlotte’s eyes, these spells were so slow they made him want to yawn, and their force was rather feeble.
Still, for a beginner, this was already more than enough.
Lilia truly was a Mage gifted in both talent and diligence.
But relying on just those two traits was not enough—what’s more, she was an Elf, a race blessed by the gods themselves, born with stronger Magic Power than any other species.
She ought to be even better.
To truly master Magic, you had to push yourself to the brink again and again. To become stronger, you needed to be tempered through countless trials.
If one wished to reach the same transcendence as Charlotte, one had to grow under the constant threat of death, day after day.
On the battlefield, if you didn’t cast Magic quickly enough, you’d die. If your Magic Power ran dry, you’d die.
So Charlotte needed to be faster; Charlotte needed even more immense Magic Power.
After last night’s brush with death, Charlotte had already broken through his former shackles, reaching the level of a fourth-rank Mage. This was all forced out by his sheer will to survive.
However, he didn’t plan to make this public. An eighteen-year-old fourth-rank Mage would draw far too much attention.
If he announced his advancement now and sided with Kresia Kalishi at the Emperor’s banquet, it would only make her a target.
Charlotte planned to wait until he returned to Kalishi Academy and reveal it during the regular new term Test. That way, it wouldn’t seem out of place.
“Take a break.”
As soon as Charlotte finished speaking, Lilia collapsed onto the ground, clutching her Mage’s Staff.
Only when her barely sustained concentration faded did she belatedly realize that her strength had been completely drained, and her whole body ached as though being torn apart.
Lilia gasped for breath, one arm constantly wiping away the sweat pouring down her face.
Her damp silver hair clung to her cheeks, and even that streak of pink-dyed hair looked hopelessly disheveled.
Her clothes were already soaked through with sweat.
At first, she’d felt embarrassed to be so bedraggled in front of Charlotte, but now she was completely used to it.
“I… I really don’t feel well… I’m going to die… ha… Charlotte.”
Charlotte sat down beside her. “Everyone is like this at first. Well… it’s just that not many people push their Magic Power to this extent.”
Just now, Charlotte had been teaching Lilia how to temper her Magic Power.
Most Mages thought it was dangerous to let your Magic Power be completely depleted.
But Charlotte was different—he was addicted to this feeling.
Since he was a child, he’d cast Magic non-stop until his Magic Power ran dry. Most of the time, he’d faint outright.
Back then, his mother and sister had thought he was just weak and sickly, and had worried themselves sick.
But only in this way did Charlotte feel truly alive; only then did he feel like he was really using Magic.
Although it was dangerous, Charlotte found this to be the best way.
By constantly pushing his limits, his Magic Power increased, and his recovery speed improved.
Where other Mages needed Mana Potions and a whole day’s rest after depletion, a few hours were enough for Charlotte.
And he could cast Magic with reckless abandon, draining himself empty if he wished.
Even if his Magic Power was exhausted, all he’d feel was dizziness—not a fatal risk.
“So… Charlotte, is this going to be my daily training from now on?” Lilia’s voice trembled as she asked.
“That’s right. Try to drain your Magic Power every day, if possible. But I’m a bit worried about your body, so when I’m not around, leave a bit in reserve, all right?”
Charlotte replied.
Lilia’s vision was already blurry, her whole body limp, but she still clung tightly to the Mage’s Staff Charlotte had just given her.
She slumped heavily against Charlotte’s shoulder, each breath coming with a burning pain.
The rapid panting made her feel even dizzier and more light-headed. “Charlotte, can you… can you use a bit of Healing Magic… I really… feel awful.”
As a Noble Lady, she had never experienced such torment.
Charlotte wasn’t the least bit put off by Lilia’s sweat. On the contrary, he even thought she smelled rather nice after sweating.
“At times like this, using Healing Magic would reduce the effect.”
“I… I thought Magic was just about having enough mental strength…”
Lilia noticed Charlotte didn’t push her away, so she took advantage, pressing both hands to his chest, nearly squeezing herself into his arms.
Charlotte didn’t think anything of Lilia’s actions—after all, she was exhausted. Letting her lean on him for a while was no big deal.
“Mental strength is for controlling the precision of your Magic, while Magic Power is like what Warriors call stamina—it’s related to your physical condition. So, Mages should also train their bodies. Even if they can’t match a Warrior’s physique, they should at least be able to handle a scuffle.”
“Got it…”
Lilia and Charlotte chatted a bit more about Magic, then the conversation shifted to Kalishi Academy.
Lilia was very much looking forward to life at the academy. Who knew how many interesting new things she’d experience there?
“So, the Academy’s Holiday is really that long?”
“Actually, it’s pretty free at the Academy. If you want a Holiday, every day can be one. For example, I almost never go to class.”
“Huh?” Lilia stared at him in shock.
She had thought Charlotte was the model three-good-student type—never late, always helpful, diligent, and hardworking.
But in truth, Charlotte was not as perfect as she’d imagined. His polite demeanor was more a product of his Noble upbringing.
At the Magic Academy, the reason Charlotte could get along so well with Princess Kresia—who didn’t act like a typical princess—was because their personalities were similar.
Kresia Kalishi was also a Magic genius. As the former Chief Student, whenever anyone questioned her, she liked to debate Magic theory with the teachers in public, often silencing the younger professors so thoroughly that no one dared question her anymore.
At the Magic Academy, questioning the Chief Student’s abilities seemed to be a yearly tradition. Charlotte was no exception, but he handled it differently: he simply fought them. Anyone who made trouble at the Academy had been beaten by Charlotte at least once. Now, no one dared challenge him—not even the professors, since they too had been beaten by Charlotte.
Lilia asked, “Why doesn’t Charlotte go to class? Are there too many classes?”
Charlotte thought for a moment. “Freshmen have more classes. I don’t attend because the teachers have nothing left to teach me. Right now, I’m studying some newer Magic with a certain Professor—the special one I mentioned to you before.”
“Really? I’d like to study with Charlotte under that Professor too.”
Charlotte quickly waved his hand. “Don’t.”
Just thinking of his teacher made Charlotte want to laugh. “She’s careless and never pays attention to me. She only got her post because I help her with Magic research. She drinks all day and does nothing. You’d only suffer if you studied under her.”
“What?!”
Lilia’s worldview was shaken once more. Her mother was also a Professor at the Magic Academy, and from what she knew, becoming a Professor took tremendous effort.
Professors had to prepare lessons, care for students, and focus on their own Magic research.
How could there be such a Professor?
“Then why did Charlotte choose her as his teacher?”
“Sigh…”
Charlotte shook his head helplessly. “There are many reasons. It’s complicated.”
Immediately, Lilia’s mind was filled with dramatic scenarios.
She’d read novels with similar plots.
Like a sexy, blue-haired teacher with a stunning figure encountering a handsome, diligent student, then manipulating him—making him help with Magic research, give her massages, tempting him with various “rewards” so he’d willingly do her bidding, and ultimately draining him dry.
Charlotte’s description was exactly like the plot from one of those novels!
Lilia perked up, clutching Charlotte’s hand anxiously. “Did she get something on you? Don’t worry, my family is very powerful. If you’re being bullied, you must tell me—I’ll help you!”
“No… Where are you getting these ideas?” Charlotte was left speechless by her sudden closeness.
Her family might be influential, but wasn’t the Mistmoon Family as well?
Besides, at Kalishi Academy, power meant nothing—only strength mattered.
“It’s that blue-haired, long-legged, super-busty beauty of a teacher, isn’t it?” Lilia’s cheeks flushed as her voice grew softer.
“Did she force you to do things you didn’t want to? Like… when you’re massaging her legs or shoulders, she deliberately makes you look at her… at her bunnies or something?”
“There’s absolutely nothing like that!” Charlotte was utterly exasperated. “Where did this blue-haired, long-legged, super-busty beauty teacher even come from?!”
Unbelievable.
Charlotte couldn’t understand how such a pure Lilia could think like this.
But according to Floleen, all the Noble Ladies at Kalishi these days were obsessed with novels, many of them even writing and sharing their own stories within their circles.
Charlotte had peeked at a couple out of curiosity and was already familiar with these Noble Ladies’ outlandish imaginations—all focused on romance with ridiculous plots.
That kind of seductive, big-sister teacher literature was completely normal among them.
Maybe things like this could happen in fiction, but in reality? Very unlikely.
Moreover… Charlotte’s teacher was nothing like that blue-haired, busty, long-legged beauty—not even remotely similar.
Charlotte glanced at Lilia’s “bunnies” and the pendant hanging from them, then compared her “combat power” to his teacher’s in his mind—hmm… Lilia’s combat power was about 2.3 times greater.
His teacher wasn’t as tall as Bella, and her figure was about the same as Bella’s.
If Kresia Kalishi, Floleen, and Lilia were considered “soaring peaks,” then Bella and his teacher were definitely “little hills.” Aifel was somewhere between them.
As for the best figure…
Charlotte still thought Floleen’s was the best—after all, he got to admire Floleen’s beauty every day. As for the others, who knew? He wasn’t the type to covet what he didn’t have.
“Alright, since you’re so energetic, if you’ve rested enough, get up off me and let’s continue.”
“Ugh… so tired.”
“My goal is for you to enroll as the Chief Student. No slacking!”
Training resumed.
Lilia’s movements as she wielded her Mage’s Staff and constructed Magic Circles became noticeably smoother.
She could even begin chanting the next Spell before the Magic Circle of the previous one was fully formed.
Seeing this, Charlotte was a little surprised.
It was only the first day.
It seemed his student was growing at lightning speed—truly moving.
“So, was this what it felt like for Movira when she taught me?” Charlotte scratched his head.
Hmm… It really was satisfying. Maybe that old woman only teaches Chief Students to experience this feeling of “raising” a prodigy?