Wands Are More Delicate Than You Think

That wasn't really a proper fight... I guess.

Right?

Seems so.

And I even broke my wand.

Then there isn't much worth evaluating.

Huh?

We'll discuss the details later. We'll talk about the wand then as well. Stay behind.

Ugh.

So this is how it ends after all...

I stared at the shattered wand.

A five-segment incantation is hard after all.

They were spells I had been using as a hack without even learning them in the first place.

No way that was going to work.

I obediently trotted back to my seat.

And then.

Yumia, what was that just now?

How did you dodge the mana bullets?!

That was insane!! The last one was just meant to scare us, right?

Idiot, if you weren't really going to fire it, why cast it?

Still, a five-segment incantation? We're first-years!

I was surrounded by students in the stands with sparkling eyes.

They swarmed me like a pack of high school boys who'd just found a cool older brother.

Of course, there were girls mixed in too.

Hmm.

'Our bro really can't be beat.'

And I don't dislike this kind of thing either.

The corners of my mouth kept rising.

Hyahaha! I'm the best!!

Wooooah!!

Yumia! Yumia! Yumia!

Just then, Karnarov poured cold water over the whole thing.

You there, be quiet.

And the next duel began.

***

Linia, overwhelming your opponent is fine, but always keep mana efficiency in mind when you fight. If you stay conscious of it, there will definitely be something to gain.

Aris, the Script family's inherent magic is truly powerful. Stage 1 is sufficient now, so let's move on to the next stage.

Edgar, you're too timid when pushing mana into it. If you're going to use the wand you have now for the rest of your life, that's fine, but if not, then be more aggressive.

Robert, you just need to keep honing your skills as you are. However, the mana consumption when covering unexpected moves is large.

Karnarov kept watching the duels and giving feedback.

What was unexpected was that Robert and Aris overwhelmed their opponents by a huge margin.

Aris was especially impressive, hammering her opponent with mana bullets and not giving them a moment to breathe.

She practically beat them senseless without letting them breathe.

Even though her opponent used their inherent magic, Aris didn't use defense magic against their attack magic.

The moment it barely scratched the surface of her skin, it touched Aris's inherent magic and vanished.

The Script duke's young lady fights like a savage. She doesn't leave any openings.

She looks and sounds gentle, but I guess a ducal house is still a ducal house after all.

I immediately spoke to Aris after she returned to her seat.

You're good! Where did you learn to fight like that?

Then Aris tilted her head in confusion.

Huh? I just copied Yumia, that's all.

...?

Did I do that?

You've been influenced after all...

Robert shook his head.

I never taught them that.

That's unfair!

***

So, my impression after watching that magic duel... or rather, that battle of powerhouses, was this.

It was a lot of fun.

I want to do it again next week.

So what's this about?

I sipped my tea after being summoned to Karnarov's office.

Yumia.

Yep.

You fought very well. You're skilled in close combat too, and to think you managed that much against the Valtor family. I was surprised.

You don't look surprised at all, though.

Hmm.

It didn't feel like I was being scolded, but it didn't feel that light either.

And the way he was slowly buttering me up with praise...

This... smells like an assignment!

I'd like to leave now.

It's not an assignment.

Then that's fine.

I turned right back around and sat back down on the sofa.

So what is it?

Take out your wand.

Hmm.

I took out the shattered remains I'd tucked into my pocket.

It was still warm.

Did you call me here to make me pay for it now?

What else did you think?

Come to think of it, there wasn't anything else.

Of course I intended to compensate him.

But how much is it?

It'd be a problem if it was over 30 gold.

It's about 40 gold, though we'll cover half of that.

Huh, really?

That would be appreciated, I guess.

Then I'd still have enough left to cover the rental fee.

Honestly, I was planning to return it right when I was getting close to my limit after using dragon mana, but it broke too quickly, which was a problem.

Since it happened in my class, I suppose I should take responsibility. Of course, I don't know why a brand-new wand was turned into such a tattered mess right after you borrowed it.

Uh-huh...

I have nothing to say to that.

Now then, to the main point.

So there was something else after all.

Yep.

You need to stop abusing your wand.

Huh?

I'm saying stop using spells your wand can't handle.

I never did that!

How much do I even use the thing when I cast spells!

The others are even using their innate magic!

But Karnarov calmly brushed aside my objection.

Wands have specs too.

He took out his own wand.

For example, this wand is a rare treasure even in the Empire. In this case, it can handle the magic you were using with ease, and even more than that.

I used Observation Eye to inspect the wand.

Noise filled my vision.

[Unavailable]

'That's ridiculous.'

What kind of wand does this guy even use?

Karnarov flicked his wand and said,

the wand you were using is only good up to Triple Casting and a four-segment incantation.

Uh... really? That's all?

No way.

I thought an SSR would at least hold up a bit.

You used Deca Casting and five-segment incantations, and not just that, but several high-difficulty spells in a row.

Yep.

Honestly, I had been so excited about my new wand that I did use it recklessly.

Usually, if the specs are too low, the spell won't even activate, so the burden on the wand isn't that great. But your talent seems to have been far greater than I had assumed.

Should I take that as a compliment?

I guess it is.

Of course, even if you use it beyond its specs, it'll hold out for dozens of uses, but it seems the wand just wasn't in good condition that day.

I-I guess so.

Damn it.

Wasn't this supposed to hold up to dragon mana four times!?

Anyway, it's the wand's fault.

Not my fault!

Also, your mana is extremely forceful. I don't know when it started, but it's getting closer to dragon mana.

Ah.

This was Adrian's fault.

I found the culprit.

Does anything come to mind?

Let's move on for now.

I'll give you a new wand here. So absolutely do not use anything beyond Quad Casting, and do not use any five-segment incantation or higher.

Ehh...

I complained as I took the wand.

Then what am I supposed to climb the tower for?

The whole point of climbing the tower is to blast your way through it with magic.

Still, I ought to power through the tower in one go soon.

I heard the tower isn't that tall, so if I clear it up to the 12th floor, that should be enough.

A few more floors on Serado Very Hard and I'd graduate.

The tower is basically a tutorial, after all.

Just as I was thinking that and about to leave the office...

Ah, but there is an exception.

Huh?

During final exam period, you may use it enough to break the wand. Any damage that causes will be covered in full by yours truly, Karnarov.

Really?

Karnarov is being kind for once.

Yes.

Yes!

I should go around firing mana bullets with dragon mana.

I stood up, opened the office door a crack, and stepped out.

Then Karnarov's voice followed after me.

Otherwise, even you won't be able to handle it.

...Just what on earth are they going to make us do?

***

Since it only got hotter from that evening on, we decided to focus on barrier magic for now.

Domain Casting, Silence.

I deployed a small silence barrier in the shape of a cube.

A barrier that covered only the area around the generator, with a small radius.

Domain Extension, Time!

Then Aris cast a spell to extend the duration.

I poked my head into the locally deployed barrier.

Try talking to me.

Huh? What did you say?

Try talking to me!!!

I even made a megaphone with my hands and shouted at Aris, but she apparently couldn't hear me.

Success.

It lets sound from that side through, but blocks sound from this side, huh.

I'll think about the details later. For now, let's give it a try.

I inserted the mana stone and turned it on.

—Bwaaaaa—

The noise cut off the instant I pulled my head back out.

I-it worked! It worked!

A charging indicator appeared on the battery's LED display.

19%... 20%...

Aris let out a cheer.

So now we can keep using this magic tool!!

We plugged the fan into the outlet and stood right in front of it, enjoying the breeze.

Of course, with cold cola too.

Hyaaah... if there is a heaven, it has to be here...

Aris let out a weak, exhausted groan.

Same here.

There was nothing like a fan after all.

And about ten minutes passed.

When the battery was at around 50 percent.

Ah, wait. I'm running low on mana.

I popped open one of the potions Isabelle had given me and drank it.

I could feel my mana refilling all the way, but it no longer overflowed past my maximum.

'My mana capacity really did increase.'

I had spent mana on the duel and everything else today, but barrier magic just consumed a lot of mana on its own.

Even so, it's an advanced spell. It uses quite a bit of mana.

We were using an advanced spell to run an air conditioner, so we weren't exactly normal either, but it drained much faster than I expected.

Its fuel efficiency is pretty terrible.

Aris, are you okay on mana?

I still have a lot left.

...Maybe my mana pool was just small.

But with our skill level, having one person imbue both attributes was too much.

To do that, we'd have to rebuild everything from the basics up again.

'Cramming advanced magic isn't realistic.'

In the end, the only option was to raise our proficiency and somehow reduce the mana cost.

But until then, I couldn't give up the fan.

And if we wanted to run an air conditioner too, potions were absolutely essential.

Then it's all or nothing!

Let's make a ton of potions and hold out until then!

...But where are we supposed to get the materials?

The school market?

Do potion materials even come into the school market? And Yumia, do you have money?

...Ah.

I hadn't thought of that.

Then should we just give up and settle for the fan?

If we use it sparingly, maybe we can make it work.

I had already sold the potions I had, and the only ones left were the two tiny vials Isabelle had given me.

They did hand out materials again in potion class.

But that was only a single set, meant for students who had used up all their materials in practice.

I was thinking about where to get more materials...

[Herbology Final Exam Notice - Outdoor Foraging]

The chance came sooner than I expected.