Disclaimer: I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Omori; all rights go to him. I only own my original characters Sleipnir, Ikuchi, Sylphie, and all the others.

Speech: Happa asks. "You know, I have always been curious what the inspiration for Sly's name was?".

Thoughts: Shimizu thinks back to the humble beginnings of the story. 'Hmm, I figured out his name almost 2 years ago.'

Screaming/Demonic Voice: "First I took inspiration from an amazing wizard character by the name of 'Zeddicious Zul Zorander'!"

Magic: Sly chants. "Next came S******* Sly Shimizu, also working with an alliteration, with my favorite letter S no less. - Naming Spree!"

Runes: 'It started with Sleipnir as a good name for Orario, then I worked my way back to his backstory with Shin Shimizu for the east and the only the first family name remains a mystery. - Fuin!"

Writing: 'Another factor for Sly's pyrokinesis was also the iconic Fireball of Zedd, the nickname of the wizard who inspired Sly.'

Chapter 28 Nuances of Rune Magic

2nd Day of Lessons – 7:55 AM, The School District – Academic Layer – Sly POV

He was somewhat nervous, but excited. Chigusa and he had to wake up earlier than usual since Myles's lessons started at 8 and the Melen was around 7 kilometres away from Orario. Yesterday the School District had arrived and there had been a massive influx of people into Orario from Melen; getting places had been a bit of a nightmare. The day before, Chigusa and Sly had gone to buy textbooks and notebooks for her use during the lessons. While shopping, Sly used a small illusion similar to the one on his tail to give his Archive the appearance of a normal notebook. Fortunately, as adventurers, the income they brought in could cover such expenses easily.

As they headed to their destination this morning Sly adopted the guise of Genno, a very handsome high elf. From what Myles told him, the first lesson he was doing was reserved for the School District since they did not allow outsiders on the premises on their first day in Melen. The trade hub was an easy trek after his first visit, but there was a new element to it that was distracting; the School District was visible from Orario!

The sheer size of the School District baffled him! It is the largest ship in the world with a 700-meter diameter and a profile comparable to a large city. Its structure is composed of three huge discs called the Control Layer, Life Layer, and Academic Layer each of which is over 20 meters tall. The staff and crew of this ship reach 10,000. From what Acatl-Hakase told him, the School District travelled across the known world to places ranging from Telskyura to even the Empire.

More or less, they were considered a world power to help stabilize the continent. The School District has done this by helping with disasters around the world ranging from monster attacks to even political conflicts where war and territory expansion occur. Such a place has been a ray of hope for Genkai, but the problem was that they could only be in one place at any one time. Even so, their services, education facilities, and ability to take in refugees make them a vital faction in Genkai.

Sly could only frown slightly reflecting on the purpose of this place. 'I have to wonder why it hasn't helped resolve the civil war of the Far East. Is it possible that politics prevent them from doing so?'

This is the place that both he and his little sister walked into this morning. It was busy with staff and students in uniform walking about and hurrying towards their classes. Entering the Academic Layer, the two hurried to their proper class accompanied by the faint presence of Akiri and Sylphie who looked around with curiosity at this place from within his illusion. It reassured Sly greatly to have the messenger back at his side.

Eventually, the three made it to the classroom and entered. They immediately found it packed, clearly more than would be expected for a classroom of this size. At the front of the classroom before the chalkboards, they could see the half dark-elf sitting with his feet propped up on the desk before him and reading a textbook.

Sly could only blink at this. 'I know he was rather casual in our meeting, but he is the professor!' More than that, however, two new spirit signatures entered his senses. But he learned his lesson with Welf. DO NOT FOCUS YOUR MAGIC PRESSURE ON A SPIRIT IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE! So, he merely determined their tier with a broad touch of his magic pressure. A tier 1…and a tier 4?!

Sylphie's eyes, on the other hand, darted to two very interesting individuals he could not see. A yellow-furred fox spirit sits upon the desk next to the half dark-elf's feet. Black-tipped ears and a single, black-tipped tail adorn this fox spirit curled up on the desk with the tail wrapped about itself. 'A trickster tier 1 kogitsune!' Sylphie's lips curled into a smile. 'I didn't get to meet him with Sly and he even forgot about me that day! This teacher must be pretty interesting if he attracts one of those spirits!'

The other one, however, is a tall humanoid at around 167 cm standing in the corner nearest the boards and windows of the classroom. She is impossibly beautiful with long flowing silver hair, fair skin, piercing green eyes, and a robe that hugs her form; her eyes seem to lock onto Sylphie. In response, Sylphie gulps and bows to her. 'A tier 4 spirit of creativity, a leanan sidhe! Just who is this guy!?'

The half dark-elf in question looks at them as they enter, raises a brow at Sly, and then looks at the rest of the room with a sigh. "My word….so many elves here from the Loki Familia… Fricken Riveria…."

The elves in question frown at his casual address of Riveria-sama as he stood up from his desk. "Right then!" the half dark-elf declares. "Sorry students of the School District, but we're gonna need to make an adjustment. As some of you may or may not know, Elves are a particular race with certain views on interaction with other races that make them… difficult to deal with."

Immediately a few of the aforementioned race in the room move to speak and the half dark-elf holds up a hand to stop them. "So, we are going to have to be flexible with seating arrangements. I would ask that the Fairy Force congregate in one section of the room so that we don't have to worry about unintended contact. Perhaps that back corner?" He points to the corner to the back left of the classroom.

"If this isn't a concern for you, then sit where you want." The classroom murmurs and the attendees of the class start to move about the room getting to their places. The students of the School District mainly sat near the windows of the classroom and started to bunch together, 4 students to a desk instead of the normal 2. Sly could only blink as he noticed Aphaiton was also in this class in the middle of the desks.

"Hey Sly!" Sylphie gripped one of his ears now. "The seeress of the Apollo familia is here as well!" She points Cassandra out as well who decided to sit in the back of the class in the middle column. He could only sigh internally. 'I am beyond happy I have cast an illusion to cover both vision and sound, otherwise, Sylphie would have been spotted instantly. It's a wonder that no second-class adventurer has noticed her. The natural stealth of spirits is certainly helping. With her here I will have to be careful with what spells I use… Maybe I will stick to Attractio Fortis?'

"Chigusa, hold back during the exercises. Stick to the basics, better not to stands out in front of her." Sly nods at Cassandra.

Chigusa takes a careful glance around the room and gives him a small nod. Before they notice that most of the spots are taken, leaving the front of the classroom with the most desk space. Both of them quickly take the open seats next to a silver-haired human and an orange-haired elf. The elf looks around her curiously as he sits himself in the seat next to her. 'Oops, seems like she sensed the mana of my illusion domain.'

He quickly puts on a smile and looks at Lefiya trying to change her focus. "Hi, my name is Genno and this is Chigusa. We are from the Takemikazuchi familia. I hope you don't mind us taking these seats?"

The orange-haired elf blinks at him and then smiles. "Oh! No, not at all. My name is Lefiya and this is my friend Airmid. We are both a part of the Idunn familia."

The silver-haired human smiles and nods to Take members. "A pleasure to meet you both."

The Idunn members move their things giving both Chigusa and Sly more room, but as they start to pull out their belongings for the lesson Chigusa nudges Sly and whispers. "What was that about Genno?"

Sly whispers back, "Lefiya noticed my illusory domain. I just wanted to pull her attention away."

A loud bell rang now as the student body present settled into their seats, signaling the start of class, and the professor nodded. "Right then, my name is Myles. I am here at the request of the School District to serve as a substitute teacher for this class until they find a suitable permanent replacement. This class is for Runic Magic, so if you're not here for that then you're in the wrong place!" He levels a stare over the entire room as no one leaves. "Sweet, you all can find your way in this maze at least. Let's begin with a roll call for the School District."

The uniformed students begin to answer his call for names, but then Sly notices something. Myles's eyes seem to be glowing a faint white color as he looks over the entire class. Sly frowns, wondering what that is about before he finally comes to the two students next to him. As he calls out for Lefiya Viridis, Sly notices his eyes wander to the top of his head, where Sylphie is and then down in front of their desk where the black, three-tailed fox spirit stands guard.

"Hey… Sly he…" Sylphie begins only for Sly to nod. 'He can see spirits, perhaps a skill, I'll ask him later.' Chigusa looks to her older brother and blinks some. "What is it, Genno?" Sly blinks and looks to Chigusa and smiles. "Oh, teacher can see them Chigusa. But don't worry, he's in the know." The next name called is Airmid Teasanare as the roll call is then concluded at her answer of "Here!" with a raised hand.

"Sweet got the whole roster here. Now then let's get to business. Those of the School District know my credentials, but I'll just repeat what I told them yesterday. Put some faith in the staff of this facility. Var-sama is a deity of Oaths and Agreements, and I made an oath to her to teach all of you to the best of my ability. Questioning me is fine, I'll answer the best I can, and direct you to my best guess if I don't know the answer myself or will find the answer and get back to you."

Sly could only tilt his head at this almost "disclaimer." 'Seems like Myles is a bit wary of his words… And a deity of Oaths and Agreements? I better be careful if I ever meet them…' Sylphie could only beat the top of Sly's head at his movement, almost dislodging her. "Hey! Don't move like that suddenly!"

"So!" Their professor proclaimed. "Let's get to the meat of the topic. What is magic?"

…

The student body before him only frowned. Then a Loki familia member spoke up, she possesses golden hair and hazel eyes. Those in the know would recognise her as the vice-captain of the Fairy Force of the Loki familia, Alicia Forestlight. The rest of the class looks to her as she answers. "Magic is an active demonstration of the world's principles!"

Myles frowns slightly looking up to her and hums, "Hmmmm?"

The golden elf continues, "It helps us explore the origin and structure of reality itself and the natural laws that govern all of Genkai! Magic reveals all that, helping us understand forces seen and unseen and answering the questions of why we and this world exist and what we are capable of! It's our lantern in the dark and can show us the various layers of Genkai! That's why magic is great, it empowers us with understanding!"

Myles then levels a stare that Chigusa of all people remembers because of Welf. A cold and piercing glance that seeks to see into another. "But what's its real use?"

The golden elf is baffled at his response, but he continues, "We can talk all day about why this and why that, but what does it actually accomplish for us?"

Alicia frowns at this and retorts, "What? What kind of question is that!? It reveals possibilities and other layers of existence!" Quickly the professor retorts, "And what exactly is on those other layers? Spirits or even Gods?"

Alicia hesitates then speaks, "Well it's just-"

The professor interjects, "Let me clarify. What tangible benefits do mortal kind get from the field of magic? Look at the field of medicine, it saves people when they are sick. That's a real, practical use on a massive scale. This is also true for agriculture and architecture. Mind you, you can argue that magic does the same, but that isn't the core origin of the field of magic. Is it just me, or does magic not do crap for the average individual in Genkai?"

Alicia is quiet, then speaks up, "That's not fair! Magic may not feed or house our people, but it provides something greater than our basic needs! It's about searching for the truth behind Genkai and life itself-"

"Ah! Sorry, my bad!" Their professor interrupts. "I've been lying. Magic is incredibly useful for one thing!" He moves in front of the desk; a hand passing through the kogitsune and he sits on the desk. A wide smirk appears on his face while he looks at his students. "For killing people!"

The class erupts into gasps and murmurs now.

"Think about this: in the same time it takes to kill a person with a sword, magic can kill ten or more! When it comes to mass murder magic is in a class of its own! And let's not forget the importance of magic units in wars between nations!" His gaze meets the class, with a clear challenge.

Alicia scowls and exclaims, "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

He responds, "Oh I agree! In the past magic arose to fight monsters! It's clear that magic and death go hand-in-hand!"

Alicia interrupts, "No! That's not true!"

"Oh? Really? What about the party that was with Albert Waldstein? He had mages at his back of significant power! According to all legends and stories, they could raze forests, slice through reality to get to enemies, and even inflict poison and disease on their enemies! That is the legacy of this art you are studying! It's built on bloodshed!"

Alicia again interjects, "That's not what magic is about…" All the elves of the Fairy Force bristle at these words but have no retort.

"Really?! WHAT ARE YOU KIDS THINKING?! OPEN YOUR EYES! YOU ARE COMING HERE EVERY DAY TO STUDY AN ART THAT IS ONLY USEFUL FOR CAUSING DEATH AND SUFFERING!"

To this point Sly and Chigusa could only have their jaws slack and open at this discussion that was unfolding before them. Then a scowl grew on Sly's face. 'Myles! Are you trying to rile me up?! There is no chance that's what you think about magic. But if that's the case how dare you question magic…?! No matter, I won't stand anyone slandering my passion, not even a teacher recommended by Acatl. How dare you insult Sadao's teachings!'

Sly slams his hands on the desk and stands. His tails are flailing wildly, looking as if his robe was billowing in the wind with his illusion as his magic pressure descends upon the room without a move from him, surprising the students and even senior mages into recoiling and looking over in shock.

"BE QUIET!" He levels a furious glare at Myles. His tails flail faster behind him, and his magic pressure rises even higher. "Magic is more than just that! It is the comforting touch of your imagination rippling into reality, which unfolds even the simplest of ideas into a field of endless possibilities. From these countless possibilities, in the end, it's up to each individual to decide what to do with such power! The actions of one individual don't characterize the entire field!"

These words resound within Sly and without even using his magic pressure he knows a third tail has appeared behind him, but he isn't focused on that, oh no. His new teacher had his undivided attention!

Myles looks slightly taken aback at Sly's outburst, leaning back on the desk. Then, his eyes gleam with approval as he smirks. "That's right."

…

"Eh?" The entire class could only say.

The professor elaborates, "Magic is an incredibly diverse field that can do a great many things. Yes, attacking and causing violent injury is one of those things and a popular one, but it isn't the only thing."

Both Alicia and Sly then sit, one flabbergasted, the other with a deep breath to calm his sudden anger.

"I've seen magic raze crops, families, and even deities in the name of selfish ambition. However, I have also seen magic save orphans, and those on the verge of death at the hands of criminals or stricken by the natural diseases of the world! I've even seen magic hold great calamities at bay so that Genkai itself may support and nurture a new generation of adventurers to meet the coming challenge! It is up to all of you," at this point, Myles motions out to all of them sitting, "to make magic be that instead of the horrible wave of destruction it can be!"

The professor then sighs and gets off the desk, walking forward. He stops in front of the middle desk where Sly, Chigusa, Airmid, and Lefiya are sitting and bows, very deeply. "I apologize for going this far on your initial day with me." He stands straight and looks at them all, focusing mostly on Alicia and Sly. "But I only have a month with you. I want to install a concept of ethics in you, future great mages. There is so much you can do with Runic Magic!"

'The atmosphere of this room has changed.' Aphaiton noted as he looked about subtly. 'Before some were skeptical of this man before them. Now, he has their attention.' A smile curled at the corners of his lips.

Myles focuses on Sly. "Hey, elf." Sly could only blink and look to and fro a moment before pointing to himself. "Me?"

Myles rolls his eyes and nods. "Yes, you. What's your name?"

Sly looks back to Myles with annoyance, why was he drawing attention to him? "Genno."

The professor nods and then looks to the rest of the class. "Right, let's get back to it. Can anyone tell me how you cast a spell?"

One of the Loki mages then pipes up, "Yes! A spell is normally cast by using a chant to bring forth your inner reserves, your Mind. The chant itself helps your Mind be channeled and drained in a proper way that brings your spell into focus. In addition, your spell's power is determined by your Mind's saturation. The higher your level and magic stat, the higher your Mind saturation."

Sly could only frown at that explanation and looks back to his professor. He notices that he is scanning the section from the School District to see if anyone will pipe up.

…

Myles's eyes widen and his eyebrows raise. "Holy fuck. It's fucking true! The School District's books haven't changed in years and are wrong as fuck!" The class seems to gasp and murmur at this exclamation. "It's a kami damn miracle that this institution has produced any Rune Mages capable of reaching Adept level at all!"

He suddenly turns to the School District section. "And you all! Did everything I wrote yesterday go over your heads?! None of you said anything!"

A random student speaks up, "But professor, Mind and its importance to spell casting has been the doctrine for centuries! And we have no idea what Mana is! We thought it was another word for Mind using Altena's nomenclature!"

Myles groans and leans back, his head facing the ceiling. "Fine! It's back to the basics then!" He then turns around and picks up a piece of chalk to start writing. "Let's be perfectly clear! There is a distinction between mind, magic, and mana!" He begins writing and the class starts to write down notes while Sly just sits there nodding a bit and reading along while adding a few comments Myles had which differed from Acatl's explanation.

'The mind is where our concentration originates and depends on focus and willpower. It is used to cast spells and maintain them while we concentrate.

Mana is the energy reserve we have with which we cast spells. We can channel it inside the body and even outside of it as our willpower and focus or a spell circle guides it in a certain way or to create certain spells. It is improved by the Magic stat in the falna.

If our mana reserves fall below a certain threshold, we enter Mind Down. If we completely drain these reserves, we hit Mind Zero. Mind Zero is normally fatal without aid.

Magic itself represents our ability to manipulate mana and behaves like a kind of pressure. Mages can exert this pressure upon mana to guide it into the shape of spells.'

Sly's eyes widened as Myles finished the last line. 'This is almost word for word the explanation I gave in my first magic lesson with Acatl-Hakase….' Myles turns to the class now, motioning back to the board with a hand.

"This is the bare bones of spells, magic, and mana. However, there is an X factor to all this." Myles turns back to the board and begins to write.

'Mana control = Independent of magic stat on Falna. It is improved by three factors:

Better understanding of the spell you try to cast.

Your natural magic attribute(s).

Your magic pressure (lesser factor).'

Sly's eyes widen further. 'It's almost like I am re-hearing my first lesson with Acatl-hakase…'

Myles gazes back to the class. "I hate to ask, but is there anyone here that doesn't know their affinities?"

The class looks to one another quietly, but then Sly seems to notice that Cassandra fidgets some before hesitantly raising her hand. "Uh, professor? I had my affinities scanned, but there is one I don't know. I have a strong affinity for healing, a moderate light affinity, and a minor, teal affinity."

Sly could only blink. 'Wait, a minor teal affinity? Is it like mine?' He focuses his attention on hearing what Myles has to say.

Myles whistles some at that. "Wow, you must have quite potent healing spells! Strong healing and moderate light affinities are pretty standard for a good healer and not a common occurrence. I'm not sure about your minor affinity, but I can tell you that it definitely isn't one of the main 8 attributes and it doesn't sound like ice, vapour, nor acid. You're quite something ain't ya? I'll look into it, but I can't promise results."

Sly then frowns a bit, stealing another glance back at Cassandra who withdrew, bashful in the face of all the attention she was getting. 'Healing and light affinities… She is the seeress for sure. I wonder if the teal actually represents the ability to see into the future?'

"Th-thank you for the praise professor." Cassandra squeaks. Myles could only smile at her and then look at the rest of the class. "Anyone else not know?"

At the silence of the class Myles nods. "Right, let's move to the last basic factor." He begins to write.

'Magic Pressure – Magic stat = amount of pressure you can exert. The more pressure you can exert, the more mana you can manipulate at velocities of increasing speed per your magic stat.'

Sly nods at this. 'Yeah, all of this is exactly as Hakase said… No wonder she sent him to teach me.'

Myles elaborates, "This said, if your mana control is not high you will waste vast amounts of mana and potentially overload your spells. This is the curse of being a high-level mage. You gain a great deal more mana and magic pressure as you level up and raise your status, but gaining control becomes an insane task. Let's go with an example.

Many healers or magic supporters of familias crest to around level 3 or 4. They gain a great deal of experience casting their same spells over and over again without having to worry about a rapid change in their magic stat and mana. This lets them gain refined mana control from casting spells repeatedly at the same status. That lets them cast those supporting spells more and more often.

On the other hand, let's look at high-level mages or adventurers. The most famous and powerful I know of is the Empress, the level 9 mage captain of the Hera Familia. She possessed a great deal of knowledge of runic magic, but her Falna spells allowed her to cast spells of great blades of wind to rip monsters to shreds and of enchantment magic that allowed her to boost her own stats and those of an ally. At the same time, her mana control allowed her to control her pressure and mana itself to still cast cantrips at their weakest even at level 9. I am sure that if she overcharged Ventus Falcem with as much mana as it could take, it would make a laughingstock of a standard level 6 mage's wind magic."

Myles stops his explanation to add another line to the blackboard. 'Cantrips scale with the magic stat. Beginners can normally cast cantrips 10 times. Adepts onwards can normally cast cantrips 100 times at greater power.

This phenomenon is called overcharging. Cantrips can be cast with a set minimum amount of mana, but an overcharged cantrip is cast with as much mana as a mage can safely input.'

The class started to murmur now at this information, many of the Loki mages looking at one another and pondering.

"So, now I assume you want an example of a current mage right? Let's go with Riveria, the Nine Hells. To my knowledge, she is a level 6 mage who has been progressively pushing her magic stat to what limits she could. I would assume each level up has been A rank if not S. In addition, she is a high elf; this race has a high affinity for magic. If I were to quantify this factor, she is a 600. An amazon would likely be 150 and a human 200. Neither is exactly working with a strong advantage for magic. Lastly, she should have the Mage development ability, at least at F, which would give her racial bonus a flat boost of 400. Raising it all the way to a 1'000. Nine Hells is what I would call a High-Border-Max mage."

Sly's eyes could only widen at this explanation. 'This is so detailed in evaluating a mage's strength… How could he possibly have a frame of reference for this?' Sly had been writing down notes since Myles started with these examples.

"Unfortunately, judging from your expressions during this talk Fairy Force, I can only imagine her mana control mid to low…" Myles seems to frown and trail off now, then his eyes widen. "In fact, I know for a fact that she has had an interest in Runes and yet I have never seen her cast a single Runic Spell at adept level! That must mean that she lacks a falna slot for the Runic Magic Fuin or… No, it definitely must be that her slots are filled with a special magic that lets her cast all of her spells the way she does!"

All of the Fairy Force could only look horrified as Myles analyzed their idol. Then they see him frown. "She's been crippled by her own falna… and she doesn't know about mana control…" His eyes scan over the Fairy Force with a glowing gaze that makes them flinch. "I see… Well, at least you all can tell her all of this. This means that she can reach new heights that none of us have seen her perform at." The Fairy Force's expressions then seem to light up at this.

Myles could only sigh. "So, Nine Hells isn't a fair example to use…" Then their professor smirked. "So, let's analyze Ottar, the King, instead!"

…

"EHHHHH!? WHY OTTAR?! HE IS A FRONTLINE FIGHTER!" Almost the entire class exclaimed at him.

Myles could only blink at this. "Huh…. I suppose very few people know then… I'd wager he has the enchantment attribute. Ottar is capable of casting an attack-enhancing falna spell, Hildis Vini."

Sly's eyes widen at this information. 'Wait, an attack-enhancing spell? So, the adventurer that saved us is even stronger than Welf told me. He was already beyond what I can quantify, and he has magic to make his strikes even stronger!?'

Alicia stands and pipes up, "Hakase! How do you know that?!"

Myles blinks at the title. "Uh… well I was there to watch him fight Zald. I even know his chant."

Pin-drop silence echoed through the classroom. "However, it would take a very long time to figure out the proper runes to mimic his chant. It is specifically tied to his relationship with the Goddess Freya. You would have to find a suitable replacement for yourself, but we are getting ahead of ourselves."

Myles then goes to another section of the board and starts to write some sort of stat table while speaking. "The comparison between him and the Empress would be a decent measure to demonstrate a disparity between adventurers of high level. The Empress from the get-go had strong magic and a thirst for knowledge on Runes. She likely was a mid-S leveling individual for magic.

On the other hand, Ottar likely gained his magic somewhere in the neighborhood of level 3 and 4 and didn't train up his magic stat. I'd wager that he didn't ever get his magic stat over C. In the end, their magic stats possess an incredible disparity quantified in the 10s of thousands! How is this possible? We all know that the maximum for any stat of the falna is 999. In addition to this, leveling up also boosts the power of all stats, building upon your success. Over the millennia that the Gods have been around the Guild and many familias have studied the falna. While we can't be sure, mortals and deities alike, we can come to a conservative estimate for "power" levels.

Each level up increases the stats of an individual by 10%. In addition, one's race bears a strong control factor for their future growth. Amazons, humans, and a few of the beast-folk have low magic potential while elven-folk, renards, and hume bunnies have strong magic potential. However, race isn't the sole determination for your magical future. Not surprisingly, development abilities play a massive role. Mage, Magic Student, Mysterious Mage, and likely many others play into the falna's magic stat growth. We don't know everything, but the Hera and Zeus familias played a massive role in figuring out what we know in regards to quantifying the falna's strengths.

From my knowledge, I see the Empress having around 49'500-51'000 at level 9 and Ottar having around 6000 at level 7. A massive disparity to say the least. This said Ottar probably has low mana control while the Empress likely had high. Considering this, who do you all think would have an easier time casting a cantrip without overcharging it?"

Sly then speaks up, "It depends on your perspective. From the perspective of mana control obviously the Empress. However, if you consider the massive magic stat disparity it might even be said that they would have equal difficulty casting a cantrip with the minimum mana cost. So much mana will disrupt your ability to cast such a low-rank spell unless you master your control. On the other hand, an overcharged cantrip cast by Ottar could never match up to one cast by The Empress."

Myles then smirks at him. "You got it in one Genno! That's right!" The class could only murmur at his explanation looking to Sly some. Chigusa could only smile proudly at him. 'That's Nii-san for you.'

Myles looks to the rest of the class now. "Does that give you a good idea of how all the factors we just talked about are tied together?" He received many nods from the students and mages causing him to nod in return. "Good. Well, now that we are done with the basics, let's take a break before we get to Rune Magic itself." Myles turned and sat behind the desk and put his feet up.

Sly was eager now, this is what he was here for. 'Finally! Though, to be fair it's nice to hear a confirmation that my knowledge thus far is right!'

2nd Day of Lessons – 8.50 AM, The School District – Academic Layer – Sly POV

The lesson continued after a 5-minute break. Just as Myles put down the eraser he used to clear the board and was picking up his chalk somebody asked. "Hakase! Why exactly can't you cast Ottar's Hildis Vini? Shouldn't the process be really simple since you know the name and chant?"

Myles glances back at the class with a long silent stare. He then sighs and turns back to the board. "Before I explain why, I gotta say one thing."

Myles spins about and levels a blank even stare across the class, eyes glowing. "Every one of you is an idiot!"

"Gekh!" Every student there flinched at the declaration and then some of them, mostly the elves, scowled at him with a glare.

"I realize that now from the way that most of you have either agreed with what a peer said regarding magic or asked a question like that! None of you seem to have grasped the very heart of magic!"

Alicia retorts, "But Hakase… How could you make such a statement judging us when you just told us the elements of magic minutes ago!?"

Myles gives a light smile at that. "Well, well. You have my ears burning with that comment. How to answer…? Mmmm! Let's do this with a cantrip that I have decent expertise with…" Myles turns back to the board and begins to write now. "We'll go with the cantrip Inpulsa Sagitta."

The students could only murmur as Myles wrote, 'Lightning sprites strike with your electric shock! Inpulsa Sagitta – Lightning' "This is the first cantrip some of us learned! Why is he using this?"

Myles then takes a piece of paper from his folder and bites his thumb, causing it to bleed. This causes some of the class to be confused while Lefiya seems to focus intently on Myles's actions as he draws the core rune for Lightning on the paper. Sly on the other hand could only be confused. 'His own blood? That shouldn't work.'

Myles holds up the paper in one hand, stretches out his other, and utters, "Fulgura cum ictu electrica percutiunt animos! Inpulsa Sagitta!" The 'Lightning' on the paper suddenly glows a bright red-white before dispersing and the class sees an arrow of electricity race across the classroom and strikes the door.

The class is utterly surprised at this but for different reasons. Not only did he just chant the entire spell in the language of hieroglyphs, but he also used blood as a catalyst to write the Rune! No mana-infused ink required! Sly was surprised by both, but then a question popped up that he had to have answered.

"Hakase!" Sly raises his hand now and Myles looks to him. "Is there a benefit to reciting the chant in the spoken words of Hieroglyphs?"

Myles smirks at this. "Yeah, it does boost the spell's strength a bit, but honestly it isn't worth it sometimes for the higher-tiered spells. Let's give a quick explanation while writing down yesterday's notes on this side of the board." Sylphie notes an amused smirk on the kogitsune's face as it looks back some to Myles.

As he writes yesterday's brief lecture down on Rune Magic terminology and its levels Myles continues, "The language type itself can sometimes have an effect on the spell. However, when we are dealing with Rune Magic the name of the spell must always be translated into a Spell Rune, a hieroglyph, when casting at the adept or higher levels. So, chanting in the spoken words of Hieroglyphs does have a greater effect, but it's only at the novice or beginner levels obviously. The other tiers of magic don't use the chant but Runes. In other words, I was showing off." Myles grins shamelessly as he finishes the notes and looks to the class.

….

'Ah…. So, lame…'

A blank, unimpressed expression is on each student's face. Myles could only laugh. "I mean, it's impractical in the casting of a Rune Spell, but knowing the words really helps in deciphering a spell or changing it. The shortening of Inpulsa Sagitta is an example of something that is possible because a mage at some point in the past experimented until it was just this." At this, Myles turns and starts to write on the board.

'Lightning Sprite Shock. Inpulsa Sagitta! – Lightning'

"With this the spell is executed a lot faster as a chant and also as an Auxilary Rune 'phrase.' You need only one Auxilary rune along with the Core rune and chanting the cantrip name."

Myles then looks back to them before he writes again.

'Lightning sprites, strike with your electric shock! Inpulsa Sagitta – Lightning'

"So, what do you think will happen when I write the chant like this with a comma between sprites and strike?" He asks.

A student answers. "If you don't pause in the right places the chant will fail and the spell won't work properly."

"Ho? Is that so? That all you got to say?" The students then frowned along with some of the Loki mages at that. "Well, then let's test that out…"

One of the Loki mages then stands with their hands on the desk. "Wait! You will get a random misfire! Maybe Ignis Fatuus!"

Sly was very curious. From what Acatl did with The Silence's magic in the past, this would probably not go as expected. 'Though it's dangerous to just randomly test an unknown rune combination. Myles must have tested it in advance.'

Sly observed Myles closely. He shifts his shoulders slightly and his eyes dart to the side, but he persists with the explanation. "Random? Really? I thought that some of you murmured how you knew everything about this spell! Anyone else want to try?"

The class stays silent, and Sly can see Myles's eyebrow twitching, and both Akiri and Sylphie are laughing in his illusion. 'What could it be now? One of the spirits?' Careful not to overdo it, Sly tries to use his mana pressure to sense the spirits he senses when they entered the room.

It took him a second, but he clearly felt how the tier 1 spirit was… Sitting on Myles's shoulders? This caught the kitsune's attention and he focused a little more while watching Myles carefully. His magic pressure followed the difference in the mana pressure of the spirit, and suddenly his eyes played tricks on him.

It was almost as if a yellow dot was interfering with his vision or was it a line, which hung over Myles's face? The focus wasn't sharp enough and the yellow blur continued to move on Myles's face. Just as he opened his mouth, ready to continue, he swiftly closed his mouth with annoyed eyes. However, his mouth was stuck just short of closing fully with the yellow line in his teeth.

When Sylphie couldn't help her laughter anymore and landed on Sly's head, shifting his attention. When he looked back at Myles he had already continued. However, the yellow thing was back, and with his focus he finally saw it.

It was a yellow fox spirit! A tier 1 spirit at that! 'Huh, what's this? Why can I see it? Has it somehow gotten to the First Layer? And why is it embracing its tail, and sending Myles such a fierce glare?'

His thoughts were interrupted as Myles opened one of the windows to the left of the class. "No? Fine, then I'll tell you. It'll curve to the right." With a smirk and glowing eyes, Myles wipes his bitten finger on the paper again, writing 'Lightning' and steps in front of the class with a 90 degree angle to the windows and turns with an arm extended forward to the class and the paper up visible to the class. "Lightning sprites, strike with your-"

Sly's eyes return to Myles. "Electric shock! Inpulsa Sagitta!" The 'Lightning' on the paper immediately disperses like before and the electric arrow streaks across towards the class until it meets the distance of the middle of the desk. Here it suddenly and violently arcs right and continues in a perfect arc out of the open window. Outside a cry of alarm followed. "Argh, my back! Why me? I was against it in the first place, please spare me!"

Quickly, Myles rushes to the board as the class murmurs "Impossible!" Suddenly, Myles erases a part of the chant and alters it. "And this doubles the time the target is spasming but doubles the mana cost!"

'Lightning Sprites pay heed, and strike with your electric shock! – Lightning'

Myles immediately jumps in front of the window with glowing eyes and a light blue magic circle before him on which he quickly draws 'Lightning.' The person outside is still writhing, as Myles chants the second chant. All the while the yellow Kogitsune observes with a large grin.

"Lightning sprites pay heed, and-"

"No, Myles please stop! How can you do this to your old god…!" A desperate cry comes from outside. "strike with your electric shock! - Inpulsa Sagitta!"

The class is silent, Sly has to blink in wonder, before whispering to the elf girl next to him. "Viridis-san, am I right in the assumption that Myles just pranked one of your gods?"

The elf is drawn out of her reverie by his voice. She turns to him and grips her notepad with pure shock visible on her face. "Yes, that was Lord Bragi's voice. Professor Myles told us how the gods pranked him yesterday, it seems he doesn't take kindly to that. And that spell! I didn't know it was possible to change how cantrips act! Professor Myles is really knowledgeable, I wonder what his rank is?"

Sly answers calmly, as she shakes his arm in excitement. "I think the fourth. He is at the very least an Advanced Rune Mage."

Lefiya nods in agreement. "He is a little unconventional but very knowledgeable." She only notices now that she took his arm, and instantly turns red, and lets go. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to shake you!"

Ignoring her Sly turns to the front as Myles returns as Akiri left his side. 'Shin, I'm going to teach the little kogitsune how to behave. Silly spirit, there are better times to play!'

'Thank you, Akiri-san. I'll try to get Myles back on track.' Sly returns as Akiri shifts back into the Second Layer. "Hakase, didn't that go a little too far? Pranks are a good change of pace, but they need taste. Promise you'll return to the subject; you can have your personal revenge after class."

"Alright, alright! I promise that I won't do that again this class!" Sly's tails flick in annoyance behind him, one almost hitting Lefiya; the new third was glowing blue at the tip. Something that Myles briefly locks on to before going back to the board. "Here, I'll write down the remaining ones I know."

'Lightning, sprites, strike with your electric shock! Inpulsa Sagitta! – Lightning' "This one causes the arrow to strike twice as fast but halves the range."

'Lightning sprites strike! Inpulsa Sagitta! – Lightning' "This one causes the duration of spasming to half, but it also halves the damage of the arrow and mana cost."

'Paralyze! Inpulsa Sagitta! – Lightning' "And this last one is my favorite! It's the spell but at four times the normal mana cost."

The class's jaws dropped at the last one. The chant was entirely different! Sly then pipes up, "Hakase! How is that last one possible?! The chant doesn't even use any words from the past chants!"

Myles looks at Sly with a smirk causing Sylphie to watch his every movement with trepidation. He may have made a promise, but she wasn't sure he wouldn't continue his pranking spree! Sly sees that the kogitsune is currently pinned to the ground by something. From what he can sense through his magic pressure, it appears that Akiri is the cause. Oddly, he also sees that Myles looks over both fox spirits with a small grin and eyes that reflect amusement. However, Sylphie notes the leanan sidhe leveling a stare of disapproval at the fox spirits. Mostly for the kogitsune likely. "I already told ya. Your lack of understanding is because you don't grasp the heart of magic!"

The class all frowns at his words.

"Look, in short magic is an advanced form of auto suggestion or self-hypnosis. We use Hieroglyphs for spells because it is the most efficient way to achieve a reshaping of one's subconscious. Then it's our minds, influenced by that auto suggestion, that manipulate the principles of reality using our mana. You may think magic is all about studying the laws of the world outside of us, but you're wrong. More than anything, magic is about probing your own soul much like the falna does.

If you have the wrong auto suggestion, the magic won't activate, and you won't get the spell. That's the best outcome. The worst is when you get the auto suggestion wrong, and the magic activates in a way that damages you and others with a spell that you didn't want to happen. The middle ground to this is the Ignis Fatuus phenomenon; you could consider it a spell, but it can be forced upon you when a proper spell is disrupted as well."

The class is silent listening, trying to absorb his words, but a few look skeptical. "Hmm…. Let's try this…" Myles walks around his desk and back towards the middle desk, while the kogistune gives them a face-splitting smirk. "Hey, Orange Fairy!"

Lefiya frowns and stands up. "Excuse me?! I have a proper name you know! It's Lefiya Viridis!"

When Myles gets to the desk and in front of Lefiya, he leans forward, looks deep into her eyes, and his expression softens while saying, "I saw how you looked at me earlier today, and yesterday. So focused on my every move. Could you have fallen for me? Wanna go on a date with me after class?" Immediately Lefiya's jaw drops with wide eyes and her entire face up to the tips of her pointed ears turn red. Sly's eyes widen as well, and his tails go ram-rod straight into the air.

Myles immediately stands straight and motions with both his hands to Lefiya. "There! You see?! Miss Orange Fairy's face and ears just turned beet red! With the right words her mind was affected and produced a physical reaction!" The entire class looks to Lefiya and then back to Myles as he turns around walking to his desk where the kogitsune was watching Lefiya after it had somehow managed to slip out from under Akiri's paws.

Lefiya's expression quickly turned into a horribly embarrassed scowl. 'TH-THIS IDIOT! PERVERT! PERVERTED IDIOT!' Her eyes immediately look at her textbook and she grabs it. At this Sly sees the kogitsune's eyes widen and then it seems to snicker as it leaps to the side of the professor's desk and away from Myles.

Chigusa kicks Sly and nods her head at Lefiya, prompting Sly to quietly say. "That was a bad abuse of your trust Viridis-san. Do not listen to his jokes, they are terribly wounding. You saw how he hit his own god before."

Myles continues his point, "Language influences your mind which in turn influences the world. That's the heart of magic!" Then a heavy textbook slams into the back of Myles's head toppling him headfirst into the floor of the classroom. "GUH!" He twitches and then gets back up and turns to Lefiya. "DON'T THROW TEXTBOOKS YOU IDIOT!"

Lefiya screams back at him with her hands clenched, "YOU'RE THE IDIOT YOU PERVERT! YOU PERVERTED IDIOT!"

Sylphie starts to giggle but sees the leanan sidhe now sigh at these antics and puts a hand to its shaking head. Myles sighs and picks up the textbook before bringing it back to Lefiya, her glaring at him the whole time. "So yeah, language is at the heart of magic. Without a powering phrase of some sort there is no magic. Think about it this way, now when you look at your classmate what do you think of?"

The class looks to Lefiya and a few murmur, "An orange fairy? Yeah, an orange fairy!"

Myles then looks at Lefiya with an apologetic smile. "Sorry Lefiya." She could only grumble at him while he then returns to the front of the classroom and turns back to them with a nod. "See that? That's exactly why the last chant change exists. I've associated the effect of Inpulsa Sagitta with the word 'paralyze' letting me reduce the entire chant to just one word. Spell and chant creation for Rune Magic is literally finding those special words in your subconscious and putting them into writing or vocals."

With the tone of the class returning to a serious tone, the kogitsune curls up on the desk to go back to sleep. "In order for me to catalyze you all acquiring the Fuin Rune Magic we will be practicing the basic cantrips repeatedly until you can rise to the level of a Beginner Rune Mage. Preferably you will use the cantrips you have an affinity for. I can tell you from personal experience that working to gain the Fuin spell without a cantrip for your attributes is an extremely long process."

Sly hums lightly at this. "Hakase, would you mind telling us your attributes?"

Myles nods some. "Sure, why not? I have a strong Space affinity, a moderate Enchantment affinity, and a moderate Sound affinity."

The class blinks at this. It is common knowledge that not having one of the main 8 attributes was exceedingly rare! Sly continues inquiring. "How many Rune Magic spells have you mastered?"

Myles hums a bit. "I prefer to say I have expertise with over 30 spells."

Aphaiton then speaks up, "Myles-Hakase, I have to ask. Is casting cantrips repeatedly the best way to obtain the Fuin spell or is there another method available?"

Myles nods a bit. "I am sure there are a great many ways, but the safest and most consistent way to get it is through cantrip mastery. But…." Myles then sighs a bit. "To be honest? It's not the most efficient. This is something that comes from the Falna after all. Cantrips that you are not creating, but learning from another person can only give you so much 'excelia' when you practice them over and over. Naturally, whatever is on a higher tier or riskier will get you what you want faster.

An example? Casting one of your own falna spells using only Rune Magic. This means figuring out the right Auxiliary and Core runes accompanied by your spell name. However, this requires a high degree of hieroglyph knowledge and acumen for how translations can change with context. This also ignores the fact that casting said spell in this way will cost you 10 times more mana than normal at Novice level! Many, many things can go wrong."

…

Myles leaves a pregnant pause at that and then sighs. "I guess the best way to get this across is to show you what I mean. Come on! Everyone up and follow me!" He then walks around the desk, doing a little twirl and coming to a stop with a large, black, and transparent magic circle forming below him. Leaning over a bit awkwardly on one foot, Myles begins writing runes into the circle using three appendages: both hands and one foot. It looks odd, but he quickly draws out over 8 runes within 6 seconds and chants, "Fuin!"

Immediately, a rip in space forms in an oval shape next to him with no noise. It is filled with an inky darkness and grows to be 2.5 meters in both height and width. The entire class blinks. Somehow, this spell occurred without the normal sensation of mana pressure when another mage normally casts a spell! Myles then looks to his class. "Come on, follow me." He walks in.

Sly's jaw just gapped at this. 'This is beyond anything I thought possible for a spell! There is almost always something to feel with the casting of a spell, but I feel absolutely nothing from this one!' The class funneled through the ominous-looking hole in the classroom with Sly, Chigusa and Sylphie following after Lefiya as the last students. Before he leaves Sly looks over to the kogistune and sees how it was caught in one of Akiri's tails as he seemed to be giving it lecture in the second layer.

When they pass the threshold of the hole with their faces, they immediately see the surroundings around them are different. They are on the beach near Melen. In fact, they can see the School District with its impressive size a mile or so away from them!

The hole behind the siblings closes now as the class murmurs about the capability of this spell. "So," Myles exclaims to get their attention, "let's get down to it! I'm going to show you how I have come to practice or experiment with a Rune Magic spell I am trying to perfect."

Myles immediately starts to write the runes for Foramen and chants "Fuin" finishing his runes and making a rippling space with a rune on it form by him. He inserts his hand repeatedly into the space and pulls out several objects. A salamander wool cloak, a ring of some sort, and then what looks to be an elixir bottle. He wraps the cloak about him and equips the ring, but then takes off his shoes and socks and puts them into Foramen. With a quick focused look at the Rune Key Celare, the cantrip disperses and Myles looks to his students. "So, I know that one of you can heal. Can anyone else?"

An elf and human from the Loki familia and Airmid raise their hands. "Cool. If I didn't have to use this it would be appreciated, but I'm sure I'm going to need some sort of healing." Myles replies while tossing the elixir up and catching it multiple times. "Hold this until I need it Lefiya." He tosses the elixir to the elf who catches it a bit clumsily. "So, Salamander Wool Cloak and a ring that simulates the Magic Resistance development ability at H rank. These are two things I use when I mess with low to mid-tier fire magic. Being prepared is essential for any mage when experimenting with Rune Magic."

Myles walks over to the students and then bites his index finger again and starts to write several runes in the sand in a line before them. Sly recognizes that some of them are 'protect, disperse, and negate' but there are many others that he does not recognize at all. "Another thing that Rune Magic with the Statute sub-attribute can do is create barriers used to suppress mana in an area or just protect against specified attacks coming from one side like I am setting up here. However, that gets into the territory of needing to be Adept level, so we won't cover it until the last week the School District is here."

Aphaiton raises an eyebrow at this. 'This is a lot of runes… He is assuming that an attack of great force will be coming at us… That's not even considering that he has some of the best protection one can get against fire. Does he think he is going to hurt himself?' Aphaiton could only frown at that conclusion.

Myles then closes his eyes and focuses on his mana and his spell he is about to cast. 'I still have other classes after this one… gotta keep it controlled.'

Myles begins chanting, causing a bright white magic circle to form under him, "The void hungers, be filled. – Devorare!" Immediately the students feel a massive mana pressure press onto their senses and see an odd-looking white-blue aura surrounding his body as he seems to be moving his arms, legs, and head about some and breaths in. Sly immediately takes a sharp breath in. 'I've never felt this much mana pressure from a person before! The only time I felt something even further beyond my own was when Acatl-hakase gifted me my Archive!'

Sylphie's eyes could only widen at this mortal before her exuding a stronger mana pressure than tier 5 spirits. 'This… this is why that leanan sidhe stays around this guy!' Quickly, her eyes dart to the tier 4 spirit as she approaches Myles and enters the first layer in the wake of Myles spell to stand at his side. However, as a ghostlike spirit even in the first layer, she remained incorporeal and invisible to all but those who could "see" with magic pressure. Which included Sly, who got his first good look at the impossibly beautiful spirit of creativity.

The eyes of the elves of the Loki familia could only widen from the sensation of the magic pressure. Alicia could feel herself start sweating. 'This… what is this?! It feels like this mana pressure exceeds the weight of Lady Riveria's even with Fairy Anthema or even Alf Regina when we are on expeditions! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!'

"Mmm…been a bit... Right." Myles then takes a deep breath, and the pressure of his mana disappears. Sly's eyes widen. 'Wait. How? The sudden mana pressure makes sense if his magic is boosted, but how can he just suppress it? Has he trained control at this level of magic regularly?'

He next holds up a hand towards them and says, "Fuin!" Immediately a barrier forms between him and the students of a red-translucent color with many different runes floating over its surface.

"The magic that I am about to attempt is a fire, mid-tier, falna spell of a level 4 mage. The last time I saw it cast, it had the destructive power to wipe out multiple monsters of the Deep Floors in the White Palace. I also assume that it can one-shot level 4 adventurers. This is why I provided you all with the barrier specialized for fire resistance."

Myles's eyes glow and he bites both of his index fingers causing them to bleed. He turns away, looks forward, and holds up both of his hands. Sly sees the leanan sidhe float off the ground and almost drape herself upon Myles's shoulders with her head next to his. 'Interesting… She hides in the mana Myles releases and he lets her be in contact with him… They must trust each other deeply…'

A large, 2-meter, deep red magic circle forms before Myles. Different from the times before they have seen him cast, he is slow and precise as blood-red runes form at his fingertips. The students see his brow twitch and he frowns. They see their professor stop mid-rune and wipe the rune away with a wave of his hand as his expression changes; a smile slowly grows on his face. He starts to write a new one.

Sly could only frown. 'Before… He sounded so passionate while railing against magic. But now… I see a person who is enjoying himself, weaving a new spell into existence. I… Can see why Acatl-Hakase took him in.'

Myles begins writing runes on the circle before him, but the very mana in the air to Sylphie's eyes seems to radiate out like a mist of the same white-blue aura about him. Then, the leanan sidhe seems to inhale deeply. The mist about them both seems to be sucked into her mouth as a deep smile curls across her face with closed eyes. Then, the tier 4 spirit's eyes open and she looks to the circle before them. One of her hands grabs Myles's firmly with a layer of solid mana.

Sly is tempted to get closer, but he is already next to the barrier. 'So many fire runes. And that spirit, is helping him? I can't quite see her, but she is most certainly there, guiding Myles…'

Myles's brow twitches with a frown. He wipes away the rune that hand was writing while his other hand is in the gentle embrace of the leanan sidhe's other hand. She speaks into his ear, "You need to add a being of authority, Dear. Stabilize…" Sylphie can see the spirit's mana wash over Myles's white-blue aura as a bright, genuine smile grows on his face. Encouraged and less hesitant, Myles's hands are freed from the leanan sidhe's grip and he begins to compose a new rune line. A soft, affectionate smile is on the tier 4 spirit as she floats back to the safety of the erected barrier.

Sylphie suddenly grips at her chest tightly as tears well up in her eyes. '…Why… does my chest throb this way…?'

'Awaken, flames. A vortex of searing intent calls for you to raze the view before me! May the chorus of an Ifrit burn the very sky and lead to ashes scattered in the hymn's wake! – Irivute!'

Myles's face becomes one of focus as he utters a single phrase. "Fuin!" Immediately, an intense wave of heat washes over the students observing this casting as a large whirlpool of searing flame bursts forth from between Myles's hands and engulfs a 2m diameter cylindrical area in front of him and races out over the vast ocean before the class with loud "VOOOOSHHHHH" as the ocean starts to steam at the intense heat. At his feet, a couple students notice errant gouts of flame that lick at his feet, the salamander cloak is blown flush against Myles's body as the flames intensify and seem to engulf his hands. After a couple short seconds, the flames suddenly cut out and the temperature around the class returns to normal.

The barrier shatters and the students immediately hear Myles start to laugh loudly with his head back. However, that belies Myles's current state as it appears his feet are severely burned with blisters and his hands look to almost be charred. He suddenly exclaims, "That was so much better than last time!" He looks over to his class and almost stumbles with a wince. "Oof… Right. Can I get some help here?"

Airmid and Cassandra blink and then rush forward; the elves and human of the Loki familia just stare in shock at their professor. 'This guy…. Is insane!'

Both girls start to chant their spells and hold up their hands; a circle of bright yellow forms beneath Airmid, but not Cassandra. Sly looks to this now and slightly narrows his eyes. 'The Seeress doesn't appear to have the Mage development ability. Is she only level 1?'

In short order, the girls complete their chants and immediately the area about them and Myles is washed in bright green light and a barrier of light forms in a 10m diameter about them. Myles's eyes widened, looking at himself and about. He is quiet observing this magic then utters, "Beautiful…" Both girls blink and then blush looking up to their professor.

Myles then blinks and looks at the female healers, then up to the class and his ears suddenly raise up straight and a faint red shade is visible at his ear tips and cheeks. "Ah…" He then turns away and coughs into a now healed hand.

"Anyways! That's what Rune Magic at the Advanced level looks like for experimentation. I don't have to deal with the drawback of intense mana cost using a chant at the Novice and Beginner levels and have the freedom to adjust the runes in my magic circle because of Concurrent Casting."

Myles turns back to his class. "At your levels of expertise, it is far safer to write the runes you suspect will work and inject them with very small levels of mana to test their effects and flow with your mana. In our time together, I will advise each of you as you cast in this manner and give adjustments where helpful. The result you just saw is something that I hope for your future. It has been a 15-year journey for me, but I kinda got distracted on the way by various things. If you give it your all I am sure you will reach great results and be experimenting yourselves soon!" Myles gives them a smile baring his teeth.

"Now, this class block is about over! Let's head back!" Myles spins in place and once again writes the runes for Spatium Canalis, opening another oval portal that the class and he walk through. As the class and Sly come through back into the classroom Myles focuses on him. "Ah, Genno stay back after class. We need to talk."

As the portal closes a loud bell ring tolls out signaling the end of class. The rest of the students start to grab their things and head out. Chigusa looks to Sly with a frown. Sly looks to their new professor, who still has a white-blue aura about him, then Chigusa, and smiles some. "I'll follow shortly. Please wait for me in the hall, Chigusa-chan?"

Chigusa looks to him, then Myles, and nods. "Fine nii-san. I'll be waiting." Chigusa then turns and gathers her belongings and goes out of the classroom.

Sly looks back to Myles, but then notices him looking over his shoulders and looks back. Lefiya stands there and seems to straighten up at the attention of both. "I-I'd like to talk to you as well professor!"

Myles hums and nods. "Alright, that's fine. However, I'd like to discuss something with Genno-kun in private if you wouldn't mind?"

Lefiya's ears slightly droop. "O-oh. Alright professor! I'll wait in the hall."

Sly has a soft grin grow on his lips. 'She seems like an earnest student. I wonder if she plans to convert to another familia after her tutelage?' Lefiya turns and gathers her things. Then, Sly's brow twitches. 'Sylphie has been quiet and still the past couple minutes…'

Lefiya quickly leaves with her belongings gathered. But then Myles immediately starts to draw runes in the air. 'The omnipotent force repels you! – Attractio Fortis!' – "Fuin!" Immediately, the door closes, and Myles now looks to the kitsune before him with glowing eyes. Startled, Sly turns to the door is pushed shut loudly and then looks back to his new professor. "Myles-hakase?"

Myles immediately levels an annoyed look at him. "Eyes closed Sleipnir." Immediately, Myles begins writing runes in the air on a bright white magic circle and chants the short phrase. 'Shadows be erased with the flash of a firefly! Illuminare!' – "Fuin!"

Sly's eyes widen at this before he shuts his eyes suddenly. A bright flash fills the room and fades away, but not without a loud "GAHK!" from over Sly's head.

A high-pitched and squeaky voice exclaims, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!? AHHH THAT HURT MY EYES!" Her voice is clearly discernible to all present.

A loud slamming noise of a door occurs. "HAKASE, GENNO! ARE..you…" Lefiya stands in the doorway into the classroom now, dumbstruck looking at Sly as his illusion has been dispelled by the light magic employed.

Myles narrows his eyes, suddenly exclaiming while writing runes at the same time. 'The omnipotent force calls you all! – Attractio Fortis' – "FUIN!" Suddenly Lefiya flies at Myles while the door slams closed again. Myles looks at Sly immediately. "Hold that door closed!"

Sly immediately rushes over as a disoriented spirit rolls on his head at the sudden assault on her vision exclaiming, "It burns!"

As Sly dashes to the door and holds it closed there is the turning of the knob and a banging. "Brother! Are you okay?!" Sly winces before responding back, "Yes sister! I am fine! We have a pipsqueak problem, but we'll deal with it. I'll tell you later! Don't come in!"

…

"Okay…. if you say so nii-san…"

Sly then looks back to his new professor and classmate and sees that Lefiya looks mortified being held in her professor's hands. Myles looks down to Lefiya and immediately lets her go. "Ah…sorry. Please, hear us out?"

Sylphie grumbles getting to her feet and shakes a fist at Myles now. In her vision, Akiri is smiling at her holding the very annoyed-looking yellow kogitsune by the scruff of its neck. "STOP PRANKING!"

Lefiya hears Sylphie but looks to Sly. "…I am…so confused. You were using illusion magic? Are you a renard? And who is the small girl?"

Myles looks up to Sly, then softly pats Lefiya's shoulders. "We can both explain at another time if you want. For now, can you please let us talk without…. Peeping?"

Lefiya looks horrified and her ears glow red. "P-P-PEEPING!? I AM NOT A PERVERT LIKE YOU!"

Myles looks down to her and nods. "Right. Wellll…. that's good. However, you were gazing upon me quite intently earlier and then intruded on a private conversation… are you really not a pervert?"

"Gek!" Lefiya flinches at the accusation. "O-OF COURSE I'M NOT!"

"Can you give us an assurance?" Myles then looks to Sly with a grin. "Can you promise you will tell no one what you saw in here unless we permit it? You did, after all, burst into this classroom when we wanted to talk privately!"

Lefiya looks between them and then a defeated look crosses her face. "Fine… I promise I won't speak on what I saw here…" Immediately, Sly's third tail glows blue at the promise.

"Good, good! When I am done with 'Genno-kun' here, I will answer your questions. Please leave?"

Lefiya, defeated, leaves the room with her ears drooping. She looks to Chigusa and shakes her head with a sigh and stands against the wall near Chigusa.

Myles chortles slightly at what just happened and looks to Sly. "Now then, let's talk, Sly, Squall."

That name. Sylphie suddenly goes ramrod straight, flies off Sly's head, and gets in Myles's face. "…Squa-?! That's not my name!"

Myles's eyes widen slightly at that reaction, and he seems shaken at that response as his ears droop. "…. I see…." Myles then bows to Sylphie. "I apologize. I thought you were… never mind. I'm sorry wind spirit…"

"You better be! My name is Sylphie, the great wind spirit!" She huffs with her arms crossed looking at the half dark-elf.

Sly could only frown at this interaction. 'So, he mistook her for a spirit he had met before…? I can't imagine that being a common occurrence.'

Myles then straightens up and looks to Sly. "I got the materials, but as you noticed, I didn't have the time to finish your magic item yet. Var-sama forced a stupid oath upon me, so it will take at least a week till I get the time to complete it."

Sly's now 3 tails sway to and fro behind him. "Thank you so much Myles. And that at least explains why you went out of your way to prank the god. But what about the other spirits?"

An eyebrow of Myles raises slightly. "I have an active skill to see spirits. The leanan sidhe helps me during difficult work periods for spells in exchange for a little mana, and the kogitsune I picked up yesterday. I know their names, but it would be rude of me to introduce them without their consent.

Unfortunately, I do not have much time today, I'll see your progress in the exercises I gave you tomorrow. For now, I have an orange fairy to tend to. Oh, and the Hieroglyphs class is likely going to be helpful to you too. Jump in if you're interested. Also, congratulations on your third tail!" Myles holds out a hand to Sly with a wide grin.

Who looks at the hand in confusion, before shaking it. "It isn't that great to be honest. Another arbitrary ability to master and more tails to brush. Plus, I'll need to retrain my balance, which sucks."

Myles could only grin at his complaints. "Yeah, I hear ya. But every ability is another cornerstone of your foundation, and you'll need a good foundation for the war game. We'll talk later in detail though!" He waves Sly away with one of his hands ending their conversation. This prompts Sly to recast Illusio, leave the classroom, and Sylphie to reassume her post on Sly's head. They open the door to see the worried look of Chigusa, and Lefiya looking at him almost impatiently.

Here Sly can't help but comment to Akiri. 'I am surprised Viridis-san got distracted from Sylphie that easily, she was clearly visible in the first layer without my illusion. Perhaps she lacks experience with spirits and her mind blocked the strangeness from her immediate concerns?'

Sly nods to Lefiya. "Viridis-san, Hakase is waiting for you." With a slight pout at Sly, Lefiya goes around him, enters the classroom, and closes the door behind her. 'Hm… she is kinda cute… What am I thinking, bad kitsune, think something relevant… Damn, I have to continue with that stupid shadow exercise!'

Chigusa looks up to Sly now. "Shall we Genno-nii?" The words drag Sly out of his thoughts, as Chigusa links her arm to his and pulls him along, which gets her a frown from him and a fierce whisper. "I'm playing an elf! What are you thinking!"

Which earns him a smirk from his sister, as she pushes her hair out of her eyes. "Then you'd better start moving before somebody notices. Perhaps a certain elf?"

It takes a lot of effort, not to break his image of a calm elf, but after a long second, he brings out. "What are you playing at..? No, it doesn't matter let's go. We should let Take and the others know that we might be spending even more time here at the School District."

Author's Note: I have an official title for the first two Acts.

Act 1 - The Fox Enters Orario

Act 2 - Faces of Spirits

Act 3 - To be determined

Hapa Note: And we are back to posting another Massive chapter lol. 12k words, let's go baby!