Chapter 6: a thoughtful question
Forget it.
I guess I expected too much.
Professor Albert started the lecture in a condescending tone and the classroom fell into suffocating silence. Nobody dared to breathe loudly.
Scratch, scratch.
From one corner of the room came the sound of a pen racing across paper.
Azek lowered his head and continued taking notes.
There was a slight tug on his shirt.
Edrin said in an embarrassed tone, "Could you lend me a pen and paper?"
Azek simply nodded and gave a spare sheet and pen to Edrin.
Suddenly, the whole class shot their glances in rapt attention toward Azek—or, more specifically, the notes he was taking.
The paper and sheet given to Edrin became the kickstart of anxiousness about being left behind, but they were too prideful to ask.
Edrin's courage gave them hope, and another student behind Azek asked for a sheet as well, in an awkward way.
But Azek simply turned him down, saying he didn't have any more spare.
By the end of the class, the professor again told the book references and shot a brief glance toward the class.
Azek had raised his hand.
"Yes?"
"I want to ask a question about yesterday's lecture."
"Hooooh."
Albert nodded in approval, and Azek immediately got to the point.
"I want to ask—you taught us to command mana in order to control it. In what manner should the command be given? Is there a specific way, or do we have to get the idea and general sensation by ourselves?"
The whole room became pin-drop silent.
It wasn't some silly question about Grade Five mana aptitude or some wishy-washy doubt. It implied that he completely understood what was taught and was already thinking about where to go next.
Crown Prince Daniel looked toward him thoughtfully. Although there was no change in his expression, he still understood that this was something even he hadn't thought of, despite having a Grade One aptitude and completely understanding yesterday's lecture.
A wild guess? Doubt was in his eyes, but he needed more concrete evidence and would have to observe for a bit longer to reach a conclusion.
Albert looked toward Azek and started explaining.
"When we say command, it means you have to channel your inner mana out of your body and make it able to do your bidding. The simplest way is to have it submit to your internal mana. There are other ways obviously but they are not as efficient. So the standard is to stick to the most efficient way to execute spells. Does that answer your question?"
Sure enough, this matches exactly Calerix's words I read before.
"Yes, thank you, Professor."
"You're welcome—and don't be late next time."
Albert immediately turned away.
…
Methilia observed the class in silence, and everybody started practicing mana sense that day.
Unlike yesterday, she gave a brief summarized lecture, then got them into practice. She started observing their progress directly and gave a few pointers to some students as well, but her expression and manner were anything but gentle.
Azek heard some students talking that yesterday someone had reported Methilia to the student committee, but it only resulted in souring her attitude. Although she started taking them a bit more seriously, the sarcastic remarks she made while pointing out their mistakes brought some students to tears.
Alright, let's focus.
Azek put his hands on the rock stones and started from where he had left off yesterday.
A thin mana thread spread out and started going into the stone. He sensed mana particles but didn't command them. He practiced making the mana thread as thin as possible.
Fifteen minutes into class, Azek felt that he was already reaching his limit.
His whole body was drenched in sweat, and he felt exhausted.
I'm only practicing with a single mana thread, but why has it already become hard to breathe?
He stopped what he was doing, and the mana thread immediately broke. He slumped into his chair and took long, deep breaths.
I guess there's a limit to how much I can do with low mana potential, moreover finding a new pathway instead of conventional ways.
He completely emptied his water bottle and, after stabilizing himself, started again.
This time, he held out a bit longer.
After the third attempt, the class ended.
But Azek was exhausted beyond comprehension.
This damn body…
He looked at his trembling hands and thought about it.