Chapter 33 – Classes at the Academy Aren’t Ideal
“It’s about the flow.”
I seized the opportunity.
“Learning is a flow. You need to observe from a distance and get closer. Rather than memorizing what you learned in today’s class, it’s more important to grasp what you’ve learned throughout this semester, the core keywords. It may seem trivial, but it’s significant. Probably no one here can clearly state the objectives of the Margin Structure class right now.”
Once again, Vundi raised her hand eagerly. A moment of foolish laughter escaped her exuberant expression, but I ignored it.
Don’t be complacent, Vundi. It’s making me uneasy for no reason.
“Has anyone here ever been able to perfectly calculate the output of a specific spell when given the magical margin, spell structure, and mana quantity?”
Someone among the students responded to the question.
“Can’t we do that…?”
“The essence of the question is ‘Can you answer perfectly?’ For instance, under the same conditions, casting the imperial standard supply-type magic, ‘Fontspring,’ which accumulates vapor to create water, precisely how much water would be generated. In short, it’s impossible.”
Some top-ranking students nodded as if they already knew, but most students stared at me with empty faces.
“People are not machines. However, the one casting the spell is a person. The problem arises here. Magical margins and spell structures can be seen very intuitively, but the variables caused by humans are not easy to observe in real-time. Shall we talk about resonance? Cecilia, would you like to talk about resonance?”
Surprisingly addressed, Cecilia startled, surprised by the attention.
Unchosen Vundi shrunk even more beside her.
She’s getting smaller than a pocket. Maybe I can put her in my pocket.
A pocket-sized Vundi… It might be a bit noisy, but it wouldn’t be boring to carry around.
“Um… the act called ‘Yeongchang’ is not only for purifying magic but also for mortal interpretations of the language of the gods, expressed in their own language. Therefore, Yeongchang inherently contains divine dignity and greatly aids mortals in self-suggestion. When we cast spells without Yeongchang, the instability of the output or deviations from our intentions can be attributed to this reason… I learned this from Professor Neperna.”
“Correct. Applause.”
Clap clap clap.
Cecilia, unsure how to react to the pouring applause, sat down with a slightly rigid posture. Her face, partially covered, held a peculiar expression.
“It was rewarding teaching in the snowy field,” I said briefly, applauding.
“Cecilia provided the correct answer. However much magic is confined within the framework of laws and disciplines, its essence ultimately is just a manifestation of ‘fantasy.’ If you lack belief in your own fantasies, magic will never lend a hand. Each easily accessible signature phantasm helps in self-suggestion, which is why even with the same margin, the same structured spell, and the same amount of magic poured, vastly different outcomes can emerge. Of course, such Yeongchang is just one of the many variables that shape the illusionary results of magic.”
I continued talking while pacing back and forth with a chalk in hand.
“Let’s take a look at the magic written as an example of auxiliary usage on the bottom right of the page you’re seeing now. …Here, the applied structured spell is the most optimized way. Most of you probably memorize and mechanically apply optimization as it is. Have you ever considered something like this? What might happen if you completely ignore such things and cast magic? Now, let’s pose a question. What happens to the output of magic as the amount of magic increases?”
Somewhere in the classroom, a hesitant voice replied, “A positive correlation.”
“hehehe, teacher~ It seems your prized pupil, I, Undine, might finally offer a satisfying answer.”
“Not Undine, but the one sitting behind, Karl. Would you answer instead?”
“Yes…? Huh? Me? Uh?!?! Who, me?! Um!! Uhhh!! Umm!!”
Keep praising, Cecilia. Just keep her mouth shut, Undine.
Resentment can wait, Undine.
“If it’s difficult to answer, let’s try an experiment. Hmm… though claiming to understand through this experiment might be a fallacy, I should be able to convey the basic idea underlying it. What we’re doing now is wanting to observe the relationship between the amount of magic in a controlled specific model and the results of magic.”
I glanced around the classroom.
“Who would like to come forward and assist in the experiment? Hmm… Bianca, Clark… gah”
However, as I tried to call Bianca and Clark, who were conspicuous sitting in the front row, I inadvertently met the deadened gazes of Undine and Cecilia. I’d rather face the unknown than this. Considering those expressions, it was reasonable to weaken my resolve. This will be unbearable later.
Especially Cecilia, who was looking at me impassively despite Undine’s mouth being covered, clearly had something to express.
When a usually quiet kid looks at you with such eyes, it hits home much harder.
… No, weren’t they a bit too quiet?
“… Those two look tired. Alright, Cecilia, Wendy. Can you come out and help me?”
“Yes♡! Yes! Mrs. Byulsyi, let’s hurry out! Don’t block the corridor!”
“……..”
The surrounding students started whispering. “Does Wendy always change her attitude just by attending this class?”, “You still don’t know that rumor?”, “Rumor? What rumor?”
It wasn’t until I coughed loudly that the murmurs ceased.
“Cecilia, check the water quantity there, and Wendy, try casting ‘Spring of Onadal.'”
“Yes!”
“Wendy, keep all other conditions strictly according to the textbook and randomly set the amount of magical power before casting. It’s random. Got it? Let’s start… Yes, let’s start now.”
As the experiment commenced, Wendy cast the Spring of Onadal.
When it came to magic related to water, even I had to acknowledge she was an exceptional mage. Even stealing glances at me, she precisely produced the output I desired, leaving no room for criticism.
So, the result when Cecilia put down the chalk was,
“A remarkably beautiful sample.”
“Oh my~ even the teacher…! Ahem…! It’s embarrassing to be called beautiful when everyone is watching. It’s the fruit of the teacher’s and my collaboration. Fruit… Fruit… Oh my♡, it’s so romantic to call it the fruit of our collaboration!”
“But didn’t Cecilia draw that scatter plot?”
“The fruit of love… hehehe, what would be a good name? I’m excited. Hoho, little one, wait a bit. On the 74th item on Wendy’s Magical Bucket List, for when Mom was speeding and got pregnant, 74 names for our baby…”
“Cecilia, right now, take that over here.”
“… Yes.”
… Let’s just send them back. Cecilia half-dragged Wendy, who was elegantly and pretentiously murmuring names she had never heard before in her life, with a somewhat faded face.
At that moment, the expressions on the students’ faces changed completely as they looked at me.
“I must proclaim my innocence,” Nunu said.
“Alright, everyone has seen it, haven’t they?”
“““………… Yes.”””
Perhaps it was just my imagination that detected a subtle emotion in their response. With the adeptness of a skilled teacher, I continued explaining, dismissing their deep suspicions, animosity, and hostile glances.
“Here, the scatter plot represents the output of the spells cast by the students of Vunde based on randomly dispersed magical quantities. As mentioned before commencing the experiment, this was conducted assuming a scenario where all other variables were tightly controlled.
Why do such a thing, you ask? Well, if the magical energy is the same, you’d desire the highest output, and if the output is identical, you’d want the least amount of magical energy expended by you. Hence, from this scatter plot, you’d be able to identify the most efficient and ideal boundary for yourselves.
But isn’t it peculiar? The curves fluctuate randomly. Quite amusing, isn’t it?
Such imperfections. These chaotic traits, referred to as the whims of the goddess in her antics, are also part of the charm of magic. It’s not like mathematics where everything is bound by strict laws. Remember this. No matter how eloquent or logically sound your arguments may be, in the end, magic is devoid of logic. It stems from the whims of the gods. Problems arise when mortals attempt to mimic it forcibly, not fitting into the mold. Hence, even sorcerers striving for optimization find themselves in a maze. However, it’s our duty to at least unravel this shallow system and progress towards finding that optimization.”
It didn’t matter anymore if they were listening to me or not. I had an obligation to conclude the class. Trifling scandals were nothing. hahahaha, I could handle them as easily as one would observe bugs.
“The precise output at that moment, considering the amount and nature of magical energy, the minute differences between primary and auxiliary circuits, and even individual conditions, can only be understood by the goddess herself. You need not bother with these variables. … Occasionally, deranged eccentric wizards dedicate their lives to numerical analyses, but in general… no, in almost every scenario, we suffice with academically definable estimations. That is what ‘fantasy’ truly is.”
… But even I felt suffocated by this, no matter how accustomed I was. What if rumors spread about a deviant professor?
To change the atmosphere even slightly, I directed a question at Clark, who happened to catch my eye.
“Right, Clark. Would you like to mention the variables that influence magic?”
“The amount of magical energy… the nature of it… the forms and arrangements of the primary and auxiliary circuits… the caster’s condition…?”
If we delve deeper, more variables would emerge, but let’s consider these as the primary ones. As I mentioned earlier, we cannot account for all variables. Therefore, in this controlled yet restricted model, we observe and iterate to find the most rational and efficient model’s outcome, and then regress based on these results.
… First-year students, during this time, will study the most simplistic among the fixed models. Understanding this is crucial for comprehending what we’ve been doing until now, what I initially questioned, and what we’ll have to learn as we advance to higher grades.”
Phew…
Finally, it felt like I’d unloaded a heavy burden.
“… If you have any uncertainties, feel free to ask, just like Lincher, the special guest student today. Unless I delve into your minds using mental magic, there’s no way for me to know if there’s something you don’t understand.
Even if during class you might feel embarrassed for not knowing some fundamentals, don’t consider it shameful. … But reflecting on what we’ve done today, probably nobody knows anyway, do they?”
Only then did some students chuckle and suppress their laughter.
“I am here to teach you. It’s a waste of money and time if students cannot understand just because I enjoy teaching alone. If you pay for school, you should receive proper service and graduate, shouldn’t you?”
As the speech ended, a student raised their hand with a serious expression.
“Professor.”
“Yes, you have a question.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“That’s…”
“Ask anything.”
“Up until now, I couldn’t understand any of what you said.”
“………….”
Damn it…
I swallowed the curse words inside and took a slow breath.
No, it’s not right. I am a teacher. I shouldn’t curse at a student.
I am in the service industry, I am in the service industry.
I must overcome any adversity and smile…
This is nothing.
Not knowing is not a sin.
Instead, as a teacher, I should praise such a student.
With that thought, I continued the hypnosis.