Monday, the day of classes.

As soon as I arrived at school, I made a quick stop by the lab before heading straight to the lecture hall.

“This place is huge.”

I couldn’t help but be impressed.

Who would have thought I’d see a tiered lecture hall in a high school?

With a class size of fifty, this should work just fine.

And it’s not just any lecture hall—it’s equipped with cutting-edge magical technology.

It’s even better than the ones I used to teach in at the university.

Is it because this is a magic-specialized high school, or are all schools like this these days?

“This is going to be fun.”

My anticipation was growing by the minute.

“Professor?”

I was fiddling with the equipment when I heard a voice.

I turned to see a girl with light brown hair.

That bob cut looked familiar…

Ah, yes, from last week’s mana measurement session.

“Ah! Shin Haeryeong, right?”

“You remember my name.”

“Of course. Last week’s mana measurement was quite interesting.”

Three students were deemed unmeasurable, after all.

One of them was Liz, which was expected, but the other two… I’m really looking forward to seeing what they can do.

“Last week?”

“I never thought I’d see ‘unmeasurable’ three times in one day.”

“It’s only natural.”

Haeryeong replied without a change in expression and approached me.

“Could you move aside?”

“Huh?”

“The lectern. The homeroom teacher asked me to check it.”

Oh, she wasn’t here for me.

Checking the lectern, huh.

Is there something to check?

– Rattle.

As I wondered if she was counting the screws, she pulled out a power drill and started dismantling the lower part of the lectern.

“What are you doing?”

“I told you, I’m here to check it.”

As the lower part came off, a tangle of complex wires was revealed inside the lectern.

Each one must be intricately designed to function as a mana circuit.

Surprisingly, Haeryeong reached in without hesitation, moving the wires around as if she knew exactly what she was doing.

Does she know her way around machines?

“Could you move a bit more to the side? You’re in the way.”

She spoke coolly, not even turning her head.

“But why are you the one checking this?”

“The maintenance guy is on sick leave today.”

“And they just let a student handle this kind of thing?”

“Ugh…”

No need to sigh so heavily.

“Professor, could you let me concentrate? I was asked because I know these machines well, but if you keep asking questions, it’ll take longer.”

“Ah, sorry.”

She’s a bit chilly.

Does she dislike me?

Come to think of it, she did give me a look during the mana measurement.

“Professor.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll be attending your class today.”

She spoke to me while still focused on the lectern.

Didn’t she say she needed to concentrate?

“Alright.”

“To be honest, I’m not expecting much.”

Out of nowhere?

“I know what you’re hiding.”

*Cough, cough.* “Must be dusty in here. Why am I coughing so much?”

She knows what I’m hiding?

Could she possibly know I used to be a dark mage…?

“Hit the nail on the head, didn’t I? Dual magic. It’s a scam.”

“Oh, that?”

“…What do you mean, ‘that’?”

“Ah, no. Why do you think dual magic is a scam?”

“You should know better than anyone, Professor.”

I have no idea.

It’s not a scam, to begin with…

While I was confused, she restored the lectern to its original state and dusted off her skirt.

“So, today’s class better be flawless. I’m watching you.”

“It’s not a scam, I swear.”

“How shameless.”

She walked to the front door of the lecture hall, paused, and said,

“If you make a mistake, you’ll be embarrassed. I hope that doesn’t happen.”

– Creak.

“Well then, good luck.”

Before I could respond, Shin Haeryeong left the lecture hall with a slight smile.

“Hmm.”

I wasn’t too bothered by her calling dual magic a scam.

It’s not a scam, and it’s understandable to think that at first glance.

But there was one thing I couldn’t ignore.

“My class isn’t worth expecting?”

That, I can’t let slide.

This is a matter of pride.

“If that’s how you feel, I’ll just have to surprise you.”

Alone in the lecture hall, I looked at the empty seats and smiled.

***

Before the clock even struck ten, the lecture hall was packed to the brim.

A full lecture hall.

You’re better than college students, I must say.

“Is everyone here?”

I fiddled with the lectern.

There should be a button to start the class somewhere around here.

Ah, found it.

– Click.

As soon as I pressed the button, a blue light spread from the lectern, enveloping the entire lecture hall.

“Wow.”

Back in university, lecture halls were the domain of science, but now they’ve entered the realm of magic.

The changes over the past ten years were enough to make my heart race.

Above the students’ heads appeared translucent screens.

Displaying names, scores, grades, and mana levels, it felt like something out of a video game.

“Wow, this is amazing. So this is…”

“Professor, shall we start the class?”

I was so fascinated by the magically enhanced lectern that I was still looking for buttons when a voice brought me back to reality.

The student with “unmeasurable” written in the mana section of her translucent screen.

Shin Haeryeong.

“Impatient, aren’t you? Just wait a bit~!”

And it wasn’t me who retorted, but Liz.

As expected, the same four letters.

Unmeasurable.

“Liz, you seem close to the professor.”

“Do I? Thanks, hehe.”

“That wasn’t a compliment. A teacher favoring one student is unprofessional. You should hold back too.”

“Hold back? What’s that mean? Korean is hard~!”

“…Avoiding it again. Anyway, let’s start the class, Professor. The lecture hall isn’t your playground.”

High school girls these days are something else.

Or maybe it’s just Shin Haeryeong who’s intense?

Liz was cheerfully waving her hand.

‘Fighting.’

She even mouthed the words of encouragement.

“Shall we get started?”

I said, scanning the lecture hall.

Students with screens displaying their information above their heads.

They said only the teacher could see it…

‘It’s a bit much.’

I started fiddling with the lectern again.

“Are you playing around again? If you’re not going to start, I’m leaving.”

“Hold on. Ah, found it.”

Even as Haeryeong stood up, I pressed a button I had found.

And soon.

– Whoosh…

The translucent screens above the students’ heads vanished all at once.

“Done.”

The students seemed quite taken aback by the deactivation of the lectern’s class mode.

“See, you’re a fraud. Turning off the class mode.”

Haeryeong’s words caused a stir in the lecture hall.

“What, what’s going on?”

“I saw on YouTube that classes at Shinhwa High are conducted through that lectern…”

“Is he really not going to teach?”

“Should I just drop this class? Maybe I was too hasty after just seeing the entrance ceremony…”

Amidst the murmurs, Haeryeong was about to leave her seat.

“Hold on. We’re about to start, so where are you going?”

I smiled and gestured for her to sit down.

“But you turned off the class mode…”

“I don’t need those extra gadgets. Your mana levels and scores aren’t important to me.”

Why would I need students’ information to teach?

To start by ranking them?

I won’t stand for that.

“Listen up. To me, you’re all just students. Mana levels? Scores? Forget about them. I’ll treat you all equally.”

I do like talented students.

I genuinely enjoyed last week’s mana measurement.

But more important than that is effort, in my opinion.

It doesn’t matter how much talent you have right now.

Magic isn’t a field where mana levels are everything.

I picked up a piece of chalk and drew a circle on the board.

“My class is analog. I don’t need a lectern that divides you by numbers. So, are you still going to leave, Haeryeong?”

“…”

After a moment of hesitation, Shin Haeryeong sat back down.

“…Alright. I’ll watch.”

“Great. Let’s get started then.”

The class proceeded without a hitch.

Even though it was mostly theoretical, the students were highly engaged.

Of course, they were.

I had crafted the lesson to be as engaging as possible, with timely questions and demonstrations of magic circles.

During the elemental theme, I created a rainbow using various elemental spells.

In the alchemy theme, I turned chalk into gold.

Though the golden chalk vanished due to the limitations of alchemy magic.

“Wow, who knew modern magic classes could be this fun?”

“Right? I’m glad I took this class.”

As I explained the mainstream spells of modern magic, the students were captivated.

“Now, let’s look at an example of curse-themed magic.”

But just as I was about to delve into the next theme…

“Of course.”

Shin Haeryeong interrupted again.

“Professor, you’re a fraud.”

Why stop now? This is the really interesting part…

“Curse theme? Why is curse theme even in modern magic?”

Her argument seemed convincing, as some students nodded in agreement.

‘What’s wrong with the curse theme?’

“Curse theme is magic from ten years ago. It’s inefficient due to its delayed effect. Do you not even know this simple fact, Professor?”

Magic from ten years ago?

It’s common for mainstream magic to change over time…

‘Did she think I wouldn’t know that?’

I’ve already studied it all.

I spent the entire weekend holed up in the lab, reading every book I could find.

To bridge the ten-year gap.

“Haeryeong, what do you think is the essence of curse magic?”

“The essence of curse theme is…”

Shin Haeryeong paused for a moment, then continued speaking.

“That’s a weakening spell. The curse theme is all about magic that weakens the opponent. It can’t deliver a decisive blow, which is why it’s not used in modern magic battles.”

“Hmm. Weakening, huh.”

I wrote the word “weakening” on the chalkboard.

“Anyone else have thoughts?”

I turned to see Liz raising her hand eagerly.

“Teacher, me! Me!”

“…Alright, Liz.”

“Gloominess!”

“Go stand at the back.”

“That’s so unfair!”

Liz grumbled as she moved to the back of the room.

“Any other thoughts?”

Silence.

Right. Avoiding eye contact is the classic response to questions.

“What do you think is the core of curse-themed magic? Is it the effect that manifests? Or the process?”

“It’s the effect, isn’t it? Isn’t that obvious?”

“So you’re saying the essence of this magic lies in the effect it produces. Is that right?”

“Of course. The process of casting magic is just that—a process.”

Of course.

That’s one way to see it.

“Moreover, curse-themed magic is hard to use these days. Modern magic battles are all about speed.”

“And why is that?”

“Because curse-themed magic is delayed. It takes time to activate.”

“Good. That’s correct.”

“What?”

“Shin Haeryeong, you’re a really smart student.”

I underlined “delayed” next to “weakening” and added stars and other marks to emphasize it.

“Alright. The real core of curse magic is this: delay.”

“But that’s just a characteristic of the casting process….”

“Exactly. A characteristic of the process. Curse-themed magic is unique in that its defining feature lies in the process.”

I smiled and picked up the chalk again.

– Squeak.

I started with a circle.

Then filled it with twelve lines.

“This is the most basic magic circle for curse-themed magic. The effect is a low-level weakening.”

– Squeak.

I added two more lines.

“What happens if we add two more lines like this?”

“Disaster!”

“Liz, face the wall.”

I sighed as Liz turned around and looked back at Shin Haeryeong.

“Just by adding two lines… Oh!”

“Did you catch on?”

“This shape… It’s from water attribute magic….”

“Exactly.”

I grinned and pointed to the magic circle I had drawn earlier when explaining attribute-themed magic.

The students’ eyes followed the chalk.

“See? It’s starting to look similar, right?”

“But you added those lines after drawing the curse magic circle. There’s no way such a magic circle would work.”

“Haeryeong.”

I find myself emphasizing this again.

Prejudice is a magician’s greatest enemy.

“Are you sure about that?”

I smiled as I traced over the newly drawn lines with the chalk.

“In a water attribute magic circle, lines 1 and 2 determine the water attribute.”

Then I pointed to the other lines I had drawn earlier.

“And lines 3, 7, and 12 in the weakening magic determine the weakening effect.”

As I explained, I erased lines 3, 7, and 12 with my hand.

“Now, if we draw lines to connect the mana in the empty spaces….”

– Squeak.

“There. It’s complete.”

I stepped back so the students could get a better view of the magic circle.

“Is that…?”

“Can such a magic circle even activate?”

You’re curious if it works, aren’t you?

Let me show you.

‘Pay close attention.’

I infused mana into the magic circle.

– Ssshhh.

The magic circle glowed softly as mana enveloped it.

But nothing else happened.

“See, it doesn’t work.”

“Aw, I got my hopes up for nothing.”

“Yeah, they said the order of the lines matters when drawing a magic circle. There’s no way this could work….”

A few disappointed voices murmured.

But you know.

“What did I say was the core of curse magic earlier?”

My question was directed squarely at Shin Haeryeong.

She thought for a moment before answering.

“Delay… No way!?”

You figured it out?

You’re a bright student, after all.

If only you could let go of your biases.

“Five.”

I started counting down.

“Four.”

As the numbers decreased, the students’ faces filled with curiosity and anticipation.

“Three.”

Shin Haeryeong, who seemed eager to prove me wrong, watched the magic circle with more tension than anyone else.

“Two.”

“No way… That magic circle can’t possibly work….”

I grinned.

“One.”

“It can’t possibly activate…!”

If you don’t believe it.

“See for yourself.”

– Flash!

The magic circle lit up brightly.

And at its end.

– Drip, drip.

The magic circle produced a small stream of water.

The manifestation of a delayed water attribute magic.

Something none of them had likely seen before.

It was the first time I revealed this method of using magic.

“What… What is this?!”

“I thought you were ruining the magic circle?!”

“You can draw a magic circle like that? What on earth…!”

Exclamations erupted.

“This is the method of using magic circles you’ll learn from me this semester. Forget what you thought you knew. The order of the lines? The predetermined direction of mana?”

Those are all just prejudices.

“I’ll help you let go of those biases.”

With my words, the students began to applaud, seemingly impressed.

Amidst the applause, I looked at Shin Haeryeong and spoke.

“So, Haeryeong, any more questions?”

“….”

She gritted her teeth and frowned for a long moment before finally speaking.

“…No.”

“If you ever have questions, feel free to come to me. I’ll explain anything I know. Oh, and by the way.”

I pointed at Shin Haeryeong.

“I’m giving you extra points for participation.”

“What…?”

She looked puzzled.

It’s obvious, isn’t it?

“That was an excellent question.”

A challenging question.

Some might see it as disrespectful.

“I like students who ask questions. Even if it challenges my authority? I don’t mind. Curiosity should be satisfied. If Haeryeong hadn’t asked, you wouldn’t have seen this magic circle.”

I smiled as I continued.

“Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. That’s what my class is for.”

So.

“Looking forward to working with you this semester.”