Araki took a deep breath. His fingers moved to the empty space where the string should be—and a line of water started forming, flowing into a gleaming thread of liquid.
He pulled it back. A swirling mass of water formed into an arrow.
He aimed, exhaled, and released.
*BOOOOOMMM* *CRASH*
A massive explosion of water immediately flows forth, destroying several targets and cracking the wall behind them.
A shockwave shoots out, knocking over several students, both commoner and noble.
Matthew remains standing, but only thanks to his reflexes and the stance he got into before the shockwave hit.
Funnily, the others and I were fine.
When I moved us back, I also positioned us so that Araki was in between us and the bow, which is exactly the right position—so that Araki would act as a shield, as he wouldn't be affected since he created the shockwave.
I looked over at Araki to see how he is doing, and I can't say I blame his reaction.
He was standing there in fear and shaking slightly as he looked down at the bow—a bow that cast such a powerful spell.
I look to Matthew as he composes himself and see he's staring at the far wall in shock.
I followed his gaze, and I could see the wall was cracked. It took me a moment before I remembered that the walls were enchanted not to break.
'Impressive.' I thought
I shook my head as I tried to think of a way to explain this to the others, but just decided to tell the truth if asked, at least to everyone other than Araki.
Zek, who has been frozen this whole time, spoke first.
"h-...h-how is it possible f-for him to cast such a spell? I t-thought he had a low mana pool," he said hesitantly.
"He has the mana," I said calmly. "What he doesn't have is control or large output."
Zek blinked at me, confused.
Orin and Ark tilted their heads, listening.
I continued. "It's… something I promised his father I wouldn't talk about. But since you saw that, you deserve to understand a little.
Araki's mana pool is actually huge. It's just locked inside him, so tightly restricted that he can barely use it. That restriction causes his spells to be small, and they take a long time to cast. What he thinks is mana exhaustion is… well, it's really his own mana trying to force its way out."
I looked toward Araki, who hadn't moved from his spot. Still staring at the bow. Still shaking.
"He can only use mana without restriction with magic circles and certain magical tools. Like the circle he made while fighting the golem from the entrance exam or that bow.
That's the only time his magic flows properly. I'm not sure why yet," I added, voice low. "But I've been working on it."
Orin looked down. "Then… why haven't you told him?" he asked quietly.
I lowered my head and said after a pause:
"…Because we're worried it might be a curse. His father and I both think that if he finds out the truth, it could trigger some sort of backlash. Hurt him. Or worse."
Orin's face paled. His gaze flicked to Araki again.
"I'm working on something," I added quickly. "Something that should confirm what's really going on. It'll take a few more days, though."
Everyone nodded slowly, the same thought crossing all of their minds.
No one would tell Araki.
~~~~~~~~~~~
~Matthew's POV~
I approached the lizardman with the bow with hesitant steps, my thoughts still reeling from the explosion.
I had seen powerful spells before, of course—my family owned grimoires full of them—but this spell was on equal power level to a third-rank spell at least. Something that shouldn't be possible at his level without tremendous mana.
As I stepped closer, I thought I saw a flicker of a purple mist, but when I turned to look, it was gone.
'Probably my eyes playing tricks on me after the shock of the month,' I thought to myself.
Shaking my head, I turned back to get a better look at the bow and inspected it more carefully. That's when I found it: a mana core, carefully embedded near the grip, its glow faint and disguised.
"Did you attach a mana core to the bow?" I asked Araki without looking away.
His head tilted, confused. "No? I didn't even know there was one," he said before looking at the mana core himself.
He hesitated, then asked, "Is that why my spell was... so strong?"
I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Most likely. That much power couldn't come from you alone—not yet, at least," I said, giving a forced smile.
"For now, at least, let's only use spell circles and infusion magic, yeah?" I said, and he nodded before walking back to his friends.
Still staring at the core, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. But I didn't sense any abnormal enchantments. It just looked like… a core-enhanced bow.
So why did I feel like I was missing something?
~~~~~~~
~Jack's POV~
I let out a small breath of relief.
Lavender had done her job perfectly.
With a hidden lavender flower in my hand, I had summoned her for just a moment—long enough for her to veil the bow in a simple illusion.
Nothing major. Just enough to make it look like the spell had been powered by a mana core.
I watched as she finished and slipped back into the flower with a final whisper of mist.
The flower began to wither, and I tucked the flower away before anyone else could see.
Orin and Zek were still whispering to each other, distracted.
Except for Ark.
He caught it.
His ears twitched. His eyes narrowed. He stared at the flower just as Lavender vanished.
I met his gaze and lifted a finger to my lips.
He paused, then nodded slightly in understanding.
Araki walked back to us, eyes wide and unfocused, glancing back at the bow as if it were some cursed object.
His steps were small, cautious. He looked like he wanted to go back there and throw the bow into the sun.
I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're fine," I said gently.
He flinched slightly at the contact, but then nodded, swallowing thickly. His breathing was uneven but slowing.
He was calming down.
I looked at Matthew and thought to myself, 'I should let him know about Araki's 'condition.' At the very least, he can keep these types of items away.'
We took a few minutes' break as Matthew and a few students worked together to set up some new targets and even repair the damage to the ground.
Aaron stepped up next.
Matthew raised an eyebrow seeing his clothes, but didn't question it.
Aaron raised one hand, his hood and face mask hiding everything but his eyes. In his palm, a small ball of shadow formed, silent yet pulsing with power.
He pushed his hand forward, and the orb of shadows launched out.
It hit the target dead center.
The entire thing turned black.
Then… crumbled. Completely. Like dry dust.
The others watched in awe. I watched with concern.
That spell was wrong.
It looked like [Shadow Ball]—a beginner-level spirit spell—but it wasn't. It was too powerful and didn't have that effect, though most people wouldn't know that, as shadow magic is one of the rarest types out there.
But it wasn't just that. It wasn't even regular shadow magic. It was too clean. Too controlled. And my senses picked up something I'd only seen once before.
And if one of them is involved, then this would be more difficult than before.
I shivered.
I began to dispel every barrier I had around myself. Every thread of detection magic, every ward and glyph. Gone.
If Aaron—or his shadow—was watching, I couldn't let them sense me. Not for what I really was. I couldn't risk tipping them off.
Then I paused. 'No, if I change anything and they notice, they may realize I'm on to them. I should keep the barriers up for now and remove its touch around Aaron slowly,' I thought.
I stopped before I removed the first barrier so I wouldn't have to worry about it too much, but I was still going to be cautious.
I glanced at Ark, and I could tell he was a little scared of Aaron's spell.
I subtly grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze, showing him I was here and wouldn't let anything happen to him.
He turned to me and nodded in thanks.
I smiled and turned to Matthew, who was talking again.
"Ok, I believe that is most of you. Is there anyone who still hasn't stepped up here?" he asked.
Orin and, hesitantly, Ark raised their hands, along with two nobles and a commoner.
Matthew turned to Orin and asked, "Can you come up and cast a spell?"
Orin shook his head and said, "Sorry, but no. I am not a mage. I took this class to be with my friends but also to learn how to use magic items."
Matthew paused and said, "Understandable, but I would recommend at least learning some basic and utility spells. So long as you improve from your starting point in this class, I count it as a pass."
Orin nodded and said, "I will think about it."
Matthew nodded and said, "Are the rest of you the same?"
The two nobles nodded, but Ark and the other commoner didn't.
Matthew nodded and asked Ark next, "Why did you take this class?"
Ark, after a bit of hesitation, said, "I only learned this a few days ago, but I am a wind sorcerer and want to learn how to control my magic."
The nobles paused and started whispering to themselves, while Matthew looked excited.
"A wind sorcerer! Really!? Do you know what your bloodline is?" he asked excitedly.
Ark froze for a second, and I could feel his fear, so I answered for him.
"He has no idea. He didn't even know he could use magic until we pointed out that he cast [Wind Walk] during the entrance exam subconsciously," I said.
The nobles paused to look at Ark, and Matthew seemed even more excited.
"You could use magic subconsciously?! That's amazing! I haven't taught a sorcerer in years," he said while getting a little close to Ark—closer than Ark was comfortable with.
I stepped in front of him with clear hostility.
He paused and took a moment to realize what he had just did.
*Cough* "I'm... I'm sorry about that. I got a little ahead of myself."
I looked back at Ark for his answer, and he nodded and said, "I-it's fine. Jack and Zek are teaching me the basics, but I would like some help if needed."
Matthew nodded and said, "It's no problem. Please ask me anytime."
He stepped away and turned to the commoner, who was a young girl, and asked, "What is your reason for attending this class?"
She paused before saying, "I'm a sorcerer as well. A Fire Draconic Bloodline, I think, though I'm not sure. I don't know how to control it other than not burning stuff, so..."
Matthew smiled., "It's not a problem. This happens all the time. It's rare to get two sorcerers in one class, though, so I am going to have fun this semester."
I chuckled and looked at the girl in curiosity, but she seemed to be staring at Ark with an odd expression—one I didn't know.
'I wonder what she wants with Ark?' I thought as we continued with the lesson.