After the first lesson ended, apprentices gradually rose and filed out of the Debate Parlor. Before leaving, each of them offered the instructor a respectful salute.
The professor himself moved at a slow, dragging pace. When he passed Skyl's seat, he stopped.
"Professor, is there something else you'd like to teach me?"
"Listen carefully, boy. I don't care how perceptive you are, how clever you are, or how powerful you are. You and I both know you came to Raya Lucaria with another purpose. Deep down, you look down on us. You think the Academy is filled with loudmouthed, cowardly magical fools who value their own skins above everything else. Don't bother denying it. I can see it in your eyes."
"You certainly make no effort to conceal your 'goodwill' toward me. Isn't that a little unbecoming of a teacher?"
"To hell with decorum. I wiped my ass with it years ago."
The professor's voice sounded like he was swallowing a fistful of sand.
He raised his hands and slowly removed his Glintstone Crown.
Beneath it was a horrifyingly aged face. The sagging skin on the left side of his cheek had been pierced by dozens of tiny glintstone crystals, giving it a grotesque, diseased appearance. Even one of his eyes had been replaced by glintstone.
He looked like a monster born from some disastrous magical experiment.
"Listen well. My name is Botari, chief instructor of the Karolos Conspectus and the twenty-seventh disciple of Primeval Sorcerer Azur. I'll be watching you until the day I drive you out of this Academy. Pray that you can adapt to life at Raya Lucaria. Pray that you never make a single suspicious move, because I may come for you at any moment."
Skyl returned the sorcerer's gaze with perfect calm.
The frog at the bottom of the well could never understand the size of the sky.
When had Skyl ever looked down on the sorcerers here?
If anything, it was the Academy's sorcerers who were taking a god far too lightly.
Even under the hatred and icy hostility pouring from Botari's single eye, Skyl felt not the slightest trace of anger. His own eyes remained bright as he replied, "Since you're the chief instructor of the conspectus, that means I can submit my application directly to you."
"Nothing you submit to me will ever be approved."
"Not even an application for the graduation examination?"
The conspectus graduation examination was the highest-level assessment offered by the Academy. It represented both the end of one road of study and the beginning of another. Those who passed could earn the Glintstone Crown corresponding to their conspectus and officially join the ranks of the Academy's aloof stone-headed scholars.
For an ordinary sorcerer, passing both the theoretical and practical examinations usually required five to ten years of dedicated study.
Skyl had arrived at the Academy only yesterday, and he was already applying to graduate.
Naturally, quite a few sorcerers found that infuriating.
Imagine studying yourself half to death for years, only to watch some transfer student stroll in and master everything overnight. Anyone would be annoyed.
Of course, they knew nothing about Skyl's past, so their anger at what appeared to be outrageous arrogance was understandable.
"As long as I'm here, you will never be permitted to take the Karolos Conspectus graduation examination."
Botari delivered his verdict, then turned his gaze toward Millicent.
"And you. An incompetent who knows nothing whatsoever about sorcery. Even if someone helps you cheat, you won't last at this Academy. Leave while you still can. Save everyone some time and spare yourself the humiliation."
Skyl raised a hand in front of Millicent and looked at the furious Botari with a smile.
"My companion will become a powerful spellcaster. Her magic will shake heaven and earth, far beyond anything you can imagine."
"Is that so? Then I certainly look forward to seeing it. Two days from now, the Academy will hold its monthly spellcasting assessment. I hope Miss Heaven-and-Earth doesn't happen to be absent."
Botari turned and left without another word, his stride sharp and decisive.
Melina softly reassured Millicent, "The assessment is very easy. There's no reason to worry. I promise you'll pass."
Millicent gave her a grateful smile.
Yet unease still lingered in the red-haired girl's expression. Some difficult-to-name emotion had taken root inside her, like the slightest blemish in a flawless jewel.
When a swordswoman whose composure was normally as hard as steel began to hesitate, even her eyes seemed strangely vulnerable.
Skyl assumed she was simply worried about the upcoming exam.
During the break between lessons, he cheerfully shared some of his personal experience. He came from a school system where students were practically raised on standardized tests, with exams coming down as frequently as artillery shells on Omaha Beach. When it came to the psychology of students and teachers during tests, he knew the game inside and out.
"Millicent, don't worry about it. Back in the day, I once learned an entire semester's coursework in a single week. A tiny classroom test like this is nothing. As long as you've got determination and enough caffeine, one all-nighter can solve anything. Where there's a will, there's a cram session. Miracles happen around three in the morning."
Skyl suddenly remembered Jojani from the Marvel universe.
Back then, everyone had worked together to help her win the championship.
The sudden sense of déjà vu brought an unconscious smile to his face.
Millicent had kept her eyes lowered, but seeing how relaxed Skyl was gradually dispelled her worries and brought a smile back to her face.
The second afternoon lesson in the Debate Parlor was hosted by another ancient school of primeval sorcery, the Olivinus Conspectus.
The instructor arrived late.
Before the man himself had even entered, his booming voice rolled into the classroom like thunder.
"Everyone, open An Introduction to Lusat's Meteor Sorceries and turn to page two hundred thirteen."
The sorcerer who entered wasn't wearing a Glintstone Crown.
He was also someone they already knew.
It was the bearded mage who had mooched lunch from them earlier.
His stride remained heavy and forceful, his face still gleamed with oil, and he wore an expression of rigid seriousness.
Then he spotted Skyl and the other two.
His stern expression immediately transformed into a warm smile that bordered on ingratiating.
"You. Young man. Very eager to learn. Excellent. Very good."
The other sorcerers looked as though they'd just seen a ghost.
Even those whose expressions were hidden behind Glintstone Crowns visibly leaned backward in astonishment, their overburdened necks producing a series of pitiful cracks.
Skyl greeted him with a cheerful smile.
The bearded mage exchanged a few more pleasantries with him before realizing that his behavior was attracting attention. He cleared his throat awkwardly and walked toward the lectern.
Several enormous blackboards were still covered in equations and theoretical notes from the previous lesson.
The professor waved a hand.
A powerful gust erupted from the floating glintstone mounts and swept every trace of writing from the boards.
"The ancient primeval sorceries all arose from the Astrologers' exploration of the stars. I know that some among you favor the Karolos Conspectus and its system of converting magical energy into physical projectiles. You believe such sorcery is direct, intuitive, and powerful.
"But I tell you now, that is the thinking of barbarians."
The bearded professor raised his voice.
"When you gaze upon the heavens, what truly stirs the soul is not the cold physical substance of the stars themselves, but the radiant light they cast.
"When a shooting star crosses the heavens, its brilliance lasts only a moment, yet for that moment it illuminates darkness older than history itself.
"The information carried within starlight can reveal the origins of the cosmos from ages predating recorded history. Light is a vessel for the universe's information, and therein lies one of the great wonders of sorcery."
The professor continued.
"Master Olivinus inherited the theories of Primeval Sorcerer Lusat and devoted himself to their study in Sellia, Town of Sorcery, eventually developing a complete system of meteor sorcery.
"All of you already understand the two fundamental properties of glintstone. Meteor sorcery places greater emphasis on the resonance between the mind and glintstone magic. As such, it requires not only precise calculations, but extensive meditation as well. In fact, meditation may be even more important."
The bearded mage raised his staff.
The glintstone at its tip began radiating blue-green light.
The light condensed, separated from the glintstone, and transformed into three luminous projectiles that flew forward.
After traveling roughly fourteen feet, the three stars abruptly dimmed and vanished.
Apparently finding that demonstration unsatisfying, he cast the spell several more times.
Glintstone Stars danced through the air like shimmering ribbons, demonstrating the chief instructor's deep mastery over basic sorcery.
The dazzling light show earned approving nods from many of the sorcerers.
The bearded mage noticed Skyl smiling at him.
Assuming that his magical expertise had thoroughly impressed this magical chef...
No, sorcerer apprentice.
He lowered his staff with great satisfaction.
If the essence of comet sorcery was creating an enormous magical rock and smashing someone with it, then the essence of meteor sorcery was basically a laser gun.
From the basic Glintstone Stars, to the more advanced Star Shower, and finally the primeval sorcery Stars of Ruin, the principal difference was how many stars you fired at once.
One school preached that bigger was better.
The other believed more was beautiful.
Skyl's assessment was simple.
It was Coke versus Pepsi. Different branding, same addiction.
Sorcery in the Lands Between really did have one overriding philosophy: overwhelming firepower.
Throughout the lesson, the bearded professor treated Skyl exceptionally well.
Not only did he make no effort whatsoever to cause trouble for him, he repeatedly gave Skyl opportunities to demonstrate his knowledge in front of the class.
When Skyl asked to apply for the graduation examination, the professor agreed without hesitation.
Compared to Professor Botari from the previous lesson, the difference in attitude was night and day.
Naturally, quite a few sorcerers began wondering what exactly this newcomer had done to Professor Nabler, a man normally famous for barely cracking a smile.
They soon discovered the answer.
Skyl and his companions had tried to secretly sneak an extra meal in an empty classroom.
Unfortunately, nothing escaped the sharp noses of hungry people.
These Academy sorcerers spent their days eating crabs and chewing water plants. They practically reeked of lake mud, and half the time they were so hungry they looked ready to faint.
Maybe the reason they were usually so quiet wasn't arrogance at all.
Maybe they simply didn't have enough calories to sustain a conversation.
So when a group of sorcerers stumbled into the classroom and saw the feast Skyl had served Professor Nabler, there was no hiding it.
Thick tomato, potato, and beef stew.
Lamb chops.
Mussels with pesto.
Black-pepper braised steak.
Pan-seared meatballs.
Rosemary potatoes.
Aged wine.
Nord mead.
Every last dish was reflected in their eyes.
At the time, Skyl wasn't entirely sure whether he'd imagined it, but the transparent crystals set into the eye sockets of their Glintstone Crowns seemed to emit a strange glow.
It was the gaze of starving demons.
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