For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Chapter 247: Second Semester (5)

Chapter 247: Second Semester (5)

After Iona finished drinking all the blood, I decided to stop by the Professor’s private training room before returning to the dormitory.

There was a private training room inside the dormitory, and if not, there was also a communal one that students took turns using, but...

The problem was that all the student training rooms were designed for low-level magic.

They were a bit lacking for someone like me, who was now using intermediate-level magic frequently.

For that reason, since becoming a Junior Magician, I’ve often borrowed the Professor’s training room from Iona.

Occasionally, Carla and Elisha would join me as well.

Iona, who opened the training room door for me, waved her hand broadly as if she had no intention of coming in herself.

“Good luck! Good luck! I have things to do, so I’ll be leaving first! There’s a lot to prepare for the second semester!”

“Okay... Professor! What about the personal training room I mentioned last time?”

“That? The headmaster approved it! But it will take some time to build, that’s all!”

“Oh? So, I just have to wait. Thank you, Professor.”

“No, no. Being a Junior Magician in your first year makes you the greatest genius in the academy’s history! No one opposed it!”

For some reason, Iona was the one feeling proud as she left. After a chuckle at her retreating figure, I turned my gaze to the inside of the training room.

A completely empty space. However, the fact that it was as large as a small sports field and the entire facility was anti-magic coated made a big difference.

“Carla, Elisha. How should we decide the order?”

“Please decide it however you wish, Master.”

“Well... It might be best if you go first. Honestly, admit it. You’re a little excited to try out the new staff, aren’t you?”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Not to the point of being obvious, but... if you observe closely, you can tell. Right, Carla?”

“Yes. Master, your eyes are sparkling more than usual. Of course, we noticed.”

Carla and Elisha nodded in unison. I expressed my gratitude by gently patting their heads and then moved to the center of the training room.

I took out the new staff from my inventory. The moment I held it, a strange sense of unity was transmitted through my hand.

With a relaxed smile, I slowly aimed it forward.

Now, let’s see... What spell should I start with? I guess it’s best to start with something simple.

I poured the mana drawn from my core into the staff and opened my mouth.

“Blaze of all things, pillar of hellfire, entrapped nightmare. This shall be your final journey.”

Whoosh.

A sound of something igniting accompanied the sparks rising from the training room floor. The way they rotated in a large circle was anything but ordinary.

I’ve never used this in real combat, but I’ve practiced it enough, so the deployment was quick.

Since this was just a warm-up, there was no need to go all out. Without using resonance or putting in too much mana, I spoke the next command.

“Rise. Fire Pillar.”

At the trigger word, the previously calm mana went wild. And then, in an instant, a pillar of fire shot up from the ground.

Boom!

The force was so fierce that even though it was just fire rising, it made a sound almost like an explosion.

Fire Pillar. It was a classic area-of-effect spell among mid-level fire magic.

It had the advantage of being powerful and maintaining its effect until the mana ran out, but the caster couldn’t move during the spell, and since the initial position was fixed, the target could escape easily.

It was similar to Thunder Calling, but a bit stronger and slightly more inconvenient.

However, with their already small numbers and their preference for living in harsh environments like volcanoes, their lifestyle was not well documented.

As a result, many wild rumors had spread, one of which suggested that phoenixes weren’t natural beings but artificially created creatures.

Well, that was completely false.

“Phoenixes are mythical creatures like dragons, born with inherent mystique. No one can create them.”

“Then what is that?!”

“Just a mere imitation. It only mimics the form. It has no self-awareness and can only move if I control it directly.”

I shrugged and waved my staff from left to right. The firebird flapped its wings and moved to the right.

When I waved it to the left, it returned to its original position.

I made it perform various actions: spinning in place, sprinting across the training room, slamming into the wall, and even scattering feathers like bombs.

After showing off these tricks, Elisha finally nodded in understanding.

However, for some reason, Carla kept blinking her ruby-colored eyes as if she found something odd.

“Carla? What’s wrong? Did you notice something strange?”

“Um... Master. You combined mid-level magic elements for this, right?”

“Yes. It’s a combination of fire and wind attributes.”

It sounded simple, but it wasn’t an easy task.

Fire and wind were attributes that synergized well, but the problem was that if they were mixed in an ordinary way, they would turn into an explosive single-shot spell.

For example, scattering fine sparks over a wide area like wind and causing them to explode upon contact.

Or just creating a massive, beautiful firestorm.

But this spell was different.

Like how an arrow couldn’t be controlled once it was released, magic, once cast, was usually left to fly on its own.

However, the Elemental Burst that Iris showed before was different.

She used the wind attribute not as a mere support for the fire but to control the spell itself. Fire Phoenix was my attempt to replicate that.

Since the combination didn’t work well with unfamiliar elements, I overlaid the image of a phoenix, which I was more familiar with.

Controlling the fire to attack, according to my will, was harder to imagine than a burning bird rampaging around.

As I nodded with satisfaction, Carla spoke again in a very cautious voice.

“Isn’t it too weak for a combination of mid-level magic?”

“...Oh.”

“Even low-level magic usually becomes twice as powerful, or some spells even thrice as strong, but this... It’s about as strong as a regular mid-level spell or maybe a bit weaker.”

“...”

“Isn’t it inefficient considering the effort?”

Yes, I knew. The significance of this spell lay in successfully combining mid-level magic elements, but it was lacking in many aspects.

Especially since suppressing some of the fire to control it led to a reduction in power.

However.

“What’s wrong with being inefficient?”

I shouted, pointing at the Fire Phoenix that scattered sparks and heat while exuding an intense presence.

“It looks cool, so it’s fine!”

Style was a major factor.