Chapter 340
‘There are certainly mages who specialize in Dispel magic.’
Laura stared at Leo, eyes wide in disbelief.
‘But Lyle didn’t use Dispel.’
It wasn’t impossible to cancel an opponent’s spell without using a Dispel incantation.
A skilled mage could certainly do it—
The issue was time.
Even if two mages used the same spell, the structure of the formula and mana control would always differ depending on the caster.
To interfere with and dispel another’s magic, one would have to perfectly grasp every subtle element of its formula and mana control.
That process normally took a considerable amount of time.
What Leo had just done—an instant, flawless unraveling—was nearly impossible.
As far as Laura knew, there had only ever been one mage in history capable of completely analyzing and dissolving another’s spell.
‘Lady Luna.’
“Where did you learn to use such cheap tricks?”
At Leo’s words, Ortren flared his mana in outrage.
Flash—! Kwagagagagak—!
A blinding storm of light burst from his hands.
A fierce surge of mana roared across the field.
The high-output magic shredded Leo’s mirages into pieces.
The Mirage spell, after all, merely created illusions.
No matter how realistic, they were still illusions—fragile before overwhelming force.
“You think mastering a few illusion spells makes you special? You asked what I thought of your Star Magic?”
Ortren’s eyes burned.
“It’s pathetic! You score a zero!”
Hundreds of flashes filled the air, streaking toward Leo.
Leo’s crimson eyes calmly traced their trajectories.
‘A spell I don’t recognize.’
It had been five thousand years since Luna created Star Magic.
Three thousand years since Seiren, the Comet Mage, had redefined it as the elves’ unique magic.
Countless derivative spells had been born in that long history.
That Leo didn’t recognize some of them was only natural.
Fwoosh—!
Just before the invisible light particles struck Leo, they suddenly vanished—
as if colliding with an unseen wall.
“W-what the…”
Ortren’s face twisted in shock.
‘Well, the result’s the same either way.’
All Star Magic ultimately stemmed from one source—
Luna’s original spell formula.
And aside from Luna herself, there was only one other being who had completely mastered it: Leo.
Any magic derived from that structure simply couldn’t affect him.
What the elves now called “pure Star Magic” was, to Leo, nothing more than incomplete.
No matter how sturdy a building appeared, it would collapse once its foundation crumbled.
As long as their spells were based on Star Magic, Leo could dismantle them effortlessly.
‘Though if it were fused with another system, even I couldn’t do it instantly.’
Star Magic was compatible with other systems, but Leo had full mastery only of Star Magic itself.
If a foreign structure was mixed in, even he would need more time to analyze it.
‘But the elves reject that kind of “impure” magic.’
Ironically, such evolution was precisely the kind of magical progress Luna had dreamed of.
Leo spread his palm toward the horrified Ortren.
‘Imitating Luna for once isn’t bad.’
Decoding and neutralizing other people’s spells had been Luna’s specialty.
‘What made her great wasn’t inventing Star Magic itself.’
Luna’s brilliance lay not merely in her creation of Star Magic—
but in her mastery of every form of magic that existed in her time.
And in the end, she had crafted the devastating spell [Innocent] and passed it to Kyle,
a spell capable of slaying even gods.
Flash—!
A magic circle formed above Leo’s hand.
Ortren’s eyes widened.
“H-how do you know that spell…?!”
It was the very same spell Ortren had just used—his own original creation.
“What… what is happening…?”
His jaw trembled.
He had devoted his life to Star Magic.
Born into a noble elven house, a proud graduate of Seiren—
he knew exactly how impossible this should be.
To an elf supremacist like him, this sight was a nightmare made real.
“What are you…” he whispered hoarsely.
Leo released the spell.
It wasn’t just a perfect replica—it was a more complete, refined version of Ortren’s own magic.
“What do you think it is?” Leo replied flatly.
“It means your way of doing things… is wrong.” (T/N: Adkasjhdsak jdhsakldjh sakdjash dlkasjdh askdj hasdkljash dl. Damn it! It’s so coool!!!!)
Flash! Kwagagagagang—!
—
After Leo and Ortren’s duel ended, the Martial Magic class was dismissed.
Ortren, visibly shaken, ended the session early.
The lower-class students couldn’t continue in that tense atmosphere, so Laura led them back to their classroom.
‘They all look crushed.’
After class, Leo sighed as he watched the dispirited students leave with drooping ears.
It was no wonder.
Today’s lesson had made one thing clear:
Seiren no longer saw its lower-class students as students at all—
only as stepping stones for the upper class.
‘They must feel hopeless.’
It wouldn’t be so bitter if everyone had a fair chance to compete.
But they didn’t even have that.
As the class prepared to leave,
“Um… Lyle.”
Anri approached him hesitantly.
“Could we talk for a bit?”
Just as Leo was about to nod—
“Sorry, Anri. I’d like to have a private discussion with Lyle first.”
Laura’s calm voice cut in.
“O-oh, alright.”
Anri nodded, looking uneasy. “Let’s talk later then.”
With that, she left.
Laura led Leo into the small counseling room beside the classroom.
After offering him a seat, she took a deep breath.
“I’ll be direct, Lyle. Who are you, really?”
She set a student ledger on the table.
“I checked the middle-class registry—your name wasn’t there. Same for the upper class.”
Her gaze hardened.
“And that display of magic earlier… that wasn’t the work of a first-year student. Honestly, it wasn’t the work of a student at all.”
Ortren was no weak mage—his Star Magic achievement was considerable.
Yet he’d been completely overwhelmed.
‘He looked just like the Luna from the old stories.’
Laura admired Luna deeply and knew her legends well.
Even as a child, Luna had shown genius beyond imagination.
Leo smiled faintly.
“I’m not a Seiren student.”
“I suspected as much. Then who are you?”
“Leo Plov. Student Council President of Lumene.”
“…What?”
Laura froze.
She had imagined he might be some hidden elven prodigy, but this was beyond anything she’d guessed.
‘Leo Plov… from Lumene?! That Leo Plov?!’
Of course she knew the name.
His influence on elven society since his first year had been extraordinary.
Even she had been impressed by his reinterpretation of the [Magic that Blooms Flower].
He had conquered Polium, performed brilliantly in the Lumeiren, and most recently, achieved victory in the Dweno world.
To think that the very Hero Candidate she’d wanted to meet during this exchange event was now sitting before her—she was completely at a loss.
“Are you truly Leo Plov? Why are you here in Seiren?”
“I came through the newly established exchange program.”
“Oh!”
Laura’s eyes widened as she finally understood.
“And that’s why you were placed in the first-year lower class…”
She exhaled sharply, her expression twisting with guilt.
“…Seiren has been terribly disrespectful to you. As a teacher here, I sincerely apologize.”
“There’s no need for that,” Leo said with a bitter smile. “You’re not the one at fault.”
Laura gave a sad laugh.
“I’m ashamed. Seiren wasn’t always like this.”
Her face clouded.
“My students don’t belong in the lower class… They’re all talented kids.”
Seeing her genuine concern, Leo said quietly,
“At this rate, they won’t even make it into the middle class, let alone the upper.”
“…I know.”
Laura nodded heavily.
“If that’s the case… maybe staying in Seiren isn’t worth it anymore. The school’s methods are wrong.”
Her voice sharpened.
Just as her students had fought to improve, she too had struggled—petitioning Seiren’s upper administration to give her students a fair chance.
But nothing ever changed.
‘If this continues, these children will be broken.’
She clenched her fists.
This wasn’t the kind of teacher she had wanted to become.
“Professor.”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to change Seiren with me?”
Her eyes widened.
“…If we fail, we could both be expelled. But if we succeed—we’ll change Seiren itself.”
For an elf, teaching at Seiren was the highest honor, second only to being recorded in the Hero Record.
Laura smiled.
“If this is what Seiren has become, that honor means nothing. Do you have a plan?”
—
The next day.
Laura called all the lower-class students to the classroom.
Their eyes were dim, lifeless.
“Everyone,” she said after taking a deep breath.
“You all know it already—Seiren has abandoned you.”
Gasps erupted around the room.
“Tch!”
“Damn it…!”
Some cursed under their breath; others covered their faces and cried.
Only months ago, they had entered Seiren with dreams of becoming elven heroes—and now, before even taking their midterms, the school had discarded them.
They had all felt it, deep down, but refused to admit it.
Anri looked pale and lost.
“If you stay here, you’ll only ever be treated as stepping stones for the upper classes.”
Laura’s tone was flat, almost cold.
“I can’t accept that. I know better than anyone how talented you are.”
“Then… what should we do?” Anri asked, voice trembling.
Laura glanced at the doorway.
“You’ll have to make a choice. Lyle.”
Leo stepped inside, holding a thick tome in his hand.
“You all saw Lyle’s Star Magic yesterday,” Laura said.
Everyone nodded silently. His duel against a senior teacher had left them speechless.
But one question lingered—
‘Why is someone like him in the lower class?’
“Don’t you wonder why he’s here?” Laura asked.
The students exchanged confused looks.
“Why…?” Anri asked carefully.
“Because I read a forbidden book,” Leo said simply.
Thud—!
He placed the tome on the lectern.
Its title faced the class.
Anri, seated in front, read aloud.
“Introduction to Star Magic…? Wait—this was written by a Lumene professor!” (T/N: Oooohh, this is smart. )
“What?”
“Then why is it here?!”
The first-years jumped to their feet, backing away as if from a cursed object.
Leo looked at them, amused.
He walked toward the group clutching the book.
“Eek!”
“D-don’t come closer!”
They backed away, faces pale.
‘Interesting.’
With a mischievous smile, Leo grabbed Anri’s wrist and pressed the tome into her hands.
“Try reading it.”
“Kyaa!”
She yelped, trembling as if she’d touched something terrifying, and threw it away.
If Len had seen that, he would’ve fainted in fury—seeing his book treated like that.
Leo caught the floating tome midair.
Laura gave a bitter smile.
“That book is classified as a Level 1 Forbidden Text by Seiren. Merely mentioning it is punishable, and possession is grounds for severe discipline—you all know that.”
The students nodded nervously.
“Lyle was demoted to the lower class because he owned it.”
“Oh…”
“I knew it…”
Sighs spread through the room.
“I also read it,” Laura said quietly.
“What?!”
“No, Professor, you can’t!”
“If the administration finds out, they’ll strip you of your position!”
The students looked horrified.
But Laura smiled gently.
“In a school like this, I no longer wish to teach.”
Her tone was soft but firm.
“I’ve read the book—and there’s nothing wrong with it. In fact, I believe it should be shared with all elves.”
The Introduction to Star Magic, written by Len and Anna.
Seiren had declared it heretical because it could “dilute the sanctity” of Star Magic.
But its effectiveness was undeniable.
At Lumene, nearly every second-year magic student who studied it had successfully learned Star Magic.
Soon, Lumene planned to expand the course to every magic student in the academy.
Star Magic might have originated with elves, but this book made it accessible to all races—an incredible breakthrough.
If magic failed to embrace progress, there was only one word for it: regression.
Leo clicked his tongue.
‘At this rate, Star Magic will lose its meaning as the symbol of the elves.’
Tina was probably worried about that too.
Any elf with foresight would be.
‘Ironically, elves will adapt to Len and Anna’s system better than anyone else.’
Star Magic was heavily influenced by innate mana traits.
Even elves gifted in ordinary magic sometimes struggled with Star Magic because of those differences.
“If you master what’s in this book,” Laura said, “your Star Magic will advance tremendously. Then Seiren will realize the truth—that instead of banning it, they should embrace it. And when that happens, this school will change.”
The students swallowed hard.
“But if Seiren refuses to change, we’ll all be expelled. I’m fine with that. You’ll likely be expelled too.”
Laura looked around at their faces.
“I won’t force anyone. The choice is yours.”
Would they remain as lower-class students forever?
Or risk everything to change Seiren?
The students’ eyes trembled at the weight of the choice.
Finally, Anri, the class representative, spoke in a shaky voice.
“We… will…”
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