Lagrit opened his mouth toward the students of the Department of Mysticism, who were reacting restlessly to his words.
“Our Department of Mysticism is broadly divided into three disciplines: Alchemy, Summoning, and Spellcraft. Those three.”
Perhaps feeling that there was a limit to verbal explanation, he turned and walked to the iron board behind him, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to write.
Screeeeech, scratch.
The noise of chalk against iron echoed through the classroom, which had fallen quiet for a time, and when he clapped the dust from his hands, a drawing like the branches of a great tree had spread across the board in three directions.
Tap!
Among them, Lagrit pointed to the branch on the far left and spoke.
“Now, the first discipline is Alchemy. In this discipline, you will learn to use various substances to create or recreate new substances that did not previously exist. The best example would be the elixir of immortality, created by the Alchemy Star, one of the Four Stars of the Empire.”
Alchemy.
To transmute gold.
Lagrit explained that the “gold” here did not refer to actual shiny, golden gold, but was a metaphorical term for a perfect substance.
“Of course, it is possible to make actual gold as well. However, under Imperial law, if anyone other than a designated individual creates alchemical gold, the minimum sentence is life imprisonment. Academia is not a training ground for criminals. Of course, even with this warning, once every few years, there are always students who are caught secretly making gold. And every single one of them is currently serving time in prison.”
If you wish to meet those who were once your seniors in prison, do give it a try—after saying something that was hard to tell was a joke or in earnest, Lagrit lightly swept his gaze over the faces of the students of the Department of Mysticism and nodded.
Then he noisily pointed to the branch located on the far right among the three branches drawn on the blackboard.
“Next is the Summoning discipline. Simply put, this discipline summons and studies mystical animals.”
Mystical animals—animals that respond to aether and use various abilities.
Broadly speaking, mages could also be included among mystical animals, since humans are animals too. More narrowly speaking, animals like the void frog or the Heavenly Horse I once encountered with Miss Bell would be included here.
“Mystical animals are living masses of mystery that greatly deviate from the category of ordinary animals. Their abilities cannot be easily inferred from their outward appearance. Among your seniors, there was one who was highly suited to this discipline. She was a student who awakened magic while caring for various mystical animals. If the opportunity arises, I also plan to invite her and hold a special lecture on mystical animals.”
I nodded, thinking for some reason that the senior Lagrit was talking about sounded like someone I knew.
So you’re famous, Miss Bell.
“When you come into contact with mystical animals, you must always prioritize your own safety. Humans are far too vulnerable to attacks from mystical animals, and in a single careless moment, your head and body may be separated.”
Lagrit tapped his own head with his finger and instilled a sense of caution in the students of the Department of Mysticism by saying, The only reason humans can control mystical animals is because we are smarter than they are. In terms of raw force, there is no comparison.
“And lastly, the oldest and most difficult discipline: Spellcraft.”
Thud.
Lagrit struck the central branch among the three with his palm and continued speaking.
“Spellcraft is a discipline with a long-standing tradition that has been passed down since the very birth of beings known as mages among mankind. Broadly speaking, even if you choose another discipline, once you become a mage, ‘spells’ are something you cannot separate yourself from.”
Since ancient times, spells had been a widely used means of responding to aether.
In order to call the wind, it was more effective to say, Wind! out loud than to merely imagine it in one’s head.
And in order to summon a fireball in the air, rather than creating it through thought alone, one had to utter the word Fireball! from one’s mouth.
“Language has power, and that is especially true for you, whose sensitivity to aether is high. For example, if a person with sensitivity to aether sincerely curses another, misfortune will visit the cursed target. And if they sincerely wish happiness upon someone, that person’s luck may improve slightly.”
“...Can we really bring good fortune or bestow misfortune as we think?”
“Ah, Student Isil. My explanation was a little lacking. The example I gave belongs only to the realm of what is possible, not something that truly works that way in practice. In reality, to grant fortune or misfortune with just a few words requires a skilled mage—and even then, only a mage who possesses magic of that sort can do it.”
After saying that, he added lightly, Ah, though I have heard there are witches, not mages, who possess that sort of power. But since it has not been officially reported to the Society, let us pretend this conversation never happened.
It might have been my imagination, but after Lagrit said that, I saw Isil’s eyes, seated beside me, narrow ever so slightly.
“In any case, what I wish to tell you is that Spellcraft is the most fundamental discipline for a mage. As long as you do not give up on becoming mages, spells are a mage’s weapon and power.”
Having finished explaining all three disciplines, Lagrit let out a light sigh and looked around at the students of the Department of Mysticism, who were watching him.
“In the first semester of your first year, you will sample classes from all disciplines. You likely do not yet know what your aptitudes are or which discipline interests you. However, at the latest, after your midterms—in other words, from the second semester of your first year—you must choose one of the three disciplines. The discipline you choose will become your ‘major.’”
With the final words that, barring exceptional circumstances, the major you choose cannot be changed midway, so you must decide carefully, Lagrit stood before the lectern and tapped it with his palm.
Tap, tap.
“Now then, if you have any questions, go ahead and ask. I will answer sincerely within the scope of what I know.”
“...Um, I have a question.”
“Yes, your name?”
“Ah, Pl-Plu, Professor.”
“Student Plu, then.”
The student who asked Lagrit a question was Plu, the girl with the purple bob cut who had come to see me this morning with Rin Edinburgh.
The female student who had said she wanted to become a maid of the Rin Edinburgh family.
“Um... As far as I know, there are other disciplines besides the ones you mentioned, Professor. Was I mistaken...?”
“Other disciplines? Ah, you are curious about minors.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Hmm. I did not expect anyone to know about minors already. If it is not impolite of me to ask, may I know who you heard that information from?”
“Um... I heard the guide who brought me here talk about the discipline they graduated from...”
“Ah, I see.”
At Plu’s explanation, Lagrit nodded with an expression of understanding, as if to say, So that was how it happened.
“Originally, I had no intention of explaining them, but since the topic has come up, I suppose I should explain minors as well.”
Lagrit turned and quickly drew countless small branches extending from the three branches drawn on the blackboard.
If the branches already drawn were large and thick, the new little branches he drew were frail and small.
“You may think of minors as disciplines that do not have as deep a history as majors, nor an established curriculum. They have short histories and limited teachings—disciplines that suddenly came into being, like mutations.”
The thick branches—Alchemy, Summoning, and Spellcraft—were venerable disciplines passed down from before Academia was incorporated into the Empire, and they were the disciplines that had produced the greatest number of mages.
Mages who wished to handle substances went to Alchemy.
Mages who wished to command mystical animals went to Summoning.
Mages who wished to explore mystical disasters or spells went to Spellcraft.
Since long ago, mages had continued their research and studies within these three disciplines that formed the broad framework.
And that alone had been enough.
However.
“After the Empire was founded and humanity was unified, paradoxically, the number of those with the seeds to become mages increased compared to before. From the perspective of humanity as a whole, it was something to be pleased about, but from Academia’s perspective, it was a headache. Because among the new students who arrived, there were irregulars who did not fit the existing three disciplines.”
After the Empire was established, among the students of the Department of Mysticism who came to Academia, there began to appear students who had no interest in substances, mystical animals, or spells.
One student became more interested in the mind than in matter, and eventually became a mage who handled the mind.
Another student became more interested in dead corpses than in mystical animals, and became a mage who commanded dead animals like a witch.
Yet another student became more interested in action than in spells, and became a mage who used magic through dance.
In the end, the three disciplines with history and tradition admitted, due to the appearance of such irregulars, that there were limits to their curricula. And from Academia’s standpoint, since its foremost goal was ultimately to cultivate mages, it ordered the Department of Mysticism to establish disciplines capable of embracing even such people.
“And that is how the minor disciplines came to be. Compared to the three major disciplines, the level of the professors who teach them and the support they receive from Academia are modest, but they are perfectly suited to teaching such unusual students. Well, even so, they are still only minors.”
Most of them are disciplines that are awkward even to call disciplines, closer to clubs, so it would be wise to first look around the three major disciplines and choose your major, Lagrit said, offering a piece of advice tinged with warning.