Several weeks had passed since Erin first stepped foot in classroom 101.
The presence of the blue-haired and yellow-eyed professor was no longer strange to the first-year students.
In fact, Erin's reputation as a patient, thorough, and hard-not-to-anger educator slowly spread among the first batch of the Royal Astra Magic Academy.
That day, the Basic Magic class had just ended.
Most of the students started tidying up their books and preparing to leave the classroom for lunch break.
However, as usual, Erin didn't leave right away.
She stood near her desk, tidying up the stack of newly collected practice sheets.
From the corner of the back row, a messy black-haired young man looked hesitant to step out.
He was Kai Renford, the commoner student who looked so anxious on the first day.
Kai stood near his desk, tightly holding an old notebook, while cold sweat soaked his temples.
He had just received back his practical exam sheet with a score far below average.
On that paper sheet, a small note was written in Erin's neat handwriting: *'Kai, meet me in the preparation room after class if you have free time.'*
Kai's heart beat fast.
The typical fear of a commoner child who felt unworthy of being in this prestigious academy haunted him again.
He was afraid of being scolded, he was afraid of being considered untalented, and worse, he was afraid of being expelled from the academy.
With heavy steps, Kai walked slowly toward the professor's desk.
He lowered his head, not daring to look directly into Erin's calm yellow eyes.
"P-Professor Erin..." Kai called out with a small trembling voice.
Erin stopped her activity, raised her face, and saw the boy standing with a stiff, stooped posture.
She smiled friendly, then placed her pen on the desk.
"Ah, Kai. Thank you for coming," Erin said in a very soft tone, far from intimidating.
"Sit down for a moment. We can chat here."
Kai swallowed, then sat carefully in the empty chair in front of Erin's desk.
He squeezed the edge of his slightly worn school robe.
"I'm sorry, Professor..." Kai stammered, immediately cutting into the conversation.
"I know my practical score is very bad. I... I really don't belong in this class. My mana is always chaotic every time I try to cast basic spells, and I always mess up the group during field practice."
Erin listened to every desperate sentence without interrupting at all.
She knew exactly how it felt for a child who felt alienated among talented noble children.
After Kai finished speaking and bowed deeply again, Erin took a slow breath.
"Kai, lift your head," Erin said firmly yet warmly.
Kai was stunned for a moment, then slowly raised his face to look at the professor.
"Do you know why your mana is always chaotic every time you try to cast a spell?" Erin asked softly.
Kai shook his head slowly.
"Because you feel afraid," Erin continued explaining.
"Every time you hold a magic staff, your mind is filled with the fear of failure. You're afraid of disappointing others, you're afraid of being laughed at, and you're afraid of being kicked out of this academy."
Kai's eyes widened slightly.
Those words hit precisely what had been rumbling inside his chest.
"Magic is not just a flow of physical energy from your body, Kai," Erin said while leaning her upper body forward slightly, closer to the student.
"Magic is a reflection of your mind and heart. If your heart is filled with anxiety and doubt, then the mana coming out of your body will also be chaotic and uncontrollable."
Erin raised her right hand slowly, then directed her palm near the desk.
A soft and warm blue light sparkled in the air, spinning slowly without any sound of explosion or frightening pressure.
That was the manifestation of Erin's *Transfer Mantra* ability, which she used not to show off power, but to provide tranquility.
"Try holding out your hand," Erin whispered.
Kai hesitated for a moment, but he obeyed the command and stretched his right hand forward.
Erin touched Kai's wrist gently.
Immediately, a soothing warm sensation flowed from Erin's fingers into Kai's energy pathways.
The cold and tense feeling that had enveloped Kai's body slowly melted.
He felt the flow of mana inside his body, which used to be wild and tangled, now starting to organize, moving in harmony with his heartbeat.
"Feel the flow," Erin guided with a soul-calming voice.
"Don't fight it. Don't force it out. Let it flow like a calm river stream."
Under Erin's direct guidance and the energy flow assistance from her ability, Kai closed his eyes.
For the first time since entering the Royal Astra Magic Academy, he felt no burden whatsoever inside his chest.
All he felt was peace and clarity on how to control his own power.
A few seconds later, when Erin pulled back her hand, Kai opened his eyes slowly.
He looked at the palm of his own hand.
Without a magic staff, a small spark of stable and bright blue light now appeared at his fingertips, lasting for a few seconds before slowly fading.
Kai was stunned.
Tears of emotion suddenly welled up in the corners of his eyes.
All this time he always thought of himself as a stupid child with no magic talent.
Yet today, under Professor Erin's guidance, he realized he could actually do it.
"How is it?" Erin asked with a sincere smile.
"Does it still feel scary?"
Kai shook his head quickly, while a wide smile began to engrave on his previously gloomy face.
"No, Professor... It feels... amazing," Kai answered with a hoarse voice holding back emotion.
"Thank you... Thank you very much, Professor Erin."
Erin nodded slowly, feeling relieved to see the change in expression on her student's face.
"You have great potential, Kai. What you need is not more forced training, but belief in yourself," Erin stated.
"Now, go back and rest. And remember, if you face difficulties again, my office door is always open for you."
Kai got up from his chair, bowed deeply with full and sincere respect, and then walked out of the room with a much lighter and more confident step than when he entered.
Outside the window, the afternoon sun shone brightly lighting up the academy courtyard.
Erin leaned back in her chair, taking a long breath while looking outside.
Being a professor turned out to bring far greater emotional responsibility than she initially imagined.
However, seeing her students one by one beginning to find their own paths provided a unique satisfaction she had never felt in her past life as an office worker.
Erin's days at the Royal Astra Magic Academy were still long, and new challenges were certainly waiting ahead.