Then Ishiki’s eyes swept across the crowd.
“Now, Who would like to demonstrate first?”
Immediately, Shinazu looked away, toward the sky, toward the grass, toward absolutely anything except Ishiki.
Unfortunately, luck was not on his side.
“You, little one in the back.”
Shinazu froze.
For heaven’s sake, why me?
I’m just a kid!
Reluctant but knowing he had no choice, he slowly walked forward to the front.
“What element?” Ishiki asked.
“Fire.”
“Only Fire?”
He nodded.
“And your mana level?”
“Uhm…
I don’t know,” Shinazu offered a pure, innocent smile.
Everyone looked at him for a few seconds.
“Look, he doesn’t even know how much mana he has!” Souma mocked, and several other nobles snickered.
“You don’t know?” Ishiki frowned.
“Seriously?
Then how did you even enroll or fill out the registration form?”
“Uhmmm, I don’t know that either,” Shinazu muttered sheepishly.
The laughter increased.
“His acting is too good, my stomach hurts!” Seina laughed, holding her midsection.
“Enough laughing!” Ishiki frowned slightly, thinking the boy was intentionally making fun of him.
Kana quickly stepped closer to whisper to Ishiki.
“He was personally brought by Minato-sensei.” She knew his background well, having glanced at the kid in the dormitory room with the cursed box.
Ishiki raised an eyebrow.
“Minato brought him?” He gave Shinazu another long look and let out a soft sigh.
Shinazu actually knew how much mana he had, but he strictly wanted the others to know as little about him as possible.
“Fine,” Ishiki said.
Kana smiled gently at the boy.
“Shinazu, wow close your eyes and focus.”
Shinazu obeyed, shutting his eyes.
“Feel the mana gathered within your navel,” Ishiki guided him.
Shinazu nodded, keeping his eyes closed as he focused all his attention inward, searching for any sensation deep in his gut.
After a few seconds, Ishiki asked, “Do you feel something?”
Shinazu frowned, nervous sweat beading on his forehead as he spoke with genuine worry.
“I feel like…
something is spinning like a ball inside my stomach.”
“There is a bomb inside your stomach, and you’re about to blow up,” Kojin said from the side, making several students around him hold back quiet giggles.
Shinazu stiffened instantly.
A bomb is going to explode inside my stomach?!
“Kojin.” Kana shot a sharp, freezing glare across the students, silencing them in a heartbeat, though they still held onto their mocking smirks.
“Do not worry, Shinazu,” Kana reassured him in a soothing voice to ease his rising panic.
“Everyone experiences it differently.
Some feel a fire burning within, while others feel water flowing.
It is completely natural.
Just maintain your focus.”
Shinazu nodded slowly, letting his shoulders drop.
Since he had never attempted this before, her words gave him some relief.
“Good,” Ishiki continued.
“Now, imagine something you wish to shape.
A distinct form, or perhaps something as simple as a fireball.”
Simple fireball?
The suggestion of making something simple did not appeal to him in the slightest.
No, that is far too plain.
I want to make something unique.
My own kind of magic!
Instead of a weapon or a crude sphere of fire, a memory from his lonely childhood drifted to the surface of his mind.
He remembered watching a small, delicate butterfly flutter across an empty garden, its gentle wings moving with effortless grace, bringing a rare moment of pure peace to his harsh street life.
“Have you imagined?” Ishiki asked.
Shinazu nodded firmly.
“Then trace that mana from your navel upward toward your shoulders,” Ishiki instructed.
“Guide it from your shoulders down through your elbows, from your elbows out to your open palms, and envision that exact shape taking form above your skin.” Ishiki deliberately emphasized the distance, knowing that a beginner could easily burn himself.
Shinazu didn’t speak or move, only deepening his concentration.
Within seconds, a warm energy responded to his call.
The air directly above his outstretched palms hand began to shimmer with localized heat.
Gradually, a tiny butterfly materialized in midair, no larger than his thumb.
Its slender body and fragile wings were forged entirely from soft, translucent crimson flames, pulsing with a gentle, controlled glow.
Flap.
Flap.
The fiery wings fluttered with silent elegance against his palm.
Shinazu opened his eyes, his dark pupils reflecting the radiant ember light as he stared at the little flaming butterfly in pure wonder.
Everyone stared blankly at his hands.
…
…
“…That’s it?” Haruka burst out laughing. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Hahahaha!
A butterfly?!”
“That’s your fire magic?” Kojin nearly fell over from laughing.
“Is that even useful?” Even Kousuke blinked in disappointment.
“Cute…” Saki giggled.
“Awww,” Minara reacted softly.
“He has better control, though…” Soshiro pointed out, analyzing the tiny shape.
Poof.
Before Soshiro could even complete his sentence, the flame vanished into thin air.
The butterfly disappeared, and Shinazu suddenly felt a little dizzy.
“Such good control that he completely exhausted himself just making a tiny butterfly!” Haruka burst into laughter again.
“Butterfly Boy!” the class joined the laughter and Seina officially branded him with a nickname.
“Hahahaha!” Many of the noble boys laughed openly, while some of the girls giggled into their sleeves.
“His first magic is just a decoration!”
Shinazu looked down, feeling sad and embarrassed.
It was his very first time manifesting and actively manipulating mana, and he truly didn’t know anything about how it worked.
He looked up at Kana-sensei nervously.
But Kana wasn’t laughing at all, nor was Ishiki.
The two experienced teachers exchanged a deep, serious glance.
No sound burst.
No instability and Not even a single crackle of stray fire.
“Boy, is this your first time manifesting magic?” Ishiki asked in disbelief.
Shinazu nodded, lowering his face slightly.
Ishiki frowned deeply.
Impossible.
He shaped intricate wings without any former training?!
Even highly experienced mages often produce unstable and wild flames.
Yet, this boy created a detailed living shape in his first attempt.
It was tiny and weak, but it was unbelievably precise.
They both realized, That’s why Minato brought him.
This kid has outstanding control!
Ishiki thought.
Akira’s golden eyes narrowed at him from the crowd.
Brought by Minato-sensei…
she thought.
Meanwhile, Shinazu walked back toward the group, his ears burning from the public humiliation.
He sat down cross-legged on the grass as a wave of dizziness washed over his mind, and he held his head with a hand.
Kana smiled gently at him.
“Good job, Shinazu-kun.
It is entirely normal to feel tired after your very first manifestation.”
He nodded weakly.
And just like that, most of the class completely forgot about him.
To them, he was simply a strange, weak little boy who could only glow up a butterfly.
But a few people continued watching him intensely.
They were far too intelligent to be ignorant of the underlying facts of mana control.
“Tenzen,” Kana called out next.
The silver-haired prince in his flowing black and golden uniform stepped forward confidently.
Holding out his palm, a dense wave of mana gathered rapidly above his skin.
Clink.
A small, sharp metal shard slowly materialized and floated above his palm.
“Good,” Ishiki nodded.
“You’ve trained before.”
Then,
Shing!
Several small sharp icicles appeared and rotated in constant motion above his over his other palm.
Ishiki asked in admiration.
“Two Variance Element?”
Tenzen nodded as his long silver hair waved beyond his shoulder.
“As expected of the Tenryu family.” Kana praised and he calmly returned to his place in line.
Tenzen wasn’t boastful or arrogant, he maintained a cold demeanor.
He was a person of few words, but he was undeniably talented.
“Soshiro,” Kana called.
The prince calmly stepped forward.
Unlike Tenzen’s cold face, Soshiro wore a completely cheerful expression.
Crackle.
Vibrant violet sparks danced smoothly above his palm.
Though the energy was still slightly unstable.
“Excellent!” Kana nodded approvingly.
“Lightning is among the hardest attributes to safely control.
With your talent combined with training, you will get a good control of it in no time.”
Hayame raised his hand, smiling.
“Soshiro-san, I happen to possess lightning as well.” He stepped forward, and soon, bright white lightning danced seamlessly above both of his palms.
“Impressive,” Ishiki gave an approving nod to the display.
Not wanting to be outdone, Soshiro grinned.
“Hayame-san, you think I can’t match that?” He focused his mind, and lightning erupted from both of his hands as well.
The two royal princes smiled competitively at each other.
Suddenly
“Me too!” Ryuga rushed forward eagerly.
Crackle!
His own unrefined lightning backfired, shocking him instantly and his hair stood completely on end, smoking slightly.
The entire class burst into roaring laughter.
Even Kana couldn’t suppress a small smile looking at his new hairstyle.
“Patience, Ryuga-kun.
Lightning does not forgive arrogance.
And you two this not a competition.” Ryuga quickly fixed his hair hiding his embarrassment as he walked back while Hayame and Soshiro nodded as apology.
“Princess Minara,” Ishiki called out afterwards.
The beautiful princess stepped forward gracefully.
Placing her palm gently against the earth, the ground softened and a tiny green sprout emerged from the soil, rapidly growing until a beautiful wildflower bloomed in a soft light.
A warm green aura radiated softly across the grass.
“Wow…”
“So pretty…”
Amane’s eyes practically sparkled with envy.
“Princess Minara is so amazing!”
Minara smiled shyly, bowing her head.
“It’s really nothing special.”
Ishiki chuckled.
“Wood Magic, a rare, beautiful blessing.
And your baseline mana, princess?”
“182,” she replied softly.
An absolute silence fell over the ground.
Several students widened their eyes in shock, and even the cold face Tenzen frowned.
They were all in awe as Minara’s baseline mana was quite higher than the rest of the all royal heirs of the four kingdoms in her class, even in the whole academy in terms of mana quantity.
“As expected of the Hinokami Princess from Ryusai,” Ishiki praised.
Minara simply nodded with a humble smile and returned to her place quietly.
“Yukina,” Kana called.
“Coming!” she said cheerfully, her bright blue hair moving as she bounced forward.
She focused her mana into both hands, and a melon-sized ball of water floated above her palms.
Her eyes sparkled at the manifestation.
But after 5 seconds, the sphere lost its structural form, and the water crashed down, completely drenching her uniform sleeves.
She got startled, looking a little sad at her performance.
“Don’t worry, Yukina.
You did great for your first time, you just need better stabilization control,” Kana encouraged her.
Yukina immediately cheered up, smiling as she ran back to her spot.
“Now, Tokito.”
A four inches wide ice cube formed swiftly above the boy’s hand, simple and clean.
“Very good,” Kana praised.
“Next…
Akira.”
Akira quietly stepped forward, her long black hair swaying as her cold, intense golden gaze fixed straight forward.
The entire atmosphere of the training field changed instantly under her unyielding and confident gaze.
Without saying a single word, she extended her hand.
An 8 inches long, sharp icicle, materialized perfectly above her palm.
It was very lethal and sharp, emitting visible wisps of freezing cold air around her palm.
Tokito’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.
Tokito smiled bitterly at the massive gap between their constructs.
“How much mana do you possess, Akira-san?” he asked curiously.
“175,” she replied flatly.
“As expected of her bloodline.” Ishiki smiled.
“Tch!” Haruka jerked in envy and many of the other royals looked jealous as well.
We possess the exact same element, and she is already so superior, Tokito thought.
Crackle!
Suddenly, the icicle in her hand filled with deep cracks, through which vibrant purple lightning sparks flew.
With a sharp snap, the ice spear burst into tiny, glittering ice sparkles and drifting flakes.
Akira had used her lightning magic to shatter her own creation.
“She can use Frost and Lightning that well?” Ishiki murmured, thoroughly impressed by her control.
“Ishiki-sensei, she can also use Light magic,” Kana added with a proud smile.
“Light Magic too?!” Ishiki’s jaw dropped at the revelation.
“Well, not only her,” Kana noted, looking smugly at her class of prodigies.
“Minara can use Wind and Light magic along with Wood magic, and Hayame is also a triple affinity user with Fire, Wind, and Lightning.
And they aren’t the only ones here who can use multiple attributes.” Ishiki was left speechless.
Akira ignored all the whispering and quietly returned to her place in the back.
As she took her spot, Akira’s eyes unconsciously drifted toward sideways, locking onto Shinazu, who was sitting cross-legged on the grass.
Shinazu happened to be looking directly at her at that exact moment, and the absolute second their eyes met, he violently whipped his head away, avoiding her gaze entirely.
Wait!
Did he just deliberately look away from me?
Akira’s brows twitched, her frustration bubbling up.
Is he trying to imply that I didn’t match up to his level of mana control?
Is he looking down on me?!
She clenched her fists tightly and crossed her arms, staring hard at the side of his head.
Shinazu could clearly feel her icy intense gaze, piercing right through him.
He panicked internally, instantly breaking into a nervous sweat.
Yesterday I gave her flowers and ran away, And now, seeing my pathetic butterfly, after that jagged handwriting, she probably thinks I’m completely dumb, and useless too.
she might want to freeze me solid.
I am so really done for…
“Haruka!” Kana called out.
He stepped forward proudly.