A Psychopath Reborn as a Third-rate Villain

The question immediately captured the students’ attention.

Several hands rose throughout the classroom.

Professor Elowen glanced across the room but didn’t choose anyone.

Instead, she continued.

”Talents have limitations.”

Her gentle voice carried a note of seriousness.

”Every talent is different.”

”Some excel in direct combat. Others are suited for support, physical enhancement, defense, detection, or abilities that defy simple classification.”

She paused.

”But no talent can provide every possible effect.”

Elowen raised one finger.

”Spell casting, on the other hand, offers something a talent cannot.”

She looked across the classroom.

”Versatility.”

The word settled over the room.

”A mage who possesses a fire-based talent may possess extraordinary power over flames.”

”But what happens when that mage encounters an opponent highly resistant to fire?”

A few students exchanged glances.

”They cannot simply change their talent.”

Elowen began walking slowly across the front of the classroom.

”But a skilled spell caster can adapt.”

”Through spell casting, a mage can learn fire spells, water spells, wind spells, earth spells, defensive barriers, healing techniques, enhancement spells, movement magic, detection magic, and countless other forms of magic.”

Several students’ eyes brightened.

”Spell casting gives you options.”

”And in a real battle...”

Elowen stopped.

”...having options can mean the difference between victory and defeat.”

The classroom fell completely silent.

Even the students who had been distracted moments earlier were now paying close attention.

Elowen continued.

”That is why you should never think of talents and spell casting as rivals.”

”They are complementary.”

She placed one hand against her chest.

”Your talent is the weapon you were born with.”

Then she extended her hand toward the class.

”Spell casting is the arsenal you build throughout your life.”

Her gaze swept across the students.

”A powerful mage should learn to use both.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

”Your talent may give you an advantage.”

”But your understanding of magic determines how far you can take that advantage.”

Andras listened quietly.

Interesting.

So that’s how she teaches.

Her explanation was simple enough for beginners to understand, yet the principle behind it was important.

Talent provided specialization.

Spell casting provided versatility.

The strongest mages would naturally combine the two.

Elowen clasped her hands behind her back.

”That is the foundation of today’s lesson.”

She looked across the classroom.

”And from this point onward, I will teach you how to turn that foundation into actual strength.”

A subtle wave of anticipation passed through the room.

Elowen turned toward the large blackboard.

She picked up a piece of chalk.

With three deliberate strokes, she wrote:

Mana → Magic Circle → Spell

She stepped aside.

”Before you learn how to cast a spell, you must understand these three things.”

She tapped the first word.

”Mana.”

”Mana is the energy that exists within the world around us and within every living being capable of wielding magic.”

”It is the foundation of all spell casting.”

She moved to the second term.

”Magic Circle.”

”This is the structure that gives mana direction.”

”Think of mana as water.”

She paused.

”If you release water without anything to contain or guide it, it simply spreads wherever it can.”

”But place that same water inside a pipe, and you can control its direction.”

Her eyes moved across the classroom.

”A magic circle serves a similar purpose.”

”It organizes mana according to a specific structure and instructs it what to become.”

She tapped the final word.

”Spell.”

”The spell is the result.”

”The magical phenomenon produced when mana is properly controlled through a magic circle.”

She drew a simple circle beneath the three words.

”Every spell has a structure.”

”That structure determines how mana flows, how much mana is required, what properties the spell possesses, and ultimately what effect it produces.”

A student near the front leaned forward.

Elowen noticed but continued.

”Some circles are simple.”

”Others are incredibly complex.”

”As the difficulty of a spell increases, so does the complexity of its structure.”

She placed the chalk down.

”That is why you cannot simply gather a large amount of mana and expect a powerful spell to appear.”

Her expression became slightly more serious.

”Mana possesses power.”

”But power alone does not create magic.”

She extended one hand.

A faint blue glow appeared around her palm.

Several students immediately focused on it.

Mana began gathering around her fingers.

At first, it was perfectly stable.

Then Elowen deliberately stopped controlling its flow.

The concentrated mana trembled.

The blue light flickered violently.

A faint crackling sound filled the classroom.

Several students instinctively leaned back.

The mana suddenly twisted upon itself, becoming increasingly unstable.

Elowen watched it calmly.

”Observe.”

The glow continued to fluctuate.

”This is raw mana without proper structure.”

”It has power.”

”But it has no direction.”

The unstable energy expanded slightly before Elowen closed her fingers.

The mana vanished.

Silence returned to the classroom.

Elowen lowered her hand.

”Raw mana has power.”

She looked at the students.

”But power without structure is nothing more than chaos.”

Several students nodded thoughtfully.

Elowen returned to the board.

”If you cannot control your mana, you cannot cast a spell.”

”If you cannot construct a proper magic circle, you cannot give that mana a precise form.”

”And if you cannot combine the two...”

She paused.

”...you cannot produce reliable magic.”

She turned toward the class.

”This is where your training begins.”

Elowen gestured toward the three words written on the board.

”Mana.”

”Magic Circle.”

”Spell.”

”Remember those three.”

Her gaze lingered over the students.

”Every spell you learn during your time at Ambrose Academy will ultimately come back to these fundamentals.”

She allowed the students a moment to absorb the information.

”That will be all for today’s lesson.”

A few students looked surprised.

The lesson had passed faster than they expected.

Elowen placed the chalk down.

A few students relaxed in their seats.

”Review what you’ve learned tonight.”

”Tomorrow, we will begin with mana control.”

The students immediately became more attentive again.

Mana control.

For many of them, this would be their first real step toward mastering spell casting.

Just as Elowen turned toward the door, a hand rose from the middle of the classroom.

Elowen stopped.

She looked toward the student.

”Do you have a question, Student?”

The student stood.

He was a broad-shouldered young man with short brown hair and a sturdy build.

”Yes, Professor Elowen.”

He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

”I’m a warrior.”

A few students turned toward him.

”I know warriors can learn some spells, but...”

He scratched the back of his head.

”I don’t really want to learn spell casting.”

A few quiet chuckles came from the classroom.

The young warrior continued.

”Do I still have to attend your classes?”

Elowen didn’t seem offended.

Instead, a small smile appeared on her face.

”That’s a very good question.”

She turned back toward the class.

”Ambrose Academy doesn’t force every student to follow the same path.”

”There are six professors responsible for the first-year curriculum.”

She raised one finger.

”I teach Spell Casting.”

A second.

”Another professor will teach Combat Training.”

A third.

”Weapon Mastery.”

A fourth.

”Monster Studies.”

A fifth.

”Warrior Specialization.”

Then she raised her sixth finger.

”And the final professor teaches Mage Specialization.”

The young warrior’s expression brightened slightly.

”What’s the difference between Spell Casting and Mage Specialization?”

Elowen smiled.

”Spell Casting focuses on the fundamentals of creating and controlling spells.”

”Mage Specialization goes deeper.”

”Mana cultivation, spell circles, mana efficiency, advanced spell construction, and the various techniques used by experienced mages.”

The young warrior nodded thoughtfully.

”I see.”

Elowen continued.

”Warrior Specialization follows a similar principle.”

”That class will focus on the disciplines most important to warriors—physical conditioning, battle energy, combat techniques, warrior cultivation, battle instincts, and the proper use of a warrior’s body in battle.”

The young man’s eyes lit up.

”That sounds much better.”

Several students laughed.

Elowen smiled.

”You are not required to attend every subject.”

The classroom quieted again.

”At the end of your first year, you will be examined in three of the six subjects.”

She paused.

”You are free to choose which three subjects you wish to take for your examinations.”

”However, you are free to attend all six if you wish.”

Her gaze swept across the classroom.

”A warrior who wishes to learn magic may attend Spell Casting and Mage Specialization.”

”A mage who wishes to improve their physical combat abilities may attend Warrior Specialization and Weapon Mastery.”

”And regardless of your chosen path, Combat Training and Monster Studies will remain useful to you.”

She smiled faintly.

”Ambrose Academy does not believe that strength should be limited to a single path.”

”If you wish to learn spell casting despite being a warrior, my classroom will always be open to you.”

The young warrior nodded immediately.

”I understand.”

He bowed his head slightly.

”Thank you, Professor Elowen.”

”You’re welcome.”

Elowen turned toward the door and stepped outside.

The classroom remained quiet for a moment.

The first lesson at Ambrose Academy had come to an end.