When he called Eric Willow’s name, Ludger recalled the conversation he had shared with Elisa Willow in the headmaster’s office.
—There will be one student among the Special Class. Honestly, there’s nothing to hide. You can tell who it is just by looking at the name.
—Eric Willow. A cousin?
—Yes, that’s right. Though strictly speaking, we’re fifth cousins.
Fifth cousins. In other words, to Eric Willow, Elisa Willow was his grand-aunt once removed.
—Even if you’re fifth cousins, that’s not particularly strange. But for him to be assigned to the Special Class is... a little unusual. Is that a trait of the Willow family?
—The Willow family isn’t that famous. Ah—there is one thing it’s famous for, thanks to me.
It might have sounded like boasting, but it was an undeniable fact.
Most so-called prestigious magic families were like that.
Having a large number of moderately capable mages was not enough to earn the name of a distinguished house.
To bear that name, you needed one truly outstanding individual—someone the entire world could acknowledge.
The Headmaster of Seorn, Elisa, was precisely such a person.
Because she herself was exceptional, the family gained prestige in reverse. As a result, the magical ability of the rest of her family, to put it kindly, did not even exceed above average.
However, there was exactly one exception.
—Eric is my fifth cousin, but we haven’t known each other for very long. If you want to be precise, our branches within the family are quite distant.
Eric’s grandmother, who had been part of the Willow family’s direct line, married into another family.
The daughter born from that union married a commoner businessman, and the child born from that marriage was Eric.
Strictly speaking, Eric should have lived a life with little to do with magic—so why had he enrolled at Seorn?
—That child possesses the same Magic Eyes as me.
Magic Eyes.
Among mages, there were rare cases where mana accumulated excessively in a part of the body, causing it to mutate.
This usually occurred in innate mage bloodlines, when a child born to mage parents was gradually influenced by mana from the fetal stage onward.
Typically, a child born that way showed no major abnormalities at first.
But the residual mana in the body grew along with the child, and once they reached around seven or eight years old, it began to manifest in a concrete form.
Magic Eyes, formed when mana settled in the eyes, were the most representative example.
At the same time, they were also the most commonly encountered case.
Of course, even Magic Eyes appeared in only a tiny fraction of mages.
Elisa Willow herself possessed Magic Eyes.
Her golden irises could shake the mind of whoever looked into them.
They were especially effective on the opposite sex, making them closer to a bewitching type of Magic Eyes, and her popularity was partly due to the peculiar allure granted by them.
That said, Elisa never used her Magic Eyes carelessly. She knew how to properly restrain her power.
But Eric was different.
—That child’s Magic Eyes are special. Magic «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Eyes are unusual to begin with, but his are more dangerous. I’m no small matter when it comes to Magic Eyes myself, but his surpass even mine.
Eric was not of a pure mage bloodline, and his blood had been mixed with that of ordinary people—yet an extremely powerful set of Magic Eyes had manifested.
His magical ability had surfaced through generational inheritance, and in the case of those Magic Eyes, they were said to be mutant-level.
—They’re so powerful that he struggles to control them. Because of that, he avoids meeting people whenever possible.
Even ordinary Magic Eyes were difficult to control, but Eric’s were said to rank among the highest levels ever recorded.
—So please take good care of him, Instructor Ludger. I believe you can handle it.
Elisa’s final words carried a certain weight, but since he had already accepted the responsibility, Ludger intended to do his best.
He glanced at Eric.
Eric wore his shaggy hair long enough to cover his eyes, and on top of that, large glasses with extremely thick lenses.
He looked like a gloomy, studious type, but it was clear that this appearance was his own effort to suppress his Magic Eyes.
Magic Eyes only took effect when eyes met.
That was likely why he had deliberately grown his hair long to hide them, and wore an artifact shaped like glasses.
‘They said it was a Special Class, but this really is a gathering of nothing but heavy hitters.’
Even in Ludger’s eyes, the level of the students gathered here was not just good—it was excessively high.
He could understand why the other instructors had given up on handling these students.
Especially the two who had refused to attend class: Eric and Mina.
They were born with power so overwhelming that it affected those around them.
‘One possesses mana so excessively powerful that it can burn nearby people. The other has an uncontrollable, mutant-level Magic Eye manifested through generational inheritance.’
Of course, even compared to those two, the four before them were no less impressive.
Hermoa had a unique constitution that allowed her to sense mana through all five senses, and the other three, though they hadn’t said anything, seemed to be hiding an ace of their own.
They probably believed they were concealing it as much as possible—but to Ludger, it was all visible.
In the past, he might not have been able to see it, but now he had stepped one foot into the 8th Circle.
He had Grander’s help, and manifesting 8th-Circle magic had been partly luck—but the fact that he had crossed the boundary of that realm was undeniable.
Because of that, he could now see the world and people from a broader perspective, and perceive things he never could before.
In that sense, the Special Class students were nothing less than raw gemstones destined to become dazzling jewels.
Even without proper polishing, they were already emitting beautiful, brilliant light.
As an educator, the pressure was unavoidable—but at the same time, so was the motivation.
Teaching these children and raising them into full-fledged mages was the greatest reward an educator could experience.
“You are the Special Class. You don’t need me to explain what that means. Because you are different from other students, the education you receive must also be different. Yes. There will be none of the basic curriculum you’re familiar with.”
After finishing the roll call, Ludger spoke calmly to the students.
“So, for the first lesson, I’ll be testing your abilities. To see what level each of you is at.”
“I have a question.”
It was Carlo—still delinquent, but noticeably improved from before.
“Go ahead, Carlo. What are you curious about?”
“When you say test, how exactly are you planning to do it?”
“Live combat.”
Since everyone gathered here was a freshman, the beginning would normally be light.
But that was only the educational process for ordinary mages.
Exceptional students required exceptional policies.
That was why the Special Class existed—and why Ludger had been assigned to it.
Headmaster Elisa Willow fully agreed with this as well.
“L-Live combat?”
Robert’s voice trembled violently.
For him, hearing such a brutal term—something War Mages would use—in the peaceful environment of Seorn was deeply unsettling.
“Of course, theoretical lessons will be conducted alongside it. But before that, the reason I want to test you through combat is to understand each of your individual levels.”
Though they were grouped together as a Special Class, the six gathered here varied wildly.
Rather than forcing them into a single mold, individualized teaching tailored to each disposition seemed far more necessary.
In other words, it was the insane notion of personally handling six so-called geniuses, one by one.
Carlo snorted, as if asking whether that was even possible.
But it was nothing more than bluster—he didn’t want to look intimidated.
Deep down, he could already sense just how incredible a mage Ludger was.
“I’ve received permission from the Headmaster to use a special magic training ground. We’ll move there immediately.”
At the mention of moving, Mina and Eric showed faintly uncomfortable reactions.
Before they could say anything, Ludger narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low, warning tone.
“I’ll say this now. I hate it most when students don’t participate in class. If you run, I’ll chase you down and drag you back—even if you’re on the opposite side of the continent.”
To the students, that last line probably sounded like exaggeration.
But if any Owens members had heard it, they would have known it was a statement of plain, literal fact.
“We’re moving now.”
The students exchanged glances.
At that moment, Hermoa sprang up from her seat.
“Yes, Instructor!”
As Hermoa stepped forward eagerly, the other students who had been hesitating began to rise one by one.
* * *
Seorn had several magic training grounds.
The special one Ludger had borrowed was among them.
Ordinary students could not use this place. True to its name, it was built for special purposes and was normally not even open.
But now, for the sake of six students, the Headmaster herself had stamped the authorization seal to open it.
Standing at the center of the training ground, Ludger looked at the Special Class students gathered in a disorderly fashion.
“The test will begin immediately.”
“Instructor! I have a question!”
“Go ahead. What is it, Hermoa?”
“How exactly will this test proceed? You said live combat, but we haven’t experienced real combat yet!”
No matter how gifted they were, they were still freshmen who had only just entered Seorn.
There was no way they could have experienced anything like the combat Ludger was describing.
“You all know how to use magic. Whether you were trained before coming here, or learned it on your own.”
No one denied it.
Every student gathered here was exceptional.
“You say you haven’t experienced real combat? But you should have a vague idea. If such a situation were to arise, you’d know what actions to take.”
There was absolute conviction in Ludger’s voice.
Because, in his judgment, every one of these students was a genius.
And to Ludger, a genius was someone who could carve their own path forward, even without proper instruction.
“You don’t need to consciously think it through, or even put it into words. Once it starts, you’ll understand.”
This was not something that could be conveyed through explanation alone.
Some of them looked confused by his words, but Ludger didn’t care.
“You will use whatever magic you know to land a hit on me. Do not hold back in any way.”
At the words “do not hold back,” Carlo grinned.
It was a smile asking if that was really okay.
Hermoa raised her hand.
“What happens if we succeed? Is there a reward?!”
“If you manage to land even the slightest hit on me, you won’t have to attend this Special Class anymore. I promise I won’t interfere with whatever you do at Seorn.”
At those words, the eyes of several students changed.
If they just succeeded this once, they wouldn’t have to deal with this troublesome Special Class again.
As everyone grew motivated in their own way, Ludger asked,
“So, who’s going first?”
“I will!”
Once again, it was Hermoa.
But Carlo stepped forward ahead of her and stood before Ludger.
“Instructor. Teach me a lesson.”
His hands were still in his pockets, his posture as slack as ever—but his eyes burned with fighting spirit directed straight at Ludger.
“Hey, Carlo! I said I’d go first!”
“What’s the point of just saying it? The one who steps forward first gets it. Stop being annoying and watch from over there. I’ll graduate right here.”
Hermoa bit her lip in frustration, then noticed Ludger’s gaze and cleared her throat.
“Ahem. Fine. I’m generous, so I’ll let it slide just this once.”
Normally, Hermoa would have lunged at him, but seeing her back down so quietly made Carlo’s expression turn strange.
“What’s with you? Did you eat something bad or what?”
“Seriously. Even when I try to be nice, you have to talk like that... Anyway! I’m letting you go first!”
With Hermoa retreating, only Ludger and Carlo remained on the training ground.
Carlo pulled his hands out of his pockets and slammed his fists together.
The mana gathered around his fists collided, producing a violent shockwave.
“Alright, then—let’s do this!”
Carlo crouched low, then used his legs to launch himself toward Ludger like a cannonball.
The speed was lightning-fast—far beyond what a freshman should be capable of.
Even the other students watching lost sight of Carlo’s movement for an instant.
The moment Carlo’s mana-coated fist was about to strike Ludger—
Ludger was no longer there.
“Huh?”
“Your speed is good, but your attack is far too linear. And your ability to respond to changing situations is severely lacking.”
As the voice sounded from beside him—
Tap.
Ludger’s staff hooked Carlo’s leg and swept it out from under him.
As Carlo fell, Ludger leveled the staff at him.
“Want to keep going?”