It took quite a while just to quiet the children down. Why on earth were they curious about my relationship with the princess, or who would win in an arm-wrestling match with the guard captain?
Still, well.
It was nice to see them acting like kids.
Ahem.
I cleared my throat and spoke.
"If you remember what you learn today, you'll be one step ahead in self-defense class."
The children chattered.
"Huh? It's not magic?"
"Wow, a fight!"
What I was going to teach them today was the most intuitive concept among the basics of mechanics.
The lever.
I used telekinesis to levitate the practice swords. The blades were blunted, so there was no risk of injury.
"Whoa! Swords!"
"Is it a swordsmanship class?"
The children jumped up and down with excitement. I spoke to my little siblings.
"My dears, we're going to have a test of strength now. It's a 10-on-1 fight. Who wants to volunteer?"
Me! Me!
I raised my hand first! Get out of the way! So many children raised their hands that I had to pick ten of them through a game of rock-paper-scissors.
"Alright. Everyone, place the tip of your sword close to the handle of my sword."
"Like this?"
"That's right. Just like that."
The ten children brought the tips of their swords to the part of my sword just above the guard. I told the little ones.
"When I say start, you push down."
"Okay!"
"Got it!"
"Ready... start!"
Hup! Hyaap!
The ten children grunted and groaned as they pressed down on my sword. Naturally, the sword barely moved.
"Hey! Harder! Push harder!"
"I'm already trying!"
"Why isn't this moving?"
A moment later, the children exclaimed.
"This is a rip-off! It's only possible because you're Isaac!"
"That's right! You used magic, didn't you?"
Hahaha.
I knew they would say that.
"Then shall we see if it works even if it's not me? This time, Lily, you try."
I called over the child with the thinnest arms and had her stand in my place. And I conducted the same experiment. The result was, of course, the same as when I did it.
A moment later, the look in Lily's eyes changed.
"I know what's going on!"
Has she already understood the mechanics of a third-class lever?
She's quick.
"Oh, what is it?"
When I asked with anticipation, the little one raised her wooden sword with a solemn expression.
"I have been chosen by this sword! Could it be that I am destined to become a hero like Lady Doloren...?"
Before I could say anything, the other children protested.
"What the heck! It was the sword's fault?!"
"I want to use that sword too!"
In the end, the class descended into chaos.
‘Still, they seem to be focused on the sword, so should I just let them be?’
That might be for the best. Without intervening, I stepped back and watched what the children were doing.
"It's my turn!"
The children kept snatching the wooden sword from one another and continued their clunky experiment.
"What is this? There's not much of a difference."
Some held the tip of the sword, while others held the middle. Then, one child shouted.
"I got it! The closer my hand is to the point where the opponent's sword touches, the less strength I need!"
"Holy! You're right!"
That's it.
They finally figured it out. From the hero chosen by the sword to this point, it only took 10 minutes. That's remarkable progress.
I gathered the children and briefly explained the change in force based on the distance between the fulcrum and the point of application.
"Is this the secret to dragon-slaying...?"
No, it's not.
"You're all dead. I'm taking over self-defense class from now on."
‘... We all know the secret now, so how are you going to do that?’
"Oops!"
And so the chaotic class came to an end. The children waved their hands, looking disappointed.
"Goodbye! Statue Mister!"
"Big brother! You have to come again!"
I waved back at the children and left. I arrived at my office in the foundation building. Laura spoke to me as she organized some documents.
"You're smiling."
"Hehehe."
"It seems you had fun."
"Yes. A lot."
"It would be good to have occasions like this from time to time. For the children, and for you, Chairman."
"I agree. If possible, maybe about once a month..."
Wait a moment. It felt a bit wrong for me to monopolize all this enjoyment. Good things should be shared.
"It's not right for me to be the only one enjoying this, so I should recommend it to others."
"Pardon?"
Giuseppe would probably take it too seriously, so I'll pass on him...
"First, should I recommend it to Head of the Doloren school?"
And when Doloren's turn is over, she can recommend it to someone else. And then that person can pass the baton to another person... A virtuous cycle of talent donation will continue.
Moreover, if one person recommends it to just two others, the children can receive twice the amount of quality education.
‘Why didn't I think of this sooner?’
Laura said.
"It's like that multi-level marketing that was popular with new merchant guilds a few years ago."
"... The principle might be the same, but it sounds a bit off when you put it like that."
"Is that so?"
Laura tilted her head. ... This crazy administrative official doesn't understand the human heart. I said to her.
"Multi-level marketing creates nothing, but this creates hope."
"Hmm... I understand. I will try to arrange for special lecture times periodically."
"Okay!"
"... Though I doubt everyone will be as pleased as you are, Chairman."
Laura continued.
"Once a star-studded lineup is formed, talented individuals will likely start coming forward voluntarily after that."
A few days after I recommended the Upperhills school lecture to Doloren. Our lab was peaceful as always today.
Rustle, rustle.
The School of Magical Surveying was filled only with the sound of turning pages. It was a calm scene, befitting a theoretical research lab. It was then.
Creak!
The lab door swung open, and Professor Doloren entered. She walked straight up to me and said.
"Isaac! That was really fun!"
Cough, cough.
I waved my hand and coughed. This woman, Doloren, was a sight to behold. Her hair was disheveled, and the hem of her robe was covered in dirt.
She looked similar to Mr. Hyde, whom I had run into at the iron ore mine this morning. Judging by the way she was talking, she had clearly just come from the special lecture... What on earth did she do there?
"I thought you were going to teach magic, did you plow a field instead?"
"Huh? I taught them self-defense."
"Self-defense?"
Doloren taught something physical instead of magic? I looked over Doloren's appearance again.
‘Indeed...’
With a body capable of doing push-ups while in a handstand, she could probably be a gym teacher too. Doloren said with a wide smile.
"I taught them how to do breakfalls, and the kids' bodies are so flexible, they rolled very well."
Doloren excitedly elaborated. From what I heard, it seemed she had spent the entire class period throwing the children around in a sandpit. Giuseppe asked cautiously.
"... Did your younger siblings enjoy it?"
"Of course! Later on, they were all asking me to throw them."
It seemed customer satisfaction was at its peak.
‘For kids, that makes sense.’
Doloren dusted off her dirt-covered robe and spoke to me.
"And about that next special lecture teacher you asked about."
"Ah, who are you planning to nominate?"
"How about Magarta... I mean, the Dean?"
"The Dean...?"
"Yes."
The guardian deity of the Empire and the pinnacle of magic, in person? I tilted my head.
"Will the Dean accept?"
Doloren shrugged.
"What's the harm? We can at least ask."
Upperhills boarding school, upper-grade classroom. The classroom, which would normally be bustling with noise, was as quiet as a mouse. The children didn't even dare to breathe, staring intently at the door.
"Hey, is she really coming?"
"That's what I'm saying... the teacher said so."
"Isn't it a lie? Why would the guardian deity of the Empire come here?"
The children were half in doubt. The students in the classroom were only in their mid-teens, children who had just awakened to magic.
‘Why would a big shot like the Dean of the Magic Tower teach us?’
Everyone in the classroom shared the same question.
"The Chairman and Lady Doloren have always shown interest in this place, so that makes sense, but..."
"... What if she teaches something too difficult? I haven't even memorized all the 1st-circle formulas."
The children held their quills, waiting with tense anticipation. It was then.
Click, clack.
The sound of regular footsteps began to echo from the hallway. And finally, the door opened.
Gulp.
The students swallowed dryly and focused their attention on the Dean of the Magic Tower. Eyes deeper than the sky and clear hair. A beautiful woman with long, pointed ears.
The Dean of the Magic Tower.
Magarta Magica.
She was exactly as she appeared in the fairy tale books in the foundation's library. Her sapphire-blue eyes swept over the children one by one. She slowly walked to the front of the lecture hall and stood there.
Simultaneously, the chalk in front of the blackboard began to dance. Tap, tap, tap. The chalk wrote elegant letters on the blackboard.
It was no-chant telekinesis. One of the children looked up at the blackboard with anxious eyes.
‘Is she writing down what she's going to teach today?’
‘What is she writing?’
‘If she suddenly brings up Hellfire or Meteor, I'm going to cry...!’
Tap.
The chalk's movement ceased.
[The Basics of Magic. Let's Feel the Mana.]
"...?"
"What is this...?"
In front of the bewildered children, the Dean spoke for the first time.
"Everyone, close your eyes and concentrate."
She continued.
"If you can do just this well, you will have mastered the fundamentals of being a mage."
After finishing the class, the Dean returned to her office in the Magic Tower. She reminisced about the lecture just now, lost in memories from hundreds of years ago. After always seeing the researchers of the Magic Tower who feared her, seeing the innocent children felt strange.
‘It has been a very long time since I've had an experience like this...’
Dean Magarta recalled the children who had focused on 'mana sensing' during the class.
‘I saw one or two promising sprouts.’
Their talents seemed like they could reach the doctoral-level if polished well. Since Isaac's emergence, the number of commoner-born mages entering the academy had increased significantly, but it was uncertain how long this trend would continue. This was because master's and doctoral degrees were, in the end, almost exclusively the domain of the nobles.
Naturally, this kind of social immobility was not good. The steady decline of the School of Bloodline Magic over the past several hundred years was proof of this. Of course, with Isaac and Doloren having crushed the people of that school together, the future was now unknown.
Perhaps collateral branches born with other powers would come and innovate the school. Rather than that, the children of Upperhills from today kept catching her eye. How could she attract more of those children to the Magic Tower?
The Dean pondered. Simply teaching magic like she did today was not enough. As Isaac's appearance had proven, the magic of the future would be dominated by logic rather than intuition.
‘Is what's needed for that... mathematics?’
The Dean picked up a document lying on her desk. It was a regular report sent from the north.
[From: Great Mage Valerius] The person currently most deeply engrossed in the underlying principles of magic within the Magic Tower, aside from Isaac.
The very person who was the first to recognize the value of [calculus].
"For mathematics, this child is the right person."
When Valerius returned, it would be a good idea to suggest it to him.