She looks nervous... Wait, did she just say ‘Rose’?

“Well then, now that introductions are out of the way, Miss Rose, you shall sit there,” the professor said, gesturing to our table while smiling a bit.

The girl, Luciela, nodded. She then approached Lance and Aria’s desk, standing in front of Lance.

“U-Um...is it okay if I sit beside you?” She asked.

“You don’t have any problem with it, right Aria?”

She looked at him with an expression that said, ‘Why are you asking me?’ before shrugging it off and returning to whatever she’s writing in her notebook.

Lance turned his head back to Luciela. “Go ahead then.”

“Thanks!” She beamed a smile before taking a seat.

“Um, what’s your name?” Luciela asked.

“Lance Einfelt, and the girl beside me is Aria Silverhart.”

“Einfelt and Silverhart…?” She widened her eyes a bit. “Then you two must be…”

Lance nodded.

“I’m Rose’s younger brother, and Aria’s your senior as Rose’s apprentice,” he said. “Feel free to call us by our names, Luciela.”

After a little pause, Lance added, “If you have any questions, feel free to ask questions later.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Luciela replied.

Professor Archaman, who had been observing us, nodded as he saw the new student had settled down.

“Now then, before we begin our lesson proper, can anyone tell me what the 5 main branches of magic are?” 

After the professor asked, a student immediately raised her hand.

“Go ahead, Miss Belladonna.”

Lance looked behind him, where Lily was seated.

I heard from Rose that Lily’s a brilliant girl. Based on my interactions with her this past month, I would have to agree. She’s also a pleasant girl to talk with about some of my research.

Lily stood up, and by chance noticed me looking at her and gave a quick nod.

Afterwards, she started her explanation. 

There are 5 main branches of magic. They are:

1. Invocation. Spells under this branch use the caster’s internal mana as fuel for their spells. More complicated spells often use magic circles. 

This branch is often nicknamed the “Beginner’s Branch”, as it is not only the first branch most mages begin with, it is also relatively simple to learn when compared to other branches, as it relies on a caster’s imagination and having a sufficient mana to actualize the spell, but this doesn’t mean that it’s easy to master either, as higher tier spells require an increasingly precise image of the spell, or having the necessary mana to compensate if a mage can’t form a precise enough image, on top of having good mana control to make sure you don't use much more than necessary. 

2. Evocation, where summoning spirits or familiars are under. Spells under this branch use the surrounding mana as fuel for the spells. Like Invocation, more advanced spells use magic circles, with the difference only being where the mana being used as fuel is coming from.

“Additionally, if one were to imbue the mana in the air with their internal mana, they could potentially—” She cut herself off. “Pardon me, I seem to be straying from the question.”

On the other hand, Lance widened my eyes as he realized what she was about to say.

She was about to explain the method to use Invocation spells using environmental mana, which is a very advanced technique that requires fine mana control or it’ll backfire!

After she cleared her throat, she continued. “Moving on—”

3. Alchemy, in which potion-making and homunculi creation are under. Material synthesis, the act of combining different materials to create something new, is also under alchemy. It is said that the legendary Philosopher’s Stone is the result of combining rare materials that can only be found in remote places, but Alchemists have not yet succeeded on identifying the right materials.

4. Runic, in which Magic is invoked using symbols of powers called Runes. Different combinations of runes result in varying effects. The orientation of runes also affects their effects. For example, if the rune corresponding to 'Vitality' is reversed, it becomes the opposite, which is 'Weakness'.

While the exact reason isn’t known yet, runes have a synergistic effect when combined with spells from other branches of magic. For example, they are often used in combination with magic circles in more advanced Invocation or Evocation spells to enhance their effects, but by itself, it can also achieve a lot.

Lastly—

5. Magitech, which is the application of Magic in Technology, and requires knowledge in one of the previously mentioned branches before you can learn it. The existence of many magic tools such as the ‘Voice Amplifier’ used during the opening ceremony is one of the many products of Magitech.

“That’s right. Thank you for that detailed explanation, Miss Belladonna. You may take your seat,” the professor said, nodding in satisfaction.

She really did her research. I should ask her later if she’d be willing to collaborate with me on a project...Huh? Did she just glance here… ? No, it must have been my imagination.

“As today is Wednesday, we will be heading to the lab for Alchemy. Yes, I know some of you are excited, but please don’t accidentally cause an explosion,” Professor Archaman said, eyeing some of the excited students.

Luciela was making a puzzled expression when the professor turned to face her. 

“Miss Rose,” the professor broke into a small smile. “I have heard from your master that you have rudimentary knowledge on Alchemy so you can participate. Einfelt and Silverhart will guide you through it.”

Luciela nodded before turning to face me and Aria.

“Then...I’ll be in your care,” she said.

“Feel free to ask any questions while we’re doing the activity,” Lance answered.

“Mhmm. What Lance said,” Aria said.

After the class moved to the Alchemy lab, we prepared the instruments needed for the class and set it on the table.

“Whoa…” Luciela marveled in wonder.  “I’ve never seen a glass container as clear as this back at home...”

She lifted one of the flasks, admiring the handiwork of it. “I wonder how this was made…”

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Lance said. “I also had a similar reaction the first time I saw one of these. There are books in the library that detail how such instruments are created. We’ll bring you there later.”

“Really?!” Luciela said excitedly.

Lance was about to reply, but stopped as he felt dread behind him.

“....” Aria was just silently staring at them.

Why does she look so irritated...? Lance thought.

“Aria?”

“....”

No change.

“Einfelt-”

Lance felt her mood plummet even more.

“Aria…?

Her aura returned to its previous state.

“???”

I guess she doesn’t like it if I call her by her family name. I guess I’m getting better at reading her mood, but I still don’t understand what caused her mood to become bad in the first place.

“Luciela, sorry about-”

“Um...Miss Aria, can you tell me what I should do?” Luciela asked Aria.

Aria’s eyes seemed to brighten up.

“...Just Aria is fine,” Aria replied. “And as to what we’ll do…”

Aria tried to explain for a bit, before giving up and asking me for help, her previous bad mood nowhere to be seen.

Lance raised an eyebrow.

Could she have just wanted to join in? In any case, her mood seems to have improved.

After that, the class went smoothly, with Luciela asking a question or two from time to time in case she didn’t understand something, or out of curiosity.