Chapter 21: Lilith Mage
Sitting beside Janna was, as usual, the extravagantly wealthy Vivian Rose.
Originally, Vivian hadn’t even enrolled in the Transfiguration class.
It was only during lunch, when she and Janna were eating in the cafeteria and heard that Janna would be attending the afternoon Transfiguration lesson, that she rushed to the first floor of the Magic Tower, found the black cat Bell, and exchanged some Gold Surrel for the class enrollment.
“I think Professor Uta teaches quite well, especially all those vivid examples he gives.”
“He gave examples? How come I don’t remember a single one?”
Hearing Janna’s assessment of Professor Uta, Vivian felt like they must’ve attended two completely different lectures.
“I suggest you pay a little more attention during your《Ancient Magic History》classes.”
“Well, it’s all just rote memorization anyway. With your notes backing me up, I think I’ll pass just fine…”
Thanks to her [Exceptional Memory] talent, Janna handled the key points in《Ancient Magic History》with ease.
But for someone like Vivian, whose spirit power was only at the apprentice level—stronger than that of ordinary people, but far from photographic memory—it was a struggle.
“Don’t forget,《Introductory Herbology》and《Introductory Biology》will also be tested soon. Both are packed with material you’ll need to memorize. And unlike《Ancient Magic History》where you can just focus on the main points, these two subjects require you to memorize nearly the entire textbook…”
“Alright, alright! Then when the time comes, I’ll be counting on you to let me study with the written-exam genius herself.”
Nodding in agreement with Vivian’s plea, Janna refocused her attention on Professor Lilith Mage.
“The five principles of Gantt are something you must always remember. They must become part of your flesh and blood, instinctively guiding every spell you cast…”
“The essence of Transfiguration, aside from changing forms, lies in the transformation of the soul. This is the hardest barrier to overcome. Without mastering this step, you’ll never truly cross the threshold of Transfiguration…”
“I sincerely hope that under my guidance, one of you will surpass me, become a master of Transfiguration I can look up to…”
“But speaking of such things now is premature. Before you learn full transformation, mastering partial transformation is the goal I’ve set for all of you this year…”
“I hope you’ll bring me some surprises.”
After Professor Lilith Mage’s formal opening to the class, every student in the room burned with determination to conquer Transfiguration.
After all, as one of the most famous fields in Mysticism, mastering it would certainly earn recognition from White Coral Academy.
Perhaps it could even secure them an automatic advancement at the Stage Three Apprentice level, granting the chance to study at the White Tower in Dordogne—just like the Crimson Witch, Grace Eva—and obtain the opportunity to be promoted to a full-fledged witch.
“For our first lesson, what I want to teach you is very simple: learning to observe.”
With that, Professor Lilith Mage removed the black cloth covering the birdcage on her lectern, revealing a slightly dazed-looking rook.
“The rook is a lightweight skeletal avian magical beast. Among bird-type magical beasts, its flying ability isn’t particularly outstanding. However, its strength lies in its numbers. They’re everywhere around White Coral Academy, making them ideal for daily observation… Of course, you mustn’t cage them when you observe, since this one here is actually the principal’s personal property.”
As she spoke, Lilith Mage lifted her arms.
Almost instantly, black feathers sprouted and covered them.
Without even chanting a spell, her arms transformed into two wings covered in black feathers.
“One of the concepts of Transfiguration is deception. Deceiving your body, fooling your soul, and naturally convincing yourself that, in this moment, you are a rook.”
“Caw—”
Her body shrank rapidly, and a rook identical to the one in the cage gracefully perched atop it.
Spreading its wings, it almost theatrically presented itself to the class.
“This is the most famous form of energy manifestation in Mysticism—the power of the mind.”
Unlike Lilith Mage’s usually gentle female voice, the raspy voice that emerged from the rook’s beak gave Janna a strange, comical sense of déjà vu.
“Caw—”
With a flap of its wings, Lilith Mage smoothly transformed back into her human form and stood gracefully at the lectern.
“Pay attention to proper pronunciation and casting gestures. Repeat after me—”
The complex and tongue-twisting universal characters of Mysticism rolled off her tongue, but most of the class struggled even to repeat them correctly.
“Metamorphosis!”
The final phrase, unlike the previous mystic script, was in standard wizard language.
The moment the incantation was completed, Lilith Mage’s right hand became covered in black feathers.
“This spell is so hard—it’s like ten thousand times more difficult than the Floating Spell.”
Hearing Vivian’s grumble beside her, Janna nodded in agreement, though her own performance left Vivian speechless.
“Metamorphosis—”
As Janna chanted the final word in wizard tongue, black feathers began to sprout from the back of her pale, slender hand.
Though far fewer and not nearly as dense as Lilith Mage’s, several feathers did emerge.
“Janna, you actually did it!”
Seeing the black feathers on Janna’s hand, Vivian suddenly felt like an utter fool by comparison.
But when she looked around and saw that the rest of the class hadn’t even managed to recite the full incantation, she felt a bit of comfort.
“You’re a monster!”
Vivian didn’t bother to lower her voice, so nearly everyone seated around Janna heard her.
Students who had originally been skeptical that anyone could succeed on their first try turned their heads to see the black feathers on Janna’s hand—and just like Vivian, were simultaneously shocked and overwhelmed by a sense of disbelief.
“Hm? What’s this student’s name? Have you practiced Transfiguration before?”
“Professor Mage, I’m Janna Roland. Today is the first time I’ve ever encountered Transfiguration.”
“Your first time?”
Looking at the black feathers still visible on the back of Janna’s hand, Mage felt not only surprise but also a swell of satisfaction.
“What a brilliant student. Your comprehension in Mysticism is truly outstanding!”