Chapter 96: Mental Witchcraft
Hearing Bell Moonshadow's abrupt remark, Janna, who was engrossed in her book, merely raised an eyebrow slightly. S
he then lifted her head, smiling as she looked at Bell Moonshadow.
"Winning or losing is just temporary; there's no need to dwell on it. Besides, the last duel was, so far, the most challenging victory I've had."
Seeing Janna's calm smile, Bell Moonshadow lowered her head, momentarily unable to meet her gaze.
"Is that true?"
"I wouldn't lie."
Pressing her lips together, Bell Moonshadow seemed to feel a weight lifted from her heart.
She looked up, about to say something, only to find that Janna had already returned her attention to the textbook, completely ignoring Bell's inner turmoil.
"So, it was just me who was troubled by it—"
The morning light gently filtered through the glass window, casting a soft beam of sunlight onto Janna.
It resembled a painting exuding the freshness of early spring; merely looking at it could calm one's mind.
"By the way, that apprentice from the Rose family who's always around you—why isn't she here today?"
After a brief daze, Bell Moonshadow refocused and noticed the empty seat beside Janna.
She realized that the female apprentice who was usually inseparable from Janna was absent today, which piqued her curiosity.
"You're talking about Vivian? She's been out on missions lately and took leave. Also, she never revolved around me; we're friends."
"Hmm—friends, huh?"
Hearing this unfamiliar term, Bell Moonshadow, who had undergone rigorous training in the Moonshadow family since childhood, had always trained alone.
Even before her wizard talents awakened, her pure dark elf bloodline allowed her to receive professional physical training from a young age.
She knew that hiring the best physical instructors and using potions to purify her dark elf bloodline were privileges that other side-branch apprentices like Anna Moonshadow couldn't enjoy.
Behind these privileges were endless nights of grueling physical training and the resentment from being ostracized for monopolizing family resources.
Her thoughts drifted. Shaking her head, Bell Moonshadow, who usually didn't preview lessons, opened her book today, trying to study the basic knowledge she had always scorned, emulating Janna.
"Good morning, apprentices."
"Good morning, Professor Margaret—"
Dressed in loose clothing, with short, tousled gray hair, she still had a gentle expression and a straightforward smile on her slightly plump cheeks, tinged with a healthy flush.
"How did you all grasp the 'Wizard's Hand' I taught last class?"
Observing the varied expressions of the apprentices—some confident, some downcast—Mary Margaret unceremoniously called upon a male apprentice who seemed to be trying to hide under his desk.
"You there, come up and demonstrate 'Wizard's Hand.' If I'm not satisfied, you know the consequences."
Unlike her friendly appearance, Mary Margaret was known for her strict and serious teaching style. If an apprentice's performance didn't meet her expectations, their usual grades would suffer significantly.
"Yes—Professor."
Realizing he had been called, the male apprentice reluctantly walked up to the podium and began stammering through the incantation.
"Wrong! Did you even practice seriously after class?"
"Professor, I—"
"Enough. You're John, right? Five points off your usual grade. I'll be asking you questions next class. If you don't want to lose more points, I suggest you stop slacking."
"Y-yes, Professor."
Watching the male apprentice return to his seat, dejected, Janna actually hoped to be called upon.
After all, with Mary Margaret's style, underperforming apprentices would lose points, but those who excelled could earn extra credit.
For the sake of her final grades, Janna didn't mind earning a few more academic credits.
"Next, you! The female apprentice in the red wizard robe in the last row, come up and demonstrate 'Wizard's Hand.'"
The first fifteen minutes of class were spent in tense and nerve-wracking roll calls.
It wasn't until Mary Margaret stopped calling names and opened her textbook that the anxious apprentices could finally relax.
"Your performance is disappointing. At this rate, those of you who haven't even mastered 'Wizard's Hand' might as well not learn the next spell."
In the now silent classroom, only the sound of Mary Margaret flipping through her book remained.
The apprentices who clearly hadn't grasped 'Wizard's Hand' kept their heads down, barely daring to breathe.
"Turn to Chapter Four—"
Rustle—
"Today, we're going to learn mental-type witchcraft. The spell I'll demonstrate is the most practical among apprentice-level spells—'Reading Magic.'"
It was actually 'Reading Magic'!
Having previewed the lesson, Janna knew that today's class would cover basic mental-domain spells.
She had expected Mary Margaret to teach low-level spells like 'Mental Perception.'
But to her surprise, Mary Margaret was more generous than Janna anticipated, directly choosing the popular mental-domain spell—'Reading Magic.'
This would save the academy a lot of Gold Surrel.
"Good thing I didn't spend money to exchange for this spell in advance."
Because she often took on purification tasks for senior apprentices, Janna had learned many money-saving tips from them.
For instance, during the first-year stage, it's best not to exchange for general-purpose spells.
Spells like 'Wizard's Hand,' 'Shrink Spell,' 'Mental Perception,' and 'Sheep Transformation' are typically taught for free in the 'Basic Spellcasting' class, making it unnecessary to spend extra credits.
Therefore, adhering to this advice, Janna hadn't proactively exchanged for any general-purpose spells so far.
However, 'Reading Magic' was among the most frequently exchanged spells on the magic crystal wall on the first floor of the Magic Tower.
Even though it's a general-purpose spell, senior apprentices usually exchanged their own credits for it; it was unheard of for a professor to teach it for free.
"Finally, a chance to benefit from the academy—"