Arthur's fame as the "Lightning Bomber" spread through the Academy by lunchtime.
While the commoner students (like Zack) looked at him with awe, the high-ranking noble students looked at him with disgust. To them, Magic was an art form, a divine gift. Reducing it to "jars and wires" was blasphemy.
The leader of the anti-Arthur faction was Julian van Thorne.
Julian was the son of the Arch-Mage. He was tall, handsome, talented, and insufferable. He had mastered Fire Magic at age ten.
During lunch in the Great Hall, Arthur sat with Zack, dissecting a cafeteria sandwich ("Bread density is inconsistent," Arthur complained).
A shadow fell over their table.
"Pendelton," Julian sneered.
Arthur looked up. "Van Thorne. You are blocking the light. Photosynthesis is not possible, but I still appreciate the sun."
Julian slammed his hand on the table. "Stop playing the fool. That trick with the jar? It was an insult. You used a tool because your own mana control is weak."
Zack shrank into his seat, terrified. The Van Thornes were powerful enough to have a scholarship student expelled just for breathing too loudly.
"It wasn't a trick," Arthur said calmly, taking a bite of his sandwich. "It was engineering. Why memorize a chant to call lightning when I can store it in a bottle?"
"Because magic is about will!" Julian shouted, drawing the attention of the whole hall. "It is about the connection to the spirits! You treat it like... like plumbing!"
"It is plumbing," Arthur said. "Mana flows. It has pressure. It has volume. It is a fluid dynamic."
Julian's face turned red. "I challenge you."
The hall went silent. A challenge between nobles was serious.
"A Duel," Julian declared. "Tomorrow. The Arena. Just you, me, and our magic. Unless you're scared?"
Arthur stopped chewing. He looked at Julian.
[Threat Assessment] [Opponent: High Mana Output.] [Weakness: Long Cast Times (Chanting).] [Strategy: Disrupt the circuit.]
"I accept," Arthur said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "But on one condition."
"Name it," Julian scoffed.
"If I win," Arthur pointed at Julian. "You have to work for me. I need a power source for my next project, and you have a lot of excess hot air."
"Fine," Julian laughed. "And when I win, you will destroy that ugly glass jar and admit that Tradition is superior."
"Deal," Arthur stood up. "Zack, let's go. I need to build a Taser."
"A... what?" Zack asked, running after him.
"A Neural Disruption Wand," Arthur corrected. "If he wants a duel of magic, I will show him the magic of high-voltage amplification."
End of Chapter 23