The next morning, Solomon decided to grab breakfast early. Instead of eating at the dining table, he took his plate back to his room, using the excuse that he had research to do. Once settled, he checked his schedule. Considering the string of sudden cancellations he had already experienced, he made sure to see if there were any new special class replacements.
Just as he expected, there was one. Beginner Mana Control.
This was exactly the kind of class where a mandatory showcase of magic was highly likely. Knowing this, he grabbed a mix of practical items that might help him fake his way through it before heading out. He didn't know exactly what they would be asked to do, but it was better to come prepared.
With everything ready, he made his way to class.
"I'll never get used to that..." he murmured, stepping dizzily out of the teleporter room.
Thankfully, since this was a special class, Apollo wouldn't be attending. Yet, it seemed his new lifestyle wasn't going to give him a complete break. Standing on the opposite side of the classroom door was Jay Jarus, the same annoying noble from yesterday's session.
Does he have no shame? Solomon thought, meeting Jay's snake-like eyes. He was a royal with all the resources in the world, yet he was stuck taking remedial special classes—and still paraded around like he was the most talented person in the room.
"Good morning, Solomon," Jay smiled at him.
"Good morning," Solomon smiled back. Thanks to his inner performer, his controlled expression looked perfectly casual and believable.
Thankfully, Jay didn't seem interested in pushing a conversation for now, letting Solomon pass after the brief greeting. When it came to messing with Hael, however, Jay and his lackeys seemed to have endless reserves of energy.
Glancing around, Solomon realized the students here were the exact same ones from his beginner mana collection class. It seemed the special classes retained the same cohort of students across different subjects. After a few more minutes of waiting, their professor finally arrived.
"Good morning, class!" The familiar short, curly-haired old man greeted the room with his bubbly intonation. It turned out Professor Oni was teaching beginner mana control as well.
"Considering you are the exact same students I had yesterday, there won't be any introductions. Besides, it's not like I had anything prepared, as this class was a surprise to me as well," Oni explained cheerfully, his sarcastic tone rising and falling playfully.
"Anyway, although you all require special classes, most of you are still A- or S-class students. So for today, we will immediately jump into practical applications."
At his announcement, the majority of the class groaned. Some gulped, while others looked visibly shaken. It was obvious that everyone felt the heavy pressure of Oni's expectations.
Especially Solomon.
"Do not worry too much. All you have to do is manifest your mana into a light—something most of you should already be able to do."
At this follow-up, the grumbling quickly morphed into a collective sigh of relief. Most of the students here had already been taught simple magic, like a basic illumination spell.
Except for a few people. And one of them was none other than Solomon.
While his excuse of being a late bloomer just discovering his magic might buy him some leeway, completely failing a basic task would cause his rumored identity as Rene Crocus's grandson—and his supposed immense talent—to unravel. He had to be prepared. Thankfully, he was.
"Magic—or spells, depending on the preferred terminology in your home regions—is performed via the manipulation of mana through structured formations, commonly known as magic circles..."
As Oni launched into his lecture, Solomon discreetly pulled his bag from his desk onto his lap, blindly searching inside for the items he had prepared.
...
"Alright, that covers the theory. You may now begin your practicals. You can exchange information with your neighbors or work alone, I don't care. You will be graded on how bright your light is and how efficiently you perform the spell, based on the mana-to-magic conversion ratio I just discussed," Oni announced, officially starting the practical portion.
It didn't take long before almost half the class successfully formed their light spells. However, Professor Oni didn't waste any time tearing them down.
"As I explicitly told you, I am grading you on control and brightness, not speed. Hoho." He immediately failed the fast-acting students, causing the rest of the room to gulp in nervousness and hyper-focus on refining their spells before showing them off.
"I wouldn't make a practical test that easy. Hoho," Oni giggled, watching the remaining students anxiously tinker with their magic.
Solomon stared at Oni with deep unease—not just because of the old man's slightly sadistic tendencies, but because the professor kept glancing his way with an investigative smile.
"I wonder how the anomaly will do it," excited whispers began to fly across the room.
The students who had already failed had nothing better to do than watch him, their eyes glued to Solomon's cupped hands. But, of course, displacing attention was one of his greatest skills. Shifting his gaze to the left, Solomon purposefully looked at Hael, who was clearly struggling without any magical structure to follow.
"Why is Hael even trying? Isn't he notorious for having the Emblem of Failure? No energy system is compatible with him."
Just like that, the class's attention naturally shifted toward Hael. The blonde prince was visibly sweating, focused entirely on trying to manifest a single spark of energy.
"This annoying fucker..." Jay, sitting near the front, bit his lip until it turned white. Hael's steady, unwavering gaze only fueled his irritation; Jay's face twisted in disgust as he shot the prince a venomous glare.
Seeing that his misdirection was successful, Solomon immediately executed his trick. He brought his arms up and swiped them downward in a dramatic, fluid motion to make his actions look like a deliberate casting ritual. In one quick movement, he slightly lifted his sleeve and pulled a small piece of steel wool from the bag on his lap.
Thankfully, the student seated next to him had already failed and was too busy sulking to pay close attention. With a practiced flick, Solomon secretly struck a spark to ignite the steel wool, then tossed it upward as fast as he could. Instantly, a shower of brilliant, hot sparks erupted, lighting up the entire area around him in a fierce, chaotic glow.
"Woah! Watch out!"
Immediate reactions filled the room as the air momentarily set ablaze, sending students gasping in shock.
"What the hell was that?" "Was that a light spell?!" "I think that was at least a Tier 2 magic spell!" "Damn... did Solomon do that?" "Anomalous magicians truly are built different..."
Hearing the bewildered reactions, Solomon quickly took advantage of the chaos.
"I'm sorry, Professor Oni. It seems precision is still too hard for me," Solomon said, rubbing the back of his head in feigned defeat.
"Hmmm... I suppose considering this is your first time formally handling magic, I'll give you a pass," Oni mused, letting out a bright smile and a thumbs-up. "Even if an explosive spark wasn't what I asked for, not just anyone can completely hide their mana field from me while casting—especially a mere student."
"Thank you, sir," Solomon chuckled sheepishly, taking his seat.
Once more, he had dug his grave just a little bit deeper into a lifestyle he didn't belong in.
After class, several classmates immediately tried to approach him with questions about his "spell." Thankfully, he managed to escape using his royal badge, which gave him instant priority clearance for the teleporters heading straight to the canteen.
Just as he stepped off the teleportation pad, a familiar voice called out from behind.
"Oh, would you look at that. I think we've been in this exact position before."
Wearing his usual pristine smile, Apollo casually stepped off the adjacent teleporter. However, he didn't stop to chat. He simply kept walking forward, brushing past Solomon. But, of course, he couldn't just leave peacefully.
"You've made some nice friends. I can only hope they'll be able to handle it," Apollo warned, giving a dismissive wave before strolling toward the front of the food line.
As much as Solomon hated listening to Apollo, he'd be lying if he said the words didn't get under his skin. The crown prince was a master of manipulation, possessing every deplorable trait a politician could weaponize.