Special class students need to be special.
So, I chose ‘buff’ as my external ability.
And this ability can pose various risks in the current situation.
“Does it really enhance the mana of the contact target?”
“It’s different from enhancement. It’s not enhancement.”
I extended my hand towards Esta, who was looking at me seriously.
“This hand is a kind of ‘Sun’s Hand’.”
“Sun’s… what?”
“A hand with a lot of heat, so when kneading dough, the dough doesn’t lose its warmth and rises in a warm state… You understand. Let’s not joke.”
Esta’s expression, which was glaring at me, was more serious than I had anticipated, so I cleared my throat and conjured flames on my hand.
“Essentially, it’s a way to increase the efficiency of mana. With the power of these flames.”
“Flames….”
“Miss Yunia, could you lend me your hand?”
“Here.”
Yunia immediately extended her hand at my request, and I placed the flames on her hand and rubbed them gently.
“Oh.”
“As you can see, my flames are a bit different from actual fire-element magic. It’s just mana shaped into flames, but essentially, it’s like this.”
As I gently rubbed the flames on Yunia’s hand, the sparkling flames turned into embers and quietly faded away on her hand.
“What’s happening to Yunia’s mana right now?”
“The mana… is staying.”
“Yes. It’s somewhat like a hand cream. It can provide mana hydration, but the effect gained by retaining mana in the hand is what we’re after.”
I held Yunia’s wrist and extended it towards the air.
“Miss Yunia, can you fire a magic missile with your hand?”
“Like this?”
Fwoosh!
An arrow of red-gold mana flew forward from Yunia’s hand. Although it exploded with a ‘bang’ after flying about 10 meters, its speed was faster than the flapping of an ordinary bird’s wings.
“I-Is this really possible?”
Even the distance was greater than Yunia’s usual range, and the explosive power and destructive force were much stronger than a regular magic missile.
“I make the mana of the contacted individual flow more efficiently. In whatever way that might be.”
“…Does it need such a long explanation that it can’t be briefly covered in this setting?”
“If you compare it to the human body, my flames can burn away the fat inside.”
“!!”
Esta’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Is that really true?!”
Yunia also shouted in an even more intense voice and gripped my hand.
“R-Really?!”
“…It’s not actual fat.”
While it’s not impossible, that’s a physiological aspect. What I’m talking about is the aspect of mana.
“If we describe fat as a kind of ‘fluff’, I remove or melt away that mana ‘fluff’, allowing the mana to move more precisely and quickly.”
It’s like widening lanes on a road or removing elements that obstruct vehicles.
“What do you think, Instructor Esta?”
“…So it’s not just a power to shape mana into Aura.”
Esta stroked her chin with a serious face.
“Phoenix, do you intend to make this widely known?”
“What do you think, Instructor Esta?”
“…Personally and as an instructor, I think it’s right to keep your ability hidden.”
Esta spoke to me with a much firmer and more serious tone than before.
“If your ability becomes known, you will be captured by various women in the Academy.”
As a kind of buff item.
“They will put a leash on you, keeping you always by their side, and every time they want to exert stronger power, they will try to make physical contact with you, regardless of your freedom.”
“But I don’t really have anything else that can be called a special skill.”
I flicked the flames forward.
“Just using flame magic with illusion magic is something anyone can do; it’s not something particularly special.”
“…Do you have any other special abilities?”
“Well.”
There are many.
Demon transformation, beast transformation, even creating blue flames that burn away an opponent’s mana.
“None.”
However, these are not abilities that the Academy’s new student Red Sol Phoenix would use.
In fact, these abilities are even more secretive than the ‘female-only buffer’ ability I showed to Instructor Esta.
“If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s this.”
I pointed to my mouth.
“This is something I’m quite good at.”
“What… does that mean?”
“Literally, it means that using my tongue is my specialty.”
Esta frowned and tilted her head, while Yunia blushed slightly and averted her gaze.
‘Who’s 27 and who’s 17?’
It seems that age doesn’t always equate to maturity.
The 27-year-old v*rgin, who’s an adult, still doesn’t seem to understand, and the 17-year-old schoolgirl is swallowing her saliva as if she’s imagining something right now.
“It means that speaking is my specialty.”
“Oh, I see. I thought you might be performing some trick with your tongue.”
While it’s possible to perform such tricks, I chose to remain silent.
“Red Sol Phoenix. When introducing yourself to others, let’s say your specialty is ‘tongue play’.”
“Yes?”
Correction.
This isn’t a time to be silent but to actively make a point.
“Instructor, what does that mean?”
“Well, we can’t exactly write ‘enhancing female mana efficiency through physical contact’, can we? We need something to indicate to others that ‘this special admission student has these characteristics.’ Other instructors, that is.”
Esta pointed to the magic tool on her wrist.
“Basically, the Academy’s education is based on the assumption that all instructors share information.”
As Esta lightly tapped the magical tool, a holographic mana screen appeared above it.
“Instructors regularly check the profiles of academy students, updating the information on each student and discussing how to teach them.”
“I-Is it okay for you to share that with us?”
“It’s publicly available information. Of course, I can’t show you this panel itself, but given the circumstances, it’s necessary.”
Esta was hinting that this situation was serious enough to slightly bend the rules.
“Real-time updates are part of the instructor’s performance evaluations, and later in the evening, a summary of the day’s educational activities needs to be compiled.”
“Wow, being an instructor seems like a tough job.”
“To be an instructor at Esdinas, this is just part of the job. Anyway, because of this, the information I gather about you is shared in real-time with other instructors. Well, not perfectly in real-time, but…”
Esta made a gesture as if entering something and then pointed to a blank field.
“So if I were to input my ability, everyone would learn about this characteristic, right?”
“Yes. A student with such a characteristic is the most satisfactory for a ‘special admission’. As long as you don’t become a risk.”
“Well…”
Yunia raised her hand for a moment.
“Indeed, it seems risky. Even I think so.”
“What kind of thoughts do you have?”
“…Actually, I’ve experienced Phoenix-nim’s ‘buff’ before.”
Yunia placed her hand on her chest and continued.
“Phoenix-nim’s buff… doesn’t consume my mana or anything.”
“…As expected.”
Esta nodded as if she knew that.
Although she didn’t explain it separately, Esta, as expected of a Sword Master, already noticed.
“When Yunia’s mana arrows were strengthened, Yunia’s mana wasn’t specifically consumed. It only increased the output. Phoenix, your mana didn’t decrease either.”
“Yes, my mana did decrease. After all, I’m using my mana to remove the ‘fluff’.”
“But it’s not like your mana is depleted instantly.”
“That’s true.”
“So the issue is even greater.”
Yunia, too, looked at me seriously and spoke.
“Phoenix’s power is at a level where there’s ‘almost no risk but a tremendous return.'”
That’s correct.
In fact, I had made Yunia’s mana arrows transform from simple arrows into something closer to ‘Aura’.
“If you come into contact with a high-level female knight, that knight would become a Sword Master capable of using Aura for the duration of the contact.”
“I won’t deny that.”
“Therefore.”
Esta pointed seriously to her input magic pad.
“We need to record one ability that qualifies as ‘special admission’. It can be anything. Just something that shows you are significantly superior to others. Something that others can accept.”
“…It’s difficult. I’m not sure how to explain it in front of these two.”
If only Dean Ederson were here, it might be easier to explain.
Like 1:17 is possible.
Like having the energy of a lion, a hippopotamus, or an elephant.
“I have no choice. I was planning to keep this to myself.”
I raised both hands.
“This might not sound impressive as a specialty, but if I have to present a skill that stands out among others, it’s this.”
I made a gesture as if manipulating something with my hands, and both of them stiffened their expressions simultaneously.
“Right now, what…?”
“…Hey. What are you doing?”
“I’m really good at making dough.”
“…?”
“Miss Yunia, remember when I asked you about my favorite food at the restaurant?”
“Oh, yes?”
“What did you say? About the cream pie you like.”
“You said you’re good at making cream pies.”
“Yes.”
That’s right.
“I’m really good at baking bread. Desserts and pastries too.”
It’s true.
Both in the literal sense and as understood from the context and situation.
– Let’s attack with dessert.
Changyeom said so.
– There’s no woman in this world who doesn’t like sweet things. Desserts are a basic item in raising affection levels.
Win over heroines with desserts.
-Baker King Delinquent. If you eat it once, it will fill your stomach for 10 months, and it will fill your stomach with cream. Got it?
Special skill.
Baking and Pastry.
“…Food supply is an important issue.”
Esta took out her panel.
“Do you have any special abilities related to baking?”
“How about a massage that prevents weight gain even after eating lots of bread?”
“…How many abilities do you actually have?”
“That’s more of a basic technique rather than a special ability.”
It’s not the kind of ability the Academy requires.
“Because later on, when the women I love are pregnant, I’ll need to be able to give her a good massage to take the swelling down, so I can be a loving husband.”
A man’s ability.
“That’s how it is.”
“…Um.”
Yunia raised her hand slightly.
“Beloved ‘women’, not just one?”
“…”
An accurate observation.
