The Great Magic War

Making my way to class after Raja gave me a little teaser of what was to come, I almost wanted to turn around and leave. Was it really worth it to keep coming to this academy if I was just going to get bullied? Possibly, I learn how to use magic at the highest level, but as far as I could tell, it was kind of easy.

So far, the fundamental understanding of how it works has been extremely simple. It was just a matter of controlling it in a complex way, which I hoped to learn. If anything, once I'd learned all I wanted to know, I could just leave. However, I most likely won't get to that level until I reach my third year of the academy.

It was daunting to think about, but with the weird situation with my mother and the magic I saw, this year might turn around quickly.

'Oh well, at least I have homeroom now, and Miss Hasumi is there to provide protection.' Luckily, the timetable for the academy had homeroom happen each day in the morning, meaning it was easy to find Hasumi if I needed her.

The rest of my day was pretty exciting, as I had my practical magic class, which was the one I was looking forwards to the most. There was also the enchantment and runes class, from which I didn't really know what to expect, so I would wait and see.

I also had a repeat of magical theory today just before the practical class, which made sense. Thinking about my timetable, the classes were all spread out quite reasonably, with each of the more practical classes being every second day and the theory classes being every day.

'I'm guessing more time is needed for the theory, hence why we have homeroom and magical theory every day while practical is easier to teach.'

Anyway, I arrived at class and sat in the same spot I did last time. I half expected there to be writings on the desk telling me to die, but there was nothing. I guessed it was because the timing was too early or there were other classes, so it would be awkward if the next student that sat here saw them as well.

*

The other students began to funnel in, with Caspian giving a look of disdain and smugness since Lyra was suspended. I easily heard the whispers discussing it and how my guardian was no longer here, leaving me vulnerable.

I didn't doubt the break after this class would turn into a small survival game where I tried to avoid all the people wanting to bully me.

*Sigh* 'Once I learn enough magic, maybe then I will fight back and give back what they have done to me.' It was a good way to motivate myself, but whether I can withstand it, only time will tell.

"Alright class, welcome to homeroom. Today we will get into some of the general workings of today's world. So that means the hunter's guild and some of the other bigger players that operate." Hasumi came walking in with the same outfit, not wasting any time explaining what we would be doing today.

It was a great way to shut up the students since they had already seen the consequences from Caspian if they opened their mouths too much.

'Oh, this is good. General knowledge is definitely something I need.' It was a godsend that homeroom existed, as it taught the more broad topics that are not exactly magic but are important to know.

'I just hope Hasumi goes over the base-level stuff even briefly.' I didn't need much, as I could easily fill in the gaps, but gaining context was the most important thing.

"To begin with, I will do a brief overview for those who are more or less unaware of the world. I know some of you probably rarely step outside or barely pay attention, so trust me, you need this." Hasumi witnessed many students roll their eyes as she had exactly described some of the students' situations.

**

To give a general overview, The Hunter's Guild or also known as the Adventerurs Guild manages the dungeons and all things related to beasts that have a threat level higher than 4. There are a total of 10 levels with some unique threats, but anything below level 4 is considered your regular animal, and once you reach level 4, they are practically considered monsters.

Some examples Hasumi gave were animated skeletons, hostile goblins, and arachnids that were bigger than at least a dog. It was pretty standard, but it made me wonder what kind of monsters a threat level 10 would include.

Apparently, there hasn't been one defeated since it's meant for world-ending monsters, which are equivalent to flok lore like a grim reaper or ancient dragon. Nonetheless, it was fascinating to hear that these beings exist in the first place, which made me excited about the extracurricular option to become a part of the guild.

Hasumi hadn't mentioned anything about it, but we are first-year students, so I doubted many people were actually prepared to become one.

Moving onto some of the other general information, I find out that this world is more of a carbon copy than I anticipated. There was a service called Amasoon, and many things were imported from a country where it was dirt cheap to produce.

I was honestly amazed, as surely with magic something would change, but it only reinforced that this was just a timeline switch and not a world switch. It was hard to wrap my head around as I kept seeing this place as if I were transported to a new world with completely different values and cultures.

But in reality, it was exactly the same, just with the addition of magic and monsters. It certainly was the ideal way to switch worlds, as it made it super easy to adapt. I finally was understanding though and I no longer would have the inner surprise of something being the same. My assumption was turning into what is similar rather than what is different.

However, in my case, what was similar was suffering, but I know I will eventually get out of it if I follow the same trajectory as my old self.

"Now that I have explained some of the key concepts and major businesses that work with our school and make the world go round, it's time I speak a bit more about our governing body." Hasumi began to talk about the next topic, which also piqued my interest since I was curious how similar it would be to my old world.

I half expected it to be the exact same, as so far every big corporation has made its way into this timeline.

"As some of you may know and realise, the entire world is under one organisation, and that is the World of Magic Association, or WMA for short. To elaborate, they do not manage every country, but they do have the power to do so. The sole purpose of being under them is to govern the tree that supplies the world with magic."

"If one country were to go rogue and try to harness this power for malicious purposes, the WMA would step in to stop them, which ultimately has caused the stagnation of wars. To put it in perspective, ever since people have reached the peak of their power, there hasn't been a war for land in about 2000 years."

"We call this point the Great Magic War, or GMW Point for short and it was most likely a battlefield for many of your ancestors. It was agreed upon by every magic user who had discovered a new element or was the first user of that element to fight for land. So this led to the process of allocating space with power and is currently still the map today."

"Nowadays it is much less relevant as leaders for each country are chosen on a vote, and so the noble family is switched out on a regular basis. This allows for newer magic over the years to have a chance to govern."

"Phew, now that the big explanation is done, are there any questions?" Hasumi let out a breath and took a sip of water by shooting it from her finger.

"If space was based on duels, then how come the SUA didn't just take over the entire world?" A student raised their hand, asking a rather valid question, as surely some of the biggest countries would have taken as much as they could.

"Good, let me explain. Although it was done through duels and battles, there was a rule that each participating member would get at least one decently-sized space. You could say that the biggest countries won until there wouldn't be any room for anyone else."

"There was also the case of some magic just not being good in combat, for example, healing magic. It was agreed upon by most that they would be allocated a certain amount of space as healing magic is essential."

"You may also ask, especially you nobles, how come you are here and not in another country where your ancestor originally had land? The simple answer is that you moved, and the complex answer has to do with the chance of gaining control over the strongest country."

"The number of reasons could be endless, but know that we are currently the strongest nation with the highest noble ratio in the entire world." Hasmui, during this comment, shot a glance at me as if she were answering a question I had. Which was right; it explained why there was a ridiculous amount of nobles in this academy, but it also meant there were so many more outside.

"With that, I dismiss the class. We will continue with the GMW and learn more about the political system tomorrow." Clapping her hands, the bell for break rang out, and I was disappointed for it to end. The time flew by, making it feel so short-lived as it was getting really interesting. It was a unique system and despite it being called a war felt rather civil.

'Oh well, at least I'm enjoying class; I know I would have been bored as hell if this was anything like my high school.' Packing my notebook and pens, I would try to make my way out of the door, but Caspian had other plans.

Hasumi had unfortunately already left the classroom, seemingly in a hurry, so it provided a good chance for him to strike.

"Well, hello peasant, I think it's time you knew your place in this class." With his smug and egotistical grin, he stared at me as if he had some master plan. However, what I didn't expect was the person who would appear behind him.

"Oh, indeed, little vixen."

"Raja…"