Lecture 1: Guardians

Nova sat in class waiting for the teacher to arrive.

『Did you guys finish your homework in the end?』[Nova]

Marn's eyes were filled with a black darkness.

『...No.』[Marn]

『...Yikes. How about you, Thomas?』[Nova]

『Just barely. I ate a bunch of food and started circulating, then my mana ran out just as it hit the hour mark.』[Thomas]

『Hey! That's pretty good. Do you know about the Mage's Meals app?』[Nova]

『Mage's meals? What is that?』[Thomas]

『It's this app that delivers food for you if you're a mage. It's pretty helpful!』[Nova]

『Oh?! Show it to me! I'm gonna abuse it!』[Thomas]

As Nova was pulling out his phone, Reagan appeared at the door.

『Get back in your seats. Now, raise your hand if you didn't complete the homework.』[Reagan]

In the class, there were quite a number of students that raised their hands.

The ones who raised their hands were Jenny, Jade, and Katherin.

「...Wait. What about Marn..?」[Nova]

『Okaaaay. Points off for Sophia and Marn. Don't try lying to the teacher.』[Reagan]

They both had a large outburst.

『What?! Why do you think I'm lying?!』[Marn]

『Excuse me. You believe that I, Sophia Noire, would lie about my homework?!』[Sophia]

『..Those bracelets on your arms tell me if you've completed the homework or not. You idiots.』[Reagan]

Jenny looked at the two with a look of disappointment.

『You two...』[Jenny]

Jade just shook her head.

『No honor.』[Jade]

Marn slammed on the desk and stood up.

『Do you know why I did it?! Do you have any idea what lengths I went to?! The weekend is a true man's challenge! As a true man I-』[Marn]

『You played games all night and fell asleep midway through you tried to finish up your homework last second. It was a good attempt.』[Reagan]

『...Damn.』[Marn]

Suddenly, Marn had an idea form in his mind.

『Wait! That means Nova actually completed his homework! I thought he was just bragging! How?!』[Marn]

『Completed it? Actually, I'm considering giving him extra credit points. He managed to keep it circulating for a full 12 hours past 24. If you all manage to somehow catch up to him, I might even reward you.』[Reagan]

Marn sat back down.

『Nope, no way. He's a monster. How many units does he have?』[Marn]

『Hmm… Not as much as Anastasia, but a little less than the entire class combined?』[Reagan]

『Nope. No way. Are you sure he awakened the same time as us?』[Jenny]

『Yeah. Actually, he awakened a bit late.』[Reagan]

『Then, how do you explain his mana?!』[Thomas]

『He actually works hard. You guys need to get your game together.』[Reagan]

Reagan started unloading some papers.

『Anyways, let's move onto the lecture right away.』[Reagan]

『Guh..』[Katherin]

Reagan didn't let that slide, and picked up on it.

『To be fair, this is all practical knowledge. It'll keep you alive throughout your life.』[Reagan]

『But, can't you teach us anything cool?』[Marn]

『Sure. I can teach you spells. I'm doing that later today, so if you'd concentrate on the lecture.』[Reagan]

He pulled up an image of a sword, then of a strange-looking sword.

『Does anyone know the difference between the two?』[Reagan]

Nova stared at it for a moment, before guessing.

『Is the second one a guardian?』[Nova]

『...How do you even know what that is?』[Reagan]

『Uhm...』[Nova]

「Nah. Don't tell him. Just say Sarena taught you.」[Reischneid]

Nova quietly thought of it for a moment, before going forward with his reply.

『Sarena showed me.』[Nova]

『...Alright. Then, yes. It's a guardian. A guardian is a legendary figure from the past that was lost to time. However, since it was in the past- they were closest to the great "Mana Birth". The "Mana Birth" was some time in the past where mana suddenly came into being.』[Reagan]

『How did mana come into being? In middle school, they said that mana was a wondrous thing that was given to us by the gods.』[Marn]

『Just a legend. Nobody actually knows. Maybe if someone's guardian was the first person with a seed or something.』[Reagan]

「Reischneid, do you know?」[Nova]

「Nope. My memory is sealed there too. Sometimes, I even wonder if my real name is Reischneid.」[Reischneid]

「...Let's get your memories back.」[Nova]

「Yeah. Counting on you, partner.」[Reischneid]

『So, a guardian is someone who is infused by mana to the point of their spirit being left behind when they die. I don't particularly believe in an afterlife, but you could say a guardian is the equivalent of a spirit weapon. It's extremely difficult to contract a guardian.』[Reagan]

『Do you have one, Reagan?』[Katherin]

『Nope. Guardians are extremely strict with their contractees. They're all eccentric in some way and often have almost impossible requirements to contract. The most common requirement is "reminding the guardian of itself". But, there are often many different requirements.』[Reagan]

He began to draw a lotus flower, then a sword's blade growing out of it.

『Nova. You should know what this is, right?』[Reagan]

He nodded his head.

『Isn't that Zenithia? Sarena's guardian?』[Nova]

『Yeah. As you can see, all guardians have some weird look to them and even stranger abilities. Did she show you any of those abilities?』[Reagan]

Nova had to think for a moment to remember what she did. After a bit, he remembered what she showed him.

『Yeah! When I was training with her, she swung Zenithia, but it turned into a whip and extended.』[Nova]

『Exactly. You can never underestimate a guardian. They're considered the partner of a mage. Once you grow as a mage, you can infuse your mana into them and force them to grow as well. However, there is an inexplicably small amount of guardians. Don't get your hopes up of getting one.』[Reagan]

The hopes of some of the class died down a bit.

『Man.. Why did you even tell us about it then, Reagan?』[Thomas]

Reagan had an irritated look on his face.

『Because, like I said a moment ago, you can NEVER underestimate one. Nova, how was your training when you fought Sarena?』[Reagan]

『She didn't even use any other ability, but she caught me off guard when she used Zenithia as a whip.』[Nova]

『Exactly. If she wanted to kill you, she could've. When you fight a guardian, you have to look past what SEEMS to be their range, destructive power, abilities, and appearances.』[Reagan]

『So, how do we know if it's a guardian?』[Jade]

『Looks weird. Strange abilities? And the person calls their weapon by a name. That's all you can do to tell.』[Reagan]

『Hmm.. Alright!』[Marn]

『Then, let's move onto the other one. It's a conjured weapon. You can use your mana to form a weapon. It's pretty simple.』[Reagan]

Reagan raised his hand up, then snapped his fingers.

Immediately, a blue mist coalesced into a spear, which Reagan span around with a flourish.

Nova immediately recognized that action.

「That… looks exactly the same as when I use you, Reischneid!」[Nova]

「Well, yeah. You use mana to form the blade. The only difference is that yours is more fluid and free-forming. His is a solid the moment he's done making it, and will stay like that.」[Reischneid]

「Then, could I also make a weapon like that?」[Nova]

「Why not? You've got me already though. Might as well just surprise Reagan later. Aren't pranks the best?」[Reischneid]

Nova could almost see Reischneid with an evil smirk on his face.

He just let Reagan continue with his lecture.

『Yeah. If you're really good at it, you might as well be a guardian user. It's hard to do the unique things that guardians CAN do, but it's easy to match up with guardian users in technique. Most guardian users are overly reliant on their guardian abilities.』[Reagan]

「He's right. You gotta train more. Fighting Sarena is different from fighting in a battlefield. Facts are that you're gonna have to kill someone someday.」[Reischneid]

「I don't think I will.. Right? Beasts are different from people.」[Nova]

「Oh, right. Forgot that people don't do wars anymore. Yeah, sure. Whatever.」[Reischneid]

『Anyway, raise your hand if you consider yourself a physical attacker. You'll be learning this and techniques instead of spells and mana manipulation skills.』[Reagan]

Nova considered it for a moment.

Thomas, Jade, and Anastasia raised their hands.

「I DO use a weapon, but I ALSO use spells…」[Nova]

「This is a defining moment for you. This will decide your fate on the battlefield.」[Reischneid]

「Hmm… Sarena complains about chanting spells, yet a spell is her signature attack.」[Nova]

「In the end, you'll use whatever you have. Just depends on the time and place. I bet she's a monster when it comes to physical attacks though.」[Reischneid]

『Oh? I thought you weren't a physical attacker, Nova?』[Reagan]

A glint could faintly be seen in Nova's eyes.

『I can be both, can't I?』[Nova]