#1290 Junior’s Adventure – Junior, King of Retorts 

“Oh! So you’ve finally arrived, my long-awaited new student of hope! I’ve been dying to meet you.” 

When I enter the classroom, the headmaster I just met earlier is already standing at the podium waiting for me. 

Why is he here? 
If we were going to the same class, couldn’t we have just walked together? 
...On second thought, I’m fine without that kind of company. 

“I’ve decided to change the schedule on short notice today and personally teach this class myself! Consider it part of your special welcome, dear new student!” 

Uh-huh... thanks, I guess... 
Not that I’m happy about it or anything. 

If he wanted to make someone feel welcome, there are far better ways than inconveniencing the entire class by changing lessons last-minute. 

Everything this guy does just feels slightly off. 

“Dufufufufu...! Once you hear my magnificent lecture, you’ll be so deeply moved that you’ll beg to enroll in my academy! You’ll become our star student, drawing in a flood of new applicants in your wake!” 

That expression is way too full of ulterior motives. 

This Magic Academy is, after all, a rising power that the Adventurer’s Guild already regards as a potential new church-like faction. 
My real reason for this trial enrollment is to uncover its true nature and, if needed, crush it outright. 

I feel like I’ve already seen enough to expose what they really are, but since this is a lecture, I’m curious what they’ll actually teach. 
I’ll hang back and watch a little longer. 

It could get even more interesting, depending on how things play out. 

“Now then, my beloved students! Today, I, your very own headmaster, shall personally teach you the true nature of magic!” 

He really has a talent for sounding creepy. 

“First, allow me to explain our academy. The Royal Capital Magic Academy is the world’s first institution dedicated to the study of magic! A truly groundbreaking concept never before seen! Yes, the world’s first!!!” 

He really loves that phrase, huh? “World’s first” this, “world’s first” that. 
It must be his favorite buzzword. 

Still, something about that claim bothers me. 
I raise my hand. 

“Excuse me, question.” 
“Ah, my dear new student! Excellent! You must wish to praise the brilliance of our world-first academy, yes?” 

...That sentence barely even makes sense. 
But whatever, I’ll just say what’s on my mind. 

“It’s not actually the world’s first, is it?” 
“What?” 
“I said, it’s not the world’s first. Magic-related schools already exist.” 

At that, the headmaster spits out a storm of indignation... 

“Utter nonsense! The Demon Kingdom has no such schools whatsoever!” 

Well, technically, that’s true. 
In the Demon Kingdom, magic training is handled by the Demon King’s army. 
They drill basic magic into soldiers as part of standard training. 
Even twenty years after the war ended, that tradition hasn’t changed much. 

There are small private tutors and community workshops here and there, but nothing on the scale of a full academy like this one. 

“See? And since humans didn’t even have magic until recently, the Human Kingdom couldn’t have had a magic school either! That means ours is indeed the world’s first! Behold, proof of my claim!!!” 
“What about the Mermaid Kingdom?” 
“Huh?” 
“The Mermaid Kingdom. You know, one of the three great nations alongside the Human and Demon Kingdom, the one under the sea.” 

The Mermaid Kingdom has the Mermaid Witch Academia, a school for noble-born merladies, where they receive elite training to become refined, cultured women. 

One of their core subjects is magical pharmacology. 
In merfolk society, brewing and using magic potions is women’s work. The better your skill with potions, the higher your standing as a lady. 

So naturally, the Mermaid Witch Academia makes magical pharmacology a mandatory subject. 

“There are already schools that teach magic. Magical pharmacology stands alongside alchemy and thaumaturgy as one of the three great magical disciplines of the world. The Mermaid Witch Academia has taught it for centuries, so it’s a deeply traditional institution.” 

Compared to that, this so-called academy is a newcomer with barely a few years of history. 

“So no, it’s not the world’s first. In fact, by classification as a magical education institution, the Mermaid Witch Academia would be the oldest.” 

Please update your mental dictionary accordingly. 

“And actually, there are other schools that teach magic, too.” 
“Wh-What?!” 
“The Farm School.” 

The Farm School used to be part of the farm itself, but it’s since been relocated to the Farm Kingdom and expanded in size. 
Old man Yartellens, who’s been helping Sensei with the school since the early days, now serves as its official headmaster, at least in name. I’m sure he’s still cheerfully teaching the kids every day. 
That said, Sensei himself still attends classes like it’s nothing. It’s hard to believe a Lifeless King of his caliber doesn’t even realize how important he is. 

The Farm School offers full-fledged magic courses: students can choose between alchemy, thaumaturgy, and magic pharmacology. 

Honestly, I think it’s the most advanced institution for magical education in the world. 
And in terms of history, it’s definitely older than this so-called Magic Academy. 

That’s why this place isn’t the world’s first. Not even second. 

“R-Ridiculous! Half-fish creatures living under the sea don’t count! And that so-called Farm Kingdom isn’t even a real nation! I refuse to recognize any school from such a...!” 
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you, sir.” 

Both the Mermaid Kingdom and the Farm Kingdom are fully recognized sovereign states. 
Denying that would force Uncle Demon King and Big Bro Ritheseus to get involved. 
Do you really want to get crushed between the two great powers of the surface? 

“Guh... guh...!” 

Good. He’s quiet now. 

Well then, may I ask another question? 

“Wh-What is it? I was about to resume my lesson...!” 

This academy teaches as if alchemy were the only kind of magic that exists. 
But magic isn’t limited to alchemy. 
There’s the magic pharmacology of the merfolk, and the thaumaturgy of humans. 
At the very least, a proper magic institution should cover all three, otherwise, does it really have the right to call itself “Magic Academy?” 

“What are you talking about? Magic is demon magic! What else could it be?” 

That’s where your understanding starts? 

Magic pharmacology, for one, is an ancient secret art known only to the merfolk. 
By combining mana with chemical compounds, they create magic potions that produce effects nearly identical to alchemy. 
Its greatest feature is that, once a potion is complete, even those without mana can use it. 
Because of this, merfolk have turned potion-making into a massive global industry, exporting countless varieties of magical concoctions worldwide. 

In fact, several diseases have been eradicated over the past decade thanks to those potions. 
Mostly through the skill of Big Sis Garra Rufa, who went from our farm to becoming the Mermaid Kingdom’s Director of Medicine. 

“Impossible! If it involves herbs and medicine, it can’t be true magic!” 

If it uses mana, it’s magic. Period. 
What’s even more unbelievable is that this academy doesn’t even mention thaumaturgy. And this is supposed to be a school teaching humans? 

“Thaw… what? What’s that?” 

He doesn’t even know about it? 
And yet he’s been declaring that “humans have no magic”? 

Thaumaturgy is the divine magic once granted to humanity by the gods. 
Only a select few—mostly royalty—were ever able to wield it, so it fell into obscurity and was eventually forgotten by the general public. The Adventurer’s Guild confirmed as much. 
But for someone claiming to be a professional magic educator to have no knowledge of it at all…! 

“B-But that ancient magic perished with the old Human Kingdom, didn’t it?! It’s obsolete!” 

Oh, so that’s his understanding. 
Well, too bad for him, because thaumaturgy isn’t dead. 

The old church-style thaumaturgy, which harmed the world’s mana, is gone, yes. 
But it’s been reborn as a new, improved version: Neo Thaumaturgy, thanks to Sensei. He created it for the sake of all humanity. 

Behold! 
Haahhhhhhh! 
CRAAASHHHHHHHH! 

“Eek! He just punched the air, and the wall exploded! That’s just brute force, isn’t it?!” 

Hardly. 
Every living being possesses biomana. 

By focusing and resonating that energy, you can exert power far beyond normal physical limits. 
That’s Neo Thaumaturgy. 

Since it doesn’t rely on blessings from spirits or gods but purely on one’s own mana, its responsiveness is unmatched, making it a far more practical form of magic for combat. 

And here’s the thing about biological traits: humans possess the highest total amount of biomana flowing through their bodies among all races. 
Which means thaumaturgy is naturally the form of magic best suited to humans. So why is there a “magic academy” that doesn’t even teach it? 

“What?!” 

And that’s not the only case of racial mismatch. 
Even with alchemy, demons are far better attuned to spirits than humans are. 

Divine restrictions on magic have been eased, but the ones who can truly master alchemy are still the demons. 
So what’s the point of forcing humans to learn a type of magic they’re inherently bad at? 

“W-Wait, are you saying everything we’ve studied is completely meaningless?!” 

Not completely meaningless. 
Just... incredibly inefficient. 

It's honestly amazing they dare to call this place a “magic” academy with such a shallow understanding of it. 

The Magic Academy. 
As I thought, there’s no way I can just leave this institution unchecked.