In My Previous Life I Was a Saint, but Now I Want to Cut Corners

“Alright, alright, class, did you see that? That right there was the work of a prodigy, so do not be discouraged. It seems Miss Renaria is unique. Not everyone can accomplish what she just did. It’s incredible, she didn’t even use her wand and it was only her second attempt to use magic. The precision was impeccable with more time and magical power. I’m sure you could take out an entire burning forest!”

I watched Professor Montt circle around the candle with a look of admiration. Everyone else was focused on the candle except for Marie Wilkinson. She had her gaze focused on the wall beyond the candle.

“How can her magic be so strong…” she muttered quietly.

To Marie, magic was represented as a color. Weak magic was blue, strong magic was red, and between the two resided yellow, in other words medium magic. She looked in awe as Renaria’s magic left a vibrant red color burned into the wall, no one had noticed the wall damage yet, and only Marie could see her strength.

The walls inside the classroom were blessed with an enchantment that continuously repaired itself. They fitted the magic training rooms like this to mitigate the damage students may cause while experimenting with their guardians. Marie, in awe, watched as the wall struggled to repair itself from Renaria’s accidental attack.

She thought to herself in a mild panic. “I should tell someone… right? But… I don’t know any of these people…”

Marie was a quiet and timid girl who didn’t even have the strength to talk to people she doesn’t know. However, before she could find the courage to tell someone, the wall had repaired itself.

“If… I tell them… they won’t believe me… I might as well just ignore it… I should never go against Lady Renaria…” she thought to herself amidst the middle of her thoughts.

“Damn, you’re all fools. Who cares if the damn thorn could blow out a measly candle, you’re all overreacting!”

“Well then, Lance, why don’t you try it?”

“Everyone here is allowed to try.”

Lance stepped forward towards the podium. Professor Montt once again lit the candle and spoke.

“Alright, class, everyone against the wall, and stay behind me.”

The class listened to Professor Montts Instructions and got behind him.

“Alright, Lance, you may go.”

Lance looked around the room searching for something. Eventually, he made eye contact with me, smiled smugly, and turned his attention towards the candle.

If I recall, Lance comes from a prestigious Count family. Many of them are well known elite magician groups. From a young age, he’s had access to some of the best magical books and Teachers, so he had a clear advantage compared to the rest of the class.

However, it was apparent his family was disappointed when he was granted an Aerial for his Guardian. In the end, he worked past their disappointment and practiced on his own before arriving at the academy.

“Let’s go! Wind!” he proclaimed vigorously.

A wind that was most certainly more prominent than my own, released from his fingers,rushed towards the candle. However, the candle only shook and stayed lit.

“What? Why won’t it go out!”

“Whatever, I was just going easy on it…”

“This time, I’ll blow that damn wick out! I’ll make it never light again! Wind!”

This time the wind blew loudly, or at least it sounded strong, but the candle refused to go out.

“Damn it! Damn it! Go out already! Go wind!”

Watching his display of impatience was a little bit satisfying. Still, I decided it would be best not to display it on my face.

After using up all of his magical power, Professor Montt, lightly tapped Lance on the shoulder and pointed at the still-lit candle.

“You need to produce a controlled yet powerful wind to actually blow out the candle, Lance. Something like this in your current state is impossible. You previously casted large area wind spells that had no precision. These candles are designed specifically for precise spells, so for now, let us move to another set that’s more your level.”

“But… you didn’t tell me that!”

“You’re exactly right, Lance. You are strong in terms of magical power. However, your pride and impatience are going to be your downfall. So, until we teach you how to consider what is needed to achieve your goals with wind magic, we’ll have to move to an easier set of candles.”

Professor Montt finished his words by flicking his wand and extinguishing the candle.

“Once you train yourself to be able to judge what is required of you, you will easily blow out one of these candles. If you work diligently and patiently, you will be able to achieve your goal quickly.”

All the students, including myself, watched Professor Montt in admiration.

“Interesting fact, these candles are a magical tool used within the church. They can only be extinguished by a wind mage; otherwise, they will stay lit for an eternity… or so they say. Since the church has no desire to constantly extinguish and relight candles, this is the perfect solution for them.”

I listened to every word Professor Montt preached towards us with admiration and determination. Being taught by a teacher is undoubtedly a more convenient way of learning rather than experimenting by myself.

“Ah, now I’ll explain how it works. There is actually a small magic stone that controls the flame, hidden within the candle.”

He proceeded to snap the candle in two, displaying a small red stone in the center.

“If you look closely, there is a magical pattern on the stone itself. This magical pattern has a spell engraved into it. The spell allows the flame to burn without burning the wick itself or drying up the candle. This is because a Wind Mage had engraved a spell into it that continuously fed the flame oxygen.”

Professor Montt, with kind eyes, looked upon his new students and smiled.

“So I want all of you to be proud of being chosen by Aerials. There is no reason for you to be considered less than any other mage.”

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