Book 3: Chapter 51: First Experiences as a Teacher

Book 3: Chapter 51: First Experiences as a Teacher

Before I start with our first subject, I want you all to promise me something. Please try and keep an open mind, Zeke said. What Im about to say next will probably sound disappointing at first. But if you give it a chance, I am sure youll see eye to eye with me soon.

One after the other, his students nodded.

The secret to stealth casting is passive spells.

As expected, the expression on his students faces fell. To Zeke's utter frustration, passive spells were heavily frowned upon in the empire. So much so, that he had only come across a single instance of it in his entire time at the Elementium.

Dont make those faces, please. You promised, Zeke rebuked jokingly. Despite his words, he had known this would be their reaction. Years of indoctrination were not so easily overcome. Fortunately, he had a plan on how to break their rigid mindset.nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.

If I claimed that you have all been lied to about the benefits of passive spells, would you believe me? Nobody outright said so, but Zeke could read it from their faces. You wouldnt, right? Makes sense. But what if I told you that I had indisputable proof?

Then I would ask for you to show it, Linus said.

Zeke took out something from the inner pocket of his robes. Here it is.

All eyes focused on the object in his hands. It was a book. The cover was in pristine condition, and the bold, golden letters on it proudly proclaimed its name:

Basics of Telekinesis in the Geistreich style

This book, Zeke began slowly, was given to me as a present by Sophia Geistreich. It is, as the name proclaims, the imperial family's approach to [Telekinesis]. Owning this might be enough to get someone killed in the empire.

A series of gasps could be heard.

And guess what? Zeke asked. Its about using passive spells. With those words, he let his arm drop to his side. The book, however, stayed suspended in midair. He had used the very method described in the book to make this happen.

Now, what does this tell us? Zeke asked. It tells us that the emperor himself sees the value in passive spells. Whats more, he teaches his descendants to harness that power. Dont you think there might be something to it? Something that might have been kept from you?

Zeke could feel the change in the room. The dismissive attitude of his students shifted to one of mild interest. This had to be good enough for now.

Now, lets talk about the pros and cons of passive spellcasting. Who can tell me about the negatives?

Passive spells can only use a fraction of the mana, David said.

True. What else?

There was silence. People were looking around, but even after a long moment, nobody spoke up.

Zeke smirked. Nobody? Anything?

And Leo this might be a difficult task, but I want you to try and use your manipulation spells passively. Both [Earth Manipulation] and [Fire Manipulation] have the potential to be incredibly useful to you. You would be able to change the shape of your obsidian weapons passively, for example.

Zeke watched with utter satisfaction as one after the other, the expressions on the faces of his students changed from doubt, to contemplation, to excitement.

This brings me to the last portion of todays class, Zeke said. Homework!

Zeke couldnt help but smirk after seeing the looks on everybody's faces. It was clear that none of them had received homework for a long time. By their reaction, it was easy to figure out what kind of students they had been during their time.

David's face had remained stoic. He was diligently waiting for his instructions. Margret seemed tense but ready. Kerim, on the other hand, was scowling deeply. Lena and Marissa, the two Mind Mages, were eagerly waiting. The four guard captains all had sour expressions on their faces, their dismay only overshadowed by one other person: Leo.

The boy was glaring at him. It was clear that he had not missed this specific element of his school life and was none too happy to have it back now

Dont be like that, Leo, Zeke said in an exasperated tone. You dont even know what it is yet.

Out with it, then.

Fine, fine, he said, raising his hands in surrender. This is your task: Before the next class, I want all of you to think of at least one passive application for any of your current spells.

That is all? Leo asked suspiciously.

That is all, Zeke confirmed. I want you to start thinking about how to incorporate passive spells into your skillset. But for now, one is more than enough to get the ball rolling. See you all in a week.

Same as last time, he turned and left. However, this time he didnt merely try to make a dramatic exit. He actually had a lot to do. There were only a couple of days left until the Thorsten family event and he had to find a way to modify his Soul Sight before then. If he wanted to observe the Spirit Summoning ritual properly, he would have to find a way to use it safely before that.

Furthermore, he couldnt wait to get back to his Blood Magic. Now that he had found a way to compress his blood, growing stronger was merely a question of time and effort. It had been a while since Zeke had felt himself growing stronger at such a rate.

However no matter what he did, it still felt lacking. How long would it be until he could set any of his real plans in motion?

He had begun to train his subordinates, he had started his engineering business, and he was even on his way to creating the first generation of Mages through his meditation technique. This was all that he dared do. The risk of discovery would be too great if he tried anything on a larger scale.

But was this really enough?

If he continued like this, it would be almost a decade until he made it to Grand Mage, and decades after that until he could try to advance to Arch Mage. Could he wait for that long? The coming war might already be over by the time he was strong enough to affect it. What if the empire won in the meantime?

Zeke could not let that happen. Not after what they had done not after what they had done to Maximilian His jaw clenched as the scene once again played out before his inner eye.

Four Elements surrounding a raging volcano. Richard Feuerkranzs contemptuous sneer. Victor Windtnzers apologetic expression as he betrayed his benefactor. His mentors last words

No! They would pay for this! The empire would pay for this!

In his rage-filled state, Zeke didnt even notice how a powerful existence lazily opened one eye and glanced in his direction. For a long moment, the Dragon observed the hatred in the boys eyes. Eventually, the eye closed again, as the soul returned back to its slumber.