Greatest Academy's Student: Magic and Money

"Aether is often described as the fundamental essence that permeates our universe.

"In ancient philosophies, it was considered the fifth element, alongside earth, air, fire, and water. It represents the material that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere, acting as a medium through which magical energies flow." Ms. Harper explained.

Finn looked at the tablet and saw the definition being automatically written onto the screen.

"Nice, a voice recognition software... And this has long-range detection—quite impressive technology…" he muttered.

A save button appeared beneath the text, and he quickly tapped on it to save the information for later reference.

Ms. Harper continued, now facing the display board. "And this core here is the Aether," she pointed to the core on the board. "These two lines are called channels. The first channel, red line, belongs to Enhanced tools and mechanisms, like trinkets. It's the act of infusing magic with tools to enhance their capabilities or increase their functions.

"The second channel, blue line, belongs to mages, witches, wizards, fairies, and all sorts of magical beings in our world.

"Aether is the foundation from which all magical energy derives. It connects various magical beings and allows them to harness and manipulate these energies. This is why you'll find it integral to the practices of mages, witches, wizards, and fairies. They draw upon Aether to perform spells and enchantments.

"If you have a question, please send it through the tablet; a question section will appear now."

Finn turned his gaze back to the tablet. Indeed, he had a serious and concerning question to ask. When the question section appeared, it resembled a chat group but was empty, with no one actively typing or any past messages.

That's quite concerning...

Finn began typing on the keyboard that had come up.

Finn Everyl: Isn't this supposed to be a non-magical class? Why are we being taught about magic?

[Send]

Tap~

The question was sent, and Finn looked up to see it appear on the display board, but it came up as anonymous.

AN (Random): Isn't this supposed to be a non-magical class? Why are we being taught about magic?

This was likely to prevent others from knowing who had asked the question, as some students tended to be afraid about asking questions, fearing that others would call them foolish or deem their questions irrelevant. The anonymous tag was there to give them confidence.

As expected, many in the class found the question rather silly and wondered who had sent it. They gazed around, staring at Finn as the main suspect.

However, he had already put on a pretence after seeing everyone's reactions to the question.

He feigned confusion about who had asked the question and how foolish it seemed.

This wasn't particularly convincing, but it diverted attention away from him.

Ms. Harper smiled and answered the question. "Actually, this is history and is in no way related to practical magic, which would require practicals for anyone to understand. In terms of history, one important aspect students should learn is how magic came to enter our world. That's why I said this is history, and the unit is called 'Age of Aether', so it's as important as any other historical topic you will study. I'm just one of the history lecturers here, and this has been added to your curriculum."

Finn shook his head in understanding and leaned back into the comfortable seating.

Now that his question had been answered, he wished for the class to continue.

At least now he had no choice but to study if he ever wanted to return.

Aside from aspiring to rise to supremacy among others, he had nothing else to do in this Alternate Earth.

"Since that's been answered, let's continue…" Ms. Harper faced the reading table and swiped to the next slide on the digital surface. It appeared on the display board once more.

A timeline showcasing key discoveries and figures, highlighting pivotal moments when Aether was first documented and studied.

"So the next slide is on the discovery of Aether—intriguing..." Finn sighed as he glanced at the subheading on his tablet, waiting for the text summarisation to appear so he could save it.

Other students simply looked away, inattentive, while some even tapped on their phones.

Astonishingly, Ms. Harper noticed this but couldn't reprimand them, appearing foolish as if restrained by an unwritten rule. It was clear that the students' backgrounds were what she feared—not just her, but most of the lecturers.

They could only look away and not interfere.

"So I will continue with the Discovery of Aether."

Ms. Harper turned back to the display board and began, "This remarkable journey begins in an age shrouded in mystery, where early practitioners and scholars stood at the precipice of understanding a force that would forever change the world of magic."

In the earliest days, magic was a chaotic and untamed force. Practitioners relied heavily on intuition and rudimentary spells, often unaware of the deeper energies that flowed around them. But when curiosity sparked within the hearts of these early mages, they began to theorise about an unseen essence—something that permeated existence.

"It was during this time that the concept of Aether emerged. Scholars gathered in hidden alcoves and candle-lit chambers, exchanging ideas and conducting tests. They sought to unveil the secrets of this mystical energy, leading to the first documented attempts to harness its power."

She marked a date on the display board, under which a list of names was noted.

"This period marked a significant turning point, as the quest for knowledge ignited a flame of discovery that would light the path for generations to come."

Finn saved the text and continued to listen. For the first time in his life, he felt the urge to concentrate and learn.

She continued, now facing the students. "Among these early seekers of truth were notable figures: Eldrin the Wise, a sage known for his profound insights, proposed that Aether was the very breath of the universe, connecting all living things. His writings, filled with poetic descriptions of Aether's flow, inspired countless others to delve deeper into its mysteries."

"Next is Lyra of the Stars, a gifted mage who claimed to have glimpsed Aether during her celestial meditations. She developed techniques to channel this energy into her spells. Her experiments led to the creation of the first enchanted artefacts, which became prized possessions among magical practitioners."

So she was like the, erm, first one to invent trinkets and how to infuse magic into tools... That's actually quite amazing, Finn thought, reading through her complete history on the tab.

"Thalor the Scholar, an erudite philosopher, meticulously documented the properties of Aether, laying the groundwork for future studies. His treatises on the balance between Aether and the elemental forces would influence magical theory for centuries. These figures, along with many others, shaped the understanding of Aether, turning a mere concept into the cornerstone of magical practice."

Ms. Harper concluded the section and moved on. She suggested the students read through the years of discovery on their tablets while she searched for the next section.

An illustration came up on the tablet in Finn's hand; it displayed transformative period, a timeline.

He began reading with a hint of seriousness and concentration in his eyes.

-Year 1001: The first whispers of Aether are noted in ancient texts, where practitioners describe their encounters with this elusive force.

He squinted his eyes to read the short text one paragraph below but found it hard to decipher, as it was written in an ancient language: "Huris Barish ohiker teksi briou dorous."

He decided to save the short text in the hope of asking questions about it once the lecturer was finished with the class.

-Year 1050: Eldrin the Wise publishes his groundbreaking work, The Breath of the Universe, igniting curiosity and debate among scholars.

-Year 1126: Lyra of the Stars conducts her famous celestial rituals, successfully channeling Aether into a wand, marking the dawn of enchanted tools.

"Wow! Wands? Where am I... in The Wizard of Oz?" Finn joked inwardly, chuckling slightly before returning to full concentration.

-Year 1156: Thalor the Scholar compiles his comprehensive treatise, Aether and the Elements, establishing foundational principles that will guide future generations.

The note stopped there, with an additional message at the end: [Learn more in the next class or sign up for 'Further Involvements' to study more about the relative timeline involving the Discovery of Aether.]

Finn decided to try signing up for 'Further Involvements', hoping that it wouldn't involve any payment, as he couldn't bear to pay for anything just yet, given his current financial situation.

Ms. Harper looked up to view the class and noticed that only Finn remained serious.

She smiled briefly and swiped to the next page on the digital surface, realising that the next section was under Magical Class, involving practice, which was not part of her curriculum.

She notified the students.

"Oh... the next section is under Magical Studies, which means I will be stopping here. Kindly take a break for now; I think the class has gone on for a while. If you have any questions related to this, you can meet me in my office."

Ms. Harper proceeded to walk out of the class with her head down.

As soon as she left, the students stood up one by one and began leaving the class, while some remained to discuss.

Finn was about to stand up to leave the class with his tablet in hand as he read through a particular paragraph. He wanted to head towards the main building.

Suddenly, a boy approached him: black hair like his, deep dark eyes, a bit lean. He had a mocking expression on his face as he called out to Finn, who was about to leave the class.

"Hey, black-haired boy!"

Finn turned around abruptly, curious, thinking it was one of those brats from the balcony earlier.

He had also figured out the boy's name during the gossip about him when he entered the class. Sebastian was the boy's name, and he seemed to be a highly popular student at the Academy.

Finn realised it wasn't Sebastian and stood in a dismissive manner, wondering what this boy was going to be on about this time.

"Wait; let's discuss the things you should know and the things you shouldn't try to know..."

He placed his hands around Finn's shoulders and walked him back to his seat. Other students leaned in closer to join their discussion.

"Is this going to be some kind of private lecture directed at me to know my place? That would be toxic, not because they are toxic, but because I would be," Finn declared in his mind as they prepared to lecture him.

"By the way, don't call me 'black-haired boy'. My name is Finn, and you're also 'black-haired' in case you were too blind to notice that, as your dark eyes might hide many things from you." Finn confronted the boy first.

The other students reacted with shock and a hint of humour at what Finn had just said. A few stifled chuckles escaped, while others exchanged amused glances. The boy, a bit embarrassed, quickly masked it with a calm expression.

"Sorry, sorry. My name is John, and I like your name, Finn; it's so similar to 'fish'." The boy tried to get back at Finn but failed miserably, as nobody reacted to his comment, making him more annoyed at Finn while still covering it up.

Finn sensed this and smiled inwardly.

"Whatever, let's just get to the point. Firstly, you're nothing here; even I, and everyone in this class, can be considered that compared to the Top 10 on that Billboard list. I'm sure you know about it, so I want to emphasise it. They are the top class; you should keep your head down when talking to them and not try to speak up no matter what they might say... you should be..."

Finn cut him off, bursting into wild laughter, dropping his tablet onto the desk and laughing uncontrollably.

After a few seconds, he managed to say, "And who decides that, or where is that rule written?"