The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character Chapter 52 52: Basic Magic Class [3]

With a smile far too sweet to be genuine, she tilted her head, looking straight at like I was the star of the show.

"Why don't you try, Cadet Rin Evans?" she asked, her voice sweet enough to raise every red flag in existence.

That kind of tone didn't offer a choice—it ca wrapped in ribbons, with a big neon sign that said: TRAP.

I froze.

? She wanted to answer?

For a mont, I genuinely considered playing deaf. Maybe fake a cough.

Hell, if I could spontaneously combust, that would've been ideal.

But that smile on her face... it wasn't a smile.

It was a warning.

One of those "If you dodge this, I'll make you regret being born" kind of smiles. A glint flickered in her eyes, too—dangerous, sharp, and curious.

She was testing .

I had no choice. Not answering wasn't just risky—it was practically suicidal.

I let out a shallow breath, stood up slowly, and felt dozens of eyes shift toward . So were amused, so bored, and a few were just relieved they weren't in my position.

"Well…" I started, stalling, giving my brain a second to find the right combination of words. "Magic… is the term used to define the power that manifested after the dinsional collision. But more accurately, it's the structured control and manifestation of that energy—shaped through conscious will, formulas, and… intent."

Alice tilted her head slightly, her smile unchanged. "Go on."

Great. Of course she wasn't going to let stop there. This was practically an oral exam now.

"Like Ryen ntioned," I continued, "magic used to go by many nas—chi, chakra, mana—but there were others. So called it spiritual energy. So believed it was divine punishnt. Others even thought it was alien in origin. But back then, no one really understood it."

I looked around the room. Everyone was quiet.

"But over ti, as research progressed, people realized it could be studied, shaped, and even taught. Eventually, it was categorized, standardized, and refined. Systems were built around it—spells, formations, rituals—all thods of turning raw energy into sothing usable."

I took a breath and wrapped it up.

"The term 'magic' wasn't chosen just for convenience—it was ant to separate old superstition from what we now understand as a asurable, scientific phenonon. It's no longer just power. It's structure. It's knowledge. It's intent."

And with that, I sat down slowly, trying not to look like my legs were jelly.

Silence.

Then—

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Alice was clapping. And it wasn't sarcastic.

It was real.

"Well, well," she said, beaming now. "Looks like soone's done their howork. Or maybe soone just knows how to read between the lines."

A few chuckles broke out around the room. Nothing an-spirited, for once. So cadets even glanced my way—surprised, maybe even a little impressed.

Alice turned back to the class.

"That, my dears, is what we call an explanation. Take notes—literally. I won't be repeating myself."

She flicked her fingers, and glowing notes appeared midair, replacing the disaster of a dog she'd drawn earlier.

Then she looked at again.

"And Rin Evans—well done," she said with a grin. "You lack confidence, but you just gave the most accurate answer I've heard in a long ti. I knew you had it in you—that's why I called on you."

Then her grin sharpened.

"If you'd gotten it wrong though… let's just say I would've had you join in the research lab for a little while. Purely educational purposes, of course. Haha."

Yeah, no. That laugh wasn't comforting. That was the laugh of soone who kept weird things in jars.

I barely held back a sigh of relief. Thank God I answered correctly.

Yeah, I survived.

Barely.

After that, Alice continued the lecture, shifting back into full professor mode. Most of it was theory—historical perspectives on magical developnt, the first few laws of control, and a few confusing diagrams that looked like magical doodles.

But even while she was teaching, her eyes kept drifting toward and Ryen. Back and forth. Back and forth.

What the hell was she thinking?

Whatever it was… it couldn't be anything good.

***

After two back-to-back classes, the next thing on the schedule was sothing sacred.

Lunchti.

Velcrest Academy's cafeteria wasn't just any cafeteria—it was a full-blown buffet, all-you-can-eat style, with food apparently so good it could make you weep.

In the novel, Ryen once yelled, "This is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten!" like he was tasting food for the first ti after returning from war. So yeah, I had pretty high expectations.

I stood up, stomach grumbling, ready to make my glorious pilgrimage to the land of endless food, when soone called out to .

"Hey, do you have a minute?"

I turned around, already halfway rejecting them. "No, I'm hungry."

The voice chuckled. "Ah, then let's go together."

"…Huh?"

That made pause.

Because standing there, looking casual as ever, was Ryen. The golden boy himself. The actual protagonist of this world.

"Hello," he said, offering a small smile like this was totally normal.

I blinked. "…Uh, yeah. Hi?"

What was I supposed to say? 'Nice to et you, I know all your future trauma'?

This was weird. Why the hell he's suddenly he's talking to ?

Is he also here to offer an position on his team that he would make in future?

Or maybe it was because I refused Leo's offer earlier? Was that so kind of butterfly effect thing?

Either way, I was starving, and Ryen wasn't being hostile. He was… surprisingly friendly.

So I forced a smile and nodded. "Sure. Let's go."

And just like that, I found myself walking side by side with the main character, on our way to lunch.

What could possibly go wrong?

How wrong I was, sothing wrong happened just right next mont.

Suddenly, before we even exist the classroom, Ryen stopped and said sothing unexpected to .

"Ahh! Before we had to the cafeteria, there is sothing I wanted to tell you."

"Sothing to tell ? What is it?"

I couldn't help but ask with forced smile, since I know whatever he says, it won't be good.