The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 79: Student Conflict

After the opening ceremony ended, Sylutia's studies at Tetis College officially began. In the first year, all students had fixed courses and attended classes together.

Currently, they had to take five courses: Quicksilver Runes, Precision Perception, Instrument Craftsmanship, Rules and Conduct, and General Mage Studies. Among them, General Mage Studies primarily covered the development of the Mage Alliance, key historical milestones, and the characteristics and advantages of various schools of thought.

The Quicksilver Runes course was the foundation of many spell models of the Mithril Clock school, with a difficulty level between the Intermediate Runes and Advanced Runes that Sylutia had previously studied.

After completing this course, they would study the more difficult Dense Runes in their second year, as well as the Mark of Time, which only Sixth Tier mages were qualified to access—a strange secret art capable of interfering with time.

In class, the teacher instructing the students first introduced the origin and main features of this course.

"You all should have heard, to some extent, that our Mithril Clock school excels in precision machinery, capable of creating small yet high-quality and functional creations. Much of this credit goes to our mastery of excellent rune engraving techniques."

"By engraving rune circuits inside a creation and constructing circulation loops, we can enchant it, adding special effects. For enchanted creations made by other schools, achieving 20% of normal spellcasting efficiency is already considered good. But our school often achieves 40% of normal spellcasting efficiency—this is nearly the highest among all mage factions."

"This technique established the strength of our school and also brought in considerable income. If you want to make money in the future, producing high-quality alchemical enchanted creations will be an excellent choice." The teacher's words instantly ignited the students' motivation, making them look forward to their futures. Even students from families that lacked for nothing wanted to prove their abilities in their families through this course.

"Since this is the first semester, my requirements for you won't be too high. This semester, you need to master 17 low-level compound runes and 8 intermediate compound runes."

"Today, I will teach you the Quicksilver Rune. This rune has a very wide range of applications. It serves as an excellent bridge for connecting other runes, greatly improving the smoothness of the entire spell, and also enhancing the effectiveness of other runes. In the Mithril Radiance that Hedra used earlier, the Quicksilver Rune was one of its core components.""Although our school has passed on the Mithril Radiance spell model to outsiders, not many have managed to learn it on their own like Hedra. There are many factors, but the main one is that outsiders haven't learned our school's other techniques and secret arts, making it very difficult to succeed through self-study alone."

"For example, applying the Quicksilver Rune requires very precise manipulation, which demands that the user have sufficient mental power and mental stability. You can improve this ability by studying our school's Silver Thread Meditation Method."

"Secondly, you need to have precise discrimination and perception of spell models. This is like a nearsighted person trying to carve a pattern onto a tiny grain of rice. If you can't 'see clearly,' it's very hard to manipulate."

"So you need to apply the various techniques from another course: Precision Perception."

"If you can master Mithril Radiance well right after enrollment, it proves that you have outstanding talent and are very suitable for our school." After saying this, he glanced at the black-haired girl in the classroom. The students present quickly realized this was a kind of praise for Hedra.

"Alright, I've said enough. Now let's start discussing the details."

The class time passed quickly, but the students were still not satisfied. That was the mark of a good teacher—not only could they fully impart knowledge and skills, but they could also spark students' curiosity and motivation.

The second class in the afternoon was Precision Perception.

"This course is mainly to give you a more precise and detailed perception of this world. In the first semester, I will teach you seven spell models, which come from the Sniffing Method, Taste Recognition Method, Temperature Sensing Method, Measurement Method, Light Distance Method, Material Testing Method, and Purity Inspection Method."

"What once required an ability card slot has now, through continuous research and improvement by our school, been replaced by spells. Although the initial effects may be inferior to the original versions, as you continuously upgrade to more advanced spell models, the final effects will be comparable to what ability cards provide."

"Next year, you will also learn the more advanced Flame Gold Method, Material Penetration Method, Light Analysis Method, Stone Acid Method..."

"The more comprehensive and refined your understanding of things becomes, the closer you will be to mastering their operation."

The next afternoon, the Instrument Craftsmanship course.

"It must be admitted that humans have limits. The biggest difference between humans and animals lies in their use of various tools. This course will teach you the crafting of various instruments, which will be crucial for your understanding and transformation of the world..."

The next morning, the Rules and Conduct course.

"This course does not teach supernatural secret arts. Instead, it details the processes for formulating various rules and how rules affect human society."

"You need to know that various laws and rules will gradually shape the consciousness and ethos of entire groups. The strength of an organization is also a form of power, and sometimes it can be even more important than individual strength."

There weren't many courses in the first semester, and the academy also left some free time so that students could fill in any gaps in their foundational knowledge.

Time passed gradually, and Sylutia gradually immersed herself in the ocean of new knowledge. Her daily routine settled into a stable state. Before she knew it, eight months had passed.

During these eight months, as Chief, aside from studying, she had to set aside time each week to handle matters among the students.

"Chief, Mogesh and Vilik are in conflict again." A capable-looking girl with a single ponytail walked into the study room, came to Sylutia's side, and quietly informed her.

Upon hearing this, Sylutia closed the books and notes in front of her, then walked out with her.

"Tell me the situation."

Since the opening ceremony, the new students had roughly split into two groups. If it was a conflict within a group, Sylutia could usually resolve it quickly and properly. But sometimes it was a conflict between the two groups, which made things much more troublesome.

Mogesh was a member of Sylutia's group. He loved tinkering with new things and showing them off to his classmates. Occasionally, he would use these things to play pranks on people he didn't like. He was a rather restless student, and he often had a few others around him who played and caused trouble with him.

On the other side, Vilik was a member of Spencer's group. He also had a mischievous personality and formed cliques among the new students, seemingly trying to build a large group. But his progress so far was mediocre.

Aside from these two, the other new students were relatively sensible. Or rather, they spent most of their energy and effort on improving themselves, without much energy left for other things.

"These two troublemakers ended up butting heads." Sylutia could already tell that their personalities were extremely incompatible. Whenever they met, neither would back down, only escalating the conflict.

The cause of this conflict was last week's monthly exam. According to academy rules, students were ranked based on their scores and practical combat results for that month. Those in the top thirty would receive good rewards.

As it happened, one of Mogesh's friends was right on the borderline of the top thirty rewards. He had a chance to make it this time. But unfortunately, his competitor's strength suddenly increased, causing his friend to fall behind and lose the reward.

"Mogesh believes that Vilik and his companions cheated by temporarily using special potions and rituals to boost their strength."

"Vilik naturally denies such accusations. Instead, he says it's outright slander and demands that Mogesh apologize in front of all the students."

"Mogesh, of course, refuses. So the conflict between them has been escalating. Currently, they've agreed to settle it in the dueling arena after school this afternoon."

"I see..." Sylutia gently supported her chin with one hand, pondering the cause and impact of the issue.

"You suspect that the other party might go too far in the duel?" Sylutia asked.

"Yes. Vilik has done quite a few things like this before in Ximilye District, deliberately leaving permanent, hard-to-heal hidden injuries on opponents during duels." The girl replied with clear thinking.

"He's very good at covering it up. He packages the whole process as unintentional or just an accident. That way, the academy finds it hard to act rashly."

"Besides, his family background is good. Even if something serious happens, his family can protect him. So he has no scruples."

"I see."

Sylutia stood outside the hallway, thought for a moment, then led the girl toward the dueling arena. It was almost time for the scheduled duel.

At this point, who was right and who was wrong had become secondary. The key was to prevent Mogesh from suffering any hidden injuries during the match.

To be honest, Sylutia hadn't expected a simple argument between classmates to escalate to this extent. Back in the Hidden Grove, she had almost never seen similar incidents.

Perhaps it was because the Hidden Grove's environment was relatively relaxed, with few areas requiring competition. More often than not, due to differences in areas of expertise, students often needed help from others, fostering a harmonious atmosphere.

But things were different in the Mage Alliance. Since everyone studied mage factions, they easily competed for the same ecological niche, leading to more frequent conflicts.

Even her own instructor, Nox, had his dream of bionic flight vehicles shattered in his youth because they were replaced by the invention of airships.

Arriving at the dueling arena, a crowd of new students had already gathered. There were about thirty people from both sides combined—meaning nearly half of this year's new students had come to watch.

Down in the arena, Mogesh was discussing with his companions. Beside them was a newly assembled copper-bar golem. This golem was quite crude, made entirely of golden copper bars, with six legs and four arms, wielding weapons.

"This is my latest masterpiece, 'Golden Spider No. 1.' Just watch me win." He said proudly to his companions.

On the opposite side, Vilik and a few other friends huddled together, whispering. Occasionally, they glanced over, pointing at the golden copper-bar golem.

Faced with the impending duel, Sylutia pondered how to resolve it.

She could forcefully stop it, but she lacked a proper reason. Simply saying that they might get hurt and ending it would go against the prevailing atmosphere. After all, various dangerous competitions had been held, and injuries were always common.

If she didn't stop it and let them fight, and Mogesh ended up with permanent hidden injuries, it would be a great pity. As Chief, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

After standing at the entrance of the dueling arena for a few seconds of thought, Sylutia walked down, an idea gradually forming in her mind. Many students in the arena noticed her, and a few gathered around.

"Chief Hedra." Students from her group greeted her with respect, then curiously followed behind the black-haired girl.

"Chief." Students from Spencer's group also showed the appropriate courtesy, watching her pass by.

Arriving at the preparation area, Mogesh turned around upon the reminder of his companions.

"Chief Hedra! I won't embarrass myself this time. Just wait for the good news!" He said, brushing his hair back from his forehead with a hand, striking a confident pose.

Sylutia didn't answer immediately. Instead, she glanced at Vilik on the opposite side, then turned her gaze to the copper-bar golem waiting to take the stage.

Because it was made of copper bars pieced together in a hollow design, this golem was relatively light. It could be driven by a minimal core, making it suitable for low-level mages to use.

"Are you going to fight with this?" the girl asked.

"Of course. It's my latest treasure." Mogesh patted the golem's front leg, and a pair of sharp blades extended from its arm.

"The attack method is too one-dimensional. If a single joint is missing, the whole thing will struggle to move." Sylutia shook her head.

"How about we make a bet?"

"What kind of bet?" If she had come to stop him, he wouldn't listen, even if she was the Chief. But if this girl wanted to make a bet with him, it stirred up his competitive spirit and desire to show off.

After all, he couldn't beat Hedra in other areas. But if he won a bet against this beautiful and powerful girl, it would be something to be proud of—something he could boast about to his classmates for over a month.

"If you can come down without a single scratch, I'll consider you the winner of the bet. Also, if you follow my instructions on how to fight, I promise to help you improve your golem for free." Everyone had seen Sylutia's strength, and Mogesh was quickly tempted.

"It's a deal!" he agreed immediately.

Seeing how obedient the usually hard-to-advise Mogesh was, the girl behind Sylutia was slightly surprised. In her heart, she once again felt respect for the black-haired girl.

Chief Hedra wasn't just strong in talent and strength. Her understanding of her classmates' personalities and thoughts was something others rarely noticed.

After that, Sylutia began to instruct him on the fighting style he should adopt during the duel and the precautions he should take.

After understanding everything, Mogesh indicated that he understood. Then the duel began, and both sides stepped onto the stage.

Seeing that both sides were ready, the teacher who had been called in as the referee immediately announced:

"Begin the duel!"