Chapter 136: Justice Kid
That day’s [Practical Magic] class ended... relatively well.
At least, if one ignored the fact that Caelum had been temporarily banned from casting offensive magic without permission.
Still, remembering Anastasia’s hardened expression after his little demonstration filled him with quiet satisfaction.
As the group walked back toward their dormitories, a question that had been lingering in Caelum’s mind finally surfaced.
"You two," he called out to the Barbarian duo.
"What exactly do you mean by the Energy of Great Nature?"
"Well I guess that Paul fellow was surprisingly knowledgeable about Barbarians." Bonjour replied.
"Y-You should address him respectfully! He’s our teacher!" Paul immediately interrupted.
Although the Paul he was defending wasn’t himself, he still felt obligated to protect the dignity of the name Paul.
Sénior smiled faintly before answering.
"The Energy of Great Nature is simply... the Energy of Great Nature."
"..."
Everyone stared at him.
He coughed awkwardly before continuing.
"What I mean is that Barbarians possess unique senses that allow us to perceive the depth and nature of different forms of energy."
He paused thinking of an appropriate human comparison.
"Take mana, to most people it appears neutral, but if you observe it carefully, you’ll realize it is never truly neutral. Every current of mana carries subtle characteristics and the Energy of Great Nature is similar, you just have to sense those differences."
Sénior spoke seriously. As a candidate to become a Great Shaman, topics like these had always fascinated him.
"You and your strange interests." Bonjour laughed before patting Sénior firmly on the back.
Soon afterward, the group parted their ways.
"...Energy of Great Nature." Caelum quietly repeated the words while entering his dormitory.
Once again Jojo and Voomie were nowhere to be seen.
’Did those two actually make friends somewhere?’
He couldn’t help but wonder about that.
Meanwhile, Paul walked straight to his bed before collapsing face-first onto it.
Apparently, studying Magic Bullet had fried his brain.
Watching him, Caelum suddenly remembered something.
"Paul."
"Hmm...?"
"Didn’t you say there’s a special episode of Justice Kid airing this weekend?"
Paul instantly shot upright as a dangerous light flashed behind his glasses.
Because, what child of this era wasn’t a fan of Justice Kid?
Although televisions didn’t exist in this world, there was something that served a very similar purpose.
They were called Viewing Devices.
Created and sold by various powerful corporations across the Human Continent, these magical devices projected large holographic images capable of broadcasting all kinds of entertainment.
From All Ball tournaments, children’s programs, historical documentaries, recitations of holy scriptures...
Almost everything could be viewed through them.
There was, however, one rather annoying drawback.
Each broadcasting company sold its own exclusive Viewing Device.
If someone wanted to watch a program owned by another broadcaster, they had to purchase that company’s device as well.
In other words, one device couldn’t access every broadcast.
Caelum was fairly certain that a universal Viewing Device could easily be created.
But it simply wasn’t.
After all, there was far more profit in forcing people to buy multiple devices.
As the son of a count, he knew a few things that ordinary citizens didn’t.
Traditional print media also continued to exist for those who preferred newspapers and books, though every broadcaster and publisher still operated under the Empire’s regulations.
Especially when it came to news.
The Empire carefully monitored information to prevent unnecessary unrest among the population.
As for Justice Kid, it was one of the continent’s most popular animated productions, created by a famous group of magical artists.
Despite being animated, its visual quality was so realistic that many children believed the characters were actual heroes somewhere in the world.
Naturally, Imperial Zenith School couldn’t expect children to study every day without entertainment.
The academy had reached agreements with several broadcasting companies to produce a customized Viewing Device exclusively for students.
Even so, these devices were expensive.
The school only activated them during weekend holidays, giving students entertainment roughly six times each month.
"According to the previews, Justice Kid is finally going to fight his nemesis for the very first time!" Paul said excitedly.
His glasses flashed with anticipation.
Caelum nodded thoughtfully.
He also liked the series but not because of the flashy battles.
But because Justice Kid was, technically speaking, a fellow Young Master.
***
Anastasia lay quietly on her bed, staring at the ceiling with a wistful expression.
Seeing her unusually silent, Loreal became slightly concerned.
Unable to hold herself back, Anastasia summoned her contracted spirits.
A burst of crimson flames filled the room as the majestic Primordial Phoenix Ignis appeared alongside the small chicken-like fire spirit.
Of course, the power of Ignis was adjusted to Anastasia.
"Princess, you shouldn’t let today’s defeat affect you so much," Loreal said gently, trying to cheer her up.
"I’m not upset..." Anastasia immediately denied before adding after a brief pause.
"...I’m simply holding a strategic meeting."
The next moment, Ignis’s flames enveloped Anastasia as her consciousness, together with the two spirits, arrived inside her Mental Space.
The surroundings transformed into an endless crimson world filled with dancing flames.
"Ignis, I need your advice."
Anastasia looked toward the small crimson phoenix hovering before her.
The tiny phoenix flapped her wings and floated closer.
"What do you need me to do, Princess?" Ignis asked respectfully.
"Cawk, cawk!" (I can do something too!)
The chicken-like fire spirit enthusiastically joined the conversation.
"No, not you Ken. For now, I need to speak with Ignis." Anastasia shook her head.
"Cawk..." (Okk...)
Ken drooped his head before obediently stepping aside.
"Ignis..." Anastasia hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
"I want to defeat a boy, do you have any ideas?"
The little phoenix tilted her head as she answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Khuu? Should I just burn him?"
"No! I meant defeating him in a magic duel! Why did your first thought jump straight to murder? And I can’t even discuss this with Loreal, she will worry far too much."
She sighed helplessly, although she would refuse to admit it openly, but today’s defeat had dealt quite a blow to her pride.
She had always been confident in her talent for magic.
Yet during Practical Magic she was utterly defeated and that was completely unacceptable!
Ignis thoughtfully flapped her tiny wings.
"I see. In that case..."
A slightly dangerous smile appeared on the primordial phoenix’s face.
"Princess, would you like me to teach you a secret technique that humans would willingly wage wars over?"
"...?"
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