Hahaha, hahahaha, hahahahahaha—
Surely from now on, no matter what command she gave, these humans wouldn't dare disobey her. They would simply obey her, Aura, unconditionally~~
After inspecting the overall reconstruction of the academy, Aura walked along the corridors, checking each classroom one by one.
Each classroom in session held more than thirty boys and girls, all sitting upright in the spacious rooms, listening to the mage at the front lecturing on basic theory.
After all, one couldn't expect these people from remote regions to be like the noble families, who hired mages to tutor their children one-on-one from the age of five or six. By the time those children entered an academy, their theoretical foundation was already complete, and they could be taught advanced magical theories directly.
"Huh?"
After circling several of these theory classrooms, Aura realized something was wrong.
Why were they still teaching the outdated magical theories she had left behind in the Kribi Library five hundred years ago?
Could it be that Kribi never spread the advanced magical theories outward?
Aura leaned against the windowsill, listening for a while, and secretly rejoiced.
Thanks to what she had left in Kribi back then, although those dregs no longer lingered there to poison humans, once cast aside by Kribi, they had nevertheless taken root and flourished here in this remote Hohenburg.
That meant she didn't have to worry too much.
With such backward theories in place, no matter how hard the people of Hohenburg studied, their abilities had an upper limit.
"Lord Demon King, the loss Aura has caused to the demon race has grown even smaller. With these theories around, no matter what Aura does, the mages that humans raise will never pose much of a threat to the demons."
"Rest assured, Lord Demon King, this time—even if Aura goes all out!—you won't need to worry!"
Aura pressed her hands together and silently prayed toward the sky.
She knew the Demon King couldn't hear, but she had grown accustomed to it.
Every time she did this, the guilt in her heart instantly vanished.
As though she had never once done anything harmful to the demons.
No, not "as though"—she really hadn't.
"I have lived upright my entire life. Everything I've ever done has been for the good of the demon race. Even if, among those things, there were one or two small detours that seemed to benefit humans, those were nothing more than tiny missteps along the grand path of the demon's cause."
"No matter how you look at it, my merits outweigh my faults. Occasional slip-ups are still within what the demons can bear."
"And this time, it's all under the safeguard of Schlacht the Omniscient. It was the him who foresaw the future and sent me, Aura, to infiltrate the humans."
"Could I possibly cause a change that even the Omniscient could not foresee?"
Aura lightly waved her hand.
"That's impossible—"
With that, the last trace of unease in her heart vanished.
From here on, she would devote herself to piling up achievements in the Magic Association, until she once again seized the position of President.
Aura sometimes doesn't trust herself.
But this was Schlacht mission.
Surely everything she did was already within the eyes of the Omniscient.
How could she not trust Schlacht~~
———————————————
After finishing with the theory classrooms, Aura walked to the higher floors.
Here, the apprentices with basic knowledge practiced magic, surrounded by many magical tools.
Unless they were extraordinarily gifted, most beginners needed props to assist their casting: totems to help with visualization, strange fruits whose smell sharpened concentration, compass-like tools for drawing circles, and staffs to aid in shaping spells… Freaks like Flamme, who could cast magic the moment they touched it, were exceedingly rare.
For most humans, going from learning theory to releasing their very first spell required immense practice and an enormous consumption of materials. In other words: if their mental power was lacking, tools made up for it; if their mana was insufficient, materials covered the gap.
Once they fully mastered their first spell, things got easier.
From then on, all they needed was a staff—just a one-time expense.
Unlike when they were beginners, when each spell burned through costly consumables—the expense was so great that even the Association couldn't cover it all.
Anyone with a decent family background had to provide their own materials. Only the truly impoverished received special spots where the Association provided resources.
Save where you can, spend where you must—though the money wasn't her own, Aura understood this principle well enough.
Back in Kribi, she simply hadn't bothered. She knew that no matter how wasteful she was, someone else would always cover the cost.
But here in Hohenburg, Aura had instantly become frugal.
She wasn't stupid.
Aura is very smart, otherwise how could she survive in the wild?
Yes, being suddenly dragged into a human city had left her unprepared, and yes, there had been those few slip-ups where she nearly starved herself—but did that make her look like some kind of idiot?
Of course not.
"Wait—"
Aura, satisfied with her inspection, was about to leave when she suddenly noticed something. She turned back.
Narrowing her eyes, she carefully studied the clothing of the apprentices inside one classroom.
Then she summoned the administrator of magical materials.
Without disturbing the students, she placed a soundproofing spell and pointed at a group of richly dressed apprentices.
"Why are they inside?"
"Uh, weren't those the free spots you yourself approved, Director?"
"The spots I promised were meant for impoverished apprentices."
"They were chosen by their local towns."
"But they clearly can afford their own magical supplies."
"My Lady," the administrator glanced inside, then leaned close and whispered, "their families all have good reputations locally. It's only natural their children receive certain privileges."
"Bring me their records."
Aura took their files, flipped through them casually, then nodded.
"Their reputations are indeed good—descendants of serf owners and manor lords… No wonder the other commoners dare not speak against them."
Lifting her head, her gaze was calm:
"Do you think I care about their so-called reputations?"
"My Lady, surely you must? We've only just restored the Association's standing in the towns. If you offend these people, public opinion around Hohenburg will tilt back toward the nobles again."
"I only care about magical talent. What is 'reputation'?"
Aura tilted her head slightly, widening her eyes.
"Does reputation increase a person's magical aptitude?"
"Ah… no."
"Exactly. There are only so many free spots for magical materials. If these children take them, what happens to the apprentices who can't afford supplies? Their talents will be wasted, and Kribi will have fewer mages in the future."
"But—"
"No buts. Each spot given to the wrong person means one less usable mage for Kribi… Do you understand how much that pains me?"
"My Lady, these connections are complicated—"
"Then the ones responsible for selecting these names don't need to work anymore. Dismiss them all."
"My Lady, that's impossible—it wasn't my fault!"
"If you can't do it, then don't do it! Replace them with those who can!"