Tamao hesitated as they walked.
"…Raze?"
He didn't look at her. "What?"
She slowed her steps slightly. "Don't you think the academy will say something?"
He glanced at her then, just briefly.
"About what?"
"About the instructor," she said. "He just… left. Isn't that going to cause problems?"
Raze exhaled quietly, almost bored.
"No."
She frowned. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because I already handled it," he replied.
Tamao blinked. "Handled it… how?"
"I told him to stay our instructor," Raze said calmly. "Only in name."
She stopped walking. "…What?"
"He'll report that we're training normally," Raze continued. "He won't interfere. He won't complain. And he won't talk."
Tamao stared at him, unsure whether to be impressed or uneasy.
"And the academy?" she asked.
Raze looked ahead again.
"They don't care how we improve," he said. "Only that we do."
A brief pause.
"We'll use the situation," he added. "It's more convenient this way."
Raze watched Tamao in silence.
A faint shimmer of mana still clung to her hands—uneven, unstable, but far from weak.
Too much mana output, he noted. Wasteful. But waste wasn't a flaw. It was inexperience.
Raw output like that was rare. Left untrained, it would break her. Refined, it would become dangerous.
His gaze sharpened.
If she survives long enough to control it…
She could become the strongest in their class.
A brief pause.
After me, of course.
She wasn't polished. Her control was poor. But the potential was undeniable. Untouched. Unshaped.
And because of that—
If refined, her class wouldn't just support a battlefield. It would dominate it.
Raze looked away, already finished evaluating her.
She would be useful. Very useful.
"I don't think you'll agree with me immediately about me teaching you."
Tamao looked up, a little surprised by his bluntness.
"I know," she said softly. "But I believe you."
He glanced at her.
She straightened slightly, as if steadying herself.
"And not just me," Tamao continued. "Our whole class thinks the same."
Raze raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.
"You've proven it," she said. "When you fought that bull-like demon… you held it off alone for nearly a minute. And during the Ranking Test—against the golem."
Her fingers tightened lightly. "You didn't panic. You didn't rush. You analyzed it."
She looked at him directly now. "Despite having what everyone calls an 'average' class, you're strong. And smart."
Raze was quiet for a moment.
So that's how they see it…
He let out a short breath.
"Strength isn't something people agree on," he said. "They only acknowledge it when it scares them."
Tamao smiled faintly. "Then maybe you scared them."
Raze didn't deny it.
Instead, he turned toward the training room, eyes calm, focused.
"If you believe me," he said, "then listen carefully."
Her expression grew serious.
"I'm not gentle when I teach," Raze continued. "And I won't lower the bar just because you're unsure."
Tamao nodded without hesitation.
"I don't want it lowered," she said.
That earned her a brief look of approval.
"Good," Raze replied. "Then we can start."
"So," Tamao said after a brief pause, "what do you actually know about my class?"
Raze glanced at her. "Tell me what you think first."
She hesitated, then answered honestly.
"I can create chains," she said. "Use them to bind, restrain, hold back my opponent."
Raze nodded once. "That's what you use."
He stopped walking and turned toward her.
"But do you know what your class is called?"
Tamao blinked. "…Ahm. Illusionist Chains."
"Right," Raze said. "Illusionist Chains."
He let the words hang for a second.
"Not Chains," he continued. "And not just Illusionist either."
Tamao frowned slightly, thinking.
Raze went on, calm but precise.
"Chains are what you use," he said. "Not necessarily what your class is."
Tamao frowned. "Then what do you think it is?"
Raze didn't answer immediately.
"I'm not completely sure," he said honestly. "I'm only guessing—from what I saw."
That made her relax slightly.
He continued, "Your class name isn't just Chains. It's Illusionist Chains. That means the chains aren't supposed to be just physical tools."
She looked down at her hands.
"You noticed it too, didn't you?" Raze added. "During the test."
"…When they broke?" she asked quietly.
Raze nodded.
"You poured too much mana into them," he said. "Not because you panicked—but because you tried to force control."
Tamao clenched her fingers.
"When you bound the golem," Raze continued, choosing his words carefully, "your mana output spiked. Too much, too fast. Your focus slipped."
She closed her eyes, remembering the moment.
"And when your focus broke," he said, "the nature of the chains became unstable."
She looked up sharply. "Unstable… how?"
"I think," Raze said, "your chains were shifting."
He raised a hand slightly, as if outlining something invisible.
"Between being physical… and being illusory."
Tamao's breath caught.
"You didn't choose it," he went on. "Your mana did. One moment they were solid. The next, they weren't fully real anymore."
She whispered, "…That's why they snapped cause of instability of forms."
"Yeah," Raze said. "The golem didn't overpower them. Your mana structure collapsed on itself."
Silence settled between them.
"…So it wasn't because I was weak," she said.
Raze shook his head. "No," he replied. "It's because you're using something you don't fully understand yet."
She swallowed, then asked softly, "Then what do you think my class actually does?"
Raze hesitated. "I think your chains aren't meant to just restrain."
He glanced at her.
"They're meant to change form—based on your intent, focus, and control."
Tamao's eyes sharpened.
"Sometimes solid," he continued. "Sometimes not. Sometimes real. Sometimes only convincing enough to fool someone."
She exhaled. "…Fake power," she murmured.
Raze nodded. "Illusion isn't about lies. It's about control."
He met her gaze again.
"But don't take this as truth," he added. "It's just a theory."
A small pause. "…One I think is worth testing."
For the first time since the Ranking Match—
Tamao smiled genuinely.
"Then," she said quietly, "help me test it."
Raze nodded once. "That's what I meant when I said I'd teach you."
Raze thought for a moment, then spoke.
"We'll start simple," he said. "With mana control."
Tamao listened carefully.
"Right now, your chains becoming unstable is your biggest problem," he continued. "So first, you'll learn how to create fully physical chains—nothing else."
"Physical…" she repeated.
"They'll be your main weapon," Raze said. "Solid. Reliable. No tricks. No illusions."
She nodded slowly.
"When you can control their shape, weight, and tension without wasting mana," he went on, "only then do we move forward."
Tamao looked up. "Move forward… how?"
Raze met her eyes. "After you master physical chains," he said, "we'll touch the other half of your class."
Her breath hitched slightly. "Illusion."
He nodded. "That'll be your trump card," Raze said calmly. "Something you don't rely on—but something no one expects."
She clenched her fists, excitement mixing with nervousness.
"So until then," she said, "no illusions at all?"
"For now," Raze replied. "If you mix them too early, your mana will keep collapsing."
A brief pause.
"But once you can switch between real and unreal without losing focus," he added, "your enemies won't know what they're fighting anymore."
Tamao swallowed, then smiled faintly. "…That sounds terrifying."
Raze allowed a small grin. "That's the point."
He stepped back, eyes sharp. "Start with controlling your mana. Make it steady, make it yours."
Tamao nodded, her hands trembling slightly as she focused on the faint glow of her chains.
"I have to go," Raze added, turning toward the door.
"Understood," she said, determination hardening in her voice.
Without another word, he left, leaving her alone with the challenge ahead.
Raze walked down the training hall, the sound of his boots echoing softly against the stone floor.
He spotted a familiar figure leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Without hesitation, he approached.
"Hey, Lara," he called casually.
The woman turned. Her eyes met his, sharp and unyielding. A cold look spread across her face, freezing the air between them.
"…Raze," she said, her voice low, carrying an edge that made him pause for just a fraction of a second.
He smirked faintly, undeterred by her glare.
"You always this welcoming?"