It was Enid’s teaching day again.

  After her “friendly reminder” last time, the reports Nino had collected were noticeably better. At breakfast that morning, Enid didn’t get so fed up with the “academic garbage” that she lost her appetite and left a pastry untouched.

  "Take it slow," she told herself. "Not every student is blessed with talent and brains like mine."

  With that thought, she stepped into the classroom she already knew by heart.

  Today’s lesson went smoothly. Most of the students had learned how to sense their new elemental affinities, and quite a few were even managing to cast elemental spells they’d never used before.

  So Enid decided it was time to move on to the next step. She wanted them to practice combining different elements while casting, what she called mixed-element magic.

  Many powerful high-level nature mages could draw in natural mana and control it with near-perfect precision. Like them, Enid wanted her students to cast efficiently and steadily, wasting as little mana as possible.

  In simple terms, using both hands as casting channels and working with only two elements was nowhere near enough. What Enid demanded was the ability to cast multiple kinds of natural mana without relying on any external focus, like a wand.

  It sounded abstract and hard, and it was.

  Enid had already braced herself for the usual blank stares. When she’d tutored Eleanor and the other three before, they’d been just as confused at first. She only got them through it by mixing theory with hands-on practice.

  That was how she’d eventually helped Eleanor form three elemental orbs at the same time, water, fire, and wood, using only one hand.

  So Enid didn’t expect the rest of the class to crack it immediately. She told them the next few sessions would center on this topic, and that they should spend time getting comfortable with the elements they’d only recently awakened and learning to adapt.

  For the rest of class, Enid walked around the room, answering questions and personally guiding students through the flow of mana in their bodies. At the same time, she kept an eye out to make sure no one slipped into a loss of control.

  Near the end of the period, she pulled out a stack of TA applications from under the lectern. She announced she was recruiting a few top students to help with simple tasks.

  In return, TAs would earn a generous amount of practicum credit, plus advanced guidance from Enid and access to higher-level knowledge about nature magic.

  For the single best performer, Enid promised something even bigger. She would teach them one high-tier nature spell of their choice, any element, and they wouldn’t have to worry about whether she could teach it.

  Because Enid knew every nature spell recorded and studied inside the Mage Tower. She also knew quite a few spells the Mage Tower had never even laid eyes on.

  The Mage Tower was a massive international organization built by mages from all over the world. Its mission was to study the nature of mana, preserve magical knowledge, and push the boundaries of new spellcraft.

  It was ancient and wrapped in mystery. In this world, almost no one knew when it had truly been founded.

  The Mage Tower only invited the best of the best. High-tier mages were the baseline, and there were plenty of archmages as well.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Antonio, the man who created the unified spell system, naturally held a seat there. As the Mage Tower’s chief mentor, he pushed for a stable partnership between the academy and the Tower, and he’d made real progress.

  For example, the academy’s top graduates could apply directly to work for the Mage Tower. In return, the Tower provided the academy with magical support and resources.

  As for Enid, she technically held an honorary slot in the Mage Tower. But she hated writing papers, and she spent long stretches shut away in her tower deep in the forest.

  Inside the Tower, very few mages actually knew much about “the Guide” Enid. Most only knew she was Antonio’s teacher, and that was it.

  Back to the point, Enid’s offer was extremely tempting to most of the students in the room.

  Even though she’d decide the final picks through interviews, a crowd still took application forms, figuring they might as well try.

  As a side note, Eleanor, Esme, Nino, and Wolfgang had already heard about this the night before.

  Enid told them all four were excellent. If they wanted, they could become her TAs without applying at all.

  Eleanor, Nino, and Esme accepted Professor Innis’s invitation on the spot.

  Wolfgang wanted to as well, but he was a fourth-year and simply didn’t have the extra time for TA work. His practicum credits were already maxed out, so he had to pass.

  Enid understood. She told Wolfgang that if he ever wanted it, she could give him TA-level guidance anytime.

  In other words, Enid already had three TAs locked in. She only wanted five in total, which meant there were just two spots left for everyone else.

  After class, Enid had Nino collect all the applications and told him to drop them off in her office later.

  Not long after Enid finished lunch and returned to her office, Nino arrived with the completed stack.

  As he set the papers down, he mentioned he’d brought a third-year student named Selena, a girl who wanted to discuss something with Professor Innis.

  Enid agreed.

  Nino passed the message to Selena, who was waiting outside, then left.

  The student Nino brought in was a third-year from the academy’s officer track.

  She had short gray hair like clouds washed with morning light, curling slightly at the ends right at her neck. Her skin was pale, her eyes bright, her features delicate. She looked like a porcelain doll that had somehow learned to walk.

  Enid poured her a cup of herbal tea. The girl thanked her, then introduced herself and explained why she’d come.

  "Hello, Professor Innis, sorry to take up your time. My name is Selena Ayer. I’ve heard you understand magic in a way most people don’t, so I wanted to ask you something. Could I learn your kind of magic"

  Enid told her that as long as she attended Enid’s classes, she could learn.

  But Selena shook her head.

  "That’s not what I mean. My body might be different from other people’s. Can you tell"

  The girl asked carefully.

  Enid listened, then focused on the mana flow inside Selena.

  What she found was shocking. There was no trace of mana in Selena at all.

  No matter how closely Enid examined her, she couldn’t sense even the faintest hint. It was as if this girl had been born untouched by magic.

  It didn’t make sense.

  In this world, anything alive absorbed at least a little mana. A tiny amount wouldn’t affect an ordinary person’s body at all.

  Someone completely numb to mana like Selena was extremely rare. Still, it wasn’t as if Enid had never heard of such a case.

  To confirm her suspicion, Enid immediately started asking questions, whether Selena had ever been around magic, whether she’d ever been hit by spells, things like that.

  Selena said she had, and often. Her father was a mid-tier general mage who worked a magic-related job in town.

  As for being struck by spells, Selena wasn’t sure.

  A lot of magic simply dispersed the moment it touched her. It didn’t matter if it was general magic, divine magic, or hexcraft, it all fell apart.

  Worse, any mage who stood too close to her became a dud. They couldn’t build up mana, and they couldn’t cast.

  But Selena had grown up under her father’s influence, and she truly wanted to become a mage. She tried again and again, and every effort ended the same way. Eventually, she gave up.

  This time, though, she’d heard the new Professor Innis was special in every sense. So she decided to take one last shot and see if she had any luck here.

  After hearing Selena out, Enid was certain.

  Selena was one of the “Silenced,” so rare you might see one only once in a few centuries. Some people called them manabane.

  They were born unable to sense mana at all, as if an invisible barrier pushed away any magic that came near.

  Because of that, a small null field formed around them. It didn’t just affect them, it also prevented nearby mages from gathering mana, which meant casting was impossible.

  Luckily for Selena, she’d come to the right person.

  Enid had studied the Silenced for a time, and she’d developed quite a few theories of her own.

  And now, by sheer chance, a perfect real-world subject had walked straight into her office.