After the duel ended, Eric immediately left the area, ignoring the calls from people he knew. He spent his time snacking in downtown Zeris, trying to calm down and give himself some alone time.
"I think this is enough, better head back."
Once he felt he'd had enough, he walked back to the boys' dormitory. Along the way, he came across several students who looked panicked and pale, as if they were being chased by something. Some were coming out of the library with such expressions, some were carrying magical equipment, and others were leaving a classroom carrying something wrapped in cloth.
Eric furrowed his brow in suspicion, but he shrugged it off, feeling it wasn't his business. "Eh, whatever. Not my problem."
When he arrived at the dorm, he found several students still lingering around—whether they were studying, joking around, or discussing something. Quite a few of them were glancing at him and whispering about something.
As usual, Eric ignored them and kept walking toward his room. When he got there, he found Wayne studying, surrounded by a pile of books on his desk.
"You're back."
"Hm."
Their interaction was brief. Eric immediately changed out of his Academy uniform and into his pajamas. As he sat on his bed, Wayne finished cleaning his glasses and struck up a conversation.
"To be fair, I witnessed your duel today," the man said in a flat tone. Eric lifted his head and looked at him in confusion, "Yeah?"
"In my honest opinion, what you did was stupid and reckless—agreeing to a duel where you had no partner or friend." His blunt tone caught Eric off guard, but he didn't take it too personally.
"Who the hell would want to help me duel anyway? The scumbag of the Academy, remember?" Eric flopped down on the bed, speaking with a hint of self-mockery.
"I think you're pretty close with that girl named Elsie? Besides, you could've asked your siblings to help you, you know?"
From where he lay, Eric stared at Wayne with a blank expression. "Did you stalk me?"
"What a baseless accusation," Wayne replied, adjusting his glasses. "I'm just stating the facts I heard and saw with my own eyes. After the duel, that girl was jumping for joy at your victory."
This time, Eric didn't respond to Wayne's remark. The glasses man continued, "Moving on, there's one thing that really has me curious."
"What is it?"
"Your magic, particularly your spells." Hearing that, Eric shifted his body, looked at Wayne, then glanced up at the ceiling. "What about it, glasses brat?"
"It's Wayne. Anyway, as far as I remember, you're a Fire Mage, but your magical power and Mana capacity are relatively low compared to most first-year students." Wayne's eyes fixed intently on Eric. "But somehow, you demonstrated far more than what you were capable of in your first year. I'd dare say you have a great chance of winning if you dueled Alex again. I have two questions: How did you increase your Mana capacity and your spells? And, those two spells you cast—what were they exactly?"
Eric exhaled softly. He knew the reason behind Wayne's sudden, interrogation-like questioning, since Wayne was, after all, a scholar who researched magic and spells.
"Must we do this right now? I'm tired, you know."
Wayne blinked, apparently shocked, then cleared his throat. "Ahem. How careless of me. Right, you just dueled today, so of course you must be exhausted. Pardon me, then let's continue tomorrow."
"Sure, sure." Eric sprawled out further on his bed, while Wayne returned to his study. Eric slowly drifted off to sleep, today had truly been an exhausting day for him.
***
Eric's eyelids were twitching, and he slowly opened his eyes. He let out a big yawn, scratched his head, and sat up, waiting for the right moment to get up. He saw that Wayne was already dressed and ready for school, yet for some reason was sitting at his desk.
Noticing that Eric was awake, Wayne handed him a plate with a sandwich on it. "Here you go. Please take this as an advance payment for your explanation about your magic."
Eric was mildly impressed by the boy's thoughtfulness, so he didn't refuse and silently picked up the sandwich, wolfing it down. Their room was quite spacious, so Eric did some light stretching and basic warm-ups.
"I can't tell you the exact reason for my growth, but I can tell you a lot about my spells," said Eric as he prepared to change into his Academy uniform. Wayne quickly grabbed a book and began writing at blinding speed.
"Please explain it to me," said Wayne while adjusting his glasses. "If you saw my duel, there was a moment when I used a spell that allowed me to move so fast it was as if I were flying."
Wayne nodded, "Yes. This is the first time I've seen a Fire Mage move so fast with their spells." He jotted down some notes then continued. "Instantaneous movement or quick movement spells, as far as the development of magic goes, are only found in Wind magic and Electric magic..."
Eric had finished getting dressed and was now tying his tie. "You could say I was inspired by certain principles and a certain person."
"What kind of principles? Who is this 'person'?" He could sense the eagerness in Wayne's voice. Eric replied in a low voice, "Jet, rocket, and Shinra Kusakabe."
"Excuse me?"
"With enough power, you could propel yourself forward quickly, just like I did in yesterday's duel. I don't know much about the quick-movement spells from Wind and Electric magic, but the spell I used yesterday drained so much Mana that I can't just use it carelessly. Oh right, I named it 'Devil's Footprints'."
Wayne wrote quickly, distracted by Eric's explanation. "Fascinating…" Then Eric proceeded to pack his school supplies while continuing to explain, "Next, about that explosive spell I cast at the end of the duel. Like the other spell, it was just a mere copy of their true version. I simply called it 'Divine Flame,' and to use it, I had to recite a certain chant—'Fuga,' meaning 'Open.'"
The glasses man diligently wrote down everything Eric said. "Devil's Footprints… Divine Flame… Fuga?... This is unheard of in our magical society. Huh? Wait, you said they were just mere copies… then, what is the true extent of those spells…?"
Eric huffed at Wayne's rather perceptive question, he deeply pondered how to tell him half the truth of the answer. "Devil's Footprints… if I managed to roll on that true ability, technically I would become the fastest mage in the entire history of magic and mankind. And as for Divine Flame… you'll be horrified by the sheer destruction of that spell."
Once again, Wayne took in all of Eric's explanation and asked again. "I see, so there's still room for improvement. Wait, you still haven't fully explained how those spells work."
"Really? Aren't you afraid of missing class?" Eric pointed his thumb toward the window behind him. Wayne's eyes widened when he saw that the sun had already risen and students were streaming off to class.
"By the Goddess! I completely lost track of time! Pardon me, then, let's wrap things up for now." Wayne hurriedly packed up his things. Eric silently groaned after finally convincing Wayne to end their Q&A session.
His curiosity wasn't too bad, in his opinion, but he found that once Wayne got lost in his research—just like earlier—he lost track of time.
"Oh well, I can find another excuse when the next round of questions comes up."
In the morning, Wayne and Eric set off together, chatting about small things until they finally arrived at their respective classrooms.