I CHOSE to be a VILLAIN, not a THIRD-RATE EXTRA!!-Chapter 234: The Time Where the Villain Shines(6)

"To answer the question," Althea began, steadying her voice, "control over mana is extremely important when casting any kind of magic, whether elemental or otherwise. Its application does not end merely at changing a spell’s trajectory, as previously mentioned by this madm—COUGH!"

She abruptly coughed midway, nearly letting her true opinion of Adlet slip aloud, before correcting herself. "—by Student Adlet."

Ashok, who had nothing better to do than listen to what he considered a pointless debate since he already knew how this would end, simply pursed his lips and remained silent.

As for Althea calling him a madman, it did not truly matter to him what this so-called main cast thought of him. Their opinions held little weight in his broader calculations.

"Go on," Frederick said calmly.

"If we avoid the most complex aspects of the casting process," Althea continued, regaining her composure, "the most fundamental role Mana Control plays during a spell is in output. It governs the final stage of casting, where the strength, nature, and overall destructive power of a spell are ultimately determined."

"Taking the same examples mentioned by Student Adlet—Fireball, Water Sphere, Wind Blade, and Earth Spike—each of these elemental spells can produce vastly different results depending on the amount of mana supplied during the final output stage."

"The greater the mana channeled into the spell, the stronger its impact. Conversely, the less mana provided, the weaker the resulting effect."

She paused briefly before continuing, her voice firm. "With precise Mana Control, even the size of a spell can be deliberately reduced while a greater quantity of mana is compressed into it. This increases density and destructive potential without necessarily increasing visible scale."

"Furthermore, the possibilities are practically limitless. Depending on the level of control, the same spell can be expanded, compressed, separated into multiple instances, or altered in nature at the final moment of release."

Isolde gave a small nod from the side. Though Althea’s explanation was simple and fundamental, it addressed a principle that could not easily be rejected. More importantly, it directly countered Adlet’s earlier claim that Mana Control served little purpose beyond minor trajectory adjustments.

"Do you have anything against this?" Frederick asked, turning his gaze toward Adlet.

"How could I?" Adlet replied smoothly. "After listening to such enlightening words, how could I possibly remain unenlightened?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Althea felt a faint chill run down her spine. After all since when did this sharp-tongued madman became this agreeable.

’What is going on inside that head now?’ she wondered, unable to shake the uneasy feeling creeping into her thoughts.

"I have now realized that the importance of Mana Control is similar to water," Adlet said calmly.

Water?

Did he mean water in a general sense, or the Water element specifically?

And what did Mana Control possibly have to do with water in the first place?

A series of questions began surfacing in the minds of the three others in the classroom. None of them could immediately grasp how Althea’s structured explanation about output and spell reinforcement had somehow been reduced—or elevated—to something as ordinary as water.

The comparison felt abrupt, almost absurd, and yet the confidence in Adlet’s tone suggested he wasn’t speaking randomly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As if completely indifferent to the faces with their expressions full of question marks staring back at him, Ashok continued without hesitation.

"Mana Control in life is just as important as drinking water," he said evenly. "If we don’t drink enough water, the body dehydrates and eventually dies. On the other hand, if a person consumes water beyond their capacity, it can also lead to severe consequences.

In extreme cases, if water is forcefully pumped into the body, it can even cause internal damage finally resulting in a explosion from inside out though for that a huge amount of water will be needed together with a cooperative individual."

He paused briefly before continuing, his tone almost instructional.

"Furthermore, there are infinite outcomes depending on how water is handled.

Too little results in thirst and weakness. Too much leads to constant trips to bathroom where the watchers might misunderstand into something else. And if consumed in excess, it can cause headaches, nausea, confusion, and other physical complications."

Adlet finished with an expression and wording strikingly similar to the one Althea had worn moments ago.

"Y-You... are you mocking me?" Althea demanded, glaring at Adlet, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles had begun to pale after all isn’t this guy has been this way from the start of the class.

"Mocking?" Adlet tilted his head slightly, feigning innocence. "What are you talking about? I was merely sharing the enlightenment I just gained." His smile widened faintly.

"The Great Enlightenment of stating the obvious."

Althea’s expression stiffened. She couldn’t understand what this madman was trying to prove.

One should either Agree or Disagree but was it is about twisting her explanation into something absurd equaling mana control and drinking water just what sort of idea is this?

From someone who have seen hundred of discussions in the magic tower on magic this was simply way to over her head.

Unable to decipher his intent, she finally turned her gaze toward Frederick. At this point, she was certain of one thing—she could not deal with this madman or whatever goes in his mind herself.

Only the teacher could handle him.

However, before Frederick could interject, Adlet continued calmly, as if the discussion had already shifted in his favor.

"The very first thing we did after entering the Academy was choose our weapons," he said. "Out of the thousands available, nearly every mage student selected either a staff or a wand."

He folded his hands as he went on. "Now compare that to weapons like swords, spears, or bows. Those are inherently lethal. Their design is meant to wound or kill even in untrained hands not to mention the quality provided by the academy is top notch.

A staff or a wand, on the other hand, is not naturally lethal. To use either as a true weapon requires extremely high mastery—far more effort than simply swinging a blade."

His gaze swept across the room. "Considering mages mostly spend their most of the time in a room researching on magic unlike the physical students who train on the field. So why would mage students intentionally choose something that is non-lethal by nature?"

A faint smirk appeared on his lips. "Don’t tell me it’s just tradition. Something like, ’If our forefathers walked with a staff, then we shall also carry one even if the most we can do with it is clear webs in the closed rooms’. Is it merely a decorative inheritance?"

Now even Frederick found it difficult to maintain his composure. The corners of his lips twitched ever so slightly, and he had to clear his throat to disguise the impulse to laugh.

Isolde’s shoulders were already trembling as she subtly turned her face away from Althea. She pressed her lips together tightly, her cheek muscles straining in a desperate attempt to contain her laughter. Unfortunately, her imagination had betrayed her.

In her mind, she could already picture a solemn old grandfather placing an oversized staff into young Althea’s hands and declaring, ’You, my child, shall walk the path of the staff, with this staff and don’t forget to pass it onto your children’

That alone was dangerous enough—but then came an even worse image: Althea, dignified prodigy of the Magic Tower, standing in a corner of a grand hall and awkwardly swinging her staff upward to sweep away spider webs.

That thought nearly shattered Isolde’s remaining restraint.

Frederick, still suppressing the urge to laugh, had already understood what Adlet was trying to imply the moment weapons were mentioned.

’This brat really had to take such a long route just to prove his point’, he thought, shaking his head faintly in amusement.

"Are you asking this because you didn’t pick a weapon yourself?" Althea said, her tone edged with faint condescension. "Allow me to clarify it for you. A staff or a wand helps optimize mana during the casting of a spell."

She spoke as though she were explaining something painfully obvious to a slow learner, her confidence returning now that the topic had shifted into familiar territory.

Blinded by sheer her devotion to Magic and the Path of Magic Circles, Althea failed to notice that she had already stepped directly into the snare Adlet had laid out.

"If by optimizing you mean completely assisting in Mana Control—ensuring that a spell doesn’t collapse midway and cause backlash— with the staff mostly aiding in the smooth transfer of mana so that even novices can cast a spell with a simple Magic Circle... and if the everything is so fundamental in nature," Adlet continued thoughtfully, "then doesn’t all of that sound rather familiar? Now where have I heard that before?"

The question hung in the air.

Althea, who had spoken confidently just moments ago, fell silent. Her gaze shifted unconsciously between Frederick, Isolde, and Adlet. For a brief second, doubt flickered across her face as a stammered voice came from her mouth.

"I—I didn’t mean that optimizing implies complete reliance," she corrected herself quickly, though her voice carried a faint stammer. "Staffs and wands do assist a mage, but they are only tools. One should still possess proper Mana Control to achieve the same results with or without a weapon."

She straightened slightly, regaining some composure. "At the end of the day, a weapon is merely a medium. A true mage, when using a Magic Circle, does not necessarily require a medium to cast a spell."