"Mana. Yes, yes, of course," Max said quickly, straightening his back like he'd known it all along. "I was just… testing you. Obviously, everything needs mana."
Alina narrowed her eyes. "You forgot."
"I did not!" Max lied, badly. "I was... evaluating our strategic mana assets." He parroted the same nonsense he'd once heard students throw at each other during ceremony.
She snorted. "You don't even know what that means."
Max coughed. "Anyway. Minor detail. It's not like I'm going to build the entire school out of paper today."
Ray folded his arms, watching him closely. "Still, how much mana does it actually take? Be honest. I doubt it's small. Every spell, no matter how tiny, eats mana."
Max's smile held, but inside, cold sweat was dripping. He wanted to say I don't know, but that would be humiliating. Worse, they might think he was a fraud. Or worse curse him.
"Alright, give me a second," Max muttered, falling silent.
