The next day, Haku prepared something, hoping that this would at least somewhat help the students. It worked in those fantasy novels with transmigrators , so why not here? He studied all the names of his students and their families. Haku knew it was a long shot, but so far his bluffs had worked, and even if he failed, he had plans prepared to get out by saying the students first need to understand it all to get results, ensuring him some more time to come up with the next plan. He stood before his class, a mix of teenagers and young adults who looked at him with a mixture of doubt and excitement, from 1st years up to 4th years. Some slouched in their seats, others whispered amongst themselves, and at least one was openly picking their nose.
"Hello students," Haku began, his voice solid and strong, getting the attention of everyone right away. "My name is Haku, and I'll be your instructor for... uh... Practical Applications of Magic."
'Come on, you practiced this all night in the mirror, get yourself together.'
One of the students in the front row was a girl with sharp eyes and dark curls named Isabella, raising her hand. "What exactly does that mean?" she asked, clearly with a voice of doubt. "Is it just how to use magic, don't you know where you are, professor? We are hailed as some of the greatest the empire has to offer. We know how to use spells."
Haku swallowed. "Well, you must be Isabella. I heard of you from Lyra, saying you are from an old family of mages and wizards. That's a good question, an excellent question. It means we'll be looking at not at the how but why magic works, and then applying that to make your spells even more effective. It's all about understanding the 'why' behind the 'how', remember that."
He gestured towards the giant blackboard behind him and drew symbols. "This," he announced with a theatrical flourish, "is the Periodic Table of Elements."
A collective groan rippled through the class. More than one student rolled their eyes.
"What is this garbage?" a boy with short black hair and the air of a noble, who Haku recognized as Ricardo, the son of another duke, mumbled from the back. "Some kind of math assignment gone wrong?"
"It's not garbage, Ricardo," Haku said, forcing a smile.
Ricardo was not surprised that his name was known, thinking that it was only logical to know who he was
"This is… the key to everything! Think of it as the building blocks of the universe. Everything is made of these elements, but if you don't understand these building blocks, how can you hope to understand magic, which is the manipulation of these elements?"
He pointed to the symbol 'H' on the table. "This, for example, is Hydrogen. The most abundant element in the universe. Now, imagine Hydrogen as a unique force, eager to react. Now, imagine Carbon, the backbone of all life... And…" Haku spent a long time explaining these, hoping that he remembered enough from his high school days.
Isabella wasn't buying it. She leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed. "So, you're saying magic is just… chemicals?"
"Not just chemicals," Haku corrected, "but understanding the chemical will help you improve your understanding and help you improve faster." He was bluffing.
'I hope this works, if not I'm in trouble'
His explanation went on and on, teaching, getting to the point of how atoms interact.
As he was saying all these things, Haku saw that more people came. It was the teachers wanting to see for themselves how this so-called instructor that was brought from god knows where was doing.
Suddenly, some mocking words could be heard in the back by some of the faculty, but Haku did not let it stop him and continued.
Without him realizing it, Lyra stood among them watching closely, wondering if what he was saying was true, for if it was, he just gave them a map that could lead to the overthrow of magic itself.
Haku blinked, trying to regain composure. "As you can see," he said casually, "understanding these simple laws is perfectly normal." He hoped his voice didn't betray his showmanship.
Across the room, the teachers realized the implications, their faces a mixture of curiosity and surprise. Professor Lyra was the first to speak up, "Are you saying that since magic needs the understanding of the spell, understanding these elements could increase a spell's power?"
Some of the teachers wanting to know this answer looked with eyes as sharp as blades
"That depends on your understanding and capabilities, but it will surely help you along no matter what," Haku said with a smirk.
'Looks like they bought it.'
Among the other instructors stood a stern-looking woman with tightly wound hair and a sneer etched on her face. Haku already knew of her as she was famous in this school; she was Professor Elena, the Transfiguration instructor, known for her jealousy and pettiness. She was unhappy to be witnessing whatever this was.
"What's going on here?" Professor Elena demanded, her voice sharp. "I heard that this would be practical, not theoretical. Where is your proof that it works?"
"Just wait, Elena, this is his first class," Lyra said smoothly, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "Haku was just showing the students what they need to understand before the practical application."
Haku cleared his throat. "Yes, exactly. They need to understand this: surely, you don't expect someone to write a book before learning how to write." He turned back to the class, feeling the weight of their gazes on him.
He then grabbed the chalk and started listing the requirements and the steps that it would take to create a fire explosion, but while keeping the composition of the explosion stable, thus creating a fire that would last longer but not burn the fuel as quickly.
"Now, who can tell me what the result of combining oxygen with a fuel source is? Don't be shy, everyone knows this." Haku asked, trying to lighten the mood after what happened.
One of the students raised their hand, "umm air?"
Haku sighed, "And how is air created?"
Seeing the stumped faces of the students, Haku could only do this step by step.
As the lesson continued, Haku gave the assignment to create small sparks using the principles he had taught them.
Half an hour went by, and nothing happened.
Elena, ready to say something again, was stopped by one of the students, suddenly speaking up, "I did it!"
It was a girl with dark hair and eyes. "Oh, sorry, professor, my name is Sofia, and I did what you told us."
'I guess i can breath again thank The gods of shitty Novels'
She had small sparks coming from her fingers. "I have never had such control over my magic. It's not like I'm forcing it with magic instead, it's like I'm moving it," Sofia responded.
The rest of the students couldn't believe it, even Ricardo was now wholeheartedly trying.
Elena, on the other hand, couldn't believe what she was seeing, thinking to herself that this was just nonsense and the placebo these kids were experiencing was nothing more than wishful thinking.