To summarize, I can’t turn a pumpkin into a magical golden carriage because it’s extremely difficult for this to happen and therefore requires a ton of mana…


    So then, what’s issue number two? Chara wondered.


    “Well, I could tell you, but~ wouldn’t it be more exciting if you tried guessing it on your own?” Curiosity suggested with a playful voice.


    Umm… could you at least give me a hint?


    The little student stared at her teacher piteously, but the other spirit just looked at her quietly as if saying, How can I give you a hint before you’ve even tried!


    Just as Chara was on the verge of swirling up a fuss, the spell that kept the ominous black rock afloat finally depleted its mana, allowing gravity to reassert its presence.


    Seemingly awaiting this, Curiosity swiftly cast another “hold” spell using the two wisps of mana that had remained from her last demonstration. The ominous black rock, now safe and secure, ascended gently and floated toward its owner’s desk.


    As Chara watched the piece of obsidian cross the distance between the teacher’s desk and her own, a phrase came to mind:


    Distance from reality….


    The little spirit’s swirling slowed, and her mana rippled thoughtfully.


    Now that I think about it, the concept of “distance” only really measures the space between an origin and a destination…


    In the case of spell casting, that’s reality and a desired possibility…


    But how is a possibility or destination locked onto in the first place?


    It was a line of thinking she hadn’t considered. The rippling of her mana subsided, before surging up again with even higher amplitude.


    The obvious answer would be… during the first two steps of the spell casting process, envisioning and invocation. But… how do these processes even work?


    How do these processes distinguish between possibilities where an object explodes into pieces, or defies the laws of gravity…


    Or whether it melts into a puddle of goo, or melts into a slightly more viscous puddle of goo?


    Questions surfaced in her mind, one after another, like bubbles rising to the surface of a lake. She felt like she was onto something, but she was unsure how to describe it.


    Sensing her little student’s burgeoning curiousness, the curiosity spirit’s mana contracted in anticipation.


    Is it… direction? Chara mumbled inwardly.


    “Wow~! Little Spirit, you are so smart~! I knew you could figure it out if you just tried~!” Curiosity pulsed delightedly, her mana accelerating into a cheerful swish.


    “Essentially, yes, the problem of direction! You see, unlike me—who is very curious, meticulous, and smart—mana is extremely silly and dumb~! It’s only capable of following extremely simplistic instructions like stop, go, burn, and freeze!” she exclaimed in a chastising tone, her form swishing and swirling animatedly.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    “Because of this, the more intricate the possibility you try to grasp, the more likely it is for the mana powering that spell to become confused and settle for the closest equivalent.


    “This outcome might be what you intended, but it also might not be. And even if it is, you will probably have a hard time replicating it…


    “Regardless, there are actually quite a few ways to mitigate this effect. However, since this lesson is supposed to be about mana, I’ll only explain the variables pertaining to it,” she stated in a firm tone.


    I see… The little spirit bobbed up and down cutely.


    The swirling teacher had a hard time peeling off her gaze as she redirected it onto the giant stone whiteboard. Suddenly, the poorly drawn rock she had sketched previously peeled away from the stone’s surface, and it disappeared into a fine mist.


    Curiosity took a moment to compose her thoughts before speaking.


    “Just as every possibility has a distance from reality, it also has a direction. As for what this ‘direction’ is actually describing, it depends on whether it’s referring to a possibility or specifically mana. Anyhow, rather than just explaining it plainly, let’s go over it in terms of casting.”


    The greater spirit lifted up her writing utensil and drew a point.


    “Think of this dot as reality’s current state. When casting, the first step is to envision a desired possibility. Naturally, this possibility will have a direction from reality.”


    She marked another point to the top-left of the first.


    “As we are discussing a possibility, in this context, its ‘direction’ would describe the specific type of effort required to bring this possibility into reality. For instance, let’s say in our current reality there is a chunk of ice, and you envisioned it melting,” She gestured between the first and second points.


    “In that case, the type of effort required to make that possibility a reality would involve heat,” declared the swirling teacher.


    The little spirit bobbed up and down to convey her understanding.


    Curiosity continued, “Next, you perform your invocation, and then, you infuse your spell with mana. Here, ‘direction’ would be used to indicate the kind of effort the mana itself can exert. For example, earth mana could be used to make things more resilient.”


    She brought her writing utensil back to the initial point.


    “Now then, Little Spirit, riddle me this. What do you think happens if the direction of your spell and the direction of your mana don’t match?” the swirling teacher asked with a mischievous voice.


    …It’s like trying to lift a box by setting it on fire. The effort provided is completely misaligned from the objective… Chara’s musings drifted.


    Curiosity continued, “As you likely suspect, the spell fails. But…! It also doesn’t end there…


    “You may not have consciously realized it, but the possibility you envision is an integral part of your spell construct. The thing is, once mana gets excited and transitions into becoming spell mana, it’ll become eager to manifest its potential in any way it can. Pair that with an incompatible spell construct and what do you get? A conflict!”


    She drew an arrow extending from the first point, but it did not link to the second point, which represented the desired possibility. Instead, it deviated far off course, shooting off into… somewhere.


    Does that mean it will explode?! The little spirit grew alarmed, her swirling turning uneasy. She had never imagined casting could be so dangerous.


    “Um, it depends on the amount of mana, so, for you, probably not,” Curiosity answered heartlessly as she peeled away the markings, restoring the whiteboard to its original, pristine state.


    What?! Chara’s uneasiness vanished, giving way to an intense wave of indignation.


    Paying no mind to her little student’s silliness, the swirling teacher lifted up the ominous black rock and sketched out a giant black circle, followed by another smaller circle inside of it. Next, she drew a long horizontal line that cut across both circles, dividing them in half. Lastly, she drew four more lines, dividing the area between the inner and outer circles into six equally sized sections, three on the top, and three on the bottom.


    When she was finished, the end product was what Chara assumed to be a thinking map with eight divided sections.


    <figure></figure>