Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 209: Testing Damien’s Magic Potential

Still basking in Damien’s affectionate gesture, Elyon suddenly began chanting an unfamiliar incantation before clapping his hands together with a resounding snap.

"Whoa!?" Damien yelped as the surroundings plunged into darkness.

"What’s going on?!" Theo exclaimed in alarm.

"Teacher?!" called another voice, equally startled.

The area around them had been enveloped in complete blackness.

The darkness was so profound that Damien briefly thought he might have gone blind.

Even Theo, and unexpectedly Sebas, were raising panicked voices.

"Fufufu, calm yourselves," Elyon said confidently, before beginning another incantation.

This time, a brilliant light appeared above them, illuminating the area.

"I merely cast a barrier to block everything except air within the range of the sound I made. Nothing, not even magic, can pass through it. No matter what happens inside, it won’t affect the outside world."

Damien looked around and noticed that while their immediate surroundings were brightly lit, a sharp wall of darkness appeared at a certain distance, cutting off the light completely.

He glanced upward, only to see a similar void of darkness. The barrier was likely hemispherical, but its sheer blackness made it impossible to tell for sure.

"Teacher, doesn’t this mean we won’t know what’s happening outside?" Sebas asked pointedly.

"Ah," Elyon responded, his expression suddenly sheepish.

Sebas’s observation was correct. The barrier had not only eliminated their visibility of the outside, but also blocked out the sounds of birds and wind that had been present earlier. They wouldn’t notice anything occurring beyond the barrier.

"I will remain stationed outside," Sebas offered. "Given your capabilities, Teacher, I trust you will sense any interference with the barrier from the outside?"

"Y-Yes," Elyon stammered. "If someone so much as touches it, I’ll be aware."

"In that case, if an urgent matter arises, I will knock three times, repeated thrice. Please respond accordingly."

"Understood. Wait a moment; I’ll create an opening for you to pass through."

Elyon recited another spell, and a person-sized hole formed in the once-opaque wall of darkness, revealing the scenery outside.

"Young Master, Sir Damien, and Teacher, I will be just beyond this opening. Please take care," Sebas said before stepping out through the gap in the barrier.

"Hmph, Sebas is as overly meticulous as ever," Elyon muttered, attempting to cover his embarrassment.

Damien and Theo exchanged a knowing glance, their expressions laced with amused exasperation as they watched Elyon try to save face.

...

"Now then, let’s start by reassessing your magical power."

Elyon stood in front of Damien and Theo, who were seated in the chairs Sebas had prepared for them. In this moment, Elyon looked very much like a teacher.

It was easy to understand why Elyon was Theo and Sebas’s magic instructor.

"I’ve heard about the previous test results from Theo, but let’s go ahead and have it done again in front of me, just to be sure."

With that, Elyon reached into a large bag at his feet and pulled out a familiar crystal.

"Oh, the one that measures magic power."

"Yes, the magic power assessment crystal."

It was the same one that had surrounded Theo with flames during the last test, which had startled him. For Damien, it only glowed excessively, leaving him with few pleasant memories of the experience.

"But why isn’t it reacting when you’re holding it? Normally, the magic power assessment crystal is automated, so it should be placed on a stand for transport."

Ah, that’s why they had been carrying the stand last time.

"This one is made by elven race," Elyon explained. "Unlike those of lower species, it works like this."

As Elyon spoke, he muttered a short incantation, and the crystal floated up to about the height of his face.

Whoa, that looks impressive.

"Normally, during a magic power assessment, other magic is strictly prohibited to avoid interference... but..."

While Damien was impressed, Theo looked on with confusion.

"It’s an elven method," Elyon explained. "Unlike lower species’ tools, this crystal requires some protective magic to shield it. Well, why don’t you try it yourself, Theo? The method is the same as the lower species’—just place your hand near it."

"Understood."

"Don’t worry Damien, I’ll be fine."

Theo smiled reassuringly at Damien as he stood up.

Damien still felt embarrassed from the previous incident, when he had panicked thinking Theo had truly been engulfed in flames.

Theo placed his hand in front of the crystal.

And just like before, a heart-stopping flame began to surround Theo.

Wait. No, it wasn’t flames. Only a small, gentle flicker of fire, like a weak burner on a stove, danced around the crystal.

"Teacher, what is this?"

Theo, looking puzzled, stared at the crystal.

"Hahahaha, as I’ve said before, this is elven-made. It’s designed for elves, so its sensitivity is about one one-hundredth of that of the lower species’ versions. Most humans wouldn’t even get a reaction. For it to react at all is quite an achievement, Theo."

"I see. So that’s how it works," Theo replied, now understanding.

Elyon laughed happily, while Theo gave a wry smile.

Damien now understood. Elves, he had heard, possessed magical power far beyond that of humans. If they had used a regular crystal, the resulting illusion would have been too overwhelming to make sense of.

"Now then, it’s your turn, Damien," Elyon said. "In your case, step back two or three paces and place your hand in front of it."

Damien stood up, switching places with Theo, and followed Elyon’s instructions, stepping back a few paces before holding his hand out.

The crystal began to emit light, but this time, it wasn’t as blinding as before. It felt more like staring at a lightbulb directly.

The pure white sphere, about 50 centimeters in diameter, had formed around the crystal. The light seemed to be emanating from the sphere itself.

"Hmm, the light sphere appeared as expected," Elyon said. "Damien, that’s enough."

Thanks to that, he could see that a

Damien sat back down in his chair. It seemed Elyon had already predicted this result to some extent.