Episode 111. First Class (3)
“This is the professor.”
Rubin’s voice echoed throughout the classroom, reaching only Professor Eggler’s ears.
At that moment, the cadets felt the soundproofing curtains being stretched further. This was Professor Egeler’s additional measure. Now, the other children could not hear Rubin’s voice, nor the professor’s voice.
“Narani? Am I the design magic, Cadet Luden?”
“Yes.”
Rubin was calm, and that calmness intrigued Professor Eggler even more.
All the cadets who answered before Rubin didn’t even come close to getting the correct answer.
Most of the incorrect answers were focused on ‘space’. The cave-like interior was actually fake, or the current temperature in the classroom was different from the actual temperature.
Professor Eggler laughed lightly.
“I thought I had filtered out all the students who could tell the correct answer, but I guess I missed one. Would you like to continue explaining?”
“Right now, Professor, you are a projection.”
“hmm…….”
The professor gave a short snort. That was correct.
As Luden said, his appearance in the classroom was an ‘illusion’. He was simply being reproduced according to the magic designed by Eggler. The real Professor Eggler was watching from a completely different space.
‘You even know what kind of magic was used.’
It was the right answer, but Egeler didn’t immediately release the soundproofing. It was a shame to end the conversation like that.
“You have decent mana sensitivity, Cadet Luden.”
Mana sensitivity was the basis for the professor’s idea of the correct answer. If this is an excellent student, he will be able to sufficiently sense the illusion magic designed into the magic stone.
If Chloe or Dahlia, who probably have exceptional mana sensitivity, had had the chance to tell the answer, they would have said the correct answer too.
But contrary to the professor’s thoughts, Rubin did not discover illusion magic because of his mana sensitivity.
“There are other ways to find out.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“It was just a feeling. I saw some clues.”
To begin with, Rubin did not have the level of mana sensitivity that the professor thought he had. In terms of mana sensitivity alone, Rubin was at the bottom of the C class.
and.
‘I need to make it clear that it’s not true. If someone misunderstands that my mana is excellent, trouble may arise.’
If you were to come forward and show everyone a magic trick, there would be nothing more painful than that. Sometimes, you need to disguise it as simple luck.
‘Of course, it could have been easily seen through the darkness.’
There was no need to go into this much detail. As Rubin had said, there were plenty of obvious clues that could be found with just a quick glance.
“It is a conclusion that comes from combining several facts.”
“Could you explain? I’m curious. I’m saying there was a loophole in my illusion magic.”
“First of all, the professor didn’t come down from the podium during the entire three-hour class today. He had his teaching assistant do all the work that needed to be done.”
“It wouldn’t have been easy to be certain with just that much?”
“The angle at which the professor looked at the teaching assistant was slightly off.”
Egeler was also aware of this. It was a minor issue that he had deliberately left uncorrected.
“It would have been difficult to notice the difference in angle because it was so subtle.”
“I have a habit of looking into the eyes of the person I’m talking to.”
“Hmm, is there more?”
“When Oscar got covered in flour, I was talking to Oscar at the time, but the professor didn’t punish me. I deserved it. It must have been because of the flour.”
Egeler became more and more interested. At first, it seemed like he was just passing it by, but the reasons Luden was giving were getting closer to the core.
‘You even noticed that I didn’t punish you on purpose.’
As Luden said, it was because of the flour.
Unlike Oscar, Luden was too close to the projectile. If the flour had splattered towards the Professor while punishing Luden, everyone would have known that the Professor was an illusion.
“Is there more?”
“There are shadows too.”
“Explain it.”
“The professor’s shadow is absolutely impossible to form given the angle of the light. It’s just a very slight difference in angle.”
The shadow of the professor that appeared on the podium was also an area that could not be created with projectile magic alone.
So I cast a separate spell to create it, but I noticed the difference in angle again.
There were other reasons besides these, but Rubin stopped there.
“… There are things I hadn’t thought of.”
It was the first time. For the past five years, Professor Egeler’s classes have always been conducted with projectiles, and they end with the students getting covered in flour for not being able to find them.
Although there were some students who got the answer right, they all just followed their mana sensitivity.
So it was impressive, because it was a completely different approach from the typical wizard.
but.
‘You have a good eye for detail. I guess it’s just that simple.’
It was difficult to see it as a talent for a magic student. So we decided to end the conversation here.
“That’s correct. Cadet Luden Poinen answered correctly.”
The professor, who had removed all the soundproofing, spoke to the other students.
“Me, am I right?”
“really?”
After a while, the cadets’ reactions were divided into two.
The cadets who were waiting in line after Rubin were relieved that they had avoided the flour. On the other hand, the cadets who had given incorrect answers before Rubin wanted to know what the correct answer was.
“Wow, I survived. Thanks to that kid.”
“I just can’t seem to find the answer. How did you find it?”
“Oh my, I’m dying to know. What did you and the professor talk about?”
Professor Egel, who had been watching, silenced the commotion. It seemed as if the projectile was leaving behind its last words.
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“Everyone, be quiet.”
Bullfight.
The professor’s projectile disappeared with a distant sound. There was now nothing where the professor had been.
“Everyone, please wait quietly. The professor will be back soon.”
The teaching assistant who missed the first class’s spectacle shouted urgently, suppressing his regret.
After a while, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was heard.
Thud thud.
The cadets watched the entrance and exit of the classroom.
The professor walked to the podium just as he had before. But this time it was different. A blue light shimmered on the floor as he walked.
“Cadet, do you see the blue light on the floor over there, and the blue light here on the podium? This is the trace of the design spell I cast on the floor of this classroom a few days ago.”
The professor continued speaking immediately.
“The magic stone used in this design magic was a second-grade magic stone that was said to be difficult to obtain. This level of sophisticated illusion magic would be impossible with a third-grade one.”
Only then did the cadets seem to understand what kind of design magic was in the classroom. Those with little knowledge of magic were busy asking questions to the children around them.
For a while, a commotion spread throughout the classroom.
Rather than trying to figure it out, the professor just waited in silence.
“Welcome magic? I’ve seen things like that before, but nothing like that.”
“The professor said it was made with 2nd-grade magic stones. That means everything you’ve seen so far is 3rd-grade or lower.”
“Actually, the projectiles I saw were either wavering or breaking up.”
After a while, Professor Eggler, who thought he had given enough time to talk, raised his hand again.
“Everyone, look at this. Now, we will compare the effects of magic depending on the level of the magic stone.”
Knock, knock, knock.
There were three magic stones attached to the blackboard. They were of the fourth, third, and second ranks respectively. The professor cast the same illusion spell on each magic stone. This time, it was ‘Projector’.
Phew.
The target of the projection was an identical new sculpture.
“As I said, the one that projected me earlier was a 2nd-grade magic stone. Compared to the other two magic stones, it holds a lot of mana, so it can ‘project’ many more times in the future.”
In front of the blackboard, three identical birds appeared.
However, the 4th grade magic stone was so ugly that anyone could tell it was a projectile. The color wasn’t even properly displayed, and the projectile was full of shimmer.
The third level was better. At first glance, it was hard to tell if it was a projectile. It would be even harder to tell at night.
The second grade was exactly the same as the main body. It was as if you could feel it if you touched it. If you couldn’t find the external differences like Rubin, you would never be able to tell them apart with your eyes.
‘The magic granted to the magic stone doesn’t seem to have any effect.’
While the cadets focused on the differences in the magic stones with curious eyes, Rubin was thinking of something else.
Just a little while ago, when Eggler was ‘projecting’.
At that time, the ‘projector’s’ slash appeared in Rubin’s sight. However, after the magic was embedded in the magic stone, when the projector was actually manifested, the slash was not visible.
This meant that while Glayton’s bracelet could detect the opponent’s spells, it could not detect design magic.
“Dahlia Delin, I have a question.”
“What?”
“Then what happens if you ‘project’ at a first-class magic stone?”
The other students nodded at the question. If the second-grade magic stone is this sophisticated, what would happen to the first-grade magic stone?
“… I don’t know that either.”
“yes?”
“As I said earlier, it is known that currently only the first-class magic stones exist in the Imperial Palace. So we don’t know how the ‘projection’ will unfold. However, I know one piece of evidence that can be used to speculate. It is the records of the great wizard Glayton from long ago.”
In the era before the unification of the Empire, Glayton, who was praised as a great wizard, is said to have written in his book:
“
“yes?”
“That’s all. The records of the ‘projector’ magic and the first-class magic stone.”
can exist simultaneously… … .
Rubin chewed on those words. Did they mean that there was something beyond the level of a fighter?
Finally, the teaching assistant went around and started collecting all the 4th grade magic stones for class. Professor Eggler announced the end of class by removing the magic stones from the blackboard one by one.
“That’s all for today’s class. Next time, we’ll start by explaining why Design Magic exists in the curriculum for freshmen who have no knowledge or experience with magic.”
Just before going down the stairs, the professor looked at Rubin and said.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Cadet Luden Poinen. 10 points for the store.”
“Thank you, professor.”
* * *
Even though the classes are different, the beginning of the semester for freshmen is usually similar. A classroom filled with sharp alertness and awkward silence.
It was the same during break time. Rather, each class was so quiet that the time spent talking to the professor was the only time it was lively.
Groan, groan.
But class C was different.
As soon as break time was given, Class C once again turned into the middle of a bustling market.
It was an environment where it was impossible to be quiet because of the homework assigned by Professor Benitez. On top of that, there was a famous person named Chloe here, and there was even Oscar, who rarely kept his mouth shut.
“How did you know that Professor Egeler was a projectile?”
“Please answer! I didn’t notice it even though I was sitting right in front of you.”
“Chloe and Dahlia knew about the mana sensitivity, Luden, you too?”
Rubin was bombarded with questions for a while. Originally, the anecdote about Chloe was enough for conversation. But after the first lesson, the kids wanted to know how the projectile was found.
“I was able to figure it out by observing things like shadows and wind.”
“So you figured it out. I couldn’t figure that out even with my hunter father.”
While talking to the cadets and getting to know each other, this time Oscar sat down across from Rubin.
“Hey, Luden. Are you the only one recovering penalty points?”
“Ah… Now that I think about it, that’s true. You still had demerit points from the dorm, right? Ten demerit points, I think.”
“Yeah, you traitorous son of a bitch.”
Rubin, who had 5 penalty points from Srehim, received 10 shop points, so he became 5 shop points. On the other hand, Oscar still remained at 10 penalty points.
“But Oscar, what do you get if you build a lot of stores?”
“Hmm, I was curious about that too, so I looked into it. But it seems that it’s different every year. Sometimes they give you a magic tool, and sometimes they give you a chance to tour the imperial capital.”
It’s a tour of magic tools and systems.
“Luden. You, will you come with me?”
“What? A tour of the system?”
“No? Why are you saying such an impossible thing? Are you kidding me? Other than getting a store… Remember what Professor Egeler said in class earlier? He said if you find it, you get 50 store points!”
What he was talking about came to mind immediately. There was a rumor that there was a hidden place with a first-class magic stone inside the Capotini Magic School. Professor Eggler lightly dismissed it, but some of the students’ reactions were sincere.
“Would you like to look for it with me?”
Now that I look at it, Oscar seems sincere too.
“Why are you holding back, roommate? Surely you don’t think it’s just a rumor?”
“well.”
“That’s a legend that’s been passed down from the old days! There must be a secret room hidden somewhere. What could be inside?”
Oscar’s eyes sparkled. When Rubin didn’t respond, he opened his eyes wide.
“Surely… you’re not saying you won’t accept a friend with 10 penalty points, are you?”
“Think about it.”
“Tch. Okay, I got it. By the way, what’s the next class… Huh? It’s some trivial liberal arts class.”
The class that followed immediately was ‘The History of Capotini’.
There were two main types of classes at school: magic classes and non-magic classes.
The non-magic classes were filled with liberal arts subjects, including history and geography of the entire continent. As Oscar said, most people thought it was trivial. That made the children feel less nervous.
After somehow finishing all of today’s classes.
The freshmen, who had lost their spirits, left the Canon Hall with feeble steps.
Even Oscar, who had been looking forward to the special meal served in the dormitory to celebrate the first class, had a hard time walking with his shoulders slumped.
“What? You’re not going to the dorm? There’s a special meal today?”
“I have to go to the bookstore today.”
On the way to the dormitory. Rubin told Oscar this before they reached a fork in the road. Since Oscar also knew that his roommate was from an aristocratic family that ran a publishing business, he easily accepted the bookstore as an excuse.
“Eat a lot for me too.”
“As expected, nobles… are incomprehensible.”
Rubin immediately took a gondola across Lake Capotin. He saw wealthy cadets heading toward the commercial area of Matap District to eat outside the dorms.
But that wasn’t Rubin’s destination.
“… … .”
Rubin’s eyes turned cold as he rode along in the gondola.
His gondola was headed outside Matap District. It was one of the residential areas, a wealthy neighborhood with grand, sturdy houses.
This is where the high-ranking administrative officials of Capotini and those who made their fortunes through magic-related trade lived.
And some of the professors at the magic school also rented accommodations here during the semester.
‘It’s still a while before it gets dark.’
Rubin entered a back alley. Although it was a deserted place, he did not forget to spread his shadow wide.
Meow meow.
There was a cat on the wall. It was dyed in the crimson color of the sunset, but its original fur was pure white.
“Tina. Go near that guy’s house. And let me know when he gets home.”
Meow meow.
The cat climbed down the wall with flexible movements and went out into the alley.
Rubin opened the subspace pouch that was issued to all magic students. He took off the magic student robe he was wearing and put it inside.
And then he took out a black robe.
“hmm.”
Swish.
The subspace was filled with cold air.
The bitter cold of the Blood Frost, the Soul Weapon, was released. Rubin picked up his sword. Then, the sword, recognizing its master, quickly quelled the cold.
In that state, Rubin continued to hesitate for a moment about whether or not to take out the Blood Frost.
