“Oh.”
The temperature in the cold room felt unexpectedly low.
I slightly shivered from the sudden drop in temperature and got up from the floor.
My body felt chilly, and outside the window, snow was falling.
“…What kind of event is this?”
If global warming can be considered a kind of event, then I suppose this could qualify as one too.
It’s already March, and if it’s snowing, that can’t be a normal occurrence.
“Ugh… it’s cold.”
It wasn’t cold enough for my breath to be visible, but the temperature had definitely dropped considerably, so I put on two layers of clothing before heading out.
I really can’t understand how the world is going to turn out.
For someone like me, who can’t even turn on a heater, life is becoming increasingly difficult.
Arriving at the academy much earlier than the other kids, despite the darkness, I was able to sleep well because it was well insulated.
“I should just take a quick nap and wake up…”
It was so warm, and after drinking the alcohol that was in the chocolate, I felt relaxed and closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, I was surrounded by students.
“It feels like I barely slept, and yet it’s already time?”
Why does comfortable sleep never last long?
I rubbed my eyes and came to, feeling like I was being awakened by my parents in an important scene from a dream.
“Uhmm…”
Then I checked today’s timetable.
Fortunately, there were no physical subjects today, so I didn’t have to worry about Professor Philia.
Looking roughly at the subjects listed, they included [Understanding Mystique and Magic], [Analysis of Otherworld Ecosystems], and [Magic Stones and Ideal Power].
All subjects that I had definitely wanted to take in a fantasy world.
Honestly, things like magic seemed like they would be interesting and not boring, so I didn’t understand why people found them difficult.
The power to lift distant objects without touching them and teleport with a simple thought.
Miracles that could summon fire and water from bare hands.
If I could do those things myself, wouldn’t it be natural to feel a thrill?
And perhaps I might have a talent for magic too.
Aside from the characteristics I’ve chosen, there might be basic, untapped talents within me.
“Then I should just toss out Drunken Fist, then…!”
The martial arts style is easy to get hurt in, which I would rather avoid.
It would be great if there were a way to suppress someone without injury, but I’m too weak to even manage that.
However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I had no talent.
***
“Alright, today we will understand mystique and magic.”
A weary-looking woman in glasses stood before me.
Her lab coat, which seemed like something out of a science room comic, dragged on the floor as she slowly moved.
With a lethargic voice, she began to draw slowly on a huge blackboard.
“Before we understand this subject, what do you all think mystique is?”
At that, one student raised their hand and answered.
“It’s about borrowing power from other beings.”
“Are you claiming that the powers of those with abilities or the abilities of clans that inherit power from their ancestors are not mystique?”
“Uh, no, that’s not it…”
“Mystique, simply put, means connecting to beings from other realms that we would normally not recognize and borrowing their power.”
A white line automatically drew across the blackboard.
The line continued and connected to create dozens of spheres of various sizes.
“According to what we have uncovered so far, it is estimated that there are about 12 different ‘realms’ connected to us.”
“Realms…”
“Commonly known ones include the spirit realm and interstellar realms. Apart from those, some may know a few from their clans, but… it wouldn’t offer much help.”
I also had a rough idea from the background story.
The number of additional realms increases depending on the difficulty level chosen by the player, which also raises the probability of hostility.
One such realm is the gate that occurs as a matter of course.
It is the most basic hostile dimension that exists as part of the academy narrative, starting from easy mode.
There, monsters and creatures known as magic beasts emerge, and the academy trains students to stop them.
If the difficulty goes up from this level, more hostile groups and forces appear.
The problem, as I had thought before, was that I didn’t know to what extent I had set the difficulty.
However, since we might be able to gauge the difficulty through the number of hostile dimensions in this class, I listened attentively.
“As you all know, the spirit realm and interstellar realms have been providing us with various assistance, such as celestial art and spirit art. However, conversely, realms like the beast realm are causing us various harm.”
Vivid spirits poised to jump out of the white line and brilliant light.
In stark contrast stood distorted forms of animals mixed with demons.
“The unfortunate fact is that we do not know everything about them. Without knowledge of the opponent, we cannot predict when they might start attacking us.”
“Is there a connection point to other realms?”
“We don’t know that either. Spirits are not very talkative, and constellations look down upon us, so unless one pays a considerable price, they won’t even respond.”
The female professor, speaking somewhat regretfully, continued her explanation.
“That’s why we had to create our own self-defense mechanism to protect ourselves.”
“Does that mean it’s magic?”
“Yes, we needed a means to prepare in case our friendly dimensions could not assist us or declared they would not help.”
All the circles on the blackboard, except for one in the center, were erased.
“The magic created by humans at first was of the lowest quality. It was merely a weak imitation of the powers borrowed from nature and other dimensions.”
However, gradually, several lines were added and overlapped on that circle.
“And thus, we contemplate: What is the most effective method of producing optimal results with minimum costs?”
The arrangements of numerous letters were endlessly erased and repeated.
Among them, some letters began to shine brighter as they found their places.
“Position and change, higher dimensions that we do not perceive, time and space, cause and effect, etc. Adjusting and aligning everything… it was just like a child trying to take their first steps without a mother.”
The infinitely changing sphere gradually lost its light and began to fade.
“But in the end, we succeeded.”
It was finally established.
Fwoosh!!
The letters inscribed on the screen glowed, and then bright flames erupted above them.
“The law we created to counter our own magic. It is called magic.”
“Um…”
“Oh, what is it?”
“The origin of the magic I’ve learned is somewhat different than this…”
“That could be possible. In fact, the origin of magic itself is not clear. Some say it was granted by the gods one day, while others claim it was handed down by a wanderer from another world. I merely presented the most plausible examples.”
“So…”
The professor concluded her story with tired eyes.
“The important thing is that you all gain the power to protect yourselves. While hand-to-hand combat is good, powerful long-range attacks are also beneficial, aren’t they?”
“That’s… true.”
Afterward, all the letters vanished from the blackboard.
“Therefore, I plan to teach fairly, regardless of whether a student has aptitude or not. Unless you have extremely limited talent, it would be unlikely that you wouldn’t learn basic magic.”
On the paper handed out by the professor was a rough table filled with the letters from earlier and a large circle.
“Now, for this week’s assignment. Solve the magic written within it. You may refer to other documents or books.”
“……..”
It was often said that if a professor allowed open book tests, most problems would be impossible to solve, and true to that statement, unraveling the magic circle appeared quite challenging.
“If you are all students who have entered the Central Academy, I believe you can do it. Yawn… oh, by the way, this is an example of a paper submitted right after receiving the assignment from the previous class.”
She casually took a sheet of paper from the stack and placed it in front of the blackboard.
And there appeared a small name.
[Andre Hellicia]
Seeing that name left me speechless.
No, that’s the name of the youngest candidate for the Grand Magus Tower.
Besides, knowing the future, I also knew that she would eventually become the Grand Magus Tower chief.
Are they really going to compare what she wrote to what we will do?
“Then we’ll dismiss for today.”
Still, I didn’t give up and went closer to take a look, but indeed, the magic circle was filled with dizzying, twisted strings that made my head spin just by looking at it.
Did it really need to be this complicated?
Could we really do this?
Just reading it several times didn’t help me understand how to do it.
No, thinking about it, we hadn’t even properly learned about magic yet; how could we solve a problem?
“Oh, by the way, that’s a basic problem even among the basic ones, so it’s not too hard.”
“This is…?”
After saying that, the professor yawned and left.
Complicated lines and letters.
The length of the sentences required was far greater than that of question number 30 from high school entrance exams, and they expected us to complete that?
Moreover, it’s a basic problem within the basics?
“Damn.”
And so, I gave up on magic.
