[First, finish the 6th period class and come back. Teacher, please come with the kids after your roll call.]
[Yes, I really feel sorry… ]
Seo Yu-na was allowed to leave early after resting in the nurse’s office.
Suddenly, I was summoned to the administration office for the reason of unauthorized magic use.
The academy grounds were designated as a special tax collection area by the state, which meant that all mana usage fees within the premises were to be paid under the academy’s name.
This also reflected the academy’s unique partial extraterritorial rights in its regulations.
Of course, in most cases, it wasn’t just in name but also the academy that actually made the payments.
Because you can’t always ask elementary students to pay money during practice sessions.
A specific academy foundation had a system where they budgeted in advance for this, paying the fees and receiving the unused portion back at the end of the year, with the Sephiron Foundation being the most representative.
So when I recklessly used magic like it was nothing, it wasn’t me grabbing the back of my neck but the budget officer from the foundation.
Maybe I should consider it a blessing in disguise.
I remembered the time I used a 4th-circle spell just once when I was so broke that I had to borrow money from Professor Cheon since I was 120,000 won short.
Thanks to that, I was now completely broke.
“You didn’t do anything weird to Seo Yu-na, did you?”
Why are you acting like this again?
Yoon Si-hoo shot me a suspicious glance.
“That’s just the medication I take! She drank it without permission.”
“You can’t bring something that dangerous to the academy!”
“Stop being annoying, kid. I’ll bury you alive.”
Even after explaining several times, Si-hoo wouldn’t believe me.
Think what you want.
At last, it was dismissal time.
I had no choice but to send Ji-hye and Seori, who were waiting for me, away with regret.
I promised to buy them some Pokémon bread but offered an apology to Ji-hye.
“No, it’s okay…! Na-me must be busy today anyway.”
Teacher Jackie and I went down the stairs without saying a word to each other.
Every now and then, I’d mumble something in English, but her regional accent was so thick that it was hard to understand.
The only thing I could decode from this Korean-American teacher was something like “Oh my gosh.”
Was she predicting the future?
In fact, when I was called earlier, the atmosphere was unusual.
It seemed like today’s incident was going to be investigated, along with the interrogation regarding the unauthorized use of magic.
It was a task we had to overcome together.
Teacher Jackie took a deep breath.
Outwardly, she looked like a young teacher in her late 20s, and indeed her actual age was around that mark.
But according to what the kids said, she was well-known as a competent person in the Sephiron Foundation.
She graduated early from Sephiron Academy at seventeen, graduated from university at twenty, moved to her hometown in the United States, and earned a doctorate in education at twenty-six—a true elite among elites.
She arrived last year and took on the 4th-grade C class, and by her second year, she was officially appointed as the homeroom teacher for Class A, showing how much trust the foundation had in her.
Having just anticipated a peaceful year, Jacqueline was already having a headache with a student who caused a major accident during the very first week of school, leaving her wondering how to navigate this crisis.
“Didn’t I tell you that you can’t use magic without permission in the academy?”
“You told us on the first day.”
“Then why?”
“I was helping a friend.”
“Right, right. I hope you communicate that well to the headmaster you’re about to meet.”
“Weren’t we just going to see that official from earlier?”
Teacher Jackie knocked on the side room where I stopped.
“He’s the chief of planning and coordination.”
“Usually, when something like this happens, you would meet with the head of the year or the vice principal.”
“This kind of thing has happened before? But this is still the academy, so get used to it.”
Knock knock
“Yes, come in.”
Gently opening the door to enter, we were greeted by one of the secretaries.
The room was structured in a double layout.
We had to open the door and enter once more after turning at a right angle.
In the icy, frozen air, Teacher Jackie gave me one more reminder.
“Na-me.”
“Yes, teacher.”
“Whatever is said inside, just get used to it.”
Why so scared?
The secretary opened the door for us. How kind.
“Mr. Kim, I’ve brought Teacher Carol from Class 2-A.”
“Oh, you’ve arrived. Thank you for your long journey.”
“It wasn’t really that far.”
“Would you like some coffee? Perhaps tea? There are plenty of tangerines on this table, so feel free to take some.”
“Just a glass of water, please. I’m parched. What do you want, Na-me?”
“I’ll have water too.”
With Teacher Jackie’s polite refusal, Mr. Kim, from what I guessed from his nameplate, Kim Yong-seong, sat opposite us with a friendly smile.
His perfectly tailored suit was enough to give off the typical salaryman vibe.
Was Teacher Jackie nervous?
Her hand holding the glass trembled slightly.
“I believe you both know why I’ve gathered you today. If not, that would be quite disappointing.”
“Yes, I understand well.”
“I’m glad to see the student too.”
“Yes, well.”
Mr. Kim took a file from his bag and handed it to the teacher.
It seemed he was keen to get straight to the point.
“This is the data collected from the academy’s light mana meter. Do you see the result at the bottom? 24,627 kE.”
“Yes, I see it clearly.”
“You should see it, of course.”
Suddenly, the teacher lightly closed her eyes.
Mr. Kim took a deep breath.
“That’s at least 2,000 dollars! What in the world did you do to use that much mana?! Are you out of your mind?!”
Wow, that shouting was really loud.
“24,627? Did you cast a 4th-circle spell? And look, the magic graph has two peaks? A camel? Did one time just not satisfy you?”
“Mr. Kim.”
“Isn’t it outrageous for a teacher to recklessly use intermediate magic like that?!”
“Mr. Kim, please calm down a bit in front of the student.”
“Phew… You better have a good explanation, Teacher Carol.”
“One of my students was sick today.”
The teacher detailed what had happened earlier that afternoon.
She explained how her student had mistakenly taken the wrong medication and had a seizure, and in that urgent situation, she had no choice but to use magic.
It felt like a lot of exaggeration and leaps of logic, but Teacher Jackie brought the urgency of the situation to life.
“But was there any need to use a 4th-circle spell?”
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding about the information received from the administration office. Na-me.”
The teacher signaled to me.
Even though we hadn’t practiced in advance, I could roughly guess what she intended.
“That spell, I used it.”
“What…?”
“3rd-circle local anesthesia spell of 20 cubic centimeters and a 4th-circle irreversible reduction spell.”
“There’s a limit to messing with people…!”
“Should I demonstrate right here?”
Since I wouldn’t be injecting mana anyway, I wouldn’t need an intermediary.
I breathed onto the sleek glass surface of the desk, fogging it up.
Like a child playing with a frosted window, I drew something that was no mere doodle.
“Whoa…”
Teacher Jackie let out a small gasp of admiration.
Is this the 2,000 dollars, or in other words, the 4 million won magic?
Since the academy would pay for it, I could perform this level of performance a few more times without any issue.
On the other hand, Mr. Kim Yong-seong seemed displeased with something, frowning.
Why are so many people giving me that annoying look these days?
I had my ways too.
“If you don’t believe me, then I’ll demonstrate once more right here.”
It’s impossible to use glass as a transmutation medium because you have to consider the reflections when recording the reflection formulas.
Humans draw magic circles in the visible light range, so if the light hits a smooth surface like glass, it creates total reflections.
Then, the activation sequence of the magic circle tends to get tangled. That’s why we use slabs with high diffuse reflectivity or a light transmutation circle inscriber.
That’s not to say it’s impossible, but there’s a big flaw.
[4th-circle spell: Revers… ]
As I revised the formula and infused mana, Mr. Kim belatedly caught on and grabbed my wrist.
“What did you say your name was?”
Naturally, I had to stop him.
Unless I wanted to throw away 4 million won again.
*
“It’s been a long time since an outstanding talent entered the academy, ha ha!”
“Right? Haha… h…”
Mr. Kim was struggling to believe it, even after seeing it with his own eyes.
A mere second grader could perform a 4th-circle spell, and not just any, but an extraordinary spell surpassing even a projection…
How did such talent just come to light now?
This kid could have appeared on the Genius Discovery Team or something.
After all, Dr. Hwang Jeong-hoon, who oversaw the transfer exams, wouldn’t praise someone without reason. But this was beyond imagination, right?
‘This isn’t just a simple student level.’
‘Enhanced’ understanding of ‘shape’ and spatial awareness to implement it, an extraordinarily developed calculation ability to compute dozens of formulas, and an uncanny memory to align runes without a hitch—this person seemed born to use magic.
Historically, countless prodigies shone brightly in their youth, only to disappear into the annals of history.
And those propelling the advancement of modern magic have always been congenitally creative late bloomers.
But could an unparalleled genius be different?
If they just grow up like this, perhaps Korea could finally produce a world-class theoretical magic scholar.
“Student, but what kind of medication did your friend take to warrant using such anesthesia magic?”
“She ate my potion without knowing.”
“Potion…? Is it the kind that soldier wizards drink?”
“You say the same thing Professor Cheon does. Yes, that’s right.”
“Ah…”
In shock, Mr. Kim covered his mouth with his hand.
Teacher Carol looked puzzled at Mr. Kim’s reaction.
‘That fool…! As the homeroom teacher, does he not understand what it means to drink potions?’
God is cruelly fair.
The beloved national singer LK recently confessed on the news about his troubled childhood, while the popular idol Che-na, hailed as Korea’s millennium idol, couldn’t overcome her depression and tragically committed suicide.
Such cases are sadly common even among those around us.
Mr. Kim himself, who had always envied the so-called exemplary children, in his subconscious faults, had also faced the downfall of life after losing his fiancée in the war.
This wasn’t like soldiers plunging morphine syringes; a child this age taking potions could mean only one thing.
Incurable disease.
And a terminal condition.
With a troubled expression, Mr. Kim rose from his seat.
[Teacher Jacqueline Carroll…? Regarding today’s incident, I won’t hold the student responsible for payment; I’ll take care of it. You’re free to leave once you’ve finished organizing.]
Money matters were something for the adults to discuss privately, so there was no reason to discuss it in front of the student.
He whispered to the homeroom teacher, assuring her that the student would not be held accountable.
“Na-me, you too… Keep working hard at school.”
A life full of talent and dreams but lacking hope and a future, how tragic is that?
Mr. Kim couldn’t hide his discomfort.
At least while that kid was attending the academy, he believed it was his utmost duty as an adult to support him in every possible way.
“How unfortunate to be terminally ill.”
He muttered to himself as he exited the counseling room.
“Terminally ill…?”
