In the world of magic, the term “academia (學界)” has two meanings. One is the community of those engaged in magic, a “mystery beyond scholarship”; the other is the library system shared among the Magic Towers of the continent.
The latter is a magical network in which “magic libraries,” not unlike central computers, connect ideas from all over.
Thus, once a paper is submitted to this academia, mages across the continent can freely read it, refute it, demolish its arguments, and cite it.
If the contents of the paper are proven, it earns copyright as an official theory; if not, it is “buried” in the library.
“……You have been far too lenient until now, Professor. Of course, we are aware of it as well. That the child Epherene is the daughter of your deceased assistant.”
The office of the Head Professor on the seventy-seventh floor had an unusual number of guests today.
“However, because of that, you have permitted and tolerated far too much until now. This paper, however, has crossed the line. There is no room for mercy or tolerance to intervene.”
Relin, who was speaking in the gravest tone in the world, was there, of course, but so were Ihelm, who had come to watch, and even Louina, said to be so widely trusted.
“To begin with, Epherene is absurdly lacking even in the qualifications and talent to become your disciple—no, a disciple of Yukline. It is time you made a decision—”
“We will convene a personnel committee.”
I shut Relin’s mouth first.
A personnel committee.
Back when Epherene had been an undergraduate at the Magic Tower, she had already experienced a disciplinary committee, but a personnel committee was beyond that. It was what one might call the “essence of a bleak society,” requiring the consent not only of the faculty but also of the chairman and the directors.
“A personnel…… committee, you say.”
Even Relin, who had argued for a hard-line response, swallowed. Louina’s eyes widened, and Ihelm smirked.
“What are you so surprised about? In this field, slaughter between master and disciple is commonplace. But are you truly all right with this, Head Professor?”
“For someone who submitted a paper like this, there is nothing less.”
I pointed at Epherene’s paper with my finger.
[The Connection Between Magic and Science: Mutually Beneficial Development]
“The level of punishment will be decided after hearing the subject’s attitude and defense.”
Then I gestured lightly with my hand. It was a gesture that meant I would say no more, and thanks to my mention of the personnel committee, the other professors understood well enough.
It is understandable— Still, a personnel committee— From the beginning, a commoner by birth— Muttering such things among themselves, they left.
“Um, Professor Deculein. A personnel committee for a child who submitted her first paper is—”
“Leave.”
Louina alone tried to defend her, but I cut her off firmly. She glanced at me as she went outside.
“…….”
The office fell silent.
I quietly picked up Epherene’s paper.
As one humble mage in pursuit of magic— I began reading from the first page, which opened with such a sentence.
“……Hmm.”
It was unexpected.
The content could indeed be called irreverent, but the connections in its logic were not bad.
It even seemed she had taken my advice; there were no rash, radical assertions that science and magic were equal.
If science and magic joined hands—no, if science “supported” magic—then they could coexist and develop together. It was a conclusion that suppressed her own pride.
If viewed “without prejudice,” it was a result worthy enough of acceptance.
“It is lacking.”
However, it was not enough to persuade the Floating Island, nor was it enough to persuade nobles like myself, who were seized by elitism and revered mana as a mystery.
Even if the paper were perfect, it would be impossible.
It would be a change possible only after Epherene became an Archmage, only after she herself stood as a new paradigm.
Knock, knock—
At that moment, a knocking sound came not from the door, but from the window.
I turned to look behind me.
—Hehe.
Outside the window of the seventy-seventh floor, a child was standing there, smiling brightly. It was the one called Lia, whom I had met before.
When our eyes met, she grinned and passed through the window. Literally passed through it.
She had elementalized her body and slipped inside quite naturally, without any contact at all.
Setting the paper down, I asked,
“What is it?”
“Ah~ You know what you said back then.”
Lia flopped down in the chair before me.
“That you’d teach me. I was wondering…… if that still stands.”
“…….”
I looked at Lia without a word. Lia, too, faced me with both hands gathered on her knees.
“…….”
“…….”
Time flowed in that silence. The ticking sound of the second hand.
I returned to reading Epherene’s paper, and just as Lia was smacking her lips as if her mouth had gone dry—
“……I’ve been traveling around the outskirts of the continent until now.”
Suddenly, she spoke first.
I silently raised an eyebrow.
“Among them were Leok, Varan, the Ruined Lands, the Sanctuary of the Altar, and lots more. There’s nowhere on this continent I haven’t adventured. I’ve also been through lots of incidents. I conquered super dangerous dungeons too. I protected villages together with an adventure party.”
It was a sudden chronicle of adventure.
I listened with my back against the chair.
“I’ve got tons of scars too.”
This blackened part near my collarbone is where a bullet got lodged, and this scar on my cheek is where a blade grazed me, and this red mark on my side is where I got stabbed by a harpoon……
All of a sudden, she began showing me her wounds.
“My left arm got cut off once too, but they reattached it before it was too late. Luckily, there was a Harmony-series mage not too far away, so I lived. But the treatment fee was crazy expensive. Was it twenty thousand elne? It’s cheap for reattaching one arm, though.”
Lia gave a weak laugh. Then, with a slightly regretful look, she raised her right hand.
“But this right hand couldn’t be reattached in time…… so it’s a doll’s hand altogether.”
Watching her repeatedly clench and unclench that small hand, I asked,
“Do you have no parents?”
“……Huh?”
Lia furrowed her brow. She pouted sullenly.
“……No. I was born and raised on an island.”
I was dumbfounded. Not only was such recklessness too much for a child this young, even her personality was far too similar.
Always enduring alone until her insides were torn apart—no, even after they burst—and always remaining positive without showing how hard things were. That image overlapped with this child.
“Anyway. If you’re going to teach me, Professor, and I’m going to learn from you, I thought it’d be right for you to know a little more about me…… so I’m telling you.”
Lia finished her words smartly.
In any case, it seemed that all of this had been her self-introduction. The content simply did not suit her age.
I nodded.
“Starting tomorrow, report to the Yukline mansion. I will have that right hand replaced as well. I know a skilled dollmaker.”
“Ah. Really? But I don’t have much money.”
“The last revelation you delivered was, and will be, of great help in interpreting the divine language.”
It was only a single sentence, but what mattered was that it was the “last divine language,” and that a translation existed at the same time. Based on that, my 「Comprehension」 could dig to an extraordinary depth.
“It means I have no need for money.”
“……Okay.”
“Go.”
“Okay!”
At my words, Lia sprang to her feet and turned to leave, but then, gripping the doorknob, she looked back at me.
“Um, but, you know, is a personnel committee that big of a punishment?”
“We will only know once the punishment is decided, but dismissal is possible at maximum.”
“…….”
Lia’s face was instantly filled with worry.
When had Epherene become close to someone like this?
Shaking my head, I said,
“It is an irreverent paper that could make her an enemy of all mages. If she is an adult, then she ought to be able to bear what she has done on her own.”
The connection between magic and science. To mages of this era, it would be treated no differently than apostasy, but if it was Epherene, she would surely endure it. She would survive viciously and, in the end, become the most respected Archmage.
“……Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
* * *
……Honk, honk— Honk, honk—
Where the geese cried was a blue island where the clear sea stirred. Removed from the continent, it was the former center of the “Voice,” where an utterly different nature and ecology harmonized.
On some nights, eerie words still came swirling in, but it remained “Sylvia’s Island,” where many adventurers still stayed and explored.
“Stupid Epherene…….”
Among them stood the so-called Sylvia’s Lighthouse, where the scenery of the island could be taken in at a glance.
Sylvia, the owner of the island, muttered while biting her lip. In her grasp was Epherene’s paper.
“Why~? What kind of paper is it? I brought every new paper that came out in academia, just like you asked.”
Ganesha asked with an interested expression. Sylvia shook her head.
“It is not a good paper. It is insolent. Far too much.”
The connection between science and magic. Looking at mana scientifically.
Even Sylvia could not help but feel instinctive resistance to those shocking sentences. She, too, was a noble mage born of a high-ranking family’s bloodline.
“Mm~ More importantly, the collection of this Voice is underway, right?”
In truth, as was only natural, Ganesha had no particular interest in magical papers. Right now, the Red Garnet Adventure Party was focusing all its efforts solely on Sylvia.
In exchange for helping collect the “Voice phenomenon” spread across the entire continent, they were to receive an enormous reward from Sylvia and the Iliade family if the work succeeded.
“It is underway.”
“Hmmm, that’s a shame~ Still, if the continent is destroyed, I think you could make a new world over here~”
Ganesha rested her hands on the lighthouse railing.
The island scenery was visible at a glance. Leo and Carlos were sparring with the “scarecrow” Sylvia had made for them, while Dozmu, Laylee, and the others were lying in hammocks, resting.
“This is practically the authority of complete creation, isn’t it~? We came here to work, but it feels like we’re on vacation.”
“…….”
Sylvia, who had quietly turned around, set Epherene’s paper down with a smack. She spoke in a curt voice.
“Has the thief still not been caught?”
“Ah~ No. They just won’t be caught.”
Last week, a thief had appeared on this island.
Someone had stolen one painting Sylvia had drawn herself, and one magic stone containing the power of the Voice.
“Is it a big problem if we don’t catch them? Were the items that important?”
“Not really, but…….”
Sylvia pouted.
The Voice’s magic stone did not matter much, but Deculein’s painting was the problem. It was a canvas she had treasured dearly because she thought she had drawn it rather well.
“Anyway. Even if it takes long, it should be done in six months.”
“Six months~? That’s even faster than expected.”
“Yes.”
With six months to spare, the collection of the Voice would be complete, and Sylvia herself would be able to leave the island.
“There is not much time left.”
If she tried just a little harder, she could meet Deculein. She could stay by his side and become his strength.
And……
“Stupid Epherene.”
She could also knock this incredibly stupid Epherene on the forehead.
“The connection between magic and science? Foolish girl.”
Leaving aside Epherene’s impertinent notion and idea, Sylvia knew the Floating Island. She had even experienced the cold, cruel, and tenacious “stalking” of those lunatics.
“……The Floating Island may target you.”
Gripping the lighthouse railing, Sylvia muttered as though worried.
* * *
Late at night. The annex of the Yukline mansion.
Remodeled for my personal magical training and scientific research, it had taken on the appearance of a clean, orderly, modern laboratory. There, I was looking at the “Snowflake Stone.”
———Whiiiiir
A blue-white crystal floated above my palm, resonating.
I was looking at it while thinking of a method of “enhancement.”
[Comprehension: 99%]
Ninety-nine percent comprehension.
My comprehension of the Snowflake Stone, which had begun at the very bottom, at 0%, had finally reached the realm of completion.
However, this alone was not enough.
More precisely, I had learned of one method by which I could become stronger. I had realized it while comprehending Dikailen’s [Art Magic Theory].
“A magic crystal core.”
The most basic principle was to turn this Snowflake Stone into a magic crystal core. However, to do that, an “actual” heart was necessary.
A heart that could become the “core” of the magic crystal core. A very clear and solid heart, one that suited the Snowflake Stone and could withstand its power.
“…….”
And that was not something I needed to obtain from far away.
Because it was inside my body right now.
“If I use Yukline’s heart.”
A Yukline heart, tougher and harder than any organ of anyone in this world, and more suited to a magic crystal core than anything else.
If I connect this Snowflake Stone to my heart—no, integrate it—and wield the Snowflake Stone that way.
“……At minimum, several times my current power.”
I murmured softly.
According to my calculations, the overall increase in specs would be at least twice what they were now.
This was not merely a matter of combat power. It concerned my “overall” specs as a mage.
Not only the manipulation and formation-series magic I performed, but mana itself would carry the energy of the Snowflake Stone, and my physical abilities would be amplified accordingly as well.
“The problem is overload.”
There was only one drawback: overload.
……In that case, there was even less reason to hesitate.
Whooooo—
I grasped the Snowflake Stone flickering in my palm.
Just as I was about to begin the modification work immediately.
“Brother.”
A voice seeped into my ears. A cold wind flowed in through the open crack of the door.
I turned toward it.
“……Isn’t it dangerous?”
It was Yeriel. I did not know how long she had been watching, but her face was full of worry for me.
I answered simply.
“It has all been calculated.”
“Then I’ll help too.”
Yeriel said that and took a step forward. Only then did I belatedly notice the book in her arms.
Dikailen’s Art Magic Theory.
“……I can do this well too, you know? An assistant is essential for magical research.”
At Yeriel’s words, I hesitated for a moment, but then I saw her trembling hands.
Like tremors, she was afraid and frightened for reasons unknown.
Left with no choice, I nodded.
“Only if you do exactly as I—”
“What are you saying? I told you, I can do this well too.”
Seeing her become triumphant the moment I gave permission, I regretted it for a moment.
I should have just thrown her out.
“You always tell me to do only as you say. Do you think I’m a doll?”
“…….”
It was my own uncharacteristic fault for being fooled by the word “Brother” for no reason…….