Ch.11Change – 5

I only then realized what I had been doing. While all the other students were looking at the magic circles glowing blue, I alone had been creating purple sparks.

So it was only natural that all eyes were on me.

Not just the professor, but all the students in the classroom, even Aria was no exception. Every single one of them was staring at my magic tool that was emitting purple sparks.

“…”

It was my carelessness—I was so surprised to discover that the magic circles from both worlds were nearly identical that I hadn’t considered the attention I would draw. While I was searching for an excuse, the professor examined the magic circle.

“You’ve combined lightning magic with the mana flow space.”

“What? Ah, yes. That’s right.”

As expected of a professor. I was secretly impressed by how quickly she identified exactly what I had modified in that complex magic circle.

The female professor stared intently at the magic tool, and only after a considerable pause did she speak.

“Can you explain it?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if you could explain the magic circle you’ve modified.”

“Of course I can, but…”

I let my words trail off as I glanced around. The professor, noticing my meaning, raised her staff.

“I understand. It would be difficult with so many listening ears.”

The tip of her staff lightly tapped the floor. A translucent barrier, like a soap bubble, rose up and enveloped the professor and me. The murmuring noise instantly disappeared. Beside me, Aria was staring at the barrier in fascination.

“Is that better?”

“Yes. Where would you like me to begin?”

“Everything. From how you came up with the idea to how this magic circle operates.”

Her voice sounded more urgent than before.

“First, if you look at this magic circle, you can see empty sections scattered throughout. Here, here, and here. In contrast, the opposite side has no empty spaces at all. That’s where I inserted the lightning magic circle.”

The professor, who had been listening with narrowed eyes, made an expression of disbelief.

“You’re saying these areas are empty sections?”

“Aren’t they?”

Despite my question, the professor remained silent for a long while, then slightly furrowed her brow before shaking her head.

“It’s nothing. Forget my reaction just now. I understand, so please continue.”

“There’s not much more to explain. You just need to draw the magic circle you want to activate together in those empty sections. So when mana flows through the circuit, it activates both simultaneously.”

Although this magic circle appeared densely packed with formulas, that wasn’t actually the case. There were sections deliberately left empty to allow mana to flow smoothly.

What I had done was fill those empty sections with magic circles. Then, as mana circulated, the magic circles I had added would automatically activate as well.

“…Do you realize how absurd what you’ve just done is?”

Of course, it’s easier said than done—even the slightest mistake would tangle the entire magic circle. And if that happened? The mana would backflow or explode from within, completely destroying the caster’s mana circuits.

The professor, who would know this better than anyone, was looking at me—who had actually succeeded—as if I were some kind of madman.

“I do.”

“…”

Silence fell. Even after my explanation ended, the professor remained quiet for a while. She simply alternated her gaze between my magic tool emitting purple sparks and me, with an inscrutable expression.

Then, with a deep sigh, she removed the barrier.

“Mira Crate.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Have you studied area-of-effect annihilation magic before taking my class?”

“No, I haven’t.”

I had experienced something similar countless times in my previous world, and this magic was modified based on that experience, but revealing that would mean exposing the fact that I was a transmigrator, so it was out of the question from the start.

It was a lie, but I had no choice. Better than suddenly revealing I was a transmigrator.

“I see, so that’s how it is…”

Tap, tap. The professor crossed her arms, stood with one leg forward, tapping her foot a few times before speaking again.

“I don’t know why you enrolled in this class. But if you have the skill to perfectly understand an area-of-effect annihilation magic circle you’ve never seen before, and even modify it, you clearly don’t need to be here.”

As the professor took my magic tool, murmurs spread among the students again.

“This is an assignment just for you, Mira Crate.”

When the magic tool was placed back in my hand, four miniaturized area-of-effect annihilation magic circles were floating above it.

“These are what I planned to teach this semester. Modify them as you just did. You can combine them with any magic you like—just produce results that convince me. I’ll give you a month.”

As she finished speaking, the sharpness disappeared from the professor’s face, and she returned to her languid demeanor.

“If you succeed, you’ll receive a perfect score regardless of attendance, midterm, or final exam results.”

The murmuring grew louder at this incredibly generous condition. Not only those whose perception of me had changed over the past week, but even some of those who still viewed me negatively were gaping in surprise.

“This has nothing to do with the rest of you who are struggling with a single magic circle. Focus again, and stop making me waste energy unnecessarily.”

The professor quieted the students by waving her staff, and with those final words, she turned away. But while everyone pretended to focus on their magic tools, their gazes were still subtly directed at me.

“How did you just do that?”

Aria was no exception.

“Combining other magic with area-of-effect annihilation magic was concluded to be impossible more than a decade ago. Was that not the case?”

“…What are you talking about?”

After all afternoon lectures had ended, Ingrid, finally able to enjoy some time alone, sat on the sofa in her private room and briefly skimmed through the pile of magic tools.

She spent less than a second on each magic tool, so it was truly just a cursory glance.

Someone of Ingrid’s caliber could gauge the quality of a magic circle just by looking at it. Especially when they were magic circles that students had struggled with, there was no need for detailed examination.

‘Every single one of them doesn’t even know where to begin.’

Some had made random changes after floundering about, while others had only modified a few circuits.

It was to be expected. The magic circles for area-of-effect annihilation magic were completely different from ordinary magic.

If the difficulty of a typical highest-tier magic was rated as 1, even the lowest-tier area-of-effect annihilation magic would be around 2-3, and discussing the highest tier was nonsensical.

Rather, the mere attempt to analyze an unfamiliar magic circle was itself a demonstration of ability.

‘…This is the last one.’

Having finished her assessment and roughly estimated the level for her next lecture, Ingrid picked up the magic tool she had deliberately placed at the bottom of the pile, her hands trembling slightly with anticipation.

She had put it at the bottom because if she had seen it first, she wouldn’t have been able to objectively evaluate the other students.

And her concern proved exactly right. The moment she checked the result, all other thoughts vanished from her mind.

‘It probably took less than three hours.’

Ingrid let out a small, incredulous laugh as she examined the magic circle.

She had given a whole month for this assignment. Yet the student had been scribbling something diligently during class and submitted it along with the others at the end. And there was nothing to criticize about it.

‘It was established as a theoretical concept, but…’

No one had tried to research it. About ten years ago, one of the Empire’s top three archmages had died from mana backflow while researching this.

The reason it was publicly known as impossible was to cover up the archmage’s futile death. And since that deceased archmage had been Ingrid’s colleague, she knew the inside story very well.

‘If properly refined, it could be used in actual combat… no, it’s already sufficient for practical deployment.’

Even more surprising was that it already had enough potential to be used in actual combat. It seemed like it could be deployed to the front lines as is.

The structure was extremely efficient, as if it had been tested in actual combat.

‘This is too valuable to keep to myself.’

This concept shouldn’t be kept secret. Ingrid wanted to share it with the outside world somehow. With this modification method, they could push back magical beasts much more efficiently than before.

The textbooks on area-of-effect annihilation magic would need to be completely rewritten.

‘…But first, I need permission.’

But before that, she needed permission. This wasn’t Ingrid’s creation but a student’s. She had no intention of stealing it.

“The one who held the top rank for all three years, was it…?”

Ingrid smiled wryly.

A bright future was guaranteed for that student. Even before graduating from the academy, countless magic towers would be desperate to recruit them, and Ingrid personally intended to support them.

A personal recommendation letter from a current archmage would break down even the doors of the Imperial Magic Tower.

“It wasn’t baseless confidence after all.”

And she expressed the same sentiment as Professor Jake from combat practice, who would be offended if he heard himself being compared to such a muscle-brain.

“You can present it as your own creation, Professor.”

“…What did you say?”

The paper cup in Ingrid’s hand fell limply. Fortunately, it had already been emptied, so the documents on the floor weren’t ruined.

The professor didn’t even think about picking it up and urgently approached me.

“D-do you understand what you’re saying?”

“Yes, I do. I’ve already thought about how to handle it. You can say you were inspired by my assignment and ultimately completed it yourself. Since there were students who saw it in that lecture, you can’t claim you developed it entirely on your own.”

“…But why?”

Ingrid wore an expression of complete incomprehension.

‘Well, it wasn’t originally mine anyway.’

In the other world, someone else had come up with this method. That person had positioned the circuits awkwardly and died alone from mana backflow.

And I have no intention of boasting about results I obtained by luck just because the magic circles from the first world happened to be similar. It’s enough if only Ingrid knows the truth.

“If you announce this, wealth and honor beyond your imagination would follow.”

“For the youngest son of the Crate family to receive unimaginable wealth? Now I’m curious. How much exactly are we talking about?”

“…”

Ingrid closed her mouth. She seemed to realize how ridiculous her statement was. I heard her clear her throat.

“I misspoke. Then, could you tell me your reason?”

“I don’t want to get involved with the Mage Association.”

“Ah…”

And I had a very good excuse. The Mage Association.

As soon as I mentioned not wanting to get involved with the Mage Association, Ingrid made a sound close to a groan and nodded in understanding. She seemed well aware of the Association’s notorious reputation.

“…If that’s your reason, I can’t argue. Very well. But in that case, I should provide appropriate compensation, though I’m not sure what I could offer you…”

“Just grant me one favor.”

“Is one enough? If you want, I could—”

“Someday, I may come to you with an unreasonable request.”

I began to share what I had been thinking about. Noticing this was my request, Ingrid fell silent.

“When that time comes, please follow my request without question. That’s all I ask.”

“…”

Ingrid quietly contemplated my request, then tapped her finger and met my eyes.

“I assume your request won’t involve breaking Imperial law or seriously violating Bellium Academy’s rules?”

“Absolutely not. It’s just that… it might be a request that’s difficult to understand with normal reasoning.”

“…Even though I said it myself, I’m already afraid. Very well. I’ll be sure to remember.”

Ingrid sighed deeply and nodded.

‘This should be enough for now.’

With this, I’ve established a minimal contingency plan.

The rest will have to be decided based on how events unfold, but at least the academy won’t be half-destroyed.