Each Person’s Engine

,Alright, let’s stop the old man’s nagging and talk about the triathlon.

Nelson said with a laugh. I belatedly came to my senses and brought out a glass of cool barley tea. Nelson happily drank the barley tea and wiped the moisture from his beard with the back of his hand.

,Good. Now that I’ve quenched my thirst, it’s time for the bon vivant Nelson to return after a long time.

Nelson, with a playful smile, looked into the distance as if searching his memory, then turned his gaze to me.

,Before I start the story, I want to ask you one thing. Ross, what do you think of Transcendence Academy?

I couldn’t answer right away to the sudden question. The academy is like a home to me. The Messiah club room is where I feel most comfortable in this world. It’s also where my beloved Luna and my friends are. Transcendence Academy is precious to me, both as a place and in a personal sense.

It was quite embarrassing to say that with my own mouth, so I scratched my chin and quickly said what I had been thinking as much as possible.

,It’s like a warm home to me. I met precious friends, and I met my beloved lover. I also made unforgettable memories. I also grew quickly by receiving education. It’s all thanks to entering Transcendence Academy.

Nelson nodded as if agreeing with my words.

,I thought of Transcendence Academy that way when I was a student too. As a new home, a precious place. Especially this club room remains a good memory for me.

Nelson, with a pleased smile, leaned comfortably against the sofa and tilted his head back. Today, the ceiling of the club room was a night sky full of stars. Seeing Nelson silently looking at it, I waited for him to continue without getting impatient.

Nelson, who had closed his eyes for a moment, opened his mouth.

,…The emperor who unified the continent feared the power of learning.

I swallowed hard without realizing it at the sudden mention of the emperor. It’s a past story from a novel I don’t know. I don’t know how the plausibility worked. I focused on Nelson’s words.

,To maintain the peace of the continent, things like magic and technology had to be strictly controlled with the emperor’s permission. So he tried to get rid of all the academies on the continent. He thought that even if a rebellion broke out, he could easily eliminate those without magic and combat skills.

Choosing the decline of civilization on purpose to easily control the rebellion. It was an idea that only the emperor who unified the continent could have.

,When the emperor made that thought public, there was naturally a lot of opposition. The Magic Tower, which recruits graduates from the academy, as well as the educators, all opposed and stood up. But the emperor had no intention of changing his mind at all. He believed that if the academies were abolished, the distance between the noble and commoner classes would become even stronger, and the power of the local nobles could be weakened.

Nelson, who had lowered his gaze from the ceiling, looked at the glass of barley tea and continued.

,Despite numerous objections, the emperor was thinking of eliminating the academies even if he had to use force. The local nobles united to prevent that, and it seemed like war would start again on the continent. Because the emperor wasn’t one to shy away from blood.

Nelson sighed and gave a bitter smile.

,I had to choose like the village chief in the story I told you earlier. Whether to watch the academy disappear as it is, or to do something to protect the academy. I couldn’t sleep a wink, worrying and conflicted.

I finally understood why Nelson told me the old story. Nelson is in the same situation as the village chief in the story. Watching the academy disappear as it is, or trying something to save the academy.

In fact, I was feeling disappointed in Nelson in a corner of my heart. I had doubts that Nelson, the Archmage with the title of Sage, continued to maintain the triathlon, which was no different from a vicious cycle, only for his own benefit. It’s a doubt created by my narrow perspective that didn’t know the truth.

,I proposed the triathlon so that the emperor could get what he wanted even if the academy wasn’t abolished. I persuaded him that the higher the status of Transcendence Academy, the more children of local nobles would flock to the capital, and the lower the unity of the local nobles would be. Since there were rumors that even the Magic Tower Lords would join the noble alliance, even the emperor had no choice but to step back.

The emperor really only stepped back one step. He created a 30-year decline and a power distribution centered on the capital, not an immediate decline.

By spreading the perception that other academies are not as good as Transcendence Academy, he broke the will to learn itself.

Even the most powerful nobles in the provinces are trying to enter Transcendence Academy. Even if they try to change the situation belatedly, there is no center of gravity for the rebellion. Nelson’s proposal was too effective and successful.

,I knew that the triathlon was a flawed structure, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch the learning be cut off.

With a bitter smile, Nelson asked me.

,What do you think of me like this?

It’s definitely a better choice than the academies disappearing on the continent. But to the perspective of other academies that have been defeated and fallen into despair during the triathlon, it’s just a desperate competition to review their defeats.

I feel like I want to sigh deeply. I know that politics is not black and white. It’s not exactly divided into two. Some things are only completed when black is mixed in.

,Headmaster-nim… I think you chose the lesser of two evils.

Nelson slightly lowered his head and smiled at my cautious answer.

,That’s right, my choice was only the lesser of two evils. Despite the triathlon, the number of academies eventually decreased as the emperor wanted. There are only four academies left on this vast continent now.

For some reason, I felt a surge of emotion. I criticized it as the lesser of two evils, but Nelson is a person who has been very good to me. I couldn’t even blame someone who made an unavoidable choice.

,It was the lesser of two evils, but you couldn’t help it. If it wasn’t for the triathlon, not even four academies would have remained. I don’t think the headmaster-nim’s choice was wrong.

Nelson sighed softly at my answer.

,I’m grateful that you think so. But I have no intention of justifying my actions.

I couldn’t agree with Nelson’s words. He was a grateful person who had been better to me than anyone else. I said with sincerity.

,Don’t say that. Headmaster-nim is a better person than anyone else. If it wasn’t for Headmaster-nim, I…

,Even if it wasn’t me, you would have done well.

I was speechless at Nelson’s firm voice. For some reason, the atmosphere is heavy. Now that I know the truth about the triathlon, it would be better to move on to another topic. I also had something to ask.

I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.

,Come to think of it, you officially accepted Ellie as your disciple, right?

Nelson, as if understanding my intention to change the subject, nodded with a warm smile.

,Of course, Ellie is an excellent disciple. Her growth rate is so amazing that it can’t even be compared to me in the past.

,Ellie is indeed talented.

From the setting, she is a future Archmage. The reason why she, a commoner, could become a magician, which costs a lot of money, is because she showed outstanding talent from a young age.

,Well, Ellie’s talent isn’t actually unique. I’ve seen similar talents several times during my time as headmaster.

I was embarrassed by Nelson’s answer. The genius Ellie, who will become an Archmage, is not unique? What does that mean? Nelson made a fun expression seeing my embarrassed expression.

,You haven’t accurately grasped the strengths of your childhood friend, have you? Ellie’s greatest strength is not her innate talent.

For some reason, I had a feeling that the current conversation would be of great help in understanding Ellie. I asked with a trembling heart.

,If it’s not talent, what is it…?

Nelson grinned.

,Ellie’s greatest strength is her endless greed. Like a stubborn person, she doesn’t rest and keeps trying for her own growth. To make even more magic her own, she visits the forbidden area every day to learn magic, and endlessly asks me questions and makes it her own. Her innate talent is combined with her greed and stubborn personality to produce good results.

I felt like I had been kicked in the chest. I feel like the fog in my head is gradually clearing. If the driving force behind Ellie is pure greed, everything is explained. Becoming an Archmage in the future and handling all the elements, and creating the Black Magic Tower that integrates all elemental magic, are also the result of greed. The setting created the plausibility of greed.

,However, Ellie is still mentally immature. She doesn’t know how to control her greed. She hasn’t learned how to sincerely admit that her method is wrong.

I know the reason. The opportunity for Ellie to grow mentally is Ross’s death. Since the ordeal has disappeared, she obviously can’t grow.

Thanks to Nelson’s help, all the puzzles in my head have come together. Now, all that’s left is to put the puzzles together and find the answer.