Chapter 47 (1/2)

Despite being in the same group by chance, the two never stopped glaring at each other. Nevertheless, they sat together.

Sylvia muttered. “Arrogant Epherene.”

“… What?”

It was an interesting sight, but I turned my gaze and focused on the class again.

There were still two hours left.

“We will now distribute the crystal balls. Allen?”

“Yes.”

Allen placed a silk bag of crystal balls on the table. I made them hover using Psychokinesis and levitated them to each group.

The difficulty of magical disasters was different for each crystal. Some were difficult, and some were relatively easy.

I distributed them based on the total scores of each group’s midterm exams.

Naturally, Sylvia and Epherene’s group got the most difficult one.

After giving them out, the wizards began chatting about the crystals.

“Focus.” That one word organized the mess. All the 150 debutants regained their concentration.

“I will now talk about the act of observing the world.” I looked into their eyes as I spoke, an unconscious authority enveloping my voice.

“You probably see the world as nothing but a phenomenon.”

Just as a scientist looked at the world from a scientific perspective, it was only natural for a wizard to look at it from a magical point of view. Reaching that stage required a process of maturity and proficiency, however.

Engineering undergraduates, for example, couldn’t see the world scientifically. They lacked the ability to do so, but above all else, they weren’t used to it.

One had to be at least a Ph.D. to understand a bit of it.

The same applied to wizards.

Just by looking at the debutantes, I could already guess they didn’t magically analyze the world’s phenomena.

“The world I see is different from the world you see.”

That wasn’t a lie. I wasn’t bragging or being pretentious.

The world looked different to me.

The power to see abstractions, phenomena, ideas, concepts, etc.

[Vision].

That attribute progressed just as my magical knowledge grew.

“From now on, I will pass on to you the world I see.”

Observations made with [Vision] were easy to mistake as impossible to explain, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

They were the debutantes of the empire’s most prestigious Imperial University Tower. They were elite wizards with outstanding talent.

Therefore, teaching them was easy.

“Don’t miss a single word I say, not a single line of the formula I draw.”

If I expressed the process of seeing the world through [Vision], they would use it as a textbook and study independently.

Just allowing them to look at what I could see would be enough for them to grasp and understand it.

I had already proven this by testing it on Allen.

“Let’s begin.”

First, I reproduced the magical disaster contained in a small crystal ball.

Dirt Fog.

“Let me show you how it looks from my perspective.”

Lines and circles soon replaced the fog as I implemented the process slowly and clearly.

The wizards looked at them and wrote them down.

“Sea of Fire. This magical disaster burns ships and sailors at sea, which is a bit unusual. It is almost impossible to escape from since it turns the sea itself into flames…”

I showed various magical phenomena ‘as I saw them.’

I tried to convey to them the world observed through [Vision].

After demonstrating more than enough disasters, I looked at my watch.

It was 5:59:50.

“… Do not forget the world I showed you today.”

I fixed my cuffs and straightened my suit.

“From a magical perspective, watch and think of all the phenomena that ordinary people just pass by.”

The wizards looked at me blankly, their notes full of magic formulas.

“However, greed is prohibited. Start learning at a scale that fits your level.”

It was exactly 6 o’clock.

“That mindset is where it all begins.”

At that moment, I ended my class.

I left the classroom, leaving them behind.

“Good work.”

The wizards didn’t stand up.

Epherene stared blankly at her notebook, every page of which she had filled with all kinds of geometric patterns. It had been effectively turned into a record of the ‘magical disaster replacement process’ that Deculein showed.

“Oh… So because of this, the fog becomes like dirt… Gosh, I feel like my head is going to explode…”

It was hard. Insanely hard. But it was doable.

At first, she didn’t really have an answer, but she was slowly getting the hang of it.

Epherene followed the same process that Deculein had shown, creating a minuscule dusty mist that floated above her palm.

‘This is it. This is the dirt fog.’

“Now, it feels like we just had a real class.” Eurozan, a member of the same team, said, to which Epherene nodded.

“I know. My head hurts.”

“The professor is really awesome. How did he do all that…”

“… I know.”

Deculain described the process of formulating magical disasters in great detail. Epherene admired the smooth flow of his explanations, but at the same time, she had some doubts if it was actually his skill.

What he showed today was amazing.

However, she couldn’t help but be suspicious about the possibility that he had found a ‘new slave’ to replace her father.

Of course, she had no intention of exposing or raising suspicions.

Whether in the distant or near future, she decided to confirm her doubts herself one day.

“Arrogant Epherene.” Sylvia glared at her and rambled.

She shrugged. “Whatever. Anyway, I think we’ll have to get together for a day to do the group project. When is a good time?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

No one replied. Epherene nodded.

“Let’s go to Sylvia’s house, then.”

“Who gave you permission to do that?”

“Isn’t your house the biggest? It’s the only place the five of us can go.”

“Okay, but you can’t come.”

“… Can’t you just grow up?”

* * *

Yukline’s estate was in the midst of fortifying its defenses against the opening of ‘Marik.’

“How’s the progress?” Yeriel asked, riding a red horse, which Deculein recommended, on a mountainous area not far from the northwest mining area.

“The walls, watchtowers, and the fort are all nearing completion. The underground road is still under construction, but it is expected to be completed this summer.”

“Good,” Yeriel replied sternly, then scoured the surrounding area.

The contents of Deculein’s letter suddenly came to her mind.

… Once the Marik was opened, it would infest the surrounding lands with magical beasts. To deploy troops efficiently, they needed to build walls, watchtowers, and fortifications in the northwest corner of their territory.

Deculein was the one who picked the location.

According to him, it was also better to build the road leading to it underground rather than aboveground. If Yeriel were to add a toll to it, she’d be able to make a profit quickly, considering it was made underground, thus making it more peculiar and more valuable.

“Certainly, a camp built here will be able to oversee everything.”

“Yes. It can even be called a sanctuary. Your eyes for geography are really amazing, Yeriel.” The person in charge answered Yeriel’s self-talk.

Yeriel glanced at him and took the letter out.

She read the second page of the four-page letter.

— Don’t even think about bribing the Imperial Family or bureaucrats. The emperor ignored her servants’ words and opened the Marik. Therefore, you shouldn’t be swayed by any words from her servants, and you should only act according to your convictions.

— Also, don’t even consider getting her favor. She abhors lies and flattery. However, she likes alcohol, so if you’re going to send something, the finest wine is enough.

“Are you a fortune-teller as well…?”

How did he know their vassals were considering a bribe?

At that moment, a cold crystal landed on her nose, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.

It was snow.

“Huh?”

She stretched her hands out, and snowflakes landed on her gloved palms.

“…!” Surprised, Yeriel hurriedly looked at the third page.

— Unusual climates will sometimes occur. There’s no need to panic, but it could be a sign of a demon, so be sure to guard yourself, especially if it’s snowing in midsummer.

“What’s going on…”

Yeriel frowned.

She thought he was pretending to be a genius, but was he actually one?

No, it couldn’t be. How could Deculein be a genius?

“… Now that I thought about it, it started back then.”

Yeriel remembered how Deculein changed at the beginning of this year.

For an entire week, he stayed at home, canceling all his schedules, even though he had never before abandoned his appointments.

At first, she thought Julie dumped him, but did something else happen?

“Well, do I really need to know?”

Whatever the case, Deculein was showing his old self again. From the time he was called a prodigy.

It wasn’t a bad change, so she didn’t want to jinx it.

Yeriel stored the letter safely and yelled. “Attention!”

Everyone in the camp looked at her upon hearing her gentle cry.