The Thesis Hearing (1)
Sophien's imperial ascension ceremony concluded in utter boredom—at least from her perspective.
She had actually anticipated an attack. Something like a bombing or a massive spell.
Of course, nothing of the sort happened, and Sophien entered the emperor's private chambers unscathed. She had expected the stench of corpses or the sick, but it was surprisingly clean and fragrant.
Yet it was still dreadfully dull, so she returned straight to her office and pulled out her chessboard. As she fiddled with it alone, the grand chamberlain and ministers arrived with various documents.
Sophien offered no response. She played chess until they all left, then spoke.
"I saw the author of the homework you gave me before. He acted as if he knew me."
"Who in the world does not know Your Majesty?"
The reply came in Kairon's voice.
Of course, no one on this continent would be ignorant of Sophien. But that was not what she meant.
"His ego did not waver even before me."
Sophien had peered directly into Deculein's eyes. Yet she could not fathom the emotions hidden within.
It was laughable.
"Is that so."
"That amused me. It felt like encountering one of my own kind after so long."
A soul firm and unyielding in a different way from hers. A spirit that would not falter even with a blade to its throat. A self that transcended the mortal world.
"Have you solved the homework?"
Kairon changed the subject.
"I have. It was intriguing. I now understand why Georg handed it to me. The day I solved it was, at the very least for half a day, somewhat novel."
Sophien played along with Kairon's rhetoric.
But she soon added,
"Kairon. I shall lift the restrictions on 'Marik'."
"......"
Kairon bowed his head silently.
'Marik' referred to the mana stone mining region in the northwest of the empire, but it teemed with demonic energy inside, infested with demons and mana beasts, making entry strictly forbidden.
It was an edict from the late emperor Krevaim.
"In the initial opening phase, only adventurers, or licensed mages from the tower and their escort knights, shall be permitted entry."
"......"
"No need for discussion. I am sick to death of those damned desk-jockeys' prattle."
"Demons may stir."
"If entering a mere mine awakens demons, then why have they slumbered all this time? And would demons and mana beasts ever end? We shall slay them until they are purified."
Kairon held his tongue. Sophien, still gazing at the chessboard, asked,
"What is Kreto doing?"
"......He is crying, Your Majesty."
"Crying?"
"Yes. He just solved the same problem as Your Majesty. I do not know what he realized."
Sophien chuckled.
"What a pathetic fool...... Ah, Kairon, you have no idea what the answer to that problem is, do you?"
"Yes."
Only then did Sophien's gaze turn to Kairon. The emperor grinned mischievously.
"I shan't tell you. But one thing is certain: even I was somewhat surprised. Does that not pique your curiosity?"
"......It is fine. I am not curious."
"You claim no curiosity, yet your brow twitches. My eyes cannot be fooled. You are immensely curious right now."
Kairon shut his mouth.
In the next instant, the atmosphere shifted. Sophien's eyes sharpened as she ground out the words.
"Kairon, speak no lies before me. Even you shall not be tolerated if you anger me."
The emperor's pressure bore down like a terrifying force upon his shoulders. Kairon bowed his head.
"......My apologies, Your Majesty."
"Enough. Let us play this damned chess. It grows tedious alone. Even if I thrash you one-sidedly, I need an opponent."
Meanwhile, in the sparsely populated mountains of Hadekan.
Ganesha sat on a rock, watching the three children who had crossed the sea from the archipelago. Their names were Lia, Leo, and Karos.
"......Some people on the continent are born with 'mana talent'. Most licensed adventurers possess such mana talent."
She was in the midst of lecturing, but their reactions varied wildly.
Lia focused with wide eyes, Leo watched distant moving animals, and Karos dozed off.
"For example, like this."
Ganesha picked up a long, brittle twig to wake them.
"Watch."
She gripped it lightly and swung.
Whoosh— The limp, frail tip of the twig rose,
Thud— and struck the ground.
─────!
A thunderous roar shook the earth. A massive shock exploded, whipping up clouds of dust.
"Whoa!"
"Oh."
Only then did Leo and Karos focus.
"Impressive, right?"
A crater had formed where Ganesha struck the ground. Lia stared in blank admiration.
"Amazing, Ganesha......"
"Not that impressive, but I can wield even a flimsy twig like an extension of my limbs. A true extension. The strength of this wood equals my fist now."
Ten Thousand Flows Return to One
Indestructible Adamantine Body
⟨ Harmony ⟩
Everything she held—anything without life—possessed the same durability as her body.
"But it's no fun using it, so I fight barehanded. I still win most times...... Anyway. Mages call this 'harmony magic', knights call it 'sword aura', but I know nothing of magic or swordsmanship."
"Then, then, can we do that too?!"
Leo's words. A cute child barely over 140cm with blue hair. Ganesha chuckled softly and said,
"Shall we find out from now on?"
"How, how?!"
"Quiet down, you. Why are you hopping around."
Karos, of similar build, smacked the back of Leo's head.
Ouch! Leo yelped, tears welling as he glared at Karos.
"Hush hush! Why haven't you continent folk changed at all?"
Ganesha scolded them. Lia stepped in to separate the two. Leo huffed out his anger with a sigh.
"Anyway. To gauge your mana talent, training comes first...... Actions over words. Follow me, all of you."
Ganesha headed into the mountains. She seemed to walk, then vanished like a mirage, leaving only footprints.
The three children blinked, then hurried after. Amidst this, a gurgle— sounded. Leo's stomach.
"......Lia. Aren't you hungry?"
"You're always hungry because you're dumb."
Karos chided Leo's complaint. Leo bristled.
"Not true!"
"Is too."
"......You two, stop saying weird stuff and follow."
Lia mediated their bickering. Leo said,
"Karos started it. He hit me first just now."
"You say dumb things."
"When! When did I!"
"Yooou diiid~ You diiid~"
"Don't mimic me!"
"Agh, seriously!"
Finally losing patience, Lia yelled. She grabbed her two young cousins' ears.
"If you keep fighting, no snacks for real. No food. Nothing."
"......"
"......"
They shut up, but couldn't help exchanging glares of it's your fault. Lia sighed deeply.
I'm not a babysitter. What a mess.
"That's why I wanted to come alone......"
Lia pursed her lips and released them. Then she dashed after Ganesha's trail.
"Ah, Lia sorry! Sorry! Wait!"
"Lia! Together! Yuria—!"
Realizing the gravity too late, the two boys chased after Lia frantically.
Yukline Manor, annex.
I gripped the pull-up bar with one hand. The other hung in midair as I inverted my entire body toward the ceiling.
Handstand. For 30 minutes.
Thud—
I landed and immediately began the second training.
I extended my fist while stepping. Light, nimble footwork as per Ertrand's manual. Elastic movements without a hint of hesitation.
After much commotion like that, I took up the 'staff' next.
Lately, I was learning 'staff arts' as well.
Of course, my nature recoiled at striking someone with a cane—ideally, I'd never do it—but desperate situations arise inevitably.
"......"
After finishing staff training for such moments.
I checked the safe's Frost Stone last.
Understanding: 4%
I steadily applied Understanding, but it was still far from sufficient.
I invested about 1,000 mana into the Frost Stone and washed up.
—Knock knock
Roy knocked right on time.
I dressed properly and stepped out.
"Roy."
"Yes."
"I heard a maid's mother is ill."
"......Yes. Luri."
I had overheard from the main house. Whether intentionally or not, it reached my ears naturally.
I wrote a check and handed it to Roy.
"Tell her to resolve it with this. And handle such cases yourself in the future."
I intended to provide above-basic welfare for the servants. Roy seemed surprised but nodded without expression and took the check.
"Understood. The car is waiting."
"Good work."
I boarded immediately.
Today's tower business was the thesis hearing. I skimmed related documents in the back seat.
"Thesis hearing......"
Just fill the seat casually.
Sylvia had pulled out a novel last time. I read as we arrived at the tower quickly.
Since the emperor's passing, the tower—and the entire university—had been on break, so it had been quite a while.
"We have arrived."
"Rest easy."
"Yes!"
I exited the car and entered the tower, boarding the professors-only elevator straightaway.
The hearing was in the hall on the 7th floor.
Ding—
As the doors opened, Rellin, standing nearby, approached first.
"Oh my, haha. Chairman Professor, you've arrived."
I nodded curtly in greeting. Not particularly pleased. Rightly so—Rellin's shady movements had been detected lately.
He was probably planning to jump to Ruina given the chance.
"Shall we go?"
"Lead on."
I followed Rellin into the hearing hall.
"Hahaha."
The hall was divided into three sections.
Judging professors' seats.
Mages' presentation platform.
Spectator seats behind.
I sat in the professors' area. As chairman, naturally the head seat. No burden whatsoever.
"Professor Rellin, anyone to watch closely today?"
"Ahaha~ Here. Hahaha."
Rellin kept laughing oddly.
I examined the roster he handed me. Twenty-three candidates for today's hearing.
"Do we have their papers separately?"
"Ah, you haven't read them?"
"Is there need to read ahead? I can grasp them now anyway."
Not a lie. That's why I skimped on magic training today.
"H-hahaha, of course! The genius of formula interpretation, Chairman Deculein......"
Rellin fetched the papers via assistant professor.
"Here they are."
I flipped through the stack casually.
No students of mine on the participant list, so I planned to just agree with the professors......
"......"
One paper caught my eye.
No—furrowed my brow.
Soda Drent: Elemental Magic and Attributes Manifesting Differently by Natural Environment
Magic has personality. Thus, even identical spells manifest differently by formula, like night and day.
This is called 'style', left like a mage's fingerprint. Unique traits imprint not just on spellcasting but, say, formulas and circuits in a 'thesis paper'.
Of course, distinguishing fingerprints by eye is hard. Without my Understanding.
......But this paper bore more than a faint print.
I had seen its idea before. Precisely, while grading homework I assigned my lecture students.
Certain.
This idea was Ifrin's.
I knew not the circumstances.
The original Deculein wouldn't have checked Ifrin's homework; she would have lived unaware of the theft.
Or worse, branded the thief.
This Drent exploited that gap too.
......Whatever.
I would find out from now.
"Drent, was it."
I thoroughly analyzed the paper with Understanding.
Plagiarism—Deculein did similar, but that was not me, and more irksome: daring to touch my class homework.
"Let us see......"
Thus, I prepared questions.
Ones the true originator could surely answer.
> The thesis hearing will begin shortly. Please take your seats.
Ifrin attended the hearing. Unnecessary, but she wanted to see the process. Julia begged to go together too.
"Wow. So spacious~"
"Yeah."
The hall was vast, crowded; up front, a golden blonde head.
Sylvia.
"......She's here too."
"Who?"
"There."
Sylvia sat demurely, studying.
"Oh yeah? Sylvia's here? Still studying even here. Impressive, impressive."
Just then, Deculein appeared. He took papers from Professor Rellin upon sitting at the head. Sylvia closed her book and looked over.
Ifrin tilted her head.
> Silence please. First up: 3rd-year mage, Soda Drent.
Drent from the start.
Julia's eyes sparkled; Ifrin smirked.
"......That happy?"
"Huh? H-happy what. What're you saying. Just, nice senior, hope he does well~ something like that."
Drent took the stage. Brief intro to his paper, then manifested magic.
"......With minor adjustments, this Fireball works even underwater. For now, a Protective Fireball."
Ifrin craned her neck to watch, but the poor seat meant only voice reached.
Atmosphere seemed decent.
"Drent. You changed the paper's theme midway; now I see why."
Professor Retran's words. He chuckled lowly, praising. Drent nodded, suppressing a smile.
"Thank you."
"Drent. Decided which professor's lab yet?"
"Pardon? Ahaha. Not yet, but anyone would be an honor."
"Pitting professors against each other? Cheeky."
Other professors chimed warmly. Julia clapped like a seal, shaking Ifrin's shoulder.
"Looks good~"
"Yeah?"
But Ifrin felt off.
Hard to pinpoint, but Drent's words vaguely echoed her homework theme.
Coincidence?
"Gasp. Deculein."
Julia stiffened. Ifrin refocused.
Last: Chairman Professor Deculein.
"Soda Drent."
"Yes!"
"Is this paper's idea yours?"
Deculein asked flatly. Drent nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
Deculein stared silently. His gaze was unnatural—heavy as lead, cold as ice.
"I ask again. Is this your original idea, developed without consultation or reference?"
"Yes. Absolutely!"
Drent answered vigorously. Mistaking it for praise.
Deculein said,
"Do you seek my evaluation?"
"Yes!"
That moment, chills crawled up Ifrin's spine, but......
Drent inwardly scoffed.
Deculein, praise me all you want; I shan't join you. I know you're desperate with one assistant. But becoming your slave? No thanks......
"Very well. Questions now."
Deculein raised the paper in one hand.
"Drent, you discuss elemental magic changes by nature and terrain, and methods for consistency. Then."
He projected a formula with mana. Not standard—circle deformed to ellipse.
"This formula: what natural condition deformed it so? Precisely 13.7% damage."
"Pardon? Ah...... that is......"
"13.7%. Does that figure reveal nothing?"
"......"
"You don't know? Then, how to manifest this warped formula? Any rough method."
13.7%. Warped formula. Rough method.
A barrage twisting Drent's mind—but the questions chained relentlessly.
Deculein's were profoundly sequential.