Spring Day (4)
Spring Day (4)
The Magic Tower Master, Rodein Adrian.
An 8th-level mage who supported the Magic Tower, he had shown genius-level talent from a young age and became the Magic Tower Master early in his career.
I had no contact with the Magic Tower Master, who had reached the pinnacle of elemental magic, until one incident brought us together.
As I recall, the starting point was the Magic Tower Barrier.
At the time, the Magic Tower was undertaking a large-scale project to replace its aging barrier.
They had been suffering from maintenance difficulties due to its outdated structure.
Under the Magic Tower Master's leadership, a new barrier was created to replace the old one.
They aimed to reduce the weaknesses while maintaining the core functions.
Thus, after years of effort from the Magic Tower Master and countless mages, the result was revealed to the world.
On the day the barrier was activated, the Magic Tower proudly proclaimed:
That no mage in the Empire could breach it, and that it would serve as a steadfast shield even if Demons invaded.
The Magic Tower's confident statement stirred a curiosity I hadn't known I possessed.
No mage in the Empire could breach it?
Was that really true?
I immediately asked Alcyone and Flora to investigate and devised a visit plan.
1. Sightsee, since I was visiting for the first time in a while.
2. Before leaving, leave a note in the Magic Tower Master's office saying I had been there.
No matter how many times I reviewed it, the plan was perfect.
The Magic Tower Master would be absolutely delighted with the gift.
As soon as preparations were complete, I put the plan into action.
Time passed, and the day of the visit arrived.
It took some time to breach the barrier, but who was I?
I was a mage feared by the entire Empire.
Fortunately, I infiltrated the Magic Tower without setting off any alarms.
Initially, I considered just leaving the note and slipping away as planned, but I decided to enjoy myself a little longer.
That was when I discovered a library hidden deep within the Magic Tower.
It must have been a special place, as I saw no signs of frequent visitors.
It felt as though I had entered a space reserved exclusively for the Magic Tower Master, yet there wasn't a speck of dust inside.
It was always kept immaculately clean through magic.
Leaving straight away would have made the infiltration pointless, so I looked around and discovered something incredible.
The cover looked like an ordinary book, but it was a magic tome inscribed with spatial magic.
It was a magic tome not in my own collection, and the joy I felt then was indescribable.
I wanted to take the magic tome immediately, but it was magically bound to the library.
No one but the Magic Tower Master could take it out.
Left with no choice, I selectively plucked out only what was necessary and crammed it into my head.
I focused my mind, trying to squeeze in even one more piece of information.
How much time had passed after that?
It was gradually becoming time to leave the Magic Tower.
The situation had changed from my original conception.
Even a passing Monster would see that spatial magic was the key, so a diversion was necessary.
I modified the plan, using the barrier's weaknesses as a smokescreen.
Later, when the Magic Tower Master returned to his office and found the note, a Level 3 Lockdown was declared across all sectors.
Even so, when I succeeded in escaping, the Magic Tower launched a massive manhunt.
They tracked me all the way to the Northern Region of the Continent using a single trace of Mana I had left behind in the office.
A battle broke out in an open area, sweeping away the surrounding region.
The Magic Tower Master clenched his teeth and tried to kill me for invading the tower.
Conversely, my goal was to lose the pursuit and disappear quietly.
After an exchange of blows that was no different from a war, no victor was decided.
After the incident, the Magic Tower Barrier was reinforced, and they unilaterally excommunicated me, branding me with the epithet Apostate.
And that same Magic Tower Master found himself wanting to see the face of the Spring Day submitter, not even knowing who they were…
Recalling my first meeting with the Chancellor, wasn't a meeting itself a miracle?
My top priority was figuring out how the situation was unfolding.
I would have to see the Chancellor after the lecture.
"After analyzing the results of the last lecture, I've decided that while advanced work is good, I will begin by carefully reinforcing the basics."
I set aside the past memories that had resurfaced and proceeded with the lecture.
On the blackboard, I filled in the curriculum and the evidence of my deliberation based on the previous sparring sessions.
The watching students nodded, seeing it was certainly more systematic than before.
Leaving an emphasis mark on the word 'basics,' I took out the high-purity Resistance Stones I had prepared in advance.
When I showed them the mineral used in Magic Devices and facilities, they reacted with unfamiliarity.
Student Camilla raised her hand and voiced her question.
"Instructor, what are we doing with Resistance Stones?"
"Literally, we will be strengthening your fundamentals."
Camilla blinked, not understanding what I meant.
Gilbert, next to her, also looked as if he couldn't figure it out at all.
"Once you see the process, it's nothing special."
I lightly picked up the chalk and fleshed out the explanations I had written earlier.
1. Set a target timeframe.
2. Inject Mana until the Resistance Stone breaks.
3. Succeed within the timeframe.
I set the training method I used myself as the academy's first assignment.
Probably, there wasn't a single instructor in any Magic Tower or across the continent who would give out an assignment like this.
It was guaranteed, as I had reached the peak with a smaller total Mana capacity than others.
To do this, I had cleaned out the scant stock from a Magic Device Shop early in the morning.
Alcyone's expression when I said it was for educational use was priceless.
Because the Boss was giving the order, she obediently handed it over, but she voiced concerns about potential issues directly linked to sales.
However, that was resolved in an instant when I told her about an undeveloped mine I had located.
I had already passed the development plan to Flora, so it would be proceeding legally.
I was satisfied to teach the students while also earning organizational operating funds.
Anyway, under Flora's leadership it would be taken care of, so I put it aside…
What was important to me right then was the academy.
I had to intensively mold the Magic Tower Master's apprentice, Ayla, along with Gilbert and Camilla, who aimed to pass the Magic Tower exam.
As if sensing that the assignment was strange, Ayla voiced her doubt.
"Isn't what you're holding a high-purity Resistance Stone, Instructor?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"If it's a high-purity grade to begin with…"
She trailed off for a moment before carefully voicing her opinion.
"Isn't it theoretically impossible to shatter it completely?"
"Instructor, I think so too."
This was not incorrect either.
Except for Flora, who had witnessed my training firsthand, the atmosphere was overwhelmingly on Ayla's side.
But people inevitably treat what they've seen in their lives as their background knowledge.
It was time to completely upend that background knowledge.
"Why do you think it is impossible?"
"Well, because its ability to absorb Mana is tremendous. It's not for nothing that it's used in Prison Blocks and security facilities, is it?"
That statement was also correct, but the situation changed when you encountered a mage of a different caliber.
I lightly injected Mana into the Resistance Stone I was holding.
"The size I'm holding can absorb a full day's worth of Mana from an average 5th-level mage."
It was roughly the size of a coin, and even this size boasted a considerable price and was frequently used in actual Magic Devices.
"Then you should be thinking you'd have to pour Mana into it nonstop all day… Is that really the case?"
A long silence stretched on.
No one had yet grasped what I was saying, but.
Crack!
Exactly one minute later, the Resistance Stone, which should have held firm, visibly developed a crack.
It was a shame; if it hadn't been an Artifact, I could have shattered it within thirty seconds.
"U-uh… Instructor?"
"Do you have a question?"
"I'm not seeing things, am I?"
Camilla's jaw dropped open as she watched.
It was the moment all the knowledge she had built up until then came crashing down.
I handed out Resistance Stones of the exact same size as the one I had just used.
Once they all injected Mana into the Resistance Stones, they were astonished.
"This really is a high-purity Resistance Stone?"
"How did you even get these?"
Especially Ayla, as if the shock hadn't worn off, blinked rapidly as she alternated her gaze between the Resistance Stone and me.
Every time she nodded her head, question marks seemed to bob up and down.
I had sufficiently demonstrated with that, so it was time to tell them the real assignment.
I lightly tapped the blackboard to draw their attention.
"Now, the assignment you all have to do is simple."
I split this assignment into two groups.
Group A was for Ayla and Flora, the group with leeway, who simply had to complete it before this Crash Course ended.
Group B was for Gilbert and Camilla, who had to keep pushing through the suffering because of the Magic Tower Practical Exam.
I presented an assignment befitting each group.
"First, students Ayla and Flora may set your own target at your discretion within the lecture period."
On the other hand, I had to state a high-intensity goal for the two remaining students.
Sensing a threatening vibe, Gilbert wore a tense expression.
"At our level, about how many months would it take?"
"If you don't skip a single day and even devote your sleeping hours to it, it would take three months."
"What? Three months wouldn't be enough time."
"That is why you must finish within one month. Two months at the very latest."
Gilbert's expression changed moment by moment.
The phrase 'a disaster of his own making' would be appropriate here.
But what could be done?
If he wanted to firmly grasp the ticket, this was the fastest path.
Even if he wanted to quit midway, he would have to endure it.
"Since you'll constantly be pouring out Mana, you'll be tired and it will be hard. However, only by enduring that will you earn the qualification to step through the entrance of the Magic Tower."
At those words, Camilla raised her hand.
"Would it be alright to just do this without any other preparations?"
"I will show you an example using problems from past Magic Tower Practical Exams."
I created an Layered Magic Circle on the spot and presented it to the two students.
The structure was meant to overlay the Three Great Elements so they appeared as a single spell.
Not simply mixing fire and water to create mundane steam, but making it spread like water while retaining the heat of the fire.
Or mixing wind and fire to add the destructive power of fire to the cutting force of wind, making it stronger.
Spring Day had also utilized only the basic aspects of that theory for the scattering flower effect.
In other words, it was an application of academy-level theory taken to its extreme.
"Consider this to be the average. Do you have a sense for it now?"
Camilla bit her lip hard.
Gilbert, who had barely composed himself, also let out a groan.
The lecture hall was silent, as if a silencing spell had been cast.
Even before they had started, dark clouds had gathered heavily.
At times like this, it was my role to boost morale.
When leading my organization before, I had always maintained charisma while never holding back on encouragement.
It was the same here at the academy.
It had merely changed from boss and subordinate to teacher and student.
I conveyed my sincere feelings to the two dejected students.
"I think I may have scared you too much, but there is absolutely no need for that. Just think of it as being tricked and follow along."
Since I had declared I would send them to the Magic Tower, I would stay with them to the end.
It might have seemed like an absurd story at the time.
But Gilbert and Camilla would succeed.
Because they just hadn't blossomed yet.
Two months at the most.
Both would likely finish in about a month.
Of course, I had no intention of just tossing them aside like I did with Alcyone.
Obviously, I planned to teach them with a customized approach.
I was confident they would change after just two weeks of perseverance.
I closed off with a light joke to casually throw at them whenever they said it was difficult.
"Well, isn't it better than a cram course?"
Perhaps this was somewhat effective, as Gilbert and Camilla simultaneously glanced at each other before nodding.
I burst into a quiet laugh without realizing it.
After finishing the lecture like that, I went to the Chancellor's office to grasp the full story of the incident.
"Perfect timing. Does the Magic Tower have any plans to announce something about this problem?"
I ended up hearing some strange words from the Chancellor.