Presentation (2)
"Not only did a Magic Tower elder come all the way here, but the problem was set by Instructor?"
"That's a lie, right?"
Gilbert and Camilla pinched their own cheeks, speechless.
Perhaps they came to their senses partway through, because they quietly covered their mouths.
Ayla, of course, was no different.
"Flora, I've realized something."
"What is it?"
"Instructor is even more remarkable than I thought."
"That's right. He's remarkable."
She looked as if she had forgotten that she was someone who could comfortably converse with an elder.
She stuck close to Flora's side and watched with keen interest.
I had the feeling that expectations were rising on their own even though I hadn't done anything in particular.
I scratched my head as I approached the elder.
"So a reply finally came."
"Various things came up. Allow me to use this opportunity to apologize."
The elder bowed her head and then explained in detail why she had come to the academy.
"The Magic Tower Master said he would like to hold a session explaining the structure of the magic circle in question. That is why I came to request your attendance."
I spotted something odd here.
In the first place, the Magic Tower had no intention of summoning me, since they considered me a villain, but after my excommunication even that pretext had vanished.
There was no way the Magic Tower Master, who had chased me all the way to the Northern Region of the Continent to capture me, wouldn't know this.
Which meant that somewhere along the line, the loose ends had been tidied up cleanly.
'Flora took care of it on her own.'
It was a matter that had been settled when my new identity was created after I left prison.
The elder finally handed me the letter she had been holding the whole time.
"The details are written in the letter."
"Thank you."
I opened the envelope with practiced ease and checked the contents.
It began with a few formalities, and the presentation date was three days away.
"Three days, huh..."
Did it make sense for the presentation to intrude right when my Mana Circuit was going to grow even stronger?
Whether or not I managed it properly at that moment would determine my growth rate.
An entire day would be blown away because of this, so I needed a countermeasure.
'I'll have to hold a supplementary lecture.'
It looked like I would end up doing one of the three things academy students hated most: a supplementary lecture.
I could just squeeze it in during a free slot this week and be done with it.
As I was staring intently at the letter with a grave expression, the elder misunderstood and asked cautiously.
"Is there a problem?"
"My lecture schedule got a little tangled. I was thinking about that."
"Ah, that's understandable, since the date was set on a weekday."
The elder looked apologetic as she explained why it had been unavoidable.
"We tried to use the weekend as much as possible, but it ended up this way due to internal scheduling. As an apology, there will be a small amount of support following the presentation."
The place was just as busy as ever, then and now.
It varied by department, but in the worst cases they burned through mages to churn out results.
Well, that aside.
I was curious about the "small amount of support" mentioned at the end.
I stopped reading the letter halfway and asked the elder.
"What kind of support is provided?"
"Usually, a research grant is given."
The organization's finances were in good shape, so that didn't particularly appeal to me.
I asked again whether there were any other benefits.
"Would there be any benefits besides that?"
"Hmm, it's at the Magic Tower Master's discretion, but..."
The elder fell into thought.
Then she mentioned a simple but definite benefit.
"There have been cases where access to borrowing books from the Magic Tower's collection or using its research rooms was permitted."
"I like the sound of that."
Book borrowing appealed to me in particular.
How great would it be if I could get my hands on a Spatial Magic Grimoire?
Because I had only taken the essentials back then, I still couldn't use it properly at Level 5.
I wanted to use this opportunity to make it usable even at a low level.
After that, as I read through what little remained of the letter, I discovered a hidden device planted by the Magic Tower Master.
I have something I want to discuss about the Demons, so attend.
That phrase had been written using magic that only I could read.
There was a good chance the Magic Tower Master, like the Imperial Court, intended to propose a deal involving the Demons.
In that case, I would put the Artifact on the negotiating table.
Once that was resolved, I intended to ask about Ayla's Mana Circuit as well.
Now that a framework for what kind of conversation I would have with the Magic Tower Master was in place, I turned my attention back to the presentation.
"Is there a set format for the presentation?"
"You may proceed freely."
Until now, I had explained everything in an accessible way to fit the academy, but for this day alone, I might as well do it comfortably.
I didn't have any other particular questions.
It was time to focus on my main work again.
I took out my pocket watch and checked the time.
Considering the brief interruption, there was plenty of time.
I would be able to take care of every scheduled task without fail.
I was about to call Ayla over right away when.
"Ahem, hm."
The elder cleared her throat and came to stand beside me.
Wondering why a woman who said she was busy was still hanging around, I stared at her.
"Do you have something more to say?"
"No. It's not that."
The elder subtly averted her gaze and explained why she had not left.
"I have a little time left, so may I watch Miss Ayla's demonstration?"
"Of course."
The elder seemed eager to see Ayla give the first demonstration.
It would be all the better if this reached the Magic Tower Master's ears.
So now the elder was unexpectedly in attendance too.
Ayla, who had been quietly biding her time until now, suddenly popped out.
"Should I do it now?"
"Yes. You can go right ahead."
"Hoo, I'm nervous."
Ayla, clearly showing signs of tension, slowly steadied her breathing and then extended her hand toward the magic circle.
"Here goes!"
With a spirited shout, the magic circle flashed.
Even seeing it again, the name Spring Day was not the least bit undeserved.
With an effect that made time seem to flow slowly, pale pink flower petals scattered beautifully.
I had handled fire magic to its limits to express it in my own way, and it had worked well.
"Wow..."
Ayla tilted her head up and became absorbed in the atmosphere.
She carefully cupped her hands and caught the petals made of fire.
She would feel a warm energy from the petals.
A faint smile bloomed on Ayla's lips.
She slowly drew her hands in and held them to her chest.
"This magic really is warm, like a spring day. I can see why my master was searching for it."
"Does that mean I've been acknowledged?"
"Of course."
I nodded at Ayla's praise and looked around.
Everyone was silently watching the spectacle woven by the magic.
I especially liked that Flora was watching with a pure expression.
Three minutes passed in what felt like no more than an instant.
The magic circle gradually lost its light, and the endlessly scattering petals vanished.
Everyone sighed in unison.
The elder, who had been watching this, wore a satisfied expression.
"I shall see you in three days."
She held her hat by the brim, bowed, and quietly left.
Everyone, not even realizing the elder had gone, lingered in the afterglow and stared quietly at the magic circle.
Afterward, starting with Ayla, various impressions about Spring Day were exchanged, and Flora, having slipped away after giving a brief comment, sidled up to me.
"Professor, if you're good at both theory and practice, is there anything you can't do?"
That was a fairly difficult question to answer.
I let out a short hum and continued to ponder seriously.
What exactly was I bad at?
If I had to pick something I'd gotten nagged about since coming to the academy.
"I wonder. Controlling intensity?"
I was only talking about the Crash Course.
I saw it as the feeling of raising something by about five stages when it only needed one, but that sort of thing would absolutely never happen at the academy.
If I did that, I’d be sent straight into a full round of meetings with the Chancellor, the Magic Tower Master, and the Imperial Court.
So I just had to raise it to a manageable degree and that would be that.
"While we're on the subject, let's raise the intensity a bit more."
I dusted off my hands lightly and checked my mana condition, which was flawless, with nothing to criticize.
Flora had brought a sparring sword and was standing by.
"Today we’ll extend it to five minutes and use the full five. Come at me normally."
I crooked my finger, signaling for anyone, no matter who, to come out quickly, and Gilbert plopped down right where he stood.
"A-Aagh! I overdid it this morning and my whole body hurts. Can’t we keep it to three minutes?"
Following suit, Camilla also subtly gauged the atmosphere and then softly sat down next to Gilbert.
"I'm not that bad, just sore..."
"Ca, Camilla?"
"You know it won't work anyway."
"..."
They always did fine once I made them start, yet here they were whining.
Today I would reverse the order and take special care to manage Gilbert first.
I approached Gilbert, who looked extremely tense.
"Gilbert."
"Yes...?"
"Come out."
After that, the training hall was filled with screams and suffering.
Since it was proof they were growing, it was a positive sign.
After the promised twenty minutes...
Everyone had become completely exhausted and one with the floor.
Ayla, whom I had pushed relentlessly, murmured through ragged breaths.
"I think ten minutes next time would be doable..."
Perfectly timed feedback.
The wish would be granted before long.
* * *
After finishing the lecture, I stopped by the chancellor's office for the first time in a while.
When I relayed the news that I had received a letter from the Magic Tower Master, the chancellor looked satisfied.
"That's good news. Wait just a moment."
He was buried under a mountain of paperwork due to a backlog.
Watching that scene quietly brought to mind the work I would have to deal with once I returned.
'Why is there always so much to do?'
It seemed today just wasn't my day.
I decided to kill a little time, then head back to my quarters.
I took a cookie out of the drawer as usual and bit into it.
The Chancellor, who clearly hadn't been paying attention to me, let out a sigh.
"If you're going to eat them, tell me before you do."
"Nothing catastrophic will happen from eating one or two."
"...Fine."
I tossed the remaining cookies into my mouth and asked the Chancellor an out-of-the-blue question.
"At our first meeting you tried to kill me, so why have you mellowed out this much now?"
"Well, that is..."
The chancellor set down a thick stack of papers and spoke.
"Back then, you were a Mastermind threatening the Empire. Now you’re a fairly decent professor, aren’t you?"
"I'm not a professor."
"In my eyes, you're no different from a professor, so what can I do."
The chancellor stopped what he was doing and rose from his seat.
He paced around with relaxed but measured steps.
"How many mages do you think there are with this much field experience?"
"Aren't the knight orders overflowing with them?"
The Chancellor nodded in agreement, but then shrugged as if he saw it differently.
"Each one is an important asset, so bringing them here is a task in itself. After all, we can't allow a gap to appear in the Empire's shield."
"Just admit you like having a mage with too much time on his hands to work as hard as you want."
"Exactly that."
At my dumbfounded look, the Chancellor perched on the edge of his desk and added the real reason.
"So wouldn't it be good for us to get along while making use of each other? You for your own purposes, and I for the students."
If he put it that way, I could understand.
If he had said it was good to exploit me, I almost would have given him a piece of my mind.
I felt I had no choice but to acknowledge the chancellor's educational fervor, which cared about nothing but the students, but then.
"Since you've ended up representing the academy, prepare diligently. I suppose we'll meet again in three days."
"...?"
I had just heard some strange nonsense.
Why was I going to meet the Chancellor at the Magic Tower?
He probably hadn't even been invited by the Magic Tower Master.
In an instant, a chilling sensation crawled all over my body.
The chancellor took something out from inside his coat and slowly waved it.
"I was invited as well."
The rectangular object made of paper was stamped with the mark symbolizing the Magic Tower.
No matter how many times I looked, it was unmistakably a letter sent by the Magic Tower Master.
"Looks like I’ll get to see the lecture Professor Prokel praised so highly. I’m looking forward to it."
Receiving unintended expectations without even knowing it.
The day of the presentation was steadily approaching.