Presentation (3)
For the first time in a long while, I had a truly hectic schedule.
In particular, I'd spent a great deal of time polishing presentation materials I initially hadn't thought much about.
At first, I'd gone into it thinking, 'Everyone probably already knows this much.'
But my plan was revised while I spoke with an elder.
If I wanted to impress the Magic Tower Master and get a Grimoire out of it, the effort was worth it.
So I condensed the essence of Spring Day into ten pages.
If you fully understood all of it, your theoretical knowledge alone would be enough to knock on the Magic Tower's door.
Anyway.
On the morning of the presentation, as I was silently reviewing the materials, I heard Flora's voice from across the room.
"Boss, thirty minutes until departure."
"Has it already been that long?"
Startled by Flora's report, I checked the clock on the wall.
As she'd said, only thirty minutes remained until we had to leave.
While I'd been oblivious, my bread and coffee had gone cold. I stuffed them down all at once.
The texture left a lot to be desired, but at least it filled my stomach.
I hurriedly rose from my seat and headed to my room.
I placed the presentation materials into my briefcase and looked in the mirror.
"Tch."
I spotted what looked like a coffee stain on the edge of my sleeve from my rushed eating.
I clicked my tongue and undid the buttons one by one.
A minor detail could have an impact I couldn't predict, so I absolutely had to change.
"I'll help you."
Flora immediately stepped into the role of troubleshooter.
She found a spare dress shirt in the drawer, so I changed quickly.
"Thanks for the help."
"I only did what was natural."
I was grateful to Flora for helping me.
But her occasionally hesitant movements in the mirror's reflection suddenly nagged at me.
'Was it because I put pressure on her about reaching Level 6?'
Since I'd never seen this from her before, I couldn't help but worry.
As I tucked the Artifact inside my sleeve, I asked cautiously.
"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"I'm just a little tired."
"I can't let anything happen to your health, so don't overdo it."
"Understood."
Flora nodded slowly.
She half-turned, gathering up the shirt I'd taken off, and spoke.
"There are still about twenty minutes left."
Considering how hectic we'd been until just now, we were surprisingly relaxed.
I carved out a little time to share a brief work update.
"How goes the Resistance Stone mine?"
"Regarding that, Madam reached out to us first."
It was unexpected that Madam, who had no connection to it at all, would contact us.
Of course, she wasn't the kind of elf who played games with business, so I soon heard the details.
"She came directly to you?"
"Yes. She said to pass on to you that she can offer her help."
"What kind of help?"
"She said that because she has points of contact with nobles from her mediation work, she can prevent troublesome matters."
"I didn't know she had that capability. I like it."
There was no shortage of nobles who turned vicious when money was involved.
Those sorts dipped their toes into the so-called underworld and circulated their funds.
Some nobles didn't know who they were dealing with, picked a fight, and only belatedly understood their place.
Most of them turned meek once you introduced them to a friend at the bottom of the sea.
And if they ignored that and tried to cozy up to me, well...
Whatever happened after that was best left to the imagination.
In any case, precious time and manpower were wasted shutting up troublesome nobles.
Having Madam take on that task full-time was something I welcomed with open arms.
While Flora maintained a businesslike conversation, she was also standing on tiptoe in front of me, trying to neaten my attire.
"Though she said there's a condition in return. We'll probably have to meet with Madam once you're back from the Magic Tower."
"Hmm, understood."
A request Flora had made came to mind.
'Um, next time, please drink just a little less.'
If Madam offered me alcohol, I had to refuse it no matter what.
Flora tried not to show it, but she'd obviously be conscious of it. I didn't know what would happen if I accepted.
"The shirt and buttons are in good condition..."
In the meantime, Flora was assisting me with all her might.
At some point, our height difference had produced the sight of her standing on her tiptoes.
She looked tired just standing on tiptoe, so I bent my knees slightly.
Once our eye levels met, Flora jumped in surprise and stepped back.
"B-Boss?"
Her hands were clasped together against her chest, and her flustered eyes stared at me.
I chuckled and gave her arm a light pat.
"Once it's over, let's go see Madam together."
Flora nodded wordlessly, then brought my briefcase and quietly held it out.
"Five minutes left. If you leave now, you'll be right on time."
"Thanks. I'll take care of it quickly and come back."
"But you mustn't mess up the presentation."
"Hey, what do you take me for?"
There was much I wanted to say, but my departure time was imminent.
Just as I was about to say a simple goodbye and leave,
"Boss!"
I heard Flora calling urgently from behind, as if I'd forgotten something.
I'd have been in serious trouble without her.
"If I forgot something..."
Before I could even fully turn around, Flora's hand landed on my shoulder.
A warm sensation pressed against my back, and she whispered in a voice so small only I could hear.
"...Take care."
"Yeah. I'll be back."
I had received unexpected encouragement,
so I absolutely had to repay it with good results.
* * *
Visiting the Magic Tower for a legitimate purpose, I found it wasn't much different from the last time I remembered it.
Mages rushing busily somewhere, and research that sparked curiosity.
It was a place more than worthy of being called a dream stage for any mage.
Visiting as a guest made its unique atmosphere feel even more pronounced.
"The Magic Tower Master really is capable."
With time to kill before the presentation, I had grown bored sitting in the waiting room and wandered nearby.
I discreetly touched the walls in passing, carefully examining the flow of mana.
For someone who had once breached this place's security, it was practically a required course.
"Hmm."
I'd thought about causing a bit of mischief if I could find the Barrier's center.
But the Magic Tower Master must have been fiercely determined, as he'd complicated the structure.
He had made it difficult to discern where the mana was flowing.
That didn't mean there was no breakthrough, though.
'If I put my mind to it and invested just one month, wouldn't that do it?'
Aside from the core circuits, he seemed to have hidden safety devices.
In that case, I'd just have to ask Alcyone to investigate the Barrier and then neutralize it together with Flora.
Two weeks for Barrier investigation.
Meanwhile, one week for advance preparations.
One week for final inspection.
Exactly four weeks, one month.
On top of that, if I diligently laid out escape routes, we might even be able to evade pursuit and escape the Magic Tower...
"Of course, I should restrain myself."
I nearly devoted myself fully to my old profession.
I took out my pocket watch and checked the time.
There were about five minutes left before the start, so it was time to move.
I stowed the plan safely away in the warehouse of my memories and moved toward my destination: the multipurpose room.
Thanks to Spring Day, I drew many eyes on the way there.
"Isn’t it a shame the Imperial Court snapped up talent like that?"
"I believe we must seize an opportunity to bring him to the Magic Tower."
The praise directed at me faded behind me.
I arrived at the multipurpose room, where everyone was waiting for a single mage’s presentation.
I walked without hesitation into this arena of proof, furnished with neatly arranged tables and a massive blackboard.
'Where might he be?'
First, I scanned the audience seats.
With so many skilled people gathered, the room had an intense atmosphere.
There'd be no need to explain things the way I did at the Academy.
Next, the most important checklist item.
I swiftly checked for the distinguished guest who had been waiting so eagerly for me.
I spotted the Magic Tower Master and the Chancellor sitting side by side in a place with a good view.
For some reason, the Chancellor looked visibly more nervous than I was.
For him, this meeting might well be a matter on which the Academy's very survival hinged.
I, too, regarded this presentation as a crucial turning point.
It was a chance to obtain a Grimoire dealing with Artifacts and Spatial Magic.
On top of that, I could ask about Ayla’s Mana Circuit, have a constructive conversation with the Magic Tower Master, and try to improve our relationship.
Just as the internal atmosphere reached a state of mild distraction,
"Ahem, hmm."
With a single short clearing of the Magic Tower Master's throat, silence descended upon the multipurpose room.
It had the same effect as Silence Magic.
"Then I shall begin."
I picked up the baton he had created and lightly tapped the table.
"Good day. My name is Karon, and I’m an outside instructor at Belua Academy."
Immediately, I put into action what I had worked diligently to prepare over the past three days.
I began drawing the spells and circuits used in Spring Day onto the massive blackboard in precise detail.
'This should be enough.'
Once I'd filled the board with an appropriate amount of content, I stepped back.
With the actual demonstration alongside it, everyone should be able to follow without trouble.
I drew a magic circle in the air and played my opening move to draw out the Magic Tower Master.
"This is Spring Day, which you all know."
Beautiful flower petals scattered, creating a magnificent spectacle inside the multipurpose room.
Demonstrating mana control so clean it was hard to believe it was merely Level 5, I pointed at the blackboard.
"You’ve all seen it enough by now, so this should be familiar. It’s all material taught in the academy curriculum."
Murmurs of agreement rose from the audience.
One by one, they nodded their heads and voiced the opinions they had been harboring.
"As I expected, my own thinking was correct."
"You could call it the limit of what an academy curriculum can achieve."
"With an instructor like that, the Academy's future is bound to be bright."
Normally, I should have proceeded with a presentation on the composition of Spring Day and the function of its circuits.
But since the exchange of opinions was interesting, I pivoted the session into a time for free-flowing communication.
With everyone satisfied, one particularly interesting comment came up.
"Doesn’t the magic feel more alive than usual today?"
In response, the mage sitting right beside him sighed and shook his head.
"Come now! Isn't that simply because you've become too engrossed in it?"
"Oh no, that is not the case at all."
"Then can we go to your lab and bring back the draft of your paper?"
Struck right in a sore spot, the mage was at a loss for words.
The room burst into laughter.
The Magic Tower Master watched with amusement, then seemed to notice something odd and turned his head.
'Had he finally discovered it?'
From the far left to the very right edge.
His gaze intently traced the boundary where the magic was deployed, then focused on the exact center.
As if demanding an answer, he met my eyes and tilted his head curiously.
Having no intention of dodging him, I tilted my head the exact same way.
With that, the suspicion that had suddenly bloomed would surely have transformed into certainty.
Why?
Even if the Artifact kept me from using it perfectly, there was only one person here who could recognize the Spatial Magic for what it was.
The Magic Tower Master, Rodein Adrian.
He slowly raised a hand to ask for the floor.
"I would ask you one thing. May I?"