Prophecy (2)
Seong Hyun-jin took in the sight before him and finally understood what Ciela Teraport had meant. She needed a vast, private space. With this many magic circles installed, it only made sense that she'd require something on this scale. It wasn't something she could set up and dismantle on a whim, after all—she needed a place she could use freely at any time. That made the Teraport residence the perfect spot for her.
"What business brings our guest here?"
Installing this massive magic system and quietly observing and researching prophecies here. No other dorm would allow her that kind of freedom.
Seong Hyun-jin grasped why Ciela had chosen this place and spoke up.
"Shamash Prophecy isn't your run-of-the-mill divination spell, is it."
"Right. Surprised?"
"Yeah, this is... "
It wasn't some spell you cast on the fly. This was like a national weather service supercomputer. How could he not be stunned?
'And it does predict the weather, in a way...'
Seong Hyun-jin's comparison to a weather supercomputer was more spot-on than he realized. Ciela actually used Shamash to check the day's forecast and scout for any personal dangers before heading out.
But Shamash Prophecy went far beyond that. The true power of this enormous system lay in its ability to deliver far more precise predictions than vague, broad-range forecasts. If Ciela wanted, she could predict even minute movements, just like she had during the sparring tournament.
Of course, at that level of detail, Shamash's computations were so fast and intricate that even its creator, Ciela, couldn't keep up—and it guzzled an immense amount of spirit power in the process. But Ciela could handle it. With her contract to Nyx, the great spirit of snow, she never lacked for spirit energy.
Seong Hyun-jin was amazed by the nature of Shamash itself, but he was equally shocked that she'd installed it right here in her dorm.
"Still, setting up magic like this... you're basically turning the dorm into your personal workshop."
Spirit mages called their labs "workshops." They weren't just research spaces—they were personal fortresses. Underground bunkers, in layman's terms. Packed with installed spirit magic defenses, they protected the owner from intruders or attacks, letting mages focus purely on their work. Most mages converted their private homes into workshops for that reason... and Ciela had done the same with her dorm room.
"What happens after graduation, though? You okay dismantling all this magic?"
"By then, I'll turn the Teraport residence into my official workshop. Our foundation's already building a replacement dorm since last year anyway."
Seong Hyun-jin realized he'd worried for nothing.
'They say you shouldn't worry about the rich.'
One of the world's most pointless concerns, right?
Pushing aside his needless fretting, Seong Hyun-jin got to the point.
"Can it predict anything?"
"Of course."
Ciela replied confidently.
"It just takes time—the farther into the future, the longer. But that'd spoil life's fun, so I set limits."
"Still, a few days ahead should be doable, right?"
"Easy."
Ciela double-checked with him.
"You wanted me to check if anything overlaps in the futures of Instructor Willis Graham and Junior Clarice Levatein, right?"
"Yes."
If the two experienced something similar around the same time, it would confirm the bad vibe Seong Hyun-jin had gotten from Willis. Even if nothing showed up, that'd be fine too—no trouble for Clarice.
"Cool. How many days ahead?"
"Three or four should do."
In Seong Hyun-jin's mind, Willis's suspicious behavior stemmed from acting like he was rushed, desperate to get alone with Clarice as soon as possible. If he had nefarious plans, they'd likely play out within days. That's why Seong Hyun-jin kept the timeframe short.
"Pretty specific. Sounds like you've got a real hunch."
Ciela nodded at his explanation and placed her hand on the largest magic circle in the Shamash array.
"Shamash, tell me what Willis Graham and Clarice Levatein will be doing over the next three or four days from now."
"Understood, my master."
At Ciela's command, the magic circles comprising Shamash Prophecy lit up in unison. A blinding light poured out, forcing Seong Hyun-jin to squint, and spirit power flowed from Ciela's fingertips into the array. True to the snow attribute's nature, the room's temperature plummeted. But Seong Hyun-jin was too entranced to notice, staring blankly at the circles.
Intricately interwoven patterns floated above the formations, strings of characters sequencing in order.
'The characters used for computation?'
Once Shamash began processing, the strings multiplied into the tens, hundreds, then tens of thousands. It felt like peering at a programmer's screen after a massive code run—complex yet mesmerizing.
Seong Hyun-jin wasn't an expert in spirit magic, but even he could tell this was extraordinary.
How long had he been staring in a daze? Finally, Shamash announced the computation's end.
"Computation complete. Results derived successfully. I have perfectly executed as my master commanded."
Shamash spoke in a tone straight out of a machine translation.
'Not perfect with language, huh...?'
As Seong Hyun-jin puzzled over it, Ciela chuckled at the speech pattern and asked,
"So, what's the verdict? Any connection between their movements?"
"Analysis complete. Detected trajectories with a 99% causal correlation."
"...Pretty much a sure thing, then?"
"Why do my bad hunches always hit the mark...? So, what is it?"
Seong Hyun-jin sighed at yet another gut feeling panning out and asked. Shamash responded immediately.
"Tomorrow, their paths, locations, and durations overlap. Tomorrow at 5 p.m., Midsummer's Dream restaurant inside Academy City."
"...A restaurant?"
Instructors and students rarely met at restaurants in Academy City.
'Maybe treating Clarice to a meal?'
That, or a chance encounter—nothing else came to mind.
"A restaurant isn't exactly a spot where an instructor and student would bump into each other easily."
"I agree. Senior, do you know the place?"
"Yeah, it's got some reputation. Haven't eaten there yet, though."
"Tomorrow at 5 p.m...."
Seong Hyun-jin turned to Ciela with a request.
"Could you point me to it? Looks like I need to check it out myself."
"Sure thing."
"Thanks."
Ciela pulled out a sheet of parchment and sketched a rough map with a magic pen. Watching her, Seong Hyun-jin said,
"I've asked a lot of you today, and you've been so accommodating. If there's ever anything I can do to return the favor, just say the word. I'll help however I can."
"Got it, I'll keep that in mind."
Seong Hyun-jin liked her straightforward attitude. No demands, happily granting a sudden request—she seemed like a genuinely good person.
'Nice person.'
As he thought that, Ciela asked out of the blue,
"You're pretty close with Junior Clarice, huh? Going all out for her."
"Nah, we just met yesterday. She seems decent since she admires my master's swordsmanship, but I don't know her that well yet."
"Huh...?"
Her unexpected answer threw Ciela off. Did people usually go this hard for someone they just met?
"And you're still this invested?"
"You're helping out a junior you barely know too."
"Oh, true... "
Ciela scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. Truth be told, she wasn't helping out of pure goodwill like Seong Hyun-jin. It was mostly because Eleonora's words echoed in her mind—she should look out for him a little extra.
She wasn't the type to help strangers selflessly. Feeling a pang of conscience, Ciela came clean.
"Honestly, it's partly because my master said I should keep an eye out for you since you're the Sword Star's disciple."
But Seong Hyun-jin brushed it off simply.
"Doesn't change the fact that you helped me. No bad intentions behind it, so it's the same thing."
"...You think so?"
"Yeah."
He stated it matter-of-factly.
"As long as there's no malice, no need to rank helping others."
"...No malice, and it's all good? Easygoing personality—makes you easy to deal with."
"Glad to hear it."
Seeing her positive reaction, Seong Hyun-jin replied with relief.
"I wanted to get along with you anyway, Senior Ciela."
"Oh?"
"Your master and mine are close, so it'd be nice if us disciples got along too."
"Hmm... "
Ciela gave a subtle reaction and handed him the map.
"Here, just follow this."
"Thanks."
"Tell me how it goes later."
"Will do. See you."
"Yeah, take care."
Seong Hyun-jin bowed politely and left the room. But Ciela didn't jump back into her work. She stared at the spot he'd vacated, lost in thought.
"No malice, and it's fine... "
Recalling his words, Ciela smiled faintly.
"He really is pure. Guess he didn't live that long in his past life?"
Chuckling softly, she said,
"Surprisingly cute side to him. Right, Shamash?"
"If my master says so, then it must be."
"You think different?"
"My brilliant mind detects more than mere purity in that man."
Ciela looked puzzled at Shamash's remark. It explained simply.
"Prophecy: One day, he will wound my master."
"Wound me? Like the junior's gonna attack me or something?"
"No. That won't happen."
Shamash denied it, adding,
"A different sense."
"Different...? Like, emotional hurt from the junior?"
"Likely."
Ciela tilted her head. Hurt emotionally by Seong Hyun-jin? She couldn't fathom why and just found it baffling.