Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Graduate Academy Days (3)
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I'd explained this before.
A mage who has formed a circle has a unique pattern in their mana.
Ah, maybe I never went into that much detail?
Well, anyway.
That unique mana pattern thing naturally piqued my interest.
'This is basically fingerprint recognition...'
Smartphones... they all have fingerprint scanners as a must-have.
So, I naturally got interested in technology that could identify mana patterns in this world.
I dove in pretty deep, and eventually researched a way to detect and identify mana patterns.
It was a technology that even had me going, "Whoa!" when I made it.
I even used it as my graduation thesis topic, so that says it all.
Of course, now that I'm right on the verge of graduating but planning to drop out, it's a bit regrettable.
Naturally, most of the artifacts I made ended up incorporating this unique mana recognition feature.
The gift I gave Elin was one too. I called it the Optimal Comprehensive Healing Therapy.
It looked like a music box on the outside, but it was an artifact that recognized the user's mana pattern and automatically tuned and released fragrances and music to suit their preferences.
Of course, it took some effort. You had to refill the petals periodically, and record the music yourself.
Elin, who wanted to seem mature, liked bard music, so I had to cater to that taste too.
So I paid to hire a bard and had them record the lyrics.
To a traditional mage who focused on attack spells, it might seem like a useless toy, but it was an artifact packed with incredibly delicate technology.
You wouldn't put that kind of effort into it unless it was for a lover.
I remembered the first time I met her. I was awkward, and she was on high alert like a wary cat.
At an age when she couldn't even enter the Academy yet, struggling to handle the family duties in place of her absent father.
That was my first impression. A kid pretending to be an adult.
Was it because she was the eldest daughter?
In any family, the firstborn always has it rough.
Seeing her try to shoulder that weight at such a young age tugged at my heart, so I gave her a gift.
I'm glad she's using it well.
"Wh-who said I'm using it well?! I threw it away, I told you!"
"Yeah, yeah."
"You don't believe me, do you? Right now?"
"I do?"
"What... you're saying that so shamelessly with a face that doesn't believe a word."
Ah, this.
Oz had said something similar to me.
Guess I have no talent for acting.
Before I knew it, while chatting, I'd naturally walked beside her into the building.
Up close, it was even clearer.
Florin. A subtle, sweet scent like it was grown in a sunlit garden. Not overpowering like roses, but softly soaking into the skin—a pleasant aroma.
Just the kind of scent a woman would like... or so Professor Palrez told me. I was skeptical since it came from that old guy, but it seems he wasn't lying.
Professor Palrez was handsome. Hard to tell now, but he must've been quite the looker in his youth.
Mealtime was approaching, and Professor Palrez arrived just in time.
The meal proceeded quietly.
But for some reason, it felt like Professor Palrez kept sending signals toward Lady Bireta.
He probably thought I wouldn't notice, but it was so obvious it was embarrassing to pretend otherwise.
And soon enough, Lady Bireta spoke up, dabbing her mouth with a napkin for cleanliness.
"You're leaving?"
She'd always used informal speech with me before.
When was it... Probably after communication orbs started being supplied to the military.
That's when she began using honorifics.
"Yes... I think that's what's going to happen. I've made up my mind."
"Is it perhaps because another family made you an offer...?"
"Nothing like that."
"Then, could I ask what it is you're planning to do?"
From the vibes, it seemed they'd conspired to try to hold me back.
Professor Palrez must've asked her.
"I'm going to rest. Head back to my hometown."
"Rest... of course, that's necessary."
Lady Bireta smiled softly.
"Someone who invents such amazing artifacts needs rest too. But... isn't it a shame to let that talent rot away forever?"
She seemed to vaguely know that I'd been feeling disillusioned and drained for a while.
This Palrez guy... He thought I'd change my mind if Lady Bireta said something.
"Mm, right now, I just want to rest more than anything. No other plans yet."
Lady Bireta watched my expression for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"I see. Understood. If you ever find yourself back here, please stop by without any burden. The Bireta family will always welcome you, Teacher Ivan."
Even calling me "Teacher" on top of everything...
I didn't know where to put myself.
It didn't feel like she was saying it just because of Professor Palrez's request.
But it didn't change my mind.
I'm going back to my hometown.
And I'll lie with my back against the wheat fields dyed by the sunset, lounging idly all day.
Of course, there was one thing I had to do first.
The Imperial Tour.
In my previous life, world travel was on my bucket list, but I never dreamed I'd check it off in a medieval era.
I'd made plenty of money from just communication orbs, so if not now, when?
A few days after dining with Lady Bireta, I bolted without hesitation.
Professor Palrez wanted to hold me back to the end, but with my interest gone, I had no drive to dive back into research.
To not seem too harsh in refusing, I vaguely promised to write after the trip and slipped away.
World travel in a chaotic time like now in the Empire? It'd normally scream "madman." But since I was sticking to safe tourist spots, it was fine.
Not like reckless knight training or continental conquest.
I just wanted to go where my heart led, eat delicious food, see pretty scenery, and spend time in a daze.
Like that, one year passed.
Wandering the Empire's nooks and crannies.
Then another year back home.
After finishing my long journey, I was living a peaceful rural life with my family.
That day, as usual, I finished dinner with the family and returned to my room.
And then, the nightstand started buzzing with vibrations.
"...Huh?"
I thought I'd seen wrong and checked again.
But the black stone I'd placed on the nightstand was indeed vibrating.
A black, angular stone a bit larger than my palm. Of course, not a real grave marker—it was an artifact I'd shaped with mana.
To be precise, it was my beta version Manaphone.
The thing from grad school where I flailed trying to make a cellphone and failed.
At least the communication orb function and unique mana pattern recognition worked properly, so I made a few in beta form, wondering if I could commercialize just that.
But I gave up quickly.
Communication orbs were make-and-sell done. But Manaphones were different.
Once released, you'd have to constantly manage them under the guise of "administrator."
Too annoying, so I dropped it.
And the few beta versions I made, I hid in various spots during my Imperial tour.
Truth be told, I hid them hoping someone would find them. I wanted that faint hope.
Who would discover the hidden stone? Who would figure out its function and unexpectedly connect with me?
Just thinking about it was thrilling in this bland, odorless world.
Just like this feeling right now.
Of course, I didn't leave them for just anyone. You needed to at least sense mana to find my hidden Manaphones.
And now, one was vibrating.
Someone found it.
I picked up the black stone.
It looked like solid black rock, but one side was smooth like ore.
Goertol. An ore with excellent mana conductivity, the reference I used when shaping this Manaphone with mana.
Anyone who saw me playing with Elice by making ice sculptures might guess, but my mana's unique properties were "chill" and "material conversion."
My specialty was manifestation.
This Manaphone was made by pooling every bit of magical knowledge I had.
I placed my thumb on the sleek screen surface with its faint sheen.
The dead black screen slowly began to glow.
Blue mana spread like ink, and text appeared over it.
[Unique Mana Pattern recognized.]
[Entering Anonymous Chat Room.]
No icons or app alignments like a real phone.
Anonymous group chat room.
That was the only function, so once it recognized your unique mana pattern, it automatically connected to the chat room.
What is this?
What is it?
What are you?
'Oh... two at once?'
Sending messages was simple. Infuse mana into your fingertip and write on the screen, and it automatically recognized it.
Then a prompt asked if you wanted to send, and selecting yes shared the message with everyone in the group chat.
You could call it an advanced version of the communication orb.
Communication orbs... well, they were awkward for private use. If you spoke into them, anyone within range could hear.
But this Manaphone recognized the user's unique mana pattern, and once set, no one else could even access it. Plus, you communicated via text, not voice.
So, it was truly a private communication device for individuals.
The two who'd entered the chat were still baffled, but I didn't pretend to know or answer their questions. I just observed their reactions. Now I could watch the fresh responses of the first people to find a Manaphone.
'Am I too much like the developer?'