Chapter 329: Interlude - The Unordinary Life of The Society
Chapter 329: Interlude - The Unordinary Life of The Society
How long has it been since I arrived at the Geneva Branch of the Magic Society?
I want to return to Massachusetts as soon as possible, but my professor seems to have no intention of leaving.
I only accompanied him because this conference was supposed to end in a week, yet we’ve been staying here for over three months now.
To make matters worse, our return date remains undecided.
Even more devastating is the financial situation. Back when I was researching at the university's undergraduate department, the dorms were free, so I didn't have to worry about food or shelter. The Geneva Branch offers no such support.
While my scholarship for the Master’s and Doctoral program in Magic Studies from the Management Bureau is still coming in, the cost of living in Geneva makes it a hellish place compared to my dear, grueling home in Massachusetts.
Fortunately, the support department at the Management Bureau understood my predicament. They waived my lodging fees and hired me as a temporary employee under a work-study arrangement.
Thus, leveraging my original undergraduate major in Mechanical Engineering, I landed a temporary job maintaining various machinery. My professor, not being entirely heartless, allowed me to take on this side job during the time I wasn't dedicated to research.
While the survival issues were mostly resolved, what plagues me now isn't money, but a problem of a different nature.
…I never realized mages were such strange people.
When I was researching in Massachusetts, we had frequent exchanges with the neighboring College of Engineering and ran into undergraduate students often. Back then, I just thought of those involved in Magic Studies as "eccentrics."
Since coming to the Geneva Branch, that common sense has been shattered.
They are outlaws wearing the masks of rational, logical researchers.
Eccentrics who hurl fireballs the moment things don't go their way or toss grenades during a Q&A session.
It’s a field where such violence is considered par for the course, yet the way they listen intently to even the most absurd claims during a presentation makes them seem all the more bizarre.
To be honest, when I first attended an international conference and saw the various schools of thought engaging in rational dialogue, I was truly moved.
Magic Studies is a field where the more you dig, the more you feel its vastness.
When I knew nothing, I admired it, thinking a single word could solve everything.
In the realm of an undergraduate, I found beauty in the rules nestled within the chaos.
And now, in the realm where I stand, I feel a shiver at the realization that all of that was merely the most basic foundation of Magic Studies.
I thought I understood something by handling structures and building up magic.
But in the context of the entirety of Magic Studies, I was merely a child who had just learned the alphabet.
I have only just mastered the alphabet, but the world contains countless scripts beyond it, each moving within that vast domain, carrying its own truth.
Magic Studies is an expanse so wide I cannot even grasp its breadth.
Yet, the mages participating in the conference and sharing their opinions uttered those countless languages as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Even though I am but a child who cannot even recite the full alphabet.
Those who asked questions, provided answers, and engaged in debates spoke their own stories in languages I couldn't even comprehend. They even displayed the miraculous feat of reproducing languages outside their own specialties on the spot.
It felt as if, while I struggle to use even my native English properly, the people here were fluent in multiple languages as a matter of course.
These seekers of Magic Studies would combine several "languages" to manifest magic as evidence, only for a counter-example to be presented seconds later, all with an air of casual normalcy.
I felt a profound sense of awe and aspiration.
I hoped that one day, I could be like them.
Since I am not a Hero, I cannot fight flashily like the Heroes on television, but I can continue to advance theories for the sake of humanity, just like the many people gathered here.
After all, isn't my own professor a non-Hero?
Just as I was feeling glad that I had switched my major to Magic Studies despite everything I’d been through…
The mages I had come to admire suddenly began that.
"It seems talk won't be enough to settle this."
"Ha! Resorting to violence because you can't refute me? This is why the pure theory factions are hopeless."
"And who is this 'practical application' type getting thrashed by that very theory faction?"
With that exchange, a battle erupted out of nowhere.
In the blink of an eye, these people—who had been rational, logical, and calm even while negating each other's opinions—transformed the lecture hall into an arena.
The roar of explosions ringing in my ears.
The flashes of light piercing my eyes.
The smoke invading my nostrils.
The flames licking at my skin.
It all made me wonder if I was dreaming.
And soon, I realized the true meaning of the words my seniors and professor had told me.
'The theory of a mage without skill isn't worth hearing.'
You hear that phrase so often from the moment you enter Magic Studies that it feels like it's being hammered into your ears.
Most textbooks even begin the first chapter of 'Introduction to Magic Studies' with that very line.
During my undergraduate years, I was taught it meant that no matter how perfect a theory is, it's meaningless if it cannot be applied to reality.
It was a warning not to get too lost in one's own beliefs and to observe reality objectively.
However, after entering the Master's program, when that topic happened to come up in conversation…
"Ah… I see. Yes. That's how they teach it… Hmm. It's not entirely wrong… Now that you're in this field, you'll find out soon enough, but there are two meanings to that… One is what you said, and the second is… well, you'll see soon."
My senior in the lab had said that with a bitter smile.
"…Come to think of it, we'll be going to Geneva soon. You'll understand when you get there."
The professor had said that while telling me to clear my schedule.
I didn't think much of it when I first heard it.
But now, I understood what it expressed.
That phrase, situated at the very foundation of Magic Studies, was the answer to where the discipline I chose to walk began.
Living in a world of reality and power, not just theory.
Never averting one's eyes from it, always facing it head-on.
It is a discipline that—though it has now become something of a joke—aims to stand against the Apocalypse.
* * *
After all that time, I had many thoughts.
Was it truly right for me to continue on the path of Magic Studies?
The reason I originally switched from Mechanical Engineering was because I was fascinated by the possibility of fusing magic and engineering.
Pure machinery has its limits.
But if magic is mixed in, the impossible becomes possible.
Anti-gravity, which modern technology can't even come close to.
Spatial Teleportation at speeds that transcend the physical limit of light.
Matter generation that defies the law of conservation of energy.
These are actions performed naturally in magic, but they are incomprehensible under the laws of Original Species Physics—the physics that existed before the Otherworld Invasion.
Of course, it might just be that humanity hasn't figured it out yet, and we might be able to explain those things one day.
But that would be too late.
At the very least, we wouldn't reach that point within my lifetime.
Therefore, I decided to move in a new direction.
Even if it was a difficult and grueling path.
I entered the field with that dream.
But the essence of Magic Studies I encountered for the first time made me question if that dream was the right one.
The essence of Magic Studies, my dream, and the real world.
In truth, the fusion of Magic Studies and Mechanical Engineering is a field one can pursue without necessarily becoming a mage.
For example, The Core of a machine utilizing actual anti-gravity has a simple structure: you just need to connect a sphere containing anti-gravity magic to a few mechanical devices. While special techniques are required to bridge the two, those techniques don't actually belong to the realm of Magic Studies.
The anti-gravity magic sphere is merely a part.
You don't need Magic Studies to build the engine that uses it.
In fact, many experts in Mechanical Engineering who research such fusion technologies do not specialize in Magic Studies.
Of course, knowing Magic Studies allows you to tinker with more core components, but even that doesn't require deep contemplation of the field.
And so, my agonizing continued.
Perhaps they noticed my inner turmoil.
The professor who brought me to Geneva and the senior who came with us both offered words of advice.
They told me many people give up on the path of Magic Studies here.
They said I could still change my major, and they would write me a recommendation if I wished.
They told me to take some time off from the lab and think deeply about it.
The deliberation continued.
But before long, I returned to the temporary lab set up at the Geneva Branch.
The people in the lab welcomed my decision warmly.
But in truth, I hadn't found an answer.
Perhaps, even now as I immerse myself in research…
The reason I remain in Magic Studies isn't because of some special resolve, but simply because I don't want to throw away everything I've sacrificed to stand here.
The time I spent to manifest magic.
The youth I sacrificed during my undergraduate years—giving up rest, vacations, and romance—to study desperately so I could switch to the Magic Studies department.
And the joy I felt when all that effort was finally recognized and I stood in this position.
The 'me' of today cannot fathom how much passion the 'me' of the past possessed to act that way.
Because the 'me' of today is only standing in Magic Studies out of a fear of change.
I am immersed in research, but it's not an immersion in Magic Studies; I am simply doing what I must as a member of that lab.
Even though my passion for Magic Studies has vanished, I am afraid to look at other paths, so I settle for where I am.
Can someone with no passion gain anything from Magic Studies?
Perhaps at some point, everything will feel futile, and I'll drop out of graduate school to live a normal life.
The fact that I can use magic will remain as nothing more than a special party trick, like conjuring a small flame in my hand.
With those thoughts, I left my room today and headed to the lab with a sense of helplessness.
Without the passionate goal I once had of contributing something to Magic Studies, driven only by a simple sense of duty.
As I walked toward the lab in that state of lethargy, I heard a loud noise from somewhere.
"Magicanic, you bastard! You cast this magic, didn't you! Is this revenge for the classic car?!"
"What are you talking about?! Speak so I can understand you!"
"Causality magic! It was you!"
"If I knew how to use that, I would have published a paper on it ages ago! Go find someone else!"
"Would a criminal ever admit to their crime? Just die quietly!"
The high-pitched voice of a Young Girl, out of place for this location.
And the voice of an elderly, Middle-aged Man.
Those two voices echoed loudly across the campus beyond the window.
And many mages were stuck to the windows, looking out at the campus.
What on earth was happening?
Filled with curiosity, I looked out the window at the campus.
Two people were standing there.
Coincidentally, I knew both of them.
One was the suspicious Magical Girl who had come to return a car equipped with an Anti-gravity Engine not long ago.
The other was a man with immense authority in the field of fusing Mechanical Engineering and Magic Studies.
Magicanic. He was once a Hero, but now he is retired and living as a researcher—an authority in Magic Studies.
The two of them lunged at each other.
Even to someone like me, who has no connection to combat, the outcome seemed clear.
That Magical Girl, who had been the talk of the Geneva Branch lately, was a powerhouse with overwhelming strength by anyone's standards.
On the other hand, while Dr. Magicanic was once a Hero, he was now retired and focused primarily on research.
He must have been stronger than most mages since he once fought on the front lines, but now that he's retired…
With those thoughts, I watched the battle blankly.
My eyes followed the Magical Girl as she moved violently.
She leaped, wielding a hammer larger than her own body.
In the blink of an eye.
She had reached the edge of the campus.
It was a speed that made me suspect the middle of the process had been deleted, like a cut in a film.
While Dr. Magicanic moved a single step, she covered hundreds of times that distance.
By the time I realized it, her hammer was already mid-swing.
No matter how I looked at it, The Hammer was heavier than the Magical Girl's body weight. The thought that it was physically impossible flashed through my mind.
But she swung The Hammer as if such common sense didn't apply to her.
No, I couldn't even perceive the speed.
I only guessed that she had swung it.
And I worried about the impending disaster.
Since there was no way Dr. Magicanic could win, I hoped he wouldn't be seriously injured.
With that prayer, I looked toward the distance.
Toward the place where a blue light was shining.
"…."
There, a scene I hadn't expected unfolded.
The Hammer that defied logic was blocked.
By a simple Protective Force Field.
The Magic Circle that flickered for an instant indicated it wasn't any special magic.
A basic combat-type magic. Something even I could use in about a second.
How did he block that hammer with that?
The knowledge I had built up with such passion in the past flared up in my mind.
Driven by the desire to understand the phenomenon occurring before my eyes.
"What? I didn't need to go easy on you!"
The Magical Girl's voice, filled with joy, rang across the campus.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The Hammer swung.
At a speed where I could only perceive the swings through the sound and the shockwaves.
Unless one was a high-ranking Hero, they couldn't withstand it.
It was an attack akin to a natural disaster, yet…
Professor Magicanic, who was no longer a Hero, was blocking those attacks.
How? Just how?
My gaze intensified.
Mana rushed to my head.
A massive headache followed, but in exchange, I gained heightened perception.
I ignored the pain.
The only thing that mattered now was Professor Magicanic's movements.
The middle-aged mage's hand moved.
A small sphere.
A miniature grenade.
Likely an item containing a Protective Force Field.
That, too, was a common item.
A mundane magic-bestowed grenade.
A mundane Protective Force Field.
By my common sense, it was a basic item that couldn't possibly achieve anything.
However, I saw it.
It was only for a split second, but I will likely never forget that scene for the rest of my life.
In that extremely short window of time—the brief moment between gripping the grenade and throwing it—Professor Magicanic deployed Magic Circles.
From the perspective of Magic Studies, they were Magic Circles with extremely little significance.
Changing the internal structure of the grenade, altering the explosion timing, sequential magic manifestation.
Several other Magic Circles appeared in sequence besides those, but those were the only ones I could identify.
Magic circles that changed the structure and operation of a machine, rather than using pure magic.
…I feel like I've gained something.
And so, I stepped away from the window and left the room.
To confirm the passion that was burning anew within me.