The Academy Tournament?
That evening, Arina sat on the floor beneath the sofa where her uncle was lying down, eating dinner and chatting with Marily on the phone. At her friend's words, she tilted her head in confusion.
"What's that?"
Marily continued her explanation in response to Arina's question. As she listened to the lengthy explanation, Arina's eyes gradually filled with interest.
-So? You'll do it with us, right?
"Yes! I want to!"
There was no need to even ask. It was a competition that first-years normally had no chance of participating in. Of course, that in itself was special, but the fact that she could join such an event together with her friends felt even more meaningful to Arina.
-Then I'll tell Jeon it's a yes.
As if she'd known from the start that Arina would agree, Marily's soft chuckle came through the smartphone.
-I'll let you know the details once they're finalized.
"Okay, thanks."
With that, the call ended. But Arina couldn't hide her excitement. A bright smile spread across her face as she whipped her head toward Kain.
"Uncle! I've been chosen to compete in the Academy Tournament!"
I know. He'd overheard the entire conversation from right beside her. That's why Kain simply shifted his indifferent gaze from his smartphone to her without much of a response.
But as if she hadn't expected an answer from him in the first place, Arina kept talking.
"Marily said it's a tournament held once a year where representatives from every academy in the kingdom gather to compete against each other."
She rattled on about details he hadn't even asked about. Kain listened with one ear and let it go out the other, turning his head back toward his smartphone.
"Normally first-years can't participate, but apparently Jeon somehow got individual entry qualifications. Oh, and Jeon is..."
She really had become quite talkative over the past few months. To be precise, ever since she'd started attending Benedict Academy. Well, it meant the child's personality had grown brighter and more energetic, which was a positive development from a parenting perspective. But to Kain, it was simply annoying.
Without taking his eyes off his smartphone, he waited for Arina to finish speaking.
This is quite an interesting theory.
What Kain was currently reading on his phone was the latest issue of the Magic Tower's academic journal for this month. It covered new magic tool products, introductions to rising figures in the Tower, newly published papers, and interviews featuring expert-level mages' opinions from various perspectives. It was literally a compilation of all sorts of news from the past month, and the page Kain was focused on contained several published papers.
These were papers that mages and magic researchers submitted steadily even at this very moment. Among them, the most sensational and specially selected ones made it into this journal, which meant their quality was quite reliably guaranteed.
Although magic wasn't his primary field, Kain was confident he could overwhelm most expert-level mages with the theories in his head alone. Even so, he let out a low murmur of admiration.
Treating the magic circle itself as a single spell...
Normally, magic circles served as mediums for casting spells. They were a branch of magic used to store spells within objects like magic tools or artifacts, or to imprint them onto spaces such as the Ellemental Royal Palace or dungeons. It was magic primarily used by alchemists, and in a broad sense, magic circles could indeed be considered a type of spell.
And the mage who wrote this paper had drawn inspiration from exactly that point.
A spell that creates magic circles.
The process of drawing shapes and inscribing spell formulas within them. They had condensed that entire process and described it as one unified spell. At first glance, it seemed like they had added an unnecessary step, but if there were no advantages, the research wouldn't have progressed.
The advantage was that it allowed for free transformation of magic circles. Just as elemental mages who manipulate flames could change their fire into spheres or arrows, this enabled the shape and properties of fixed magic circles to be altered at will.
The potential applications were enormous. For example, one could store a magic circle in liquid form like a potion inside a bottle and spray it onto an object to instantly create a magic tool on the spot.
Right now it's still in the research phase, so they can only liquefy lower-level spells.
If the research progressed actively, it might become possible to liquefy even high-level magic. Of course, due to the nature of mana that returns to the natural world, it would quickly evaporate, turning into disposable magic tools. Still, the ability to personally create and use magic tools in whatever form one desired, rather than being limited to predetermined shapes, was an incredible merit.
If dark magic were applied, the effective lifespan could be extended quite a bit.
After all, dark mages were undoubtedly the best at handling wasted mana. Using dark magic could drastically reduce the amount of mana that dissipated. In many ways, it was a paper with tremendous potential for development. It certainly deserved to be published in the Magic Tower's academic journal.
The author of the paper is Savage Frankhorn.
He was one of the senior professors at Benedict Academy. And the person who assisted in writing this paper was Amy Pewter, a current member of Benedict Academy's student council.
With this level of ability, it's no surprise she made it.
She was only a third-year student, but the fact that she could help with such research showed she had quite an exceptional mind. It was already unusual for a third-year to join the student council, so perhaps she might even participate in that tournament thing the kid kept chattering about. After all, just like Marily, they would need at least one member to handle events outside of pure combat prowess.
Well, this was just Kain's baseless speculation after reading only this paper, so the chances of her not participating were probably higher.
"I need to work even harder so I don't hold the others back."
While Kain had been lost in his thoughts for a moment, Arina's long, long chatter finally showed signs of winding down. One of what Kain considered Arina's biggest problems was her overly considerate and introverted personality, which actually fueled her motivation.
She clenched both fists tightly, looking ready to dive into her spellbook at any moment as she steeled her resolve.
At least she seems to know exactly what she needs to do to improve.
In any field of study, balance between the three gods was crucial for advancement. The body—that is, the completion of one's stars. And the skill to handle energy, or mana. Those two were fine, but relatively speaking, her mental aspect was still immature.
When thinking about her development as a mage, she was in desperate need of cramming-style education that would stuff spell formulas into her head. If she could manage that to some degree, considering her talent, her abilities would improve by leaps and bounds.
She might even reach the peak of 3-star before the end of her first year.
After all, adding a new star was difficult, but filling it wasn't particularly hard. And affinity was the talent that shone brightest in that process.
Thinking that, Kain lightly tapped his smartphone. A moment later, Arina's phone rang. The text he had sent while sitting right next to her contained a list of several book titles.
"They're in the study, so take them to your room. And don't try to understand them for now. Read them with the mindset of memorizing every single letter without missing anything."
Understanding and application could come later. For now, they needed to fill the empty warehouse first. Knowledge, once stored in the mind, would inevitably lead to a moment of understanding someday. He didn't know about others, but at least that's how Kain had built up his own realm.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
Arina jumped up from her seat and dashed straight toward the study.
Finally, some quiet.
With Arina gone, only the humming of the air conditioner filled the living room. Left alone, Kain let out a big yawn. Then, without bothering to fix his slipping glasses, he set his smartphone aside and closed his eyes.
His breathing gradually became even. Unlike Arina, who had ended her long rest and was preparing to run forward again, his own rest showed no signs of ending anytime soon.
His heart was trembling uncontrollably. An overwhelming sense of anxiety flooded in. It was impossible to suppress the unease, as if he were a prisoner facing execution the very next day.
What exactly should I do for him?
Ever since meeting Kain, Karlsen had stayed up all night pondering, but no good plan came to mind. The dark circles under his eyes were twice as deep as usual, yet the insomnia that had swallowed him whole prevented him from even recognizing his own fatigue.
In the end, is the only option to throw myself back into the underworld?
The only thing that came to mind was throwing himself into the underworld once more. Currently, the underworld was filled with a tense atmosphere of impending war. Since he knew of Jealousy's existence, if he asked him, he could make contact with Pride. And since Karlsen was a fairly skilled 7-star mage, Pride would likely utilize him in the right place if asked.
If he did that, eventually he might be able to prove his worth to the Death King.
But there was only one reason Karlsen hadn't done so. It was because while he respected the Death King, he didn't particularly want to get involved with the underworld.
His current life was far happier than when he had briefly worked in the underworld in the past. Watching the young sprouts of the future grow was more enjoyable than killing people. This was a world where there were far more things one could do in the light rather than the darkness, and Karlsen genuinely loved his position as a new professor.
He might feel differently if he grew tired of it later, but honestly, he didn't want to belong to the underworld right now.
The problem, however, was that outside of the underworld, it was extremely difficult to be of help to Kain. After all, the underworld was a colossal force comparable to an entire nation.
There was nothing Karlsen could do that the underworld couldn't, and nothing the underworld couldn't do that Karlsen could.
Just when an opportunity to fulfill a dream I've only cherished in my heart has arrived...
Should he just go crazy and charge in? He'd considered that too, but expecting Kain to kindly kill him with a curse was far too hopeful a wish. Even without using dark magic, Kain could crush him with pressure from the mana of the negative dimension alone, and he'd die before long.
Ziiiing.
At that moment, the smartphone Karlsen had placed on his desk began to vibrate. Was it another spam call? Since no one ever called him except for spam, that's what he naturally assumed. But contrary to his expectations, when he saw the name "Student Jeon" displayed on the screen, Karlsen's eyes widened.
Splash.
Ah, for the first time in his teaching career, a student had called him first. He could die without regrets now.
"Hello?"
With trembling, bony fingers filled with emotion, Karlsen pressed the call button and brought the phone to his ear.
"What? A club?"
And at Karlsen's tearful voice, Jeon continued speaking, unable to hide his awkward tone. Karlsen quickly tilted his head in confusion.
"The Academy Tournament? Ah, Lady Julia gave him individual participation qualifications?"
So, Jeon wanted to create a club to prepare for it and was asking if Karlsen could serve as the club's faculty advisor.
-Would it be possible to ask for your help?
"Yes, of course. I'd be happy to assist."
It was the first request a student had ever made to him. And it was to become the advisor for the club they were creating. An achievement even Professor Vivaldi hadn't accomplished. Now he had something to tease others about after the semester started.
"Have the members been decided?"
-It'll be me, Togun, Marily Raymond, and Arina Grant.
At those words, Karlsen's eyes sparkled. Arina was participating?
The Death King cherished Student Arina.
Then, if he devoted himself wholeheartedly to taking care of her, wouldn't that be a way to prove his usefulness to the Death King? The dilemma that had been blocking him was resolved in an instant.
"Yes, understood! I'll do my absolute best to help you all win the championship!"
His enthusiasm was tremendous. Perhaps even more than Jeon, who had resolved to win the tournament from the very first event.
"I'll take care of all the club registration paperwork. You all just need to show up."
That only made him more anxious. Because he didn't know why Karlsen was suddenly so motivated.
"The heavens haven't abandoned me!"
Before Jeon could stop him, Karlsen hung up the phone. He looked up at the fluorescent light and clasped his hands together reverently. Then, finally feeling the accumulated fatigue, he collapsed backward as if fainting.
Ziiiing. Ziiiing. Ziiiing.
From beside the deeply sleeping Karlsen, only the smartphone displaying "Student Jeon" continued to vibrate pitifully.