The Nubis Equation
There exists a saying in the world. To achieve greatness in their respective fields, warriors need strong bodies, mages need sharp minds, spirit mages need good temperaments, and supernatural ability users need good luck. As for dark mages, they can only reach the pinnacle if everything about them is strangely twisted. From a mage's perspective, this ultimately meant that magic was a profession only those with exceptional intellect could pursue.
“At this point, to easily unravel this formula, Horo Nubis devised the ‘Nubis Equation.’ Based on this, if we interpret the formula, it becomes possible to substitute x² into the denominator……”
That was precisely why such an absurd situation was unfolding in reality. The average admission age at Benedict Academy was around twelve to fifteen. Normally, this was the age when students were just beginning to grasp the basics and dip their toes into fundamental mathematical formulas. Yet their homeroom teacher and professor of “Formula Theory,” Spencer Magnus, had assumed they had already mastered all of that and launched straight into advanced theory from the very first class.
Watching Professor Magnus, who had now begun drawing graphs on the blackboard, Arina felt as though the world was spinning before her eyes. This is impossible.
Arina was a 2-star mage. But that was not because she possessed an exceptionally sharp mind or outstanding formula calculation ability. It was possible solely because she had a talent that every practitioner of magic and all other academic disciplines coveted: an affinity for mana. In short, even without magic, she possessed the kind of talent that could have led her to greatness in another field. If one were to evaluate her aptitude, it might be more accurate to say that spirit magic suited her better than magic itself.
The reason she had chosen magic as her path was simply because she had been born in the Ellemental Kingdom and naturally developed an interest in it.
“The interesting part of the Nubis Equation is right here. When you convert the formula into a graph like this and substitute the equation in reverse, this shape appears.”
No, it was not interesting at all. This was far too different from Professor Karlsen’s first class, which had begun with light conversation before easing into the material. This was textbook FM—rigid, thorough rote education that crammed dense theory directly into their heads. Now she understood why Marily had shuddered at the mere sight of this professor during their first meeting.
“Hmm-hmm~”
Yet despite that, unlike Arina, Marily was following Professor Magnus’s lesson with effortless ease. She rested her chin on her hand, humming a tune as she gazed at the blackboard without even taking notes. At a glance, it might have seemed as though she had completely zoned out, but whenever Arina got stuck, Marily would somehow notice and silently write out the solution in detail with her pen. It was clear she understood everything perfectly.
In contrast to Arina, she had yet to even reach 1-star, but she possessed the innate talent of a true mage. She was the living embodiment of what it meant to be a mage.
I even studied theory books before the entrance exam……
After the Grant Department Store incident, she had realized her shortcomings and belatedly tried to catch up on formula theory. Now, it seemed that realization had come far too late.
Still, it’s a relief I studied even that much.
Arina felt the urge to praise her past self for being able to keep up even to this extent, all because she had studied beforehand.
I need to work even harder.
True to her diligent nature, she resolved to be even more thorough with her preview and review going forward. If Kain had known, he would have sighed at the thought of being forced to help her every time she encountered something she did not understand.
“Ugh……”
Meanwhile, it seemed Arina was not the only one struggling in this dire situation. Though Arina was too focused on the blackboard to notice, sighs and groans were already escaping from various seats behind her.
“Aaaah!”
The most prominent example was Togun Masao, who had declared his grand ambitions on the very first day. Unable to keep up with the lesson, despair filled his eyes as he stared at the erasing blackboard.
“Here, take this.”
At that moment, a small act of kindness came from beside him, just as Marily had done for Arina.
“Copy it down quickly. If you fall behind now, you’ll be buried under everything that follows.”
A middle-aged man who stood out conspicuously among the early-to-mid teens. Appearing well past his thirties, the man gave a small chuckle at the moved expression on Togun’s face as the boy looked up at him.
Cute.
Though he was busy with work and had married late, now raising a six-year-old, if he had married earlier, he might already have had a son this age. Heming waved his hand dismissively as if it were nothing and continued taking notes. Seeing this, Togun quickly pulled himself together and focused on Professor Magnus’s lesson once more.
“That concludes today’s class.”
“Phew!”
Finally, the long, grueling class ended, and the students collapsed onto their desks as if their souls had been drained.
“Next class, we’ll do a brief review of today’s material before moving straight into the next section, so make sure to study hard. I’ve uploaded all of today’s content to the app, so download it if you need it.”
He was strict. Was this really the same person who had emphasized the importance of dreams on the first day? At this rate, instead of finding their dreams over the year, they would be buried alive under nothing but studying.
“Marily, I didn’t quite understand this part earlier.”
“Ah, yeah, the professor skipped quite a bit there, assuming everyone already knew it. So in this section, this formula is used as the base first……”
“Oh, I see!”
While the other students sank into gloom at the thought of dying over the coming year, Arina was already reviewing as Professor Magnus had instructed, alongside Marily. As the other children prepared to leave now that class was over, Togun turned to Heming with a tired face.
“Thank you for today.”
“It was nothing, really.”
It truly had been nothing. Because he was used to keeping the books by hand at his restaurant, he prided himself on writing faster than most. Having dreamed of becoming a mage for so long, he had also studied magic theory whenever he had spare time. It was only natural that he had some advantage over the others. Offering a small kindness under those circumstances was genuinely nothing to him.
Days like this won’t last much longer, though.
Heming had entered the academy late precisely because he lacked talent. His wife had supported his long-held passion for magic by allowing him to attend, but balancing it with running the restaurant in the evenings was proving difficult. Right now, his prior studying gave him an edge to help others, but it was only a matter of time before Togun and the others caught up. He felt no jealousy—he had enrolled purely out of love for magic, with no grand ambitions of becoming a great mage—but a faint bitterness was unavoidable.
“Do you have a moment? I’d like to buy you a drink to thank you properly.”
“It’s fine. My wife’s busy handling the lunch rush alone right now, so I need to get back. I also have to stop by the kindergarten.”
“Ah……”
Togun let out a disappointed sound at his words, but his eyes soon sparkled as he continued.
“Do you run a restaurant? Would it be okay if I visited sometime?”
It must have been difficult for him to speak to someone so much older. What a kind-hearted boy.
“Anytime.”
His wife had been worried he might feel isolated because of his age. Now he had something to brag about to her—a new young friend.
Heming nodded with a pleased smile at Togun’s words.
＊＊＊
I need to work even harder.
Professor Magnus’s class today had been another source of motivation for Arina. A lesson that had made her painfully aware of her own shortcomings. That was why, unlike the other students heading home, she headed to the academy library with Marily.
Kain’s study contained plenty of miscellaneous books, but most of them were things he had bought on a whim. There were barely any basic theory books worth reading, so she had come here to borrow something suitable.
“Whoa……”
The towering bookshelves, rising three full stories high, drew an involuntary gasp from her lips. Spiral staircases wound upward, and countless bookshelves lined the walls in long rows, all connected together until they reached the chandelier-shaped lights hanging from the high ceiling.
“This is the very pinnacle of inefficiency.”
Unlike Arina, who was awestruck by the sight, Marily’s face was filled with dissatisfaction toward the library’s design.
“It would have been far better to divide the second and third floors and place desks and chairs between them so more people could sit and study. With desks and chairs only on the first floor, anyone whose books are on the upper floors has to keep climbing the stairs all the way to the third floor.”
Utterly impractical. A building designed purely for aesthetics. It would have been better if they had at least installed an elevator, but apparently the designer had found even that aesthetically unacceptable.
“Who was it that said magic is a profession for people with good heads? If someone saw mages-to-be suffering like this in a library like this, they would mock us mercilessly.”
“……”
“No, perhaps that perspective itself is narrow-minded. After all, the pinnacle of spirit magic, which supposedly requires a good temperament to master, is none other than the most willful and hot-tempered Empress.”
There was not a shred of respect in her tone toward the supreme being. Arina flinched and glanced around nervously at her words. This was the princess of the Ellemental Kingdom?
“According to the Majoan, once such a willful existence became the leader of the natural world, it already proved that spirit mages do not necessarily have good temperaments.”
But Marily merely shrugged shamelessly and continued speaking. Honestly, dividing people by profession and personality was meaningless. As she spoke, Marily took Arina’s hand and led her deeper into the library.
“Let’s see. The areas you’re lacking in right now are……”
Thanks to the sound-dampening magic installed throughout the library that suppressed vibrations in the air and prevented sound from spreading, they could converse relatively freely as Marily stacked several books into Arina’s arms.
“I noticed you were a bit weak in this area during class. Ah, and I thought this part could use some supplementing as well……”
Did this princess spend the entire class just observing me?
Arina watched Marily climb up and down the stairs with a highly plausible suspicion. Of course, she was not upset. If anything, she was moved that she had a friend willing to go this far for her.
Now that I think about it, I keep receiving help from her.
She felt guilty for no reason. Of course, if Marily had read her mind, she would have laughed heartily and said, “What nonsense is the person who saved my life spouting?”
Tap, tap.
Just how far had she gone? While Arina stood waiting for Marily, who had disappeared from view, someone lightly tapped her shoulder. When she turned, a finger poked her cheek.
“Ah, it really is Student Arina.”
Just how old was this joke? Someone else might have gotten angry, but Arina stepped back with an awkward expression and bowed her head toward the suddenly appeared Professor Karlsen.
“Hello.”
“Yes, good to see you. Are you here to study?”
Up close, his dark circles looked even deeper on his gloomy face. He was clearly trying to smile so as not to make her nervous, but the expression only amplified his ominous aura.
“Ah, yes.”
But Arina knew all too well that he was a professor with a kind heart. Look at him now—remembering her name. If he could recognize her from behind alone, it meant he had memorized the names and faces of most students in his class. Perhaps this was his own way of showing passion for his profession.
“Judging by the books you’re holding, they must be related to Professor Magnus’s lecture.”
Most of them were books on formula theory. As a new professor who had not graduated from this academy, he did not know much, but he vaguely remembered hearing rumors about Professor Magnus. It was mostly because the other new professor, Professor Clara, had gathered and shared rumors about the other faculty.
“Good luck. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can always go ask Professor Magnus directly. I hear that no matter how busy he is, if a student comes to him, he’ll drop everything to explain.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Arina bowed again, grateful for his sincere goodwill. Then her gaze happened to fall on the books he was carrying.
Footsteps of the Death King.
Who is the Death King Dark Heaven?
The Death King’s Satisfying Revenge Against the Empress: A Full Chronicle.
Every single book was related to the Death King. Come to think of it, this professor had said dying at the hands of the Death King was his dream. A die-hard fan of the Death King—his words back then had been one hundred percent genuine, not a joke.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Study hard.”
“Yes, you too, Professor.”
She did not show it, but as she watched Professor Karlsen’s retreating figure, information about him quietly accumulated in Arina’s mind.