CHAPTER 117
CHAPTER 117
The Professors’ Stubbornness
When Idnia recited the activation word, the black iron wand vanished and then appeared in her grasp.
It had not flown over—it had disappeared entirely and reappeared.
“Eh!?”
“Oh?”
Not only the watching students, but even Magram and the assistants were startled.
“Selective teleportation? That’s impossible! But….”
Fiona was flustered.
Confident in magic as she was, a retrieval spell using teleportation was something beyond what a first-year like her could dare to attempt.
“No, that’s not it. She assigned a spirit attribute to it.”
“Pardon?”
Instead of Fiona, Lorenzo recognized Idnia’s magic and marveled at it.
“She temporarily assigned the wand the attribute of an air spirit so that it would be mistaken for one, then sent it back through reverse summoning into the air spirit realm.
And then re-summoned it. By linking a Wizard Mark spell with reverse summoning and re-summoning, she crossed spatial boundaries using summoning magic instead of a high-level teleportation spell. Truly the essence of summoning magic. Incredible.”
“So that means….”
“Yes. She doesn’t seem to be in good condition lately, but she still pulled it off brilliantly.”
Lorenzo accurately grasped the method Idnia had used and was impressed.
‘What’s even more astonishing is that it was improvisation.
Lady Idnia had originally intended to use a normal air spirit summoning method. But to suddenly switch to such an advanced technique… Was it due to her poor condition? The professor did mention her pulse-type magical circuit.’
At that moment, someone began applauding.
“Marvelous! Fantastico! Absolutely splendid, Idnia student! Truly remarkable!”
Magram was clapping. He had immediately understood why Idnia had abruptly changed her method.
“That was an ability far beyond what one would expect from a first-year.
I will award you 3 points. Honestly, I think you deserved more, but this was something I intended to show as an assignment in my next class… Putting that aside, you still seem to be struggling with your pulse-type magical circuit. If you are interested, I can offer my services at a reasonable price.”
Magram had instantly seen through why Idnia had changed her casting method.
Even while giving points, he didn’t seem particularly pleased. Knowing the reason behind her struggles and the solution, yet trying to profit from it, left a bitter impression.
With this, Idnia’s personal score also reached 11 points, tying with Karl for the lead.
Afterward, other students attempted their spells, but none were able to properly execute even the spirit summoning method.
From that, everyone came to understand just how difficult it was to remotely summon a spirit to retrieve an object.
And the ability to improvise and modify a spell on the fly like Idnia… required an extraordinary level of skill.
After Magram’s class ended, Idnia was finally able to catch her breath.
“Phew. I somehow managed to get through the class, but this pulse-type magical circuit is troubling. This is clearly….”
In the original story, the villainess Idnia had no restrictions when using magic.
Unless one heavily invested resources, the top rank of the year would be hers alone—she possessed power that simply could not be matched.
She truly was a boss character.
In theory or in practice, she possessed overwhelming magical talent in every aspect.
Yet for some reason, the current Idnia was afflicted with the issue of a pulse-type magical circuit.
Her talent was more than sufficient to instantaneously transform spells, yet this one problem held her back.
‘The original Idnia didn’t have a pulse-type magical circuit… So why am I the only one experiencing this? Well, there are plenty of suspicious factors, so I’m not particularly curious about the cause.’
Most likely, the reason was that Idnia was an otherworldly being—essentially someone who had been possessed.
“Magram seems to know the answer… but I feel like he’d just end up charging me.”
So Idnia headed to Vuremhyde’s research room.
“Hm? Idnia student?”
Vuremhyde, who had been sitting in his research room reading a book, shrugged slightly as Idnia entered.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, well… do you happen to know about pulse-type magical circuits?”
“Pulse-type magical circuits, you say? Hmm? That’s an interesting question for a student.”
Vuremhyde closed the book he was reading and pushed a basket of bread toward Idnia.
Inside were fresh brioche and flaxseed sweet rolls that could not compare to the simple biscuits from the dormitory cafeteria.
“There’s tea as well. So, why are you asking about pulse-type magical circuits?”
“Ah, I think I might have one.”
“Hm? Ah, I see. So Magram said he would teach you in exchange for money?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, he contacted me just now via telepathy. He said he’ll be charging for it, so not to teach you.”
“……”
“Would you like some tea?”
With a snap of his fingers, a cup and teapot floated through the air and poured warm black tea in front of Idnia.
“Ah, thank you. Please add plenty of milk.”
Idnia did not hesitate, reaching for the bread basket and requesting milk in her tea.
“……”
Idnia explained that she had a pulse-type magical circuit and that it caused difficulty in casting magic.
“Just as Magram said, this is a personal issue of a student rather than something related to teaching duties. But… why should I care about that… ah, right. You are the head of the Wizard Ball club.”
Vuremhyde clicked his tongue as he realized Idnia’s position.
“Cast a spell in front of me. It’s fine. I have no intention of criticizing students for casting poor magic. I’m simply diagnosing. Surely I wouldn’t fault a newly admitted student for something as natural as casting imperfect magic.”
“…What should I cast?”
“Throw a Flash Ball.”
“A Flash Ball?”
“You know the theory, I assume? It’s not a particularly difficult spell.”
“Yes, of course.”
Idnia held the ball and hesitated briefly. They were inside a professor’s research room.
“You want me to throw it here?”
“Yes. I’m not judging the throw itself—just the casting. A simple toss will do.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Idnia stepped back and lightly tossed the ball toward Vuremhyde.
As she attempted to gather mana, her magical circuit failed to properly boot, and the spell did not activate correctly.
“Hmm. I see.”
Vuremhyde caught the ball Idnia threw and nodded.
“It’s not like the headmaster’s case, so that’s a relief.”
“Pardon?”
“Headmaster Ludwig also suffered from a pulse-type magical circuit.
I believe he overcame that fate by becoming a vampire… Fortunately, in your case, it seems to be caused by another factor rather than an inherent condition.”
“I see. Could you explain the difference in detail?”
“I do like Wizard Ball, but that doesn’t mean I’ll do everything just because of it.
This aligns with my educational philosophy as well. I encourage students to solve problems using their own abilities. Rather than feeding them, it’s better to teach them how to hunt, wouldn’t you agree?
Magram asked for permission, but my principle is the same.”
“Everyone in this academy is quite stubborn.”
Idnia muttered in disbelief at Vuremhyde’s refusal to help for free.
In a place like Earth, complaints from parents would never stop.
Of course, in that case, the complainants’ lives could not be guaranteed.
“Being forced into labor while imprisoned means we must be stubborn to some extent. Now then, I’ll cast a resolution spell on you. This should help you manage your pulse-type magical circuit to some degree.”
Vuremhyde cast a spell on Idnia.
It was too complex to understand just by observing, but Idnia could feel mana flowing smoothly through her body.
“What is this?”
“With this, you should be able to use magic even with a pulse-type circuit. However, it’s only temporary, so don’t assume it will permanently cure you.”
“Pardon?”
“Try casting the Flash Ball again.”
“…Yes.”
Idnia grumbled internally.
While Vuremhyde was helping her because of Wizard Ball, he had no intention of providing a full solution.
That intention was quite clear.
At this point, it might have been better to simply pay Magram and resolve it that way.
“Alright then.”
When Idnia cast the Flash Ball spell and threw the ball, a loud explosion and flash erupted.
“Hm? An explosion?”
Vuremhyde caught the ball in surprise.
“Yes. I thought adding an explosion would be better.”
While a standard Flash Ball only produces a flash, Idnia had modeled hers after a flashbang used on Earth, incorporating an explosion as well.
“Hm, excellent. As expected of your talent. I look forward to tomorrow’s match.”
“Ah. The match is tomorrow already?”
“Yes. I’m expecting it. Idnia, if you win tomorrow’s match, I will extend the duration of this spell. So do your best.”
“…Even without that condition, I was planning to win, but hearing you say that makes me feel less motivated.”
While Magram and Vuremhyde were both stubborn, Idnia also had her own strong will.
“Still, wasn’t I more helpful than Magram? If you win the 4th league season championship this year, I will resolve your pulse-type magical circuit issue.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t like it. I have my own pride.”
Idnia pushed back against Vuremhyde’s provocation and stepped away.
“Oh, I’ll take more of this.”
Idnia reached into the bread basket and took as much as she could carry.
Idnia tried to analyze the spell Vuremhyde had cast on her, but it was thoroughly obstructed with countermeasures designed precisely to prevent reverse engineering.
No matter how much of a boss-level villainess she was, she could not match Vuremhyde in magical skill.
‘Well, I’ll just be satisfied with being able to use magic.
Next Wizard Ball match… I must win. But I was already planning to win, so being pressured like this is irritating. No matter how much is said, they never seem to understand.’
After meeting Vuremhyde, Idnia headed to the cafeteria for lunch.
However, the students there were in an uproar.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, Idnia-sama.”
Mary, who had arrived earlier, greeted Idnia.
“They say it’s gotten worse.”
“Pardon? How could it get worse than before?”
“That’s what everyone’s been surprised about.”
“So it really is possible for it to get worse… Fascinating. At that point, you’d want to try it yourself to confirm.”
“Yes. That’s actually why I’m waiting as well.”
Mary was also waiting.
Indeed, at the news that the food had become even worse, all the students had gathered out of curiosity, and the cafeteria was completely full.
“Eugh! Blegh!”
“What is this!?”
Students who tasted the food reacted in horror, throwing what remained into the trash and quickly leaving, causing the line to clear rapidly.
And now it was finally Idnia and Mary’s turn.