Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Can You Solve It? (2)
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Aphria Academy does not discriminate by status.
Inside the academy, no matter who you are, you are evaluated as a mage.
You might receive respect and awe based on your external position...
but that doesn't translate into privileges.
'That's why they made us go through all this complicated procedure.'
Even if you're a Mage Tower Lord, there are no exceptions.
The White Mage Tower Lord, Celi Debella, grumbled as she hurried along. The rules for a single visit were absurdly numerous, and even after applying, it had taken nearly a month for approval.
Clack, clack.
Her footsteps were rushed.
She had no time to worry about her usual image. Every minute and second was precious.
Thud, thud.
Those footsteps weren't alone.
The White Lord frowned and glanced back. As if he'd been waiting, the man shrugged.
"What, got something to say? White."
Black Mage Tower Lord, Yetual.
Glare at the fellow Tower Lord who'd applied to visit with her, and the White Lord clicked her tongue briefly.
"...Slippery old snake."
"Our age difference is just a year or two, you foxy old hag."
"I'm a fresh twenty-something."
"Bullshit. White. I hear a tenth of the White Mage Tower's monthly research budget goes to the elixirs you drink."
"Shut it, Black."
Tsk, frowning, the White Lord turned her head away.
Clack, clack.
The floor echoed under her shoe heels.
Thud, thud.
Footsteps in soft shoes followed behind. It seemed he planned to tag along all the way.
"......"
The White Lord frowned. The sound sticking right behind her was incredibly irritating.
"Stop following me."
"Paranoid much? Why would I want to follow you, White?"
"...I'm going to see Professor Lania."
"What a coincidence. Me too."
"Stop following me, Black."
"You stop following me, White."
Grumbling all the while, they headed to the professor's office.
Many students stared at them. They ignored the buzzing whispers.
They just quickened their pace, brushing them off.
No time to deal with kids.
'Elder Rosel teaches from 2 to 4 p.m., right?'
They had only two hours.
Not much time to contact the girl while avoiding that finicky elder's gaze.
'Lania van Trias.'
Chewing on the name, the White Lord smacked her lips.
She hadn't forgotten that glimpse of truth she'd seen that day.
'Annoying that Black's visit overlaps...'
Actually, it was a good thing.
A chance to show the girl that White was superior to Black.
How long had they walked with those thoughts?
-Mana Trading Studies Lab.
They stopped in front of the professor's office.
The door was open, not closed. But they didn't enter rashly.
The scene visible beyond the door.
That held their feet in place.
"...Black."
The White Lord slowly opened her mouth.
"...What the hell is that?"
"Looks like... she's drawing circuits."
"That?"
They stared blankly into the office.
Dozens of sheets of paper floated in the air.
Hundreds of characters darted between them.
Hundreds of characters hovering in midair.
Characters they knew well.
'Rune letters.'
The most fundamental language, called that.
Those letters swirled in the air. Someone pulled them one by one to use.
A girl sitting alone in the office.
Ash-gray hair fluttered in the breeze.
Blue eyes fixed only on the hovering letters.
Lania van Trias.
The girl swung her finger.
Letters moved following her finger.
Letters became words.
Words became sentences.
Sentences became circuits.
The completed circuits settled onto paper.
Papers with recorded circuits stacked neatly on one side of the table.
The papers filling the office decreased one by one. When all had settled into place.
"Hm?"
Only then did the girl look toward the door.
"What can I do for you?"
* * *
Celi and Yetual sat at the girl's invitation. Sipping the coffee she'd personally brewed, Celi recalled her purpose here.
'...I came to ask about the pinnacle I saw at that lecture.'
But such questions didn't matter now.
Her gaze went not to the girl before her, but to the stack of papers in the corner of the table.
"......"
And Black was the same.
Finally, Celi spoke up.
"Hey."
She pointed to the stack in the corner.
"What are those?"
"Pardon?"
"You were just inscribing rune letters. Those. Is that your research?"
The girl picked up a sheet.
"This, you mean?"
"Yes."
"It's the midterm exam."
"...What?"
Celi doubted her ears.
Circuits inscribed with runes were just midterm exams?
'What nonsense is this?'
What a waste.
At this point, it made her question the exams themselves. Celi reached for the paper.
Whoosh.
The girl moved the paper she held aside.
Celi narrowed her eyes and glared at the girl.
"...Can't I take a look?"
"I heard you're not supposed to leak exam papers."
"You think I'd leak exams? Ha, come on..."
She reached out with a hollow laugh, but the girl moved the paper again. Celi's hand grasped at air.
"Argh, seriously! I won't!"
"How can I trust that?"
"Want me to cast a Silence spell? That serious?"
In the end, she had to go that far.
"......"
Celi eyed the contract before her with mixed feelings. Annoying, but she wanted to see that exam more.
"Sigh..."
Exhaling, Celi took the pen.
"Well, it's a huge breach of etiquette, but... for a mage of your caliber, I can overlook this much..."
"You signed it. Mind if I take a look too?"
"Don't interrupt me."
Glared at Black, who'd snatched the exam first. Whatever, the girl nodded to Black and asked.
"How much time do you need?"
"I'd like a generous ten minutes..."
"Five minutes is plenty for me."
Celi spoke before he finished, aware of Black's glare, and shrugged.
"Time to prove the White Mage Tower's superiority over Black."
"...Do we have to do this after coming all the way here?"
"Do what?"
Black furrowed his brow.
"Anyway, age-appropriate behavior..."
"Whatever. Let's see the exam? Ten minutes okay? Why not thirty, nice and generous?"
Taking the exam, White smiled.
"Solve it within the time and return it."
The girl placed enchanted hourglasses before them. Set to five and ten minutes respectively.
Swish.
Watching the sand start to fall, Celi leisurely eyed the problems. She had reason for the leisure.
'Curious about rune circuits, but anyway, these are for students, right?'
Aphria was prestigious, but still an academy for students with less than ten years of magic study.
'That level, whatever.'
Five minutes was too much. She planned to finish in three. Celi looked at the exam.
As expected, the first problem took less than ten seconds. Basic knowledge. Jotted the answer lightly and moved on.
And then.
"......"
From there, Celi felt something off.
The second took thirty seconds. No instant answer. Mental math failed, so she pulled out a pen.
Third problem.
A circuit filling half the page.
Couldn't grasp the threads at a glance. Pen moved quickly. Dismantled step by step.
One minute passed.
Disassembled fully, but no answer.
Another minute.
Barely found it. Jotting it down, Celi glanced at the hourglass. Half the sand was gone.
'...This isn't right.'
Celi narrowed her eyes.
Fourth problem. No different from the third. But messier circuit.
Swish.
Sand kept falling.
Celi's pen raced over the paper. Margins filled with calculations.
'Something.'
Layered calculations.
Simple parts done mentally. Shortened where possible.
'Something's off.'
Cold sweat beaded on Celi's forehead.
And then.
Plop.
The last sand fell.
"Time's up. Hand it over."
"Uh, uh?"
The girl grabbed the paper's edge.
Celi instinctively held on. The girl narrowed her eyes at Celi.
"...What?"
"Uh, well, you were cocky at first? Just ten more seconds..."
"No. Hand it over."
The girl snatched it firmly.
Celi stared blankly at the paper.
'This, this isn't right.'
She'd never imagined such a scene.
Celi whipped her head around. Black beside her was still solving.
Scrape.
Pulled a chair next to Black.
Tried to peek, but Black raised his arm, blocking the problems.
"You...!"
Celi tugged his sleeve.
Black looked at her pitifully.
"Don't interfere, go sit over there, White."
"Don't be petty, let's look together!"
"Weren't you going to prove White's superiority?"
"Eek, aaagh...!"
Not backing down, Black finally raised his hand.
"Proctor, this woman's disturbing the exam."
"Yes. I'll handle it."
"Wha, what? Wait, let go. No!"
Celi's chair spun.
Scrape, mana-moved chair faced the wall.
"Ha, unbelievable. I just wanted a peek! Let me go!"
The chair didn't budge. Celi had to face the wall until the exam ended.
2.
Black Mage Tower Lord Yetual eyed the hourglass.
Ten minutes nearly up. A minute left, but three problems remained.
6th, 7th, 8th.
Eying the last three, Yetual smiled wryly.
He'd known Lania van Trias was an extraordinary mage. But...
'Never imagined this level.'
This exceeded imagination.
The completion of the 5th problem he'd just solved made Yetual stick out his tongue. Clean and straightforward enough to take back to Black Tower.
'No complex calculations. No high-level math needed. Stays true to basics.'
Problems get hard and complex.
But anyone mastering basic circuit solving could do it.
'These three, though... different.'
Yetual tapped his pen.
No clue how to approach these three. Felt like the Magic Society's monthly challenges.
Finally, Yetual set the exam down.
"That's it for me. Can't do more."
"Yes, understood."
The girl took the exam.
Glanced over and answered briefly.
"All solved problems correct."
"Good to hear."
Yetual sighed, setting down his pen.
Overworked his brain for ten minutes—felt hollow.
'Still, way more than White. Good enough.'
Savoring that small satisfaction, Yetual said the girl's name.
"Professor Lania?"
"Yes?"
"This being midterms... that wasn't a lie, was it?"
Yetual smiled wryly.
Then whispered lowly.
"If it was to irk the White Lord you dislike, it worked. Still fuming at the wall."
"Pardon?"
"Tricked White saying students could solve it. Clever."
He'd seen through it early, so leisurely took ten minutes. No way rune-inscribed problems were mere student exams.
'Obviously for Magic Society submission.'
No way students could solve these. Monthly challenge material.
'Mages obsessed with circuits would go mad.'
Sure to sell for a fortune.
Hm, nodding, when.
"Pardon?"
The girl tilted her head, puzzled.
"They really are midterm problems."
"...What?"
She handed Yetual the top sheet from the stack.
-Mana Trading Studies Basics (Midterms).
-Examiner: Lania van Trias.
So titled.
Yetual checked below.
"......"
The problems he'd sweated over were printed there.
"...Professor Lania?"
"Yes?"
"Serious advice..."
Brief silence, then Yetual spoke.
"Maybe lower the difficulty a bit..."
Author's Note (Afterword)
On Monday, I took a practical exam for my design class.
It's a class I'm taking to make up credits since I missed a major.
Basically, bring something you made.
Not even design major, pure liberal arts background—no artistic talent whatsoever :D
Still, determined to make something, I bought random stuff and glued it together.
Used instant glue then.
Squeezed hard, and glue splattered.
Splattered onto my fingers. Unaware, fiddled with wood pieces.
Realized when middle and index fingers were beautifully coated in instant glue...
It hurts a lot :(
Fingers feel rough.
So sad......
A day swearing never to use instant glue again...