Temporary Measures and Min Hayoung's Root Cause of Failure
The problem wasn't the magic itself. It looked like the circuits embedded inside the sleeve were the issue. Red lines resembling embroidery ran from her wrist all the way to her elbow. On the surface they seemed like mere decoration, but in reality they were circuits designed to support magical output. It was an expensive robe. The material was high quality and the circuits themselves were intricately crafted. The only problem was that it didn't suit Min Hayoung at all.
"Examination suspended!" the supervisor shouted. The examinees flinched and stepped back in surprise. Min Hayoung clutched her right arm, grinding her teeth. The unstable flow of magic through the sleeve's circuits was clearly visible. The circuits that were supposed to stabilize her magic were instead forcibly suppressing her output. Every time her power surged, instead of gently receiving it, the circuits crammed it into a rigid frame. No wonder it was overloading.
If left like this, it wouldn't end with a simple magical failure. The robe's circuits would explode, twisting the spell along with them. The robe would burn, and her arm could very well get injured too.
"It's dangerous, so please step back," a staff member beside me blocked my path.
I kept my eyes fixed on the training ground and said, "If that isn't fixed right now, it'll become even more dangerous."
"Pardon?"
"The robe's circuits are barely holding on. If you don't do something, they'll eventually burst even if not right this moment."
Down below, the supervisor was preparing a barrier. His judgment wasn't wrong. If an explosion occurred, it needed to be blocked. However, a barrier couldn't prevent the circuits from rupturing in the first place. But I thought I could intervene before it blew.
I placed my hand on the railing of the viewing platform. What needed to be cut wasn't the flame magic circle. The immediate priority was the overloaded circuit. I focused the power that the original Seo Yirin had used to tear apart barriers on the battlefield—the very ability the royal family had desperately wanted to keep hold of—onto a single sleeve.
-Tuk.
A small sound came from the end of Min Hayoung's right sleeve. To the naked eye, it looked like nothing more than a single embroidery thread snapping. But in that instant, one line of the unstable circuit broke. The magic that had been forcibly contained by the robe was released just a little.
I immediately moved on to the second line. This time, instead of cutting, I connected.
-Tuduk.
The magic flowed once around the outside of the sleeve, and the spell flickered unsteadily. Sparks collided with the barrier the supervisor had deployed.
-Boom!
A short explosion rang out, but that was the end of it.
'That was too close.'
The sleeve was blackened with soot. But Min Hayoung's arm was unharmed. I hadn't been able to stop the spell from flickering slightly during casting, but I'd prevented any greater damage.
The examinees looked like they had no idea what had just happened. The supervisor seemed equally clueless. Although he'd put up a barrier, he apparently didn't understand why the suddenly unstable magic had stopped.
I lowered my hand. That should do it. The moment I thought that, a calm voice came from behind me.
"Seo Yirin."
It was Principal Han Seoyul. She was standing right beside me; I had no idea when she'd come up. Her expression was gentle, but her eyes were not.
"Didn't you say you would watch quietly?"
"The situation changes when a problem arises. So I handled it quietly."
Han Seoyul looked down at the training ground. Min Hayoung was still clutching her sleeve. The instructors around her were checking her condition, and the examinees were murmuring as they retreated.
"I'm sure you wouldn't want an accident at the academy either, Principal."
"That is true, but... what exactly did you just do?"
"I severed part of the circuit and connected a bypass line."
"You saw all that from up here?"
Han Seoyul looked at me for a moment. Once you get used to it, you can tell. Where something is pulling, where it's uncomfortable. It was a sense I'd developed while living as a tailor. The fact that I could read the flow of circuits so clearly, however, was probably thanks to the knowledge left behind by the original Seo Yirin in this body.
A tailor's eyes and a court archmage's senses. The combination wasn't as bad as I'd expected.
"Wasn't that examinee's magical failure the cause?"
"It was a failure, yes. But the cause isn't entirely the student's fault."
"You mean the robe is the problem?"
"Yes. The circuit doesn't match her output. That student's magic has exceptionally strong instantaneous firepower, yet the robe tries to neatly organize it. Because it's forcibly suppressing her, the sleeve overloaded first."
Han Seoyul's eyes narrowed slightly. She looked interested. At the same time, she looked like she was calculating something.
"Is emergency treatment possible?"
"Right here?"
It was possible. Fixing it perfectly would be difficult. I didn't have the materials, and there wasn't enough time. But opening up the circuit enough for her to take the exam one more time? That I could do.
I looked at Min Hayoung's robe again. The auxiliary circuit on the right sleeve. The blocked heat below the elbow. The output concentrating toward the inside of the wrist. I only needed to touch the bare minimum.
"It is possible."
"Then may I ask you to do it now?"
"Am I allowed to intervene? This is during an exam."
"It's a safety measure due to a defect in the examinee's equipment," Han Seoyul said calmly. "I've just decided that."
"You're very quick to make decisions."
"If we delay, the student could get hurt even more."
"Then where should I fix it?"
"Can you fix it right here in the training ground? If we take her somewhere else and come back, unpleasant rumors might spread among the students. Doing it on the spot would be better."
'Honestly, I hate standing out, but I guess it can't be helped this time.'
I stood up and followed Han Seoyul down to the training ground. All eyes turned toward me at once. The examinees. The instructors. And Min Hayoung. She stared at me as if glaring, still clutching her right sleeve.
"Examinee Min Hayoung. We've temporarily suspended the test due to equipment malfunction. Please hand your robe to this person."
Her face showed clear wounded pride. I understood. In the middle of an entrance exam, her magic had failed, a stranger had stepped in, and everyone around her was watching.
"Is it because I wasn't good enough?" Her voice was sharp.
I glanced at Min Hayoung briefly. I could have offered empty comfort. It's not your fault. You're fine. But words like that wouldn't help.
"You weren't good enough, that's true."
Min Hayoung's face hardened. A few of the nearby instructors glanced around nervously. I immediately pointed at her sleeve.
"But the real cause of the accident just now lies more with the robe."
"The robe?"
"This circuit was made to stabilize fire-type magic."
Min Hayoung looked down at her sleeve. The red embroidery threads were still faintly glowing as if holding residual heat.
"It's an expensive robe."
"It certainly looks expensive."
"And you're saying there's a problem with it?"
"It's expensive and well-made, but it has to suit the wearer to be useful."
Min Hayoung looked speechless. I slightly turned the inside of the sleeve outward.
"See here? The material was made with other types of magic in mind rather than fire magic, and your output doesn't match the robe."
She was probably hearing this for the first time. That her magic wasn't unconditionally the problem—that the equipment might simply not be compatible.
"Then what should I do?"
"For now, I'll sever part of the circuit and create a new path for the excess magic to escape, giving it some breathing room."
"You're going to cut it?"
"Yes."
"I told you this is an expensive robe."
"Even an expensive robe has to be taken apart if it doesn't fit."
"......"
"Or would you rather burn your arm?"
Min Hayoung immediately shut her mouth. I took out a small pouch containing my work tools. I'd brought it just in case, thinking I might need to do simple repairs on gloves on the spot. I hadn't expected to use it this quickly.
I didn't use the scissors. I had no intention of cutting the entire sleeve. I would only cut the necessary threads and connect only where needed.
"Don't move."
I examined the circuits inside the sleeve one by one. The red embroidery threads. The magic lines hidden beneath them. The auxiliary circuit running from wrist to elbow. There was no need to tear everything apart. I just needed to cut the parts that were forcibly suppressing the output and create a separate path for the excess magic to flow out.
-Tuk.
-Tuduk.
On the surface, it looked like some of the embroidery threads had come loose. But the internal structure had changed. Finally, I folded the end of the sleeve slightly and secured it temporarily. I removed my hands.
"It's done."
Min Hayoung looked down at her sleeve with an incredulous expression.
"This is it?"
"It's emergency treatment. It won't last long."
"Can I take the exam again?"
"Once, at least."
"Once..."
"If you want it properly fixed, bring it to my shop."
"Your shop?"
"The Magic Clothing Shop."
Min Hayoung stared at me with a dazed face. I took a step back. Han Seoyul nodded.
"Resume the examination."
Min Hayoung returned to the center of the training ground. The atmosphere around her was still uneasy. Some examinees had retreated further back, and the supervisor watched her while keeping a barrier ready. Min Hayoung raised her right hand. She was clearly being more cautious than before, but thankfully a small flame bloomed from her palm.
It wasn't large. But it was far more stable than before. The flame gathered into a neat orb at her fingertips before flying toward the target.
-Whoosh.
The flame touched the practice target. There was no explosion. It burst briefly at the intended point and vanished. The supervisor remained silent for a moment, then wrote something on his record board.
"Record the re-examination results."
The area buzzed with murmurs.
"Did she just succeed?"
"Just by touching the robe?"
"Who is that person?"
All eyes turned to me. Ah. This was a bit troublesome. I'd come to watch quietly, but I'd stood out more than expected. I tried to slip away discreetly, but Min Hayoung called out to me first.
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"If my robe is properly fixed... can I keep using it like this?"
I looked at her sleeve. The temporarily connected circuit wouldn't last long. To do it properly, I'd need to change the lining, reweave the wrist circuits, and readjust the heat-dissipating lines to fit her entire arm. I'd need materials too. It would take time. And of course, it would cost quite a bit.
"It's possible."
Min Hayoung's eyes wavered.
"Really?"
"But it's expensive."
At those words, Min Hayoung stiffened. I added, "I do accept credit, though."
"...Credit?"
"If you look like you have a future."
Min Hayoung looked like she didn't understand what I was saying. That was fine. Yoo Hamin had been the same.
"Hmm."
Judging from Han Seoyul's reaction, it would probably be difficult for the academy to pretend they didn't know about my shop after today. My quiet retirement life was gradually moving further away. Still, it couldn't be helped. Securing early investors was an important task. And just now, I'd gained a second investor—one who was still very unstable but had more than enough value.