Chapter 29
Translator: True Detective
### Chapter 29: Academy, You Say? (4)
I slowly went up onto the podium and grabbed a piece of chalk.
Professor Claire had her arms crossed.
Glaring at me with eyes saying let's see what you can do.
The students' gazes are also varied.
While there are those who find it exciting, there are also kids who look at me with disgust.
What about the original protagonists?
They are all looking as if interested.
Now is the opportunity.
I need to clearly imprint here that I am an overpowered villain.
I drew a long diagonal line over Claire's crude formula written on the blackboard.
"Can he do that? Isn't he crazy?"
"Wow, he's got guts."
Leaving the whispering noise behind, I adjusted my grip on the chalk and opened my mouth.
"Electric shock is not forcibly pushing out. It's inducing."
I can't lecture on electromagnetism from the beginning so.
I decided to fix only the biggest problems, resistance and loss.
The chalk scratched the blackboard and quickly corrected the formula.
"If you recklessly compress and explode mana, 90% scatters into the atmosphere. It's better to lay down a path where electricity can flow first. If you just flow mana through a path with minimized resistance, the rest naturally follows."
As I erased unnecessary calculations and left only the core, the messy magic formula geometrically balanced itself.
[Rihan, quite impressive. To neatly organize that vulgar formula like this. I realize anew that my eye for people was not wrong.]
It's a bit lacking though?
Well, this much should be enough.
I turned back to Claire and spat out indifferently.
"Most people here probably won't understand just looking at this formula. Shall I show a demonstration?"
Without waiting for an answer, I flipped my palm to face the ceiling.
I lightly condensed mana at my fingertips.
*Crackle—, sizzle!*
A bluish-white current blooms from my fingertips.
Even at a glance, it's different from the electric shock Claire showed.
The density itself has an overwhelming difference.
Reaction?
It's about time admiration or applause should come out.
The lecture hall is weirdly quiet.
Why is it like this, feeling ominous.
Did I do something wrong?
I scanned the formula again, but there's no mistake.
What is it, I definitely wrote it correctly.......
At that time.
The one who broke the silence was Professor Claire.
"......Without a chant? How can this happen."
Belated whispers burst out among the students.
"Did you see that just now? He didn't even open his mouth?"
"Nonsense. Chantless?"
"Don't tell me it's Unique Magic? Did another Unique Magic possessor appear in our class?"
"........."
Fuck.
I forgot!
In this world, chantless magic was something special!
I got so used to handling magic in the lab that I omitted the chant without thinking.
Everyone is staring piercingly at me.
Should I at least explain?
No, what do I explain.
Ta-da, actually if you use magic with physics, things like chants aren't necessary?
It's not even a light novel title.
Would that work.
*'.........Whatever, I don't know.'*
At times like this, silence is the best answer.
Because originally, mysticism is completed the less you speak.
"I will go back now."
I came down from the podium before questions poured out.
****
I blankly stared at the long rough diagonal line drawn on the blackboard.
At first, it was just rising interest.
A kid who just enrolled dares to deny my formula?
I thought it was a fledgling's ignorant provocation.
But that emotion didn't last long.
The moment I read down the formulas newly filled beyond the diagonal line.
Because I was completely overwhelmed.
*'......This, is really possible?'*
I am what they call a genius.
Mages who reached the 4th Hierarchy in their mid-twenties can be counted on one hand in the entire Empire.
The big shots of the Magic Tower competing to send scouting offers.
That fact becoming the root of my arrogant pride was a natural result.
There is no one superior to me in the same age group.
At least until 10 minutes ago, I didn't doubt believing so.
But right now, the boy in front of my eyes is directly denying the magical common sense I've built up my whole life.
Magic is the combination of theory and practice.
Even if the formula is perfect, realizing it with mana is a completely separate realm.
Especially the electric shock series, because of its violent nature.
One can't help but feel an even greater gap between practice and theory.
But what did this kid do?
To be honest, even I didn't fully understand the formula he wrote.
But instinctively I can tell.
That that is close to the correct answer I've been searching for.
Plus the chantless cast added to this.
*'......Is it Unique Magic?'*
Very rarely, there are those born with magic engraved on their souls from birth.
Chantless cast itself might be his unique magic but.
Even so, the mana application ability shown just now is excessively heterogeneous.
The more I deduce, the more complicated my head gets and my chest feels stuffy.
There is a saying that a genius recognizes a genius.
But that's something said only when their levels match.
Mediocre talent feels jealousy when meeting the real deal but.
In front of overwhelming talent, one only feels awe.
*'It's fun, really.'*
My heart pounds.
Rather than the fact that I was publicly humiliated, I become madly curious about the existence called that child.
I want to dig into it.
That child.
And that child's magic!
****
Returning to my seat, the state of Yveline sitting next to me is unusual.
A sullen expression as if she'll cause an accident any minute.
Like a cat whose snack was taken away.
"Yveline, is something wrong?"
"......You said you'd only tell me. Liar."
Disappointment drips from her voice.
It seems she's jealous as a disciple.
Because even in the original work, she was a character particularly sensitive to possessiveness and deficiency.
Leaving things like this unattended becomes tiring.
I naturally thrust my face in and whispered lowly in her ear.
"You're my only disciple anyway."
In an instant, Yveline's shoulders flinched.
"I'll teach you something much better later just for you. Something no one knows."
Actually, if we go into advanced electromagnetism courses, her head will hurt quite a bit but.
Well, if she wants it that much, there's nothing I can't teach her.
As soon as my words ended, Yveline's face flushed hot.
"......Really? It's a promise?"
Yveline's mouth corners are slightly raised.
She's surprisingly easy to handle.
If it's Yveline, the worth of teaching is certain.
Playing the professor role wouldn't be bad with a student like this.
It was when I turned my gaze thinking such thoughts.
"......."
The surrounding air has clearly changed from earlier.
It seems everyone finally noticed that I'm not a simple empty husk.
*'At this level, I definitely drew attention, right?'*
[Even in this lady's eyes, you definitely imprinted it. It seems your bizarre prank was quite a shock to them.]
It was when I was somewhat satisfied.
A stinging gaze is felt from behind.
A gaze I naturally met as soon as I turned my head.
It was Silas.
The way he turned his body entirely towards me and stared piercingly is unusual.
What is it.
Why is he looking like that.
His eyes are somewhat strange.
Eyes full of curiosity rather than hostility.
In my experience, such eyes are not good.
Honestly, it's creepy and burdensome.
[It seems he noticed your greatness. Being from the Magic Tower isn't just an empty shell.]
*'It's good that he noticed but.......'*
Just Yveline next to me is enough for this kind of thick gaze.
It's enough if I'm perceived just as a main villain.
I don't want to feel the passionate interest of an original protagonist at all!
I struggled to shake off that gaze and turned my head.
Professor Claire in front of the teacher's desk was already out of her mind.
Whether she realized that the lecture content she prepared had become a mere scrap of paper.
She ended the lecture much earlier than scheduled.
****
In the afternoon after regular Academy classes ended.
"Rihan, let's go together!"
I slowed my steps at the familiar voice heard from behind.
I left the school grounds together with Yveline who claimed the seat next to me as if it was natural.
Because the school is so large, it takes a good 20 minutes to walk to the accommodation.
It's only this much because the main building is relatively close to the main gate.
If not, I would have been stuck living in a dormitory.
It's really a relief since I hate group living.
*'Still, it's subtly romantic.'*
How long has it been since I went home from school like a student receiving the warm afternoon sunlight.
Because in my past life, it was common to crawl out of the lab like a zombie only after the sun had completely set.
Whew, thinking about it again is terrible.
*Ptoo, ptoo.*
Just thinking about it brings bad luck.
I should spit it out.
Looking around, students are glancing at us as they pass by.
Did the incident I caused in the lecture hall already become a rumor?
......It probably isn't me.
It's probably because of Yveline standing next to me.
Certainly, befitting the Princess of a Duke family, she stands out wherever she goes.
Besides, since she's pretty too, it was natural for the male students' gazes to linger.
"Rihan, look over there. I think that's the library."
I turned my head in the direction Yveline pointed.
A building of overwhelming scale is seen beyond the road.
Asterion Grand Library.
The place where the heroine Yuna visited often in the original novel.
It was also a place where bizarre rumors like fairies living there never ceased.
"It really is big."
They said it's the place where all the magic knowledge of the Empire is compiled.
I guess it wasn't empty talk.
[Rihan. That place stimulates my curiosity. I want to go in and see right now!]
Eleanor inside me whispered, finding it interesting.
*'I do too, but.'*
Befitting a former physics student, I also get excited seeing a place like that, you know?
Surely it must be full of interesting formulas and magic theories inside.
But.
*'It's too much today. I'm dead tired since it's the first day.'*
Knowledge is something explored when you have physical strength too.
Let's stop by the library tomorrow.
***
I returned to the accommodation with Yveline.
As soon as we crossed the entrance, Yveline leaned her head on my shoulder and mumbled.
"I'm tired......."
"Me too."
It was definitely an exhausting day.
Since I caused that fuss in the lecture hall, it's a natural result.
"Today, I'll just sleep here."
"......."
That's a bit troubling though.
Roughly taking off our shoes, we entered the living room with Yveline.
"......You're here?"
In the living room, Celly, who arrived earlier, was waiting for us.
"......Celly. I really don't like you."
Yveline's expression is full of disappointment.
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