The Conference (1)
Academic conferences were a kind of event similar to the Seton Graum gatherings that the Yggdrasil Magic Association used to hold frequently.
Seton Graum was a get-together where mages affiliated with the association would complement each other's magic, demonstrate newly developed spells, and build camaraderie.
Of course, I'd never actually been to one. To be precise, I'd gone exactly twice.
Once as a clueless kid, demonstrating newly discovered spatial magic.
And once more after becoming an archmage, dragged there semi-forcibly.
The first time, I got chased out mid-event for being labeled a heretic, and the second time, I just sat there silently without saying a word—so neither really counted.
So, I didn't have many good memories of Seton Graum.
But for some reason, heading to this academic conference that Baek Seol-yeon had called me to attend had me feeling a bit excited.
What can I say? It felt like going to watch a kids' talent show.
Seemed like it'd be fun, and I was curious what they'd talk about.
Amid this mix of emotions, I took a rare shower and sat in front of the mirror.
Our place had one pouch that Baek Seol-yeon bought me. Of course, it wasn't stuffed with cosmetics like other girls'—just some lotion, hair ties, and a few pins.
"Tsk..."
As someone sharing knowledge, I didn't want to go looking totally plain. At least I had to look somewhat normal. No pulling aggro with weird clothes.
So I pulled out a hair tie from the pouch to tie my hair back. But then a problem arose.
"...How does this go again?"
Baek had always done it for me before, but she didn't have time to come all the way here this time, so we'd agreed to meet at a midpoint.
I had to do it myself, but I'd forgotten how.
I fiddled with my hair uselessly, then just gathered the long strands back and tied them into one bundle.
What was it called? I'd seen it in game customization screens. Ponytail, right?
Anyway, after tying my hair, I put on the only semi-formal outfit in the house—one I rarely wore. Baek had bought this too. I'd never been to one of these, but apparently humans wore stuff like this to events like that.
"Ugh..."
It was uncomfortable, but I gritted my teeth and headed out. Being outside after so long felt a bit awkward too.
Bzzz—
The moment I stepped out, my phone buzzed loudly. Checking it, there was a text from Baek Seol-yeon.
Nice.
No need to take the bus.
I grinned and fired off the reply right away.
This body made buses kinda uncomfortable anyway. Had to hide the pointy ears, and old folks didn't exactly welcome elves—the stares were a hassle.
Vroom—
After a short wait, the sound of an engine approached. Baek rolled down the window and called out to me.
"Jia. Hop in. Let's go."
Her car was different. It gleamed like it was brand new.
"What? New car?"
When I asked, she replied flatly without even turning her head.
"Company car. This is an official event with professors from around the world, so the Bureau provided it."
"What, does a nice car get you extra speaking time at the conference or something?"
"Well... not exactly. It's about face. If the rep from the Korean Bureau shows up in a cheap ride, it makes the Bureau look bad."
"Doesn't make sense to me."
I'd never really gotten these human quirks. Same with humans back in Yggdrasil.
For elves, it was like comparing to mana. In elven society, strength was symbolized by total mana and spell power.
Hmm... Thinking of it as elves wearing magitech accessories to look like they had more mana kinda made it click.
"Hold on. Why'd you tie your hair like that?"
Lost in thought, I opened the passenger door and got in, but she spotted my hairdo and asked immediately.
"Come here. I'll teach you how to do it right this time—memorize it well."
Soon enough, she grabbed my hair and yanked me sideways. Thanks to my hair, we ended up departing 20 minutes late.
The defining trait of spatial mana, in my view—the biggest and most central one—is its instability.
After countless studies and trial-and-error, I concluded that spatial mana is a force that can never be fully controlled.
Of course, I tried every method and experiment to tame it, but in the end, I had to wave the white flag to spatial mana itself.
Those unknown entities beyond permitted me to wield the power, but they never fully surrendered control.
But who knows.
Both in Yggdrasil and on Earth, humans were beings who endlessly chased possibilities.
I failed, but maybe those humans could pull it off somehow?
It was a slim odds game, but I liked those long shots.
That's why I had hopes for them too. Slim chance, but they might achieve what I couldn't.
That was why I was interested in human academic conferences like this.
Rustle—
I'd packed various books, grimoires, and printed papers as references.
As I tidied the haphazardly stuffed bag, I muttered to myself.
"...Wonder if there'll be anything fun."
Baek was focused on driving. Traffic felt heavier today. Soon, the radio news filled the car.
Baek always had the news radio on in her car. It was reporting on Incheon.
Baek and I listened silently.
Control. Funny word. Controlling phenomena caused by spatial mana? Impossible.
As far as I knew, all humanity could do was seal off the site and respond immediately to what happened inside.
Even that might not stop the spread of spatial mana phenomena.
I hadn't even predicted gates would cause this much chaos, and at a certain tipping point, even I let go.
"This conference is partly because of that Incheon thing."
Then Baek dropped some unexpected news.
"What's happening in Incheon isn't ordinary. A widespread spatial anomaly. Third one worldwide after Pakistan and Guatemala. Rare stuff, so PhDs from around the world are scrambling to study it. Unlike those places, Korea has a solid research foundation too."
Global spatial magic experts gathering because of Incheon's mess.
Made sense, yet didn't.
I probably would've done the same in my prime.
But looking back now, that past me was straight-up insane.
'Trying to die?' That kind of behavior. Strictly speaking, it was throwing yourself into a dangerous blaze out of curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
Still, I wanted to cheer them on. That's why I was going. No one would believe it, but I was an authority on spatial magic, and their path was mine once.
A thorny road past thorns, pits of fire, traps everywhere—deadly if you slipped—but I didn't think it futile.
"How many of today's attendees use spatial magic?"
I asked Baek. She checked the side mirror before replying a beat late.
"About two. Of course, most can sense spatial mana from gates or mana stones. This one's focused purely on spatial mana and magic itself—not magitech."
Satisfying.
"Some even said they'd go check the Incheon site directly."
"Isn't that dangerous? News said so too."
I didn't know details, but even normal mana surges were risky. Spatial mana? Indescribable danger.
"Dunno if they'll get in. If not, they mentioned coming near that gate by your place at least."
I could guess why. From recent Earth research I'd seen, they noted spatial mana anomalies often followed major gate outbreaks.
Couldn't pinpoint why—neither could I—but statistically, it happened a lot.
"Aren't you curious, Jia?"
Baek asked amid my thoughts.
"About what?"
"The Incheon stuff. Why the government's blocking elves from going, what caused the spatial mana anomaly there."
Back then, I might've raged to be let in too.
"Eh."
But that fire had died long ago. Not totally disinterested, though.
"If someone I like asks me to come along, I'd tag with 'em."
If one of my 'juniors' at this conference—whether I could call 'em that or not—ignited that old passion in me like past me, I'd go with them.
Baek smirked at that.
"Probably will be someone."
The car was already heading into the underground parking of the conference building.