Chapter 69

◈ Chapter 69: The Magic of Synesthesia (2)

“Ugh.”

Flora slowly opened her eyes, pressing her forehead.

‘What is it?’

She had fainted from seeing something, and it felt as if she had had a dream in between.

A warm and tender feeling, as if her body was being embraced by a gentle warmth.

It felt just like being in the arms of her mother, who had passed away long ago.

Only then did Flora realize she was lying on a sofa.

Swish.

“Ah.”

As she slowly sat up, Flora belatedly noticed that the coat covering her body had slipped off.

A black frock coat with golden embroidery.

She couldn't help but recognize the familiar garment.

“This, this is...”

“Are you awake?”

Without realizing it, she turned her head toward the voice.

There, sitting at a desk and reading a paper, was Rudger Chelice.

Instead of his usual coat, he was wearing a pristine white shirt and a black vest.

His long bangs were slightly pushed back, revealing his forehead. Below it was a smooth, chiseled nose.

His usual sharp gaze was softened by the rimless glasses on his face, which only emphasized his intellectual air.

Just that made his presence quite different from usual.

“Um, that... What exactly happened...?”

Flora couldn't recall why she had fainted or the situation right before it.

In response to her question, Rudger slightly raised his head and looked at her.

“Don't you remember?”

“Huh? Remember what?”

“I showed you a certain magic.”

Only then did Flora remember what Rudger was talking about.

Right. Rudger had shown her something, and Flora had fainted from the intense sensation she had never felt before.

“M, Magic! Teacher, what was that...!”

As Flora tried to ask while getting up from the sofa, her legs gave out from the shock of fainting, and she plopped back down.

“Stay seated. You don't seem to have fully recovered from the shock of fainting.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Not very long. About 30 minutes.”

“30 minutes...”

Fortunately, there was still plenty of time before class.

No, that's not the point.

Shaking her head, Flora almost glared at Rudger.

“What was that magic formula?”

“What do you mean?”

“The one you showed me right before I fainted!”

“Oh, that one.”

Rudger replied indifferently, as if it was nothing.

“It's just something I created based on something I saw before. It's called a Klein bottle.”

“A Klein bottle? Such magic exists?”

“It's not a practical spell. It's more experimental.”

“It's experimental?”

Flora's lips trembled in disbelief.

To others, it might have looked like a peculiar magic formula.

But the more she knew about magic, the more the Klein bottle seemed different.

This is revolutionary.

How else could you describe elevating a magic formula, which is fundamentally limited to three dimensions, to a higher dimension?

She even doubted whether what she saw was real.

Moreover, what Flora experienced was even more profound.

“Right.”

But Rudger dismissed it nonchalantly.

“This is an experiment. An exploration of mana and the extent to which the magic formula created through it can be realized.”

“Is something so great just an experiment? What are you...”

What kind of magic are you trying to create?

Flora couldn't bring herself to ask.

She couldn't fathom what kind of magic Rudger was trying to create.

“Hmm.”

Rudger stroked his chin, noting Flora's sensitive reaction.

He had created the Klein bottle formula out of curiosity about the still-unexplained nature of mana.

Does mana exist purely as a material substance?

If so, does it fully experience physical effects?

No, it didn't.

From the moment magic was manifested through a formula, mana had already transcended physical laws.

Magic is the embodiment of mystery. Mana, the source of magic, is the raw material of that mystery.

‘The very essence of the unknown, yet to be fully understood.’

With mana, you can even transcend space.

Among the people he remembered, there were those who could achieve even more.

The Klein bottle formula was what proved that hypothesis.

A form that could be realized in four dimensions, beyond three dimensions.

A structure that extended the Möbius strip, which is made of a surface, to a higher level.

The Klein bottle has no inside or outside; it is a form that endlessly circulates.

‘One hypothesis is satisfied here. Mana can not only transcend space but also interfere with higher dimensions.’

But the Klein bottle formula only serves to prove the hypothesis.

There was still insufficient research to apply it to other spells.

“Anyway, it's fortunate that you've woken up.”

“Huh, huh?”

Now that she thought about it, Flora had fainted in the laboratory, but when she came to, she was in the faculty office.

“Did you bring me here, Teacher?”

“I couldn't leave a fainted student in the laboratory.”

“Then, how did you...”

Flora naturally imagined Rudger lifting her, as if carrying a princess, while she was unconscious.

Her face instantly turned red.

“S, Such...!”

“Flora Lumos. Are your eyes and nose okay?”

“Huh?”

Why would he suddenly ask that?

Before Flora could ask, Rudger beat her to it.

“You perceive magic through other senses, don't you.”

“...!”

Flora was shocked.

Rudger had immediately recognized her secret and unique constitution, something no one else had ever noticed.

“How... How did you...”

“I saw it.”

“You saw it?”

“Every time you saw my magic, your pupils dilated. I realized you were perceiving not the magic formula itself but the secondary phenomena it produced.”

“...”

I did that?

Flora couldn't believe that Rudger had noticed such a reaction from her.

Seeing her pupils dilate.

What kind of observational skills did he have?

“And every time you saw a new spell, your fingertips trembled. A reflexive action when experiencing a moment of pleasure, a reaction closer to joy than surprise.”

“...!”

“Especially, the habit of wrinkling your nose is something you should correct. It seems you can perceive magic through your sense of smell, but it's not good to wrinkle your nose so obviously...”

“Ah!”

Flora couldn't help but scream.

Rudger genuinely seemed confused.

“Why are you screaming?”

“L, Lady, and you're talking about my nostrils! What kind of rude comment is that!”

“I was talking about your habit. I only noticed because it's me. Be careful not to let others find out.”

“Good grief. Really the worst...”

Flora muttered, seemingly exasperated with Rudger.

Rudger sighed and stood up, slowly approaching Flora.

“D, Don't come any closer! Pervert!”

“I don't know what you're misunderstanding.”

Rudger took back his frock coat from Flora.

Swish!

After shaking the coat a few times in the air, he neatly hung it on a coat hanger.

“Seeing you shout so forcefully, it seems your body has recovered. You can leave now.”

“Huh?”

“Didn't you hear me tell you to leave?”

What? Is this really it?

Flora still looked at Rudger with a doubtful gaze.

“Don't you want to know?”

“Know what?”

“About my unique constitution.”

“Perceiving magic through other senses.”

“...Yes.”

There was no point in hiding it. Flora nodded honestly.

Synesthesia of magic.

Flora was born with two of the five senses.

Any other magician would have been amazed by this unbelievable constitution.

That's why Flora asked with a worried voice.

“Not at all.”

But Rudger was different.

He answered firmly.

“Huh?”

“I don't care that you have that constitution. If you do, then you do.”

“What... What do you mean...”

“However, it's best not to tell others about it. Magicians can become very dangerous when they discover something they don't understand.”

Flora sensed something from Rudger's attitude.

He seemed to know about her synesthesia of magic.

“In severe cases, you might be kidnapped and used as an experimental subject.”

“...”

Swallow.

Rudger's sincere warning made Flora swallow hard.

At the same time, she couldn't help but think:

‘Why is he so calm? Has he met someone else with a similar constitution?’

It seemed that way.

Otherwise, he couldn't have spoken and acted as if he knew a lot.

“Teacher, do you know anyone else? Someone with a similar constitution to mine.”

“...”

Rudger didn't answer.

Instead, he pointed to the faculty office door, indicating she should leave.

Flora didn't argue, despite the twitch in her eyebrow.

For a moment, Rudger's face had seemed sad.

So she couldn't bring herself to ask and had to leave the faculty office.

‘Teacher knew. He must have met someone else.’

Then, who was that person?

No, more importantly, how did Rudger know that her constitution was dangerous if discovered?

And the subtle expression he showed at the end.

‘Did he know them well?’

If so, Rudger's actions made sense.

He had a friend with a similar constitution who had been harmed.

Then, who was that person? A man? A woman?

If it was a woman, what kind of relationship did they have?

‘No!’

Flora shook her head.

If she dwelled on it, her heart would only become more complicated.

‘Right. Let's just let it go for today.’

Just as she thought that, another thought crossed her mind.

‘But, did I not receive the other prize for the shop yet?’

Rudger had only shown her the Klein bottle formula and hadn't given her anything else.

The fact that she had fainted was the problem.

Flora looked back at the faculty office door.

‘If I go back in and ask for the prize...’

That would be a bit much, wouldn't it?

‘Damn. I'm such an idiot. Why did I get distracted and forget the most important thing!’

Flora wanted to tear her hair out.

But time that had passed couldn't be undone.

With a sense of regret, she had to leave.

At that moment, someone approached with light footsteps.

No, more accurately, they were heading toward Rudger's faculty office.

“Oh. You?”

“Huh?”

The girl, with her rare ash-gray hair, was walking cautiously, holding an old book.

Her name was Lina, right?

‘I remember.’

Although Flora wasn't particularly interested in others, she remembered a few unique students from her lectures.

Lina was one of them.

She had a conflict with a noble student at the beginning of the semester.

But despite that, she was a commoner girl who was close to the Third Princess.

Moreover, her beauty was so striking that it was impossible to forget.

“Oh, you...”

Lina stopped in her tracks, recognizing Flora.

Flora Lumos, how could she not recognize her?

She was the most famous person in the second year of Seorun, the daughter of the Lumos Dukedom, possessing both beauty and a natural talent for magic.

A senior with a clear path, unlike herself, who had no elemental affinity and whose source of power was hard to understand.

But why was she in front of Rudger's faculty office?

“...”

“...”

The two looked at each other in silence.

They shared the same class, but had almost no other points of contact.

Flora couldn't help but wonder why Lina was visiting Rudger's office, especially with the book she held so dear.

Lina was also curious why this proud senior was standing in front of Rudger's office.

Breaking the awkward and uncomfortable silence, Flora moved first.

“Hmph.”

She walked past Lina, pretending not to care.

Lina watched Flora's retreating back and then remembered her purpose for coming to the office.

‘Ah, right. The book!’

She had finished reading the book about unaligned mana and had come to return it to its owner, Rudger.

Thinking this, Lina swallowed hard in front of the faculty office door.

After taking a deep breath, she was about to knock when a voice came from inside.

“Come in. The door is open.”