Chapter 13

EP.13 An Unexpected Encounter (2)

The teacher left me at the royal library, saying there were a few people I should meet. Of course, I only needed the teacher’s help to enter the library, so there was no real problem.

‘It feels a bit like I’ve been abandoned...’

Well, what does it matter.

I don’t need the teacher to read books.

“Hmm.”

I glanced around the room.

Royal Library.

A library that only magicians recognized by the royal family or their disciples can enter.

‘I used to live here, practically.’

When I was young, before I started accumulating achievements at the Ashen Tower, I used to visit this place every day. It had everything, being the best library in the kingdom.

It was here that I learned the history of magic.

Here that I learned the origins of countless spells.

To put it a bit exaggeratedly, this royal library was my second teacher.

‘It’s been about six years since I last came here, hasn’t it?’

I’ve been too busy to visit since becoming the next Tower Master.

With a sense of anticipation, I moved to see how many new books had arrived in those six years.

The first thing to check is the monthly recommended books.

This place, which has the structure of both a library and a bookstore, has librarians who categorize the most popular books of the month separately.

-Category: Magic (魔學) books.

Even after six years, the method hasn’t changed. About twenty books were inserted into a floating bookshelf. I picked up about four of them.

The basic framework of combat magic.

The concept of a Battle-mage.

The Cradle of Stars, Aphria Academy.

The hero chosen by the stars, Kyle.

I put one of them back on the shelf the moment I saw the title. Why are you in the magic books, damn it.

“Hmm...”

I was about to take out another book, but it seemed like the content was all the same. Things about Battle Mages and combat magic.

‘Now that I think about it, both the headmaster and the teacher kept talking about combat magic.’

What exactly is a Battle Mage?

I had never heard of such a class.

‘Well, I’ll find out when I read it.’

I sat in a corner with the books.

Just as I was about to open the book, my gaze fell on a piece of paper stuck in the corner of the table. More specifically, on the name attached to it.

-Academic.

-Twelve Circuits.

There used to be such things.

I remember that if you solved and submitted all of them, you would receive a small reward. I used to solve them often when I was young.

Rip.

I tore off the paper, which seemed untouched by anyone, and brought it forward. I was going to solve it once. I was also curious about what kind of problems they had these days.

-From item 1 to item 12...

Twelve problems.

These were a bit different from the difficult problems of the Magic Society that Headmaster Aaron had shown me last time. These were not created to solve problems but to interpret circuits that appear in real combat.

For example, the spell circuits in dungeon traps, or the interpretation of ancient spells left in ruins.

‘Should I solve it once?’

I narrowed my eyes and examined the problem.

Problems 1 to 7 are easy to solve quickly. The really difficult ones start from number 8.

Since money wasn’t the main goal, I started solving from number 8. The overall shape of the circuit came into view through my narrowed field of vision.

A circuit made up of countless curves and straight lines.

At first glance, it looks messy, but there is a clear rule and law embedded within it.

I found that rule.

It didn’t take long.

‘If it were in the old days, it might have taken a bit longer...’

Unlike six years ago, I seemed to have grown.

It must be thanks to the practical experience I’ve accumulated over the years.

Having faced thousands, tens of thousands of circuits on the battlefield every day, I could roughly grasp the solution just by glancing at the circuit.

‘The center of this shape is here.’

‘Focusing on the intersection of curves and straight lines.’

‘Dashed lines are for deception. Solid lines are this.’

My intuition, honed through years of experience, immediately derived the solution as soon as I saw the circuit.

I took out the pen I always carry and infused it with mana.

Soon, the pen began to slide across the paper.

-Snap.

I infused the pen tip with mana and wrote down a simple proof and the answer. There was no hesitation in writing the answer. After writing the answers for 8 and 9, I was about to move on to 10.

-Scratch.

The pen tip scratched the paper.

The mana, which should have smoothly slid across the paper, didn’t come out.

“...?”

The mana didn’t come out of the pen tip.

Looking at the slightly crumpled paper, I tilted my head.

‘Is it broken?’

I turned the pen around and tapped it a few times. Then I realized there was nothing wrong with the pen itself. The problem was with my mana.

It’s the same feeling as when I’m bitten by a mana eater.

The mana doesn’t rise properly. It doesn’t coalesce. The mana disperses into the air, and I frowned.

Is there some kind of mana blocking experiment going on here?

Normally, they would send a warning in advance.

“Sigh...”

Feeling a bit annoyed at the interruption, I let out a short breath and adjusted my breathing.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds...

Counting in my head, I focused on the flowing mana. I grabbed and tore apart whatever was restraining my mana.

-Snap, snap.

Before long, mana began to flow from the pen tip again. Adjusting my grip on the pen, I refocused on the problem. Where did I leave off? Clearly, it was here...

“Excuse me.”

Just as I was focusing on the problem, someone touched my shoulder. Being interrupted twice in a row, I felt a surge of irritation.

“Sigh...”

I sighed and put down the pen. Turning around, I froze at the sight of an unexpected figure standing there.

“What are you looking at?”

“...Nothing.”

I slowly stood up from my seat.

To apologize for my rudeness earlier.

“To a noble...”

“Don’t do that. I don’t like it.”

However, Princess Ayla waved her hand lightly, stopping my action. Her expression clearly showed her dislike for such formalities.

“You were concentrating. It’s natural to sigh when I interrupt you. I’m sorry?”

Then she pulled out a chair and sat down.

Right next to me.

“I came here to read, not to be served. Please continue what you were doing.”

While saying that, why did she sit next to me?

I sent her a subtle glance, but she only stared at the problem I was solving.

“It’s Academic, isn’t it?”

Her gaze was one of interest.

She alternated her gaze between me and the academic journal I was solving, letting out a “Hee-” in amazement.

“You’re a magician, right?”

“Yes.”

“Are you good at magic?”

“I’m decent enough.”

While answering absentmindedly and half-heartedly, I suddenly realized my mistake.

‘Oops.’

This was the attitude of Raniel towards a princess.

If an unknown magician treated a princess like this, they could be arrested for insulting a noble.

“...”

I observed the princess’s reaction.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem upset.

“Hmm.”

Instead, she tilted her head and moved her chair closer to me. Then she pointed at the problem I was solving.

“Why did you skip the first problems and start from number 8?”

“Huh?”

“Is it because they’re too difficult? Well, the first problem is indeed...”

“This one?”

I tilted my head.

“Problems 1 to 7 are simple. I left them for later.”

“...Simple?”

“Well, they’re simple, but a bit tedious.”

I glanced at problem 1.

Indeed, it’s a type of problem that’s easy to solve but tedious. It asks for the ‘solution method’ rather than just the answer.

“It’s a bit tedious to explain.”

“Huh?”

“You know, problems that you can solve but explaining the process is a bit tedious.”

“Oh... like the economics of mana?”

“Something like that.”

Trying to brush it off, I was about to solve the problem, but it seemed the princess had no intention of letting me go.

“Is that so?”

The princess pointed at problem 1.

“Could you solve it right here?”

“...What?”

“I was stuck on this problem from the beginning. Showing me how to solve it would be helpful.”

She tilted her head slightly and looked up at me.

“Is that okay?”

It seemed she had no intention of letting me go until I solved it. Reluctantly, I moved my pen to problem 1.

A circuit that was intricate and complex.

A circuit made up of not one but ‘multiple’ circuits.

‘Another circuit by that skullhead.’

I’ve been seeing it a lot lately.

This is the circuit used in the ‘barrier’ spell by Skeval, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army, an ancient lich.

‘Why is this a difficult problem?’

The difficult problems of the Magic Society that Headmaster Aaron showed me, and the first problem of Academic, both seem to favor Skeval’s circuits.

‘It’s a circuit that breaks easily if you touch it.’

I confirmed what the problem required.

[1. Describe the process of finding the ‘real circuit’ hidden in the given circuit and a method to ‘shorten’ the existing solution.]

It just so happens to be a problem focused on the solution process.

If it only asked for the answer, I could have solved it quickly, but writing the solution process is quite bothersome.

“...?”

Even though I looked at the princess as if to say, “Do I really have to solve it?” she just smiled.

‘Sigh...’

I sighed inwardly and moved the pen. I wrote the answer first and then added the solution process on top.

-There’s no need to dismantle all the circuits.

-Instead of dismantling the circuits...

I hesitated for a moment while trying to add a few lines of the solution. Since the princess was going to see it, I should write it in a way she could understand, right?

‘Now that I think about it, I’ve explained this before.’

I remember explaining how to solve Skeval’s barrier to the magicians of the knight order at Heinzel’s request.

‘Back then, they hardly understood it.’

Should I explain it in more detail?

It’s bothersome...

I glanced at the princess.

She wasn’t smiling playfully anymore. From the moment I started writing the answer, her expression had hardened.

“Next?”

When my pen stopped moving, she asked.

“...I’m organizing my thoughts.”

The princess nodded slightly and returned her gaze to my solution.

I moved the pen silently.

This was the first time I had to write such detailed solutions, so it felt a bit awkward.

In the end, I had to keep adding explanations until the princess was satisfied, under her watchful eye.

Strange.

I didn’t come here to do this.

3.

“This is absurd.”

The magician had left.

Alone in the library, Ayla, resting her chin, looked at the problem left by the unknown magician.

The first problem of Academic.

A problem that has firmly held its place for three years, the circuit interpretation problem of the ‘ancient lich’ Skeval.

“Simple, you say?”

Ayla let out a hollow laugh.

“Because of this simple problem, several battlefields have collapsed...”

The ancient lich Skeval.

The barrier he cast isolates the people inside completely, cutting off all contact with the outside world.

The time required to dismantle that barrier is at least six hours. That’s assuming dozens of magicians can focus solely on dismantling the barrier without any interference.

And six hours is.

More than enough time for the isolated knights to be wiped out.

How many magicians had racked their brains to reduce that time by even a minute or a second? The difficult problem that they couldn’t solve was precisely Skeval’s circuit.

However, how much time did that woman spend solving this problem just now?

‘Thirty minutes.’

Most of that time was spent adding explanations. The moment she saw the problem, she wrote down the answer. If you only count the time it took to write the answer...

‘About thirty seconds.’

As far as Ayla knew.

There was only one person who could do such a thing. The front lines were being pushed back due to the absence of that person, who could dismantle Skeval’s barrier.

“...”

Ayla silently read the correct answer left by the woman several times.

It might be a wrong solution.

Perhaps the woman just scribbled it down to get the princess’s attention.

‘I can’t interpret this circuit, after all.’

Ayla, as the ‘Child of the Stars,’ can vaguely understand what spell the circuit contains.

But, in other words, that’s all she can do.

Ayla doesn’t know exactly what the circuit means or how to dismantle it.

Therefore.

Ayla doesn’t know if this solution is correct.

She doesn’t know if it’s the right solution.

‘But, why...’

The solution left by the woman had a strange persuasiveness. Even though Ayla didn’t know much about circuit interpretation, she felt like it could be done.