A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Magic (3)

***

I s the soaked floor.

Normally, I would use a mop, but Grace helped with magic, of course.

“You can use drying magic like this to remove moisture. It’s less effective than doing it manually, but it’s great in a pinch.”

“Oh.”

“Try it, Sivar. Since your power is naturally strong, it might dry everything up completely.”

So magic.

Rustle—

“…Huh?”

“It turned into… sand?”

The mop disintegrated into sand-like particles due to the complete evaporation of moisture. Grace looked quite startled by this unexpected result.

She probably didn’t expect the drying magic to evaporate all the moisture.

This can be fixed with finer control, so it’s fine.

“Hmm. As the professor said, Sivar, your power is incredibly strong. That might be a good thing…”

“?”

“Nothing. Let’s continue cleaning. I’ll use drying magic beside you.”

After that, we finished the cleanup with me mopping and Grace casting drying magic.

You mighrace said it’s difficult.

Drying magic works well on soaked items but not so much on the waterproof floor.

So, we had to mop and dry repeatedly.

“If you’re tired, I can help mop too.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, really. We’ll be spending a lot of time together, so I should help.”

When will I be spending time with Grace? I pondered as I mopped.

Except for meeting Godin or during lunch, there weren’t many times. We often moved as a group anyway.

I stopped her from trying to mop and focused on cleaning the floor. The waterproof floor made it easier.

“Grace.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“What do you do on weekends?”

It’s boring to clean in silence, so I asked.

Asking about the private life of a noble, especially a duchess’s daughter, is very impolite.

But I’m Grace’s bodyguard. Knowing her weekend plans helps me decide whether to accompany her or not.

Besides, I have no idea what she does on weekends. She doesn’t roam around like Ellie.

“Oh. Are you asking me out on a date?”

“?”

“I’m kidding. Don’t make that face.”

Grace scratched her cheek awkwardly as I stared at her expressionlessly. It was so natural it was absurd.

“What do I do on weekends… nothing much. I’d like to call Yeonju, but she’s always busy on weekends. So, I just stay in the dorm.”

“Isn’t that boring?”

“Being bored is better than being scared.”

Better bored than scared. That’s an answer worth pondering.

Despite the incident, Grace carries on confidently. It seems she’s overcome her trauma.

But true trauma isn’t overcome in a day or two. It requires a trigger or motivation.

‘Is it me?’

I was wondering when Grace stared at me and shyly said,

“Well, if Sivar comes along, I could go out. It would make me feel at ease.”

She muttered, but I heard it all. And I realized her situation.

She hasn’t fully overcome her trauma. More accurately, she’s halfway there.

She can only act normally when there’s someone she feels secure with.

That someone is Lee Yeonju and me. Without us, she can’t go out alone.

‘That’s understandable.’

She experienced such an incident at an academy filled with world-class talents.

The claim that it’s a safe place must sound hollow to Grace.

“I’ll take you out. Every weekend.”

“Huh? What?”

“I’ll take you out. But I have things to do too. Please understand.”

I will take her along, but I have my tasks, so I asked for her understanding.

I wanted to say the above, but my current language skills don’t allow it.

Even so, if I speak in short, clear sentences like that, my point will get across.

“O-Of course! I should be the one apologizing. I’m taking your personal time.”

“It’s fine.”

“Thank you. Really.”

Grace thanked me sincerely, her sharp cat-like eyes softened considerably.

“Great! I’ll take it slow. Let’s do this!”

“…”

Or not. What is she plotting?

Grace clenched her fist in excitement as soon as I agreed.

It’s too obvious to call her out on it, so I let it be.

Whatever she’s plotting, it won’t cause me harm.

“I mustn’t rush. I need to seep in slowly.”

[Faith has increased!]

Seeing the message along with her words made me more uneasy.

******

After finishing the cleanup, Grace and I headed to Godin’s lab.

Grace worked as Godin’s assistant, and I wanted to understand my red mana.

As mentioned before, Godin possesses exceptional theoretical knowledge. In other words, he has vast knowledge.

While Rod and Rize have knowledge from experience, Godin has it from reading various books.

Knock, knock—

[Come in.]

After knocking and getting Godin’s permission, we entered.

The musty smell of books hit us immediately.

The smell and scenery inside hadn’t changed since my first visit.

“Oh, you’re here. Perfect timing. Grace?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Could you help me find some books on mana? I need all the ones we have.”

There isn’t a book specifically about red mana, so he plans to find it manually.

Although Godin has an excellent memory, he probably knows little about red mana.

The fact that he even vaguely remembers it is impressive. He probably wasn’t interested.

“While I look for them, Sivar, you can read any book you like.”

Alright then.

I nodded and picked up a random book.

As expected of a professor’s book, it was quite complex, but it didn’t matter. Increasing my language skills is the goal.

‘Hmm… what’s the saying for this?’

Black letters on white paper. It perfectly sums up my feelings.

Does Godin understand all this while reading? There are countless books like this too.

I quietly closed the book and looked at Godin. He was deeply engrossed in reading, trying to find knowledge about red mana.

‘I bet this will take over an hour.’

Isn’t there something more interesting? I got up and peeked at Godin’s desk.

Godin was so focused that he didn’t notice what I was doing. Neither did Grace.

On Godin’s desk, I found a paper filled with symbols.

‘Now that I think about it, language and math are deeply related.’

More precisely, math is almost everywhere. It’s involved in most fields of study.

Most importantly, mathematical logic is crucial. Without math, many fields would stagnate.

Especially magic and math are inseparable. Some even say magic is another term for math.

‘This seems familiar.’

I hesitated to touch it and just observed.

Complicated symbols and terms were listed, likely related to magic.

But staring at it didn’t help. I looked away from the paper and around the room.

Godin was diligently reading books. I should ask him about it.

“Godin.”

“Yes?”

“What’s this?”

I pointed to the paper, and Godin followed my finger with his gaze.

Seeing the paper, he smiled awkwardly.

“It’s a magic I’m researching. The theory is still being refined, so it’s embarrassing to show.”

“Is it the research you mentioned before?”

Grace asked, and Godin nodded instead of replying.

It seemed Grace, being his assistant, had a rough idea about the research.

“Grace, do you know?”

“Yes, but it’s too difficult, so I gave up. From what I understand, it seems like he’s trying to implement human intelligence… it defies common sense.”

“Haha. That’s why it’s still a theory. I don’t have anything else to research lately.”

Godin scratched his head, embarrassed by Grace’s indirect critique.

Though he seemed embarrassed, I understood what he was researching.

“What’s it about?”

“Should I explain it simply or in detail?”

“Simplify it.”

If it’s too complex, I won’t understand. Even with Soul World knowledge, this world’s knowledge is tough.

Godin cleared his throat and started explaining with a small smile.

“Think of it as a kind of calculator. It processes calculations for humans and provides results. In short, that’s it.”

“With magic?”

“Yes.”

What Godin aims to create is simple. In modern terms, it’s ‘artificial intelligence.’

Magic is language, and through language, various spells can be cast. He’s leveraging that in reverse.

“Is it possible?”

If you ask whether it’s possible,

“It’s just a pastime. I don’t intend to take it too seriously.”

Think of it like mods or custom maps that surpass a game’s limitations.

End of Chapter

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