The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

12. Academy?

As soon as morning broke, Asel and Ena began their lessons in the repository. Ena plucked precisely the right volumes from the hundreds lining the shelves and placed them before Asel.

“These are the glyphs for spellcasting. Memorize them.”

“Understood.”

Ena handed over ten books in total. A daunting amount to conquer in a short space of time. But Asel, betraying no displeasure, gathered all the books and settled into a corner of the repository. Ena stayed by his side, waiting for him to finish reading.

Time ebbed away. Dedicating every moment aside from sleep and meals to reading, Asel managed to finish all ten books in a week.

Simply reading them wasn’t enough; the aim was to memorize all the glyphs, but that proved no great obstacle for Asel.

“What does this glyph signify?”

“Expansion. It’s used to increase the range or amplify a spell’s effect.”

“And this one?”

“Delay. It determines when a spell activates, depending on how much mana is infused. Effective for spells used with a time lag.”

“Then this?”

“Autonomy. It’s included in spell formulas for spells that think, judge, and operate independently.”

The answers flowed without hesitation, prompted by Ena. Once she was satisfied that he had committed every glyph to memory, she moved on to the next stage.

“I’ll teach you the fundamentals of magic.”

The second session was a lecture. Asel sat in a chair, watching Ena standing atop a pedestal as she began to explain, a ghost of a memory stirred within him.

Surely ‘University’ was a place where professors lectured in just that way. Not an unpleasant feeling. Asel focused on Ena’s lesson.

The lectures on the basics of magic were mostly knowledge-based. There weren’t many opportunities to actually use magic. At best, they occasionally used it without manipulating its properties, and otherwise, it was just sitting and taking notes.

“Magic is a miracle manifested through mana. There are countless schools, and those called Grand Masters sometimes develop entirely new spells. The Grand Master of Lightning Magic was a great mage named Cromwell, but he’s gone now. He died a thousand years ago.”

“…”

“Just because two people learn the same spell doesn’t mean they can project the same power. Depending on the caster’s skill, a low-level spell can sometimes exhibit the power of a high-level one.”

“Is that possible for you, Master?”

“If I concentrate.”

The lessons stretched on for nearly four months. In that span, Asel absorbed a wealth of knowledge, beginning with the history of magic, progressing to methods for reading incantations, arranging characters, creating incantations, imbuing magical properties, and more.

It proved a rather meaningful achievement. Asel confirmed that the efficiency and potency of his now familiar, bordering on intimate, fire magic had skyrocketed through Ena’s tutelage, and a satisfied smile graced his lips.

Even so, time continued its relentless march.

By the time Ena’s lectures concluded, summer was already peeking around the corner. It was then that Asel began to formally study lightning magic under Ena.

Ena’s archive held a mere five tomes related to lightning magic. Considering that the grimoires for other magic types numbered well into the hundreds, this was a paltry sum. However, most magics classified as ‘unique’ were in a similar situation. Since few people used them in the first place, naturally the documented information was scarce.

Even more, aside from its creator, Cromwell, and Ena, no one else had ever mastered lightning magic. Thinking about it that way, five books seemed quite generous.

“Have you finished reading the introductory texts?”

“Yes. I’ve read them all, cover to cover.”

Asel replied to Ena’s inquiry.

The two stood on a patch of open ground behind the manor. The magic instruction was too dangerous to conduct in the archive, where they had been pursuing their studies. The location was better to counter unpredictable incidents. Besides this space offered plenty of room to test spells.

“What’s the most basic lightning incantation?”

“Discharge. It transforms mana into lightning energy and releases it.”

“Show me.”

Asel met Ena’s serious gaze and nodded.

He had read the lightning incantation texts dozens of times. The others, too, barring the introduction. The contents of the books, which he had poured over repeatedly in the archive, remained vividly in his mind.

Raising a hand, he recalled the characteristics of lightning magic.

The activation speed was slower than radiance-based magic, which manipulated light, but the power was many times greater. It was classified as a branch of destructive magic, but unlike other destructive magics, lightning magic had no recoil thanks to the special circuitry involved. However, both the power and the speed and calculation, and the finesse needed to control the power of lightning, all depended entirely on the caster’s ability, without the aid of incantations. Which is why most didn’t dare lay a hand on it.

It was Asel’s first time using it himself. He knew the knowledge from the books, but he had refrained from using it per Ena’s request. Thus, converting mana to lightning, assembling the incantation, and calculating the mana quantity, were all firsts.

But…

‘This is odd.’

Moving his mana, Asel considered with a calm expression.

*Hummm.*

The mana within his core stirred in an instant. The mana, now increased by his lessons, responded to his will, slowly changing its nature. In response, circuitry ideal for lightning magic began to form.

It was a circuit assembled by instinct. A form of mana circuitry that could be dynamically designed to suit each magic type. Through this innate talent, Asel could assemble any form of circuit he desired.

Lightning magic was no different. The lightning magic circuit he was currently weaving felt more familiar than the circuits he had assembled for fire magic. Perhaps he was more adept at this. No, he certainly was.

“Stop if you feel it’s dangerous. I’ll block the recoil.”

Ena said. Asel, still unperturbed, nodded.

He wove the circuit, and changed the nature of the mana. The tasks, performed without regard to order, yielded simultaneous results.

*Crackle.*

He heard the sound of lightning crackling in his head.

A smile bloomed on his face, unbidden.

Without any incantation, he manifested magic merely by thinking of the formula.

“[Discharge Lightning]”

*Fzzzt!*

From Asel’s hand shot a bluish-black bolt of lightning at rapid speed. Unimpeded, the lightning struck a tree, disappearing with a tremendous clap of thunder. Ena glanced at the tree, now tilting with a gaping hole in its center, then met Asel’s smiling gaze, returning the smile.

The third Lightning Magician in history had been born.

*

Time flowed like water. Seasons passed in a cycle he’d lost count of, and Asel greeted the first day of his adulthood.

Just as they’d held a coming-of-age party for Evelyn last year, a party celebrating Asel’s adulthood was thrown this year. However, unlike last year when only those within the manor attended, this year several mages from the Witches’ Circle joined the festivities. All were either connected to Ena or had forged new bonds with Asel.

After receiving most of his education from Ena, Asel would visit the Witches’ Circle library alone, devouring books, or participate in magical exchange meetings, and in the process, he managed to cultivate quite a few connections.

In a way, it was only natural. Asel, who had grown without any awkward changes from his childhood appearance, had long since become a celebrity within the Witches’ Circle, where women made up the vast majority. Even more so, unlike his notoriously ill-tempered teacher, he was easy to converse with, basking in the affection of younger mages alike.

Some even attempted to seduce him with their charms, seeking to gain his attention and favor. Of course, their instructors intervened to some extent, but still, there were many who struggled to earn Asel’s regard.

The party was no different.

“Long time no see, Asel! How have you been?”

“Ah, Hera. I’ve been well. You look even prettier all dressed up.”

“Eek… ahem. Thank you. This is a coming-of-age gift for you. Will you accept it?”

“…Is this a letter?”

“Yes! I put money inside, too! So, Asel! Won’t you please spend your life researching magic with me?!”

Hera’s mage-like confession. Asel gave a wry smile, returning the letter to her and gently refusing.

“I’m sorry. I’m not ready to be with anyone yet. I’ll take the thought, though.”

“Ah…”

Faced with such a clear expression of intent, Hera stood there as if her soul had departed, before turning away, tears streaming down her face. Asel scratched the back of his head, watching her hair scatter as she fled. Just then, Irina, a smoking pipe clutched in her mouth, chuckled and casually draped an arm over Asel’s shoulder.

“Popular, aren’t you? How many girls have you made cry so far?”

“…I don’t know.”

“How many is it that you don’t know?”

“Why are you asking something like that? It’s unsettling.”

“It’s fun.”

Irina blew a cloud of mana-infused smoke into Asel’s face and laughed. Asel conjured a flame, consuming the smoke, before subtly freeing himself from Irina’s grasp.

“They’re all just young. I’m probably the only guy they encounter often, so they’re confusing interest with affection and making mistakes.”

“You sound like you’ve lived dozens of years longer. You’re about the same age as them, you know.”

Irina snorted, a disbelieving laugh escaping her lips, then drew a glass of wine on the table towards her with a puff of smoke and took a sip. Asel followed her lead, and when his eyes met Evelyn’s, who was busily flitting about the tables, he smiled and waved. Evelyn grinned back, returning the wave.

Irina watched them, commenting, “Quite the bond between siblings.”

“We’ve relied on each other since childhood. It couldn’t be any other way. But more importantly, Irina-nim, weren’t you supposed to be at a conference today? What are you doing here?”

Asel asked, setting his own glass of wine back on the table.

Unfortunately, this year marked the return of the League-sponsored conference. There hadn’t been one last year, and this sudden gathering had forced Ena to depart for the conference hall with only a hurried word of congratulations. Yet Irina, a member of the same League, wasn’t attending the conference at all, instead content to sit at the party and lavish her attention on wine.

The first impression she’d given was one of imposing grandeur and mystery, but having grown somewhat closer, the impression was entirely opposite. Almost unrecognizable. It led Asel to wonder if Irina had been ousted from the League, rendering her unable to attend the conference.

“Ah, that.”

But the answer was far from what he had imagined.

“It’s not a conference I particularly *need* to attend. A simple vote or expression of opinion, and I can skip the actual hall.”

“But Master went?”

“Ena’s attendance is mandatory. This conference’s topic is closely tied to her, you see.”

“And what might that be?”

“Classified information.”

Irina chuckled, tapping Asel’s head with the end of her pipe.

“If you really want to know, get a higher position in the League.”

“…*This* is a Grand Magus?”

“Impressive, isn’t it? I know.”

Irina laughed, drawing in a lungful of smoke, then, as a sudden realization struck her, exclaimed, “Ah!” and turned back to Asel.

“I suppose I can tell you this much.”

“?”

“Congratulations on your academy admission.”

“?”

The smile accompanying her words only deepened the furrow on Asel’s brow.

*

“Per the agreement between the League and the Luminous Academy, we must enroll one exceptional mage, just now coming of age, into the Academy. The candidates are Asel, Ena’s disciple, and Kal, Quirum’s disciple. The preliminary vote resulted in 25 votes for Asel. And 3 for Kal.”

“…”

“Even if every vote from those assembled here were to go to Kal, it would still fall short of Asel. Therefore, I hereby confirm Asel’s admission to the Academy.”

Bang, bang, bang.

The aged mage at the head of the round table finished his announcement, striking the table with a mana-imbued mallet. At the same moment, a thunderous applause filled the room, followed by Ena, who rose from her seat and summoned a veritable peal of thunder.

[Lightning Bow]

KWA-aaaNG!!!!

In an instant, the conference hall wall was shattered. Ena, her eyes blazing, surveyed the silent figures and muttered under her breath.

“No. I won’t allow it.”

He’s my student.

The expression on Ena’s face as she uttered those words was twisted with fury.