CH 8

After Luna started talking to me, her attitude seemed a bit strange. Whenever I saw Luna Railer while walking and turned my gaze, our eyes met. However, she didn't talk to me but just ran away, looking surprised. I wasn't sure about the exact reason for her approaching me. The most probable reason seemed to be that she found out I had been giving her bread. There was nothing else that could connect me to Luna. It wasn't like I was doing anything other than studying. More importantly, the problem was why Astina Persia came looking for me. Why did someone who had no connection with Evan get involved with me? Still, it seemed like I had managed to keep her at bay. I hadn't even seen her face since she came looking for me at lunch. Anyway, Astina would soon be busy with the student council president election, so it wasn't a big concern. "Today, I will give you your first assignment." Today's first class was Professor George Mcguire's Magic Theory class. "I've taught you about magic circles, right? So, I'll give you an assignment to draw a magic circle." Magic circle composition assignment. Luna's moment of action was approaching. "I won't ask you to compose an extraordinary magic circle. You just need to add a few components to the basic magic circle structure." Then, Professor Mcguire drew a simple magic circle on the blackboard. "Suppose we have a magic circle that uses ignition magic here. What would happen if we added acceleration to it?" "...Explosion?" Luna answered in a small voice. Then, Professor Mcguire nodded with a smile. "That's right. The fire would appear to be an explosion if it happened at a high speed. Of course, you'd need to add a symbol representing enhancement and adjust the mana control to cause a proper explosion." After saying that, he wrote three points on the blackboard: Creativity Efficiency Activation possibility "We'll evaluate your work based on these three aspects. But the most important thing here is the activation possibility. No matter how creative a magic circle is, it's meaningless if it can't be activated. Any questions?" Since the students didn't say anything, Professor Mcguire closed his book. "You don't have to come up with a magic circle that can be used in real life or battles. Of course, it'd be great if you could, but then it would be an ordinary magic circle. Just draw a unique magic circle that can use mana efficiently." Despite his words, the students' expressions weren't great. Frankly, asking students who hadn't yet learned proper magic to create a magic circle was a significant burden. Then, Professor Mcguire smiled and said, "Don't worry too much; as long as you meet some criteria, I'll give you full marks. That's it for today's class." Magic circles... That day, after class, I headed to the library. I was worried about whether Luna could draw a proper magic circle, but I also needed to create a good magic circle for my own high score. I could draw a magic circle by just looking at the textbook. However, wouldn't it be better if I had some reference books? There were hardly any books other than textbooks in my dorm room, so I had to go to the library to find many reference materials. Upon entering the library, the grand sight caught my eye. Liberion Academy was not only the largest educational institution in the empire but also its largest research institution. The professors here were both educators and researchers, much like a university. All the books needed by these researchers were housed in this library. Although important materials were stored separately in the imperial library, the most extensive collection of resources was located in the Liberion Academy's library. As I looked around, I spotted a librarian organizing books. I approached the person. "I'm looking for books related to basic magic circles." The librarian pointed to a specific section and spoke. "Basic magic circles can be found at shelf C-7." I headed to the section the librarian mentioned and found numerous books on magic circles. I picked one and moved to a desk in the corner of the library. There, I saw Luna Railer studying with a few books she had brought. Was she studying here? Well… Luna probably didn't get assigned to a good dormitory, so she lacked study spaces. In my case, I had a single room, and my study environment was well-equipped. However, students with lower grades were assigned shared dormitory rooms, making it difficult to study there. There were students resting and loudly chatting inside the rooms. I quietly took a seat diagonally across from Luna. She was so focused that she didn't even notice my arrival. I hesitated for a moment to greet her, but I didn't want to disturb her concentration, so I just sat down. If I disrupted her focus and caused her to miss out on any insights, it might affect the story or my plans. I started my own studies without disturbing Luna. Several hours passed like this. When we first arrived, the sun was up, but now the dusk had set, and it was getting dark outside. Even after all this time, Luna hadn't moved and remained focused on her studies. I had stretched my legs and fetched other books, but Luna remained engrossed in her studies, not even budging an inch. Her only movements were her hands flipping through the pages or drawing magic circles on paper. She was truly an outstanding figure in the field of magical theory. "Ugh…" Luna finally began to show signs of fatigue as she raised her arms and stretched. Hearing Luna's movements, I looked up, and our eyes met. "Kyaaah!" Startled, Luna let out a loud scream. "Why… why are you here?" Luna's eyes widened as she stared at me accusingly. Then, the librarian I saw earlier walked over. "Excuse me…" The librarian gently tapped Luna's shoulder and held her index finger to her lips. "I'm… I'm sorry!" Luna quickly apologized to the librarian, lowering her voice. Then, she approached me. "Why are you here? Could it be…" "Could it be?" "Stalking me or something?!" Stalking? I raised my eyebrows slightly, and Luna flinched before stepping back a bit. I pointed at the book I had been reading. "Weren't you working on Professor Mcguire's assignment? Weren't you doing the same thing?" "Ah..." Luna glanced at the magic circle I had drawn and closed her mouth. "I-I'm sorry." At my words, Luna's face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head. "Did you finish the assignment?" As I changed the subject and asked, Luna nodded her head. She had already finished? I felt slightly uneasy. Could she finish it in such a short amount of time since the assignment was given? It took me quite a while to draw an unusual magic circle. But if she had already finished, she might have drawn a normal magic circle. "Can you show me yours?" I needed to check. "C-cheating isn't allowed." "I'm not doing that. Let's just exchange opinions as friends. By exchanging opinions, we might come up with better ideas." "F-friends?" Luna reacted to an odd part. Is being friends a little strange? We are classmates attending the same class; shouldn't we be able to call each other friends? "Yes, friends." "Y-yes, friends." "Right. Since we're friends, speak casually. What's the point of being formal here in the academy?" I spoke casually to Luna. Although it was a bit different from my original image, I thought it was okay for Luna. I was planning to become Luna's sponsor once this assignment was over. Then Luna would be on my side anyway. If Luna's grades improve and she gets a scholarship, I won't need to sponsor her, but until then, she's on my side. And honestly, being casual isn't a bad thing, is it? Even if this conversation spread as a rumor, it wouldn't harm me. It might even benefit me. People might say, "I thought he was a bad guy, but he's actually pretty nice." Although if the rumor about me being casual spreads, it might be treated as a false rumor. "O-okay." Luna brought the magic circle she had drawn. "Huh?" As I looked at Luna's magic circle, dozens of question marks appeared in my head. "It's a square?" Luna's magic circle wasn't a circle. It was a square filled with various magic formulas. "W-well, I tried various calculations, and using these formulas, a square magic circle was the most efficient." The most basic theory of magic circles. No, it was just a fact taken for granted. That is to put the magic formulas inside a circle. The round shape of the magic circle symbolizes the control field of magic. A control field for controlling the magic formula in the center. The main magic formula, which must be written in the center, maintains the same distance from the control field, making it easier to modify the magic circle. Other shapes require multiple calculations for the control formula due to the different distances from the central magic formula. On the other hand, the circle has the same distance between the center and the edge, so only one calculation was needed. That's why magic circles were typically drawn as circles. "Can I arrange it like this?" I lifted my head and asked Luna. I still didn't know much about magic circles, so I wasn't sure if it was possible or not. "I just thought it might work..." Luna's face seemed puzzled. "What if the magic circle doesn't activate?" Surely, if I submit it like this, I would get a high score for creativity. However, as Professor Mcguire said, the most important thing is whether it activates. No matter how unique a magic circle is, if it doesn't activate, you can't get the basic score. "Is that so...? I think it might work, but... should I change it?" Luna spoke with an uncertain voice. "Hmm..." If the other person was an ordinary student, I would have scolded them and told them to change it. That would be a realistic approach. That approach would be correct if you want a good score right now. However, my counterpart was Luna Railer. I wondered if her eccentric ideas were what made her a genius. One reason why the Korean education system is considered flawed is because it only follows existing facts. Adults teach children to follow the safest and easiest path, not to discover new facts. They should teach that unique people are 'different,' but they usually educate that such people are 'wrong.' So, people try to think similarly to others. Anyone who isn't similar is considered 'wrong.' "Maybe... is it a bit like that?" As I kept staring at the magic circle without saying anything, Luna began to read my mood. "Do you want to come with me for a moment?" "Eh?" I took the magic circle and headed towards my dormitory. "Where are we going?" My pace was too fast, so Luna followed me half-running. I slowed down and started talking. "To the research room given to the top student." "Re...research room? At this time?" I went down to the basement of the dormitory. There were several rooms in the basement. I ignored the other rooms and headed to the one at the very end. There was light emanating from the magic circle next to the doorknob. 'You have to touch your hand here...' After being assigned a dormitory, the maid who managed it told me. She said that there was a research room in the basement and if I touched the magic circle, the entrance would open. When I placed my hand on the magic circle, the door opened. I went inside. "What are you doing?" I entered, but Luna hesitated before following me. She seemed to make up her mind, widened her eyes, and entered the research room. The research room wasn't that impressive. It was simply well soundproofed and had facilities to withstand shocks. To be honest, it didn't feel like a research room. It was just a place where magic could be used freely. It felt like an experimental lab. "But why did we come here?" "For an experiment." I began to draw the magic circle Luna had drawn onto the paper beside it. This paper wasn't ordinary paper. It was imbued with mana to be able to use magic circles. It's a 'temporary scroll.' While advanced magic circles had to be written on proper 'scrolls,' basic ones could be activated using these 'temporary scrolls.' The magic circle Luna drew was peculiar but very basic. Therefore, it should be able to activate with this paper. I finished copying the magic circle and looked at Luna. "Let's try it." I immediately tore the paper. As the paper was torn, a strong light burst out. "Wow...!" The magic circle was cast, and small lights spread out around us. Then, four to five small lights began to fly around the room. The main magic formula of the magic circle Luna created was from the fire series – Light. It's a magic that illuminates the surroundings. However, it wasn't just Light but a magic circle with persistence and replication added. Several small lights started to circle around us. "Does... does it work?" Luna stared blankly at the lights flying around the lab. I looked at Luna's expression and smiled slightly. Luna is a 'different' person from us. If she hadn't received any education, she wouldn't have questioned this square magic circle. However, because of her education, she doubted herself. "That's amazing." As I spoke to her, she looked at me with a puzzled face. "I said, it's amazing." I smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up.