The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 12

12.

“It seems even Warden’s princess is helpless when a genius young master holds her back.”

Melanie laughed gleefully.

She was an excellent magic student from the Rohinum School, along with Hubert. The two were heading to the platform to be examined.

“You still haven’t solved such an easy problem? Well, I guess it’s a bit tough to solve it all alone.”

The Rohinum School duo took 13 minutes to solve the problem. Undoubtedly, they were the top of the class.

‘Did they give up?’

Before submitting his answer sheet to Professor Owen, Hubert glanced back at the Mado family duo.

They were clearly different from before.

Crista seemed to be assisting, and Rain was diligently writing something on the drawing paper.

‘Still, he’s just a genius young master…’

Assuming they couldn’t submit the answer sheet in time, was he thinking of teaching the genius young master how to solve the problem?

‘Hmph, it’s over.’

Hubert smiled contentedly and submitted his answer sheet to Professor Owen.

Owen quickly scanned the answer sheet, then placed his hand on the drawing paper, channeling mana into it.

Light filled the circles of the magic circle drawn on the paper, and at the peak of the light, it created a hazy mist inside the classroom before suddenly disappearing.

“The runes of ‘Evaporation’ and ‘Departure’ are working reliably. Considering the short time, it’s quite good.”

The drawing paper, which had the complex magic circle drawn on it, was now blank. As the magic was activated, the magic circle had transferred from the physical world to the other dimension.

“Haha, thank you!”

“Don’t get cocky, you monkeys from the Eight Great Schools. You’re from the Eight Great Schools, and the Rohinum School that controls the wind! You should have solved this in 2 minutes. Therefore, you get a C.”

A C grade? Melanie paused, unable to understand the situation. Hubert narrowed his eyes.

“Why a C? We were the fastest in the class, and the mathematical structure was perfect.”

“You should know the hidden answer best, monkey friend.”

Could it be… that he was caught?

No, he had trained to the point where even his senior brothers from the school couldn’t easily notice… Sensing something was up, Hubert didn’t answer.

“I don’t know? Why?”

Just as Melanie was about to protest, a presence was suddenly felt from behind.

“If you’re done evaluating, can you move aside?”

Hubert’s eyes wavered. The attention of the other students focused on the platform. Professor Owen raised his eyebrows, looking intrigued.

It was Rain and Crista.

In Rain’s hand, a piece of drawing paper fluttered in the spring breeze. The scent of ink used to construct the handwritten magic circle was strong.

“Please evaluate ours now, Professor.”

* * *

Constructing a handwritten magic circle was a race against time.

No matter how talented one was in magic, unless they had a talent for ‘writing numbers quickly,’ it would inevitably take a similar amount of time as others.

Therefore, it was famous as a method of using magic where the gap in talent between geniuses and ordinary people narrowed, in contrast to mental calculation.

For that reason, most of the magicians in the empire were handwritten magicians.

Of course, the limitations were as clear as the advantages. The ability to create and respond to variables was overwhelmingly inferior compared to mental calculation magicians.

Therefore, to reach the realm of the Great Magician or the position of the Sage, one had to become a mental calculation magician.

Aside from the unique magic that individuals develop themselves, they could choose and use common magic created by the saints according to the situation.

Miranjo’s Great Azure Expanse, Orbos’s Heavenly Flame Strike, Lynn’s Thunder Field Bloodletting, and so on…

Handwritten magicians collected pre-drawn magic circles like books and took them out according to the situation, so they were called Remidier-type magicians.

It means ‘those who read’.

The reason for telling this story is to explain that most Remidier-type magicians spend a similar amount of time constructing magic circles.

“Did you really complete it? How unpleasant! I was grinning at the thought of issuing expulsion notices to you Mado family brats!”

“If we can’t use magic because of a little wind, we can’t call ourselves magicians anywhere.”

“Hmph, I like the spirit. Although it’s only about as big as my mother’s booger.”

Professor Owen took the drawing paper submitted by Rain, and Hubert, who watched from the side, doubted his eyes.

‘They completed the magic circle?’

No way. How many minutes do they think have passed? Did they complete that in 2 or 3 minutes?

“Hmm?”

As Professor Owen examined the answer sheet, his eyes suddenly wavered.

“The magic circle… is different from the one I presented.”

The magic circle presented by Owen was a double fan shape, that is, a magic circle with only wind magic attributes.

“Yes. One is a fan shape, and the other is drawn as a circle.”

It was a magic circle in the form of a large circle embracing a fan shape. The circular magic circle gives water attributes to the magic.

In short, this was a dual-attribute magic circle with both water and wind attributes.

“The reason?”

“The rune of ‘Evaporation’ is compatible with water attribute magic. We used the fact that the mathematical formula for constructing this rune becomes quite simple if we use water attribute magic as the foundation.”

“That’s right, in that case, you can find the answer required by the rune of ‘Evaporation’ with just a linear equation.”

Then Crista looked at Rain with an incomprehensible expression.

“What, that doesn’t even come up in middle school classes. Where did you learn that?”

“That’s because the middle school classes are strange. You can’t say you’re using magic perfectly until you’ve accurately learned the runes.”

“!!!”

Did he shorten the time to the shortest possible time based on an overwhelming understanding of runes…? Hmph, Owen placed his hand on the drawing paper as if he found it interesting.

“But whether this is skill or eccentricity, I can only know by seeing it directly.”

“Please check it.”

“You’re so confident I want to beat you up! The difficulty of the formula that must be used for ‘Departure’ has increased because it is a dual-attribute magic circle, right?”

Even if the mathematical formula required by the rune of ‘Evaporation’ was simplified, the overall difficulty would have jumped several times. If there is even one mistake in the mathematical calculation when using magic, the magic will not activate properly.

“Mana injection.”

The mana flowing through Owen’s palm breathed life into the magic circle on the drawing paper.

Light began to permeate the curves, straight lines, and numbers that stretched out vigorously with ink, and the next moment, with a dazzling explosion, it added the unreal to reality.

Evaporation.

Drop by drop, hazy steam rose in the wind dancing in the air.

The next moment, Departure.

The steam spread in all directions as if spreading white wings and suddenly disappeared.

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”

Something different from the textbook solution shown by the Rohinum School duo, a magical feast with even an artistic sense.

‘No way. This, this is a coincidence…’

Hubert couldn’t understand the inspiration that had formed in his retina in this short moment. No, he didn’t want to understand.

‘There’s no way such magic is possible in this short amount of time…’

At that time, the students were doubting their eyes for another reason.

The gorilla sitting arrogantly on the platform, no, Professor Owen… was smiling contentedly and applauding?

“I’ve been teaching for 13 years, and I’ve met many geniuses, but you are the first to show such a novel solution to this problem.”

The gorilla, who had never praised his own school’s disciples, was giving that much praise to Rain Ludwig…?

No, that’s not it.

Crista must have done everything. The genius young master wouldn’t have done anything. The students thought so.

“I’m really annoyed, but I’ll give you an S grade. The best grade I’ve never given on this kind of quiz.”

Then, Crista’s eyes, which had been filled with despair, lit up. She couldn’t believe this situation and looked back and forth between Owen and Rain.

“You flatter us.”

Crista, who momentarily doubted her ears at Rain’s answer, shouted, clutching her hands with a thrilling thrill.

“Thank you!”

At that time, Hubert, who was watching the situation as if he was dumbfounded, had to shut his mouth at the chill that ran down his spine.

It was because of the gaze.

Rain was staring straight at him. As if he knew everything he had done. The gaze contained a clear threat.

He’ll let it go this time, but there won’t be a next time.

* * *

The rumor that the gorilla Owen gave an S grade from the first class spread throughout the school in an instant.

The rumor also reached the four late-stage disciples of the Eight Great Schools, excluding Hubert, who each showed a ridiculous reaction.

“Hubert, that idiot, got a C grade? Haha, I knew it.”

“It’s not surprising. Crista must have done it all by herself anyway.”

“Ah, too bad. If I had been in the same class as Hubert… both of them wouldn’t be able to hold their heads up right now♪”

Of course, as Crista was a genius of the century, it was not surprising that all the credit went to Crista.

Professor Owen and Crista are the only ones who know the truth. No, Crista alone will know the real truth….

Owen knows that Crista and Rain cooperated to produce this result, but in reality, Rain alone achieved that miracle.

‘I have to say thank you.’

She had to, but she couldn’t open her mouth throughout the class. She finally mustered the courage at the point when all the classes on the first day were finished.

“Hey, Rain Ludwig.”

However, as her eyes met the boy’s, she felt her face turn bright red and her words stuck in her throat.

As Crista, who had always been the top student, it was inevitable that she would be ashamed of the fact that she had received help entirely from her rival. But it was also true that she was grateful….

To express that complex feeling in one word of gratitude, Crista had too little experience in dating the opposite sex. No, she had none at all.

– It’s not strong to simply push down with force, but it’s really strong to know how to push someone’s back with that force.

To that guy who gave such advice as if he knew everything… she couldn’t put him in debt, but she was getting help.

“Just you wait. I’ll bring you something that will make that nose that doesn’t know how scary the sky is turn into clay…”

Therefore, she muttered in a voice that was barely audible to the listener, and quickly ran out of the classroom.

“That clay…”

The boy, left alone, stroked his chin for a moment and fell into deep thought.

‘That girl, she really likes clay.’

Whether it was her past life or her present life, it was impossible to deduce mathematically why only strange things swarmed around her like flies.

‘The beginning of that was Rista, could this be Rista’s curse? The names are similar too.’