His height alone was rather overbearing, at around 190 cm.
He wore formal attire, appearing close to perfection. An eye-catching appearance that had a strong impact on others. The perfect golden ratio was shown by his appearance and clothing.
...Deculein von Grahan-Yukline.
There were no flaws or gaps in him, to the point that he seemed to be "Noble Dignity" incarnate. His elegance flowed into his gait, his speech, his facial expressions, into everything he did.
"That jerk..."
But even these perfect looks seemed like nothing more than a "detestable shell" to some, or rather quite a few.
"Sigh...."
Ifrin Luna. As soon as Deculein appeared, she vented her anger.
Not only were her words bloody, her actions were as well. She clenched her fists so tightly that she drew blood and bit her lower lip.
He had stolen her legacy, her father's achievements and had ruined him which had led to his death in the end.
The public praised Deculein as a "Genius in interpreting Magic Circles" but his reputation was solely reliant on her father's work....
[....Attention.]
At that time, a magic crystal amplified Deculein's voice.
[I shall start the lecture now.]
The spacious auditorium was filled with hundreds of people. Deculein finally scanned the sea of people below his stage. His gaze was as sharp as a knife.
She wanted to immediately pull out a knife and stab both of those eyes.
"That trash..."
However, it was not the right time yet.
Deculein was the enemy she wanted to kill. That was the only reason she applied for the University Tower, but revenge without a proper backdrop would just make her feel regret.
She lived just for this sweet moment, so there was no problem waiting for it a bit longer.
[Nice to meet you]
But... Maybe she'll just cause a bit of trouble for him. Suddenly having gotten an idea, Ifrin smiled innocently while pulling down the hood of her robe.
* * *
...I saw hundreds of people in this vast auditorium. Their eyes glistened brudensomely and a vintage styled camera flashed dizzyingly.
I faced all of this alone.
Well, it was weird.
I didn't feel even a bit of tension.
I just took all these things for granted.
In my life, this kind of treatment was just natural, this attention wasn't pressuring but a privilege. This noble sense of being one of the chosen ones stuck to my body like skin.
"...Nice to meet you. I'm Deculein of the Yukline family."
So I just leisurely started my lecture.
The beginning of this lecture was the first line of the script and the introduction of this character named Deculein.
"I'm a senior professor at the Imperial University Tower and a magician of the "Monarch" rank who governs over the elements. No matter if it's the water, wind, fire or earth attribute there is no difference."
It was a sentence filled with an intoxicating feeling.
"... As is known, magic is largely divided into three 'attributes' and nine 'types'. Attributes include elements, origins and vessels. Types include summons, spirits, destruction, support, control, malleability, harmony, illusion and specialized."
I was just saying what was written on the script.
Even though that's all I did, I focused my breath and attention. It was part of the trait "Intimidating Grace".
"Therefore, a magician can only earn achievements in magic if they work on their attributes and the right type."
When I finished speaking, I flicked my finger.
Tack!
With a refreshing sound, the lights in the auditorium went out and magic circles filled the air.
"The perfection and release of mana. The realization of that is what we call magic. Therefore, one has to first gain an understanding of the magic circle for the realization of magic to succeed. Now, let's take a look at the magic circles above."
I paused for a moment, so the visitors could properly look at the magic circle.
At first glance, it seemed like a geometric figure consisting of multiple lines and curves, similar to fractals.
"This 68 stroke magic circle uses a circuit that looks like a curved indentment, and the mana is first concentrated in the center and is then pushed outwards. What spreads from inside to outside is the nature of "Destruction" and "Support", but the destruction magic has to be a straight line in the form of an indentation. Therefore, this is a submagic formula. Next..."
The first item on the table of contents was "Foundation of magic".
The lecture went on for about 15 minutes and I didn't lose my composure even for a moment. The script flowed so naturally out of my mouth as if it was stuck in there.
Curiously enough – I completely "understood" the composition of this script I saw for the first time today.
"...This is how magic is based on magic circles. However, does mana always lead to magic and if one wants to use magic is it really necessary to study magic circles?"
From this point on it was about "How to use Mana".
Now, the auditorium was holding general students, knights or aspiring students who weren't magicians so it was a topic out of their scope.
"No. It depends on which part of the body you put your mana into."
At the end of my words, the magic circle disappeared and a picture of the human anatomy took its place. Its heart, head and abdomen each held a mass of blue mana.
"First, the "Head". In other words, the brain. It's easy to imagine a technique in your brain, so, of course, more complex lines and circles can be implemented. Therefore, magicans usually keep their mana in their head."
Maybe this guy also had his mana in his head.
In numerical terms "3375".
It's not that much. I remember seeing some named characters having an "initial" mana amount of "30000".
"Next, the "heart". The heart is the place where blood gets pumped out, so mana that gets stored in the heart spreads more easily. However, it's difficult to keep it in one place. Therefore, the heart is a better place for knights than magicians to keep mana in."
I spoke slowly and easily so that everybody could comprehend the content of the script.
I probably grasped how to give a lecture well through "Understanding".
"Finally, the "abdomen". In other words, the lower abdomen. In this area the outside and inside are most often mixed, so its use is universal whether you are a knight, a magician or a normal person...."
After talking like that, I suddenly checked my watch. 40 minutes had passed.
"...What I want to say is simple. Effort is of course important. However, if you're not talented enough, you have to consider efficiency. Talent isn't given to everyone, so most of you need to choose and focus."
I almost laughed while reading this line.
If you're not talented enough, you have to consider efficiency — What you need is to choose and focus.
That advice was incredibly fitting for the current Deculein.
"And...."
I finally reached the end of the script.
But that paragraph was a bit obtuse.
I was wondering whether I should say it or not.
Would the original Deculein have read that?
I didn't know. I read it in there, so he must've written it.
"Lastly, is there anyone who has a question?"
There was only silence.
That's good.
"If not then-"
When I was about to turn around, relieved that no one had a question, someone raised their hand. Then she got up from her seat.
"Professor Deculein. A mysterious magic technique was found in the Magician's Dormitory last night. It's also believed to be the devil's work, so if Professor Deculein who is said to be a genius in interpreting magic circles could–"
"Are you a member of the University Tower? Well, isn't it basic courtesy to say one's name and affiliation first?"
I spoke right away. On the inside I was in a rush, but what I showed on the outside was pure elegance. I instinctively spoke in an aristocratic way.
"What? Oh, my name is-"
"Too late. I won't take questions from rude children."
"...Eh?"
The lower part of the robe-wearing magician's face turned red.
I'm sorry, but I can't help it. The mana consumption of "Understanding" is pretty overwhelming.
[Mana : 2005 / 3375]
It's as much as 1300 points at a time.
It would take a lot more mana to interpret that new circle, I don't want to overdo it. I think I'm getting dizzy.
"This is the end of the lecture"
puh- phuhuhu-Kuhuhu
In the midst of the ridicule and cynicism the magician received, I adjusted my disheveled sleeves.
I removed the wrinkles from my suit. I put on my overcoat and buttoned it up. Finally, I finished reading the script and came down from the podium.
This sequence of gestures were as natural to me as breathing.
"...But still!"
When I turned around a loud sound rang in my ears. I stopped in my tracks and turned my head to look back.
The unknown female magician, who was still standing, floated into the air and drew a magic circle with mana.
"Even the Tower refused to interpret it, dismissing it as just some rumor! If Professor Deculein is such a genius, then I think you'll be able to recognize these lines immediately"
"...."
I looked at that persistent magician.
How dare you be so hard on Deculein? I wonder if there was a character like that in the game, but that magic circle definitely looked a little weird.
A normal magic circle cannot be defined as just a straight or curved line with different arks, but as dozens of living parasites that randomly intertwine.
The moment I looked at the magic circle — Regardless of my intentions,"it" got activated.
As if my eyes were covered in paint, my vision turned blue, my speed of thinking and calculating had been amplified and time seemed to have slowed down, the smell of something burning lingered in my nose as the brain couldn't handle the load.
It was only a moment.
[Mana : 360/3375]
In less than one second, nearly all my mana got wasted.
With that I was "only" able to barely grasp the magic's identity.
[Illusion type: Barrier Magic]
Comprehending more than this, in other words, to know how to "implement" the technique would require double the mana, which I didn't have, but fortunately, she didn't want to know that either.
She just wanted to know the identity of that magic circle.
"The rest of the freshmen in the dormitory are working hard to analyze this, but since it's vacation right now, there aren't enough seniors or professors to ask for help. Professor, if you could give us a hint that would-"
"I won't have to give you a hint. It's barrier magic of the illusion type. It seems someone was trying to lock you up."
"...Excuse me?"
"That's it."
A confident answer.
The bold magician seemed embarrassed, but I just left the auditorium without looking back.