"Nice to meet you."
The audience grew silent.
"My name is Deculein, the Head Professor of the Imperial University Tower and a Monarch-ranked wizard."
As always, I started my lectures with an introduction.
"My lecture will last exactly two hours, through which I will be discussing its main focal point: the pure elemental magic test that was auctioned last week."
I had already prepared the contents and flow of the lecture a week ago. The problem was, there was a good chance that the lecture wouldn't go my way.
As soon as I started…
Kekeke-
The chairman's laugh irritated me.
"First, let me give you a brief description of 'pure elements' before we look at the questions."
I was planning on holding the lecture in the form of problem explanations, but I first outlined what I said in my previous class at the tower.
I proceeded to give out a short briefing using pure elements such as [Scorched Fire], [Thundercloud], and [Will o' the Wisp].
"… However, these 'pure elements' have no purpose. They only gain magic affiliation according to the aim of the wizard that implements the element. You have to be aware of that."
Most people would have their brains twisting upon thinking about 'pure elements' and 'magic affiliation' together.
Simply put, it was like drawing two images with both hands simultaneously. Drawing one at a time was far more efficient.
"Let's put aside numbers 1 to 5 for now and take a look at question number 6 first."
The aforementioned problem came up in the air.
It embodied the magic [Bitter Cold Fog] in which three pure elements were combined in perfect harmony.
But, the core of my lecture was numbers 7 and 8, so I only explained the gists adequately and moved on.
Or at least tried to.
"I have a question!"
Someone raised their hand. As I had expected, it was the chairman.
"Question! Question!"
She jumped up and screamed like a nightingale, making her impossible to ignore. I paused for a moment and looked at her.
"Go ahead."
"Yes! The Head Professor emphasized the distinction between 'pure elements' and 'magic affiliation!"
The chairman radiated mana and drew a magic circle in the air.
"What should we do if we want to affiliate the magic in number 6 with the best destructive magic compatible with it?"
I looked at the chairman for a while using [Understanding]. Three seconds was enough.
I added a core circuit to his magic: a straight line composed of 28 strokes to form [Explosion].
"That will freeze and injure the enemy at the same time."
"… Oh? Ah… I see. That's right. Oh….thanks."
The chairman blinked as she collected her mana and sat down. "Now, let's look at question number 7."
I made question number 7 hover in the air.
[Artificial Star] mobilized water, wind, earth, and fire elements. While I was explaining it, the chairman rose again.
"Professor! I have a question!"
"…"
"As you said, there are two core circuits in number 7. However, wouldn't that many core circuits or more twist the magic itself?! I think…"
The chairman released mana and drew question number 7.
[Artificial Star] had the highest number of magic combinations, but her version took a different form from my question.
"It would be easier to set up only one core circuit just like this. Why risk setting up two core circuits and having the magic go haywire?!" The chairman asked, perhaps already knowing the answer to it. I looked vacantly at her for a moment while she grinned.
I nodded.
"That's a good question."
I drew a copy of the chairman's magic.
"But an [Artificial Star] like yours, which only has one core circuit, will cause extreme mana consumption."
The chairman replied as if she had been waiting.
"But wouldn't we consume more mana if we use two core circuits?! That's basic and common knowledge! Why would you rather use two if you can use one? Isn't that just wasteful?!"
The other wizards' expressions told me that they agreed with her. Those were the chairman's words, after all.
I refuted her argument in a calm and orderly manner.
"Yes, that is generally true, but not unconditionally so. It depends on the characteristic of the magic. [Artificial Star]'s core circuits aren't only for the user's mana, but also for taking care of its energy."
The chairman's expression hardened slightly.
"The [Artificial Star] in number 7 has special properties. One of the two core circuits focuses on 'circulation,' and the other on 'cohesion.' Through them, its four pure elements will circulate and cohere inside the magic and release energy by themselves, allowing the caster to hold it for a longer duration while using less mana."
After a brief pause, I continued.
"In that regard, the technique that the chairman showed isn't a star. It is no different to a chunk of mana meant to drain the caster empty."
"…"
The chairman kept her mouth shut. There was already a shadow on her grinning face.
"But…"
I looked at the clock. The appointed time was 120 minutes, and 110 minutes had already passed.
"I've used up too much time answering questions. I will no longer do any explanation on question number 8."
"…"
Everyone looked at the chairman, who then pouted without saying anything.
"I'll take a few more questions and wrap it up."
At that moment, somewhere within the room, a cold voice rang.
"Did you think about question number 8 yourself?"
It was a blatant suspicion. Frowning, I looked over to where it was coming from and found a robed wizard staring at me.
"Please introduce yourself."
"… I'm Louina."
Her name sounded familiar.
I thought I knew who she was.
"Please be more specific with your question."
"It's as I said. Was question number 8 really your idea? Did you really write it yourself? I'm curious about that."
Louina was a wizard who gave quests that opposed Deculein. I wasn't certain, but he might have banished her from the tower and expelled her to the Kingdom.
She was a Named character overflowing with hatred for him.
"… Huh? No way! Are you saying someone else wrote the test questions for Professor Deculein?! A ghostwriter?!" The chairman jumped up and shouted. Murmurs soon filled the lecture room.
Louina laughed as the chairman continued talking.
"There's no way! Professor Deculein isn't like that!"
It would've been better if he just kept his mouth shut.
"…"
The wizards didn't say anything, but their eyes told me what they were thinking. Some seemed suspicious of me, some looked like they sympathized with me, and the rest just looked curious.
I stood still and pondered about it. A good idea came to mind soon enough.
"Professor Deculein?"
I shook my head and laughed lowly at the chairman's words.
"It's common to be inspired by things that are not your own."
The sounds of gasps echoed.
"… However."
I emitted mana, the lines of which drew a technique in the air.
"This is entirely mine."
I recalled a landscape with my eyes closed and turned it into a technique, arranging the correct pure elements to depict it as if painting on a canvas.
Just like that, the magical design that I envisioned emanated in the air using mana as its medium.
[Understanding] allowed me to reproduce what I had learned and deciphered before using much less mana.
I consumed over 50 thousand in writing number 8, but now, 3 thousand was enough to recall the same magic.
The wizards in the auditorium looked at the elaborately drawn picture that showcased eleven spells perfectly connected and intertwined with each other.
"Because I made it on the spot, the answer to this equation is completely different from number 8. Consider finding its answer as your homework."
I then looked at Louina. "Does this answer your question, Professor Louina?"
No, I looked at where Louina was, but she was nowhere to be found.
I smirked… then sneered.
"I'll be ending my lecture here."
Standing by the table, I organized my materials, straightened my clothes, and looked at the chairman.
She looked bitter for some reason.
Before long, some young wizards in the front seat approached me. It was uncommon for people to ask for an autograph from a wizard.
*****
[Event Quest Completed]
◆ Mana +30
After my lecture, I returned to my mansion, where I found another car parked in the parking lot.
It was Yeriel's.
When I entered the main building, Yeriel was eating in the dining room, which wasn't surprising at all. While cutting through her steak, she raised a question.
"I heard you gave a lecture at the floating island?"
"…"
I nodded.
"Well, what happened? The wizards there must be on a different level from the tower chicks."
"There's nothing to worry about."
"Oh, come on. You always say that. Do you want me to be worried? Unfortunately, I'm not."
As I sat in front of her, my attendants rushed in to prepare food.
Yeriel seemed flustered by the fact that we were now sharing the same table, but she quickly regained her composure. "… I heard you made 40 million Elnes."
"That's right. Let me know if you need financial support. I'll be sure to lend you some."
"Then… Huh? Wait! Lend? Lend?!"
"Yeah."
"What do you mean, lend?! Give me half of it!"
I cut my meat without saying a word.
As always, the level of cooking here was absolutely perfect.
Well, the ingredients my chef used were top quality, and his salary was also very generous compared to other mansions.
"Just give me 10 million Elnes… Also, here. The debutantes at the tower want to have their MT at Hadekain?"
Yeriel pulled a document out of her handbag.
[Imperial University Tower Magic Department MT Program]
"… Hadekain."
The capital of the Yukline estate. I also planned on visiting it someday.
It had both a local wizard tower and a local Knight Order. Moreover, not only was its climate perfect but it was also situated right next to the system.
It was modeled after LA in the states and was one of the best places to live in.
"What do you think, Yeriel?"
"Well, I'm fine with it. Not all of the debutantes will stay in the university tower for thousands of years anyway, and they might join our tower if they like the city." She was glancing at me while proudly saying those words.
I nodded. "Okay."
"Good~"
Yeriel returned the document in her handbag and picked up the knife again.
Closely observing Yeriel, I spoke up. "When using a knife—"
"Ah, I won't eat here."
It was almost an instinctive response. Yeriel ran away to her room with her plate, and I went to the library after finishing my meal.
"…"
As soon as I sat on my desk, I took out the certificate of the tower's sponsorship, the subject of which was…
[Epherene Luna].
The test this time was my original work, but Epherene's father definitely gave me the inspiration for it. 'Drawing with elements.' That idea was entirely his.
Therefore, it was only right that a fraction of the 40 million Elnes I earned from it would be used to sponsor Epherene and the Luna family.
"Luna of Juhalle."
According to the information I had about the 'Luna' family, they had a tragic history.
Their family was still surviving, but their old mansion had been auctioned off thirteen years ago, and now only Epherene and her grandparents were its members.
I also wrote a letter to their family enclosed with 100,000 Elnes.
*****
… My outfit today was dark blue. My cane, of course, neatly adjusted its color accordingly.
"Are you ready?" Yeriel asked.
Looking at her, I stretched my hand out to her, startling her and causing her to take a step back.
"W-what? Why?"
"Stand still."
"… Ahh!"
As my hand got closer, she closed her eyes tightly.
I then got rid of the wrinkles on her collar and sleeves. As a precaution, I also removed the dust on her clothes using Psychokinesis.
Now all tidied up, she expressed her dissatisfaction. "… That's a real disease."
"Follow me."
I went outside.
Roy was waiting in the parking, wearing a perfect fit for the clear blue skies of the summer. Soon enough, I got into the car with Yeriel.
The enthronement would take place today at the 'Jifrein Square' in the system.
"Yeriel, take this." I handed the sealed document to her.
She frowned. "What is this again?"
"This is my prediction obtained inclination of the next emperor."
It was a document that summarized the important events that I was aware of, including which ones we could benefit from and how we could lower the difficulty of the quests. "Huh. Are you a prophet?"
"Just take it."
"Whew." Shaking her head as if finding it pathetic, she took the document. "No more mind games."
Prophecies were only funny at first.
"My lord, I don't think we'll be able to get any further than this."
An uncouth crowd was blocking the road.
We got out of the car.
"The Yukline Family is this way."
An imperial knight who was standing by around the area guided us to a separate passageway. As we did, I saw the square where the enthronement would soon take place.
A long and wide carpet was in the middle of it, leading to a high altar. The crowd stood at its flanks, making sure to leave the carpet itself empty and unblocked. At the top of the platform, the emperor's throne awaited its next owner.
"This is it." The seats for the Yukline Family were close to the throne.
Not far away were some royals, including Maho, Ihelm, Glitheon, Sylvia, Essecil, Betan, Ragan, etc… Many Named characters could be seen as well.
I looked at one of them in particular.
Julie.
Feeling my gaze, she accepted it with a bow. She looked quite tired, the dark circles around her eyes being too deep.
I wanted to approach her, but I couldn't exchange greetings with anyone recklessly.
Dooong—!
Drums rang, followed by trumpets and traditional music, which marked the beginning of the emperor's enthronement.
Not far away, an imperial carriage appeared, and the cheers of the citizens shook heaven and earth.
It stopped before the grand and fancy carpet, signaling the cheers and music to slowly fade as well.
The carriage door opened from within, and finely stretched legs touched the ground not long after.
Sophien Aekater Augus von Jaegus Gifrein.
She had languidly sunken eyes, long flaming red hair, and the sharp features of the previous emperor. She was to become the new ruler of the empire.
Sophien walked majestically on the emperor's road, with each of her steps commanding the people in the square to kneel and bow their heads.
Before long, Sophien had climbed up the platform.
Slowly, she drew nearer to her throne. Beside it was the late emperor's empress, her mother, waiting for her ascent.
As Sophien knelt in front of the throne, the empress held back her tears and placed a golden crown on Sophien's head.
Dooong—!
Dooong—!
Dooong—!
The drums rang one after another.
Now sitting on her throne, Sophien had become the emperor.
Overlooking all of her people and now carrying the noblest title to ever exist, Sophien glanced at the world. She looked tired for some reason.
I looked at the emperor.
I knew the reason behind her fatigue. I knew her origins, her life, after all. She was—
The emperor shifted her gaze towards me, and the moment our eyes met, I bowed my head immediately.
However, I could still feel her staring at me.