Chapter 76: The Four Seasons (2)

"Never, never, never ever tell anyone about this! Even in the Magic Tower, my teacher is the only one who knows."

She had said far too much.

Realizing that fact in a flash, Yuria spoke with a flustered expression.

For a magician, a theme was like the distilled essence containing everything about themselves.

In particular, this “Four Seasons” was something she had painstakingly crafted piece by piece since the very moment she first stepped into magic, so her attachment to it ran deep.

Because she had been startled by Carl’s analytical ability, she had lost her composure and run her mouth more than she should have.

‘What do I do? I wasn’t planning to say this much.’

Her mind had gone completely blank a while ago.

Honestly, she still couldn’t believe it.

The intuition that had pierced through the “Four Seasons” in one glance.

The logic that connected it all together.

And even the knowledge that could explain every preceding process without a hitch.

Every part of it was enough to be shocking.

Of course, from what she had seen of Carl so far, he didn’t seem like the type to go blabbing.

But people were unpredictable.

Seeing Yuria’s expression, Carl nodded as if to reassure her.

"Please don’t worry. I will never divulge it."

"Ugh… This is clearly my blunder. You know what a theme means to a magician, right?"

"I do. It’s more precious than life."

"My loose tongue… I usually never say things like this."

"If you wish, I can even write a magical oath. Bayern has a system that provides such oaths, I’ve heard."

There was an oath that applied conditions and restrictions using both parties’ mana.

If they used it, Carl would be unable to reveal Yuria’s theme.

His true intention, of course, was to reassure Yuria while at the same time establishing a firm link between them.

For that, a few magical oath documents were a small price to pay.

"…No, well, that’s a bit much."

When Carl pressed the issue, Yuria hesitated.

The fault clearly lay with her for carelessly spilling the secret.

A magical oath would put her mind at ease, but writing one over something like this felt unfair to Carl.

"If not that, may I at least help you in some small way? I may not be able to assist with the core spell formations, but I can certainly help with the spiral dynamics or other areas."

"…Help me?"

Yuria’s interest was briefly piqued by Carl’s suggestion.

Seeing the curiosity in her expression, Carl slowly raised his hand to drive in the wedge.

"Since you’ve told me one of your secrets, I’ll share one of mine."

"…?"

Carl reached out and picked up the pen lying on the table.

Jeojeojeok—

As the Bright Heaven Divine Art flowed, a chilling coldness surged through the study room.

In an instant, the pen in Carl’s grip froze solid, covered in crystalline frost.

"…!!"

Yuria’s eyes widened.

It was definitely not magic.

The mana swirling from Carl’s hand instantly shifted form, lowering the temperature as if he had cast an ice spell.

The fascinating thing was that, unlike magic, there was no crystallized spell formation or structure—it was the mana’s attribute itself that had changed.

‘Just like a spirit.’

Yuria lifted her gaze to Carl.

"When I was young, I was frail. I caught a plague that spread through our territory and came close to death."

"…Yeah. I’ve heard about that."

"After I miraculously recovered, I began to see things I hadn’t before. Perhaps it affected my mind—my studies suddenly improved from then on."

It wasn’t a lie.

From that moment on, Carl Leipzig had died, and the unkillable Mu-ak had taken his place.

"No one knows about this either. I’ve kept it hidden all this time. This is my first time revealing it to anyone."

"…Really?"

"Yes. Not even my brothers or parents know."

Seeing Carl scratch his cheek awkwardly, Yuria let out a short breath.

‘Giving me a favor like this… He’s so stupid, I can’t even be mad.’

Carl was a magician too—he knew exactly how important a theme was.

So he must be revealing a lifelong secret to ease her burden.

"I’m sure I can be of help."

"…Are you sure you’re okay with that?"

"Of course."

Carl nodded readily.

In truth, even if he couldn’t help, he wanted to say he could.

‘This has potential.’

Even though he had only heard a rough outline so far, he could feel it.

An autonomous thinking system?

It was like calling her a walking tactical core, no—a living magic weapon.

With the theory of spiral dynamics infusing acceleration and amplification, she could cast faster and with more destructive power than other magicians.

If this “Four Seasons” were completed, wouldn’t Yuria’s name spread far and wide as a formidable magician?

"Then, I’ll count on you."

Yuria, still hesitant, gave a small, bashful smile.

While most magicians preferred to research alone, there were some who collaborated with a partner or “buddy.”

If they complemented each other’s weaknesses, they could produce greater synergy than working solo.

"I suppose I’ll have to increase my focus on magic from now on."

"There’s no need to overdo it. The exams come first for now."

"It’s fine. My specialty is theory, after all. In a way, magic research is just an extension of that."

Carl for the theory.

Yuria for the implementation.

The structure was ideal.

"…Then I’m glad."

Yuria nodded with a faint smile, clearly pleased—without the slightest idea of Carl’s hidden intentions.

Two weeks before the midterm evaluation.

As the official exam preparation period began, a tense atmosphere settled over Bayern’s campus.

Since this would be the first regular exam after admission, the new cadets devoted themselves to their studies with fierce determination.

In the Empire’s top academy, the skill gap between top-ranking cadets was razor-thin, so even the slightest lapse in preparation could drop one’s ranking by dozens of places.

Even during free periods, cadets could be found studying in empty classrooms, or staying in the library well past midnight, burning with passion.

Carl also went along with the flow.

In truth, he was confident that even if he took the exam right now, he could take first place in the theory section with a perfect score.

But an overwhelming perfect score was less effective for his image than a perfect score that looked earned through effort.

That was why he had been studying together with the other cadets.

Today, he was in the Ancient Ruins Exploration Club room with the members, studying History of the Empire.

After all, everyone who joined the club did so out of a love for history or ruins, so when it came to that subject, they prepared thoroughly.

Normally, the club leader and senior members would compile predicted questions and summaries based on past exams, but this year there was no need.

"…They’re doing just fine on their own."

Dane, the club vice leader, gave a wry smile as he looked at the first-year cadets.

They were buried in the predicted questions and summaries Carl had created, memorizing without pause.

It was material prepared by the first-year’s top theory student.

It was bound to be of a higher standard than most senior-prepared notes.

Scratch, scratch.

The other new cadets, delighted by their unexpected windfall, were diligently memorizing and taking notes.

When break time finally came, Dane approached Carl and cautiously asked,

"Carl, how’s your presentation prep going?"

Honestly, he felt embarrassed even saying it.

He had been too burdened by the thought of presenting at the academic society and had looked for a substitute—he hadn’t expected it to end up being Carl, a first-year cadet.

Didn’t this make it look like he’d dumped the responsibility on his junior?

"I’m preparing under Professor Leblik’s guidance. He said it would probably be after the first semester ends."

"Ahem… I’m sorry. If you need any help, just let me know."

"Not at all. I’m grateful just for the opportunity to present at the academic society. It’s not common for a first-year cadet to represent the club."

"…Carl."

‘I’ll make sure to meet your expectations.’

Those moving words brought tears to Dane’s eyes.

Did this junior even understand and accept the shortcomings of such an inadequate senior?

What a kind junior.

Standing nearby, Ubel looked on with a faint smirk.

"What a hopeless senior you are."

"…Ubel, you refused the presentation too, didn’t you? Said you didn’t want to do it."

"It’s not that I didn’t want to—it’s that I can’t. When I stand in front of a crowd, I get short of breath, start sweating all over, and my vision goes hazy."

"I’m the same. Remember when I went to report at the Student Council’s regular audit and collapsed afterward?"

"I remember. I came over to help you stand and you vomited on my shoulder. And why did you eat so much lunch when you were that nervous?"

"Ahem."

Carl chuckled quietly as the seniors poked each other’s embarrassing moments.

At first, he had joined the club without much thought, simply to find materials on heroes.

But by now, he found he quite liked the relaxed atmosphere.

Everyone here had gathered purely out of a love for history and ancient ruins.

There were no prickly personalities, and he had naturally blended into the atmosphere, keeping just the right distance while still growing closer.

The best part was being able to get even closer to Laysis.

Scratch, scratch.

Even during the break, she was hunched over, copying down the notes Carl had compiled, her eyes blazing.

‘It must be hard work to hold onto second place.’

Laysis had entered with the rank of second place.

That put her among the highest scores, right behind Nerian.

It was a position where simply maintaining her place was breaking even, but she clearly wasn’t content with that—she was pushing herself, cutting down on sleep, in a bid to overtake Nerian.

"Haa…"

The study session only ended well past dinner.

In the meantime, the other cadets and seniors had all left the clubroom for their own schedules.

Only Carl and Laysis remained.

"Shall we stop here for today? I’m feeling a bit tired."

"You’ve been working without a break, so it’s no wonder."

Laysis leaned back against her chair with her eyes closed, exhausted.

The library had good facilities for studying, but it was too crowded, and distractions were everywhere.

The clubroom, being quieter and more comfortable, had been their preferred study spot for the past few days.

"Mm."

After a short rest and a light stretch, Laysis tilted her head slightly, looking at Carl, who had maintained a perfect posture for hours.

"Carl."

"Yes?"

"How’s the magic study with Yuria going?"

"It’s quite difficult. The mana applications of Spiral Dynamics are considered a challenging field even for magicians, so I need to study a lot more."

"Is it really that hard?"

"It’s beyond cadet level."

"Hmm."

"That’s Yuria’s specialty. As for me, I’d studied it briefly before entering the academy out of interest."

"…What about me? If I started learning now, could I catch up?"

"…?"

Carl tilted his head.

Why would Laysis, who was just beginning magic, have any reason to study Spiral Dynamics?

"If you truly want to study magic seriously, it would be best to build a foundation first. Spiral theory is a composite of many complex elements—without the basics, it would be difficult to understand even the first chapter."

That wasn’t what she had meant.

Laysis pursed her lips.

"I was just saying."

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