All eyes turned to the two of them. Elly who had suddenly shot to her feet, and Yujin who was smiling as he looked at her.
Elly stared at Yujin. Her wide eyes were filled with shock. Yujin smiled with an unreadable expression on his face and watched her with his eyes barely open.
Seeing this, Reina’s gaze subtly sharpened.
Come to think of it…
She had just remembered. Elly had met Yujin before.
During the labyrinth test, Elly’s party had crossed paths with Yujin inside the labyrinth.
Elly and Yujin had clearly spent some time together in the labyrinth. And judging by Elly’s reaction…
She looks frightened.
It was obvious just from the way Elly was looking at Yujin.
Her pale face, her trembling hands….it was clear to anyone that she was afraid of him.
Does she know something?
And as she observed Elly’s reaction, another thought occurred to Reina.
Hugo Party’s scout Mirien. She also seemed like she knew something.
Back then, Yujin’s circumstances had only seemed suspicious, so she hadn’t pressed for answers. But now Reina decided she would need to summon Mirien soon and confirm what she knew.
Meanwhile, Yujin spoke while still looking at Elly.
“Haha, I understand it must be unsettling to suddenly see someone you know show up as a professor, but could you please take a seat for now? Miss Elly… or should I call you a student, since I’m here as your professor?”
“Ah… I… um…”
“But please don’t treat me too friendly in front of everyone, okay? I’m your professor here, and you’re my student. If people start talking about fairness or favoritism, it’ll just make things uncomfortable for both of us, don’t you think?”
“Y-Yes…”
With that, Elly mumbled her response with sweat dripping down her face as she slowly sat back down.
Seeing this, Yujin turned his gaze back to the other students and continued speaking.
“It’s an honor to meet all of you. Like I was just introduced, I’m Han Yujin, the newly appointed professor. Perhaps there are others here, besides Miss Elly, who already know me. After all, I recently gave what could loosely be called a lecture of sorts.”
At this, quite a few students nodded subtly. Their eyes sparkled with recognition.
It was no surprise. The newly appointed professor Han Yujin who had suddenly appeared as a co-lecturer alongside Professor Reina was now a globally renowned figure.
Although his face wasn’t widely known yet, as he had only revealed himself during a lecture a few days ago, many people had attended that event and seen him in person. Among the students here, there were several who already recognized his face.
While their reactions weren’t as exaggerated as Elly’s, they were just as stunned.
After all, the figure who was practically the founder of space-time magic and had vanished without a trace after that day had suddenly reappeared before them as a newly appointed professor!
A figure worthy of being recorded in history books had appeared. So naturally, their curiosity and interest were at their peak.
With all eyes on him, Yujin spoke again.
“This is my first lecture, and it seems many of you are curious about me since I’ve appeared so suddenly. So… how about we start with a Q&A session? If there’s anything you’d like to ask about me or the lectures I’ll be teaching, feel free to raise your hand.”
Immediately, countless hands shot up into the air.
Among them, Yujin pointed to the student who had raised his hand the fastest.
“Yes, you. The tall student there. What’s your name?”
“Professor! My name is Julian Johannes!”
A tall, blonde-haired male student stood up and introduced himself. As he did, he was thinking to himself:
So, he really is the founder of space-time magic! I have to leave an impression on him, no matter what!
It was also what the majority of the students there had been thinking. The space-time magic system that Yujin had established was close to revolutionary in this era. Furthermore, he was an Archmage whose level surpassed even that of the Mage Association’s chairman.
Many people had thought that he might even rival the academy’s Headmistress, the Great Witch Ines Karandar. In fact, it would not have been an exaggeration to say that he stood above her in terms of academic achievements alone.
If only they could catch his eye and leave a good impression, they might become his assistant or graduate student and learn from him in earnest!
If that were to happen, it would be no different than their lives flourishing. Commoner students would become apprentices to the Archmage and the founder of space-time magic, gaining wealth and fame, while noble students would increase their family honor and raise their own social status to an even higher level than before.
Since Johannes was a noble with a family name, he leaned more toward the latter. Then Yujin asked him.
“All right, Julian. What is your question?”
“I wanted to hear what kind of content your lectures would mainly cover!”
“It might be a bit unfamiliar to all of you. Among those who know my name, has anyone read the thesis I wrote?”
At those words, many of them raised their hands again. After all, if one was a mage, it would have been impossible not to be curious about the space-time magic that had suddenly come to public attention.
These students were in the Department of Elemental Magic, but since they were also mages, most of them had read the thesis on space-time magic.
Julian who had asked the question also spoke up.
“I have read it as well.”
“I see. Then let me explain further. You must have encountered many parts of my thesis that you couldn’t understand. Like the concepts and theories you had never seen before, the application of gravity magic, which seemed entirely unrelated to space-time, or simple yet incomprehensible magic formulas.”
All the students nodded at those words. It had all been unfamiliar and difficult for them to grasp.
“In fact, it was only natural that it would be hard to understand without a certain level of background knowledge. I will confess something here and now. I deliberately wrote that thesis to expose the reality of today’s mages, distorted by the failings of the Mages Association.”
-……!
“There are those who flaunt their sense of privilege as mages and do not truly explore magic… I wanted to show them how useless the so-called knowledge they claimed to have built for themselves really was. Instead of seeking new discoveries, they simply placed their own flimsy stone on top of an existing tower and were content to boast about it, like ‘stagnant water that has rotted’. My thesis should awaken them.”
After saying that, Yujin smiled softly and went on.
“Now then, shall we return to the main topic? What I will teach you… it is the method of inquiry.”
“The method of inquiry… is it?”
“That is correct. Along with that, I plan to help you see the world from a slightly different perspective.”
“When you say ‘a different perspective’ …”
“I mean it quite literally. Those things you have taken for granted up until now… I will show you that they are not truly so obvious, why they exist in the first place, and what you have been missing because they have been obscuring your view.”
“……”
“Haha, of course, it might sound too abstract when I put it like that. Let me then ask you a simple question as a small preview of what I will teach you. Julian?”
“Ah, yes!”
“What do you think ‘mana’ is?”
“Mana… you mean?”
“Yes, mana.”
Mana (magical power) was commonly referred to as the source of magic.
It was a simple question, but it was also a question that any professor might have asked. Yujin spoke.
“Feel free to speak openly. Just tell me what you know, Julian.”
At those words, Julian slowly opened his mouth.
“Mana… is a type of the Four Great Powers. It originates from the energy of dragons, one of the four supreme transcendents, and is also a force that forms one of the foundations of the world. Thanks to this energy, humanity has been able to use magic through reason and wisdom. Additionally, it works as the resource required to perform what is commonly referred to as magic.”
“That’s the most textbook answer. Julian, you seem to be quite diligent.”
“Th-Thank you.”
“Then, let me ask you one more question. What exactly are the Four Great Powers?”
Another question. Julian answered again without hesitation.
“The Four Great Powers are also energies that come from Transcendens and are the foundation of the world. They are divided into mana (magical power), demonic power, divine power, and aura. Mana is the energy that mages use to perform magic. Demonic Power is the energy used by dark mages. Divine Power is the energy used by priests chosen by the gods. And aura is the energy that warriors use to strengthen and protect their bodies and to attack.”
“Such a confident answer. Well done.”
“Thank you!”
With Julian bowing his head, Yujin glanced around at the other students and spoke.
“I’m sure most of you don’t have thoughts that differ much from Julian’s answer. After all, his response is a perfectly standard and reasonable one for anyone who has lived in this world. However…”
Yujin turned back to Julian and continued.
“But it’s not the answer I’m looking for.”
“!”
Julian flinched at those words, but Yujin smiled as he reassured him.
“I’m not criticizing you. I was the one who told you to speak freely about what you know.”
“Yes…”
“Then, shall I share the answer I have in mind? What I believe mana and the Four Great Powers represent is… a ‘singularity’.”
“A… singularity?”
At the unfamiliar term, not only the students but also Reina who had been listening to Yujin tilted her head in confusion. Yujin began to explain.
“I can see the confusion on your faces. That’s perfectly fine; it’s only natural. So, I suppose I need to explain what a singularity is.”
With those words, Yujin made his way to the blackboard beyond the teacher’s podium where Reina stood. Reina stepped aside to make room for him as if instinctively, and Yujin picked up a piece of chalk.
Then he lightly wrote on the blackboard:
[A World Without the Four Great Powers]
The phrase he wrote was simple, yet it made the students’ eyes widen in surprise. Turning back to face them, Yujin asked,
“Can you imagine a world without the Four Great Powers?”
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