22 – Professors in shock and a dean in turmoil
I moved star candies into a tiny glass jar. Both the glass jar and the candy shined in the light, looking like a souvenir from a beach town with sand inside a glass jar.
I had just moved them into the jar because they were too sweet to eat, but I didn’t know it would be this pretty.
I showed the small glass jar to Brown.
“Look at this, Brown. Isn’t it cute?”
I couldn’t eat it now, it was too precious. I sealed the opening using a simple spell and placed it on the side of my desk.
And then I lay on my bed, lazily thinking about Professor Plum.
The stories I heard under faint twilight, the sweet taste of star candies, and Professor Plum’s tender smile came to mind. I didn’t even understand why I was thinking about these things.
Just mulling these over gave me a sense of comfort. Maybe it was because I had finally finished apologizing about the harsh words that had previously weighed on my heart.
I hugged Brown. It felt insufficient just hugging it softly, so, I hugged it tighter.
I continued hugging Brown until I felt better, then released him and started murmuring with him again.
“Professor Plum gave me as a present. This handkerchief too…”
A soft and sweet smell emanated from the handkerchief that was wrapping the candy. The fragrance made me want to barely touch it with my tongue.
Someone who had also given me candy and a handkerchief returned to my mind.
A masked man who had introduced me to King Ruskin when I was young.
“Is he similar to him…?”
He also seemed to have a similar aura to Professor Plum.
It’s difficult to explain accurately in which aspects they seemed similar. Affection… familiarity… wisdom… could be for a multitude of reasons.
What’s more, fundamentally, both had the precarious atmosphere of someone standing on the edge.
Well, it might just be my imagination. I was just a child when I met the masked man. It could be just because both have given me candy and a handkerchief.
Regardless of the reason, thoughts that take hold of your heart tend not to go away.
“I wish we’d become closer….”
Before I knew it, I was murmuring this to myself.
This anxiety followed me into sleep.
The Academy is home to various heroes and scholars who have volunteered with the single mission of nurturing the gifted minds that will lead the future of this continent.
Unlike me, a part-time lecturer, these were individuals who held the formal title of professor at the Academy.
And now, those very professors.
Occupied the back rows of my lecture hall, seated in the midst of my class. More flustered than the murmuring students, I pointed to one of the professors and asked.
“…Excuse me, Luminary Department Head?”
“Hmm. What is it, Professor Plum?”
“Why are the professors here in my classroom…? It’s currently scheduled for a basic magical theory lecture.”
“Just proceed as usual and don’t mind us, it’s quite alright.”
“Even if you tell me not to mind… wouldn’t it be difficult for our students to concentrate?”
“We’ll be quietly listening from the very back row, so we won’t be a disturbance. Also, if you happen to have any extra teaching materials, could you share them with us?”
Could it be that these people have just come out of curiosity about my lecture?
Indeed, the unified theory of demonic and human magic is a very new concept, especially since I was the one who originally developed it. Perhaps some professors who heard about my lectures from the students felt a scholarly interest.
But if that was the case, couldn’t they have just asked me privately? If necessary, I could even write a paper instead of just a lecture.
“Well…, alright then. Let us begin the lecture. First, I’ll distribute the handouts….”
“Professor Plum, aren’t we checking attendance?”
“I’ve memorized all the students’ faces, so it’s fine. Today, Student Ester is absent. So, may I proceed with the lecture?”
“Yes.”
The students and the other professors in the lecture hall glared at the professor who had asked the question.
Sweating profusely under their gaze, his slightly pitiable response didn’t really take up much time.
Well, thanks to this, it seems I’ll be able to conduct my lecture smoothly. Considering what just happened, it’s unlikely anyone else would dare to disrupt the class.
“Let’s take a look at the handouts I’ve distributed. This is one of the most fundamental symbolic diagrams of demonic magic. It consists of a single large core stem with roots and branches extending on both sides in a circulating pattern, which signifies ‘flame.’ However, if restructured into human magic, it becomes ‘ash,’ or ‘dust’…”
“Professor Plum. In that case, do the roots and branches of the symbol diagram function similarly to the 22 pathways of the Sephira magic circle?”
A professor interrupted with a question; this time, it was pertinent to the lecture, so no one objected.
I answered as earnestly and knowledgeably as I could.
And as I resumed the lecture…
“Professor Plum, this—”
“Visiting Professor Plum, about this section—”
“Professor Plum Orchid, if this is the case—”
Questions from the professors peppered my lecture as I proceeded.
The level was so advanced that the students seemed unable to even grasp the intention behind the questions. As I continued to address each inquiry, the lecture was falling behind schedule.
Ultimately, I declared to the professors,
“Professors, you all need to leave.”
“What? Professor Plum, what do you mean—”
“What is this behavior? This lecture is meant to educate the students, not to satisfy your whimsical scholarly urges. I will not tolerate any further disruptions to my class. Please, leave.”
Could it be that those gentlemen were doing this on purpose?
I pondered whether teaching information far beyond the standard curriculum seemed suspicious to them. Perhaps they had orchestrated this moment to test me.
But even so, there should be a limit.
If they monopolize the lecture time with their questions, what exactly is their intention?
Flushing red in the face, one professor attempted to reply to my stern declaration, but before he could, the luminous department head Luminary Green bowed his head and apologized with due politeness.
“Professor Plum. I’m sorry. It seems we’ve gotten a bit overexcited at the prospect of learning something new.”
“I accept your apology. But now, please leave. I want to focus on teaching the students.”
“Understood. Professors, let’s go.”
“But, Department Head—”
“The Academy is a place for students. It’s not for old-timers like us.”
“…Professor Plum. We apologize for our rudeness.”
“It’s alright. Now, please leave.”
“Yes….”
With that, the unwelcome guests who were interrupting the lecture left the classroom.
I picked up the chalk once more and resumed teaching.
There was much to impart to the students.
*
Luminary Green.
Holding the position of the department head of the Magic Faculty at the Academy, he was one of the most talented magicians in the renowned ‘Green’ family, well-known for their magic prowess.
While his sibling ‘Malachite Green’ had made a name on the battlefield as a master of combat magic, Luminary Green had expanded the horizons of theoretical magic and elevated his name in the academic world as a sage.
One of the Green family’s two great pillars.
His interest in Plum’s lectures was sparked by suggestions made to the department.
Because Plum had asked for all questions to be left in the suggestion box after his lectures, it had quickly filled with queries aimed at Plum. The sight of a suggestion box filled by a single professor was odd enough to pique the department head’s curiosity, and the complexity of these questions only deepened his intrigue.
Luminary called in some of the students who had left notes in the suggestion box to understand the full story.
And his curiosity only grew.
Even for him who dedicated his entire life to the theory of magic, the existence of a ‘unifying theory’ that connects demon magic with human magic was a beguiling dream.
Not to say that there hasn’t been such an attempt in the history of magic. Both demon and human magic appeared to be of a similar form, and many believed if one could understand the fundamental mechanics that lead from the manifestation of magic power to spiritual influence, they could potentially unravel the secret of magic itself.
However, it proved to be impossible. The nature of Mana and magical energy was entirely different and the patterns of human and demon magic had no connection at all from their very structure. This was like two gods, a goddess and a demon god, each creating similar magic tricks in their own style. Even if they appeared similar on the surface, there were no connecting points in their principles.
Luminari had also once dared to challenge the grand unifying theory.
Magic was not created by the gods. It’s one of the fundamental laws that make up this world.
Perhaps magic itself was akin to a god.
Even if the two races created by the gods could only use different types of magic, that was a limitation of the races, not of magic.
With such belief, he researched demon magic and eventually gave up his study after hitting a wall known as the ‘Tomb of the Sorcerer’. He had never been so resentful of the gods.
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That’s why when his students told him about Prof. Plum’s lecture, he couldn’t help but doubt. He thought Prof. Plum was giving a ridiculous bluff to his students.
And then when he saw the bait Prof. Plum handed out and the magic demonstrated by the student, exceptionally talented in magic reproduction, he felt scales falling from his eyes.
The world he trusted shattered into pieces and dizziness washed over him; this was a shock not even comparable to what the students felt when they attended Prof. Plum’s lecture.
This was a lifetime.
A lifetime he dedicated to research, but he had to give up eventually.
He didn’t want to believe, but he had no choice.
He had to admit that there was no such thing as ‘the grand unifying theory’.
But what if he was wrong?
Even if his lifetime turned out to be meaningless, what if his goal was not mistaken?
If so.
It would be immensely, hilariously, joyfully.
He wanted to check.
With his own eyes, he wanted to comprehend the identity.
And eventually, Luminari confirmed the truth. He saw the two types of magic demonstrated by Prof. Plum. In an incredibly intuitive way, Prof. Plum showed how the two magics were the same.
Despite asking too many questions in the throes of excitement and getting thrown out.
It was enough.
It was enough to reignite the dying ember of his spirit along with his deteriorating physical condition.
He planned to conduct research on magic from the start.
No one could predict what the outcome would be.
But it was certain. It would magically transform the future of this world.
Because that’s what magic inherently does.