Academy’s Genius Mage

Both of them were safe. Since they were in a safe place, they were not harmed in the slightest.

However, if there was one concern for them, it was that Ian’s disheveled bedroom needed to be tidied up as soon as possible.

The broken windows and damaged furniture drew their attention.

Seeing their worried faces made Ian feel sorry for having used magic so recklessly.

Nevertheless, Ian delivered his intent.

“A guest will be staying?”

Wilson was taken aback, and Dorothy felt the same.

Accepting a guest amidst this chaos was a considerable challenge for both of them.

“I’m sorry. It just ended up this way.”

However, Wilson’s surprise wasn’t due to a lack of preparation.

He spoke with great delight.

“Our first guest.”

“What is?”

“It’s the first time our Lord has invited a guest to our mansion.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Ian realize the significance.

Since losing his parents and becoming alone, he had invited no one.

It was the same even after he had grown up.

Even after formally becoming the head of the Oracle Family, Ian had not invited any guests.

This indicated that Ian’s social relations were improving.

For Wilson, who regarded Ian as both the Master and a son, even such trivial matters couldn’t help but concern him.

“It seems like we’ll have frequent visitors in the future, please take care of them. Do we have rooms for guests?”

“Yes. We can accommodate up to two people comfortably.”

“There’s one more.”

With a look of surprise, Wilson followed Ian’s gaze. There, in all her noble splendor, was Isera.

Wilson’s eyes momentarily sparkled.

An enigmatic smile also appeared on his face. Just from a brief glance, he realized that she matched Ian exceedingly well.

“Master, who might that esteemed lady be over there?”

“Senior Isera Hebraim.”

“The Hebraim Family—Count from the Kingdom of Roland, right?”

Indeed, he was an astute butler.

Dorothy, seeing the count’s young lady for the first time, looked at her with eyes full of admiration.

“A very distinguished guest has arrived.”

It was a short but weighty statement. Understanding somehow what it meant, Ian sighed.

“She’s a senior at the academy, in the same Department of Magic. I don’t know her specific specialization, but for now, we belong to the same department.”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed, Master. It’s perfectly natural for young men and women to share feelings!”

“Wilson, could you keep your voice down?”

“Oh my! Is that incredibly pretty lady the Young Master’s girlfriend?”

An intrigued look appeared in Dorothy’s eyes.

Fearing things might get out of hand, Ian pulled both of them inside the entrance.

“Dorothy, don’t go asking senior Isera about this and that, got it? She’s a very intimidating person.”

“An intimidating person? She seems quite gentle to me.”

“You can’t judge someone by their appearance.”

“Understood! I won’t mention that the Young Master likes Lady Isera!”

“Just don’t talk at all!”

Ian shouted in frustration.

Sneering slightly, Dorothy ran off to the second floor.

* * *

The students of the academy, who had unexpectedly fought, gathered in the parlor to enjoy wine and food.

Though the luxurious drinks and appetizers of a salon were absent, at least Milo and Edel, treating it like a picnic, talked and enjoyed themselves to their heart’s content.

“This food is amazing! Did that little kid make it?”

“For now, yes.”

“Wow, who knew such a simple dish could taste this good! I feel like taking it back to our mansion to shove it in our chef’s face. Our mansion’s food is flashy but lacks substance.”

“Shall we send them for training someday?”

“That’s great!”

Ian Oracle wanted to send Dorothy to the Vinettia Family to teach them a lesson, as a small revenge for teasing him and Isera Hebraim.

Meanwhile, Edel, with flushed cheeks from drinking, was fiddling with something at the side.

Milo Vinettia nudged him with his elbow.

“What are you up to?”

“Good snacks need good drinks!”

“It turns out, this guy is the biggest drinker among us.”

“Hehehe.”

Edel was mixing herbs.

He seemed to be making the special herbal liquor he had previously introduced to Ophelia’s group.

He suddenly wondered if Isera would like it.

Isera quietly sipped her wine.

She didn’t seem incapable of drinking.

“We’ve handled the crisis for now, and I look forward to tomorrow morning. Hamel can’t possibly try to back out, right?”

“They won’t be able to back out.”

“Even if we make the assassins confess, we can’t dispatch the guards, can we? I don’t think they’ll act on something ambiguous. We probably need more decisive evidence, don’t we?”

Milo’s question was a natural one.

Raiding the headquarters of the Hamel Trading Company was akin to ransacking a noble’s mansion without a search warrant.

It wasn’t easy.

Moreover, failure would have significant repercussions.

However, Milo didn’t know something.

Ian had a powerful backer who could mobilize not only the guards but even the knights.

“We can create the evidence. Irrefutable evidence. That’s why we passed the magic stone to Gaus, right?”

“I know, but that’s only meaningful if the guy plays along. If he blatantly denies it, then even that would be useless, right?”

“Don’t worry. There’s a plan.”

The conversation had smoothly shifted to the topic of the Hamel Trading Company. While Milo was familiar with the discussion since he had been assisting in the plans, Isera and Edel weren’t.

Ian thought it was the right timing and stood up.

“Senior Isera, may we step outside and talk for a moment?”

“About what?”

“About things we haven’t discussed yet.”

Isera placed her wine glass down and obediently followed Ian.

Ian had previously asked for understanding from Milo and Edel.

If they left, Milo was to explain everything to Edel.

He didn’t want to blabber about his family’s affairs unnecessarily.

‘But these are the people who took a risk to help me. They deserve to at least know what concerns them.’

Even if he couldn’t tell them everything, he felt it was right to address their curiosity.

“Here we are.”

Ian opened a door and went inside.

It was the study he often used.

Isera followed him in.

She could tell the room’s purpose without needing an explanation.

“Your study?”

“Yes.”

Isera slowly looked around the modest study.

Ian felt somewhat embarrassed. As the daughter of a count, she likely had a much more splendid study.

That thought was there, but this was also the first time a woman, other than Dorothy, had entered his study.

Moreover, Isera, with her slight inebriation, looked even more alluring than usual.

Until now, he had mostly met Isera in the library.

Meeting her in this private space felt entirely different.

Whether it was due to the alcohol, his heart began to race.

“You have good taste in art and decorations. I like it.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“So, what is it you want to say?”

Isera gently sat on the edge of the desk.

Ian intended to offer her a seat, but he held back, sensing she wouldn’t move.

At that moment, Goyang leapt into Isera’s lap.

Isera gently stroked the cat’s back.

“I thought I should explain this matter to you. Come to think of it, I haven’t told you, senior.”

“Not interested.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, I’m not interested, so you don’t have to.”

Isera’s voice was cold beyond measure.

The cat seemed pleased and waved its front paw with a meow.

[She truly has a broad heart. How understanding of others’ pains she is. Human, you rotten creature, this is what you should learn!]

Ian barely restrained his urge to dismiss the manifestation.

Now was the time to focus on Isera.

“I thought you would be curious about how it came to this, but I seem to have misjudged. May I ask the reason?”

“Even children know that when assassins show up, it’s no ordinary affair. It’s better not to talk about such things. Even if we’re in the same department, you never know when someone might betray you.”

[Intelligent too! I might just fall for her!]

“You wouldn’t do that, senior.”

“How can you be sure?”

“If you were someone who would betray, you wouldn’t have picked up Helios’ handkerchief back then.”

“Helios’ handkerchief? What’s that?”

Isera couldn’t respond.

Ian still did not know why she had intervened in the fight at that time. What was clear was that she harbored no ill intent.

“No senior from the same department would ignore a junior in danger. That’s no different.”

“Most seniors wouldn’t agree to a night out request from a freshman they hardly know.”

“Even if we’re not close, you’re still a club member at least.”

Isera emphasized that she was nothing special. However, Ian felt that the more she repeated this, the more contrived it seemed.

So, he just spoke.

“They tried to frame my father. They forged a debt and made him a debtor. When things didn’t go as planned, they attempted to kill me. The patent negotiation rights for the potion are with me, so they wanted to eliminate me.”

Starting from that, Ian recounted the entire sequence of events, leaving nothing out.

The story of having to make potions after entering the academy, the necessity to capture assassins despite the danger, all were vividly testified.

And every detail of the final plan, which would serve as the grand finale, was explained.

“Everything will conclude at the Hamel Trading Company’s headquarters tomorrow. Preparations are complete.”

“……”

This plan was extremely perilous.

It did not concern Ian alone.

It involved the royal academy guards, the capital guards, and other public forces as well.

If everything went well, it would obviously be good.

But Isera was a person who had to consider even if things did not go well. She always viewed matters critically.

“There are too many variables. There’s no guarantee Gaus’s magic device will work properly. But I suppose you wouldn’t listen if I called you reckless, right?”

“If I avoided danger, I’d have to give up being a mage.”

Isera’s expression turned stern.

“Don’t delude yourself. This isn’t a mage’s work, it’s a matter of your family.”

“It’s no delusion. Take away the concept of ‘mage’ from our family, and nothing remains. Therefore, it’s the same. Defending our family’s honor is the same as defending the honor of a mage.”

Isera already sensed that Ian had changed completely from before, both mentally and physically.

Had she ever seen a person grow so strong in such a short time?

Isera decided to change her line of questioning.

“What do you plan to do with those you’ve captured?”

“Make them confess.”

“And the method?”

“After learning that assassins were targeting me, I immediately sought out an expert. A very reliable person has agreed to help.”

“An expert, with magic?”

“Of course.”

Using an illusion spell could induce fear, leading to a confession.

However, highly-trained knights or assassins might not be affected by illusion spells. This is because it affects mental fortitude rather than antimagical resistance.

“For assassins, that won’t be easy. Their mental resistance will be substantial.”

“Not a problem. If the strength is insufficient, I’ll simply suppress it with stronger power.”

Upon confirming Ian’s confident smile, Isera asked no further questions. After all, by the morning, everything would come to light.

And that dawn, a guest arrived.