Academy’s Genius Mage

Ian appeared in the discreetly arranged basement.

The waiting elite members of the mercenary squad saluted Ian. In their hands were whips and various torture tools.

“How is it going?!”

Ian asked Polo.

Polo crossed his arms and shook his head.

“He’s still not saying anything. He just keeps fainting and waking up. The other men all committed suicide. I’ve been in this line of work for over 20 years, and I’ve never seen someone so tenacious.”

“Is that so?”

Ian shifted his gaze to the assassin.

The only captive, the man was Dimon, whom Ian had captured.

Dimon hung his head low.

A gag was in his mouth, and his body bore marks from the whip.

There was a burn wound on one side as if seared with a branding iron.

The rough rise and fall of his shoulders was the only indication that he clung to life.

Under normal circumstances, Ian might have felt pity.

After all, he was innately kind and valued human relationships.

But now was different.

The assassins had not only threatened him but had also endangered those he considered family.

Nothing was more precious than life itself. Therefore, he chose not to see them as people.

With a sigh, Polo spoke.

“If he aimed for the head of the family, he must be a leader, which means we won’t easily get a confession from him.”

There was nothing else Polo could say. Not even the usual “kill him” remark was uttered.

The identity of these men was still a mystery.

Ian had obtained information from Woodward, learning that these were assassins dispatched by the Hamel Trading Company.

However, knowing that and having legal evidence were worlds apart.

As it stood, they would achieve nothing.

“We might need to apply more professional methods of torture. If the head of the family allows, I can summon an expert right away.”

“No, that’s fine. If he dies, that would truly be a setback. I have my own ways.”

“And what might those be?”

“A guest will be arriving shortly. They will resolve everything.”

Polo looked at Ian with a hint of curiosity.

But Ian merely looked at the captured Dimon with a gentle smile.

“It really is impossible to know what’s happening.”

The statement was layered with multiple meanings.

When Polo first received the mission to protect the Oracle Family, he had many concerns.

It was not easy to guard a small and weak family.

However, after coming to know Ian, the story changed.

Ian was intelligent and had a remarkable ability to read situations.

He wasn’t just bright.

The secretive assassin organization moved by a company was highly skilled and could well represent the kingdom.

Despite this, capturing the leader of such a group without any damage was a success.

Polo only had one thought.

Could he have captured Dimon and removed his poison without any damage if he had faced him himself?

‘It’s utterly impossible.’

That was the conclusion Polo reached.

Thus, his evaluation of Ian, whom he had slightly underestimated, underwent a complete transformation.

His attitude and etiquette toward the head of the Oracle Family remained the same, but the look in Polo’s eyes grew deeper with respect.

From disregard to reverence.

Polo’s values, hardened through decades of mercenary life, had changed due to this incident.

“It seems the head of the family is truly an extraordinary person.”

“That’s impossible. I’m just an ordinary student at the academy.”

At that moment, the basement door opened.

The person who appeared was Butler Wilson.

“Excuse me. Master, a guest has arrived.”

“Please show them in.”

Wilson stepped aside and respectfully gestured for the guest to enter. A figure, cloaked in an obsidian robe, entered the room.

Suddenly, an immense mana was felt.

It felt as if a storm brimming with mana had landed on the mansion.

“Gasp!”

“Heup!”

Even Polo, who couldn’t sense mana, along with the other mercenary members, flinched.

They might not have felt the mana itself, but they surely felt the overwhelming force it created.

“Welcome. We have been expecting you.”, said the person draped in a robe with a slight nod of the head.

Ian addressed everyone, “Please, everyone, step aside for a moment.”

“Yes,” responded Wilson and the other mercenaries as they all left the basement.

Only then did the robed figure remove their hood.

Long hair flowed, showcasing beauty.

This woman was none other than Jessica, the dean of the Royal Academy’s Department of Magic, also known as the ‘High One’, the grand mage.

“I never thought you’d succeed!”

Jessica remarked, laughing in disbelief.

Ian simply bowed his head.

“I was just lucky.”

“Catching an assassin leader can’t be done by luck alone. Skill is important, but finding the hidden location of their sanctuary is extremely challenging.”

“The timing worked well, allowing us to retrieve him!”

Ian replied.

Jessica shook her head. No matter the compliments given, this diligent student seemed inclined to be humble.

“Well, so much for that. The confession?”

“He hasn’t said anything. It seems he hasn’t even asked to be killed!”

Ian responded.

“Hmm. A truly tough one. Ordinary loyalty wouldn’t withstand that!”

Jessica mused.

She had faced many assassins in numerous battles. Just by looking at Dimon’s hands, build, and the aura he emitted, she could tell he was an extraordinary assassin.

As Jessica was about to approach Dimon, she suddenly halted and turned.

“Oh, right. This is a bit of a different story. You had a duel, didn’t you? With the eldest son of the Thousand family.”

“Yes. It happened somewhat unexpectedly!”

Ian admitted.

“It caused quite a stir. The head of the family even came to protest.”

Ian chuckled slightly. “Protesting the outcome of an official duel, not just a sparring match, seems a bit petty.”

“Not all nobles consider the honor of their family.”

“So what happened?”

Ian had no idea.

He left after the duel had just finished, leaving no one at the academy to update him on internal affairs.

“They said they’d officially protest to you soon. It seems they’re not ruling out another duel.”

“That’s a bit troublesome. I don’t want to hurt the head of the family,” said Ian with notable confidence.

Jessica’s eyes glinted sharply.

“What kind of magic was it? They say you swung the Lightning Spell as if it were a whip.”

Ian realized that Jessica’s genuine curiosity was about the new form of magic.

As the kingdom’s mage representative, she wasn’t concerned about a mere baron family’s grievance.

“Isn’t that an application even the dean could handle?”

“Certainly, I could do even more. But that feat was impossible with your mana.”

“Haven’t you heard from Professor Frost?”

“You seem to be misunderstanding for quite some time; we’re not really that close!”

Jessica stated.

“Well, you appeared very close!”

Ian remarked teasingly.

“Not at all!”

Jessica denied.

After countless words, Ian decided to demonstrate.

He gathered every ounce of mana he possessed.

Vooooooom!

The circles established in his heart and dantian began to rotate. What started as a slow rotation eventually reached its peak speed.

The crucial part was that the timing and speed were perfectly synchronized.

Both circles appeared to spin as one, behind their powerful rotation.

“… What is this? How can this mana be possible?”

Naturally, Jessica was startled.

Of course, from the standpoint of a grand mage like her, such mana was something she had encountered often.

Yet, she had overseen the mana measurement for freshman students at the Academy. She had directly witnessed Ian achieve a historic low score of 77.

However, the mana emanating from Ian at that moment possessed an immense weight that couldn’t be described with even two or three digits.

“You’ve made an achievement, I see.”

“Yes. I formed a contract with a spirit and simultaneously resolved the mana concentration disorder.”

These were not one, but two astonishing pieces of news.

Jessica was one of the two people who knew about Ian’s struggle with the mana concentration disorder.

“If you’ve contracted with a spirit, what kind is it?”

Ian snapped his fingers, and Goyang materialized in front of them.

Jessica’s eyes widened in an instant.

“It’s not an ordinary spirit, is it?”

“For now, I’ve defined it as a no attribute spirit. I haven’t yet gauged its potential, but I plan to slowly uncover it.”

Jessica nodded her head.

There were countless questions she wanted to ask.

But she restrained herself.

Ian was accomplishing tasks that a mere freshman in the Department of Magic couldn’t handle alone.

Asking too many questions in such a situation would be akin to trampling on his potential for growth.

“Let’s leave the detailed discussion for later. For now, we have tasks to attend to, don’t we?”

“I’m in your care, dean.”

Dimon was unlucky.

He had to face not just anyone, but a 7th circle Grand Mage.

Had he known, prior to his scheme, about Ian’s connection with Jessica, he might have been more cautious.

However, that possibility was completely thwarted by Ian’s father, Baron Lefevre’s arrangements.

“We begin now. Activate the device.”

“Yes.”

Ian installed the magical device that Gaus made on one side.

The device was small, about the size of a fist, with a lens attached to one side of its circular form.

Ian infused it with mana.

Click!

In an instant, the frame of the lens rotated once and began to operate.

“Preparation is complete.”

“We begin now.”

Woosh—

Jessica’s mana surged forth.

It wasn’t just her mana that was remarkable.

Even the runes she gracefully wove through the air seemed like a masterpiece.

‘That’s a Grand Mage’s rune.’

Ian couldn’t take his eyes off those runes, though he didn’t yet understand how mana was being utilized or how the incantation was constructed.

Nevertheless, just watching those runes amounted to an immense lesson.

Buzz!

At last, the ‘Illusion’ spell was completed.

The illusion spell differed slightly from the ‘Mind Control’ spell commonly used by dark mages.

While mind control literally controls the other person’s psyche, illusion merely implants visions to provoke fear.

The victim of the spell would find themselves trapped in the space they feared most.

The level of fear would vary greatly depending on the caster’s skill.

Unfortunately for Dimon, the mage he faced was Jessica, one of the kingdom’s top Grand Mages. In the throes of immense fear, Dimon’s endurance was being tested.

“Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

As Jessica’s hand touched Dimon’s head, he shivered as if struck by lightning.

Initially, his resistance was strong.

But gradually, his limbs went limp, and his tightly shut mouth began to open a little.

“I, I am…”

What would he say?

Ian watched Dimon closely.

“I won’t submit… to you bastards!”

The resistance was stronger than expected.

But Jessica, looking down at Dimon with composure, spoke.

“Coercing confessions with illusion is not exactly a pleasant task. Hence, I rarely resort to such methods. However…”

The atmosphere shifted entirely in an instant.

A tremendous pressure emanating from Jessica sent chills throughout the room. Her fury was plainly visible.

“I cannot forgive those who lay a hand on my students!”

“Argh! Ugh! Aaaah!”

Dimon opened his eyes wide and let out a pained scream.

As if faced with a great demon, the profound dread was evident in his eyes.