Academy’s Genius Mage

After finishing the meeting, Ian Oracle stepped outside.

Even though the sun was setting, Milo Vinettia and Edel were waiting for him at the entrance of the building. They were truly reliable companions, no matter when he saw them.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late.”

“Why would you say such a disappointing thing? Thanks to you, our academy life has blossomed. We could wait until dawn if needed. We might even lay down and sleep here for a few days. Isn’t that right, Edel?”

“Exactly!”

Seeing Edel agreeing so happily, it seemed that something had happened while Ian was away.

“Ian, do you know what the hottest topic at the academy is right now?”

“The heating tank of the potion distillation apparatus?”

“Phew!”

That’s how theoretical mages were.

They took jokes seriously, but Milo held his tongue. After all, the one with money were this big brother and the professor.

“While you were away, representatives from the Bahamut Trading Company came to the academy. And naturally, rumors spread about the contract we made.”

“Oh, that?”

It was the contract where they would share 25% of the profits earned from the potion-related business.

“Considering that our share from the contract money we received from the Bahamut Trading Company this time was 2.5 billion, it’s no wonder rumors are spreading. We’ll also take a share of the royalties in the future, right?”

“Seems you’ll be busy buying drinks.”

“The number of date proposals has increased too!”

Milo’s eyes grew serious.

A resolve to succeed this time could be felt.

“That’s a big deal. Creating something from 0 to 1 is incredibly difficult. It’s much easier to go from 1 to 10.”

“Pfft!”

Edel covered his mouth, trying to hold back his laughter.

However, the dim-witted Milo didn’t grasp Ian’s implication.

It was a nod to the fact that Milo had never succeeded in getting a date.

“Wait. Something seems off. Was that a compliment?”

“Think of it as you like.”

“Puhahaha!”

Eventually, Edel couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.

It was only then that Milo realized Ian’s words hadn’t been a compliment.

“They’re thriving over there.”

A group of students observed the lively scene.

Familiar names spilled out of their mouths.

“Ian Oracle, Milo Vinettia, Edel Heinz… Aren’t they something else? Honestly, I thought they were just a bunch of troublemakers, but opinions have completely changed now.”

They were freshmen from the Department of Magic.

Among them were the figures of Sebastian and Ophelia.

To be precise, they were the newly formed first-year student council officers of the Department of Magic.

Student council President Sebastian and Vice President Ophelia hailed from prestigious families in the kingdom, and the other officers also came from quite well-known families.

In short, they were the elites among the freshmen.

“Hahaha. What’s so great about them?”

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders.

“Around 50 billion isn’t even a lot of money. There’s nothing to be envious of. It’d be much better to unearth a cool artifact from a ruin later on.”

“But with that money, you could buy lots of potions and items, right?”

One of the officers questioned.

Sebastian placed a suave hand on his shoulder.

“My naive friend, you know one thing but not the other, huh? So, do you think Ian got successful just by throwing money around?”

“That’s not it.”

Everyone present knew what had happened between Ian and the Hamel Trading Company.

“The real thing to note is not that he got rich, but that he singlehandedly brought down the Hamel Trading Company. Do you know what kind of place the Hamel Trading Company was? Even the high-ranking nobles couldn’t mess with it easily.”

The excited expressions of the student council officers faded away.

There wasn’t a single noble who hadn’t been taken advantage of by the Hamel Trading Company at least once.

“Well, you can’t forget that they recklessly incurred the Royal Family’s wrath… But Ian bringing them down was totally unexpected. In other words, Ian is truly an unexpected fellow.”

Sebastian had a clever mind.

Although he didn’t show it on the surface, he was competitive and full of ambition.

He envied Ian and felt a significant amount of jealousy.

In short, Sebastian was an ambitious person.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have run for the student council presidency.

However, he wasn’t an ordinary heir.

Setting his jealousy aside for a moment, he thought about how he could effectively use Ian.

‘The inter-department exchange battle is coming up soon.’

Currently, the primary adversary of the Department of Magic was the Department of Martial Arts.

They believed that if they harnessed Ian’s abilities, they could effectively withstand the oncoming waves.

“Now, it’s undeniable that his skills must be acknowledged. A family without any standing is making a name for itself across the entire kingdom. Not just anyone can achieve that.”

“What’s gotten into my oppa?”

Ophelia asked sardonically.

Sebastian clicked his tongue and gestured with his finger.

“Recognizing someone’s skill doesn’t cost anything. Even if it feels a bit unpleasant, if used wisely, it can become a very solid breakwater. In this harsh world, you can’t survive by relying solely on pride.”

“Indeed, that’s our student council president for you!”

“He’s on a different level!”

The members marveled.

It was an obvious reaction since he had composed the student council of people who followed his words well.

However, Ophelia was a bit different.

“Indeed, old habits die hard.”

She remarked coldly while crossing her arms.

Sebastian’s mouth smiled, but his eyes sharpened.

“What might be bothering our lady?”

“You make others do your dirty work without even stepping up yourself. That habit hasn’t changed.”

“……”

As Sebastian waved his hand, the members moved aside.

Smirking, he patted Ophelia’s shoulder.

Slap!

But Ophelia brushed his hand away.

“I wish you’d stop doing this. It leads to misunderstandings when others see.”

“Misunderstandings?”

Sebastian was puzzled, though he found it somewhat amusing, curious about what had changed her so.

Then suddenly, he recalled a rumor he’d heard recently.

“That’s not a misunderstanding. Everyone thinks we’re dating, don’t they?”

“What nonsense. I’ve never agreed to that.”

“Well, that’s disappointing. Master Hunka would find it very displeasing if he heard that.”

It was always like this.

Sebastian would subtly threaten her by mentioning his father.

In the past, she let it slide, but now she found such behavior distasteful.

“Do as you wish. I don’t particularly care what my father says.”

“It’s not the situation to say that, is it?”

His words were laden with implications.

There had been a professor’s rebellion incident, and Ophelia was a lady of the Marquis Drias family.

Eventually, she was in a position where she had to marry for the benefit of the family.

Among the suitors, the most likely candidate was Sebastian from the Marquis Kent family.

Therefore, the Marquis Hunka highly favored Sebastian.

“What do you mean it’s not the situation?”

“Because you are a lady of the Marquis Drias family.”

In the past, such a statement would have broken her spirit.

Being born a noble lady was a destiny she couldn’t fight.

However, Ophelia laughed.

“Oppa. Please, keep your mouth shut.”

“You…”

Sebastian was genuinely taken aback.

A sense of alienation washed over him.

This wasn’t the Ophelia he knew.

“Before being a lady, I am a mage. Maybe not as someone from the Drias family, but I plan to follow my path as a mage. It’s not a matter for you to dictate, oppa.”

“So, are you saying you’ll abandon your father’s and family’s expectations?”

“Who abandoned expectations first?”

Only then did Sebastian realize why Ophelia had become so cynical.

She was likely upset that he hadn’t visited her when she was confined in solitary after the incident.

“That was something unavoidable. Put yourself in my shoes. If it had been me, don’t you think you would have acted the same way?”

“Sigh, you still don’t get it, oppa.”

That was Sebastian’s misconception.

Truthfully, she was disappointed he hadn’t come. However, the change she underwent was not due to Sebastian’s abandonment.

Everything stemmed from Ian.

Ophelia was more acutely aware than ever of her identity as a mage and her responsibilities as a spirit mage.

And the one who had helped her deeply feel these emotions was not an academy professor but Ian himself.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, Ophelia was significantly influenced by Ian.

“At first, I entered the academy just to pass the time. I thought I could spend my time this way, but now I can’t do that anymore.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

“I want to become stronger. I also want to learn things I didn’t know before.”

“It’s because of that guy, isn’t it?”

Sebastian scoffed.

He had heard stories from Ophelia’s friends, whom he had coincidentally met some time ago.

They had met unexpectedly at a pub and ended up sitting together.

“Ian Oracle. Did you take a liking to him? Well, he did save your honor, so it’s understandable to be momentarily confused. But that guy…”

“There you go again. That nonsense.”

Ophelia interrupted him.

“I’m a person of the Marquis of Drias’ household. Do you think I would associate with the head of a baron’s family?”

Her voice was haughty yet confident, leaving no room for doubt about what she said.

“But as a mage, Ian Oracle is a very intriguing person. That’s why. So don’t mingle unnecessary things. It’s unpleasant.”

“Attracted to him magically, though he ranks the lowest in magical prowess? Even a passing dog would laugh.”

Sebastian’s expression turned harsh.

If she had said she was attracted to Ian as a man, he might have laughed it off.

After all, temporary flings were something any noble could experience.

But Ophelia compared Ian’s abilities as a mage, which suggested, not directly though, that she considered Ian far superior to Sebastian.

Sebastian wasn’t too dull not to perceive that.

He was a man.

And a high-ranking noble in the kingdom who hated losing in competitions. Therefore, he couldn’t just let Ophelia’s words slide.

“No need to dress it up, Ophelia. It’s natural for people to be drawn to people.”

His twisted feelings showed clearly in his tone.

Sebastian’s one corner of his mouth rose unnaturally.

“Isn’t it just embarrassing for you? You can’t admit you’re drawn to a guy like him unless you attach some reason to it. You might be drawn to him, but you wouldn’t want to be the subject of finger-pointing. Am I wrong?”

“Not at all. You’re completely mistaken.”

Ophelia looked at Sebastian with a piercing glare. But then her expression softened, realizing that there was no point in arguing further.

“Weren’t we never meant to discuss things like this between us? It’s not us, but the families that make decisions anyway.”

“Soon enough, everything in my family’s hands will be determined by me.”

“But not now, is it?”

Ophelia responded calmly and then turned away. She walked towards the direction where Ian and his friends had disappeared.

Sebastian’s expression, quite unfitting for his usual slick demeanor, was rather complicated.

“You better align yourself well, Ophelia.”

* * *

Having returned to his dormitory after a long time, Ian organized his desk.

He piled up assignments due within the week in a nearby spot and placed books he had to study a bit farther away.

‘Guess I won’t be able to get to bed on time today.’

No matter how much one studied, if assignments weren’t completed on time, it was all in vain.

This place was an academy, not a research lab.

“You’re not heading to the library to study as soon as you arrive, are you?”

“I have to do assignments today. I’ve also missed a few days of classes, so I need to catch up.”

Edel handed him a notebook just then.

“These are notes from the classes. You probably won’t need them much, but I prepared them just in case.”

“Thank you, really.”

It was an unexpected gift.

Ian flipped through the notebook, checking its contents.

It was neatly filled with pretty handwriting.

“Milo helped a bit, too. I don’t know much about magic, so it was hard to organize on my own.”

“Milo did?”

“Ahem!”

Milo crossed his arms and cleared his throat several times.

Considering his ego, being at the top of the class wouldn’t make him this humble.

“He didn’t help, he pushed the note-taking onto you. He always borrows notes, claiming it’s a hassle to write his own.”

“Uh, yes, that’s true.”

“Hey! Ah! How can you admit that there? Ian, you too. When a person has helped, you should thank them, right?”

“Thanks, Milo.”

“Treat me.”

“I’ll treat you generously.”

“But first, I have to collect something.”

With his arm around Ian’s neck, Milo gave him a knowing look.

“You rascal. What did you do with senior Isera that night when you two were alone?”