Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

It was a reckless plan.

Amidst the winter night wind swirling around, Julia felt a deep sense of embarrassment.

The more she thought about it, the more flimsy it seemed.

Turning off all the lights in the ballroom, opening the firmly closed iron bars, and then leading Eugene to the bell tower.

It was a plan that focused on the least important of the three elements of a plan – thoroughness, contingency, and boldness. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Still, well, it had succeeded for now, but…

A bitter taste lingered on the tip of her tongue.

Wasn’t it too extreme for an attempt to leave the ballroom and be alone?

The original plan was to calmly keep her eyes closed and, when the lights went out, to elegantly guide him through the crowd to this bell tower, as if in an old play.

But in reality?

She wasn’t a kidnapper, but she had literally dragged him along.

Julia wanted to make excuses somehow.

It was all Eugene’s fault, she thought.

She didn’t know it would start with him noticing that she had shortened the length of her dress.

Suddenly tickling around her shoulder blade, constantly fixing his gaze on her…

Even going so far as to ask her to dance while she was calmly waiting for the plan to start.

It was impossible to maintain her composure.

When he asked her to dance, did Eugene know that for a moment, she almost mistook the sound of those people’s footsteps for her own heartbeat?

That agitation ruined the plan.

The romance disappeared, only coercion remained, and her cane was nowhere to be seen, probably thrown away while climbing the stairs.

If even she, who led the plan, was this flustered, how much more so must Eugene be?

Julia smiled awkwardly and apologized.

“Uh, I’m sorry.”

She was afraid to look straight ahead.

She didn’t want to see Eugene’s cold gaze.

Julia’s greatest achievement this year was none other than drawing out Eugene’s diverse and honest expressions of emotion, and now that achievement was ready to return as a dagger.

Fidgeting with her fingers behind her back, she slowly raised her gaze from bottom to top.

Old but well-maintained shoes. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

A stiff tailcoat that looked as if it had just been taken out of the closet.

The silver tie pin he wore without fail today too, unaware of its hidden intention.

The look in his eyes that finally peeked through his fluttering gray hair was…

“…!”

Far from being cold, it was so sweet that…

Julia felt her chest tighten to the point of pain.

The physical phenomenon that could be named with anything was soon named impulse.

Is this the opportunity? Should she speak first before he brings up another topic? Or should she really push him down?

Fortunately, Julia’s delusions didn’t progress in a more dangerous direction.

Step, step.

Because Eugene took steps towards her.

Step, step, step, step.

Continuously.

“E-Eugene.”

To the point where she thought they might collide.

When his steps finally stopped, Julia had to lift her head up.

Their height difference was even more exaggerated due to the distance between their chests being barely a hand’s width.

Seemingly expressionless at first glance…

Yet, with a warm expression…

The next moment, he raised his hand and placed it on top of her head, and then…

Rustle.

He began to tickle her hair.

“Eugene…?”

She cried out in her heart. 

‘What are you doing? Don’t tease me. If you’re going to do it, do it properly, and if not, then don’t.’

Because her true feelings didn’t come out of her mouth, Julia just quietly accepted his touch.

His fingertips are hot.

As if they were lava.

Usually, when it comes to mountain climbing, it’s natural to go from bottom to top, but the journey that started from the top of her head blatantly ignored the axiom and headed downwards.

“Ugh.”

Even though she had to swallow her moan due to the hot tickling sensation rising, he didn’t stop his hand.

From her hair to her ear.

From her ear to her cheek.

From her cheek to her chin.

His hand that was finally about to move to her lips suddenly stopped and…

“…Ow, that hurts.”

He was pinching her cheek.

I pinched her flushed cheek.

This seemingly meaningless, mischievous act contained quite diverse meanings. It was to suppress the surging impulse, to regain control of the situation, and also, I just wanted to pinch it.

Only when bewilderment began to mix in her amber eyes did I let go.

I spoke to Julia, who was absentmindedly touching her cheek with wet eyes.

“Was it because of this?”

“Huh?”

“Is this why you said it couldn’t be now, because you had to bring me here?”

“…Yes.”

“Why?” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“The inside of the ballroom is too crowded, isn’t it? I thought that just before graduating, you might want to come up to the bell tower once, so I took this opportunity.”

If you strip away the obvious excuse, it means she just wanted to be alone with me.

Just as I did.

“…”

As our exhaled breaths mingled and the atmosphere became incredibly delicate, I thought.

Is now the time?

Should I open my mouth now? But confessing love after pinching her cheek would look ridiculous. Even if she accepts, it would be a subject of teasing for a lifetime.

Just as I was about to fall into contemplation again…

“Hm?”

A streak of artificial sound reached my ears which had been full of the noisy wind.

It seemed Julia heard that sound, too.

“This sound is…”

It was the sound of instruments.

Light had returned to the ballroom.

It seems the ball participants decided to treat even the sudden darkness as a kind of event. Before even five minutes had passed, lively dance music started from the floor below, where vitality had returned.

But this is high up in the bell tower.

The commotion and heat barely reached us, and only the dance music, transformed into a soft melody, wrapped around us.

“…Pfft.”

Finding myself foolish for having been agonizing over passion in silence just moments ago, I let out a small laugh.

This wasn’t much different for Julia either. The corners of her mouth twitched.

Right.

This is a ballroom, and what we should do is predetermined.

“Can you open your eyes now?”

“Uh, don’t tease me…”

“Alright. Then… would you like to dance a song together?”

I said, extending my hand.

Although it had been rejected once when I proposed before, now, the time has come. Julia smiled brightly as she took my hand.

“Of course.”

The left hand holds the right hand, and the right hand holds the left hand.

The most important thing in dance music is not the melody. Even musicians who put emotion into every note would agree with this proposition.

In the end, the value of dance music lies in making people dance, so the clarity and excitement of the beat is more important than the lyricism of the melody.

Even if you’re far away, while the melody might become unclear, the beat is clearly conveyed.

Even if you’re outside the ballroom, there’s no problem enjoying the dance.

In other words…

“Ah, Eugene. Stop stepping on the hem of my dress!”

“You’re the one who should stop dirtying my shoes.”

The reason our dance was a mess was purely because of the dancers themselves.

It was an embarrassing situation.

A waltz in 3/4 time. 

This classical dance, which is now considered somewhat out of fashion, I had no way of knowing, so I had only briefly familiarized myself with an overview of the dance moves by opening a book again.

I had planned to match Julia’s movements in the ballroom.

…And Julia did not have any of the refinement I had expected from the only daughter of a noble family.

I chuckled.

“It’s good we came up here. We would have been embarrassed.”

“Uh, ah. You didn’t think I was skilled at dancing, did you?”

“I thought you’d be better than me.”

Julia, while concentrating on not tangling her feet, protested.

“Eugene. When it comes to walking, I’m like a four-year-old child. When you sent the partner invitation letter, I thought you’d help me like with the bicycle last time…”

“Hahahaha!”

“Don’t laugh, ah—”

Finally, as she was about to fall with her feet tangled, I spun her around and lifted her up.

“Th-thank you.”

Julia, who sighed in relief as if she had aged ten years, perhaps to avoid falling, pressed her body closer to me and slowly took steps.

I also continued the awkward dance, putting strength into my hands.

Right.

This was us.

A vagrant who had lived under a bridge and a lady who couldn’t walk somehow grew up and met.

We might look fine on the outside, but in the end, we’re half-broken people who need to rely on each other.

That’s why.

I find you lovable.

“Still, it seems to be getting better…”

I looked at Julia’s expression, still fully concentrating on the dance.

The fake smile she had when we first met was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a slightly dazed expression.

It seems my effort wasn’t in vain.

A graceful dance line formed, and Julia spun around once, gently spreading her arms.

“Eugene.”

Julia looked at me with a bright smile as if she was quite pleased with that.

Instead of smiling back, I let go of her hand and…

At the same time, I softly recited the activation phrase.

“[Flowering].”

Water droplets condensed.

In fact, if we trace its origin, this shouldn’t be called a unique magic.

It had no originality at all, as I had just borrowed and developed what Benjamin had shown as a test.

In terms of simple scale, it falls far short of the magic that Klaus Müller had cast before, and even compared to Julia’s [Walk Assistance], there was nothing particularly elaborate about it.

So, after a week of contemplation, practice, and more contemplation…

I became able to cast something truly worthy of being called unique magic.

Whoosh—

In less than a second, dozens of [Discs] adorned the air. At the same time, I closed my eyes and imagined.

All [Discs] should follow the laws they were duly given.

Then, it happened as I wished.

There was a time when I had to focus all my nerves on creating a single flower.

There was a time when I had to furrow my brow to bloom three flowers.

And now…

“Julia.”

I smiled as I handed Julia a bouquet full of blue roses.

My life had been a life of only receiving.

Now, I wanted to give.

I carefully spoke.

“Will you please be with me?”

Silence fell.

It means the absence of an answer.

So, when I focused on capturing even non-verbal expressions in my eyes, I felt dismayed. The blue bouquet obscured her expression…

“Eugene.”

A scolding tone.

“Yes.”

“I… I’ve waited for a long time.”

“I see.”

“I’ve waited really, really long. I even went through all sorts of hardships while waiting.”

I calmly took in those words.

Slowly, the bouquet scattered in the air.

“I hate you, Eugene.”

Even before, three flowers barely lasted 20 seconds. Although I had improved the quality through practice, I couldn’t increase the duration, so dozens of roses faded away after just ten seconds.

“So, I should get my compensation now, even if it’s late.”

Where the bouquet had completely disappeared…

There was Julia, smiling with clear happiness tinged with a few tears.

She stood on her tiptoes.

Since that alone wasn’t enough to overcome the height difference, Julia stretched out her arms, almost embracing my neck and…

We shared a kiss that felt like we would melt.

Our lips met softly in a slight diagonal.

The mouths that had exchanged both harsh and warm words now conveyed only affection at this moment.

“…Ahh.”

When our lips finally parted, I stood dazed, looking at Julia.

The exchange of that sensation must have already paralyzed Julia’s reason, as her amber eyes seemed somehow unfocused.

I gathered the remaining reason I had left and asked.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“M-my a-answer…?”

Soon, Julia tilted her head slightly and grinned.

“Yes, I’ll be with you… I want to be.”

The promise was made.

We shared certainty and exchanged warmth.

Now, there was nothing to hold us back.

I reached out my hand.

Considering the height difference, standing on tiptoes is too inefficient. Wouldn’t it be much better for me to bend down?

With that judgment, I supported Julia’s head and…

“Ah, again?”

I stopped Julia’s mouth with mine as she was about to say something unnecessary.

It was long.

Long enough to make the previous kiss feel like mere contact.

We felt each other’s existence while embracing with our free hands or touching each other’s cheeks.

Once, when magic was considered a spiritual superstition, the raw material of magic was often likened to the soul.

Thus, it was believed that the sacred language that triggers magic contained the soul.

It’s not a metaphor. For me, magic was a dream and a soul.

So, we explored each other’s souls for a while.

“…?!”

Julia’s shoulders flinched. It’s because I tried to explore her soul a bit more boldly.

Maybe, because of that…

Julia’s completely blanched thoughts even cut off the [Walk Assistance] she had been casting unconsciously.

This meant…

Bang—!

“…What are you doing?”

“E-E-Eugene, what, what, what were you trying to do…?!”

It meant we fell to the floor in that state, supporting each other.

The bell tower had a stone floor. So, our knees and elbows that hit it hurt terribly.

We couldn’t go back to the atmosphere from earlier now, but we just found it funny.

We had already fully accepted each other.

Lying on the floor facing each other, we laughed like children.

As I contemplated the structure of the ceiling and the bell, I suddenly had an idea.

“Julia.”

“Yes?”

“I have a great idea.”

The dance music continues.

We want to dance more, but we keep stepping on each other’s feet or dress hems. In that case?

We can dance in the sky.

[Levitation].

It was impossible to lift two people with just the mana contained in my grimoire, but if we used Julia’s brooch as well, it would be a different story.

We gradually rose into the sky above the bell tower, tightly embracing each other’s upper bodies.

The moon was our lamp, and the entirety of Frauzen was our ballroom.

We spun round and round, somehow trying to hear the faint rhythm.

Most of the ball attendees would have complained, “What kind of dance is that?” if they saw this, but what does it matter…

“Eugene, look over there. A full moon!”

…when it’s this enjoyable?

As we enjoyed our private dance, Julia, who had gently kissed my cheek, smiled softly.

“Eugene. Do you remember what happened three years ago?”

“Three years ago?”

“You know, by the lake. You asked me this question then. Julia. What is magic?“

It was clear whose voice that lowered imitation belonged to.

“That doesn’t sound like me.”

“Anyway. At that time, I was too busy rolling around and tasting grass to answer, right? But…”

“But?”

“But now, I think I know.”

The blue-glowing full moon.

With the moonlit skyline of Frauzen as our backdrop, Julia embraced me, her face radiating pure happiness.

“For me, magic is meeting you, Eugene…”

#January 9th. Clear.

One week and four more days have passed since then.

“Congratulations, Dr. Eugene Oslo.”

On this day. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

I experienced my name getting longer for the second time in my life.