Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 67

“Right? Dean?”

“…….”

Despite my question, the dean didn't answer.

He even looked at me with a strange gaze.

Or, more accurately, a gaze that seemed to say, ‘What’s with this kid?’

‘Hmm? Why is he acting like this?’

There was only one reason that came to mind right now.

‘Did I make too much of a request?’

It’s difficult to grant my request.

Honestly, I thought it was possible.

Even if he was the dean, it could be quite burdensome to unconditionally admit an outsider he brought without any consultation.

However.

‘There’s no better way than this.’

It was difficult for me to give up on the academy.

Because there was no more efficient choice than the academy to build the foundation for a mage's growth.

‘Of course, this is on the premise that the people I want to enroll receive the same ‘privileges’ as me.’

If there were problems with costs, Asion Academy, famous for being expensive, would inevitably be less efficient.

Anyway.

‘I have to push for it somehow.’

I was about to continue speaking after making that judgment.

“……So, Yuhan. You want me to enroll him in the academy?”

“Ah, yes. Dean. Is that possible?”

“It wouldn't be a problem. As long as I have my letter of recommendation.”

“Really?”

Fortunately, the dean gave a positive answer.

It seemed that the dean's influence in the academy was stronger than I thought.

But then.

“But what makes you think I should write you a letter of recommendation?”

The dean's following words were somewhat chilling.

His face hardened again, like before.

I hurriedly opened my mouth to persuade the dean.

“You don't have to worry about that. This mister, at least his identity is certain……”

“No, not you. I'm talking about Yuhan.”

“……Yes?”

“I'm asking what makes you think I should write you a letter of recommendation, Yuhan.”

I wondered what he was talking about.

I didn't understand why he was suddenly showing hostility when he was being amicable just a moment ago.

I decided to ask directly without making any hasty judgments.

“Did I do something to upset you, Dean?”

“You're asking me that?”

The dean replied with a look of wonder on his face.

“You weren't really planning on properly attending the academy anyway, were you? It seems like you've come here with another purpose now?”

“What are you……”

“If that wasn't the case, you wouldn't have come to the academy after all these weeks.”

The dean said in a truly unpleasant tone.

After hearing him, I think I understood what he's thinking.

It seemed he was unhappy that I hadn't visited the academy for over two weeks after deciding to enroll.

However, I didn't understand at all.

“You said I could come whenever it was convenient for me, Dean? You said I didn't have to worry about attendance.”

Why is he complaining now after saying that himself?

When I pointed that out, the dean faltered and continued.

“That's true, but…… that's not what I meant.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn't mean you could disappear for two weeks. Especially right after deciding to enroll.”

“…….”

I was speechless after hearing his explanation.

‘Attend classes whenever you can, but not coming for two weeks is not okay….’

What is he talking about?

“You're being a bit unreasonable.”

“……Unreasonable?”

“Yes. Anyone can see that what you're saying now is different from what I heard initially.”

“…….”

Was he at a loss for words?

The dean seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.

“Then tell me. Are you serious about attending this academy, Yuhan?”

“Of course. I'm planning to attend whenever I can until I have nothing more to learn from the academy. I couldn't do that these past few weeks because I had some business to take care of.”

“And that business is……?”

“Nothing much. Just caught a few demons.”

“Caught demons?”

“Yes.”

At those words, the dean's eyes, which had been filled with suspicion, lit up.

The same eyes he had when we first met.

“Are you working as a hunter?”

“Something similar. Well, not an official hunter.”

“Hmm…… Mages who can confront demons are definitely not common. You're an interesting fellow indeed, aren't you?”

“Thank you for looking favorably upon me.”

Judging from his reaction, it seemed like he only showed those eyes when he was interested in something.

The fact that I could catch demons seemed to appeal to him.

The dean pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright. I'm still suspicious, but I'll take your word for it for now, Yuhan.”

“Then will you grant my request?”

“Ah, you mean enrollment?”

As I nodded, the dean narrowed his eyes and scanned Thompson up and down.

Then he suddenly reached out his hand.

“It's nice to meet you. I'm Asion Gale, the dean of Asion Academy.”

“Ah, yes, Dean. My name is Thompson.”

It was then, as Thompson bowed his head and clasped the dean's hand.

“Huh?”

Thompson flinched and pulled his hand away.

On the other hand, Asion Gale smiled as if he found it amusing.

It was an obvious situation.

He must have checked his mana circuit.

Just like he did to me.

"Huh, this is..."

"How is it?"

I was also personally curious.

I wanted to know how the mana circuits of my other companions were structured.

The dean, with an ambiguous look on his face, stroked his chin and said,

"Overall, it's not a bad circuit. But... it's a bit strange."

"What is?"

Instead of answering, the dean approached Thompson and asked,

"Excuse me, but how long have you been practicing magic?"

"Ah, well... it's been a little over 10 years now."

'What? 10 years?'

This was something I didn't know.

Even though I became quite close with Thompson, I didn't ask about his past.

But 10 years?

Even after hearing it directly from Thompson, I couldn't easily believe it.

This meant that he had been practicing magic for 10 years but was still stuck at the 3rd Circle.

This meant that Thompson was incredibly inept when it came to magic.

'...As I feared.'

It wasn't for nothing that I was worried about the difference in growth.

If he knew that he was progressing that slowly, I would have been worried too.

I felt a bit sorry for him, thinking that he must have been under a lot of stress.

On the other hand, was Asion Gale intrigued by this fact?

"Hmm, 10 years..."

He continued to stroke his beard as if he was deep in thought about something.

Unable to wait any longer, I spoke first.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with his circuit?"

"No, quite the opposite."

"Huh? What do you..."

"His circuit is too well-managed."

...Well-managed?

"Mister, have you been managing your mana circuit?"

"Ah, no. I don't even know how to manage it..."

"Dean, how is this possible?"

I asked in a way that urged him to explain.

The dean said,

"There's nothing to be surprised about. He must have been managing it unconsciously."

"Unconsciously?"

"To manage a mana circuit, you have to learn the method from someone, but that's not always necessary. Some people learn it on their own without any special training. Ah, Yuhan, can I speak comfortably?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Good. Anyway, to continue the explanation..."

Wung!

Above Asion Gale's staff, something with a complex structure appeared.

It looked like blood vessels in the body, and at first glance, it was a shape modeled after a mana circuit.

"This is the circuit of a mage who hasn't done any management."

"...It's very intricately intertwined. There are also things that look messy."

"That's right. Most mages implement magic in this state. And..."

Thump.

As Asion Gale struck the floor with his staff, the shape of the circuit changed.

If it looked like a twisted pretzel before, now it resembled a coral reef.

"This is what a consistently managed mana circuit looks like."

"It certainly looks different. Cleaner and less complicated."

"You're exactly right. And this is..."

Thump!

The shape changes once more.

"This is Thompson's circuit."

How should I describe it? It looked a bit ambiguous.

The thickness of the circuit was thick, and the twists were somewhere between the first and second ones I saw.

The dean, as if noticing my question, added,

"Even though it looks a bit twisted, the thickness of the circuit is fundamentally thick, so the circulation is fast. And here."

The dean pointed to the spaces between the circuits.

"Most importantly, there are no impurities. This is proof that it's being managed."

"...I see."

"But there's something more important."

"What is it?"

"It takes constant effort to learn how to manage your own circuit. And for quite a long time."

"..."

A brief silence fell.

It was the dean's footsteps that broke the silence.

Step, step.

He walked slowly over and placed a hand on Thompson's shoulder.

"You must have been through a lot. Judging from the traces, it seems like it was terribly tangled at first... You did well not to give up on magic."

Thompson's body trembled slightly at those words.

"...That's right. Honestly, I always thought about just giving up. But then I met Mr. First Place."

"Mr First Place?"

"He means me."

"Hmm... So you're saying the state of your circuit started to improve after that?"

"I don't have the ability to see circuits... But it gradually became easier for me to handle magic, and my learning speed increased."

"That's the same thing."

"Is it?"

Whizz.

The two of them turned their heads simultaneously and looked at me.

"Uh... um..."

I had nothing to say even when they looked at me like that.

I hadn't done anything.

In the first place, I didn't even know how to touch my own messy circuit, so I was neglecting it, wasn't I?

The dean, as if reading my mind, said,

"Sometimes, just being around talented individuals can improve your skills."

"That might be true."

Thompson and the dean nodded at the same time.

It seemed like they were getting along quite well despite having just met.

Well, anyway.

Since we had somehow gone off on a tangent, I brought up the main topic again.

"So, can he enroll?"

"If he passes a few evaluations, I'll allow it. I'm quite fond of hardworking people."

"Evaluations?"

"I've only checked his circuit so far, I haven't seen how well he can handle magic. He'll probably be evaluated by competing with the students here."

At those words, I remembered the building I saw when I first came here.

The single-story building that stood alone among the three buildings.

-It's also a place where people gather for special events or have duels with mutual consent.

That was the very place where Roan said duels were held.

It seemed the dean was thinking of having Thompson fight against an academy student there.

And if that's the case...

'It'll be a piece of cake.'

I wasn't worried about him failing at all.

Because Thompson's level had risen tremendously during these past two weeks.

He was originally the type to be strong in actual combat anyway.

"Mister, are you alright with this?"

"Hmm, I'm confident if it's that."

After getting Thompson's consent, the dean made his decision.

"Then let's hold the evaluation tomorrow at 3 p.m. If you pass, I'll write you a letter of recommendation right away."

"Thank you, Dean!"

Thompson bowed with a touched expression.

He seemed very grateful, as it was the Asion Academy that he looked up to so much.

But that was Thompson's perspective.

'This isn't enough.'

I still had a lot more to get.

For example.

"I think we'll need the same privileges you gave me. We tend to move together."

Like privileges.

"Ah, and one more person."

Like the mage companion I haven't even mentioned yet.

"..."

From the carriage ride itself, I was determined to receive everything I needed.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

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