READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 22
The Mage Association was in complete chaos.
The reason? An anonymous mage had randomly, or should I say like a comet, shown up in the Maze with a thesis on Space-Time Magic.
And it wasn’t just a few half-baked magic circles he cobbled together from knowledge gained in the Maze; no, it was an immense, meticulously organized body of theories on Space-Time Magic, complete with actual functioning magic circles! Honestly, it was enough to establish a whole new school of thought in this magic field.
“What are these theories?”
“No way! When I use magic, things actually slow down or speed up in any kind of motion! Is actual time magic really possible?”
“Magic that distorts space like this…! Does that mean we can deflect any attack?”
“The magic circles really do activate. But these theories… I’ve never heard of anything like them!”
“What on earth is this theory? General Relativity?”
“One of the foundations is gravitational magic? What do space-time and gravity have to do with each other?”
“Next, next content!”
As the scholars and mages of the Association absorbed the extraordinarily detailed and neatly structured knowledge about the long-desired Space-Time Magic, they could hardly contain their almost mad academic fervor.
So there they were, a throng of scholars pouring over copies of the thesis when they reached the last line of the last page.
However, their faces quickly turned to disbelief.
[I have discovered numerous magic circles and endless possibilities regarding this newly established Space-Time Magic. They truly are wonders, but due to a lack of space, I will not write them down.]
“What the hell!”
“Come on! If you’re short on space, just use more paper!”
“Damn it! Is this author messing with us?!”
Invoking the phrase used in [Fermat’s Last Theorem] that has toyed with mathematicians for 350 years on Earth, the scholars and mages started foaming at the mouth.
“You think we can’t figure out what you’re hiding?!”
“I’ll unearth all the magic circles you’ve concealed!”
“I will absolutely find out about Space-Time Magic!”
But perhaps it was the pride and ego of the mages that was poked; regardless, they got even more fired up, clutching the thesis and diving into research.
They worked hard to interpret the theories, reexamine the information on gravitational magic—one of the key foundations of Space-Time Magic—or even dismantle some magic circles detailed within.
Anything to learn a little more about this newly established Space-Time Magic!
“Damn… What on earth is this theory…”
“I have no clue. How does gravitational magic interact with Space-Time Magic?”
“Grrr…! Even dismantling the magic circles turns up nothing…! How can such a simple structure fit together so elegantly?”
But the results were all failures.
It made sense, though. The relationship between general relativity and thus space-time and gravity was highly specialized knowledge even for the developed physicists on modern Earth.
To grasp concepts akin to modern physics in a world filled with powers that were singularities of those laws would be impossible for beings who had lived without the likes of physics.
Additionally, the few magic circles Yujin fully disclosed about Space-Time Magic were elegantly complex in operation but built on very simple structures, yielding scant returns when dismantled.
“Bring me the author of this thesis!”
Ultimately, they all reached one conclusion. They had to bring in the author of this thesis, Yujin.
***
“So, you’ve come looking for me,” Yujin remarked.
At a corner table in the inn run by Mary, a bespectacled elderly man with a long white beard bowed deeply before the black-haired Yujin.
“I never expected the head of the Mage Association to personally come visit me,” he continued.
The old man was, in fact, the head of the Mage Association, the literal leader steering the Mage Association.
Normally, he wouldn’t be the type to move personally just to see a mere mage, but this was special.
Space-Time Magic! And not just something cobbled together from knowledge in the Maze but enough to potentially establish a whole new school of thought!
A visit to meet the author of such a thesis was more than worth the effort for the Association’s head.
“You seem quite old; I hope I didn’t force you to strain yourself,” Yujin remarked. “You could have just sent your underlings.”
“Ha, ha… That wouldn’t do! I can’t just leave the welcoming of compatriot Yujin to my subordinates,” the old man replied.
Of course, it wasn’t just a matter of courtesy; the head had his own motives. He intended to use his position and years of accumulated power as a mage to pressure Yujin and extract knowledge about Space-Time Magic from him easily.
However…
When he first laid eyes on Yujin, he felt something.
Upon entering the inn and brushing aside the patrons that had been there already through authority and funds, he found himself facing Yujin one-on-one.
‘Interesting.’
As he tried to intimidate Yujin with the overwhelming mana of a Great Mage, Yujin merely blinked open one eye, revealing his own mana.
And at that moment, he felt an overwhelming ‘disparity.’
Was this what it would feel like to stand before a Dragon?
Like prey before a predator… no, like a firefly before the sun, he felt utterly insignificant.
Staring into those red eyes that seemed to freeze his very soul and stop his heart, he felt as if he were face to face with the ‘Fear’ of a legend.
If not for the pride he had accumulated as a mage and the mental fortitude forged over the years, he might have already lost his mind or fainted from the pressure.
He realized it. The being before him was not someone he could control.
A monster akin to the ‘President of the Academy,’ someone he had felt a vast gulf in disparity with in his younger days.
His youthful appearance might not even be what it seemed. Just like how the President of the Academy maintained an eternally youthful appearance despite being an old monster who had lived for ages. Of course, that was partly due to his ‘race.’
‘But beings that reach a certain level may return to their prime bodies, preventing aging. I think they called it ‘反老还童’ in the East? Or was it ‘换骨脱胎’?’
Though he was named a Great Mage, the Association Leader had never reached such a level and felt a hint of bitterness as he respectfully asked Yujin.
“I beg you, fellow countryman Yujin. Would you kindly share your knowledge about Space-Time Magic with us?”
He decided that putting aside his pride and being polite was his best chance, hoping it would be favorable for his own situation.
In his face that revealed little of his inner thoughts, he desperately hoped for prosperity through knowledge.
“Of course, I’m not asking for anything for free.” “The Association will do its utmost to support you, fellow countryman Yujin. Whatever you desire…”
“It’s alright.”
Yujin interrupted the head with a smile, a response that could easily be construed as a refusal… in fact, it seemed that way enough to make the old man nearly collapse.
He desperately urged, “Please, just reconsider…”
“Haha, it seems you misunderstood my intent,” Yujin replied, waving his hand with a smile.
“I’m saying that I don’t need a payment for sharing knowledge. I’m not exactly in the business of selling knowledge.”
“Huh? Then what do you mean…?”
“Well then, how about this?”
Yujin shone a toothy smile as he observed the head’s face brighten up.
“How about you host a lecture organized by the Association soon? I’ll attend as a lecturer,” he continued.
“Really?! “
The head was so overwhelmed with joy that he could’ve knelt right there, shaking Yujin’s hand eagerly.
“Thank you! Thank you, fellow countryman Yujin!”
“Haha, no need for thanks. I’ll be sure to visit again soon, so let’s discuss scheduling then, shall we?”
“Of course! Please come anytime that is convenient for you! Ah, wait, I’ll leave a contacting crystal here…”
“Take your time now.”
Before long, the head took out a contact crystal from an Space Pocket and kept bowing repeatedly as he left the inn.
Watching him go, Yujin was met with a question from Tiamat beside him.
『Yujin, are you really planning to give a lecture? You said you wouldn’t publicize the newly established Space-Time Magic…』
‘Ah, of course that’s still my stance, Tiamat. But I never specified I’d give a lecture on Space-Time Magic, did I?’
『Huh?』
With a slightly sly smile, Yujin continued, ‘All I said was that I’d attend as a lecturer; I never said I’d have a lecture on Space-Time Magic. In fact, I don’t plan on it at all.’
『Ah…』
‘I thought if I completely shut it down, there’d be too much backlash and annoyed people. So, I just thought of showing a bit of showmanship by asking for a lecture.’
He smiled at the blankly staring Tiamat.
‘I didn’t lie, after all.’