READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 24
The first thought that crossed the minds of those seeing the person on the stage was unanimous:
‘Is he really that young?’
A young man’s appearance suggested he was barely in his mid-twenties at best.
In fact, he looked more like a handsome figure you’d find in the entertainment world than a mage. Honestly, when it came to looks, even most decent handsome guys couldn’t hold a candle to the man on that stage.
The women present at the event couldn’t hide their stunned expressions as they stared at him.
After a moment of silence, the man, Yujin, seemed to sense the atmosphere and smiled.
“Were you surprised to see that I’m younger than you expected?”
-……
The silence stretched on. No one answered, but the heavy silence around them was an acknowledgment in itself.
Understanding this, Yujin continued,
“Some of you might think I’m just the proxy for the author or maybe even the actual host… but that’s not the case. I’m the actual author of the paper you’re curious about.”
As Yujin said this, someone in the audience raised their hand. When Yujin looked at him, he spoke before even being called on.
“How can you prove you’re the author of the paper?”
“Hmm… Are you asking for proof?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Then let me ask you one question.”
Yujin flashed a smile at the man who had asked.
“Why should I prove it?”
“What…? “
“Please, tell me. If you can convince me why I need to prove it, I’ll do it as you ask.”
“Well, isn’t it obvious? We’re all here for a lecture on Space-Time Magic! How could we accept teachings from someone who isn’t the author of that paper?”
“And that’s why I’m asking.” Yujin maintained his smile as he continued speaking.
“Why should I need to convince and teach you?”
“What…?”
This left the man momentarily speechless. The others in the audience began whispers among themselves.
“What does that mean…?”
“Isn’t the point of this being here to teach us?”
“What is he talking about right now?”
The chaos grew, and some even rose from their seats, seemingly ready to confront Yujin.
Clap!
“Could we have some silence, please?”
-……
As Yujin lightly clapped his hands and made a statement, everyone who had been talking suddenly found themselves quiet, with their gazes shifting to him.
With that simple action, Yujin commanded attention, turning to address the crowd with a smile.
“I understand. You all traveled quite a distance to hear this lecture on Space-Time Magic, and if the speaker shows no interest in teaching, it would indeed be shocking. I get that.”
“Yes, exactly! So…”
“But everyone, you are under a significant misconception.”
With that, Yujin turned to walk across the stage slowly.
“I have no obligation or intention to teach you anything. I didn’t come here to teach you anything in the first place.”
“What…? “
“What do you mean you’re not here to teach us?”
“I mean it literally. My purpose here is not to give a lecture on Space-Time Magic to you all.”
After saying this, Yujin glanced up to the audience again. There sat the Chairman of the Mage Association, looking bewildered.
Seeing him, Yujin smiled lightly and pulled something out of his space pocket.
“What’s that…?”
“Is that… a document?”
“Don’t tell me…”
What he held appeared to be a bundle of papers.
Upon seeing it, people began murmuring, guessing at its contents, with the most prominent assumption being…
“I presume it’s what you all expected. Yes, this is a ‘complete paper’, not just ‘some’ information publicly available. In other words, it contains all the information I have researched about Space-Time Magic.”
As Yujin waved the document, the eyes of everyone widened in shock.
This was a complete paper on Space-Time Magic that hadn’t been made public!
Desire gleamed in their eyes. With that paper, they could understand everything about Space-Time Magic!
“H-How much? How much do you want for it?”
“If there’s no price, I will pay whatever it takes to get that paper!”
“Step aside! I’ll buy it! How much do you want?”
Flames began to rise!
-….!!
As they clamored to purchase the paper, Yujin just smiled and burned the paper in his hand.
In an instant, the paper turned to ashes, leaving the crowd in disbelief as they stared at the remnants. With a flick of his hand, Yujin casually said,
“Here’s my answer.”
“W-What…?”
Seeing this, the Chairman couldn’t contain himself, rushing to Yujin, grabbing at the ashes.
“W-What are you doing?! If Space-Time Magic could be controlled, humanity could rise to greatness…”
Watching the Chairman speak informally after dropping formalities, Yujin smiled.
“Chairman, have you read the paper I published?”
“What…?”
“If anyone interprets the paper I disclosed, today’s mages can indeed discover Space-Time Magic to an extent. Though lacking and imperfect as it may be initially, isn’t that how humanity grows?”
Continuing, Yujin locked eyes with the bewildered Chairman.
“What do you intend to do with magic that you can’t interpret? Are you just looking to fulfill some petty vanity like your association does?”
“What…?”
“I’m well aware of the association’s shortcomings.”
Yujin began walking slowly along the stage once more.
“You think humanity could leap to greatness? No, it would just be the mages belonging to the association who would foolishly think they’re great. Isn’t that the current state of the association? The discrimination against non-mages, the disadvantages for mages without affiliation, the corruption born from a mindset of privilege…”
“……”
“Fascinating. Is that really the kind of image worthy of a leap to greatness…? I personally don’t see it.”
“W-What do you want to say?”
“I’ll find out. It’s still too early now. At least a mage should be someone who seeks knowledge and truth, not vanity, right?”
With that, Yujin snapped his fingers.
Suddenly.
Swirls of magic appeared, and the ashes of the paper began to reform into their original state, making its way back into Yujin’s hand as if time itself rewound.
The eyes of everyone in attendance grew wide.
This was genuine Time Magic. A spell to turn back time!
This was something everyone would desire!
“N-No way…”
“Is that real…?”
“Oh my…”
As people gazed at the spectacle in awe, the Chairman reached out for the paper in disbelief.
Swirls of magic erupted!
And then, Yujin mockingly burned the paper once again.
“O-Oh…”
“Chairman, it’s far too early for you to have Space-Time Magic.”
Now kneeling in front of the Chairman, Yujin looked him in the eye, still smiling brightly.
“So please understand your topic well… and think about exploring it on your own.”
“…T-This is…!”
At this point, the Chairman was on the brink of losing his mind. Despite having been overwhelmed by Yujin before, he couldn’t contain the flames of rage within him.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
As he instinctively reached out to use magic, at that instance,
Snap!
Yujin snapped his fingers again.
Instantly, the colors surrounding the Chairman faded to gray, and it felt like time itself had stopped.
-….!
Who would have thought a Great Mage like the Chairman could be stopped so easily? The audience was in shock once again.
Yujin stepped forward slowly and addressed the people.
“Thus, I believe Space-Time Magic is currently too advanced for present mages. I came here to say that.”
-……
“Of course, if I refuse to disclose it altogether, it would cause a lot of backlash. I understand. I myself believe knowledge holds meaning when shared with the public. So…”
Yujin pulled out another stack of documents from his space pocket. The crowd shifted their gazes toward it.
“Has everyone here seen the paper I shared with the association first?”
People nodded. While not everyone had, the majority indeed came after verifying it.
“As I mentioned to the Chairman, this paper, too, can expose the secrets about Space-Time Magic if interpreted correctly. Unfortunately, it seems the association couldn’t uncover that, but I intend to pass on my knowledge to whoever provides the right interpretation of this paper.”
-….!!!
“Mages should find their worth through exploration. If you’re merely filling your vanity on topics you don’t explore, I do not need people like that.”
Yujin finished with a beaming smile.
“That is all.”
***
After wrapping up what could be called a show rather than a lecture, Yujin exited the lecture hall and began walking slowly towards the inn.
As he walked, he spoke to Tiamat.
‘How about that? Wasn’t it quite exhilarating?’
『Heh, you’re right. It was quite enjoyable.』
Tiamat agreed with a smile. It was satisfying for Tiamat to see mages, who flaunted their privileges without exploring their craft.
‘With the ridiculous claim that I’d give a lecture on Space-Time Magic published, and even if the Mage Association lost a bit of face, they wouldn’t dare to mess with me. After all, they wouldn’t want to lose the knowledge of Space-Time Magic. So, they won’t be much of a bother from now on.’
『Yes, that was indeed the goal. Still, apart from that, it was fun.』
‘Haha, glad to hear you enjoyed it.’
『But, do you truly mean what you said? That you’ll pass knowledge to whoever interprets your paper?』
‘Ah, that? Honestly, I don’t think anyone will come forward.’
Yujin genuinely thought it was highly unlikely. After all, without relevant knowledge, the interpretation itself was nearly impossible.
『So, was it a lie then?』
‘Of course not. I did have the objective of dissuading those who come purely for material gain, but it’s not a complete lie. If someone genuinely wishes to learn, I would be willing to share some knowledge.’
Yujin had no problem with sharing knowledge with someone who sincerely wanted to learn, with no ulterior motives. The only question was how many people would fit that criteria.
‘By the way, Tiamat. Did you feel that?’
At that moment, Yujin inquired of Tiamat.
And Tiamat briefly flinched at the question.
『Uh… Yeah.』
‘Earlier, there was someone with the energy of a dragon, and it seems that person is now following closely behind.’
『Ugh, could you just ignore them and keep going?』
‘Hmm? What’s the reason for that?’
『I, um…』
Tiamat couldn’t lift her head in embarrassment and just stammered. Yujin found it puzzling for a moment, but then decided to turn back and call out.
“May I ask you to come out? There is no one else around.”
“…You’re perceptive.”
As Yujin said this, two women walked out from the alley where he had looked back.
‘Hmm… Just as I thought.’
A beautiful woman with sharp features, sporting short violet hair and purple eyes, alongside another beauty with red hair and bright yellow eyes.
Upon seeing them, Yujin nodded to himself in realization.
It was only natural since he’d seen them in the Maze Academy game.
The red-haired woman was Ines Karandar, the President of Labyrinth Academy.
Known as a Great Witch, she was considered one of the strongest among mortals.
Additionally, she was rumored to be a descendant of dragons. Though Yujin had confirmed her presence at the lecture, seeing her up close here was a different experience.
Next to her was Reina Sahart, a professor of Magic Studies at the academy and Ines’s deputy.
Among these two, it was Ines who spoke first.
“I listened to your lecture. It was excellent.”
“Though I can’t say I acted in a way worthy of such compliments.”
Yujin fully turned to face the two women.
“First of all, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Yujin, just an unnamed mage.”
“Just an unnamed mage… That’s quite the understatement for someone who redefined Space-Time Magic.”
“Haha, is that so? Nonetheless, may I ask why you were following me? Especially you, the esteemed president of the academy.”
The Great Witch, Ines Karandar, was one of the strongest among mortals and had a widely recognized face as the head of the academy. Not recognizing her would be odd, hence Yujin naturally brought it up.
Seeing this, Ines responded.
“Well, that’s fair. I don’t like beating around the bush. I’ll get straight to the point.”
Ines extended her hand to Yujin as she continued.
“Would you consider taking a teaching position at the academy?”
“Hmmm?”
This was an unexpected proposition.
Yujin chuckled to himself at the turn of events.