Surviving at the Magic Academy

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When I arrived at the meeting spot, Mira was standing there all by herself. She looked quite different, perhaps she bought some new clothes.

They say you need to dress differently for each city. I remembered hearing that somewhere in Canyon City. Seems true here as well.

The rich purple velvet coat hugged her form, making her white hair shine even more. People passing by couldn’t help but sneak a glance at her.

“You’re here!”

She looked at me and smiled. I nodded back shyly, glancing around. It was only us.

“Where’s Kashian?”

“She ran away! She was too fast, and I lost her. I wanted to dress her up more, but it’s a shame. Then I thought of Ebron and contacted him.”

Mira pouted a bit, resting her finger on her chin. But then she looked at me and smiled again, giving a little twirl that made her coat flare out.

“So, what do you think? Doesn’t it suit me?”

“It looks amazing. You’ve got an eye for fashion!”

“Hehe, right? This color reminds me of flowing blood, which I just loved. Now, shall we move on?”

Mira said that while leaning on my arm. I could feel her heartbeat racing through my sleeve. Since that one time we matched heartbeats, she often let me hear her heart, almost as if reminding me of that moment.

“So, where are we heading next? You mentioned visiting someone.”

“Well, should I call them a senior? I’d like to ask for some advice concerning dolls.”

“Let’s get moving then! Dolls? Sounds like fun!”

With Mira on my arm, we walked through the streets, riding the flow of the crowd toward the edge of town, entering Doll Manipulation Street.

On the less traveled bridges, dolls hung limply, welcoming us. The scenery hadn’t changed since my first visit.

Mira brushed against the dolls as we passed, but those without magic felt as stiff and unmoving as statues.

As we crossed the bridge and approached the first shop that caught our eye, a sign reading On’s Doll Workshop greeted us. It had been quite some time since I visited this place.

We cautiously entered the shop, a little bell jingling to announce our arrival. However, there was no reaction from inside, even though I could certainly feel magic emanating.

Curious, I went further in and spotted Mauro tinkering with a doll. He seemed so engrossed in constructing the doll’s circuits, he didn’t notice us.

His movements were incredibly delicate. Even the slightest tremor could ruin the delicate circuits. I held my breath, watching the scene unfold.

After some time, he sighed, placing the completed circuit on the workbench.

Despite the finesse of his work, the circuit itself looked quite simple—a single straight line. He inspected it, nodding to himself.

Feeling a little mischievous, I infused a bit of magic towards him. He turned towards us, chuckled awkwardly, and started tidying up the desk.

The doll he was just handling climbed the wall and hung itself up on a hook, its movements coming to a complete stop. Such delicate magic control!

“Hello there! It’s been a while!”

“Why didn’t you let me know you were coming? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“I could tell you were focused, so I didn’t want to interrupt. Honestly, watching you work was fascinating enough!”

Mauro paused at my words, breaking into a big grin. As he flashed a laid-back smile, he glanced at Mira and gave a slight nod in her direction.

“A wonderful lady came with you! Come on in, let’s talk as we sit down.”

He said, stepping inside the wall filled with dolls. He motioned for us to follow, and we went in slowly.

Mira touched various dolls as she walked past them. I was also scanning the dolls with my eyes. It had been nearly two years since my last visit, and I felt confident I had improved my skills.

But seeing the dolls now left me in awe. There were parts I had never seen before that stood out even more. The efficiency of the designs was astonishing!

The more I observed, the more respect I felt towards him. It wasn’t admiration for a Mage but reverence for a fellow artisan working with dolls.

How many dolls had he carved to reach this level? There was a small table inside. I sat down with Mira.

“Just wait a moment. I’ll get some tea. There’s quite a trendy magic in the city lately.”

He said, heading towards the back. Mira kept her eyes on him as he disappeared. Once he was completely out of sight, she looked at me, her eyes sparkling.

“That guy, well, calling him a ‘guy’ feels a bit off. He’s quite fascinating!”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “What’s so fascinating?”

“His whole body is pieced together—how is he alive? I’ve never seen anything like it. He should be dead!”

I blinked in surprise. Mira tapped her nose playfully.

“He seems perfectly natural, but my senses tell me otherwise. There’s a faint smell coming from his body—it’s the aroma of decaying potential.”

I nodded slightly. Her senses were trustworthy; she always had a knack for sniffing out talent. That meant Mauro was indeed what she said.

His entire body seemed fragmented. Looking back, that was a bit odd. Even before, it felt a bit off. He had merely reached the sapling level.

Another thing was that he seemed quite elderly. That meant he had spent a long time at the University. In fact, he was the only elder I had seen at the university so far.

I glanced around. Mauro’s creations surrounded us in every direction. He must have poured incredible time into creating these exquisite dolls.

It baffled me that someone with such skill was still only at the sapling level. It didn’t seem to be just a lack of magical talent.

“Hmm, but that aroma. It’s quite sweet. He must have had some impressive talent at one point.”

Mira smiled and said, just as laughter echoed from the back. It was Mauro’s voice, approaching with a tray.

His lighthearted gaze fell upon Mira. He chuckled gently at her and placed the tray on the table as he sat down, watching her calmly.

“You caught on quickly, huh? You’re quite a fascinating friend!”

They exchanged cheerful glances. I squeezed into their conversation with a wry smile. I could roughly gauge what they were discussing. It wasn’t often Mira chatted like that.

“Is that body a doll?”

Mauro nodded lightly, extending a tea cup to us.

“Indeed it is. What do you think? Pretty convincing, right?”

I nodded slightly, and as Mauro poured us tea, he continued.

“This is my masterpiece. I wouldn’t have revealed it if it weren’t for that curious lady.”

He broke into laughter. Mira’s eyes glistened as she looked at him, a small drool forming at the corner of her mouth.

“The more I look, the more delicious it appears! Since it’s a doll, can I taste a bit of that body?”

Mira said, wiping the drool with her handkerchief as she bowed her head to Mauro.

“I apologize for her. She has quite the appetite. Just ignore her.”

At the same time, I stole a glance at Mauro. Even Mira showed some doll-like hints, but Mauro seemed utterly lifelike. Had he procured someone’s corpse from outside the University?

“It’s nothing like you think. This is my body, after all.”

He seemed to read my mind as he casually remarked, sipping from his cup.

“Just a lot has happened. Like everyone else, I’ve gone through many events, ended up as a doll, and now I’m aging to death.”

He chuckled weakly while speaking. What kind of event could force someone to modify their body into a doll?

“Let’s not dwell on my story. Right now, I’m just a low-tier mage who knows how to make dolls. Don’t you have a reason for visiting?”

He sipped tea again, and I followed suit, observing the flowers floating inside my cup. It was my perfected tea magic.

Before, Hwa-ryeong had mentioned how my magic spread throughout the city. It seemed she was right. Once I tasted it, a bitter flavor began to spread.

It was a subtle taste—nothing like what I could make, but still quite enjoyable. I sipped quietly, nodding with approval.

“Just a moment; I’ll show you a doll.”

I signaled, and the Turtle hanging from my chest began to move its mouth. It spit out a few dolls, which grew in size as the shrinking spell faded.

They were tiny dolls, about the size of my forearm. After erecting a light protective barrier around them, I infused them with magic.

One of them’s heart started beating, and it began walking. With each step, cracks began to form on its body. After the ninth step, it burst apart.

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue. It held Kashian’s information, but with just a fingernail’s worth. It made four more steps than before, but still couldn’t go further. This was the reason for my visit.

Mauro gazed at the scattered remains with his thin eyes. Of course, he wouldn’t know what was contained inside. I had intentionally encrypted and fragmented that information.

All he could see was something was inside and that it was beyond the doll’s capability. I couldn’t carelessly reveal such valuable information.

“No matter how many times I try, I can’t push further. I came to see if there’s a way to improve this. I’ll acknowledge you with any answers you provide.”

Mauro waved his hand for me to make the doll move. Following his cue, the doll stepped forward, bursting apart after nine steps, just like the others.

Mauro stroked his chin, looking at me, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“You know what the easiest solution is, don’t you?”

I nodded. Just change the materials! If I used expensive ingredients worth scores, I could fit it in without issues. However, that would create efficiency problems.

I glanced at Mira, at her body, to contain Kashian’s power; I’d need her level of body. But, honestly, it wasn’t enough.

What was that worth? Hundreds of thousands of scores, perhaps. That body could hold maybe a fiftieth of what Kashian’s held. That’s why Mira coveted Kashian’s form—merely containing the information was one thing, but directly linking to the body made it far more enticing!

That was my reason for this visit. I hadn’t seen anyone as excellent as Mauro when it came to making effective dolls. Mauro fell into thought, analyzing the remnants.

Eventually, he cracked a hesitant smile, looking slightly guilty.

“Hmm, with where you are now, it would be tough. It’s the same for me. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. I just thought I’d give it a shot.”

I shook my head, my mouth feeling slightly bitter. So, was the solution just to dump scores in? I’d imagined working with hundreds of these dolls, but perhaps that was just a fantasy.

“But it’s impressive. I can’t believe you squeezed this much in. It’s quite different from the dolls you showed before! It’s hard to believe you’ve only been doing this for five years. I’m looking forward to your progress, so keep your confidence high.”

He gave my shoulder a light pat, and I nodded slightly. He was right; I had to work harder.

“Speaking of which…”

He glanced at me before standing up, disappearing again into the back. A moment later, he returned with a peculiar card in hand.

“You’ll want this.”

He tossed it to me, and I caught it clumsily. A slight warmth emanated from it.

“What’s this?”

“Since I couldn’t help you with your dilemma, this might just be the solution.”

He chuckled heartily. I looked down at the card. It was a plain white card with just the name “On” inscribed on it. The magical flow felt very steady.

“It’s the business card of the original guild leader, Professor On. Take it, and you should be able to attend her lectures. Our establishment here is thanks to her.”

I looked at him in surprise. A Doll Manipulator as a professor? I had no clue someone like that existed at the University; it was tough to dig up info on professors.

“She told me she’d start lectures this year or next year; if you have that, she’ll surely welcome you. Normally, when a new student arrives, Professor On gives them lessons.”

I carefully placed the card on the table. Hearing that, I felt a bit pressured.

“But isn’t it inappropriate for someone like me to receive it? I’m not even part of this guild.”

He burst into laughter, the wrinkles on his face deepening with joy.

“You grab opportunities like this! If those of us who handle dolls don’t help each other, who will? Plus, it’s been a while since we welcomed anyone new into our guild. You’re the only one I can share this with.”

I gazed at the card quietly. He was right; in a way, this was an opportunity. But if it was a trap… it felt too coincidental.

As I hesitated, a white hand swept it away quietly. It was Mira! She held it with a grin, looking at me.

Her relaxed demeanor made me chuckle a bit. Right, if an opportunity popped up, I should take it. What was there to hesitate about?

“Well then, I’ll gratefully accept it.”

I smiled and bowed my head deeply towards him. Then I pulled out the Mirror Bug. It flew up towards Mauro.

“What’s this?”

“A token of my sincerity. Hold the ring close, and I’ll share some scores with you.”

“I won’t refuse. Scores are always in demand!”

I transferred the scores through the ring inside the Mirror Bug. It amounted to ten thousand scores, most of what I had earned in Canyon City.

This was my way of returning the favor. Mira gazed at the card she was fiddling with. If that card was genuine, ten thousand scores would be a bargain. Of course, if it was a fake, I could easily pay back tenfold.

Afterwards, we discussed Doll Manipulation for quite a while. It was a thoroughly enjoyable time. His knowledge was vast and deep; listening to him was immensely beneficial.

“Ah, I see.”

I nodded lightly as Mauro waved a doll’s arm.

“Right, I struggled a lot while making this. Just twisting the circuits wasn’t enough to make the connections work. So, I had to reverse the flow of magic….”

Mira seemed interested too, quietly listening beside me. She sometimes interrupted with her questions about Mauro’s body during the explanation.

He just chuckled and changed the subject. I was curious too, but it seemed he didn’t want to talk about it. We continued exchanging stories for quite some time.

“I’m hungry….”

That’s when Kashian, hanging onto her Bear Doll, finally came in, looking droopy. When she saw us, her dull eyes glistened with tears.

“I couldn’t get in touch, didn’t know where you were…”

Kashian sniffled. The Bear Doll offered her the handkerchief it had been holding around its neck, adorned with blood-red flowers. She used it a bit and then shot a glare at me.

“If our bear hadn’t managed to track you down, I’d have collapsed on the street. Thanks to this kid, I finally found you two, only to find you chatting away!”

Contact? I glanced at my Mirror Bug. There had been a few missed communications. Looking at Mira, she just shrugged, lightly chuckling.

‘Hehe, isn’t it cute?’

Her soft whisper made it sound like she had been pretending not to notice. I stood up, slowly making my way towards Kashian.

“Did you think I’d forget about you, Kashian? Mira told me you left alone, so I thought you’d gone back.” So, why don’t you come in for some tea first? Would that be okay, Mauro?”

Mauro only chuckled, and it took me a long while to comfort her. From then on until we returned to the Tower, she didn’t say a word.

 

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