“…Well, that’s all for today. Until next time, please don’t use today’s magic individually. As you understand, there’s a risk of it going out of control. So, until I judge it safe, its use outside of class is prohibited… That includes you, Headmaster Glen.”
As I said this, glaring out the window, Headmaster Glen, who was excited by the discharge, hurriedly nodded.
He’s making a circle with one hand and smiling apologetically outside the window, but it’s suspicious. There was apparently mysterious localized heavy rain last night too, so maybe the headmaster needs to be watched.
No, that would be disrespectful.
He’s the headmaster of the world’s top magic academy after all. He should have discretion.
Reconsidering this, I ended the day’s lesson.
The next day, there was talk of lightning striking on campus despite clear skies, and I had to summon the headmaster.
However, seeing the headmaster bowing his head with eyes like those of an abandoned dog in the rain, I couldn’t bring myself to use harsh words.
So, I settled for a brief warning.
“If you disobey my instructions again, I won’t teach you any new magic.”
“Oh……”
Glen prostrated himself, his whole body drooping.
Is he feeling unwell?
Well, I suppose even the headmaster can’t fight against age. I should be kind to him.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. I know you’re interested, but it’s okay if you don’t come to observe my classes, you know?”
“N-No…! That’s too cruel! Please, anything but that! Aren’t we at a really good part right now!? If I’m stopped here, I won’t be able to sleep at night!”
“Please don’t cling to me. I don’t approve of sexual harassment.”
“Wha!? I-I’m terribly sorry!”
The headmaster hurriedly backed away and apologized.
It can’t be helped. If I say anything more, it might look like bullying.
I sighed and relaxed my shoulders.
“It’s fine now. Well then…”
“Oh…! Thank you! Thank you, Aoi-kun!”
As I walked away, receiving exaggerated thanks, I began preparing for my next class.
Having obtained permission, I came alone to a place next to an arena-like open space.
Now, how should I construct it? Perhaps aiming for self-repair would be better than maximum hardness.
As for size, depending on the type of magic, it will need to be quite spacious. Six meters high, five meters wide, and fifteen meters deep. This should be enough to cover most large-scale magic.
“Stone Barrier: Rock Wall”
Whispering this while infusing magic, I create a row of stone walls. Six meters high and five meters wide. One meter thick. For a normal wall, this would be more than enough, but as a barrier against magic, it’s weak.
So, while maintaining the barrier without interrupting the flow of magic, I begin to engrave magic circles on the wall’s surface.
Maintaining magic while drawing magic circles is incredibly difficult. Although not as intense as during activation, I need to continuously fine-tune and channel just enough magic to maintain the wall’s basic form. If I fail in this adjustment, the corners of the wall might chip or cracks might appear.
While continuing this magic adjustment at an almost unconscious level, I engrave a planar magic circle in the center of the wall.
This is a technique that even Owen-Millers struggled with.
“…Simplify it, maintain hardness and automatic repair… Use the magic of those inside the facility… No, if a child accidentally enters, they might lose consciousness from magic depletion.”
A moment of consideration.
If I prepare materials infused with magic from an external source, the function would cease if that supply is cut off.
Then, perhaps I should set restrictions on users.
“Let’s make it so that only those capable of using advanced magic can enter.”
This way, only those with sufficient magical power to use it will be able to enter.
“…Alright, it’s complete.”
I create walls on all four sides in the same manner. There’s only one entrance. The door is made of thick iron plates to prevent easy opening.
It’s a rectangular building with white stone walls. It’s a bit conspicuous, but it should blend in soon enough.
“Now, let’s think about how to actually use it in next week’s class.”
Satisfied with building a structure for the first time since constructing a separate wing for research with Owen, I nodded and returned to the dormitory.
Back at the dormitory, I encounter Eliza, who has the weekend off due to her class schedule.
Eliza looks at me with a startled expression and rushes over at an unbelievable speed.
“A-Aoi-san! Where have you been all day!? I’ve been looking for you! Come on, let’s go to my room… no, to your room! We need to talk…”
As I tried to respond while being pushed by the energetic Eliza, suddenly a large shadow appeared behind her.
The shadow, eyes gleaming, grabbed Eliza’s head with one hand.
“Eep!?”
As Eliza trembled in shock, the suddenly appeared dorm head, Glenora Nova Scotia, opened her mouth.
“You’re noisy, Eliza. Be quiet.”
“Ha-haha, yes!”
With a snap, Eliza’s back straightened. Standing at attention, Eliza looked at me and softly opened her mouth.
“L-Let’s move. Quietly, quickly…”
After saying this and bowing to Glenora, Eliza tried to push my back to move at a light jog.
At that moment, Glenora narrowed her eyes and muttered.
“I’ll kill you if you run.”
“Hie…”
Uttering a voiceless sound, Eliza took me away.
For some reason, Eliza brought me to my room instead of hers and looked around in high spirits.
“As expected, the rooms for senior instructors are spacious! Someday, I too…!”
Eliza, who had been looking around the room with sparkling eyes, suddenly had a startled look again and turned around.
“Th-That’s right! I have an important request today…!”
“A request?”
When I asked back, Eliza knelt on one knee, clasped her hands together, and brought them in front of her face as if praying. It was like a knight’s prayer pose, but when done by the childlike Eliza, it looked adorable.
“Please…! Teach me about magic circles! Even just a little, please teach me about magic circles! Master!”
“…Master?”
I tilted my head at this new form of address.
I had her sit on the sofa across from me and brewed some tea.
A gentle fragrance wafted through the air, instantly making the room feel more lively.
“I’m sorry I don’t have any snacks.”
“Oh, no! Please don’t worry about that!”
Eliza took the cup of tea, looking apologetic. How cute.
She flinched right after taking a sip, probably because it was hot. How cute.
“…So, why does Eliza-san want to become my apprentice?”
When I asked again, Eliza straightened her posture and looked at me.
“…As I may have mentioned before, I’m researching magic circles.”
After this preface, Eliza began to talk about her research.
“In Grand Sands, there’s a tendency for fewer people to become magicians. Perhaps if it were Aoi-sensei, you might be able to give everyone an equal opportunity to become a magician, but currently, there’s no prospect for improvement. However, everyone has magical power. So, if we could revive magic circles, maybe everyone in Grand Sands could use magic too.”
“…Indeed, with magic circles, as long as you can imagine and manipulate magical power, you can activate magic. But aren’t there already tools that have some effect if you infuse magical stones with power?”
“You mean the ancient magical artifacts from ruins, not the fire stones used for lighting and starting fires, right? Those are convenient tools that support daily life, but they don’t have the versatility or applicability of magic. Besides, if magical research remains delayed, there will be a difference in national power. I want to make my homeland, Grand Sands, more prosperous.”
Eliza looked at me with determined eyes and sincerely spoke about her country’s welfare.
Her will and thoughts seemed impossible to ignore.
I smiled and nodded.
“…I understand. Then, I’ll teach you about magic circles to the best of my ability. However, it took me ten years learning about magic circles myself. Be prepared, it won’t be easy.”
When I said this, Eliza’s face lit up with a radiant smile, and she replied with an enthusiastic “Yes!”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“This is…”
“I don’t remember a building like this being here…”
Strauss and Speyside voiced their doubts upon seeing the building. Shenley tilted her head at their questions.
“Didn’t Aoi-sensei build this?”
At those words, everyone looked at me.
“Yes, yesterday.”
When I answered, silence dominated the scene.
It seems they’ve accepted it. Relieved, I moved to the door.
“Don’t just move on as if nothing happened!”
“Aoi-san!? You made this in one night!?”
Surprised by Strauss and Eliza, I furrowed my brow. It’s troublesome how these two treat me like a problem child. It’s disrespectful.
“I properly obtained the headmaster’s permission.”
“That’s not the issue…”
As the two dropped their shoulders in exasperation, Felter shrugged.
“…It’s the usual.”
Rocks nodded at Felter’s words.
“Indeed. I’m starting to get used to it.”
As the two conversed, Speyside muttered with resignation.
“…We’re surprised because this is a different kind of technology. In the past, there was construction using magic, but now the mainstream method is to create blocks with stone magic, arrange them, and fix them with ash solvent. It’s faster than building without magic, but it still doesn’t allow for constructing such a building in a day.”
Four shook his head at Speyside’s explanation.
“…While this technology is interesting, it’s more important now to continue learning from the other day. If you can spare time after class, it would be good for each of you to ask questions then.”
I smiled at Four, who had said just the right thing, and decided to have everyone open the door in turn.
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