Kleio Asel registered at age 17 (2)
“Won’t you come up, Francis?”
“Do I have to get up and introduce myself?”
It was a voice that scratched at those who listened to it, as each of the boy’s words seemed to be made of sarcasm. Kleio, sitting in the back seat by the window, stretched his neck out to find the owner of that reply. A boy with gray hair was sitting in front of him. He had a waistcoat with a few buttons, with the casually folded sleeves stained with ink, and metal-rimmed glasses with mottled lenses.
“I’ll say it one more time. Get up and introduce yourself. Are you aware that if you refuse one more time, you’ll be expelled?”
“I know well. You can leave a school like this.”
“Wake up!”
Only after Professor Zebedee struck him did the boy rise. He looked really unmotivated.
“Call me Fran Wight. As you can see, I am a second-grade magic class student. Ether level 2; no talent for magic.”
The boy yawned aloud as if he had no interest in the class, took off his glasses, and started to wipe them slowly.
‘Why is he here?!’
Kleio fell into confusion as he looked between Arthur, who was now asleep, and Francis. Arthur slept well, not knowing what was wrong, which made Kleio want to smack the back of his head. He already checked the Memory of Promise twice. At the age of eighteen, Francis Gabriel Hyde-Wight should’ve graduated from the Royal Academy of Sciences as its head to become a new bureaucrat at the Albion Mining Bureau!
‘Even though the settings of all characters have changed little by little, Cel and the Angellium twins are more or less the same. There’s no problem with their development, but Francis…!’
Confronted with this unexpected revision, Kleio was so confused that he couldn’t even hear the professor’s call.
“Kleio. Kleio Asel!”
“Yes… yes?”
“Are you listening? Come out and demonstrate. No matter how many times I ask you, there’s no answer. So, it would be nice to get a little stimulation from your classmates.”
‘Ugh, I don’t know what to do.’
Kleio, drawn away from his thoughts, walked up to the professor.
“Okay, everyone, pay attention. If you’re still unsure how to open a circle after the vacation, you should re-examine the method of ether circulation. Let’s take a look at Kleio Asel’s demonstration here.”
“Demonstrating the ether cycle… I mean.”
“Yes. The last time I looked at it during the final exam, your rotation was perfect. The method of circulating ether is the same, whether you are a swordsman or a wizard. It will help everyone.”
Unaccustomed to receiving that much attention, Kleio turned to the other students stiffly. There wasn’t much to explain; he had just picked up what Behemoth had taught him.
“Everyone has already learned it, but it’s not just spreading ether outside… you bring it around the heart and let go. It’ll go out in the direction it came in. When thinly pulling out the ether from the heart and turning it around, imagine the outer boundary of the circle-.”
Kleio’s voice was low, and the students weren’t focusing properly. Several of them began to joke.
“It’s like he’s the textbook…”
“Hey, don’t say anything.”
He had taken first place in the magic test and removed some of the stigmas of being an out-of-place student, but when he didn’t use magic, Kleio was still that same old classmate. Only Isiel and the twins listened to his explanation intently.
“Ether forms a circle, and that circle expands the etheric veins inside the body…”
The ether, which started to bloom around Kleio, gradually formed a circle. Amazed by the haze of light surrounding the classroom, the students began to mumble.
“…As a result, the bowl expands.”
Shaaaa-
In no time at all, his magical circle gently wrapped the entire classroom. A dark golden ether rose along the edges of it like an early sunset. The overflowing ether soared toward the ceiling, scattering a brilliant glow among the students. It was a circle with no magic formula. With pure ether alone, Kleio had caused such intense light. Everyone in the classroom stopped breathing for a moment. Like a harbinger of the absolute, Kleio’s circle overwhelmed those in it. The few seconds they spent in it felt like an eternity. No one opened their mouths even after the light had been extinguished. Even the professor was silent, so Kleio’s embarrassment only grew as the eyes of forty people fell on him at once.
‘I didn’t intend to open one up, but naturally…’
Finally, Zebedee scattered the unnatural quiet.
“What happened during the vacation? You have to re-register your ether level right away.”
“Ah, yes…”
“You will be certified. Now, you are a level 4 wizard.”
‘I forgot to register my level, but I was caught here.’
Kleio, feeling like he had been stabbed, looked at Zebedee, but the professor didn’t seem to be blaming him for not registering yet.
“A wizard that has reached level 4 at the age of seventeen… You’re only the third in the past thousand years. It’s really amazing.”
The classroom, which seemed deadly and quiet, was quickly covered in noisy murmurs. Last night, they had played with his magic, but this development added to the Angellium twins’ excitement. While standing up and yawning, Arthur pretended to clap. Kleio had a blank look like he didn’t understand what it all meant as Zebedee watched him with an expression of love and concern. The wizard, who was now in his old age, recalled the dangers that had pushed him in his youth; infighting between Philippe and Edward, the war with Brunnen, a narrow path that led between dead knights and wizards… Zebedee didn’t choose pacifism based on his convictions but as a way to survive.
‘Some powers possess those who wield them and push them too far.’
He predicted that the fate that awaited this boy wouldn’t be smooth either.
‘I don’t know if this child’s late manifesting was a defense or his weak will to show his strength.’
If Kleio knew, he would’ve been floored by the tremendous misunderstanding, but fortunately, he couldn’t read minds. Zebedee raised a wrinkled hand and tapped Kleio’s shoulder lightly before turning toward the students with a flip of his robe.
“First, let’s look at the basics. What is a circle?”
“Isn’t it in the magic chapter?”
“It’s a circle because of its circular shape.”
“Yes, that’s the general definition, but there is a deeper meaning. The predecessors called this world and the universe Orbis Terra. It means ‘a circular earth’. In other words, it refers to a world created with the wizard at the center. In the circle, all common scientific laws are useless as different rules apply there.”
Zebedee contemplated his own words as he looked at the faces of each student.
“You guys have had a great experience. In your life, you wanted the unfolding of a great circle that is hard to see. Keep practicing the way this child explained. And Kleio, when did you become so good at betraying your own mind?”
“I couldn’t sleep last night…”
“You have a good excuse. Isn’t it because you played late? As punishment for sleeping in class, you must lead Francis.”
“Yes? Me?”
“His quality is excellent, but he has paid for neglecting his efforts. You will be a good stimulus for each other, so set a day once a week to spend your free research time together.”
Francis, who remained cool despite the excitement, frowned.
“No.”
“You don’t like it? Francis, you can’t veto it. I will check the results once a month. Now, finish the class. Kleio, please follow me.”
.
.
.
The professor led him to the post office on campus. After sending a telegram to the Royal Capital Defense Force to register his ether level and residence, he spoke with Zebedee for two hours.
‘No, is this the time to try to convince him to let me move up?’
He was there to discuss skipping grades to Zebedee, though it was difficult for him to keep up in subjects other than magic. He had trouble convincing him, so eventually, he cried out that he didn’t want to go to school unless he was with his friends. The words themselves were 100% true.
‘I need to stick with Artur so that the world isn’t destroyed.’
The dean, who refused all logical attempts at persuasion, accepted the childish reasoning.
“Yes, it’s a good age for friendship to be in full swing.”
Zebedee, who stroked his beard, seemed convinced and allowed Kleio to attend their classes.
“Of course, there are conditions. You won’t learn anything in the class, but don’t fall asleep, and lead Francis well in the future.”
He didn’t like the conditions, but a student couldn’t deny the dean’s orders.
“…Okay.”
“Whenever there is something you don’t know about magic, come and ask. The door to the dean’s office is always open.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Kleio left the administrative building with that ingenuine thank you. As he walked toward his dormitory, he was shaking like a scarecrow in the wind.
Kwa-kwang-
At that moment, a loud pulsing sound caught his attention. It sounded like a continuous explosion was taking place. Kleio, holding on to the railing, opened his eyes wide as he looked over at the source of the sounds.
Klang-
Klang, klang-
‘That’s the sound of a sword fight?!’
Arthur and Professor Rosa were locked in battle. With Kleio’s visual acuity, he could only keep up with the two’s afterimages and the glimmer of their swords. He couldn’t see the fight, but the Understanding function of Promise worked hard.
[8th level
Title: Knight of the Rose]
[5th level]
‘Knight of the rose… It really fits Professor Rosa.’
The title was given to the senior swordswoman. The other one, level 5, would be Arthur.
‘Did he level up again in just a month?’
Arthur’s ether level was 4 during the last fight. Kleio turned on Perception as he tried to follow the sound of the fighting. He began to feel a familiar wave of dizziness, but he only had to endure it for a moment before a clear view unfolded before him. They moved as fast as light.
Kla-klang-
Each time their weapons collided, a shockwave rang out through the air. Though their swords were top-notch blades designed for practice, it seemed that they would break soon.
Shaaa-
When Rosa stabbed at him, Arthur evaded the attack with incredible speed. Arthur, his shoulder and thighs already stained, pushed into Rosa’s space without fear of being cut.
‘Ah… that child is now completely beaten.’
Rosa’s bright red sword was different from the dark red blades the assassins had carried. It was as clear as its owner’s personality. Arthur swung fiercely, his sword exuding a dark golden color like the color of his hair.
Arthur was courageous and reckless.
Soon, Arthur’s blade cut off a handful of Rosa’s white hair.
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