Chapter 75: The Four Seasons (1)

After the Erendal Subjugation Practical.

The next major event in Bayern, after the semester had begun, was the first official midterm evaluation.

Since the exams were set to begin in just three weeks, the cadets had no time to shake off the aftereffects of the practical and dove straight into their studies.

Thus, even the three-day mourning period passed in the blink of an eye, and the academy’s atmosphere returned to normal.

For some, this could have felt heartless.

After all, those who had died were gone only a few days ago—yet life moved on as if nothing had happened.

But time had no intention of stopping, and there was nothing to be done about it.

Scratch, scratch.

Carl, too, was focused on preparing for the exam.

Since the start of the semester, Carl had earned perfect scores in every exam, evaluation, and test, firmly securing his position as the top student in theory.

It was common knowledge that even Nerian—hailed as the top overall student during the entrance exam—fell short of Carl in theoretical scores.

Nerian, seated diagonally behind Carl and watching him take notes diligently, sank into thought.

‘The only possible way is to get a perfect score in every subject.’

A perfect score on the multiple-choice questions was a given.

That was the bare minimum to even stand on the same starting line as Carl.

Of course, if practical scores were factored in, Nerian would come out far ahead—but he wanted the flawless title of overall top student.

“Alright, that’s it for today’s lecture. The next section is rather difficult, so make sure you prepare in advance. Be certain to review it.”

When the professor left the podium, the cadets poured out of the lecture hall like the receding tide.

“Mm.”

Nerian, who had been watching Carl and waiting for his chance, stood as well.

He intended to ask for a bit of Carl’s time to discuss the upcoming exam and a few personal questions. But just as he was about to speak, another cadet beat him to it.

“Carl! Let me borrow your notes!”

“Carl, did you understand the last lecture? Damn it, my eyes were wide open but somehow I lost track of where I got stuck.”

“Argh!”

Maximilian and Gale rushed toward Carl with desperate expressions.

Even Pozers, who was nearby, sidled over—apparently the lecture content had been difficult for him as well.

Carl, smiling faintly at his friends, nodded without hesitation.

“Alright. I’ll share them through the Archive.”

“Thanks, Carl. You’re the best. Amy and Lien flat-out refuse to lend theirs.”

“Let’s not share Carl’s notes with anyone else. We keep them to ourselves.”

“Agreed!”

“Carl, why don’t we go study right now while we’re at it? We don’t have any more lectures after this anyway.”

Maximilian looked at Carl with pleading eyes.

In truth, the “study together” invitation was simply a plea for his guidance.

Normally, Carl would have gone along—he had no reason to refuse. But unfortunately, he already had another appointment.

“I’m afraid I can’t today. I have a study session.”

“A study session? With who?”

“Yes. I promised to discuss some magic theory with Miss Yuria.”

“…Ah.”

“Well, there’s no helping it if it’s with Miss Yuria.”

Maximilian and Gale stepped back without protest.

Even if they had grown closer during preparations for the Erendal Subjugation Practical, the title of Heir to the Gray Magic Tower was not one people approached lightly.

“Hmhm…”

What’s more, Yuria herself was waiting by the lecture hall door, clearly visible to all.

With a prim expression, she pretended disinterest and looked elsewhere, making it even harder to keep Carl any longer.

“What about dinner?”

“I’ll come back after. Let’s eat together.”

“Alright. Do well.”

Bidding them farewell, Carl quickly left.

Of course, Nerian—who had been waiting quietly for his chance—could only watch him go without even getting a word in.

“Sorry. They asked to see my notes.”

“I don’t really mind. But is it okay for you to just hand them out like that? Even if it’s just a lecture summary, it’s still your intellectual property.”

“It’s fine. I’ve already mastered the knowledge perfectly. Using my notes as a basis, it would be difficult for anyone to produce better results than I could.”

“Hm.”

Among magicians, even as a joke, they rarely shared notes or records.

In this world, knowledge was power—and even a scribble or a small memo could be used to steal something valuable.

Well, it was between friends, so it wasn’t her place to comment.

Soon, the two of them rented a study room in the library.

Before the intense exam preparation period began, they planned to hold the inaugural session of a study group on the magical manipulation of spiral dynamics.

‘I didn’t think there’d be a first-year cadet I could actually talk about this subject with.’

Yuria watched Carl as he set the materials down on the table.

In terms of grades, perhaps even Nerian could follow along.

But his magic was specialized in authority-based power, and he didn’t seem to enjoy this kind of pure magical theory.

Especially since this topic was the most obscure of the obscure—it took a real eccentric to delve into it at all.

‘I didn’t expect to find such a rare specimen.’

The preparations were complete.

Since Yuria possessed more knowledge on the subject, she decided to take the lead in guiding the flow.

“Carl, how much do you know about spirals?”

“About Second Degree, I’d say.”

“…That’s impressive.”

Yuria was genuinely impressed.

Spiral-related studies ranged from the First Degree to the Tenth Degree.

Reaching the Second Degree was enough to confidently say one had gone quite deep for a layman.

“I’m at the start of the Third Degree, but there’s not much difference. I only just entered that level.”

“Still, mastering the Second Degree is no small feat.”

“Hm, I suppose that’s true.”

Seeing Carl’s admiration, Yuria allowed herself a faintly smug smile.

In truth, if Carl had chosen to pursue it, he could have easily surpassed her level and reached greater depths.

But he hadn’t bothered, as the practical value was rather low.

It was useful to integrate with the Primal Unity Qi to increase circulation speed or give a temporary burst of power.

He had also learned how to combine the concept of acceleration with spirals to boost output to an extreme.

If his modified Heavenly Demon Divine Art were pitted against the original version, Carl’s would likely have the advantage in raw firepower.

But that was all.

The deeper theoretical aspects were just that—pure theory—and difficult to apply directly to martial arts or other disciplines.

“Once you’ve mastered the Second Degree of spirals, you can express the mana structure in an array like this.”

Swish.

When Yuria raised both hands, mana surged and stabilized.

What floated in the air was a perfect sphere.

It had a grayish hue, yet its form was flawless without a single blemish.

‘No… that’s not all.’

Carl, who had been staring at the sphere for a moment, nodded as if realizing something.

“This is a collection of countless spirals.”

“You recognized it.”

Yuria smiled brightly.

It was the first time she had revealed this outside of the Magic Tower.

Even within the tower, she had never shown it to anyone except her master, the Tower Lord.

She had thought Carl might notice something—and indeed, he had given the right answer.

The problem was that Carl’s observation didn’t end there.

“……”

Carl studied the sphere closely.

He had no real reason to be obsessed with spirals.

His apparent interest was only an excuse to grow closer to Yuria.

But as he idly gazed at her sphere, he suddenly found himself intrigued by its structure.

“Spiral… endless rotation… mana circulation… amplification… power source?”

“…What?”

It was Yuria who was caught off guard by the sudden string of words.

Sensing something unusual in Carl’s expression, she stared at him with a tense face.

“Spirals have two functions: acceleration and amplification. This sphere is a structured form where countless spiral lines gather and rotate without rest. It’s like a precision-built mechanical device.”

Something like this wouldn’t have been made for no reason.

If a mage of Yuria’s caliber had gone to such trouble, it was surely part of the process to reach some goal.

The Gray Magic Tower specialized in spatial magic.

While there was a strong link between spheres and space, at the moment, that connection didn’t seem all that important.

Bzzz—

Carl cloaked his eyes with internal energy.

Looking even deeper into the sphere, he began analyzing its structure in detail.

‘Is this a magic formula?’

An intricate magic array was controlling the seemingly chaotic flow of spirals.

If mana were channeled into it, it might trigger a specific spell.

But it seemed far too complex for that alone.

Was she trying to create something different from an artifact?

Still, even with spirals, it should be slower than human cognition unless…

“You designed it with that in mind. To operate independently.”

“…!!!”

Yuria’s eyes widened.

She couldn’t help but be shocked—no, astounded—by those words.

Carl had come dangerously close to the theme she had made her life’s research project.

“W-wait, wait, wait, wait!”

Yuria hastily dispersed the sphere in her hands, scattering it into the air.

Carl, losing his focus, showed a look of regret.

“Ah. Just a little longer and I think I’d have figured it out.”

“What exactly did you see? From where to where?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Carl shrugged.

“Spirals are acceleration and amplification. For application in magic, that’s the most practical use. The sphere you created was a medium for something. To put it nicely, an artifact. Less nicely, more like an accessory.”

If she had gone to the trouble of making something like that, it was with a specific role in mind.

It was too cumbersome to handle directly and insufficient to serve as a primary tool—so there was only one answer.

“A self-thinking system. Should I call it an artificial familiar structure that assists its master according to the situation?”

“…Uuuugh.”

Of course, Carl hadn’t reached the full truth.

But he had pierced enough of it that Yuria bit her lip hard.

Shock at being seen through, jealousy at the talent that could grasp such things at a glance, and secretly, delight that he had recognized it—

All sorts of emotions swirled in her head, leaving her conflicted.

In the end, Yuria chose to admit it.

“…You’re right. What I made is an artificial magical construct.”

Mages were inherently bound by the limits of casting and incantation.

No matter how advanced a spell, instant activation was difficult—it required a preparation process.

That was why Yuria had conceived of this new construct, Four Seasons.

“I was inspired by something my ancestor, the Archmage of 《Eternity》, was said to have used—called All Things in Creation. Records say that by reading the structure and laws of the world, he recreated existing magic and transformed it into a new form. So I tried to reinterpret it in my own way.”

Countless spirals were inscribed with magic arrays and incantations.

By rotating and accelerating them, the preparation for spellcasting could be completed in an instant.

In fact, she had confirmed that lower-class spells manifested exactly as intended.

The problem was that inscribing the arrays onto the spirals and structuring the magic was an incredibly difficult task.

“…Four Seasons, huh.”

Carl touched his lips with an intrigued expression.

It was the look of someone who had just found an amusing toy after a long time.

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