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#288. Academic Society (1)
“I won’t release you.”
These were the words spoken by Curiossa, who had collapsed at the end of a dead-end corridor after a fierce chase, as she watched Ray slowly approaching.
“You’re not going to let it go?”
“Yes, if I release the restraint now and regain my other emotions, my desire for revenge against the doctor might be reduced.”
“… … .”
“I’ll put off releasing the prisoner until after I’ve achieved my revenge on the doctor.”
I didn't expect this answer.
“If not now, there may never be another chance.”
At Ray's words, Curiosa seemed to think for a while before opening her mouth.
"…are you okay."
“Okay, fine.”
Ray respected Curiosa.
I understood, not in the past but in the present, that making rational choices may not always be the right answer.
Curiosa spoke in relief as she watched Ray holding Aurelia's tears in his arms.
“Okay, let’s get that out of the way. I don’t want to be purified yet. By the way, are you sure that gem is a rainbow shard?”
“I’m sure. It was originally guarded by the Fairy Queen, one of the Guardians.”
“Fairy Queen? Elf?”
“No, they’re not elves, they’re a different race. They’re winged, palm-sized humanoids. That’s what Blue remembers.”
“This is my first time hearing about it… I thought I knew a lot about the old days.”
“I don’t know more than that. It’s just a guess, but it could be because they went extinct earlier than other species.”
Curiossa's bowl was overflowing with purple curiosity.
Ray changed the subject.
“Have you ever heard of the sealed ruins?”
“Sealed ruins?”
“That’s what Madame Philia said. When she received the order recently, she said in passing that the doctor was going to the sealed ruins and that it would take quite some time to prepare.”
“It’s a sealed ruins….”
Curiosa, who had been silent for a long time, opened her mouth to recall her memories.
“There’s no particular place that comes to mind… No, don’t look at me like I’m incompetent. I may be the world’s greatest archaeological explorer, but I haven’t been to every place. Hey, can you stop looking at me like that right now?”
The tears of Aurelia were taken out again.
Curiosa quickly became quiet.
“But if I don’t know, it probably means that the place is hidden by some special means.”
“Sealed ruins… Hidden places… .”
In other words, it was like sealing something away from other people's eyes.
The thoughts flowed slowly.
'… If it is a sealed entity related to the old era. If the doctor's purpose is to break the seal.'
Then something suddenly occurred to me.
During the first war of the old era.
A transcendent being that all the other Guardians combined their power to subdue.
That was right, the guardian of blue.
*
“Rainim…! Where on earth have you been? There was chaos while you were away.”
“They came from all over the place, begging to see Ray, and they were desperate for days and nights…! They searched the laboratory… They toured the tower… And again…”
The members of the Listoa School who discovered Ray's return looked like they were about to cry.
As a small school, they were unable to stop the spread of the powerful schools.
“Right now, all the talk of the town is focused on Raynim.”
“The person who stopped the train attack, the person who stopped the Tenenbaum attack, and the head of a new school called the Imaginers are all the same person.”
Ray sat down, sipped his tea, and listened to the story calmly.
It was a contrast to the students who could not hide their excitement and trembling.
'It seems that we have definitely succeeded in attracting attention in the magical world.'
It wasn't my intention to stop the terrorist attack for the sake of fame, but it didn't hurt.
At that moment, the door to the reception room opened and Lakerd, the head of the Listoa School, appeared.
widely.
He sat across the table from the scholars and sipped the tea they had brought him.
“I can’t believe it. The famous person who is causing a stir in the city is sitting in our school’s reception room right now.”
“It’s been a while.”
“It’s been a while. Actually, I expected you to make a name for yourself starting from the regular conference.”
“It wasn’t something I had planned on doing. I was just there at that time, in that place, on the train, in the auction house.”
Raykerd smiled at Ray's calm words.
“The regular academic conference is just a week away. All new schools must explain and demonstrate their foundational theories based on the papers they shared with the news of their establishment. Are you ready?”
Actually, there was no special preparation.
All he had to do was demonstrate some magic, like freezing flames, like he had done at the Listoa School.
“I don’t plan on explaining right here how much potential and possibility imagination holds.”
“That’s… yeah, that might be better strategically. Any wizard would have an intuition the moment they saw your magic, and their mind would automatically fill up with countless possibilities.”
Lakerd nodded and suddenly spoke in a lowered voice.
“The only thing I’m worried about is that there will definitely be a group of people who are jealous and envious of you. Every theory and invention presented at the conference is graded by the heads of all the schools present. Of course, our school of Ristoa will give you the highest score… but there will be those who deliberately give you the lowest score.”
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The accumulated points at each conference determine the superiority of each school.
It was an important issue for Ray, whose goal was to build the tallest tower.
“It’s okay. I have a plan in mind.”
“Well… then I wouldn’t worry.”
After finishing the conversation, Ray went to find Nilla, the information agent.
“Hey, the person from the rumors has arrived?”
“… … .”
“Huh? How did you know? It’s impossible not to know. Wherever you go, there are only stories of terrorist incidents and new schools. White hair is also rare. Especially white hair as pure as snow, only a young guest would be able to find it.”
Ray nodded and asked.
“What about the investigation into Murkred and the Nambit Dawn Society?”
“Unfortunately, I haven’t finished it yet. I’ve found some clues, but I think it would be better to refine them a bit more and then deliver them after I have a more definite judgment.
“I think it would be a good idea to focus your investigation on sector 17.”
Sector 17 was where Madame Philia received her final instructions from the Doctor.
“There must be something over there. Okay. I’ll give instructions to my informants.
Neela whispered something to her escort.
After that, he stared at Ray and said.
“What can I say, guests feel different from regular people.”
“Feels different?”
“I can’t explain it exactly, but it’s just the person himself? Even though he’s done great things, he seems very calm, and his emotions don’t seem to change much during conversations.”
Different from others.
I thought I knew what you meant.
'I'm very emotional.'
A journey that starts from sector 50.
I have felt and developed many emotions in my own way, but by normal standards, I still feel like I am lacking a lot.
In my childhood, when I had almost no emotions, it directly brought about discrimination and fear.
'Because I'm different from others.'
And, the power of imagination was also different from others.
But I wasn't worried.
Rather, I was confident.
Clearly, this 'difference' will bring about a phenomenon that is the exact opposite of the past.
*
On the day of the regular academic conference, a huge crowd flocked to the association's main tower.
There are a total of 124 officially registered towers within the city.
If you include the heads of each school and their attendants, the number of people reached at least 300.
“I enjoyed reading the travelogue on the history of electric magic published in the journal this time.”
“Thank you. I also found Chief Paul’s philosophical approach to magic very interesting.”
As expected from a gathering of the city's leading scholars, there were countless conversations related to magic.
But among them, there was one thing that was definitely the center of attention.
“Do you know how many nights I’ve lost sleep over? Today, I can finally confirm the true nature of that school called Imagination.”
“But is that rumored boy really the representative of the school? The real secretary must have attended today’s conference.”
“I’ve heard rumors that the Imaginary School’s magic tower is still empty and uninhabited.”
The attendants waited on the first floor, and the office managers took the elevator to the seminar hall on the upper floor.
I searched around with my eyes wide open for any sign of the Imaginary School, but I couldn't find any trace of them until the moment I sat down.
Doubt, anticipation, dissatisfaction, impatience.
The emotions just kept getting more intense.
The central platform was structured with tiered seats that surrounded the stage in a 360-degree circle, overlooking the stage.
The Gustav Association president was there.
He spoke in a voice amplified by magic.
“It’s nice to meet you. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone for taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend. A 100% attendance rate. I can guess the reason for this unprecedented phenomenon.”
Gustav smiled meaningfully and shouted out a few polite greetings.
“Then, let us now begin the 186th regular academic conference!”
Clap clap clap clap!
Thunderous applause rang out, and the first presenter took the stage.
“It is an honor to greet the heads of each school in this way. My name is Tona, a senior researcher from the Gravin School.”
People who heard the presenter's introduction were in a state of confusion and confusion.
After all, it was customary for the first part of the conference to be devoted to the introduction of new schools of thought.
“What, isn’t this an introduction to the Imagination School? Did Gustak push the order back?”
“You seem like a clever person. I guess you are thinking of continuously raising our expectations.”
People started to complain, but soon they returned to their serious, focused gazes on the presentation.
“The theory I will present here today is a combination of gravitational fields and strengthening elements, and it has already been proven through internal research… .”
The presenter felt dizzy as he continued his explanation. He was sweating profusely and his limbs were shaking.
Mana emitted in real time from 360 degrees by high-ranking magicians in the three digits.
The resulting pressure was not something that could be easily endured.
It's a kind of test for that school.
It was a kind of custom practiced during the conference.
Those with mediocre skills were not qualified to stand on the stage.
“… Thank you.”
The presenter, who had barely finished his explanation, fainted on the spot.
The association staff magically lifted the papers off the ground, and the office managers chatted and began grading them.
“How is it?”
“Well, it doesn’t sound bad, but I don’t think I can give it a high score in terms of innovation because it’s just a collection of existing theories.
“But still, it’s the Grabin School that we are friendly with….”
Innovation, stability, applicability, etc.
Although the items were detailed, the scoring was not actually completely fair because personal connections played a large role.
Regardless of the content of the presentation, there were many cases where the lowest or highest score was given based on friendship or resentment.
However, except for a few extreme cases, scores were generally appropriate for the level of presentation.
“I’ve decided.”
"me too."
The office workers inputted scores by injecting mana into a panel attached to the front of the seat.
Woohoo!
The total and average of the scores earned in this presentation appeared as a large hologram in the air above the unit.
Gustav said, looking at the numbers.
“The average score is 7.86. It’s not bad, but it’s a bit disappointing.”
7 points means there is a fatal flaw somewhere in the theory, magic, or invention.
A score of 8 points was given in cases where the level of completion was high but there were shortcomings in terms of applicability and innovation.
A perfect presentation in every way received a score in the 9s, a score that is sometimes called the magic wall, as it only occurs once or twice a year.
The presenters took to the stage one after another, and the judging was ruthless.
Tension is rising.
How much time has passed like that?
Beep─
The panel lights on the stage floor went out.
This meant that there were no more presenters left in the seminar hall.
“What? It’s over?”
“What happened to the announcement from the Imaginary School that we were waiting for?
Squeak─
As the commotion grew, a door slammed behind them.
People reflexively turned their heads and could see.
"uh…."
"ah…."
A boy with snow-white hair passed by them and came down the steps between the seats.
The boy arrived at the stage while everyone held their breath.
Beep─
The panel lights up again.
The boy slowly and leisurely looked around the room and spoke softly.
“I will now begin my presentation.”