Academy’s Genius Mage

This place holds documents and materials related to ancient magic.

To be precise, it stored books that documented magic and various magical phenomena handled by ancient people.

‘There were supposedly many types of magic in ancient times. Even Professor Frost recommended ancient script.’

According to mythology, ancient mages were said to possess truly diverse abilities.

The places they stored mana circles differed, and classes weren’t strictly divided as they are now, the books recorded.

Additionally, magical machinery, communication devices, and modes of transport reached incredible advancements.

Some myths even recounted expeditions from the earth to the sky, exploring the worlds of light and darkness.

It was literally the golden age of magic.

‘While not all myths are believable, they could at least offer some hints.’

Ian Oracle adjusted his glasses and began looking for books.

The shelves were filled with books that seemed quite old.

Some lacked titles, but Ian tried to think of an efficient way to review the books.

‘It’s impossible to read them all. I need to set a standard.’

Fortunately, all the collections in the great library were categorized into a consistent order.

‘Mana Concentration Disorder ultimately boils down to the vessel that holds magic. The vessel is the circle.’

Ian narrowed down his search to books related to circles and the process of mana manifesting through blood vessels from circles.

In doing so, he spotted a suitable shelf.

Despite being suitable, the books were not easy. Since they dealt with theories and phenomena, they were difficult to understand and quite substantial in volume.

‘There must be at least 200 volumes.’

Ian hesitated for a moment but concluded it was impossible to narrow it down any further.

‘Better to start now than waste time hesitating.’

Ian reached out and picked up a book.

Time flowed by in this manner.

Ian continued his tasks at the shelf, while Isera was seated at a reading room desk working on her own assignments.

The sound of pages flipping could be heard. Ian never took his eyes off the book for a moment.

‘This book doesn’t seem to have any special clues either.’

He closed the book he had been reading and placed it on a designated return tray.

Three more books still remained stacked.

Despite requiring at least a full day to thoroughly read one book, Ian managed to grasp its contents in just a few hours.

‘I guess it’s time to look at a theoretical book instead of the commentary.’

Magical texts are broadly divided into theory books and commentary books.

A theory book describes the beginning and end of a magic concept, containing the principles and philosophy of that magic in their entirety.

In contrast, a commentary book is a guide for acquiring magic, translating theory books into simpler language to help understanding.

To correlate, the theory book can be said to be a work, and the commentary can be said to be a textbook explaining the work.

Naturally, in terms of value, theory books are more highly regarded. Generally speaking, what the academic world refers to as “magical texts” are typically theory books.

“It will take more time, but it’ll be more precise.”

As Ian picked another book and flipped through its pages, he suddenly stopped.

‘Something seems off.’

It was an ordinary book. However, the more he looked at it, the more he felt an inexplicable and bizarre unease.

‘This feeling… surely it’s not a hidden curse within the book.’

If it had been, the library staff would have already discovered it. Ian even flowed mana through it but felt no negative energy from the book.

‘What on earth is it?’

Despite thinking deeply, Ian couldn’t find an answer. He simply returned the old book to the shelf and resumed selecting another book.

At that moment, he noticed a familiar book.

It was titled “The Manifestation and Center of Mana”.

‘A welcome sight.’

It was a magical theory book that had left a lasting impression on him.

It was also a book his mother had recommended when he first began studying magic.

Ian took it off the shelf.

The reason he chose to read a book he’d already seen wasn’t merely for nostalgia.

‘You can learn different things from a book depending on how much you’ve grown.’

The book titled “The Manifestation and Center of Mana” was one Ian Oracle had read when he was younger.

As an adult now, revisiting it could potentially offer a new insight. And that insight might just be the key to overcoming his Mana Concentration Disorder.

‘Reminds me of old times.’

Feeling the texture of the book, Ian was reminded of the time when he first began learning magic from his father. He had been an excellent teacher.

Rather than simply teaching methods to amplify mana, he focused on the principles and applications of magic.

Though criticized for relying too much on finesse, his father never wavered from his chosen path.

“Being here, I feel like I understand why he never became a professor at the academy.”

For someone like his father, who valued free thinking and application, a professorship at the Royal Academy might not have seemed attractive.

As Ian continued to turn the pages, he encountered a passage that was vividly imprinted in his memory.

‘I think it was about Lightning Spell… Hmm?’

Ian, who was about to turn the page without much thought, suddenly held it tight. The half-turned page returned to its original position. As Ian took in the aphorism with his eyes, doubt engulfed him once more.

‘This feels different from what I know.’

He re-read the aphorism, “Mana that originates from the source of power should move like a waterfall over the cliff of the meridian.”

Despite pondering over it several times, the mystery persisted.

The “aphorism” is essentially a concise expression of the principles of magic operation.

Magic is essentially comprised of the manipulation of mana and the formulation.

The manipulation involves handling mana freely, and creating a structured law involves formulation.

The aphorism serves as a critical clue to understanding formulation.

Moreover, all aphorisms are written in ancient languages.

Nowadays, mages, especially theoretical mages, translate ancient languages to create accurate formulations.

Simply put, depending on how the ancient language is translated, the form and power of the magic can vary.

‘However, lightning Spell is fundamental. There shouldn’t be room for different interpretations of the aphorisms unless it were some advanced magic. But this isn’t the aphorism I remember… Could this print be faulty?’

Ian shook his head.

Ancient language sections, particularly in theoretical books, are thoroughly proofed.

If a mistake were found, they would have been entirely discarded. There would be no reason for such a version to exist here.

He verified the publication information.

The book was published over 20 years ago, the same version he had read. Doubts resurfaced.

‘By this time, books were printed, not copied by hand. If it’s the same version, then there must be another problem…’

Eventually, Ian realized he had been fundamentally mistaken all along.

The issue lay with the aphorism itself.

‘The aphorism isn’t written in ancient language?’

This was a grave error.

Aphorisms in magical books must always be in ancient language.

It’s an unspoken rule.

For a commentary book, it might be different, but this was not a commentary.

Then, Ian arrived at another realization.

‘Could it be?’

He quickly lifted his head and began feverishly searching the nearby books.

He flipped through every theoretical book within reach.

None of these theory books on the shelf contained a single word of ancient language.

Everything was written in the continental common language.

“Unbelievable!”

Such a scenario was unimaginable, even in dreams.

Was he caught in a trap? If this were an illusion created by mages, it might be possible.

Letting out a hollow laugh, Ian unconsciously removed his glasses.

‘Maybe I’m just tired?!’

He placed his glasses in his pocket and massaged his eyes with his fingers. After taking a deep breath, he turned his attention back to the book.

‘!’

Once again, the unimaginable happened.

The inscription that had been written in the continental common language suddenly transformed into the ancient language.

Ian stood there blankly for quite a while.

Then, suddenly, he felt a small weight in his right hand that he wouldn’t have noticed under normal circumstances.

‘Glasses.’

Ian calmed his mind and thought rationally.

‘Yes, it’s the glasses. The only variable in this situation.’

He stared intently at the problematic inscription and put the glasses back on.

To his amazement, the inscription was translated into the common language.

The script was exactly the same as the other letters in the book, to the point that he couldn’t realize it had been translated.

‘So, this is the real identity of the heirloom.’

Ian occasionally channeled mana through the glasses and investigated them in various ways.

But he couldn’t uncover the true nature of this puzzling object passed down from his father.

Because it didn’t respond to magic at all, he began to think it might just be an ordinary pair of glasses.

Surprisingly, however, he discovered an unexpected ability in such a place.

‘But how can it work without any trace of magic? If it were an artifact, there should at least be some movement of magic.’

The answer didn’t come easily.

Ian repeatedly put the glasses on and took them off, observing the transformation of the ancient script.

‘I can’t deny the function of the glasses. If not, then there must be something wrong with my mind.’

It was a problem he couldn’t solve immediately. Hence, Ian decided to focus on the changes appearing in his view.

‘The problem is the translated content.’

Ian concentrated again on the fact that the Lightning Spell inscription was translated differently from what he remembered.

The structure of the sentence was the same.

However, a few words had been changed to similar ones.

‘If it’s an ancient translation artifact but can’t translate properly, it’s just a decoration.’

At that point, there was no reason to use it.

Ian was knowledgeable about the ancient language.

Moreover, for someone who didn’t usually wear glasses, wearing them was quite cumbersome.

‘A few words are different. “Cliff” and “Waterfall”… Why is it interpreted this way?’

Contemplating over just one sentence of the inscription, Ian didn’t notice Isera approaching him.

“Ian Oracle.”

Ian lifted his gaze from the book.

For some reason, Isera was giving him a stern look.

“It’s basic etiquette not to read books near the shelves. Don’t you think it’s better to pick a book and sit in the reading room? If you can be considerate of others.”

“I’m sorry. I was so focused that I lost track of time.”

“With that book?”

Isera glanced at the book’s cover.

The title “The Manifestation and Center of Mana” was visible.

It was a book Ian had read as a child, but Isera had mastered it at an even younger age.

If it had been an ordinary book, the conversation would have ended there.

However, because it was such an exceedingly simple book, it piqued her interest.

“It doesn’t seem like a book that would require the head of the Oracle Family to concentrate on, does it?”

“I had a bit of an epiphany while reading it after so long, something like that.”

“I trust you haven’t failed to learn even basic magic.”

“It’s just a trivial matter of interpreting an inscription. Inscriptions are always fascinating, after all.”

Without further response, Isera turned away and began selecting books from the nearby shelves.

Ian organized his surroundings.

He neatly arranged the books placed on the tray and stood up the ones he had scattered around.

‘Assuming the structure of the sentence doesn’t change, the only way is to verify the interpretation that the glasses provide.’

Even thinking that, he remained skeptical.

The basic magic inscriptions were already considered complete.

Bringing forth a new interpretation seemed impossible.

However, given the mysterious item that broke the basic principles of an artifact, a different answer might emerge.

At that moment, a brilliant idea struck him.

‘The eccentric of the theoretical faction.’

Ian looked around.

Isera had already left the shelves and was sitting in the reading room, absorbed in a book.