Shaeh’s Miracle Formula.
It was the magical formula conceived by the great mage Shaeh, who was once called a prodigy, that mathematically calculated the ‘laws of causality’ during his later years.
What miracle was Shaeh trying to prove with his miracle formula?
The miracle Shaeh claimed was as follows:
“Something that should not happen, happens.”
Every event has a causality, and the possibility of something occurring that deviates from this causality approaches zero infinitely. Therefore, it is deemed impossible, and when impossibility reaches the realm of possibility, we call that a miracle.
However, what if a concept could comprehend, calculate, and manipulate that very impossibility perfectly?
The theory, which began with the magical concept that one might be able to manipulate the probabilities of the world, predicted that if this could be proven, true ‘miracles’ could finally be reproduced through magic.
But, could a 10-year-old girl unravel that puzzle?
Is it true that a 10-year-old girl taking the mage competition exam solved the ‘Shaeh’s Miracle Formula’?
It would be hard to believe.
That’s just impossible.
But if it were true…
“Now that would indeed be a miracle.”
Miracle?
At that word, the man’s mind momentarily froze.
Could it be, really?
Would a miraculous event occur, just like the bizarre causality entwined with that magical formula?
Luke, who was gazing at the formula written on the blackboard, spoke up.
“Can I write on the blackboard?”
“…That’s fine, but…”
“Understood.”
Ignoring the man’s doubtful gaze, Luke slowly approached the blackboard.
Since the blackboard was much taller than Luke, he didn’t forget to pull a chair close by.
Climbing onto the chair, Luke picked up a piece of chalk that was nearby and began to demonstrate the proof of the formula.
———
In the research lab of the mage tower, which usually buzzed with discussions, debates, and magical incantations, only one sound could be heard now.
The scratching sound of chalk on the blackboard.
Everyone was fixated on the sight of a child neatly writing something on the blackboard.
Scritch, scritch, scritch.
Luke was silently writing the proof of the magical formula.
There was no need for explanation to prove the magical formula.
This was merely an act of reorganizing a problem that had already been solved.
The proof that Luke was organizing in his mind was so clear that it didn’t require any further explanation.
“…!”
On the other hand, as the wizards followed Luke’s pen moving meticulously, they were silently astonished at the increasingly clear mathematical proof.
It seemed that the moment his hand stopped, this magical formula would truly be proven.
It was a truly ‘historic’ moment.
They couldn’t even muster ordinary expressions of admiration.
In this moment, possessing no sense of reality, amusingly, everyone was thinking the same thing.
‘Are we perhaps dreaming?’
Thus, they could not utter a sound.
It felt as if doing so might wake them from this sweet dream.
If this were a dream, they hoped not to awaken until they saw the end of that formula.
And finally, when the blackboard was nearly filled, Luke’s busy hand came to a halt.
The proof was complete.
Luke turned around without showing much expression and said,
“Now, that’s it. I’ll take questions.”
At Luke’s voice marking the end of the proof, the wizards finally exhaled as if holding their breath and began to speak.
“…No way, is it really solved? For real?”
“This is a dream… right? Someone pinch my cheek, no. Don’t pinch, I haven’t memorized everything yet.”
“This is a miracle…”
“How is this possible?”
As the exclamations burst forth, Luke noticed there were no actual questions, stepped down from his seat, and returned to sit in his place.
The man stared blankly at Luke until their eyes met.
“You all look truly delighted.”
“…?”
Luke’s demeanor was remarkably calm and unexcited for someone who had just proven an unsolvable riddle.
“By the way, am I really the first to have solved this?”
“Yes, this is truly an unbelievable achievement! Incredible! Have you considered the impact this magical formula will have on the magical world?! Soon, we wizards will be able to calculate every probability in this world!”
“Uh, you have quite the voice. Please speak a bit softer.”
“Sorry…”
——–
Shaeh’s Miracle Formula.
There was nothing difficult about proving it.
In fact, the magical formula that Shaeh conceived was essentially a recreation of the past Circle Magic into Class Magic.
It was indeed ‘Wish.’
It was the highest-level conceptual manipulation magic that could only be declared once bearing nine circles in one’s heart.
The rebirth of that in modern grammar is Shaeh’s Miracle Formula.
However, the magical formula crafted using the grammar of modern magic, which requires calculations of all situations alongside the appropriate cane and mana, is still far from achieving ‘reality manipulation.’
In theory, even attempting to manipulate probabilities to fix the faces of a dodecahedral die would require tens of thousands of mana units.
To help with understanding, consider that the total amount of mana built up in Luke’s heart is currently roughly 12,000 Rain, similar to the amount of magical energy produced by an artificial World Tree over a week.
If even that inefficient level of probability manipulation is only to fix 1/20th, how much would it take to truly create a ‘miracle’?
‘Perhaps it would require burning the mana of the entire world just to do it once. Whether there’s a material that can withstand that magical power is questionable though.’
The ‘Wish’ used with the 9th circle, equally terrible in inefficiency, wasn’t that extreme.
However, saying ‘Wish’ is outright superior wouldn’t quite be accurate.
The Circle Magic’s ‘Wish’ allows for a chance to request authority from an entity called ‘God,’ and as a result, the wish that Luke truly desired could not be fulfilled.
So then, if all the world’s mana could be thrown into making ‘one miracle’ without worrying about divine observations, wouldn’t Shaeh’s magical formula be much more useful?
“A miracle, huh…”
Luke pondered thoughtfully.
“Shaeh, what on earth were you hoping for when you conceived this magical formula.”
There mustn’t even be any gods tossing dice in this age, after all.
———-
“Is that true?”
“Uh, yes…”
“Not able to give an award? It’s definitely not that great of an achievement, right?”
“No, it’s not that we can’t give one. It’s just that in two years…”!
The flustered wizard explained, sweating bullets at Luke’s disappointed expression.
Luke wanted to receive an ‘award.’
External achievements often lead directly to early graduation certificates, so it was natural for Luke to aim for an award.
There exists a prestigious award called the ‘Rass Award’ given to the wizard who has achieved the greatest accomplishment in magical theory.
However, the issue is that this award is given every four years and only to a single wizard who makes the most influential discovery in the magical world.
By proving the riddle known as Shaeh’s Miracle Formula, Luke had become a strong candidate for the ‘Rass Award.’
It was likely that the award would be confirmed. It was hard to believe something would emerge, surpassing the proof of Shaeh’s Miracle Formula in the next two years.
But still, with two years to go for the award…
“Ugh.”
Two years felt too long.
Luke’s plan was to take the early graduation exam within the year.
Only then would he finally be granted the authority to handle Class Magic socially at the Magic Academy.
Though there was no rush, it didn’t suit Luke’s nature to wait idly for two years when he had a goal.
“Then there’s nothing that can be done.”
“Yes, just wait two years. Surely you will receive the Rass Award…”
“If I participate in the international mage competition, I can receive an award immediately, right? I must get that.”
“…What? Are you serious?”
He was taken aback.
A strong candidate for the Rass Award participating in the international mage competition would turn into a terrifying nightmare for other children.
Honestly, how difficult could the exam questions be for the kids?
When Luke participated, he was sure to win… but.
“Wait, will I qualify? Didn’t you just mark everything down thinking you needed to go to the bathroom?”
‘Well, if he really wants to go, I could write him a letter of recommendation…’
But should he?
Considering fairness, this would rather be something to prevent.
After all, Luke didn’t seem like he had to enter that competition in the first place…
“What do you mean?”
The man, lost in thought, caught Luke’s calm gaze.
“I never said even once that I marked down the answers.”
——–
With a bang, clap.
“Thank you, Dayton.”
“Good job. Did you do well on the exam?”
“Well, of course, I did well on the exam.”
Luke clicked his seatbelt into place as he sat in the passenger seat next to Dayton.
After Dayton confirmed that Luke had properly fastened his seatbelt, he stepped on the accelerator and started moving when Py suddenly flew in from somewhere and snuggled into Luke’s arms.
It seemed Py, a spirit, had hesitated a bit about being in the mage tower and felt quite lonely during the brief time apart.
Luke gently petted Py with mana, smiling at him.
Purr, purr, making a pleasant sound, Py seemed quite content.
While looking at Py, Luke hummed in tune with the events that had transpired in the mage tower today.
Dayton glanced at Luke’s expression out of the corner of his eye and then focused back on the road ahead.
For a brief moment, Luke’s expression looked somewhat happy.
…But in a way that made Dayton uneasy.
‘That expression surely feels like he pulled off some prank and now feels relieved.’
While Yerna simply found Luke adorable, Dayton was well aware that something monstrous was hidden within this kid, making it hard for him to take that smile at face value.
Well, while not a monster, there was certainly a dragon inside.
Deciding to test the waters a bit, Dayton asked,
“Hmm, Luke. What kind of accident did you cause today?”
A tense silence filled the space.
Luke’s ears perked up.
He could not be entirely innocent of Dayton’s suspicions.
He had indeed acted casually during the exam, pretended to go to the bathroom, and made an excuse about it being broken to sneak a look around the mage tower.
That was certainly something shameful to think back on.
“…W-Well, it was just a slight mishap!”
“Sure, I get it. What happened?”
“They told me I was a strong candidate for the Rass Award.”
“What? Rass Award? What kind of award is that?”
While most people would be familiar with the Drag Award, it’s rather rare for someone to know about the Rass Award, often referred to as the Drag Award of the magical theory world.
It was no surprise that Dayton, who had little interest in wizards, wasn’t familiar with the existence of the Rass Award.
Luke simplified the situation to fit Dayton’s level of understanding and explained clearly.
“Well, they said they’d give it to me for solving a difficult magic problem. But they want me to wait two years before they give it, so for the sake of my achievements, I’m thinking of participating in the international mage competition.”
After hearing Luke’s explanation, Dayton raised an eyebrow slightly.
“What? Waiting two years for an award? Why not give it immediately?”
“I’m also dissatisfied with that. There’s nothing that can be done; the award ceremony happens every four years.”
“Really? I suppose they must give it during some event together then…”
Dayton thought for a moment.
‘These days, they give awards for solving just any problem. They don’t even award it for doing well on the exam… Still, it seems like it’s not a big deal compared to what I expected.’
