Chapter 25

[sys.msg: A vehicle has arrived]

Hoo.

It had been an extraordinarily exhausting day.

The capsule’s power was cut off, and the automatic cooling and cleaning mode kicked in.

I stretched my drowsy body, but the fatigue that had built up over the past week did not easily dissipate.

Since I hadn’t gone outside the capsule all day, there was no way dust could accumulate inside, but out of habit, I looked around to see if there was even a speck of dust in anticipation of the landlord’s arrival.

“Have you been well?”

“Today was your last day at work, right? How was it?”

“Do you really talk like I just retired? Well, nothing special happened. Did you finish your report?”

“Can I really get into the Academy with just this?”

“Who knows? I think the Academy might find you burdensome.”

While having dinner with Professor Cheon every evening, we could only discuss topics related to the Formation Realm.

It was understandable; even if the time we had lived was similar, my physiological age was still only seven, and aside from mathematics and formation science, he had almost no hobbies.

[Localized solutions to modular groups and complex analytical forms of perfectoid curves for n≤3]

The report I was submitting to the Academy required a great deal of background knowledge, but once grasped, it contained theoretical content about the dimension-reducing methods of circles that even young wizards could handle without issue.

“Really, this is more like a thesis than a report. Our graduate students should see and learn from this.”

“I’m not the only one who thought of this; I just transcribed what we discussed, after all.”

“Who else would I discuss modular groups and perfectoid rings with if not Name?”

“It’s rather strange that basic magical studies aren’t covered in college. What do they teach there then?”

“The focus tends to be on magical engineering dealing with ideal realms.”

“I understand. People need to make a living.”

Kids these days lack romance.

I couldn’t help but think of the old tower comrades who used all sorts of bizarre magic to grow the size of circles regardless of the means.

Now, we were pondering how to output more efficiently with the same methods and procedures, making the evolution of magic seem even stranger.

Even in modern times, it was still not much different from previous lives.

We continued our discussion over dinner that day.

Sometimes, I heard stories from professors or graduate students about someone getting caught stealing ginseng extract from the president’s office, which felt absurd and amusing.

“I need to write your recommendation letter for the Seviron Academy; how about we write it together?”

“Is it okay if I read it?”

“Principally, it shouldn’t be.”

“Then I’ll trust Professor to write it well on your own.”

“You’re quite clever at dodging.”

So, Professor Cheon printed out just the recommendation letter format and showed it to me instead of writing the content.

“It’s not much more complicated than I thought. There aren’t many fields to fill in.”

“I’m just not good at writing. Even if I want to say something, getting started is really hard.”

“I think it’s better to express who the person is as they are rather than just listing their strengths in a recommendation letter. After all, as you said, there isn’t a kid of my age who could write a report like this.”

“Let’s include a story about Name in it… How about we take a moment for an interview? It could be of great help for writing the letter.”

“Well… I’ll answer accordingly. What do you want to know?”

Professor Cheon was preparing for a rather serious interview with an A4 paper and a pencil.

With only one light illuminating the otherwise dark home, it gave off a feeling of being interrogated, but maybe it was just my imagination.

“Let’s start with the first question. When did Name become interested in magic?”

* * *

“Is the princess still staging a sit-in in her room?”

“Yes, unfortunately…”

“Her stubbornness is truly remarkable, just like someone else!”

Bargos Steward had been troubled for days due to the princess’s antics.

The issue arose when Hiasen, who had been playing with the princess, reached the age where he needed to undergo succession training, just like Jade and Feyran, and left.

Upon hearing this, Princess Estasha expressed her desire to learn magic and has been on a hunger strike with her young body.

Thinking it was just a child’s whim, I resolved to show her some tough love for a day, but before I knew it, the princess had continued her hunger strike for three days.

“Bargos, it may be a rude thing to say, but if the princess happens to faint here…”

“Hoo… Call Berstaphen. I need to request an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”

Whether they knew it or not, after finishing their succession training, the three princes would suddenly gather in Princess Estasha’s bedroom.

“Hey! Silly Sasha! Don’t you miss your brothers?”

It was always the second prince, Feyran, who caused a ruckus.

He teased the princess by pinching her cheeks while Jade, the Jade Crown Prince, tried to stop him.

“I heard you’re on a hunger strike. It’s long past the age of throwing tantrums. Maintain the dignity of the Kaizen royal family.”

But even Jade reprimanded Estasha for her antics.

The betrayal felt greater when someone who had always been harsh turned away compared to someone who had treated you kindly.

Estasha’s eyes glistened with tears, but she stubbornly kept her mouth shut.

“Don’t be too harsh on Esha. Estasha? I’ll ask father once more. Don’t cry, just stop.”

For once, the Hiasen Crown Prince, who rarely intervened, stood by her side to comfort her.

“Ugh, silly kids get along too well. Go try starving for a hundred days; I’ll go eat a delicious turkey tonight!”

Feyran mocked the princess one last time as he left with Jade, declaring his deflation.

“You go out too.”

“Huh?”

“Hiasen, I said you should go out too.”

“I don’t really like turkey. Can’t I go a bit later?”

“Why do you always come here?”

“I’m bored. Don’t you want to play with me anymore? Have you forgotten the good times we had together?”

“…”

The princess was so taken aback her mouth fell shut. Who exactly was claiming to have entertained whom?

Yet Hiasen, enjoying himself, hummed a tune while looking around the bedroom.

“I started learning magic because my brothers were learning it too.”

“Bothers?”

“They’re not my biological brothers.”

“Oh, I see. They must have taught you magic at the orphanage.”

Technically, they were half-siblings.

“Then did you have any difficulties learning magic?”

“It was fun. Also fascinating.”

“Do you have a favorite spell?”

“Do you know the 5-circle Raul-Sist?”

“About how does it look?”

I drew a rough outline of the basic magic circle of Raul-Sist on paper. At first, the professor seemed perplexed, but soon, he appeared to find a clue.

“In Korea, it’s called alchemists, or alchemists. It’s a truly romantic spell that lets you see stars even in broad daylight. It’s quite a minor magic among the 5 circles, yet you seem to know quite a bit about it.”

It was magic discovered by Raul Luminus, an ancestor of the Luminus family.

It was the first magic that Hiasen, who was always reluctant to use magic in front of others, had demonstrated to me.

The magic that expressed 128 runes converted into 128 stars, from El, Ras, Maben, Sutra to LeShaikbar, Saleentirumone, and Harayetreika.

It was romantic magic that any wizard who had conquered the 4th circle would demonstrate at least once.

Even now, its purpose was unknown, but it undeniably served as a kind of map showcasing the consolidation of 4th-circle magic.

“Good job. I’ll write the rest even if I have to stay up all night.”

“Is the deadline for the Academy recommendation letter tomorrow by any chance?”

“Hahh.”

It seems that whether it’s college students or professors, doing assignments when the deadline approaches is an inevitable human instinct.

After finishing my shower and brushing my teeth in preparation for the end of the day, I greeted the professor, who was struggling with the recommendation letter, and entered my room.

My still damp, un-dried hair was quite bothersome.

[HyeBam: I have something to report about Nameya’s settlement; do you have a moment?]

A message from Sia.

I activated the holographic text mode of the capsule and lay down on the bed to request a conversation with her, making sure to lay a towel down to prevent my pillow from getting wet.

[No Name: Sure. I’m fine now.]

[HyeBam: Oh, you’re right on time! I just filed the settlement earlier, and they said it’s fortunate that it can be processed on the same day!]

[No Name: Thank you. I owe it to you, Sia.]

[HyeBam: Oh, it’s nothing! I’ve benefited from you a lot, too. I included the initial mission reward of 500,000 won in the total. The donations received over the week split evenly amount to 2,564,496 won!]

[No Name: ?]

[No Name: Isn’t that too much?]

[HyeBam: Not at all! I didn’t include any income from VTubing, you know? We apply for those quarterly, and I’ll send you your share at the end of March.]

[HyeBam: As a note, it’s the amount after withholding tax, so you don’t have to pay any extra.]

The amount was surprisingly large.

And what does the VTubing income even mean?

[HyeBam: Don’t you know VTubing? You earn based on views there too.]

[No Name: I had no idea about that.]

[HyeBam: Anyway, if things keep going like this, that amount will far exceed 200.]

[No Name: What should I do? If such a large sum comes in, people will definitely be suspicious.]

[HyeBam: ??? Wasn’t it your account?]

[No Name: Yeah, but the remaining balance after excluding the 500,000 won will be sent later…]

[HyeBam: What should we do? I already transferred it!]

[No Name: Oh.]

The noise of the bustling city felt louder than usual tonight.

Before long, I heard someone’s footsteps approaching.

Knock knock

“Nameya. Are you asleep? I need to talk to you.”

It was Professor Cheon’s voice.

[HyeBam: Sorry ㅎㅎ]

[No Name: It’s okay. I’ll handle it myself.]

[HyeBam: Fighting! Let’s play games together later!]

I chuckled and replied to her.

It actually turned out well.

After all, lying was something that did not suit my nature.