Academy’s Genius Mage

Ian Oracle had visited Professor Elena’s lab.

There was no need to check the lake as his steps came to a halt at the place where the spirit energy was strongest.

The presence of other professors from the Major in Spirit Magic was palpable, drenched in the aura of spirits.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Ah, welcome! I’ve been waiting for you!”

Elena ran over with a bright smile.

It felt as though the roles of professor and student had switched.

Without realizing it, Ian almost reached out to pat Elena’s head but quickly withdrew his hand.

“I’m not interrupting your lecture preparation, am I?”

“No worries. I have a class in the afternoon today.”

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“Would it be okay if I sat down for a moment, if it’s not too much trouble?”

“Of course!”

Finally, they were in an environment conducive to a proper consultation.

Ian sank into a comfortable sofa.

In truth, Ian had planned to visit Professor Elena a little later.

However, the circumstances had escalated urgently.

Frederick, who held the key to the current situation, had died.

Ian hadn’t seen the corpse himself, but Milo Vinettia had confirmed it for him.

Moreover, the Hamel Trading Company was moving quickly.

Ian judged that they had probably grasped his intentions to some extent.

Thus, just stepping outside, as per Milo’s advice, could be dangerous.

“So I need to make a pact with a spirit. Even if I can’t remedy my mana concentration disorder, having a spirit ally would be reassuring.”

Professor Elena would likely offer some helpful advice.

Though she would also likely suggest transferring to Major in Spirit Magic.

“Are you here to decide your major?”

“No, I’m still a first-year. I have some time before I need to choose a major.”

“You can decide early. I can write a recommendation for you.”

Though he hadn’t even brought up his agenda, this was already becoming awkward.

It seemed the hints about spirit blessing and language had been rather provocative to Professor Elena.

Ian naturally continued the conversation.

“More than anything, it feels premature to choose a major when I haven’t even formed a contract with a spirit yet.”

“Have you not formed a contract yet?”

“I want to be cautious with it.”

Elena tilted her head curiously.

“What do you mean by wanting to be cautious?”

“Many say the moment when one contracts with a spirit is coincidental, but I think differently.”

“Differently?”

“Spirit contracts can be considered a type of magic, and it doesn’t make sense that magic happens by coincidence. I believe there’s a reason behind every phenomenon. Isn’t there perhaps a condition, one we might not know?”

Elena’s eyes sparkled, a sign that she was moved by Ian’s perspective.

“Exactly! There’s a reason behind every phenomenon.”

“So I thought there might be a more efficient way to form a contract, just like there are efficient techniques in magic.”

“You definitely should join the Major in Spirit Magic.”

Elena nodded with satisfaction, providing a straightforward answer.

“Many spirit mages tend to form contracts in childhood, so people often say it’s coincidental. But that’s not true. Essentially, spirit contracts occur in places familiar to the practitioner.”

“Familiar places?”

It was a rather vague concept, and Ian focused on what would follow.

“Spirits align with the practitioner’s inclinations. If you like earth and soil, then the earth spirit; if you enjoy the blowing wind, then the wind spirit; for a passionate person, the fire spirit; and for a pure person, the water spirit.”

Someone associated with a water spirit came to Ian’s mind.

“That seems unlikely. I don’t perceive Ophelia as particularly pure.”

“People can have different exteriors and interiors.”

“So, are you saying Ophelia is actually a pure and clear person?”

“That’s what I think!”

Elena gave the most innocent smile ever. For now, since that wasn’t immediately important, Ian nodded and moved on.

“If that’s the case, then it becomes even more uncertain which spirit I might connect with.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t particularly like anything that fits the four elements. There’s no such thing as a book spirit.”

“On the contrary, might this be an opportunity for you to discover more about which side you lean towards?”

“That seems to be the case.”

The problem returned to its starting point.

“Could you explain more about that familiar place?”

“I can. Although, some conditions are required.”

“Conditions…”

It was not unexpected. For a moment, he even considered fetching some candy.

“I hope it’s a condition I can fulfill. Honestly, choosing a major isn’t easy.”

“Something else.”

“What would you need?”

“Can you show what kind of spirit you’ll contract with?”

Ian asked, “Sorry, what?”

The condition was surprisingly straightforward. He had expected something more like being asked to assist in research.

‘No, not really. It might not be such a simple condition after all.’

Revealing which spirit he contracted with was akin to exposing his capabilities.

Of course, people like Professor Elena, who held public positions, easily revealed such information.

However, spirit mages active outside avoided discussing it, as it could become a weakness.

In other words, Professor Elena’s question was not one to be asked with such an innocent smile.

‘But there’s no other way. Anyway, spirits are not my primary focus, so it’s fine.’

Ian decided.

“Alright. I’ll let you know as soon as I contract with one.”

“Don’t just let me know. Make sure I can talk to it too.”

“I will.”

Professor Elena nodded several times.

“You mentioned earlier that the spirit contract aligns with the summoner’s disposition, right?”

“Yes.”

“The familiar place is basically that disposition. It’s a wide variety: a place the summoner loves, where they can relax, a place with good memories, or just a place with a good vibe!”

Ian couldn’t think of anywhere specific. As a homebody, the family estate was about all he had.

“Where does Ian like?”

“The estate.”

“The estate? That’s too broad.”

“Oh.”

Then, he suddenly recalled another place.

“I like the library too. Or more precisely, I love books. But as I mentioned earlier, there are no book spirits.”

“Why do you think there aren’t any?”

“As far as I know, spirits are mainly classified into the four elements.”

“Where did you learn that?”

“From books.”

Though his studies weren’t deep, helping Ophelia recently taught him a lot.

Conversations with Undine were also very enlightening.

“Books are written by people, aren’t they?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Not everyone knows about magic!”

“What?”

Ian felt as though he’d been smacked on the back of the head. A wave of helplessness washed over him.

“Could it be… are you suggesting there are spirits of other attributes?”

“Even I don’t know that.”

Professor Elena smiled mischievously. She had a talent for keeping people on their toes.

“But just like you discovered a new magical practice, some person might one day discover a spirit of a different nature, right? There’s no need for prejudice!”

“Ah, I see what you mean.”

“Visit the estate and the Great Library too. If you earnestly pray, a spirit will help you!”

“Yes, Professor.”

Most of his curiosities were now resolved.

“But Professor.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s not too much trouble… could you show me a spirit?”

Elena snapped her fingers in response instead of answering.

Whoosh!

A strong wind blew from somewhere.

The windows were closed.

Ian sensed a refreshing scent of nature from that breeze.

At the same time, he felt warmth.

It was a cozy feeling, like being enveloped in the heat rising from deep underground.

Two forces of nature were felt simultaneously.

Soon, the spirits of wind and earth revealed themselves.

“This is Sylphid and Hainom. Say hello!”

Sylphid, a high-ranking wind spirit, and Hainom, a high-ranking earth spirit.

It was already widely known that Professor Elena had made contracts with these two high-ranking spirits.

However, Ian Oracle wanted to experience the difference between low-ranking and high-ranking spirits.

‘There’s no comparison, is there?’

The spirit energy felt, along with their overwhelming presence, clearly showed that high-ranking spirits were superior in every aspect.

Sylphid was not wearing clothes but instead concealed their slender body with a very powerful wind. It was a sharp wind that seemed it could cut with the slightest touch.

Hainom resembled a dwarf, descendants of earth, quite a bit. He was small, muscular, and appeared to possess incredible strength.

Yet, no matter how much he observed, Ian did not feel drawn to these two spirits.

This meant his tendency was not aligned with those of wind and earth.

Rather, he had a good synergy with the water spirit Undine.

“Thank you. I appreciate it, Professor,” he said.

“Hope it was helpful!”

“I will come by to greet you again soon.”

“Don’t come empty-handed!”

After giving a respectful bow, Ian exited the laboratory.

* * *

After that day, several companies reached out to him expressing their desire to meet.

Having sensed that the kingdom’s two leading companies were simultaneously making moves, they belatedly sent him letters.

‘It’s not really necessary to meet them, but there’s no harm in becoming acquainted.’

Ian pondered as he went through each letter that had piled up.

Of course, he had no intention of meeting every company.

With the assistance of Milo Vinettia, Ian excluded those with poor reputations from his list of contacts.

This left five remaining, including Bahamut and Hamel.

‘Enough sorting for now. Let’s head to the library.’

Ian immediately made his way to the Great Library.

He briefly deliberated whether to visit the spirit magic section or the ancient magic section but decided on the latter, thinking a familiar place might be helpful.

‘She’s not here today?’

He recalled Isera Hebraim’s image, leaving the mansion due to some business.

The main residence of the Hebraim Count family was located in the Kingdom of Roland.

Traveling from here to the Kingdom of Roland wasn’t feasible timewise, so she must have gone to their mansion in the capital.

‘I doubt, knowing her personality, that she would frequently go back and forth to the mansion… nothing serious must have happened, right?’

He was slightly concerned about how quiet Prince Helios had been lately.

The date for the exchange battle still remained unknown, and he had been openly flirting with Isera.

‘Enough of that. I should mind my own business.’

Ian approached the bookshelf filled with books.

Today, he decided to read any book that caught his attention without a specific goal.

He had settled on this personal definition of familiarity.

‘Familiar things are unintentional, natural things. Like a habit.’

Thus, choosing a book should be done without intent as well. It should be enjoyed for what it is.

With this principle in mind, Ian immersed himself in a world of reading.

However, simply reading books was not all he did.

He kept his mind open so that a spirit might approach him whenever it wished.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this book. My father once recommended it to me.’

As he read on, memories of the past began to vividly resurface.

Ian’s previously serious expression gradually brightened as he read the book.

All the joyful and sorrowful memories were revived as precious recollections.

This allowed him to genuinely enjoy the book itself.

Time passed.

Having decided to spend the entire day at the Great Library, Ian did not bother checking the time.

After organizing the book he had finished reading back on the shelf, he moved to select another.

‘Even if I spent my whole life here, would I be able to memorize all these books?’

Just at that moment…

Rustle!

He heard a noise.

Ian turned his head.

The sound came from the aisle between the bookshelves, but when he looked, there was nothing.

‘Is it the senior?’

Ian turned in the direction of the noise.

Even if Isera showed up, she usually wouldn’t speak first.

Ian was always the one to greet her first.

“Hmm?”

He felt something strange near his leg.

It wasn’t stepping on a book. Something was grabbing his leg.