Academy’s Genius Mage

『What is this?』

There was an expected absence of despair and frustration that humans ought to feel when a contract fell through.

He did not kneel and beg.

He did not shed tears.

Instead, Ian stood before him, smiling.

And not just any smile, but a very confident one.

『Why are you smiling so unpleasantly, human?』

The cat asked candidly.

In that moment, the cat realized it made a miscalculation.

Ian had been waiting for that question.

“What do you mean, smiling unpleasantly? I’m just smiling as usual.”

『It’s because it’s not the time for you to be smiling, you rascal!』

“Is that so?”

Ian loosened his grip. Naturally, the two front paws of the cat were set free.

“True. I did say I needed your power, and I did suggest a contract. If you really put it that way, I was the one making a request.”

『And you give up so easily just like that?』

“Is there a rule against that?”

『Humans all lack perseverance!』

“It’s not about lacking perseverance.”

『Then what is it? A victory in your mind?』

“It’s called consideration.”

What kind of nonsense is this?

The cat thought that. There was no term as apt as “rubbish” to describe this situation.

The cat looked up at Ian with a mix of self-deprecation.

『Nyahaha! You have such a way with words. So? What’s left for you in consideration?』

“Nothing needs to remain. It’s just about waiting. If I wait for the right time, I might meet a good connection.”

『What?』

The cat was taken aback.

『Hey, you!』

Ian abruptly stood up and began returning towards the dormitory building.

That was ultimately not what the cat wanted.

『Hey! You! Are you really leaving? Huh?』

“The night wind is cold. You should head back in too. Ah, but you’re a spirit, so you don’t feel the cold. I’m envious.”

Ian waved his hand without looking back. The distance between them gradually widened.

『Such nonsensical…』

The cat’s eyes quivered.

Although it hadn’t interacted with many humans, the contracts initiated by the cat had a commonality.

It was the reversal of the Master-servant relationship.

Generally, people thought of spirits as mere subordinates to humans.

Since they could only come forth when summoned by a spirit mage and most actions were decided by the spirit mage.

Hence, unless one had a deep understanding of spirits, it naturally seemed that humans were the masters and spirits the subordinates.

This was partly due to the spirits themselves.

All spirits love nature. Humans are no different. They are a species born from a part of nature.

Therefore, while spirits have unique personalities according to their attributes, they universally hold a consciousness of cherishing, loving, and respecting humans.

So, spirits had unilaterally adhered to precisely what humans—specifically spirit mages—said.

But the cat did not like this.

It wasn’t the fun and cool relationship the cat envisioned.

『Wait!』
The cat bolted forward like a flash.

It displayed an incredible physical feat.

Despite the considerable distance, it closed the gap in the blink of an eye and blocked Ian’s path.

Ian benevolently smiled as he looked down at the cat.

“Do you still have something to say?”

『I find it odd no matter how much I think about it.』

“There’s nothing odd. As you discovered, I’m a 1-circle mage experiencing Mana Concentration Disorder. Plus, I’m not young. I should have breached the 1st circle by the age of ten, no, even earlier, like eight.”

The reason was simple.

As the circle level increased, the growth rate of a mage slowed down.

Moreover, even with the accumulation of the same experience and knowledge, more than just double the effort—exponential effort—was needed to break through the wall of the next circle.

There were countless cases of people reaching the end of their lives without ever breaking through such a wall.

The period when the human brain exhibited its most creative power was during childhood.

As people aged, their creativity diminished, but wisdom increased.

It wasn’t a case of losing or gaining strength, but rather transforming into something a bit different.

This was why there was a saying; young mages were tricky opponents, while old mages were troublesome foes.

Ultimately, those who broke through the circle’s walls at a young age could reach the realm of masters or great mages. Famous mages often gained recognition from their youth, proving this point.

Ian was the opposite. He turned 19 without having even completed the first circle, which was considered late, very late.

“In this situation, I can’t force a contract. It would be a burden for you too.”

『Nyeok!』

It was self-criticism that was hard to listen to without tears.

“So let’s part ways here. It was a good experience thanks to you. I think I might be able to establish a new hypothesis on spirits. Well, it might end as incomplete research since you didn’t let me know what kind of spirit you are.”

Ian turned away without any regrets. But this time, his foot was caught. Just like when they first met at the Great Library, the small, cute paw of the cat grabbed Ian’s ankle.

『Wait, human.』

“Do you still have more to say?”

『I have something to ask.』

“Even if you do, just keep it to yourself. You didn’t answer my questions either, so I have the right to do the same. Besides, we aren’t going to make a contract anyway.”

『Nyeok…….』

The cat eventually lowered its head. Ian looked down at it and grinned slyly.

“Even so, you can’t help but make a contract, can you?”

『… What, what?』

“How about it? My speculation.”

Ian knelt awkwardly and leaned his head closer to the cat.

The shadow cast over the cat, and for the first time, it felt fear.

“There were three things that struck me as odd. When we first met at the Great Library, even though I let you go home, you followed me to the end.”

『That’s what most cats do!』

“Really? But you aren’t just a cat. You’re a spirit.”

The cat remained silent, struck by Ian’s piercing remark.

“And earlier, when I left the dormitory, didn’t I carry you out? You could have easily escaped from my hands, but you didn’t. You struggled a bit, but…”

『That’s what most cats do too! Humans are strong!』

“You could have simply ignored the physical laws if you wanted. That’s not a valid reason. Unless I restrained you with magic or something.”

The cat’s body began to shudder. Ian was more frightening than it expected.

“Lastly, I was the only one who could see you.”

That single sentence was devastating.

The cat looked as if it had lost its mind, its mouth agape.

“The spirits I’m familiar with… Shall I talk for a moment about spirit mages? They can sense the presence of spirits. But can they sense the presence of an uncontracted, free spirit?”

“…….”

『There are exceptions, of course. But the vast majority can’t. A spirit mage can’t perceive a spirit unless the spirit extends its hand first. A contract is only established when a spirit designates a contractor.』

Ian snapped his fingers as if completing a proof.

“That means, the spirit chooses the contractor first. Isn’t this case the same? It made me think perhaps you were already halfway bound to me… If we put it in human terms, it’s like a provisional contract. You never had the authority to tell me what to do from the beginning.”

『You’re writing a scenario, you crazy human!』

“What if I refuse the contract? It might be better for both of us. Not that I’ve met many spirits, but you’re the first troublesome one.”

『T-Troublesome?』

“If you don’t know what it means, ask your next Master.”

Ian immediately left the scene.

The cat collapsed helplessly onto the grass as if it had been struck by an arrow and didn’t get up for a while. Of course, this was also Ian’s script.

***

That night, Ian succeeded in contracting with the spirit. Although it wasn’t the fun and cool relationship the cat had wanted.

And so, what he had dreamed of came true.

‘My hypothesis was correct.’

Ian was able to finally dispel the curse that had shackled him all his life.

‘I’ve gained another circle. But…’

Even after resolving his mana concentration disorder, Ian’s expression was not particularly bright.

Instead, he was filled with all kinds of questions and doubts.

Ian, who had been illuminating the empty training ground alone, brushed his abdomen.

“Why did the circle form at the dantian instead of the heart?”

It was indeed a shocking occurrence.

In essence, Ian now had a total of two circles, but they were not consecutively inscribed on his heart. Instead, one was imprinted on his heart, and the other had settled at his dantian.

Throughout the thousands of years, from the formation of medieval magic to the dawn of modern magic, all humans have been creating circles on their hearts.

The reason was simple.

It was simply believed to be the most efficient method.

Whether it was truly efficient remained unknown, for when a flow begins, it becomes uncontrollably vast.

It was said that in ancient times, various methods of circle formation existed.

Utilizing the dantian was one such method.

Creating a circle at the dantian to manipulate mana was primarily known to be the specialty of people from the eastern continent. They were known to enhance their physical abilities and use magnificent techniques.

“I’ve never seen such a case…”

The phrase “never seen before” carried two implications.

“No one felt the need to do it, or it was so insignificant that it wasn’t visible.”

Ian thought it was both.

“Because no one would risk destroying their circle for adventure.”

For a mage, a circle was as essential as life itself.

Destroying an existing circle to concentrate it elsewhere was equivalent to discarding one’s life, or rather, it was more cruel and dangerous.

Even if someone attempted it, surviving would have been nearly impossible.

“It’s a good thing to have more circles! Isn’t it a sign that the mana concentration disorder is resolved?”

A cat, standing on its hind legs, grumbled from one side.

The cat was severely punished for mocking a kind-hearted mage.

He had to follow Ian around for a day and stand as a punishment.

“Be quiet.”

“It’s a piece of advice!”

When Ian glanced over, the cat flinched.

Its head turned away involuntarily, but the cat continued its earnest advice.

“You just need to try stirring up the mana! There must be a reason why the circle didn’t consecutively imprint on your heart!”

“I was just about to do that.”

“Liar!”

“One more day of punishment.”

“You damn!”

Somehow, saying just “damn” seemed cruder than anything else.

In his current situation, such things didn’t matter.

Ian closed his eyes and concentrated his mind.

It was time to examine why this newfound power, acquired through a contract with a spirit, had taken root in his dantian.

Whooo-….

At that moment, the wind blew around him.

The gentle breeze seemed to brush past Ian, then abruptly changed its course to swirl around him.

And then it swirled again.

It kept repeating, swirling.

In fact, it was not the wind that came just at the right time.

It was Ian who had stirred the mana.

Buzz!

“Oof!”

A searing pain struck his abdomen.

It felt like a rusty spear piercing through his belly.

But Ian knew it was impossible. There wasn’t anyone here who would throw a spear at him now.

“Ugh. Where is this immense power coming from?”

Ian continued to ponder while enduring the pain.

A 1-circle mage could never exert enough power to alter the surrounding air.

It would be difficult even for one with a 2-circle unless they used wind elemental magic.

Now the situation was entirely different.

There was no spell formula nor casting sign. He was merely circulating mana throughout his entire body.

“Even so, this much power?”

Then there was only one answer.

Ian was convinced that there must be something connecting the circle embedded in his heart and the circle in his dantian.

It felt as though his flesh would tear and his bones would protrude, but Ian did not halt his exploration.

And then.

Spark!

He had a breakthrough.