Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

“Another Monday morning has dawned. Well, let’s get started quickly.”

The old professor standing at the podium greeted with a gentle smile.

As expected, there was no response.

It was anticipated. One-sided greetings were like a chronic disease for all professors.

Rather, the old professor’s mood had been quite good lately.

[Understanding Literary Genres].

Among the courses professors avoid teaching, that course was overwhelmingly at the top of their lists.

It might have been a bit better if it were a comprehensive university in another region, but there was no way magic university students, whose heads were full of only theories and formulas, would pay close attention to literary nonsense. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Reciting content that no one wants to hear is quite a hardship not only for the students but also for the professor.

He, too, would have liked to pass it on to a successor professor if given the chance, but…

‘Well. If not me, who would continue the maintenance of literature at the Federal University of Magic?’

His pride as a man of letters didn’t allow it.

That was a few weeks before the midterm exam.

From then on, the old professor pulled himself together and led a revolution.

Revision of exam questions and easing of difficulty to abolish the evil practice of using previous year’s papers.

Voice training.

He even learned the latest jokes directly from his seven-year-old granddaughter.

As a result of continuous efforts, he could now proudly declare that the concentration level in his [Understanding Literary Genres] class section had greatly improved.

How could he not smile when his efforts had borne fruit? These days, even opening the classroom door itself has become a great pleasure.

The old professor looked around the audience with an even more delighted smile.

“…Hmm?”

Soon, he had to seriously consider whether his eyesight was deteriorating.

No one.

No one was looking at the blackboard!

It would have been better if it was due to presbyopia *1. However, even after adjusting his glasses and checking again, the scene before his eyes remained unchanged.

The gazes that should have been directed at the hardworking professor and his carefully prepared board writing were all focused on the handsome man and beautiful woman in one corner of the classroom.

“E-everyone?”

Still no response.

Suddenly.

The old professor missed the brightly smiling face of his young granddaughter.

“If you don’t concentrate, you won’t be able to solve the final exam questions…?”

Sadly, the old professor’s timid threat didn’t work even a bit.

A far more interesting drama than any renowned classic was unfolding before their eyes. Who had time to look at outdated board writing?

Julia Müller.

And Eugene Oslo.

The names of these two spread across the entire campus in less than three days.

#June 20th. Clear.

The basic etiquette of conversation might be to look into the other person’s eyes while speaking, but that doesn’t apply to me now.

I see the back view.

Hair flowing down to the shoulders under a neat hat. A slender back. Below that, a chair with wheels. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

I opened the conversation, addressing the back of her head.

“Where shall we go?”

“Hmm. Do you prefer the student cafeteria or a nearby restaurant?”

“The former.”

“Then let’s go to the student cafeteria.”

“Alright.”

Swish―

The wheelchair carrying the demurely seated female student moves forward, and I push it from behind.

Just that is enough to feel the attention of surrounding students and faculty.

It was about time I was getting used to this strangely high level of attention.

It’s been ten days since I became Julia Müller’s dedicated assistant.

I could confidently say that those ten days were among the most densely packed ten days of my life.

A group of female students suddenly rushed in and screamed as they pleased.

Sometimes, quite chilling threats were heard when just listening to words.

Judging by how he flinched and avoided the place just from making eye contact with me, he probably didn’t have the courage to carry out those ‘measures.’

…But it’s also true that there were quite a few hostile gazes mixed in among them.

And.

<…The bathroom. Do I really have to say this with my own mouth, Eugene?>

Occasionally, unfunny happenings like this occurred.

Now, though, I’m ten days into the job. It meant I had gained enough proficiency to quietly increase my speed when gossipy female students tried to gather, smile gently at glaring eyes, and head straight to the bathroom when Julia cleared her throat.

So, these days, I started paying attention to something else.

The head maid’s request.

I needed to find a way to help Julia regain her interest in magic. I actually came up with a few methods.

Strike while the iron is hot, they say.

I tried implementing the first method.

At the entrance of the student cafeteria. After letting go of the wheelchair, I moved my lips to recite the activation words.

“[Move].”

“…Oh?”

Swish.

Despite letting go, the wheelchair starts moving forward on its own.

Julia, quickly grasping the situation, looked at me.

“Is this magic?”

“Yes. Type-I Magic [Move]. If you use magic, it’ll be much easier to move around in a wheelchair by yourself. How about it? Want me to teach you?”

I throw the bait with the mindset of a fisherman. The moment she took the bait, I planned to immediately start lessons to earn the 2,000 pounds.

I waited for her answer with a pretense of calmness, but Julia’s answer was a clear rejection.

“It’s fine. I prefer it when you push directly, Eugene.”

She answered like that without a moment’s hesitation.

By now, I wouldn’t be fooled by such a pretentious line. Instead, I read the hidden meaning in her words.

Could it be that she can’t even use [Move]? [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

[Move]. A representative basic spell among Type-I spells.

It was nonsensical that a student with excellent theoretical understanding enough to enter the Federal University of Magic couldn’t use [Move].

It’s not just a matter of losing interest in magic.

“…”

There must be some issue with her background.

Like me.

The student cafeteria was full of hungry students, as usual.

After receiving my portion of pasta and Julia’s bacon sandwich, I headed to the table where Julia had already taken a seat.

Thud!

As I put down the plates, Julia’s amber eyes grew imperceptibly larger.

“It smells good.”

“Let’s eat.”

While I twirled pasta around my fork, Julia nibbled on her sandwich.

Is it because she’s always in a wheelchair, or does she just eat in small amounts? Seeing her eat so little made me feel strangely uneasy.

Food has a certain taste when eaten voraciously.

As I was watching Julia eat without much thought, suddenly…

Julia put down the sandwich she was eating.

Seeing her eyes looking far away, it seemed like she had a good idea.

The next moment, Julia opened her small mouth wide.

“Aaaaah―”

What is she doing?

As I froze, not understanding, Julia pointed at my right hand with her finger.

The fork in my hand had pasta twirled around it.

“You want this?”

Nod, nod. She nods with her eyes closed and mouth open.

She wanted me to feed her.

This is a bit troublesome.

There are too many eyes watching. I didn’t have enough nerve to do this openly yet.

The eyes of a male student glancing from the next table immediately turned red.

If I did as Julia wanted, I might become mortal enemies with that student.

In about three seconds…

Numerous calculations went through my head, and just as I finally lifted the fork…

I noticed ‘someone’ standing behind Julia.

I immediately stopped my arm.

Julia seemed to interpret this as shyness or something, as she slightly opened her eyes and smiled faintly.

“Hehe. How long are you going to make me wait?”

Right after. 

“Yeah. How long are you planning to make us wait?”

“―Eek!”

‘Someone’ suddenly popped out from behind the wheelchair.

Julia’s pupils trembled continuously as if truly surprised, and I chuckled and spoke to the person in question. 

“Werner. What on earth are you doing?”

“What am I doing? I had something to say to you, Eugene, but this wheelchair woman kept getting in the way. If not only her legs but also her arms were inconvenienced, I would have waited patiently, but it didn’t seem to be the case.”

“Well.” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Still a shameless face.

I couldn’t help but admire it. Among the students, isn’t he the only one who could call Julia Müller by such a title as ‘wheelchair woman’?

I was so dumbfounded that I forgot I was in the middle of a meal and was about to hit him when…

“Wait. Something to say?”

“Yes. How about we go to a debate meeting within the university together?”

“A debate meeting…”

“I heard many senior students participate, too.”

Senior students.

That word enticed me.

The members of the Nocturne Club were generally knowledgeable, but because their fields were varied, it was difficult to have in-depth discussions about magic studies.

A debate meeting open to all grades…

Perhaps I could find a clue about my direction there.

Just as I was about to nod…

“Wheelchair woman…”

Julia murmured softly. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“Eugene. Your friend is a bit rude.”

Her eyes are narrow. She seems genuinely angry.

I was about to set Julia’s serious anger aside.

Werner responded on my behalf with a shameless smile.

“I don’t call people I don’t acknowledge by their names. So, wheelchair woman, are you coming to the debate meeting, too?”

I slapped my forehead.

The debate meeting. The origin of the Federal University of Magic’s debate group, commonly known as the Coffee Club, is said to be none other than Jean-Pierre Auchlimé, the father of magic studies.

A few years after establishing the Frauvian Federal University of Magic, he allegedly forced students to start debates by putting a cup of coffee in each of their hands and herding them into the main auditorium.

It was quite a famous story that a decent amount of new magic theories were born in the process.

Because of this, the main auditorium had not only Auditorium 1 and Auditorium 2 but also a public circular debate hall solely for the Coffee Club.

“Didn’t classical magic studies clearly emphasize human free will?”

“That’s right. But a lot of time has passed, and as much new theories have been born. I think it’s time to reconsider the credibility of Auchlimé’s classical magic studies itself.”

Just stepping into the main auditorium, we could already hear sharply pointed language.

I, Werner, and Julia, who eventually couldn’t suppress her curiosity and followed us to the debate hall, held our breaths.

The atmosphere demanded it.

“What’s the debate topic that’s bringing out such radical claims?”

I quietly asked.

Werner shrugged his shoulders.

“The essence of magic studies.”

T/N

Presbyopia is an eye condition that makes it harder to focus on things up close as a result of aging.