Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

T/N: The latter part of this chapter was cut off, and I only noticed it late. Apologies for the inconvenience. Edited 9/5/24.

Unless born into a wealthy family, accumulating wealth is an extremely difficult task, so countless entrepreneurs borrow money to start their businesses.

This applies to scholars as well.

Unless one is born a genius, building achievements and authority in the academe is no less difficult than accumulating wealth.

Therefore, ambitious scholars in academia often borrow authority instead of money.

A school of thought.

A group of scholars united under a prominent scholar of the time. Even if one’s own achievements are meager, being under a large school of thought allows one to have power and raise their voice. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

It was clear whose authority those with black shield badges, led by the former chancellor, were borrowing.

Professor at the Federal University of Magic and a power player. One of the most recognized authorities in the current academic world.

Professor Klaus Müller.

As long as they had him as their backing―or, more precisely, had arbitrarily issued a statement of support―it was natural for them to have a louder voice compared to other undergraduate students.

But.

“Hello. I’m Julia Müller, daughter of Professor Klaus Müller.”

The situation changed.

Dust was rising from the wooden table split in two, and nearly half of the debate participants were standing up.

However, the commotion in the circular debate hall subsided in an instant.

The reason was obvious.

‘The only daughter of Professor Müller had been listening to the recent argument.’

In other words, it meant that if they opened their mouths carelessly, this discourse could go straight to the professor’s ears.

“Thank you for being quiet.”

After confirming that the senior students of the faction were visibly flustered, Julia sat down in her wheelchair as if collapsing and bowed to apologize.

It was an apology for my actions.

“At the same time, I apologize for causing a disturbance.”

“…J-junior Julia! Even so, are you covering for that ruffian now? Even now, his eyes are still rolling!”

Setting aside how the senior student who had shown frivolous behavior suddenly started using honorifics…

I immediately hid my expression of rage and relaxed my fists.

My right hand was hot.

My insides were still boiling, but I couldn’t lose my reason even at this point.

Julia, who extremely disliked stepping forward, had stood up. This meant that the situation had the potential to spiral out of control.

If I mishandled this now, the damage wouldn’t end with just me.

I understood this fact.

“Y-You!”

The senior student pointed his finger because my change in attitude was so quick, but he couldn’t raise his voice any further.

It was because Julia was next to me.

“I apologize once again. However, I believe that your words and actions were not entirely appropriate either. Don’t you think?”

“…Well, I…”

“Don’t you think?”

Soon, the senior student closed his mouth.

A battle of nerves.

She’s a first-year undergraduate student who was nothing more than a fledgling compared to him. There was no reason to be intimidated just because he felt guilty. What would he do if this mere freshman acted tough?

However, Julia Müller was not just a simple freshman. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Above all, this was a debate hall with many watching eyes.

If he acted tough here, it would be him, not Julia, who would be buried and, by extension, his school of thought.

…But silently acknowledging it would also lower the prestige of the school.

Therefore, the senior student chose a different method.

As he gestured, his school faction colleagues around him stood up as well.

In a battle of nerves, the side with greater numbers has the advantage.

Now, the senior student had eight colleagues.

Just as they all kept their mouths shut while holding their heads high…

“I was going to just listen, but I can’t stand it anymore.”

A third force rose from their seat.

I narrowed my eyes and glanced at where that voice came from, and at the same time, I was puzzled.

It was the kind senior.

Judging by his slightly trembling arms, he seemed unaccustomed to stepping forward.

…But his voice was as clear as could be.

“Do you really not know why that junior stood up? There’s a limit to outrageous behavior. How long are you going to go around preaching that outdated authoritarianism? If you’re a magic scholar, speak with magic and research fairly. Don’t think about wagging that cheap tongue sneakily.

“…You. You’ve been talking a lot. Who are you, and where are you from?”

“Johannes. Johannes Born. Or should I say ‘a man without roots’? I also grew up in a single-mother household.”

The kind senior, Johannes, lowered his gaze.

“I guess the Frauvian Federal University of Magic has gone downhill. I can’t believe they gave the rank of second to such a rootless fourth-year.”

“That name. I’ve remembered it.” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“Get lost. I’ll never have anything to do with you even if I die.”

As if in agreement with him, people started gathering around Johannes.

He wore plain attire compared to the school faction people.

At a glance, they seemed to be talented students who survived at the Federal University of Magic without the benefits of connections.

The debate hall, where an hour ago there had been a debate about the essence of magic studies, transformed into a political venue in an instant.

A needle-sharp silence hung in the air.

Now, the broken table and the gray-haired freshman were afterthoughts. No one could leave their seats rashly and could only watch the battle of nerves between the two angry groups.

And then.

“Is it here?”

The intense confrontation ended as anticlimactic as its ridiculous beginning.

Thud. Thud.

Several professors and faculty members barged into the main auditorium, and the professors’ brows furrowed unanimously as they confirmed the situation in the debate hall.

Surprisingly, there was no shocked reaction among them.

It must have been quite frequent for debates to turn into disputes.

The elderly professor standing at the front sighed deeply and said.

“You all. Disperse immediately. According to the Coffee Club’s rules, anyone who stood up from their seat should be suspended, but we’ll overlook today’s incident, so keep that in mind.”

While the faculty dispersed the students, the professor glanced at me, Julia, and Werner, standing in an awkward posture.

“You, go get some treatment.”

That was all he said.

Treatment? What does that mean?

“…Ah.”

Only then did I realize.

I said my right hand was hot, but it seemed I got deeply cut by wood splinters after smashing the table.

The floor was soaked with my blood.

It was extremely fortunate that the infirmary of the Federal University of Magic was located right next to the main auditorium.

After urgently compressing my hand to stop the bleeding, I excused myself to Julia and Werner and headed to the infirmary.

The resident faculty member had long since gone home.

Still, I could at least bandage myself.

“Ugh.”

I tore the bandage with my teeth and then wrapped it tightly around the wound. Although a lot of blood had flowed, the wound itself was clean enough not to need any special treatment.

It would probably just leave a small scar, and that’s it.

“…Phew.”

Under the light of a magical crimson lamp, I relaxed my entire body.

I had gone to the debate meeting without any particular thoughts, but I never dreamed something like this would happen.

My reason had long since returned.

First, I had to apologize to Julia and Werner. After all, I was essentially the cause of this whole incident.

Just as I was about to go out of the infirmary.

Rattle!

Before I could open the door, it opened by itself first.

“…Oh my.”

“Oh. Are you done with the treatment?”

Outside the door were Werner, not much different from usual, and Julia, who was pushing her own wheelchair.

Julia quietly lifted the corners of her mouth.

“Has your head cooled down?”

Werner literally just checked on my well-being and then set off for home.

However, it seems my impression that he wasn’t much different from usual was my misconception.

For the first time, the shamelessness disappeared from Werner’s expression.

It seems that what shook him, beyond the senior’s nonsense, my sudden action, and the ensuing chaos, was none other than his pride as a magic scholar.

He said that and left without any lingering attachment.

This meant that now only Julia and I were left in the infirmary. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Our first words were the same.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

I was puzzled.

“Do you have any reason to be sorry? I’m the one who caused the trouble.”

“…The cause lies with me.”

Cause.

Julia’s expression as she uttered that word was the same as usual.

In other words, it meant she was doing her best to hide her expression.

Julia rolled her wheelchair to face me as I sat on the hospital bed as a chair, and then slowly started to stroke my bandaged hand.

At the same time, she parted her crimson lips.

“Eugene. You’re Mr. Benjamin Oslo’s adopted son, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did you know that my father, Professor Klaus Müller, and Mr. Benjamin were research colleagues?”

I slightly shook my head.

“I only knew they were friends who exchanged letters. I want to ask in return. How do you know Benjamin?”

“He often played with me when I was young… Even more than my own father.”

Julia’s composure cracked a little.

“Anyway, what I want to say is this. All that talk about fraud that the school faction person said is all lies. Mr. Benjamin is undoubtedly the best theoretical magic scholar, and he’s the one who founded a branch of magic studies called polarity magic.”

“…I didn’t know that.”

“Of course. Because the fraudster who stole the achievements is my father.”

“What?”  [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

As I tilted my head, Julia’s brow furrowed very slightly.

“Mr. Benjamin was a genius. He expressed fresh opinions regardless of the field and established about 20 new equations in his research field of polarity magic studies.”

“…”

“All my father did was organize Benjamin’s results into four concise equations… Yet they’re called Müller’s equations *1. There’s no fault on your part in this situation, Eugene. The very reason such a school faction exists is because of my father.”

I listened carefully to Julia’s story.

On the other hand, I watched her expression.

It’s a first.

For the first time, I felt like I was seeing Julia’s bare face.

After pouring out a barrage of words, Julia took a deep breath and smiled again.

“Phew. That feels refreshing. Ah, I’d like to give you a gift of apology, also serving as compensation for when I fell.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Mmm. No. I want to give it to you.”

Julia, pretending to think for a moment, then snapped her fingers.

“That’s right. You were promised 2,000 pounds by the head maid, right? On the condition that you help me regain interest in magic.”

Did she already know?

It seemed she had deliberately ignored all the persuasive words I had used to try to teach her magic.

Julia removed her hand that had been stroking the bandage and said:

“I’ll give you that.”

“Huh?”

“2,000 pounds. I’ll just give it to you. In exchange, though you might not like it, please maintain the contract until the end of the summer semester.”

She says this with an indifferent face.

2,000 pounds. It’s equivalent to four months’ salary for an average wage earner.

Is this pocket change for the only daughter of the Müller family?

“……”

Unlike before, I didn’t answer immediately.

Back then in the [Understanding Literary Genres] classroom, I didn’t know Julia Müller, but now, I know her a little.

I had something I wanted to ask.

“I believe Professor Klaus Müller’s achievements aren’t just that.”

“……”

“Simplifying equations is an achievement in itself. I think the name Müller-Oslo equation proves that. Although I’ve never seen Benjamin’s name in grimoires, I’ve seen Klaus Müller’s name dozens of times.”

In other words…

Klaus Müller is undoubtedly an excellent magic scholar.

I looked straight into Julia’s eyes and said:

“Is it because of your father that you don’t try to learn magic?”

At the same time, Julia averted her gaze.

I continued speaking, undeterred.

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

“…?”

“Type I Magic spell, [Levitation]. If you use just this, you can fly in the sky without a wheelchair or cane. If you’re worried about the rapid depletion of mana, it’s also possible to construct an efficient walking assistance magic by applying [Move] and [Rotation]. Someone as smart as you must know this.”

Julia lowered her gaze even more.

It’s a sight I’ve never seen before.

“Why did you lose interest in magic?”

I asked without any pretense.

Finally, all pretense melted away from Julia’s expression.

“…It’s not that I lost interest. I can’t do it.”

“What?”

“I said I can’t do it!”

Julia shouted.

“I can’t do it! I can’t! Do you know how many thousands, tens of thousands of times I’ve tried, stuck in a corner of my room? The reason my theoretical skills are excellent is because I can’t use magic at all, so I thought if I understood the theory well, something might change. And the result?”

Thud.

She struck her own leg with her fist.

It wasn’t slim. It was a pathologically thin leg.

“This is the result. Wow, imagination, they say. Imagination and intuition. Father says to cultivate those for casting magic? How can I cultivate it? How can a cripple who can’t even walk three steps without a cane and is stuck in a room all day imagine the principles of magic?!”

It overflows.

“Walking assistance magic? Flying in the sky?”

Nineteen years.

The words she had kept inside during that long yet short life poured out like a dam breaking.

“I’ve never walked more than a hundred yards (T/N: approx 92 m.) at once on my own feet in my entire life. I collapse. I fall. My legs stiffen. And you’re telling me to imagine walking and flying?”

Julia, her chestnut hair all disheveled, looked at me clearly.

In those eyes, along with anger, there was a heart-wrenching sadness.

“A genius like you probably can’t understand……”

After exhaling her last breath, Julia started breathing heavily. She was hyperventilating.

As I patted Julia’s back until it subsided, I thought.

Genius.

Finally.

I heard that word again.

I ask myself.

Am I a genius?

Four magic spells learned in five years of living with a grimoire under a bridge all day.

For three years as Benjamin’s disciple, I spent time sitting at a desk every single day without fail.

I held a pencil all day to achieve the top score in the entrance exam of the University of Magic.

Am I a genius?

No.

Some might answer that I am a genius.

Yes. As Benjamin said, my imagination and intuition are undoubtedly superior. But as far as I remember, that was definitely not the essence of magic studies.

Magic is scholarship.

Scholarship is not made by a single genius. It’s a golden tower built up as a result of the blood, sweat, and anguish of countless people.

What trials were there in stepping up from mere ritualistic ceremonies to becoming a scholarship?

I didn’t know that history in the distant past.

“……”

Julia, yes…

She resembled me before I met Benjamin.

That must be why.  [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“I don’t like it.”

“What did you say?”

She doesn’t understand at all what magic is. That’s why I don’t like it.

Julia and I are similar but in some ways opposite. I was a novice who knew nothing about theory, and Julia was a half-baked magic student lacking imagination.

I was saved by Benjamin.

Julia is now sitting in her wheelchair with her amber eyes wide open.

Suddenly, Benjamin’s words came to mind.

Now, I can answer with certainty.

No.

Imagination and intuition are different for each person, and they are certainly not something that can be taught to others.

But I clearly remember how I started magic.

I slowly stood up.

“Eugene…?”

Because the wheelchair was so close, Julia had to roll her wheels to create some distance. I didn’t like even that. With [Move], it would be done with just a gesture.

I strode towards Julia, who was subtly trying to create distance.

“Julia.”

“Wh-What is it?”

How was I able to walk the path of magic?

The answer is so simple.

Grit.

I handed the old magic book I always carry to Julia and said:

“Stand up.”

“…Pardon?”

“Stand up. Use magic. Don’t use your cane.”

T/N

Seems like we’ve found the parallel to the four Maxwell’s equations I mentioned at the beginning. 

Hello! Axiomatic here.

Thanks for reading this set of five. See you tomorrow for the next!