I Am the Weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings but the Demons Are Obsessed With Me

28 – Midterm Evaluation

Time at the academy had passed by quickly.

There had been a few minor incidents in the meantime.

Like when Rosa’s face turned bright red upon hearing about ‘s*xual education,’ causing her to indulge in some very Hitomi-like fantasies, or when some professors proposed a joint study on ‘demonic magic’…

Despite these events, fortunately, there had been no major issues.

I had grown quite close to several students besides Rosa. Luckily, they all seemed to enjoy my lectures.

It appeared I had received the highest marks in the mid-semester teaching evaluations. The chairman even offered me a tenure position, despite being just a part-time instructor.

I thought I had spent my time quite dutifully.

And so, half the semester had passed.

The time for midterm evaluations was upon us. Most of the students looked like zombies. Of course, there were a few who didn’t care about grades and were deeply immersed in their own worlds.

“Alright, everyone has been working hard with the exams this week, right? Let’s muster a little more strength.”

The midterm evaluation for ‘Basic Magic Theory’ was a simple matching exercise.

Matching the regular magic circle diagrams with the corresponding demonic magic sigils was the task at hand for the midterm. With not a great variety of options, arriving at the correct answer wasn’t too difficult, but how one approached the problem-solving process would determine the variance in scores.

Based on these results, I planned to provide feedback to the students, and if there were any exceptional methodologies, I might introduce them to others or even have the student present their approach.

“As soon as the silence spell is cast, we will begin. The hush of the dawn’s twilight. The stillness following the curtain call. Silence.”

The spell of silence weaved through the students in the classroom.

Within the quiet classroom.

Only the low scratching of pens on paper could be heard. It was the beginning of the midterm evaluation.

‘…they all seem to be doing better than I thought, without much difficulty?’

Every student was busily moving their pens. Of course, not all of them were approaching the problem in the right way…

But as long as they were not wasting time with only worries, they deserved good scores. After all, self-confidence is the key when using magic.

The students seemed to have grown quite a bit as wizards.

‘Shall we take a look?’

Walking quietly between the classrooms not to disturb the students, I noticed that their focus was not ordinary.

It was a bit unfortunate when I saw students who were approaching the problem in a completely wrong way from the start, but I had to pass them in silence, considering fairness.

Such mistakes were also necessary in the process of becoming a better wizard.

‘As for Roza… It seems she’s solving it not so hard.’

And while sneaking around the classroom peeking at the students papers,

One student’s answer caught my eye.

‘They’ve interpreted it based on the magic circle of demons.’

Most students were solving the problem by converting the standard magic circle they were familiar with into a demon magic circle. But this student was doing the complete opposite.

Actually, this was what I intended. It would be convenient to interpret based on the standard magic circle if the aim was just to solve the problem….

The aim of this lecture was to convert an existing demon magic circle into human magic that can be ‘used.’

In this respect, I could say that this student accurately grasped the intention of the question.

As long as the answer is correct, it seemed that this student would get the highest score in the midterm evaluation.

The student’s name was…

‘Prussian B. Azel, wasn’t it?’

The deep sea-colored blue hair was synonymous with the Azel family.

The emerald-colored eyes were probably a maternal trait.

Whenever I see this hair color, I suddenly realize that this world operates under completely different laws than Earth. Because on Earth, there were hardly any animals with blue fur, let alone people with blue hair.

It was such an everyday element that it was even more startling than the magical fantasy elements. Makes me curious about the genes.

‘Is it almost time?’

After finishing my tour, I came back to the front and checked the clock.

I used magic when I started, so I planned to use magic to finish as well.

A magic that fits perfectly with this lecture.

“The sound of the setting sun. The cheers that end the stage. Phantom Audition.”

The Phantom audition spell, a transformation of the Silence spell.

The students probably heard a thud, like something massive falling. It was a spell like a sound effect flowing from a scene where the heart drops in shock.

“Good job everyone.”

And so, half a semester passed.

Soon, it was summer.

.

.

.

“Did you do well on your exam today?”

“Yes! Thanks to Professor Plum.”

Even on the day that the exam ended, Rosa and I continued our special lecture.

In reality, it was more like we were simply chatting away.

I liked this time. At first, there was some slight embarrassment due to misunderstanding, but now that can just be laughed off as one of the topics we talked about.

“All thanks to Rosa’s hard work. What did I do?”

“Well, I did work hard~.”

“Although the subject that you studied hardest was a bit different.”

“…hahahaha, you can’t tease me, okay?”

Rosa’s reaction when I taught s*x education was….

Hmm.

To preserve Rosa’s dignity, let’s just say that she was slightly more passionate than when she was learning magic.

“You’ve really changed, Rosa.”

“Oh, have I?”

“Yes. You seem more relaxed… and comfortable.”

“hehehe. Right?”

I’ve become quite close to Rosa, enough to exchange playful jokes. That must mean she feels comfortable around me.

We chatted away for a long time.

In the midst of that, the topic of incantations for magic spells came up.

“Are the incantations for transformation magic that Professor Plum uses all made by you?”

“Yes, they are. To aid intuitiveness, I did alter the traditional magic a bit.”

“Ah! What was the spell you used at the end of today’s exam?”

“It’s a spell that allows you to hear a sound that cannot be heard.”

“Is it a psychic spell like hallucination or illusionary vision?”

“Hmm… It’s similar, but a bit different.”

Instead of offering further explanation, I invoked an illusion magic by moving mana. Unlike during the mid-term, I included myself within the radius of the magic.

Intricate magical circles were drawn, emitting a brilliant blue light.

“The sound of the setting sun. The cheer that ends the show. Illusions.”

A rumbling sound, as if shaking the world, reached my ears.

Although there was no other way to explain it, there wasn’t an actual ‘sound’.

Instead, it was closer to—

To that sensation, when you are so startled that your heart almost falls, that the noises of your surroundings cease completely.

“Is it a bit different?”

“Uh… What was that? I thought I definitely heard something, but I can’t quite… I’m not sure…”

“Do you remember the script?”

“The sound of the setting sun…right?”

The sound of the setting sun.

Though grandiosely phrased, in actuality, it simply referred to the sunset.

“Good. Imagine it. When the sun sets, the world bathed in an orange glow… The horizon mixed with twilight… purple and pink swirled like oil paint…”

“Yes….”

“Then, when half of the world is dominated by immeasurable beauty, and your soul is swept away… There is a moment when you might feel a massive drum beat…”

“….”

Perhaps it is, in essence, a profound silence.

So captivated by the world visualized before your eyes, your whole senses abandon their responsibilities, yearning to witness that scenery as well.

In those moments, the soul transcends the flesh.

A colossal presence dominates my mind and body, lifting me to unprecedented heights.

The ‘illusion’ magic embodies that moment of exhilaration.

I conjured the effect of a pounding, dropping heartbeat for the very same reason.

Because a sensation of terror so profound that it numbs all your senses isn’t too far from that moment of exhilaration.

“The cheer that ends the show is…”

“I wanted to describe the ascending and descending emotions you feel after a show. hehehe, it’s nothing more than strumming to the rhythm of the silent magic script.”

“Uh… It’s quite hard.”

“If Rosa could create her own script, it might help visualize the magic. Transformation magic especially, given its unique attributes.”

“Ha! Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Can I manage it?”

“Well… why don’t we try making one together for a test?”

Among the transformation spells that I’d created, there were many that skillfully adapted the intangible constructs, known as magic circles, to suit whatever situation I was in.

Generally, such spells were impractical and rarely used.

Though, they were quite suitable for simple training to build magic circles.

“Making ink from light powder, painting in the void. Call the art, calligraphy.”

As I began using the spell, light powder gathered at my fingertips.

It’s a magic that can write words left as afterimages in thin air. It was a spell that was rarely used except for occasional presentations.

“Now, let’s build the magic circle for this spell.”

“Huh? Uh, um, that is… Because it’s a spell to write words with light… Oh no! I can’t do it!”

“There’s plenty of time, so it’s okay to think slowly. I’ll teach you the magic symbols, so let’s figure it out while you try the magic yourself.”

I taught Roza the calligraphy magic spell.

For a while, we amused ourselves by drawing images in the air with light.

When I drew a rabbit, Roza drew a fox, and when Roza drew a flower, I would draw a butterfly circling around it.

We drew a whale swimming in the air, and even the waves in which it was diving.

Scattering as they crossed the void, the particles of light powder…

Sometimes looked like a galaxy made of gathered starlight.

It was a pleasant time.

Later, we passed the time playing tricks, covering or ruining each other’s drawings.

“Ah! Professor!”

“What is it, Roza?”

“Um, just a moment! I’ve thought of a good magic circle!”

With eyes that seemed to gleam with inspiration she blinked up at me.

She smiled brightly.

And then chanted the magic circle.

“It’s a beautiful and fleeting mirage, may it be etched with eternal starlight. Calligraphy!”

Roza who had cast the spell, wrote letters in the air.

From my side of the view, the letters appeared reversed and I had a hard time figuring out what was written.

The letters soon scattered like a mirage.

And for some reason, Roza’s cheeks reddened slightly.

“That’s a wonderful magic circle. What did you write just now?”

“hehehe, it’s a secret!”

So the day came to an end.

This moment would pass like a fleeting illusion.

But the memories left by that illusion would be etched like starlight, unforgettable for eternity.

Beneath the blue night sky tinged with starlight,

only Rosa’s face stood out, oddly red.