I Broke Off My Engagement and Got a Job at the Academy

37 – Professor Cordelia

As soon as the dust settled, Professor Cordelia rushed toward me.

“Hey, is this really the magic you created?”

The principle of the Devourer is simple. It absorbs magical power or dark magic within a certain area and confines that power within itself.

There is a minor drawback in that it explodes if it exceeds a certain level of power, but it’s not much of a drawback.

“As long as it can digest to a certain extent, it means it can fundamentally block the opponent’s supernatural abilities.”

Knowing that, Professor Cordelia must be making a fuss like that.

“This crazy person… What kind of magic is this?”

I answered calmly.

“It’s a 5-circle magic.”

Upon hearing that, Professor Cordelia furrowed her brow and said,

“…What did you do during the vacation to be able to use a 5-circle magic? Wait, does that mean…”

“I am now a high expert. It’s a bit incomplete, though.”

Professor Cordelia opened her mouth wide in surprise.

“No, what… You can’t even properly use 4-circle magic!?”

Hitting where it hurts. I subtly averted my gaze.

“…Fine. I may not know what you did or how you did it, but if you’ve become a high expert, you’ll probably learn magic below 4 circles in an instant.”

I smiled. Professor Cordelia looked at me in disbelief.

“So, how about the magic I created?”

Professor Cordelia frowned.

“You’re asking even though you already know?”

“Of course.”

I was her direct disciple. This meant not only learning the magic itself but also adopting the attitude of a magician.

‘Trying to use imperfect magic and ruining my reputation.’

Professor Cordelia had an extremely strict personality. This meant she wouldn’t even consider using magic that wasn’t perfect from the start.

I, too, learned that from her. From the moment I conceived magic to become a first-rate mage, I prioritized performance.

Professor Cordelia’s style, or the style known as ‘Anti-Magician,’ operated around one central principle.

‘Blocking the opponent’s magic.’

So the first priority was to completely reverse the opponent’s magic. If that didn’t work, disrupt the opponent’s spell using mana.

There were various techniques, but at least Professor Cordelia always operated magic in that manner.

However, there were weaknesses.

Firstly, in situations where one cannot block the opponent’s magical attacks, one had to focus solely on defense without retaliation…

‘That it only shows strength against wizards.’

For instance, one might find themselves cut down by a knight who, despite being much less skilled, could still fend off even a magician.

Since there was no reverse calculation for magical attacks in the first place, one had to fight with just the basics, unable to react.

But the Aberrant I created is different.

It adapts to every opponent. Not only knights using magic but also priests, and even… dark wizards, no one using supernatural abilities can escape the Aberrant.

Well, skilled archers might completely annihilate the Aberrant or kill the caster before the Aberrant absorbs the magic imbued in the arrow.

‘Archers aren’t just the nemesis of wizards.’

Distancing oneself is useless. The opponent is much faster. Even the strategy of ‘shielding and enduring’ doesn’t work against knights.

‘They pierce through the shields and shoot arrows; that’s what they do.’

Yes, archers mainly focus on attacks that penetrate a point, rendering shields that cover the entire body useless against an archer of the same level.

So, to be precise, this Aberrant is a ‘magic that can block everything except archers.’

Of course, there’s no need to worry about not being able to block archers.

Fighting a wizard in a one-on-one situation is a stupid move by the wizard, and in a many-against-many scenario, a knight who can’t protect the wizard is a fool.

In short, the Aberrant is a magic with no flaws in terms of performance.

Recognizing this, Professor Cordelia looked at the Aberrant in amazement. I smiled satisfactorily at her.

“…but, wouldn’t it be more useful to attach this magic to an inspector?”

“Yes?”

“No, attach it to an inspector and block magical attacks… it seems like it would be stronger if used directly by a magical inspector.”

…That’s true.

Especially if a magical inspector who handles both magic and swordsmanship uses it, the results would be incredible.

‘It would become a monster that takes down archers, wizards, and everything.’

The reason those who fight with swords up close find it difficult to deal with wizards is simple.

Wizards don’t need to engage in close combat with swordsmen; they can just cast spells from a distance and win.

Even if, by some chance, an opportunity arises to wield a sword, it is blocked by a protective shield, unlike arrows.

However, if such a swordsman were to have a means to face a sorcerer…

‘There’s no solution.’

Even archers of the same level are endlessly powerless against a swordsman, much like archers against a sorcerer in front of them.

Why? Unlike sorcerers, whose muscles have degenerated from being stuck in a corner and only researching, swordsmen can evade.

Originally, knights are physically superior in most cases compared to sorcerers and archers. Therefore, arrows become the target for evasion instead of range attacks like magic!

Moreover, they can quickly close the distance, making it difficult for archers to face knights in the first place.

That’s why there could be a rock-paper-scissors relationship like knight->archer->sorcerer->knight…

Using this magic as a swordmaster is like throwing a punch in rock-paper-scissors and then unexpectedly hitting with a straight punch.

Ignoring whether the opponent throws rock or scissors, and simply overwhelming them equally…

It’s perfect for those who say that fighting is just like playing a damn game.

“…But, how does a swordsman use a fifth-circle magic?”

“Haha, it’s the magic you created in the first place, so unless you learn it directly, there’s no way to acquire it.”

At that moment, someone suddenly popped into my mind.

‘I’ve reached the level of an expert, so I have no intention of giving up swordsmanship, but I plan to learn about magic and how to use swordsmanship and magic together. Especially in combat magic.’

…Ah, no, that’s not it. Can’t I get rid of that absurd thought right away?

I tried hard to erase the person with pure white hair that came to mind from my head.

Looking at me like that, Professor Cordelia smiled and said,

“Well, anyway, good job. I was trying to annoy my ugly disciple who disappointed me, but something unexpected popped up.”

I looked at her and said,

“Shall I explain the spell formula?”

“Oh, that would be nice. I tried to analyze the spell formula I saw earlier with the Eye of the Sky, but it’s not perfect.”

Insane. Analyzed that in such a short time?

She doesn’t seem like a normal person. I calmly explained the spell formula to Professor Cordelia.

Upon hearing it, Professor Cordelia patted my back and laughed.

“How amazing is this? How did you create such a captivating spell?”

It was certainly worth liking. After all, the spell seemed imbued with the essence of an anti-magician, disrupting the magic of the opponent, in line with the principles of the Cordelia School.

“I guess you could say I created it while adhering to the basics of the Cordelia School.”

Though it felt somewhat modest to call it a school, considering there were only two of us—me and Professor Cordelia.

Well, who knows? If I ever take on a direct disciple, maybe then it would truly be worthy of being called the Cordelia School.

Professor Cordelia spoke to me with a bright smile.

“Then, let’s try applying for the Professor qualification test tomorrow. With my recommendation, you’re almost guaranteed to become a Professor.”

…

And so, I presented the magic I had created in front of others.

…I was more nervous than I had anticipated, but somehow, I managed it.

It made me wonder if presenting in front of people was always this challenging, but, well, I couldn’t help it.

Anyway, I finished the exam and was now awaiting the results.

The problem was… I felt like I was going insane during the waiting period.

“Aaargh! I can’t take this waiting!”

A myriad of thoughts raced through my mind. What if I made a mistake? What if the magic is similar to one that already exists? What if they criticize it for its completeness?

While I generally had a decent level of self-esteem, in this situation, I was on the verge of losing my mind.

And then, Professor Cordelia came to my room and said,

“Hey, the results are out.”

I asked with a trembling heart,

“…What happened?”

In response, Professor Cordelia bowed deeply and said with a somber expression,

“I’m sorry. I confidently assured you it would almost certainly pass, but…”

“Aaaargh!”

I started to lose it the moment I heard those words.

“I failed? Seriously? No, it’s a lie, right?”

“Damn, I thought it was a masterpiece in its own way. If I couldn’t secure the position of a professor with that, it felt like my self-esteem would be seriously undermined.

Whether my expression was amusing or not, Professor Cordelia burst into laughter and, with tears in her eyes, said, “Well, that’s a lie. You passed.”

Upon hearing those words, I slumped in my seat.

It was because tension had suddenly released from my entire body. Professor Cordelia looked at me with a fresh smile and said, “Oh, by the way, now that you’re a professor, can you help with the admission exam?”

As soon as I heard that, I responded with a dumbfounded expression, “…What?”