Chapter 44 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: A Bible and an Eternal Flame
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"Do you have any idea how absurd that sounds?"
Shin Hujda asked, his face a mask of disbelief.
"In the entire history of magic, only one mage has ever possessed an entire formula system as their unique magic."
"Yes, Luna, the progenitor of the Nebula."
The magical formula systems used today were, quite literally, a legacy of the magical world, crafted by great mages over generations.
And Luna was the only one in history to have achieved such a feat single-handedly.
To declare the creation of a new magical formula system was tantamount to claiming a place equal to Luna herself.
"Do you think you're a mage on par with the Progenitor of the Nebula?"
Rilda asked, narrowing her eyes. Leo shook his head.
"Of course not. Luna is a mage so great she's beyond any comparison to me."
Leo, who knew Luna's genius better than anyone, was well aware that he couldn't even touch her shadow when it came to magic.
"But creating a formula system doesn't require Luna's level of genius."
Hearing Leo's words, Eidmun chuckled.
"In that case, would you care to show us the unique magic system you've created?"
At that, Leo raised his palm.
A stream of gray mana extended from it, beginning to form a formula system.
The graduates watching intently let out gasps of admiration.
"The basic formula system is already in place?"
"It's not a simple copy."
Shin Hujda and Rilda commented as they analyzed the magical formula.
The first-years also did their best to decipher Leo's magical formula.
But soon, their heads began to spin.
'What kind of magical formula is this complex?'
'Can something that complicated actually be activated?'
'Ugh, whatever. I give up on trying to understand it.'
The top-ranking students, however, diligently tried to analyze the formula system Leo presented.
After a moment, Eidmun spoke.
"You said your goal was a formula system compatible with the manifestation equations of all attributes, correct?"
"Yes."
"Judging by the formula's structure, it's designed to allow the use of any magic without penalty."
At Eidmun's words, the first-years looked aghast.
'He understood the formula's structure just by looking at it?'
"That's correct."
"What an absurd idea."
"Seeing it in person, it's even crazier."
Rilda and Shin Hujda muttered after hearing Leo's explanation.
But their eyes were shining.
Magic was the study of pulling the impossible into the realm of possibility.
An attempt to overturn common sense always deserved praise.
"Why did you create this magic system?"
"To freely use every magic that exists in the world."
"You really are out of your mind, aren't you?"
'But the fundamental framework is complete. Is this what it means to be a genius?'
It was so preposterous that it was uncertain whether this magic could ever be completed.
But they liked it.
'So a completely insane junior has appeared. I see why the higher-ups have such high hopes for this year's class.'
A being who could wield all spells.
Every mage dreams of such a thing at least once.
But because it was such an absurd wish, they only dreamed; no one ever dared to try.
Now, a mage challenging that ideal had appeared before them.
"What is the name of this unique magic?"
"The name of the magic is Bible."
The magic system used only by the Great Hero, Kyle, in all of history.
At the name, Eidmun let out a small laugh.
"Leo Flove, you get an A+."
***
"I can't believe you got an A+ for that crazy idea."
"The bigger the ambition, the better, right?"
"Even so, don't you know when to draw the line?"
Karl clicked his tongue.
The Bible magic system was one he had used since his time as Kyle, so he wasn't starting from scratch.
'Though I can't use it perfectly as I am now.'
It was a magic system he had only managed to complete enough to use at the peak of his power as Kyle.
'Besides, it was ultimately incomplete.'
Given its instability, Leo couldn't use it perfectly with his current skills.
What he had presented in the exam was merely the foundational formula of the Bible.
'And I couldn't show the original, since that would obviously cause an uproar.'
Leo looked up at the stage.
Only the last student remained.
"Presenter, Chloe Müller. Please come forward."
Ren called out the last student's name.
"Man, this is making me nervous for no reason."
So far, only Leo and Abad had received an A+.
Both had presented unique magic of a grand scale.
But in terms of feasibility, Abad's would clearly score higher.
In that context, when Chloe, the top practical skills student in the first-year magic department, was about to present, everyone's attention was naturally drawn to her.
Karl, in particular, was even more nervous, having witnessed Chloe's declaration of war against Leo.
"Hello, seniors."
Chloe bowed her head deeply.
"Alright, student Chloe. What have you prepared?"
"The unique magic I have prepared is a fire-attribute magic."
At her words, murmurs erupted from all around.
"Fire-attribute?"
"Chloe, using fire?"
"No way… Chloe's an ice-attribute user!"
"Why would she choose the opposing attribute for her unique magic?"
"Quiet! Quiet!"
As the entire auditorium grew noisy, Ren raised his voice to intervene.
Meanwhile, Ren also wore a puzzled expression.
He, too, found the attribute of Chloe's unique magic completely unexpected.
"I will now begin the demonstration."
Chloe quietly chanted an incantation.
*Fwoosh-!*
A red flame appeared in mid-air.
"What in the world is that magic?"
Karl swallowed nervously, focusing on the magic.
If Chloe had prepared it, it was bound to be something incredible.
But the flame merely burned quietly, and nothing else happened.
"It's a bit… ordinary, isn't it?"
Rilda asked with a hesitant expression.
'I heard she was a talent on par with Leo or Abad.'
Leo's magic represented the dreams and ideals of a mage.
Abad's magic represented the ultimate power a mage could achieve.
Compared to those two, the magic Chloe was showing now was far too plain.
"Why is this your unique magic?"
Eidmun asked seriously, and Chloe replied.
"I will now show you this magic's true worth."
Chloe smiled confidently and muttered something under her breath.
A mass of water then formed in the air.
"This flame magic is currently not receiving any mana supply. What do you think will happen if I douse it with water?"
"It'll go out, obviously."
In response to Shin Hujda's question, Chloe smiled brightly and poured the water onto the flame.
*Swoosh-!*
The flame died down.
*FWOOSH-!*
But it didn't go out; instead, it quickly roared back to life, burning fiercely.
"…!"
"…!"
The expressions of not just the graduates but the students as well changed drastically.
Leo's face hardened in an instant.
"How did you do that?"
Rilda asked, her face filled with shock. Chloe replied.
"It's my unique magic."
Chloe said proudly, extinguishing the flame with her hand.
"Unless I wish it, this flame will not go out."
"Wait! Hold on! So, student Chloe, are you saying… you've bestowed permanence upon magic?"
Rilda asked, her eyes wide.
"Yes! Unless I will it, it will never be extinguished!"
Magic is a law composed of formulas.
Therefore, absolute immutability cannot exist.
Any magic will eventually disappear if its mana supply is cut off.
But Chloe had created immutability within a formula.
Chloe began to explain the magical formula.
Everyone focused on her presentation.
'Impossible.'
Leo muttered to himself as he listened to Chloe's presentation.
He tried to piece together the formula structure Chloe was describing in his mind.
But he couldn't replicate the unextinguishable flame.
Even if it were a unique trait of Chloe's mana, it was impossible.
In the first place, as far as Leo knew, only one being could produce a flame that burned eternally.
'Erebos.'
That power could never be manifested through magic.
'Even Luna failed at that.'
"Chloe Müller, A+."
"Thank you!"
As the presentation ended, the practical exam for Summoning naturally came to Leo's mind.
"What kind of thing did she create?"
Karl muttered in a dazed voice.
"Hey, Leo. Isn't that insane?"
Karl turned his gaze toward Leo.
"Leo?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's amazing."
"Why are you so out of it?"
"It's nothing."
Leo watched Chloe as she descended from the stage.
'First… I need to talk to Chloe.'
***
That evening.
After finishing his meal, Leo left the men's dormitory and headed for the women's.
"Huh? Leo? What brings you all the way to the women's dormitory?"
Celia, who had been sitting on a bench in front of the women's dormitory chatting with a friend, approached him with a curious look.
"Celia, sorry to bother you, but could you get Chloe for me?"
"Chloe? She said she was turning in early tonight. She barely slept during the exam period, staying up until dawn most nights."
"Is that so? Then could you tell her I want to see her for a bit before the exam tomorrow? Ask her to meet me at the entrance to the grand training grounds."
"Alright. But why Chloe all of a sudden?"
"There's something I need to talk to her about. I'll be going then."
"Wait, Leo."
Celia stopped him.
"What is it?"
"Has something been going on with Chloe lately?"
"Why are you asking me? You're in the same class, you'd know better than I would."
"Chloe's gotten into a few fights with kids in our class. I thought maybe she was just on edge because of exams, but it seems to be getting worse. Plus, I heard she's been hanging out with some of the rougher types in the magic department recently."
'Chloe?'
Chloe had a personality that took good care of others.
In fact, at the beginning of the semester, she had even helped him study after school so he could adapt to the modern magic system.
Even Celia, though upset at first about losing the class president position, had soon come to acknowledge Chloe's leadership.
It was hard to imagine that same Chloe getting into frequent arguments with others.
'First Karl, and now Celia… Is something really going on?'
Lost in thought about Chloe, Leo returned to his dormitory.
He drew the window curtains, sat on his bed, and held out his hand.
*Fwoosh-!*
A summoning circle made of flames materialized.
Piora poked her head out of the summoning circle.
"Can you call your mother?"
Piora ducked back into the summoning circle.
A moment later, Pirina appeared.
"It's been a while, Leo."
"Have you been well?"
Piora was perched atop the head of Pirina, who was in her human form.
*Chirp-! Chirp-!*
Pirina watched Piora, who was flapping her wings vigorously as if telling a story, with an affectionate expression.
"Ever since you summoned her, she's been constantly talking about when she grew bigger."
Pirina placed her daughter on Leo's desk.
Piora waddled across Leo's desk.
"So, Leo. Why did you want to see me?"
"You know about the Demonic beast that appeared during the Summoning exam, right?"
"Yes, I heard a beast summoner tried to pull something on a Lumerne freshman."
Pirina's expression soured.
As a divine beast, Pirina found Demonic beasts to be extremely unpleasant, and the beast tamers who controlled them were beings that needed to be eliminated.
"You mentioned you were at Lumerne at the headmaster's request, didn't you? Is this related to that?"
Pirina rested her chin on her hand.
The attack on Lumerne five years ago.
Very few people knew about that incident, for which the culprits were never identified.
Lumerne's higher-ups were currently investigating the connection between this recent incident and the one from back then.
'I can't tell a first-year like Leo about this.'
"It's still unclear if there's a connection. And of course, even if there were, I couldn't tell you."
"I know. I just wanted you to pass a message to the headmaster."
"What is it?"
"That Sen Liu might not be the only student Tartaros has reached out to."
The color drained from Pirina's face.
"Do you know something?"
"It's not certain yet, so I can't say."
Just because she had created an unextinguishable flame didn't necessarily mean she was connected to Erebos.
Still, he had to inform Lumerne's leadership of this possibility just in case.
Hearing Leo's words, Pirina wore a grave expression as she picked up Piora.
"I will pass your story on to Kalian."
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