Research Life of a New Professor at Magic University - Chapter 32

Upon receiving a commission from Claire Lacton, another week passed after sharing the newly acquired knowledge with the students.
However, I still hadn’t devised the spell formula to engrave on the sword.

After concluding today’s class, I went out to lunch with Arien.
From the moment the class ended, or even before, my mind was filled with thoughts of the magic sword.
Naturally, our conversation during the meal veered in that direction.

“Is there really no way…”

“Are you even thinking about it during meals? You need to take a break.”

“Inspiration doesn’t just come to you out of the blue. One’s mind must be filled with that thought all day, even subconsciously. Only then can you squeeze out an ingenious idea.”

“Still, take a break. If you keep pushing yourself, nothing will come out.”

Arien seemed quite concerned about my uneasiness.
Frankly, it was a concern I deserved.
I was so preoccupied with this commission that I even canceled the practical class.

I decided to briefly heed Arien’s advice.
However, rather than completely resting, maybe I should consider Arien’s thoughts.
I intentionally hadn’t exchanged opinions until now.

Although we’re both busy, sometimes someone unfamiliar with the task can devise a good idea. It’s not good to narrow the scope of thought before considering it.

“Have you thought of anything by any chance?”

“I’ve been thinking since last week, but I can’t come up with anything concrete. Engraving spells is quite a foreign field.”

“Even a silly thought is fine, just say it.”

“Well… this is more a whim than an idea, but what if you fold the magic circle in half? Since a sword has two sides, if you draw half of it, wouldn’t it double in size anyway?”

Unfortunately, it’s an inapplicable method.

“To cut to the chase, it won’t work. First, interfering with the cyclical pattern is not a good idea. Rotating around a point is ideal; if the line becomes the center, the circle will naturally be distorted.”

“Absolutely impossible?”

“It could be possible, but I’m not particularly keen. The issue becomes more complicated because the object is a ‘sword.’ It’s tricky to engrave near the centerline if you fold it along the blade.”

While it might be possible to a certain extent, there aren’t many magic circles where a single line is entirely vacant along the center.
The few exceptions are closer to radial than circular.

“What about the outer edge? If you engrave it along the blade, it should be fine, right?”

I pondered for a moment. Compared to the difficulty of making it, the effect seemed minimal.
To engrave the magic circle along the blade, wouldn’t you have to fold the circle along that surface?

There would be curves along the blade. It seemed too difficult with minimal effect.

“No, it’s not worth it. Engraving along the outer edge of the blade is also quite a hassle. Doubling the narrow edge won’t increase the output much. Besides, Claire seems to primarily use a double-edged sword.”

“Didn’t you say the shape doesn’t matter? In fact, it doesn’t have to be a sword, right?”

What is this elf talking about?

“Have you actually attended my classes? To inscribe ‘Hardening’ and ‘Sharpening,’ the object must be both hard and sharp.”

“Just because something is hard and sharp doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a sword.”

“Wait…”

“A sword is designed for easy handling and swinging by a person, right?”

“Well… yes.”

“Such a design has nothing to do with being hard or sharp. You can harden and sharpen a piece of steel by treating it however you like. So, you don’t have to think about the typical sword.”

I hadn’t considered that.
I was merely considering the sword’s difficulty to enchant, not the object itself, as it wasn’t my area of expertise.

I then thought of the Imperial Knight’s sword I had.
Wait a moment.

“You, do you know how to use a sword?”

“Of course. I told you, elves have plenty of time.”

“How much have you learned? Have you spent decades walking the path of the sword?”

“It’s not quite like that. That noble lady you met would handle it better than I would.”

That’s a relief.

No, why is it a relief?
There was nothing to be relieved about.

“Have you seen Claire? How do you know that?”

“Didn’t you say she was a Swordmaster candidate? I haven’t met her personally.”

Poor Arien. She couldn’t even get a master’s in the way of the sword.
I hope she can at least achieve it in magic.

“Anyway, leaving that aside, I think I’ve been too narrow-minded. I naturally thought of maintaining the sword’s original form.”

“But you shouldn’t twist it too oddly. First and foremost, it should be wieldable.”

Then, as long as it’s wieldable, I can change the shape as I like, right?

As long as the sword can cut well, that’s enough.
It’s okay if the engraved magical performance exceeds that.
Things like wrist health are not my concern.

“Yeah. That was helpful. I’ll keep that in mind for later.”

“Oh! Right, one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“You’re an expert in three-dimensional magic formulas, aren’t you, Professor?”

“Yeah. I’m the one and only.”

“…I see. Is there any way to apply that?”

In reality, even calling myself the “one and only” is an excessive display of humility.
There’s no one else who can use it besides me.

It’s a bit odd to get that reaction after briefly showing off.
Anyway, a three-dimensional magic formula… on a sword?

“I haven’t not thought about it, but nothing suitable comes to mind. Flat objects like a blade aren’t very efficient for three-dimensional formulas.”

“What about embedding it in the hilt or the pommel? I’m unfamiliar with three-dimensional magic formulas, but is there a way to increase the operating range?”

“The problem lies in making a magical tool with a three-dimensional formula in the first place. First off, engraving is almost impossible. Carving three-dimensionally? I don’t have that kind of skill.”

“What about enchantment?”

“According to the authority on three-dimensional spellcasting, there have only been successful cases with gemstones. Big and expensive ones, at that.”

“Authority?”

“Who else would it be?”

Arien made a face indicating she understood, then rolled her eyes slightly.
Wow, she gets really sharp every time I even boast a little.

“Just talking about it has been helpful. Shouldn’t you be heading to your class now?”

“Yes. I’d better hurry or I’ll be late.”

Arien replied as she glanced at the pocket watch.
Now, even Arien doesn’t seem amazed and can read it well.

“Listen well and come back after class.”

“Yes. Have a good time with your research.”

She must be busy with class, yet she diligently follows along and even helps me think about my research, which is admirable.
She has put a lot of thought into it over the past week.

I’ve started to grow fond of her little by little.

***

Professor Caulry took attendance for the first time.

It seemed that word got around that he didn’t call attendance from the last class, and a few seats were empty.

The students who kept up with the news knew that Professor Caulry does this every year.
However, those late to hear the news or weren’t diligent had to face a deduction.

Arien sighed, thinking that if her conversation with Atwell had gone on a little longer, it would have been perilous.

“Hmm, seems like many students have lost their initial enthusiasm, haven’t they? Still, professors shouldn’t lose their enthusiasm. The class will only get tougher.”

Arien was already feeling anxious.
She would struggle to keep up with the class if they started disassembling the spell formulas.
Elemental magic formulas were okay, but she was still unconfident with other spell formulas.

In the end, she had to read ahead after class to ensure she wouldn’t be completely lost.
Part of the recent lack of sleep was also due to this.

“Today, we will study the elemental magic we ‘briefly’ looked at before. Elemental magic is the cornerstone of magic, so we often have to deal with it in spellcraft. Among them, we’ll deal with a lot of offensive magic. It’s natural since elemental magic is most commonly used in combat.”

Luckily for Arien, she didn’t suddenly start learning difficult spell formulas.
She thought it would be relatively easy to study as it was a continuation of the previous lesson.

“Let’s look at why the basic attack spells of each element we learned last time are frequently used. You’ll find the answer by dissecting the spell formula.”

Professor Caulry, as always, drew the spell patterns in the air.
This time, he displayed three magic circles.
They were all ice-based.

“For example, in the ice magic series, the basic attack spells can manifest in various forms. Besides ‘Ice Spear,’ there are also ‘Ice Arrow’ and ‘Ice Lance.’ They all involve projecting small ice fragments, although the characteristics of the projectiles differ.”

The other two spells are not as common as ‘Ice Spear’ for their efficiency.
However, ‘Ice Lance’ stands out due to its high piercing power, especially for lethality against humans.
When it comes to assassinating an unarmored person, it clearly has an advantage over the other two.

“This thin cross shape is essential in all ice spells. Interestingly, ‘Ice Spear’ also has this cross shape.”

The basic ice magic, ‘Freezing,’ also had the same shape.

“Moreover, this shape is okay even if the projection is spinning. So, you don’t have to be careful about the trajectory. Given the same skill level, ‘Ice Spear’ is the most efficient. Of course, when properly set, the lethality at maximum speed is inferior to ‘Ice Lance.'”

Professor Caulry explained in detail as he unraveled the strokes of all three magic spells. Thanks to his explanation, Arien had to fight off drowsiness.
This was partly due to recent sleep deprivation.

‘Why isn’t the professor’s name mentioned today?’

As the explanation became lengthy, Arien awaited Atwell’s name.
So far, Atwell’s name or a description that reminded her of him has been mentioned in every class.

‘I’d wake up if his name was suddenly brought up.’

Once the three ice-based magic spells were explained, Professor Caulry moved on to the lightning element.
Not only was the interpretation of the spell important but so was the placement of the electrodes.

This also made Arien extremely bored.

“Next, the wind element… The unilateral and rotational types are significantly different… This is due to the natural…”

‘Boring…’

“Water element is…”

‘…….’

“Now! You’ve already seen four elements. Only one is left, right?”

‘Huh?’

Eventually, a moment later, Arien snapped back to attention at Professor Caulry’s exclamation and found herself facing her full notepad.
The notepad was packed, and all the space around Professor Caulry was filled with magical circles.

‘I got lost in thought for a moment…!l

It’s a familiar situation for a college student.
Moreover, for an elf like Arien, the concept of ‘a moment’ differs from that of humans.

“There’s no room. I’ve given you enough time to take notes, right? If you’ve taken the ‘Intermediate Spellcraft’ course, you should be able to interpret this independently anyway.”

‘No way!’

In the end, Arien failed to fully copy the magic patterns Professor Caulry showed.
While she knew the circuit of each spell’s magic, she neither understood nor wrote down the significance of the most important strokes.

“Right. So, only the fire element is left. I’ll explain quickly and then finish.”

There was no one else to blame.
She was the one who got lost in thought during the class.
She was hesitant to ask Professor Caulry questions.
She hadn’t listened to any of the class material since the middle of the lesson.

To ask a proper question, you need to know something.
If she were to ask what she didn’t understand, she’d have to say, ‘everything.’
It’s no different than admitting that you didn’t concentrate in class.

‘What should I do?’

As Arien despaired, Professor Caulry drew a new magic circle.

“Alright, from now on, focus properly. This is the most challenging part of today’s class!”

Arien felt darkness looming before her.
It was akin to when she had to cram an 800-page textbook in a single day.

Author’s Note

Reader support always means a lot to me.
I’ll take it as a sign that you’re enjoying the story. I’m pleased to meet your expectations, readers.

Thank you to everyone who reads.

Translator’s Corner

Is there any novels you want me to translate?

-Ruminas