Academy’s Genius Mage

“Isn’t it Lady Jessica? It’s been such a long time since your last visit―.”

“Move aside.”

“Huh, hah!”

The knight guarding the entrance to the Royal Palaceflinched in surprise and stepped aside.

The knight’s efforts to build a rapport and pave a path to career advancement ended in disappointment.

The timing was exceedingly bad.

Jessica passed by the two knights and entered the palace.

‘What on earth was he thinking to issue such a mobilization order?’

With that thought, she even went to the head of the Royal Academy to protest. However, she only received a textbook response that they had to follow the command.

Involving undergraduates in new dungeon exploration was not uncommon.

However, it was rare for such procedures to be ignored and pushed forward without any plan.

Moreover, this was the first time a retaliatory measure with such a clear target was ordered.

‘Putting the danger aside, if there’s a political reason behind this mobilization order, it must be stopped.’

That was why Jessica quickened her steps.

If the exploration ensured safety and had justifiable reasons, there would have been no need for such hurried action.

Unfortunately, neither satisfied the criteria.

‘Testing future talents of the kingdom? Utter nonsense!’

The entrance of a fierce mage caused a stir in the Royal Palace.

The passing servants and knights, and the officials who met her after a long time, did not dare to speak to her.

Their fleeting joy was short-lived.

It was none other than a grand mage who had surpassed the 7th circle, and she was angry.

“Lady Jessica!”

The mages guarding the well-decorated door were startled.

They were apprentice mages of the Royal Magic Division.

In other words, they had not yet spent a year within the Royal Magic Division.

Yet, they were well aware of Jessica and her lack of mercy.

“Is the commander inside?”

“Y-yes, but… did you have an appointment for today?”

“We’ll skip the formalities. This is a very important matter.”

The two mages guarding the commander’s room exchanged glances and swallowed hard.

There had been strict orders not to receive any outside guests today.

But they couldn’t bring themselves to speak it out loud.

“Could you wait for a moment? We’ll inform the commander.”

“If you must inform him, you should hurry.”

“Y-yes, at once!”

Fortunately, the owner of the room permitted Jessica’s request for a meeting.

Jessica went inside.

The commander’s office was very spacious and extravagant. However, as an uncontrollable storm of mana swept through, the women attending to the room collapsed, spewing blood.

Her anger flared upon seeing the smug face of the commander sitting at the high seat.

“My, my. Dean Jessica. What are you thinking, unleashing your magic in the presence of civilians? You could kill everyone.”

“……”

Sighing, Jessica controlled her mana.

Had the commander not deployed his mana, the maids would have died without a sound.

“If you value your lives, leave now! The grand mage seems to be in a foul mood.”

Only then did the maids quickly stand, bow, and exit the room.

However, Higgs, watching from the sidelines, was not simply a bystander.

Higgs, rubbing his well-defined chin, grinned as he rose from his seat.

“The maids working here are all loyal to the King. Shouldn’t they be treated with care? Especially by a count of the kingdom.”

“Is there a need for maids in the duties of a commander?”

“Oh, of course. Our female mages are clumsy and rough, unlike some people.”

Higgs, the head of the Royal Magic Division, was a 6th circle master.

Though not quite in the realm of a grand mage, he had ascended to the commander position through his unique political prowess.

He was more of an experienced politician than a mage.

Of course, he was notoriously at odds with Jessica, who had an extreme aversion to politicians trying to merge magic and politics.

Until recently, he had been suppressed by Jessica, who was higher in rank, but the tables had turned dramatically when he ascended to the position of the head of the Royal Magic Division.

In this place, the hierarchy within the circle did not matter.

As it was the Royal Palace, only the hierarchy determined by the Royal Family was considered significant.

Higgs was no longer beneath Jessica in rank.

“Well, I won’t ask you to adhere to tedious formalities. If the Dean had even a little interest in politics, you would have been my superior.”

Higgs gracefully gestured toward a sofa placed to one side.

He offered her a seat, but Jessica did not respond.

She only glared at Higgs with eyes full of anger.

Higgs shrugged his shoulders.

“Pardon me. You seem quite angry. Shall we get to the point, then?”

“This conscription order, it’s your doing, isn’t it?”

“Doing? Hahaha. Anyone who hears that would misunderstand. Me, conscripting academy students? Of course, it was His Majesty’s sacred command.”

“Then I suppose I should go see His Majesty right away.”

“These days, his Majesty’s health is not what it used to be. There’s no benefit in escalating the situation unnecessarily, wouldn’t you agree?”

Higgs slowly approached and passed by Jessica.

Then he turned slightly to look at her back.

“Regardless, since the conscription order has been issued, it can’t be taken back. I hope issues at the level of the Department of Magic will be processed internally, whether by the head of Academy or anyone else.”

“It’s not the conscription order itself that’s the issue. Why did it specifically have to be those two individuals?”

“Isn’t the reason stated in the official document?”

“Testing capabilities for the kingdom’s future? Since when has the Royal Family cared about a fallen noble and a noble from a subject nation?”

“Oh my.”

Higgs whistled and smirked.

“Aren’t you going too far? Even in the Royal Palace, some discretion in speech is necessary, isn’t it?”

What annoyed Jessica about Higgs was precisely that.

Using irony to express the right ideas, subtly provoking the other side.

That was exactly what he was doing now.

Higgs derived more satisfaction from pointing out Jessica’s lack of greeting than from receiving her greeting.

He was a typical power-driven figure.

“Ian Oracle.”

Higgs muttered as he claimed one side of the empty sofa, crossing his legs arrogantly.

“Isn’t he a truly remarkable freshman? Discovering new spell formulas, patenting potions, and single-handedly wiping out a corrupt large trading company!”

Higgs excitedly shouted.

His two arms moved like those of an opera actor on stage, expressing joy and triumph without reservation.

“He’s truly a hero that appeared like a comet. Of course, it’s unfortunate that his mana seem low… But I’ve heard there are rumors that it’s all an act? That he’s actually hiding his strength.”

“I didn’t realize someone in the position of the head of the Royal Magic Division held such an interest in a mere freshman from the Department of Magic.”

“Hahaha. How could you say such hurtful things? Recognizing talented individuals early is precisely one of our duties in the Division. Ian Oracle, he’s a name that comes up more frequently than you might assume.”

Jessica felt a chill run down her spine.

She had known Higgs for a long time.

His current cold gaze was not the result of sincere admiration.

It was like that of a predator successfully cornering its prey.

Furthermore, Higgs was not targeting two people.

He only mentioned Ian.

“In any case, that young man will surely achieve excellent results. Right? So why not have a relaxed drink and calmly watch the situation as it unfolds, dean?”

Most nobles and professors showed little response to this conscription order.

This was because, aside from Ian and Isera, the Department of Martial Arts was also expected to send recruits.

However, Jessica and Professor Frost were different.

They had directly experienced the incident between Ian and Hamel Gestring.

Furthermore, they felt the connection between Hamel Gestring and Prince Helios, and even further, the ties to the Empire.

“Shall I offer you just one piece of advice?”

“I’ll listen attentively.”

It was clear his posture was not genuinely attentive.

With a smirk, he seemed to ask, what difference would it make even if you gave advice?

“If this conscription order is indeed a retaliatory act instigated by certain relationships, I will never forgive it.”

“A retaliatory act? Oh dear. Surely you’re not implying I’m associated with that filthy businessman?”

“The words ‘filthy businessman’ just roll off the tongue, don’t they?”

“Well, this has been quite the topic of discussion lately.”

There was suspicion, but no concrete evidence.

Therefore, Jessica could only issue a warning.

“Anyhow, I assure you that there will be no such matter! I am sincerely cheering for you.”

“Let’s hope those words aren’t lies.”

Jessica turned away.

As Higgs rose from his seat, he adjusted his collar and casually dropped a remark as he passed by.

“Do you know what self-contradiction is?”

Jessica paused her hand, just about to grab the doorknob.

“The Dean has hated the secrecy of Tower of Magic since childhood.”

She turned back.

A sinister aura surrounded them, but Higgs remained completely at ease.

“That’s why she stepped into the world and decided to work for the kingdom. She accepted the ambiguous position of dean of the Academy’s Department of Magic with a very clear purpose.”

Jessica was fundamentally different in nature from her mentor, Karahan.

Unlike him, who did not meddle in worldly matters and focused solely on magic, Jessica believed in using magic as a ‘tool’ to benefit the kingdom.

Thus, she accepted the position of dean of the Academy’s Department of Magic.

To make the kingdom stronger.

To enable more people to use magic meaningfully.

Furthermore, she hoped the mages from the Academy could announce their aspirations to the continent without being confined by the walls of the Tower of Magic.

“Over time, promising students must have caught your eye. For example, Ian Oracle and Isera Hebraim, perhaps? It reminds me of the old adage about sending children you care about off on distant journeys.”

“Get to the point.”

Just as Jessica disliked Higgs, he too was not fond of the way Jessica communicated, as if speaking to a child.

“I merely hope there won’t be a regression to the Tower of Magic. Surely you won’t run crying to the tower master because of some petty disagreements, correct? That wouldn’t be a solution a Grand Mage with the title ‘High One’ would consider.”

This time, Jessica chuckled.

“It seems there’s something to hide, isn’t there? You wouldn’t say things that don’t need to be said otherwise.”

“It’s just a word of caution, Dean Jessica.”

Higgs emphasized her title, urging her to be aware of her position.

Leaving Higgs’ smirk behind, Jessica opened the door and stepped out.

To her surprise, someone unexpected was waiting just outside.

“It’s been a while, Dean Jessica.”

“Your Highness.”

Jessica knelt on one knee, saluting.

The young man in front of her extended his hand.

Jessica hesitated momentarily but then took his hand and rose.

His red hair symbolized his royal lineage.

Coupled with the black uniform accented with gold decorations, it presented a striking image.

The young man possessed the grace to carry it effortlessly.

He was Medeb, the Crown Prince of the kingdom of Sonokin.

He exuded an entirely different aura compared to Helios, despite being of the same bloodline.

“I heard you’ve come to the capital. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”

“I apologize for not greeting you sooner, Your Highness.”

“No need to stand on ceremony. You are my mentor, after all.”

Crown Prince Medeb held Jessica’s hands firmly.

At that moment, Jessica felt something unusual in her hand.

A paper note had been slipped to her.

None of the apprentice mages, watching them intently, noticed the note being passed from hand to hand.

“Not today, but let’s have tea sometime. We have a lot to catch up on.”

“I will obey. Take care.”

With a nod, Medeb departed.

Much later, having left the palace, Jessica discreetly unfolded the note.

Nothing was written on it.

But Jessica knew the trick to unveil its hidden message.

It was something she had once taught the Crown Prince.

As the secret lifted and its contents came to light, her eyes trembled.

The ominous conspiracy had already crossed a point of no return.