The Academy Regressor is Obsessed

Luminous Academy.

The continent’s top educational institution, built near the capital of the Empire, which has already become a city and symbol in itself.

A place where the variety of jobs one can get after graduation is as extraordinary as how difficult it is to enter. One can receive respect wherever they go, and it’s also a prestigious school that most of the current imperial officials have attended. There’s a reason why nobles grit their teeth to try to enter.

And now, a magician from the Witch Association is to be enrolled in such a place.

More precisely, it was about enrolling the most talented individual from Wiheim. The Witch Association or the Federation didn’t have much to do with it. It was just a coincidence that the most outstanding child among those who had just come of age happened to be a disciple of Ena, who belonged to both the Witch Association and the Federation. It wasn’t a story brought up specifically to trouble her.

To begin with, various magician organizations had been enrolling young magicians into Luminous Academy recently. It was similar to studying abroad with the intention of not staying confined in a well but traveling the outside world and forming various relationships, and it was also a trend. The only difference was that the Federation had been doing this for a long time.

It’s because of a contract made between the first Federation leader and the Academy principal.

There wasn’t any big incident. The Federation asked for help from the Academy principal, with whom they had a close relationship, to establish the city of Wiheim. In return, the principal asked them to enroll any young and excellent magician that might appear in the Academy.

Since it wasn’t a difficult request, the Federation leader gladly accepted it.

This promise, which started as a request and expanded into a contract, has continued until the present day after a long time.

This is why the relationship between the Academy and Wiheim is not so bad.

However, the current Federation leader had been feeling a slight sense of debt to this friendship until recently. This was because for several years, no young magician outstanding enough to catch the eye had appeared, so they couldn’t enroll anyone in the Academy. The only magicians around were all middle-aged or elderly. They might look young on the outside, but inside they were old.

In this situation, Asel appeared like rain in a drought. Although he hadn’t had direct conversations with him, he had already confirmed how excellent the level of magic Asel used was at the exchange meeting between the Federation and the Witch Association. The Federation leader thought he was undoubtedly the most optimized talent for Academy enrollment.

So he cast his vote, and Asel was chosen with an overwhelming difference.

It was a joyous occasion. The Federation leader felt like he wanted to get up from his seat and dance, but as they say, the position makes the person. He continued the meeting while maintaining a solemn atmosphere.

This is the result.

“……”

Norium, the leader of the Federation, sighed deeply as he faced Ena’s blue glare.

“Senior, why are you doing this? This is a good opportunity for Asel too.”

A strange situation where an elderly magician calls a girl-like Ena “senior.” But no one expressed surprise at this fact. Instead, they just swallowed their saliva or observed the current situation with interested eyes.

“Moreover, he will eventually leave Wiheim and wander the world. You know how important it is for a magician to experience the outside world as early as possible, don’t you, senior?”
“That’s for me to decide. Not the Federation.”
“…Sigh. That’s true, but…”

Norium muttered this and frowned. It was certainly strange not to ask Ena, Asel’s master, for her opinion about her disciple. He asked with a bright expression.

“Would it be alright to send him?”
“Are you trying to play with me?”
“This isn’t working.”

Norium threw away all the solemn atmosphere and returned to his usual self, jumping up from his seat. At this sight, those who were watching the confrontation between Ena and Norium let out exclamations filled with expectation.

Both Ena and Norium are archmages who have reached the 8th rank. Two people classified as asymmetric forces wherever they go are now facing each other in opposition.

“No, senior. Aren’t you being too overprotective? Other magicians give their disciples magical beast hunting as homework!”
“Do you think Asel needs something like that?”
“Hmm. That’s not it, but… Ah, then let me ask the opposite. Do you have anything more to teach Asel?”
“A lot. I’m going to teach him lightning magic directly by his side.”
“Don’t you know that if you interfere too much, Asel won’t be able to awaken to the uniqueness of magic? I believe you don’t intend to limit your disciple’s potential.”
“…There’s a lot more to teach besides that.”
“What is there? From what I’ve seen, his circuits, core, and skill in handling magical power are all at a level similar to ours.”
“…Anyway, there’s a lot.”
“Oh, come on.”

After quite a long conversation, Norium shook his head with a tired expression and raised his finger.

At this simple action, the magicians swallowed. They might not fight to the death here, but there was a sufficient possibility of a show of force. Conflicts of opinion between proud magicians often escalate to physical confrontations.

The magicians stirred in anticipation of that battle.

But their expectations were spectacularly wrong. Instead of projecting magical power, Norium, who had risen from his seat, pointed at Ena with his finger and headed outside the conference room.

The faces of the magicians who were keeping their seats turned stupid, and Ena’s expression twisted. Norium looked at this sight and shouted loudly:

“Wait right there! I’ll go ask Asel directly!”
“…What?”
“In the end, his own will is the most important!”

Crack.

Norium drew his outstretched finger vertically downwards. A rift appeared in space following that gesture.

An 8th-rank spatial mage. A monster who has mastered spatial magic, which requires extreme difficulty and talent, to the limit. He threw his body between the split rift and disappeared from the conference room. Ena bit her lip hard and threw her body through the shattered wall.

Rumble!!

A snow-white lightning bolt split the sky above Wiheim.

“……”
“Shall we go eat?”

In the conference room where the archmages had disappeared, everyone nodded at the words of one magician who had been sitting quietly.

“Let’s do that.”
“I know a good place. I’ll guide you.”
“Then we’ll be in your care.”

That day, a drinking party of high-ranking magicians took place on the streets of Wiheim.

Crack!

The space next to where Asel was standing suddenly tore open. Asel was startled and unknowingly incanted magic, stretching his hand out towards the opened space.

[Red Fire Fan]

Magic completed in an instant. Flames that grow in size while devouring everything are fired in a fan shape.

At the sudden blaze, those attending the party screamed and backed away. Skilled magicians narrowed their eyes sharply and drew up their magical power, and Irina, standing next to Asel, exhaled the smoke in her throat loudly. The smoke immediately changed its form into hundreds of daggers.

“Huh?”

Just as she was about to shoot them through the rift. Irina felt a familiar trace of magical power from that torn space.

There was no need to ponder for long. As far as she knew, there was only one magician who handled spatial magic and had such unpleasant magical power.

Irina sighed deeply and canceled her magic. The daggers that returned to smoke entered the end of her pipe, and she inhaled the smoke deeply.

“Hmm.”

At the same time, a face popped out from beyond the rift.

It was a face severely burned by fire. Part of his braided white beard was burned black, and his cheeks and chin were red-hot. When he opened his mouth, black smoke gushed out from beyond. Asel’s eyes widened as he recognized the owner of this strange appearance.

“…Federation Leader?”
“It’s been a while, Asel. Ahem, khuh… The power of your magic is still considerable. If I hadn’t applied spatial distortion, my head would have turned to ashes. Hoho.”

Norium walked through the rift with a good-natured smile.

With a snap of his fingers, his shabby appearance returned to that of a neat magician. He stroked his beard and looked down at Asel.

“Congratulations on becoming an adult. It’s already been 8 years since you came here, hasn’t it?”
“…That’s right. Time flies so fast.”

Asel answered with an awkward smile.

Three years ago. Although he had encountered the Federation Leader at the exchange meeting between the Witch Association and the Federation, this was the first time they were having a direct conversation. Considering the other person’s position and ability, it was natural in a way to be nervous just from having a conversation.

Norium narrowed his eyes and asked:

“What’s your current rank?”
“6th rank.”
“Huh, 6th rank after seriously learning magic for 8 years. And you haven’t even had any practical experience or insights yet, right? You’re a complete monster.”
“It’s thanks to having an excellent master.”

Asel said with a faint smile. Norium, who had been conversing comfortably, reacted to the word “master” that popped out of Asel’s mouth.

“Ah, that’s right. Asel, my boy.”
“…? Yes. What is it?”
“Would you be interested in enrolling in Luminous Academy?”
“…The Academy, you say?”

Asel muttered this and glanced at Irina.

‘So this is what she meant by congratulating on admission.’

He turned away from Irina, who was puffing heavily on her pipe, and thought about Norium’s proposal.

He knew well about Luminous Academy. He had seen it in books and had occasionally conversed with magicians who graduated from the Academy. He could pride himself on having some knowledge about it.

However, talk of enrollment was a different matter. He thought it was a matter of another world, but now an unexpected opportunity had fallen into his hands.

‘It doesn’t seem like it would be bad.’

It’s not that he’s tired of life in Wiheim. He hadn’t harbored any complaints during his stay here, and he valued the relationships he had built here. It felt like this place was more of a hometown than the mountain village where he was born.

But he also felt a desire to leave Wiheim and wander the outside world.

Experience is as important to magicians as it is to warriors. The uniqueness of one’s imagery and magical power differs depending on what kind of life one has lived and what one pursues. It was the only commonality between aura and magical power, and this was rooted not in talent but solely in life and ideology.

It’s not for nothing that magicians often become mercenaries or wandering mages. Those who have a certain level of skill, are confident in their magic, and want to grow all leave their cradle to walk the world. The growth limit of those who couldn’t do this and settled for reality was significantly lower.

Asel was an unusual case. To be a 6th-rank magician while just eating, sleeping, and firing magic in Wiheim. It was something that would make magicians who had wandered the world foam at the mouth and convulse if they heard about it.

6th-rank magicians were welcomed talents anywhere. They were guests who could manifest high-level magic, easily use intermediate magic, and produce low-level magic as naturally as breathing. It was a dizzyingly high level considering that the minimum requirement for the Academy entrance exam was 4th rank.

‘But, if I maintain this state, reaching 7th rank will be impossible.’

From 7th rank onwards, it’s a stage where one not only has their own unique magic system but also imbues their magic with imagery to give it uniqueness. The reason why Ena’s snow-white lightning strikes endlessly is also due to this uniqueness. This was a level that could never be reached by just sitting in a corner and using magic.

BOOM!!

Perhaps because he was thinking about Ena, the sound of lightning striking the top of the mansion was heard. Asel looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then continued his thoughts after confirming Norium’s urgent expression.

‘I have no intention of staying at 6th rank. My goal is 8th rank, or even beyond.’

Now that he had entered the world of magic and developed an endless interest, fun, and academic enthusiasm for it. Asel wanted to enter not only the 8th rank, which is the level of an archmage, but also the 9th rank that no one except those called ‘great sages’ had reached. That was the ideal level that every magician dreams of. It was the stepping stone to transcendence.

Although it still felt distant, there was nothing he couldn’t reach if he climbed the stairs step by step. He wasn’t sure about the 9th rank, but it seemed like he could reach the 8th rank if he rolled around for a few more years. Of course, the 7th rank comes first, but Asel didn’t pay much attention to the level right in front of him.

It wasn’t arrogance. It was confidence. He believed in his talent, and it had never betrayed him. It’s clearly a rank he could reach in 5 years with just research, or within 2 years if he rolled around outside. And this was even a rough estimate. It might take even less time.

He didn’t even imagine it taking longer.

There’s nothing more foolish than using your brain for impossible things.

‘In the end, the foundation of everything starts with gaining experience.’

The continuing thoughts reach their end.

Asel nodded and stared at Norium.

“Alright. I’ll do it, enroll.”
“Great! You’ve thought very well!”

He would have reached this thought eventually anyway. Not satisfied with his current position, for the sake of growth, whether as a mercenary or dungeon explorer. He would have left Wiheim in some form. It just happened that the method became enrolling in the Academy.

“What should I do?”

Asel asked this, and Norium was about to answer.

“Asel!”

Crackle!!

A snow-white lightning bolt struck next to Asel, and Ena appeared. She glared at Norium and ignited lightning in both hands.

“You damn… Did you lay spatial distortion on the mansion?”
“Did I? Hoho, I’m getting old, so my memory isn’t very good.”

Norium answered nonchalantly while scratching his cheek. Ena gritted her teeth and took a step forward as if protecting Asel.

Intense anger, rarely seen from Ena who usually has sparse emotional expressions, is expressed outwardly through her actions and magical power. Lightning mixes with the air, and Ena spits out in a growling voice:

“Get lost. I’m done giving you leeway for being the Federation Leader.”
“Alright. I’ll withdraw then. I’ve got the answer I wanted anyway.”
“…What?”

At Norium’s words, Ena turned sharply to look at Asel. Asel gulped at that fierce gaze. The sight of his angry master, which he was seeing for the first time, presented him with quite a bit of pressure.

“I’ll be going then. And Asel, I’ll let you know about the entrance exam schedule later.”

With those final words, Norium split space and hid his body beyond it. But Ena didn’t even cast a glance at him, instead looking at Asel and yanking his neck sharply.

“Ugh.”
“……”

Their gazes meet right in front. A close distance where they could feel each other’s breath. It was a distance that would normally make one’s heart race with excitement, but Asel’s heart was pounding with fear.

“Um… Master?”
“……”
“…Lady Ena?”
“…Come to my room tonight.”

Ena said this, then let go of Asel and trudged up to her room. Asel stared at Ena’s powerless back, unable to even think about fixing his disheveled clothes.