# Chapter 45
—
A clear and resonant sound spread through the air.
The watching students squinted their eyes and muttered.
“…What was that?”
“That’s it?”
“Did he even swing… properly?”
With murmurs rippling through them, most students tilted their heads in confusion.
This was a test meant to cleave through mineral ore, yet he had shown such a feeble strike?
Because of that, the majority simply blinked in puzzlement—though a few students reacted differently.
‘A wooden sword clashing with iron… and it made that sound?’
‘Even if it was drawn down gracefully… that’s impossible. That sound shouldn’t exist.’
‘Don’t tell me… that was the sound of cutting through?’
These few belonged to the anomalies among the hundred new students.
Prodigies who had already reached the 2nd or 3rd circle. Among the knight aspirants of this term, they could be counted among the very best.
Thus, unlike the lower-level students, they saw Arthur’s strike from a different perspective—but even so, the difference wasn’t great.
All they could distinguish was that the *sound* that had rung out was unusual.
But Elin Leverkusen was different.
Her mouth fell open in shock.
“He… cut it?”
Professor Norse, who had been watching from beside her, echoed the murmur.
‘He cut it. That wasn’t an illusion… he truly cut it. But how?’
Arthur Bayern had cut through the mineral ore.
Not an illusion, not a trick—the blade had genuinely penetrated.
And yet, the ore before their eyes remained unbroken.
If that strike had truly cut through, then it should have split in two.
Because of this, Professor Norse was filled with suspicion and confusion—then astonishment and admiration—as he looked at Arthur.
Arthur clicked his tongue as he withdrew the wooden sword.
‘Tch… in the end, I couldn’t cut it.’
When he first considered the attempt, he thought it was worth trying. But the result was disappointing.
It had only *looked* as if he cut through. In truth, he had not pierced the ore’s hardness.
‘If I had been just a bit more precise, would it have broken?’
Arthur stroked his chin, then shook his head.
That strike was the best he could display in his current state.
If that couldn’t cut it, then even repeating it would yield no different result.
So Arthur turned away without regret.
It was a shame to miss such a good chance to skip swordsmanship lectures, but he had still gained something.
‘I wonder… can Professor Norse cut this ore? If he can’t, then he wouldn’t have even attempted it in the first place.’
Such a teacher might have something worth learning.
With that thought, Arthur let the corner of his mouth curl into a smile as he stepped down from the platform.
Watching his back, Professor Norse muttered in a reluctant voice.
“…Next student, step up.”
After that, twenty more students struck at the ore.
But unlike Arthur, not one of them failed to break their wooden swords.
And from that, the students understood the true purpose of the test.
‘So the instruction to cut the ore was a trap.’
‘They were judging our stance, our force, our physical condition.’
‘Well… it makes sense. Skipping the first lecture entirely was never realistic.’
Perhaps that was why.
The top and bottom rankers of this test became painfully clear.
The students’ gazes turned to Arthur Bayern and Elin Leverkusen.
Professor Norse then shouted his declaration.
“That’s all for today’s lesson. Well done, everyone. Starting from the next class, the curriculum will be tailored to your individual levels.”
At that, the students hurriedly rose.
Even on the first day, each still had on average two or three more lectures left.
Once the last student departed, Professor Norse turned his gaze back to the ore.
“…My prediction was accurate, but there’s one student I can’t get a read on.”
Muttering, he picked up the ore.
And at that moment—
The ore in his hand suddenly split clean in two.
“…!”
Startled, Nolse stumbled back.
From the cleaved ore, a sinister light burst forth.
He regained his senses only after a delay, muttering in shock.
“It broke…? The ore that should never break…?”
—
—
Elin and Arthur stood at a crossroads after their first lecture.
Elin was headed to the Tower of the Sovereign, while Arthur had to attend class at the Tower of Magitech.
“Elin, see you next time.”
Arthur turned first, heading toward the Tower of Magitech.
Elin opened her lips to call out, but it was already too late.
His back vanished, swallowed by the tide of the crowd.
“…Haa.”
She sighed and closed her mouth.
Gazing at the spot where he had stood, she muttered.
“That strike… what was it? Was it just my imagination?”
She had seen it clearly—he had cut.
But the ore hadn’t broken.
That meant it had to have been an illusion. Yet Elin couldn’t accept that.
Arthur’s strike *had* cleaved through the ore.
It had not been an illusion.
Confusion welled up in her chest, and as she sighed again, she noticed something crumpled in her hand.
Arthur’s note.
“…This is another problem. Was it a mistake for me to approach him?”
After a moment of conflict, Elin shook her head.
Approaching Arthur was no sin.
But her intentions had not been pure.
‘I approached him for his recognition… but I never thought he’d turn it on himself.’
Biting her lip, Elin stood lost in thought—until she suddenly stiffened.
“Wait… what time is it?”
Looking at the watch on her wrist, her face hardened.
10:15.
Class had started at 10:10.
She was already five minutes late.
Worse, she wasn’t even at the classroom yet.
“…Ahh! Nothing ever works out!”
With a cry, Elin ran, but it was already too late.
Before her were the icy eyes of the Sovereignty professor, and the peculiar stares of her classmates. Her face crumpled in despair.
—
—
After parting ways with Elin, Arthur opened the door to his next class.
Just like Professor Norse’s lecture, students had already arrived and were waiting.
Arthur slipped past them toward the most secluded seat in the corner.
It was meant to keep attention away, but ironically, the act drew eyes.
The students stared at him, whispering.
‘He’s… unusual.’
‘How should I put it…’
‘Like he lives in another dimension?’
‘Fourth-dimensional…? Something like that.’
Even without conversation, one could glean a person’s character from their aura.
And in that sense, Arthur Bayern was unique.
Not only for what had happened in swordsmanship class—but in many other ways too.
Sensing an opportunity, a few students stood up.
‘We couldn’t approach when Elin Leverkusen was with him…’
‘But now might be a good chance.’
‘At least exchanging names can’t hurt.’
After all, befriending Arthur Bayern had nothing but upside.
One purpose of this academy was for students who would someday sit in the continent’s seats of power to build connections.
And as the heir of House Bayern, he was the epitome of a prestigious connection.
Thus, as a few students moved to approach him—
“Step aside, will you?”
“…H-huh?”
“I need to get through.”
At the cold voice, the student froze, then hurriedly stepped back.
Into that gap walked Yenika Hazel, who plopped down beside Arthur.
“…?”
“What’s with that look, Young Master?”
“Isn’t it normal to look? Why are you sitting next to me?”
“Because it’s the same lecture?”
“Were we ever that close?”
“We share each other’s secrets. Doesn’t that count as close?”
Arthur frowned.
He was about to retort, but then he noticed the watching stares.
Realizing attention was on him, he lowered his voice.
“Yenika, don’t you see? Sitting next to you *draws attention*.”
“…With me?”
“Yes! I don’t want attention, so please sit somewhere else!”
Yenika blinked.
‘Not because he dislikes me… but because it draws attention?’
A strange—no, a very unusual reason.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
“…As expected, Young Master, you’re amusing.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”
“Then others have simply failed to see your worth. You’re plenty amusing, so take pride in it, Young Master.”
Arthur was about to retort again when the classroom door opened.
The professor entered, forcing him to swallow his words.
Professor Chizzy Yuolla, who would teach this Magitech course, stepped up to the podium.
Where Norse had been a robust knight who could rival men half his age, Chizzy was a bent-backed old man.
Perhaps that was why—
“Ah… hello… everyone.”
His words were drawn-out, his speech slow—painfully slow.
At first, the students accepted it. But as it continued, whispers began to spread.
And as the noise rose, Professor Chizzy turned his gaze.
“You there. The one who… just spoke.”
“…Me?”
“Left window, seat 32. You are… warned. One more warning means failure. Do not… speak again.”
The pointed-out student widened his eyes in shock.
The others quickly clammed up, gauging the mood.
But Chizzy’s cold gaze swept across all who had whispered.
“This is an academy. A place to teach, to share knowledge, to cultivate great talent. But… it is not a place for those… without even the basics.”
“……”
“Show respect… to every professor here. That is… my first lesson to you.”
The students swallowed nervously.
With the mood shifted, Chizzy produced a piece of chalk.
From somewhere, a tail appeared and grasped it, scribbling rapidly across the board.
“First, I’ll explain what Magitech is… and how the discipline has developed. These will be the basics.”
“……”
“And next class… there will be a test. That test… will count toward your final grade. So memorize carefully.”
The students’ faces stiffened at the thought of a test on the second day.
But none dared raise a hand.
From his earlier words, they had already seen what kind of man this professor was.
‘Strict.’
‘He’s the real deal.’
‘Did I… choose the wrong lecture?’
With that thought, notebooks and pens were quickly drawn.
Meanwhile, Professor Chizzy scribbled on the board at great speed.
The students could do nothing but write, unable to understand.
Chizzy offered no explanations—only lists upon lists.
The classroom filled with the sound of frantic pens.
Among them, Arthur let out an exclamation in awe.
‘Magitech… this is fascinating. Infusing mana into objects, embedding magic into matter… so this is the principle behind it.’
Centuries ago, magic belonged only to mages.
But now, even non-mages could enjoy its benefits.
Trains powered by mana engines.
Countless automobiles.
All fruits of Magitech.
And Chizzy’s explanation was simple, concise, and captivating.
Arthur hung on to every word, determined not to miss a single one.
Then, Professor Chizzy’s slow voice turned toward him.
“You there… left row, seat 17.”
“……”
“Seat 17… did you not hear me?”
Yenika nudged Arthur’s arm.
Only then did he realize he had been called. He stood up in a hurry.
“Y-yes, Professor!”
“Other students are all taking notes… why are you not?”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
He glanced around.
Sure enough, everyone else had notebooks and pens out.
He realized his mistake at once.
‘Damn… I was so absorbed I forgot to even pretend to take notes.’
Thanks to his abnormal memory, he had remembered every single word.
But to others, it would look as if he weren’t paying attention.
And the professor had caught it.
“Note-taking is your choice. But… I said there would be a test. If you aren’t writing, then you must be… confident.”
With that, Chizzy asked:
“Repeat the definition of Magitech exactly as I gave it. If you cannot… there will be consequences.”
Every gaze turned to Arthur.
Swallowing hard, he steadied himself.
‘I have to answer. I cannot mess this up.’
With a tense breath, Arthur spoke.
“Magitech is… the discipline of fusing mana and magic with matter.”
“……?”
“Thus, without mastery of both magic and science… it is impossible to comprehend. Only with complete knowledge can one begin to understand.”
Professor Chizzy’s half-closed eyes widened.
So too did those of the watching students.
Every one of them stared at Arthur in shock.
But focused wholly on reciting, Arthur failed to notice.
His eyes shone as he perfectly reproduced Chizzy’s words.
“Magic and science—united together, they form Magitech. The new discipline that will shoulder the future of the continent.”
—
