“To the Dean, I apologize, but the public seminar is unavoidable.”
…
The Chair of the Imperial Magic Academy, Ariel, looked at Selena with a troubled expression.
“Still, aren’t both papers already published within the academic community?”
“No, Dean Ariel. The kid’s only a second-year undergraduate.”
“And why does that matter?”
“It matters!”
Selena involuntarily raised her voice.
Her point did have merit.
It wasn’t merely because he was a student.
The academic community had a strict hierarchy, and the reliability of research required equally rigorous verification.
For a single researcher to publish a paper, it usually required years of research and experimentation, as well as validation from fellow researchers.
And yet here was just a second-year student trying to overturn established doctrines within a year with a single paper?
Moreover, the theories and concepts presented in the paper had never been addressed by the academic community before.
This was not a matter of academic discussion—it was a situation where basic procedures and systems were being ignored.
“But we can’t ignore the experimental data; it’s perfect both qualitatively and quantitatively.”
“No, that’s exactly what I mean—how is that even possible?! Did that guy lock himself in the time and training room and just write a paper or something? There’s no way he could have written such an insane paper alone in such a short time without any additional support!”
“Um, I don’t know either. But the key point is the same, right? Luke’s paper has already been published within the academic community, numerous people have seen it, and dismissing it isn’t an option because the experimental data and theoretical basis are solid.”
Ariel gestured toward Selena as if prompting her to answer.
“To be precise, based on what I’ve read, your paper, ‘The Impact of Mutual Interaction Between Multiple Magic Circles on Resonance Amplification,’ has its core hypothesis completely overturned.”
“That is…”
“Two opposing papers have been published, so it’s a matter of principle that they must be publicly verified. Do you understand now, Dean Selena?”
“…”
Selena floundered, unable to say a word in response.
Ariel, too, found the situation perplexing.
Setting aside the paper’s completeness, the sheer volume of research materials and experimental data submitted alongside it was abnormal.
Typically, it would take a whole research team years to assemble what had been submitted.
All the listed authors? Luke Richter.
The implication was that he had done all of this alone in just one year…
“…Is he some kind of monster?”
Ariel was thoroughly flabbergasted.
Even considering his background from the Richter family, this was far beyond the normal… No, he wasn’t even human.
Of course, they were unaware.
They did not understand the chemical reaction caused by the fusion of all the futuristic information and magic from the original work, along with the concentrated wisdom of the modern era.
And… graduate students driven mad by degrees and budgets were not exactly in the category of normal humans in the first place.
For Luke Richter, an orphan from an underprivileged family who had been obsessed with scholarships for his entire life, writing papers of this caliber was not particularly difficult.
“The author’s name is… Labshill…? Why would he submit it under a pseudonym instead of his real name?”
“…Probably to avoid attention.”
“Ah, that might make sense. After all, a paper being revealed to be written by a student alone would have been controversial.”
Selena nodded, showing little reaction.
At the very least, it was fortunate that the boy hadn’t used his real name, sparing her the embarrassment of having “a dean rebutted by an undergrad” title.
However, her reputation was still significantly affected.
Selena’s prestige, after all, was based primarily on her potent magical abilities, but at her core, she was still a scholar.
Moreover, she was the deputy head of the Tower of Magic, a paragon of wisdom and intellect.
“…This isn’t good.”
Whenever a paper challenging existing theories was submitted, the academic community held a private seminar for review.
The problem was that there was no way to predict what Luke Richter would do in front of everyone.
But since it was inevitable, she gritted her teeth and attended the seminar.
From the high-ranking figures in the academic world to the chief researchers of the Magic Tower, they were all gathered.
Luke Richter began his presentation.
“Dean Selena’s paper assumes that magic circles interact simply on a two-dimensional plane.”
He drew a few concentric magic circles on the blackboard.
He started to draw several layers of pentagrams over the concentric circles.
“But this assumption is incorrect. Magic circles are not merely two-dimensional geometric figures; they form a fractal structure entangled between spaces.”
Luke infused magical force into the circle and completed its circuitry.
Then, the completed magic circle began emanating waves.
“When magical power meets, these waves collide with each other. Sometimes they amplify each other, and sometimes they cancel out, much like two waves meeting.”
Luke continued to draw new geometric patterns on the blackboard.
Complicated geometric patterns formed as magic circles overlapped, unfolding before everyone’s eyes.
“However, these waves do not act solely on the 3-dimensional plane we know. The structure of the magic circle is essentially non-Euclidean, and the topological singularities acting in higher-dimensional spaces are much more complex and varied…”
In an eerie silence, only his voice reverberated softly.
Though he explained, most of the audience sat dumbfounded by his words.
An old gentleman cautiously raised his hand to ask a question.
He was Isaac Eckhart, the head of the royal magic corps.
“…I’d like to hear more about this high-dimensional space you mentioned.”
“It can be described as a complex space with curvature.”
“I’d like to inquire about its relationship with the law circle…”
“The patterns of the law circle, though drawn on a plane, affect the actual ‘space’ through the waves of magical power they emit. If you check the experimental data I’ve submitted as 3-B, you’ll find it explained clearly.”
“I did see it… Though difficult to understand. So, if what you say is correct, it means the efficiency of the resonance pattern can be amplified at least threefold with the same magical force?”
“Exactly.”
The people inside the hall started murmuring.
The wizards’ faces were filled with confusion and shock.
Isaac Eckhart furrowed his brow and spoke again.
“Further verification will be needed, but it still seems implausible. Did you do all of this alone? How?”
“Why not?”
Indeed, for the previous life’s Luke, it was routine.
Doctoral theses, academic conference presentations, administrative work, project proposals, interim reports, final reports, lab cleanups, booking accommodations for professors on business trips, foreign postdoctoral housing contracts… He had lived for years like a slave under malicious professors.
For him, using the budget to write a paper overturning existing fallacies with the information from the original world?
A year was more than enough.
Of course, others who heard his response thought differently.
“Impossible talent.”
He was, without a doubt, a prodigy blessed with exceptional talent.
Even without magical prowess, his academic talent was at a godlike level.
Jealousy began to take root.
Most of the attendees were either elders or professors of the Magic Tower.
A slave—no, a disciple who could deliver such an impressive performance in just a year?
He was the kind of talent capable of reshuffling the balance of the five magic towers that ruled the continent.
Hence, Isaac asked.
“Do you have a mentor?”
“No.”
“Then, how about joining me?”
It was a bold offer.
But Luke Richter’s reply…
“I’d rather die.”
“What…?”
It was firm.
No, it was almost oppressive in its decisiveness.
*
A year passed.
“Dean! DEEEN!!!”
“…What is it?”
“Luke Richter… he did it again!”
“…”
To make up for his low practical scores, Luke Richter published another paper.
“This one challenges your previous work on the purity of magical crystals… oh, what was the title again?”
“The Effect of Purity of Magical Crystals on Advanced Magic Casting.”
“Yes! That’s it! His paper refutes that paper, so the academic community is summoning you…”
“…”
Being called by the academic circle had become an annual event for Selena.
It was all because of Luke Richter.
He mass-produced papers like a factory and sent the academic world as well as the Magic Tower into turmoil.
To the extent that the pseudonym ‘Labshill’ was now considered a sage in the world.
It didn’t end there.
Every chance he got, he caused chaos at the academy, shortening Selena’s life by at least a decade.
His antics during the entrance exam? Merely a cute quirk.
From using the student council to dismantle the outdated systems of the academy, to constantly pointing out theoretical flaws in written exam questions and tormenting the professors, he caused endless trouble.
Whenever a problem arose, he reported it to the royal court, allegedly to build connections, causing the royal household to take a positive interest in him.
The pressure from the Red Magic Tower only intensified over time.
The constant pressure from the Tower’s head to meet Sage ‘Labshill’ had given her premature bald patches.
After multiple attempts to handle him, he finally graduated.
Claiming he’d become a low-ranking official, he left for the royal court.
And now,
“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
Selena screamed inside her carriage.
The thought of seeing Luke Richter again after a year already made her dizzy with dread.
