【Balblair】
In just one day, I experienced several shocks as if the world had changed.
Each shock was caused by the magician Aoi, but she seemed completely unconcerned.
She just calmly explained her knowledge of magic circles and redrew one without chanting.
Moreover, she did so using spells I had never seen before.
Then a pillar of flame erupted from the magic circle. Although our academy had a senior fire magic teacher before, I had never seen such a pillar of fire.
And then she cast a spell and casually extinguished it.
All of these involved terrifyingly advanced magic that would be considered top secret in any country.
If she could disclose one of them, I'd be willing to share some of Maple Leaf's research results.
While I was thinking, Aoi tilted her head and asked, "So, can you teach me about Maple Leaf's magic and knowledge of the human body?
Her demeanor was completely calm, giving the subtle impression that the grand magic she had just used was no big deal to her.
The contrast made me laugh out loud. "Kuhahaha! After you've shown me all this, it'd be unreasonable not to offer something in return. Tell me what you need, and I'll share them with you one by one.
When I gave in, she thanked me sincerely. "Thank you.”
I turned to her and replied with a smile, "But I also want you to teach me about magic circles. Oh, and teach me the chantless magic we just saw. What do you think?"
I spoke as if it were a matter of course. Normally, this wouldn't even be a negotiation.
She had already demonstrated her superiority with the magic circle. Therefore, the decision of what information to exchange was entirely in her hands.
So, from Aoi's perspective, she could simply demand Maple Leaf's secrets first. Unfortunately, Maple Leaf's knowledge of magic circles was completely inferior to that of Fiddiq Academy, so we were not in a position to negotiate.
At least in the areas of healing magic and knowledge of the human body, we had the upper hand, and I wanted to use that confidence to extract as much knowledge from her as possible.
I wonder how Aoi interpreted my intentions.
She nodded impassively. "That's fine. Since we don't have much time, I'll explain chantless magic and magic circles."
She agreed without hesitation.
This caught me off guard, and I blinked in surprise. "… I appreciate it, but is that alright?"
This time, she blinked in surprise, then lifted the corner of her mouth slightly as if she finally understood. "It's fine. My goal is to raise the world's magic level."
"Magic level…" I repeated the words, thinking about their meaning.
I had thought it was for personal magical research, but it seemed that wasn't the case. This was completely different from the ideology of someone like Crown Windsor, who was known for his obsession with magic.
"So, do you plan to travel to other countries to learn and teach magic?"
I thought it was a stupid question, and then I remembered something even more important and asked again, "No, wait… Aoi-dono. How many countries have you visited? Magic circles and chantless magic, they're not secrets from other countries, are they?"
I shuddered at my own imagination.
If she had already traveled to other Great Nations before Maple Leaf, we would be far behind. The technological gap would be enormous.
I waited anxiously for her answer.
But Aoi's answer was simple. "No, this is the first country."
"… I see," I replied, still puzzled.
Judging from the conversation and the atmosphere, her words were probably true.
But if that was the case, what worried me was Fiddiq Academy.
It was the only magic academy supported by several countries, both financially and with personnel, and yet it was clearly located within the territory of the Verted Kingdom.
If such extraordinary magic were monopolized by the Verted Kingdom, it would drastically disrupt the world’s military balance.
Thinking of this, I remembered Aoi's purpose. "Aoi-dono, you mentioned earlier that your goal is to raise the world’s magic level. So, if we visited Fiddiq Academy, would we be able to learn new magic as well?"
Aoi nodded.
If that were true, we should send talented magicians to Fiddiq Academy.
No, maybe I should go there myself.
Studying abroad at this age might seem strange, but it could be interesting. I decided to continue with the preparations to hand over my position as principal to Cameron.
Thinking about the future, I subconsciously smiled.