I stood beside Jane Doe, pointing to a section of the blueprint.
"As you can see, the rotational energy obtained from the water's power is used solely to lift this enormous mass of iron."
"And… whenever power is needed, you release this latch bit by bit? Like clockwork?"
"Correct. Then, with each strike of the hammer, the mass of iron lowers slightly..."
"And when it’s all used up, you’ll use the water’s power to lift the iron mass again during the night."
Jane Doe’s breathing grew slightly ragged.
"To store and release power using only natural studies. How remarkable..."
She asked me.
"Are you planning to build this now?"
"Yes. I intend to at least get the foundation work done."
"Why just the foundation? You have the full blueprint. I’ll help you."
"... Pardon?"
She gestured lightly into the air. In that instant, the ground beneath my feet was instantly excavated.
Rumble!
So this moment had finally come. This time, I was the one to say the words I had only ever heard from others.
"Magic of this magnitude without an incantation?"
"Hee hee hee."
Jane Doe seemed to be in a good mood. Just like that, the pit I had planned to dig for the foundation work was completed in the blink of an eye. I said to her.
"Wow. That's amazing."
"... Is that all?"
"Pardon? Um. You're incredible! Thank you!"
Jane Doe’s expression soured.
"You don't sound sincere. You won't see magic like this anywhere else, you know."
"Alright... I'll show you something more interesting."
When she gestured once more, boulders from the quarry across the river levitated into the air and flew toward us.
"Whoa! What the?!"
"The rocks are flying!"
I could hear the shouts of the quarry workers in the distance. 'I'll have to go to the quarry later and compensate them.' Doing it now would just feel like picking a fight, so I'd better stay quiet.
Jane Doe said to me.
"How about this?"
"Wow. That's truly unimaginable magic."
"Right?"
She seemed satisfied with my reaction this time. The building materials began to move like toy blocks, stacking themselves precisely in the locations specified on the blueprint. Her magical skill was astounding.
So much so that I couldn't think of anyone to compare her to. 'Sir Valerius comes to mind, if I had to make a comparison...' But surely she couldn't be that powerful.
A Great Mage wasn't someone who just fell out of the sky. What is her identity?
Who is the greatest mage in the Empire? Many mages would be named, such as Magarta, the Dean of the Magic Tower, or the Great Mage Valerius. But when it came to a 'legendary mage,' everyone said the same name.
Doloren.
She had no last name. Born the daughter of a serf, she was blessed with mana and slew a dragon at the age of ten. She refused the title of Great Mage offered by the Dean and the Emperor, and founded her own school the year she came of age.
Her activities thereafter are not officially known. However, according to one rumor, Doloren spends her days searching ancient ruins to achieve her personal ambition.
Around the time Isaac was tearing apart Cayenne Winterheart's master's thesis at the Magic Tower, Giuseppe had gone to visit Doloren.
"It's been a while, Giuseppe."
Doloren greeted him with a bright smile.
Giuseppe spoke.
"How is the ruin exploration going?"
"Not good. It's a bust. Another dead end this time."
"That's a shame."
"... You didn't come all this way just for a routine report like this. Why are you here?"
"Hee hee hee."
Seeing him after so long, Giuseppe looked somewhat excited.
He said.
"I have a junior now."
"... Huh? Why?"
"That's what I'd like to know... I have so much to tell you."
Giuseppe poured out stories about his junior, a man named Isaac Upperhills. How he created a magical device that would do all his paperwork while he napped. How he took on a mission another school had given up on, for a higher price, and succeeded.
How he defined the properties of waves. And how he presented the Great Mage Valerius's calculus...
"And after that, Her Highness the Princess suddenly appeared and awarded us medals...!"
"Why don't you just say he made mana stones out of pinecones?"
"Pardon...?"
Even for Doloren, who had slain a dragon at ten, such feats were impossible. The things Giuseppe had just mentioned were not heights one could reach simply by being powerful. 'Unless he's a true genius...'
But Doloren knew very well that such a genius would not join a minor school. Doloren observed Giuseppe carefully. 'Could it be... is he sick somewhere?'
Doloren was worried about Giuseppe's health. It seemed he might have hit his head.
She said.
"I'll have to visit more often next year. You must have been so bored to have created an imaginary junior."
"... Pardon?"
She felt a pang of sympathy.
"For now, just go back. I'll drop by from time to time this year. Or you can rest here for a bit. I'll put in a good word with the Dean."
"... You think I'm lying?"
"Would you believe it if you were me?"
"I figured this might happen, so I brought the reports with me."
Giuseppe handed Doloren a report detailing the achievements of 'Isaac Upperhills.' Doloren only pretended to read the report.
"A fine report. I understand. I'll visit the school more often this year."
"... So you're going to ignore it. Don't come to me later asking why I didn't try harder to convince you."
"Alright. Go on with your work."
And so, Giuseppe left.
"There's a limit to spouting nonsense."
If he achieved that much in his first semester, she would bet the Dean's seat would change hands within fifty years. Doloren's mind changed a few months later. One day, bored out of her mind, she happened to open the report Giuseppe had given her.
"What is this? Calculus...?"
She had once seen Valerius's magic for solving the 'Achilles and the Tortoise' paradox. The Method of Continuity, was it? It was an interesting approach, but it was clearly an incomplete magic.
But this, right in front of her, was not. This was its complete form.
"To think that finding the area and finding the instantaneous rate of change are inverse processes of each other..."
Astonishing.
Like geometry, every step was rigorous. What's more, using this, one could mathematically define the 'Wave Theory' that Isaac Upperhills had first presented. There are many famous architects in the world, but it is extremely rare for someone who wants to build to start by designing the perfect 'architectural tools' for the job.
And Isaac Upperhills had done just that. Therein lay Doloren's ideal.
"There's no way Giuseppe could have imagined this all by himself..."
Only then did Doloren feel regret.
"So he really exists, this Isaac Upperhills."
It was always like this. Giuseppe would warn her in advance, but Doloren would never listen.
"I should have trusted Giuseppe."
She wanted to go and see him right now. This boy named Isaac. Doloren finally decided to return to the capital.
Leaving without a word would get her a scolding from the Dean, so she sent a brief notice through her crystal orb. The Dean's willpower faintly reached her. 'You will enter through the city gates.'
Goosebumps rose on Doloren's arms.
"You crazy monster... your reach extends this far?"
This time, it felt like landing directly in the Magic Tower's courtyard was not an option.
Crack. Snap.
Doloren stretched her body.
"Well then, shall we go?"
Kwa-bang!
Doloren's body shot upwards like a cannonball. And where she arrived, she met an interesting mage.
"My name is Howard."
"Right. I'm 'Jane Doe.'"
She was surprised when she saw Howard's magical device blueprint. It looked like a typical waterwheel, but its essence was different. A waterwheel is a device that changes the form and direction of force, but this was a device that 'stored' force.
'And to think he can distribute that stored power so precisely to other places.' Isaac and now Howard... it seemed the Magic Tower was full of talent these days. 'I'd like to bring this friend into our school too...'
His mana capacity seemed ordinary, but he was the type whose insight was wide open. Just like Giuseppe. A mage right up Doloren's alley.
She asked Howard.
"Are you planning to build this now?"
"Yes. I intend to at least get the foundation work done."
"Why just the foundation? You have the full blueprint. I’ll help you."
"... Pardon?"
Doloren acted immediately. To help with the work, score some points, and scout 'Howard' for the School of Magical Surveying.
The workshop was completed in an instant. It was at a level where you could hang a sign on it right away.
"All done. Not bad, right?"
"... Thanks to you, it was built in an instant."
I had planned to probe her identity while we worked, but there hadn't been a chance. I asked Jane.
"Where are you headed now?"
"The Magic Tower."
"... I was planning on going there too. We're headed the same way."
I couldn't very well call the guards after she'd helped me. I decided to head to the Magic Tower with her for now. I was prepared to subdue her if necessary, though whether that was possible was another question.
On the way, Jane said to me.
"I'll pay you a premium to scout you. How about joining our school?"
Money.
For the 'Upperhills Foundation,' the more money, the better.
"How much are you offer... No, that was a slip of the tongue."
It felt like I would get into big trouble if I pushed my luck. My intuition was screaming at me. Jane let out a soft laugh.
"You're a funny one."
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
Her hand struck my back. She may have meant it as a joke, but that joke was enough to kill a frog—no, Isaac. My back was tingling.
"Jane... are you sure you're not a Wind Element Mage?"
Her physical strength alone seemed enough to give those people a good fight.
"I told you I'm not. Our school is a really minor one. So minor it's in the annex."
'The fact that she specifically mentioned the annex... is she really a mage from the Magic Tower?' The Magic Tower's annex wasn't well-known to outsiders. If I were an assailant, I wouldn't bother using such a minor department as part of my excuse.
Let's probe a little more. I asked Jane.
"Then which room is your school in at the annex?"
"... You must not know, but the schools in the annex don't even have room numbers on their doors."
To think she knew that. She must be a real mage from an annex school.
She continued.
"Our school is at the end of the first-floor hallway."
Thud.
My footsteps came to a halt.
"... The end of the hallway, you say?"
"Yes."
The end of the first-floor hallway was where our school's old research lab used to be. That place was empty now. 'If that's the case, could it be...'
The Holmes inside me spoke. When you have eliminated all which is impossible... whatever remains. My mouth moved on its own.
"Are... are you by any chance Professor Doloren?"
"Hmm?"
Jane's—no, Doloren's—eyes widened.
She spoke.
"How did you know? I never even told you my real name."
So I was right. I bowed my head deeply.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Isaac Upperhills, a new student who joined the School of Magical Surveying last semester."
"Uh...?"
"It is an honor to meet you, Professor Doloren."
"... So you're that Isaac. Isaac Upperhills."
Doloren seemed a little disappointed.
But why?
Aren't I an EX-rank graduate student? What's there to be dissatisfied about?
She said.
"So there is no Howard, then?"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, it's... nothing. I just feel like I've had a gift stolen from me."
Magic Tower, 10th Floor. School of Magical Surveying research lab. The school head, Doloren, gazed out the window and muttered.
"I like the annex better than the main building. It feels more relaxed. Don't you think so, 'Howard'?"
Calling me Howard now. I decided to play along with Doloren's joke.
"... Yes, School Head Jane."
Doloren chuckled.
Giuseppe looked back and forth between us, confused.
He said.
"What's going on? Did something happen between you two without me knowing?"
"... It's nothing. You don't need to know."
Giuseppe tilted his head but didn't ask any further. Doloren excitedly darted around the lab. She flipped through my 'Magical Device Suspension' thesis and muttered.
"Wow. I should have listened to Giuseppe. I missed out on a semester's worth of fun."
Giuseppe immediately retorted to her words.
"See, what did I tell you? I told you to come quickly."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry."
A moment later, her gaze shifted to the "Excel" device.
"Whoa, what's this now? Did you put a self-destruct spell on it too? Just how precious is this thing?"
Doloren's gaze turned to me. My mouth opened.
"... I will register you, School Head Doloren, as an authorized user as soon as possible."
"Good. Thanks."
After that, Doloren continued to rummage through every corner of the lab. Watching the scene, I felt a little dazed. Giuseppe said to me.
"You'll have to get used to it. She's always like this."
"Ah... yes."
"Oh, right, a formal notice came for you, junior."
Giuseppe handed me a sheet of paper that had been lying on the desk.
[The Magic Tower Thesis Review Association is experiencing difficulties in selecting a suitable opponent for Researcher Isaac Upperhills's master's thesis defense. Therefore, we wish to gather the opinion of the party in question. If you have a desired opponent, please recommend them.]
What in the world. Am I seeing this correctly? Asking the defender to pick their own opponent for a thesis defense.
Is this really okay, Magic Tower? From the discretionary research funds to this, it all seems too haphazard... If I were the Dean, I wouldn't run things this loosely.
"So, junior, is there anyone you'd like to recommend as an opponent?"
"No. Not really."
"This is a predicament."
Just then, Doloren squeezed in between us.
"A master's thesis defense? 'Howard,' I heard you were a new student who just joined last semester. How are you doing this already?"
"... Well. There are circumstances."
I gave Doloren a suitably brief explanation of what had happened so far. The conflict with the School of Wind Element Magic, and my thesis, which was proposed as the solution. Doloren asked me.
"... What kind of thesis is it that could split the School of Wind Element Magic in two?"
"Um... in short, it's about establishing an absolute standard for temperature based on the volume of a gas according to its temperature..."
"...!"
Before my explanation was even finished, Doloren grabbed my shoulders.
"Wait, wait. What did you say? What's the topic? Establishing an absolute standard for temperature?"
"... Yes."
"You really are a proper member of the School of Magical Surveying."
Doloren's eyes began to shine with greed.
"I want to read that thesis too."
It was a request I couldn't refuse.
Swish.
With every turn of the page, a sound of laughter escaped her lips.
Pat, pat.
Giuseppe, sitting next to me, patted my back. The man was trying not to laugh. I had a very ominous feeling.
After Doloren finished reading my entire thesis, she spoke.
"I'll be the opponent."
"Pardon?"
"The absolute temperature thesis. A topic like that should be entrusted to a fellow member of the School of Magical Surveying."
For a moment, my mind went blank. The school head volunteering to be the opponent for a master's thesis... isn't that a bit much? I pointed to Giuseppe beside me and said.
"If the school's circumstances are so important, instead of the school head, perhaps Senior Giuseppe could step up..."
"No way! It has to be me! If you pass, I'll give you my full support... so please let me do it."
She should really act her age... She might look young on the outside, but she had to be quite old. Her enthusiasm was so aggressive it was a little scary.
'Help.'
Hoping my thoughts would be transmitted, I looked at Giuseppe.
Giuseppe replied.
"Why are you looking at me? This is your problem."
For the first time in my life, I felt a sense of betrayal from Senior Giuseppe.