Academy's Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 3
"That's far enough."
Bang Seok-hun halted his actions at the professor's command.
His body stiffened rigidly as he barely managed to turn his head to look at Nam Hwa-yeon.
"Professor, what do you mean by that...?"
"Exactly what I just said. That child did nothing wrong, so stop there."
At Nam Hwa-yeon's words, Bang Seok-hun cried out in an aggrieved tone.
"But, Professor! If a newbie acts like this, it'll undermine the discipline in the lab...!"
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
"...No, ma'am."
Bang Seok-hun bowed his head at her firm tone.
He didn't raise it again. At a glance, it looked like he'd grudgingly accepted the professor's words.
'But from where I'm standing, it seems like he just doesn't want to meet her eyes.'
Then again, even I found Nam Hwa-yeon's unfathomable, ocean-deep gaze unsettling.
In a situation like this, locking eyes with her wasn't easy. I nodded, empathizing with his behavior.
Even as I thought that, no conversation passed between Bang Seok-hun and Nam Hwa-yeon.
Bang Seok-hun kept his head down, his arms trembling faintly. Nam Hwa-yeon watched him with a smiling face.
The silence between them ended only when Bang Seok-hun backed away.
He spoke while still glaring at the floor.
"...I'm sorry for causing a disturbance in your lab, Professor."
"Good. Now go, if you understand."
"Yes, ma'am..."
Bang Seok-hun looked somehow unjustly treated.
He kept his head bowed low even as he opened the lab door and left. He seemed pitiful, like there was some backstory to it all.
Whatever. Not my problem, so I'll ignore it.
What mattered right now wasn't him, but Nam Hwa-yeon standing before me.
I turned to look at her, and sensing my gaze, she gave a soft smile.
"He hasn't been bullying you too much, has he? He's had a tough personality since he was youngstubborn and strong-willed. It must be hard working under him."
"No, not really. But you said 'since he was young'...?"
"Oh, Seok-hun? I brought that child from an orphanage. He was smart, so I taught him from a young age, but before I knew it, he'd turned into such a rude young man."
It was unexpected information.
Nam Hwa-yeon, who looked no older than her late twenties at most, had brought a kid from an orphanage and raised himand that kid was Bang Seok-hun?
Visually, Bang Seok-hun appeared at least ten years older than her.
It was surprising, but not important enough to dwell on, so I filed it away in a corner of my mind.
I was about to ask what she'd been about to tell me earlier when...
"Oh, speaking of which, it's almost time for class."
She beat me to it.
Checking the clock on the wall, Nam Hwa-yeon grabbed the papers on her desk and stood from her chair. She flung open the lab door, then turned back to me.
"Aren't you coming?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Can't you see the clock?"
I glanced at it: 2:48 p.m. But what did that have to do with me?
Then I remembered what Bang Seok-hun had said earlier.
Professor, you have a lecture at 3.
A lecture at 3.
Which meant it was time to head to the classroom.
So why was Nam Hwa-yeon keeping her eyes fixed on me?
Swoosh.
Even when I shifted sideways, wondering if something was behind me, her gaze followed. Left if I went left, right if I went right.
I had no choice but to speak up under her silent stare.
"Um... Professor. Aren't you heading out? I heard there's a lecture at 3."
"Yes. We should get moving."
"Then shouldn't we hurry?"
"A professor can't go to the lecture hall alone, can she?"
"Hm?"
What was she getting at?
Surely she wasn't saying I should come along.
"So hurry up and get ready."
Damn it, nailed it.
But why was she dragging me along?
I knew TAs accompanied professors to lectures, but wasn't that usually the senior TA's job, like Bang Seok-hun?
Grab!
Nam Hwa-yeon seized my hand to keep me from escaping and pulled me along. She told me to grab the textbook and stationery from the desk, and I reluctantly hugged them to my chest as we went.
No point protesting.
Even Bluffing, which had worked fine on Bang Seok-hun, was useless against her.
I couldn't resist at all and let her drag me along by the hand.
* * *
The lecture hall was bigger than I'd imagined.
It was a space that could easily hold hundreds, and every seat was packed without a single gap.
Fitting for the novel's main setting.
That had to be at least 400 people?
As I climbed the podium with her, staring out at the sea of students, hundreds of eyes turned to me. It was a bit overwhelming.
Even I felt this way without lecturinghow must Nam Hwa-yeon feel, standing ahead of me? I turned to check.
"... ."
She prepared for the lecture with a completely calm expression.
Whether she was used to this environment or just incredibly bold, she finished her setup and spoke.
"Greetings."
Her clear voice echoed through the hall.
Amplified by magic, her words rang sharp and clear to every student.
"It's been less than a week since enrollment, so you're all probably still settling in, but my class offers no such indulgences. If you want to learn, struggle on your own."
A harsh greeting before starting the lecture.
But perfectly suited to snap everyone to attention. She snapped her fingers, adding color to the massive blackboard behind her.
[Flowing Stars]
The students gasped briefly at the sudden text on the board, then flipped open their textbooks to find it.
I, watching Nam Hwa-yeon from as far back as possible, quickly skimmed my textbook too.
Where the hell was it?
Rustle!
Soon the hall filled with the sound of turning pages.
Everyone scanned from front to back, desperate to locate [Flowing Stars].
But even rubbing their eyes and searching, no one found it.
I was no different.
I'd thought pre-reading the lecture script would make it easy, but [Flowing Stars] wasn't anywhere. Watching us, Nam Hwa-yeon let out a hearty laugh.
"Of course it's not in the textbook. This lecture content is something I created."
The students murmured in doubt.
Why bother studying something not even in the book?
As that question hung in the air, Nam Hwa-yeon continued.
"As you all know, most magic incantations form circles."
A standard, textbook circular magic circle floated in the air.
Nam Hwa-yeon's doing.
Soon it shifted to squares and triangles.
"Of course, some use square or triangular incantations. Efficiency drops a bit, though."
I glanced around to gauge reactionsfew were focused. Most weren't even taking notes, chatting with neighbors instead.
I totally got it.
No need to pay close attention to lecture content that wouldn't be on exams.
Besides, what Nam Hwa-yeon was explaining was Magic 101.
Even I, a total layman, knew the basics. For academy students, that bored attitude was probably par for the course.
But then again, professors were professors.
"Now, what if we expand the incantation's effect and range?"
The lecture's atmosphere shifted abruptly.
Nam Hwa-yeon reached out, filling the board with countless incantations.
The floating magic circle morphed through various shapes to match: circles, squares, triangles, and more.
Eventually, it became a three-dimensional sphere.
At that moment...
The freshmen who'd been half-listening whipped out their stationery.
They couldn't just listen anymorethey had to jot it down to remember.
I was the same. I scribbled in the textbook.
Funny, it wasn't even mine, but I'd forgotten that amid my focus.
Her lecture had that kind of pull.
"The key here isn't the magic core. It's the incantations orbiting the center like satellites. Adjusting them alone can endlessly reshape the magic's structure."
This much, any student passionate about magic would know. But the lecture didn't stop there.
"However, adding more incantations fixes the form."
As she said, lines appeared on the sphere, and smaller spheres broke off.
They wandered aimlessly before naturally orbiting the mother sphere at the center.
Magic circles flowing around the core like stars circling a planet...
...
By now, the chatter had vanished.
Everyone was glued to the lecture and their notes. Her inexplicable charisma had drawn them in.
"Once applied, this incantation keeps the form intact no matter what magic you layer on."
Even as various magic circles interfered, the incantations still orbited the center like stars.
That's why it was called Flowing Starsthe incantations' forms and flows mimicked the stars in the night sky.
"The core is one incantation as the nucleus, with others revolving like planets. Once you grasp the principle, you can tweak it your own way."
Thus ended the hour-and-a-half lecture.
Nam Hwa-yeon straightened her clothes neatly, while students were still scribbling. Those who'd slacked off early on were especially frantic.
Not being a student, I had no notes to take, so I stood and stretched.
Crack!
The sound of joints popping.
After sitting still so long, I loosened my stiff back and shoulders. But seriously, why bring me here?
I wasn't assisting during the lecture or handing out handouts. All I'd done was sit there.
Did they really need me?
'Still, the content was top-notch.'
Honestly, I barely followed the theory.
But snippets stuck, sparking my inspiration.
One question lingered, though.
'Does the form really never change?'
She'd said once completed, it stayed fixed.
But was that true?
As I pondered...
Nam Hwa-yeon, now composed, spoke up.
"Alright, lecture's over. Time for questions."
Students set down their pens at her words, hands shooting up.
Hundreds of hands waved overhead, begging to be pickedlike an idol concert.
I was stunned for a second, but she spoke and silence fell.
Her lecture must've been that impressive.
"Looks like a lot of you have questions. What to do?"
What elsepick a couple at random.
That's what I thought when her gaze landed on me.
Was she telling me to choose?
"In that case, why don't you ask my junior TA?"
"...Pardon?"
Me?
For real?
Is this why she dragged me here?