The Academy Regressor is Obsessed

The day after constructing the magic power core.

At a time not yet noon, Asel came out to Wiheim’s bustling area with Ena.

Evelyn couldn’t come along as she was learning mansion duties from Hailey. She, who had no interest in magic, remained at the mansion without showing any particular regret. Thanks to this, Asel felt a bit more at ease.

“……”
“Ooh……”

Asel looked around the bustling area while walking behind Ena, who was leading the way.

Magic-powered vehicles run on the neatly paved roads. A means of transportation that moves using only magical power, without carriages. All the passengers need to do is adjust the direction and speed, making it easy to use even without learning horseback riding. It’s a common means of transportation in Wiheim, where magical engineering is advanced.

Golems are also actively moving around the streets. Their forms varied from ordinary stones to those made of elements like fire and water. Most of them were in the process of moving supplies needed for magic or research.

Although not very fast, considering the number and weight of the items they were carrying, they were clearly excellent porters. Humans can’t do that. Unless they’re someone who has awakened to aura.

‘Such people wouldn’t be doing porter jobs though.’

Asel thought this and chuckled. At that moment, Ena turned to him and opened her mouth.

“Disciple, do you remember why we came out today?”
“Ah, yes. I remember.”

Asel nodded and answered.

Yesterday, the day he constructed his core. After dinner, Ena had called Asel separately and informed him in advance that they would go out together tomorrow.

There were two purposes. One was to receive a membership certificate for the Witch Association, and the other was to determine his magical power nature affinity. Both were quite interesting to Asel. Among them, Asel was more interested in the magical power nature affinity.

He understood that the Witch Association was a great organization. He had read a book about the Witch Association yesterday too. He had already deeply ingrained in his mind how long its history was, and how many achievements and great people it had produced. He also understood that it was an honor to belong to such a place.

But that’s all. Although he understood it in his head, his heart remained calm. Perhaps because he had only dipped his toes into the society of magicians, even when he heard that he would become a member of the Witch Association, his heart didn’t race that much. It might be because he had only licked the surface with shallow knowledge.

On the other hand, just hearing about the magical power affinity test made his heart swell.

‘All existing magics are greatly influenced by the mage’s affinity.’

The most popularly known elemental magic, magic that walks the path of heterodoxy including corpse magic and black magic. And various unusual magics including lightning magic. All these magics are not something you can learn just because you want to. The magic one can learn differs depending on which branch of magic the mage has a strong affinity for.

For example, if one’s magical power has good affinity with fire, it’s easier to learn fire magic, and if it goes well with water, water magic is easier to learn. The power and efficiency of the magic are also quite excellent.

It’s not that you can’t learn magic from other branches at all. However, the limit of achievement that can be obtained is clear, and the rank that can be accumulated is significantly lower. That’s why most magicians tend to learn magic that aligns well with their magical power nature.

But unusual magic is a bit different. This strange magic branch is influenced not only by the nature of magical power but also by individual imagery, talent, environment, and various other factors. The lightning magic that Ena learned is also the same.

‘I wonder what I’ll be.’

If possible, I hope it’s towards the lightning branch. Asel thought this as he walked.

“Let’s stop by the Witch Association first, and after lunch, we’ll go for the nature test. Is that okay?”
“Yes. Whatever is convenient for you, Master.”
“Then let’s do that. Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Anything that’s not moldy garbage is fine.”
“…I’ll choose for you.”

Ena looked at Asel with pitying eyes and stroked his head. Asel realized he had misspoken and gave a bitter smile. He should have just mentioned any food casually. Now he’s made her worry unnecessarily.

“Let’s go with steak. I know a good place.”
“Yes. That’s good.”

They continued walking while chatting casually. After a while, the two arrived in front of a huge building.

A building that stretched longer horizontally than vertically. Countless windows were tightly attached to the exterior walls of the building, and a single lightning rod was stuck on the pointed roof.

A black cat was sitting at the main entrance. Unlike ordinary cats, it was wearing a witch hat for cats on its head.

Its yellow eyes were filled with indelible deep wisdom. The cat was licking its paw and washing its face when it noticed Ena approaching and cast a glance. Then, with a broad smile, it straightened its body.

“Ena!” speech came out of the cat’s mouth. Asel’s eyes widened at this unbelievable sight, while Ena, seemingly used to it, opened her mouth without any particular reaction.

“It’s been a while, Bell. Have you been well?”
“I’ve been fine. What about you? You went to catch that bastard Zerville, didn’t you? Did you catch him?”
“Unfortunately, he got away.”
“Bullshit!”

The cat called Bell opened its mouth as if hissing and jumped into Ena’s arms. Ena skillfully received her.

“You let that bastard get away? Someone like you could kill him with just a flick of your finger, couldn’t you?”
“He was hiding in a kingdom’s slums, so I was hesitant to recklessly use magic. He also took a hostage.”
“Ha! He deliberately hid in such a place. That damn bastard. I knew it when I saw him walking around smelling of corpses. Taking a hostage is just like something that bastard would do. He’s not some common thug, what’s a noble magician doing?”

Bell clicked her tongue and climbed onto Ena’s shoulder. Ena gently stroked her back and turned her head towards Asel. At that blue gaze, Asel, who had been staring at Bell with a dazed expression, came to his senses and approached her.

“I’m sorry. I was just surprised for a moment……”
“It’s okay. Everyone’s like that when they first see Bell.”
“Am I some kind of magical beast? Why are you treating me like that?”

Bell lightly bit Ena’s shoulder as if complaining about her words. Then she looked at Asel with sharp eyes.

“So who’s this milk-smelling kid? Why are you bringing him along?”
“Haven’t the rumors spread?”
“What rumors. That’s just your self-importance.”
“Hmm, is that so?”

Ena left the wriggling Bell alone and looked down at Asel, staying silent for a moment. Then she smiled slightly and said while lightly stroking his hair:

“He’s my disciple.”
“?”

Bell’s expression twisted strangely upon hearing Ena’s words. Ena slightly raised the corner of her mouth and said once again.

“This is my disciple Asel. Say hello, Asel. This is Bell, a transformation mage belonging to the Witch Association.”
“Ah, hello, Miss Bell. I’m Asel.”

Asel politely greeted the cat with a dazed expression. Bell looked down at Asel’s crown, then suddenly struggled and escaped from Ena’s arms. Ena willingly let her go.

“Meow!”

Landing on the ground, she made a cat’s cry and raised her tail stiffly upwards. Asel realized that this action was a kind of incantation. The wave of magical power that started from Bell’s tail soon enveloped her entire body. With a cracking sound, the cat’s body instantly returned to human form.

A height smaller than Ena. Purple bob hair grown to her shoulders. She was a girl with impressive sharp cat-like eyes and golden pupils trembling within them. She looked at Asel with a surprised expression, then immediately turned around and ran into the Witch Association building.

As she did so, she shouted:

“The lightning-crazy magician has brought an heir! The sky will be torn apart again! Kyaaaah!!”
“Still as noisy as ever.”

Ena chuckled as she watched Bell’s retreating figure.

“Let’s go, Asel.”
“…Yes.”

Asel answered with a sullen expression. Ena, who lightly tapped his forehead with her finger, slowly started walking into the building. Asel followed behind her.

Upon entering the building, the thick smell of books and wood lingered in the nose. Amidst that, the scent of women’s perfume and various reagents penetrated. They couldn’t feel it until crossing the door, but as soon as they did, it was immediately noticeable. It seemed designed to prevent those outside from noticing what was happening inside.

‘Is it barrier magic? I couldn’t feel any magical power at all……’

Asel frowned and turned his head in all directions.

Once inside the building, he could feel the thick remnants of magical power. Even the air they breathed contained dense magical power, and the floor, walls, and ceiling were all covered with magic and magical power. These were things he couldn’t feel at all from the outside. It was a strange thing for Asel, who was sensitive to mana and magical power.

“The external and internal spaces are disconnected, but I can’t feel any traces of magic. It seems they used a technique other than magic.”
“You noticed.”

Ena said, looking at Asel with a surprised expression.

“When this building was first constructed, they invited a shaman as an external person. That person separated the space at the request of an elder. I heard it was such a delicate work that they focused only on the ritual for a month.”
“You weren’t here, I suppose.”
“Right. I often go out.”

Asel nodded and raised his gaze.

One of the books flying through the air landed precisely on Asel’s outstretched hand.

It was a book titled “Witch Association Fire Magic Revised Edition”. Asel slowly read the book and opened his mouth.

“Even for shamanism, techniques that handle space are known to be rare, so it seems it was quite a high-level shaman.”
“They were a 7th-rank shaman. They were also quite old. They must have learned at least one spatial ritual.”
“Even such a person needs to spend a month to deploy a technique?”

[This book is a revised version of the fire magic of the Ignis Magic Tower in a form similar to the unusual magic handled by the Witch Association, and is significantly different from general elemental magic.]

“Most things dealing with space are like that. Not just mages, but warriors too.”
“Time is the same, right?”
“Time is even more tricky. There probably aren’t any time mages alive currently.”

[The fire magic dealt with in this book can comprehensively use not only the core but also external magical power and mana, physical flames, sparks, and flames spread by the mage. As such, it requires a very high level of magical power control, suppression, affinity, and fluid magical circuits. If even one of these is insufficient, give up quickly.]

“More importantly, how far are we going? It feels like we’ve walked quite a bit……”
“We’re almost there.”

[The following is basic fire magic. If you can use this magic smoothly, you can learn the next magic and the magic concepts dealt with in this book. If it’s impossible or difficult to manifest the magic, close the book and go back to sleep.]

“There aren’t many people on the way.”
“Most are probably out on business trips or shut in their own research labs. To begin with, not many people come to the Witch Association building… What are you doing?”
“Pardon?”

Asel asked back. Ena pointed at Asel’s hand with a serious face and said:

“That… what is it?”
“This? It’s a book titled ‘Witch Association Fire Magic Revised Edition’. It happened to land in my hand, so I read it.”
“Not that. What’s in your other hand?”
“Oh, you mean this?”

Asel raised his hand that wasn’t holding the book with an unconcerned expression.

Red flames were dancing above his palm. A spark that burns using not only the mage’s magical power but also the mana and magical power floating externally as fuel.

“It’s a magic called Scorching Flame. It was in the book, so I tried using it once.”
“…How?”
“Uh, well……”

Asel pondered for a moment, then scratched his head and answered in a small voice:

“…Just? It worked when I did it.”

Ena was at a loss for words.