Academy's Undercover Professor

C129: Magic Square Class (1)

I had to delete the previous novel because of some issues that’s why the Novel Updates links didn’t work for a while and why the comments disappeared but don’t worry everything it’s fine now. There will be one more release later since I couldn’t post yesterday.

When the students saw the square shape drawn on the magic board, their reaction was split in half.

On one hand was the anticipation to what kind of mysterious magic Mr. Rudger would show this time and on the other hand was the disbelief since they couldn’t comprehend what was in front of them.

Even though Rudger had shown various magic’s so far, the square magic circle was beyond common sense.

The fact that the magic circle is always drawn as a circle has its symbolism, but above all, it is because the circle is the shape through which the power flows most perfectly whether it’s the force that flows from inside to outside or from outside to inside.

The “curve” of the circle helps the flow of power flow smoothly and circulate in the magic circle. However, the figure in which “angles” exists is different.

The magic that flows through the magic circle has a kind of inertia toward the direction it flows. Naturally, the magic that flows in a straight line cannot be bent the moment it encounters an angled corner and escapes to the outside.

The leaked magic power gets lost, scatters here and there, collides, and eventually disappears without any effect. No, it would be better if it disappeared since in severe cases, it may explode.

In other words, the magic circle drawn in a “circle” is the minimum standard to keep the flow of magic stable. However, Rudger’s square had as many as four angles. This means that there are four corners where the mana that extends in a straight line will escape.

What if you want to block the magic that escapes to the corner and draw a new line there?

After all, the straight line drawn on the magic circle must have an end. A circle without an ending is not a magic circle.

If you want to draw an endless straight line to reduce the loss of magical power, there will be insufficient space even with a drawing paper the size of a continent.

However, the magic circle that Rudger drew now is at a level of only 70 or 80 cm on one side. There’s no way he’d be able to create a pass in there that would allow him to use magic effectively.

“You don’t seem to believe me.”

Rudger wasn’t unaware of the suspicion in their gazes. He fully expected this reaction from the moment he drew the figure on the magic board.

“…….”

“…….”

The students kept their mouths shut, but they couldn’t deny it because they also had basic knowledge and pride as wizards.

Some students were convinced that Rudger was wrong this time.

‘What are you up to, Mr. Rudger?’

Flora Lumos furrowed her fine brow, trying to grasp Rudger’s intentions. If it was her usual self, she would have raised her hand immediately and asked a sharp question. However, Flora Lumos once did that and then got scolded by Rudger.

Afterwards, she sought a few chances, but Rudger didn’t show any gaps. Even if she wasn’t a smart woman, at this point, she had no choice but to realize that the man named Rudger Chelici doesn’t talk emptily.

Because Flora knew that, she stayed silent even though she had a sullen face. She rather glared at the students who gave her a little anticipatory glance.

‘What do they think of me as?’

It’s not that she didn’t understand that they expected her to come forward, but Flora was annoyed for no reason.

When it was revealed that she was in a bad mood, the students who made eye contact withdrew their gaze.

Flora, who had finished suppressing them, crossed her arms and looked at Rudger.

‘Well, that’s no way teacher would lie about it.’

Rudger doesn’t bring up nonsense so Flora concluded that there must be a reason for that.

‘Cause if it wasn’t, I’d be disappointed.’

So he’s going to show us something amazing this time and flatten the noses of those unbelievers. Flora Lumos pretended not to be, but she had expectations inside.

“There are students who can’t believe it, so let me show you.”

Rudger showed the students a piece of paper that he had brought as class materials.

“As you can see, what is drawn here is a magic circle. It’s like what I drew on a magic board.”

On the magic board was an ordinary square, but on the paper Rudger showed them, there was a square magic circle with several things added besides the square.

However, the students felt rather anxious because the shape of the square divided by 5 horizontally and vertically consisting of a total of 25 squares looked more like a chessboard rather than a magic circle.

There were letters engraved on the inside and nothing else seemed to have been specially added.

“I will now imbue this magic circle with mana. Let’s start with the manifestation of simple elements.”

Rudger’s comments were met with indifference from students.

The moment he infuses mana into the square magic circle, the magic circle will not be able to play its role. Everyone pictured the same future in their heads but a little while after Rudger infused mana the students opened their eyes wide.

Light began to flow from the magic circle, and eventually a small flame was lit from the center of the magic circle.

“Did it work?”

“What? What the hell happened?”

It was unbelievable. How did proper magic emerge in a magic circle of angular shapes that did not circulate mana?

Some students, including Flora Lumos, stared at Rudger’s magic circle with cold eyes, while most of them seemed to be dazzled as if they were in a dream.

“As you can see, magic circles made of squares also work well. What do you think is the reason?”

Flora Lumos raised her hand as soon as Rudger’s question fell but she wasn’t the only one who raised her hand.

Rene raised her hand as well and Flora’s gaze naturally turned to Rene.

‘That kid…….’

It took a little while before, but recently, she’s been getting more and more attention. Even then, she had visited Mr. Rudger’s office separately…….But Flora Lumos thoughts disappeared the moment Rudger opened his mouth.

“Flora Lumos you raised your hand fasted so answer. Why do you think this square magic circle is working properly?”

“It’s a letter.”

“Can you explain it in more detail?”

“The letters are engraved inside a square divided into five squares, for a total of twenty-five squares. That’s what helped the magic cycle.”

Despite Flora’s remarks, the prevailing response was that students were still curious.

“Teacher put letters into the magic circle?”

“Is that possible?”

To be able to do that with only letters, one must use the ancient languages now known as being lost.

The students thought that Flora was wrong but opened their eyes at Rudger’s words that followed.

“You got it right.”

Is it real?

The students’ eyes turned to the letters engraved on the magic circle. It’s not a sentence, it’s a letter.

The eyes of the students turned back to Rudger as they realized that he brought out a new magic again.

* * *

Their eyes have changed.’

Now I am used to the reactions of the students.

The last time I showed the Source Code, they had a similar reaction. At first, they don’t believe it but the moment they accept it, Theon’s students turn into a monkfish who craves knowledge.

‘It’s only natural because it’s a magic circle with a unique shape that they can’t see in this world.’

Because the magic circle I showed my students now was not from this world, but from Earth. It’s actually a Magic Square, not a Magic Circle.

The origins of the Magic Square can be traced back to Hanara, China, about 4,000 years ago.

King Wu, the king of Hanara at the time, accidentally found the shell of a turtle during the Yellow River flood, and the first thing he thought of when he saw the engraved pattern was Magic Square.

The Magic Square was then introduced to Western Asia, South Asia, and Europe by Persian and Arabian merchants across India and developed in various forms.

Now, if you add numbers in any direction with mathematical meaning, the same number comes out, but the origin is closely related to the occult.

‘I owe it to my mother who was a shaman.’

I didn’t believe in the occult or the supernatural, but I still had to force it into my head because of my mother so I studied like crazy.

I didn’t want to learn, but I had a greater sense of opposition to my mother who told me to be a shaman.

I wanted to prove that no matter how perfectly I memorize and study hard, it’s useless in the end. That there was no point in doing my best and that she wasted my time.

So I wanted to show her that she was wrong.

It was a childish move but I know I had no choice but to act like that then. I think it’s only natural that I still acted like that but at this moment.

No. Not just now, but every moment since I was born and lived in this world I realized that her teachings at that time were not in vain. Mother was not wrong.

“…….”

I felt depressed for no reason, so I decided to focus on the magic circle.

‘The magic circle I used is not a magic circle based on numerology, but “Sator’s Magic Circle.”’

Sator.

Arepo.

Tenet.

Opera.

Rotas.

These five words, engraved in ancient Latin, have the same effect whether they are rotated or read backwards if the letters are written according to the standard.

They’re called palindromes.

This does not stop at simply matching the meaning of the letters no matter how they are read. A word that has the same meaning even if it is read in the opposite direction and read in different directions literally means cycle, that is, completeness.

In other words, even if you do not draw the magic circle in a circle, if you borrow the power of the letters contained in it, the cycle of magic is completed.

“Even if it’s a square-drawn magic circle, you can use it like a normal magic circle if you use the language in it well.”

“Teacher, I have a question.”

As someone raised their hand to ask, Rudger nodded and allowed the question.

“What is it?”

“Obviously, it’s amazing to draw a magic circle using a square. But is there an advantage of doing this compared to the circular magic circles?”

“There is.”

“What is it?”

“It’s easy to draw.”

“…….”

The student who asked the question received such a clear answer and was speechless.

Is it easy to draw? That’s all?

“…….”

However, when he tried to refute it, he couldn’t think of any words because Rudger was right.

Rudger explained it himself for students who didn’t know yet.

“As we all know, it takes a lot of effort and practice to draw a magic circle. A circle is a perfect figure so the moment it goes a little off……It loses its strength.”

The reason why magic circles are still in the spotlight in the artifact business is that not many people are good at drawing magic circles.

Anyone can draw on flat ground or neat drawing paper. However, not anyone could engrave a neat circle on an object, even on a hard surface of a curved object.

It has no effect if the shape is out of proportion even just a little. Therefore, the government also granted Meister Certificates only to wizards who can engrave these magic circles professionally.

“But squares are different. Just draw four dots at the same distance and connect them in a straight line, and you can easily draw a square anywhere.”

This is the advantage of the magic square. It’s easier to draw than a circle if you concentrate. Even a light eye measurement can tell if it’s right or wrong. And it was possible not only for the Meisters, but also for the students.

“It’s an advantage to be able to draw faster and more concisely than the existing magic circle. Is that a good answer?”

“……Yes. That’s right.”

“Then take a look at the materials I’ll hand out.”

When I made a chin gesture, Sedina moved diligently and handed out class materials to the students.

“The magic circle drawn as a square is just a simple example, and in reality there are many different types.”

All the students focused on the material. Various figures were engraved in it, and not only letters, but also numbers that fill the blanks.

“This magic square can be expressed not only with letters but also with numbers. Of course, the effect will be very small compared to the existing magic circle, but it will be more effective than the existing magic circle in detailed fields.”

Numbers look at the world with reason, but there is also a mystery in them.

Egyptian Numerology, Gematria in Israel and even the Pythagorean school of Ancient Greece.

It gives meaning to a number and evokes mysterious power through an array of numbers. This was something taught on Earth but never appeared in this world.

That was the class I was going to teach the students today.