My words made the students swallow their breaths.
Because some students didn’t know what on earth source code was.
The other students were shocked by the advent of a new spell.
But what they looked at was the same, and I knew that not all their emotions were hostile.
'Well, it's indeed extremely surprising for the students.’
No matter how advanced the science was, this world was about the 19th century if compared to Earth.
Although it had achieved much more rapid progress than I had originally thought because magic—not science—was predominant.
Still, from the perspective of someone who lived in the 21st century, there were many shortcomings.
—Especially with the absence of a computer-based data processing system.
'Source code is a kind of blueprint that prints out the results as soon as you put in the input value. I made it by combining it with magic.'
Of course, I didn't make it on my own.
To be exact, I came up with the idea, but the actual composition and completion was possible because of the help of my teacher who taught me magic.
Still, I have a share in what I made, so there would be no problem for me to teach it to my students.
Considering my teacher's personality, they are not a person who would say anything about that. Rather, the problem was what I would go through once I came across it.
Let's get back to the point…
The technique of source code was a kind of trick method based on my memories when I lived on Earth.
It was unbelievable for students who knew nothing about computer hardware, software, programs, input and output, and code, even though they knew something about algorithms.
Most of all, the level of wizards became stagnant due to excessive public awareness and confidence, and at the same time, there was a widespread trend of ridiculing science.
There was no way they could easily accept it with the way they valued scientific impressions.
They'd foam at the mouth and shout, “This isn't magic!”
Compared to those guys, I still have a free way of thinking.
'Of course, I wasn't sure if they had the same idea.'
In order to operate the software called source code, a main body called hardware, programs, and data are required.
Hardware referred to the wand that could unfold magic, or the wizard itself.
The program was the spell technique, and the data was the mana that made it happen.
In the end, the source code that I used was through human biological hardware.
It consumed data called mana following a program called spell technique.
—It became a spell that contains the process of expressing the software called magic at once.
With source code, even complex spell techniques could be printed out with completed results by injecting only a little mana.
To put it simply, while others carefully drew strokes of techniques to cast the spell, I just printed it like a stamp.
It's easy, considering the difference in speed between handwriting and printing.
No matter how fast a human being wrote, they could not keep up with the speed of the person who printed with metal printing.
Even when they were impatient, they could make many mistakes.
It could be the case where the spell technique was out of order, the ending process was wrong, the flow of mana was tangled, or the procedure was not right.
Naturally, the spell would lose its mysterious power and become unusable.
Or there were also cases where the mana flowed back and their own lives were in danger.
But the programmed source code didn’t have those kinds of mistakes.
Under any circumstances, only a set value was offered.
The speed was something other wizards dared not to follow.
'Of course, spells casted by a wizard in sixth rank or higher will be faster.'
Those superhumans had supercomputers in their heads, so they were an exception in the first place.
This source code must have been a great revolution for the students of Sören Academy, who had not yet fully grown properly.
'It's not that it doesn't have any shortcomings. You can only use it up to third-tier magic. Beyond that, the mana capacity will cause overload, and it's complicated and difficult to make the source code itself.'
Computer programmers go through a lot of testing while diversifying all kinds of patterns in debugging for a reason.
I also racked my brain to make that one.
However, it was very convenient because it could be used for a very long time after making it once.
Moreover, I didn’t have to create the source code for third-tier spells and below them one by one, as it was troublesome.
After all, source code spell was a product of an invention that was made to keep up by those who do not have talent.
It was sad that my circumstances couldn’t turn out to be the best even if I did that.
But what could I do?
If I wanted to eat well for two years as a professor at the Academy where only geniuses gather, I had to teach classes with that kind of knowledge.
Well, wouldn't that be enough for me not to be underestimated?
I hoped so.
***
With the advent of a groundbreaking spell casting technique called source code, all the students were silent.
The silence that blanketed the classroom even felt passionate.
The first-year students especially seemed like they were about to shoot laser beams from their eyes.
They chose Ludger Chelysie's class because they felt like being half deceived, so they couldn't believe that they were witnessing such a thing.
Some students felt a chill in their backs.
'If I couldn't beat the moment and made a different choice...’
'If I didn't take this class today…’
A spell to cast another spell.
A new method of spell casting beyond common sense.
As it was impossible to see its appearance with naked eyes, their ability to learn it by watching was hindered.
It was such a terrible nightmare that it made them freeze to the marrow of their bones and caused their bodies to ache just by imagining it for those who were trying to walk on the wizard's path.
…Thank heaven.
All the students gathered there had the same thoughts.
And then they were able to see Ludger in a new light.
Obviously, his first impression was as a person who was very serious, in depth, and intense, contrary to what they thought.
Even so, what was important for a magic academy professor is magic skills, after all.
You can't gain a student's respect by just repeating what others have said.
But now…
All the students who saw the new magic had a feeling of awe beyond mere respect for Ludger.
* * *
* * *
Moreover, Ludger's behavior was amazing.
His expression shows no sign of excitement, even though he demonstrated in front of everyone a new method that could be called the discovery of the century.
Such natural behavior made the students suddenly immersed in thought.
‘For this man, even the groundbreaking spell of source code could be performed in front of everyone naturally.’
Maybe…
‘Isn't there another secret weapon besides this groundbreaking magic?’
If you've invented that much and you had that much of an apathetic reaction, there's definitely something else that's much greater.
At that moment…
The passion of the 80 magic academy students in the classroom sparkled.
‘If I learn that spell…’
‘If I turn his teaching into my own knowledge…’
'I can improve it more!'
Their strong will was revealed through their eyes, and the heated atmosphere was aimed at Ludger.
Ludger reacted with half-opened eyes, but his back inside his dress clothes was damp with cold sweat.
'What's wrong with their eyes?'
For Ludger, who expected the opinion that he was just a moderately great or good teacher, the students' response was beyond his imagination.
Their eyes were hotter than lava coming out through the stratum.
He felt like he was going to be scalded on it, so Ludger flogged his mind, pulled himself together, and maintained a poker face.
He had revealed one secret card there, so it'd be alright for a while.
However, he thought that he could not continue to push the classes only with that until sometime later.
—If he didn’t want the academy to find out that he's a fraud, if he didn't want the secret society to find out that he was a fake…
He had to prepare more in the future.
'Let's go all the way to the end.’
—In order to survive.
First of all, he had to do something about the woman from a duke family who stood on the podium.
"Flora Lumos."
Startle.
Flora, who was distracted by Ludger's source code spell that he had just casted, finally came to her senses.
Ludger's cold and sharp eyes had her figure in them.
His eyes felt like they were cutting through her heart.
'Wha, what the hell is this guy…’
She thought of herself as a genius…
And she had the talent to match such a title.
No one doubted her because she showed her skills to those who had doubts.
Even the professors at the academy were intimidated in front of her.
No matter how old they were, no matter how long they had learned magic, no matter how hard they tried…
She was ahead of her professors.
But that man was different.
He didn’t boast nor did he show off his talents. Yet still, he was not swayed by the others.
It was like looking at a pillar of steel that was deeply embedded in the ground and standing tall.
—Even throughout the storm, the rain, and the snow, it doesn't get rusty nor worn out.
No matter what kind of flaws she tried to catch, there was not a single scratch.
'What the hell, how come this guy is a new professor? Source code? I've never heard of such a spell.’
Even Flora, who had encountered the royal family several times, had taken a step back to such pressure.
Even the royal Princess had her eyes wide open at Ludger's performance.
"A groundbreaking shortcut to spell casting. Have you finally solved the question you were curious about?"
“...Yes.”
Flora replied, pretending to be calm as best as she could.
She kept her posture neat and held her trembling voice. She kept telling herself not to be swayed.
Was her behavior funny?
There was a slight smile around Ludger's mouth.
As if he'd already seen through her desperate, strong act.
“Flora Lumos.”
“...Yes, Professor.”
"You couldn't overcome your own prejudice, and you asked me questions without my permission. Do you admit it?"
Flora bit her lips tightly.
It hurt her pride, but she couldn't disagree.
Flora managed to move her lips as she clenched her fist with her cute little hand.
"Yes… I admit it."
It was a painful sense of defeat that she had never felt before.
The envious eyes of the students, which she usually felt, had never been as painful as they were then.
Suddenly, she remembered a childhood memory that she had wanted to forget.
—Her father looking down at her with a cold stare. —Her goal of wanting to be recognized by him.
She held back her tears desperately.
She couldn't crumble there yet.
"I won't say more than that because you have acknowledged it yourself, but your actions are clearly a direct challenge to the professor's authority. As I warned you at first, I'm not going to let this slide."
“...Yes.”
"Flora Lumos. I give you 10 penalty points."
Penalty point…
It wasn't that great, but if the target was Flora, the story was different.
Sören's genius who had never made a mistake before…
Even the penalty points, which were only 10 points, were huge because she had no penalty points, and she had seemed unlikely to have any in the future before.
—A slight flaw in a perfect artifact.
Therefore, it turned out to be big and painful more than anything.
"Do you have any complaints?"
"…No, I think that's fair."
Flora bit her lips tightly.
“Oh, my Gosh.”
"That Flora...”
Even the other students were surprised that Flora got a penalty.
Moreover, it was not a forced nitpicking but a reasonable punishment that even she had to admit.
Flora came down from the podium with weak steps and returned to her original seat.
At that moment, Ludger's voice called her up.
"But the Fluttering Flame technique that you showed me was more perfect than anything I've ever seen before."
She stopped and looked back at the podium.
Ludger was staring at her with unwavering and straight eyes.
"I don't hate students with talents. So, Flora Lumos, you have 10 award points."
Ten award points…
As a result, the 10 penalty points given to her were practically gone.
The students who were envious of Flora thought that the penalty points were fortunate, and the students who admired Flora thought it was unfortunate.
But Flora, as someone who was directly involved, felt an unprecedented sense of shame.
Even if the penalty points disappeared, there was still the memory that she had gotten the penalty points.
It was unforgettable even after 10 years, or maybe even after a lifetime.
But suddenly, she had an award point.
Flora interpreted the meaning of the award points given by Ludger in this way:
It's the mercy of a winner to a foolish student who dared to come at him. Even that compliment was just deceit.
That, in turn, left an indelible scar on Flora's pride.
"Thank.. .you."
But…
That was all she could say.
When she returned to her seat, Cheryl, who was watching the whole situation anxiously, spoke in a worried voice.
"Flora, are you okay?"
Cheryl knew how strong Flora's pride was. To be exact, she became like that because of what she had been through as a child.
It was hard to imagine how disgraceful it would be for Flora to be rebuked by the new professor in front of everyone.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
Flora replied with a bright smile. Her relaxed appearance was no different from her usual self, and she did not appear to be wounded at all.
'Oh, so she's fine. Yeah, Flora can get over this soon.’
Cheryl was inwardly relieved.
It seemed foolish of her to think that her friend might go astray in a bad way.
It was still like that. Flora was preparing to listen to the class, staring at the podium with the same face as usual.
But Cheryl couldn't see it. Not only she, no one in the classroom knew it.
—The flame in Flora's eyes, a hot fire that would burn everything down.
***
I went back to my position and looked at Flora's condition.
Later, I remembered that the Lumos family was a famous dukedom in the Empire. That means that she was the daughter of a ducal family.
‘She's not gonna use her family's power to put pressure on me, right? Maybe she will go home and tell her father?’
Although the place was Sören, such possibilities could not be ignored just because the students were still young.
However, Flora's expression as she sat down was calm. There was nothing strange in her face when she exchanged a conversation naturally with the friend sitting next to her.
‘Hmm, sure.’
‘Apparently, she's a smart and bright kid, so she won't make too much of it, right?’
The reason why I gave the award point in the first place was because it was a kind of reconciliation attempt to not fight and to get along well in the future.
I was really glad that she seemed to accept it well.
"Then let's proceed to the first class."
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