Isabelle Yurt remained inside the cabin, unlike Letter Yurt, who had rushed outside the moment the train was attacked.
The reason? The outside was dangerous.
“Hmm, what on earth is going on…”
Because of the triple-layered protective magic her sister had just cast, Isabelle couldn’t leave the cabin even if she wanted to.
Thus, she simply waited for Letter to return, sitting quietly in the leather chair inside the cabin.
Clunk.
-Clunk, clunk, clunk…!
“Huh? W-what is this?!”
The train’s wheels, visible through the cabin window, gradually lifted into the air and began slicing through the clouds.
The surreal sight made her blink instinctively.
It felt like a dream.
After all, a train flying in the sky was something that only happened in dreams.
-Smack!
“Ouch!”
That’s why she pinched her cheek as an experiment.
The sharp pain that followed made her rub her cheek with a groan.
“What is this, seriously…”
Concluding that everything she was witnessing was real, Isabelle turned her gaze to the side.
What met her eyes were the white clouds she always used to look up at from the ground.
It was a sight she couldn’t comprehend with her still-young mind, so she simply stared in silence.
And strangely, the dizziness she had felt when boarding the train had disappeared.
“Was this Grandfather’s doing…? Or Letter’s?”
Her growing doubts didn’t subside but only swelled further as time passed.
Yet, those who could answer Isabelle’s questions were all outside the cabin.
***
‘How much time had passed since then?’
-Wobble.
“Huh?”
The train, which had maintained its balance until a moment ago, began tilting gradually, soon forming an angle that made it impossible to stand properly.
Isabelle’s slender arms instinctively clung to the edge of the chair.
Through the cabin window, the passing white clouds appeared slanted and whirled by.
Realizing that the train she was on was rapidly falling, Isabelle’s breath caught in her throat.
“D-Dad…!”
Terrified, Isabelle clenched her eyes shut and called out desperately for her father.
-Swish.
At that moment, small circles appeared from somewhere and began sticking to various parts of Isabelle’s body.
The circles soon displayed intersecting semicircles and octagrams.
The intricate symbols, which now completely covered Isabelle’s body, were inscribed with even more precise formulas.
These geometric patterns were designed to control physical phenomena.
『Inertia』
『Reverse』
A familiar voice quietly chanted two spells.
As the small magic circles emitted a faint light, the sensation of rapid descent began to fade.
“…Huh… What?”
The feeling of falling disappeared before Isabelle even realized it.
The train, which had been plummeting moments ago, now hovered in midair, completely still.
It felt as though time itself had stopped.
A metallic sound, signaling the alignment of the train’s wheels back onto the track, reminded her that time was indeed moving.
Shortly after, the tightly shut cabin door opened.
And standing there was a familiar face that brought her to tears.
“Isabelle. It’s okay to come out now.”
“Letter, I, I… sniff…!”
Even though Isabelle had so much to ask and say to her sister, all that came out were sobs.
For a girl who had lived her entire life in the family mansion, the events of the last few minutes were far too frightening.
Behind her sister stood their grandfather, his gaze resting on Isabelle until her crying subsided.
***
Isabelle couldn’t even understand the man’s voice, which had caused her to tremble in fear just by noticing his presence.
“Oh dear, your eyes are all swollen…”
His tone was a mix of sympathy and guilt.
A youthful hand summoned a moist towel from thin air and brought it to Isabelle’s swollen eyes.
“Hold this over your eyes. It should help.”
“…Thank you…”
The usual kindness in his voice brought a faint blush to Isabelle’s cheeks.
She felt embarrassed about having cried so much earlier while her sister, who had stayed calm amidst the chaos, remained composed.
But Isabelle, Letter, and the ancient dragon Orphion were currently in the dean’s office at Primus Academy.
***
“…I’ll have some tea for now. I need to calm my head a bit.”
“Ah… Yes.”
The trembling voice of Ainel Delanova, the dean of Primus, was met with a slow nod from Isabelle.
Shortly after, Isabelle also picked up the teacup in front of her and took a small sip of the warm tea.
After a brief tea break, the conversation began with Ainel’s formal introduction.
“I am Ainel Delanova, the dean of Primus Academy.”
She followed her introduction with an explanation of the current situation at Primus.
Ainel mentioned that under normal circumstances, a more complex test would have been conducted to see if someone was suitable to be a professor.
However, resolving the train attack incident had already proven the girl’s abilities.
“I won’t ask how you’ve already reached such a level. But teaching students is a different story.”
Ainel wanted to confirm whether the girl sitting before her truly possessed the qualities of a professor, as the ancient dragon Orphion claimed.
Teaching required sufficient experience, after all.
She intended to test whether the girl could help others understand and grow.
The discussion about the aftermath of the train incident would be postponed until Ainel was confident the girl was fit for the teaching position.
***
A magic circle diagram was handed over.
It was one of the test problems for the currently vacant “Mana Design” course.
The diagram appeared distorted.
“Disassemble the magic circle and reassemble it. I’d also like you to explain the process.”
Ainel’s requests required a profound understanding of magical studies.
While arriving at the solution itself might be possible, explaining the process in a way others could understand was another challenge altogether.
She intended to allow some time since it was unreasonable to expect an immediate solution along with an explanation.
“Let me know when you’re ready.”
Ainel was about to observe how the girl would handle the test when an unexpected reply came from the girl, who was staring at her steadily.
“May I start now?”
Ainel’s gaze faltered slightly at the girl’s response.
“…Right now?”
“Yes. I’ll try explaining it to my sister as I go.”
Her unwavering tone eventually led Ainel to permit her explanation.
Almost immediately, small lights began to flow from the girl.
The lights drifted like feathers caught in a strong wind, eventually gathering to form a large circle.
“Hmm, first of all, this magic is from the illusion category. It focuses on replacing reality with falsehoods, making illusions seem real.”
Tiny pentagrams began to appear inside the smoothly drawn circle, connected by inverted triangles.
“The key to illusion magic is disrupting the target’s senses and mind. So, the first step is to confuse the target’s perception.”
The overlapping and intersecting shapes gradually completed the diagram.
Throughout the process, there was no hesitation or doubt.
“The ultimate goal of illusion magic is to disorient the opponent’s five senses. To achieve this, we need to make them simultaneously perceive both reality and illusion.”
What radiated from her was nothing but confidence.
Her precise and steady movements left no room for mistakes.
“The best way to blur the line between reality and illusion is to mix them in the same space. Finally, it’s important to disturb their spatial awareness.”
With a soft swish, the completely reconstructed magic circle glowed faintly and floated in midair.
It expanded, growing larger and larger until it covered the entire dean’s office.
Then, with a light snap of the girl’s fingers, the diagram’s symbols activated.
The mana crystals scattered throughout the space caused the scenery of the dean’s office to gradually dissolve.
Finally, even the air currents shifted.
The result was a vast, open grassland.
For some reason, both the sun and the moon hung in the sky simultaneously.
A gentle spring fragrance filled the air, and a soft breeze rustled Isabelle and Ainel’s hair.
“Wow… Real wind is blowing!”
Isabelle exclaimed in amazement at the realistic illusion surrounding her.
Meanwhile, Ainel, who had intended to test the girl, was rendered speechless.
“Do you have any further questions?”
The girl’s voice was calm, composed, and steady.
Her youthful appearance seemed incongruous with her extraordinary talent.
Ainel’s response was not merely in words but also in awe.
“…Orphion, where did you find someone like this?”
“If you knew where, you’d be even more surprised,” the ancient dragon replied.
Another gentle breeze swept across the grassland.
The illusion was so realistic that it surpassed any illusion magic Ainel had ever encountered.
And so, Ainel finally added the title of “professor” to the girl’s name.
She also expressed her hope for the future.
“Welcome to Primus, Professor Letter Yurt.”