Anabelle Frederick made a statement that caused me to lose composure and cough loudly, nearly choking on my saliva.
“… It was as if his treatises were… incomplete!”
How did she know?!
Despite my huge achievements in the realm of magic theories and evolution, I never revealed all I had learned to the people of the time. Hiding some of my most valued documents, I had hoped someone would find them eventually. Also, if they didn’t, I thought those who learned from me would build upon what I had already established and arrived at the truth sooner or later.
That way, I wouldn’t be giving them all the answers on a platter. However, to my dismay, no one had done much to further what I already established. Most thought it was already perfect, or too complex to be improved.
As a result, in-depth magic theories and complexities remained at a standstill till this age despite new spells and branches of magic being developed. I was disappointed to learn of this the moment I could access better books in my household library.
Still, to think… a girl her age had figured it out. It was too shocking that I had to let out a cough.
‘Welp, this is awkward…’ My thoughts trailed.
The girl’s eyes darted toward me. It was crystal blue, a sharp contrast to the yellow hair she had. She furrowed her brow and made a slight frown.
‘She must think I was making fun of her or something!’
Her frown didn’t fade as she turned away, returning her gaze to our Lecturer.
“T-that is all I have to say!”
Sitting down in a hurry, she remained in a terrible mood, one I had to guess was my fault.
‘Oof, what have I done?’
Of course, I noticed it wasn’t just me that reacted to her words. Most people around gave amused looks and even stifled their chuckles and sneers at her. In a way, all she had said brought only ridicule to her person.
Her image was already ruined on the first day. It felt wrong to me, especially considering how the girl looked like a child due to her small stature. We were all budding teenagers, but she still had the features of a ten-year-old.
‘Well, what did you expect when you just went and spewed such a grand dream in front of everyone?’ I softly smiled, looking at her lonely gait.
Still, my impression of her had changed. The fact that she mentioned the incompleteness of my legacy… made her worthy to be called a Scholar indeed.
‘How interesting. It appears I’ve found a good one already.’
The introductions went on without any incident. As Neron had stated earlier, we had no right to criticize anyone’s introductions by verbally or physically assaulting them. However, mere chuckles and snickers didn’t count so many made fun of others using suppressed laughter and condescending facial reactions.
“My name is Edward Karl Leon. I’m thirteen years old, department of Martial Arts. I only have one goal… and that is to further the mastery of my blade. I will sharpen my sword and perfect my skills until Sword Arts are recognized throughout the empire— no, all around the world, once again!”
This introduction also struck a chord within me. I looked at the one who made such a grand statement. It was a boy having brown hair with equally brown eyes. His appearance looked mature for his age, and even with his uniform covering his body, I could tell that he had a finely-toned figure.
He had a slight scar on his left cheek that resembled a sword slash, and the way his eyebrows slanted— his eyes showing a deep resolve that was as firm as his posture, the boy was dead serious.
I sighed a little. His dream was certainly not impossible, but… a single person like him could never achieve it.
One of the new changes that had occurred after my death was the decline of Martial Arts and the rise of Scholarhood.
Due to my influence, Scholars became highly revered. In essence, they rode my coattails and became quite respectable.
In contrast to this, Martial Arts like Sword Arts, Spear Arts, etc. Entered a state of decline.
This was because Magic had evolved to a high level that no one was really interested in dedicating years and efforts to strengthening the body, sharpening the senses, and relying on one’s strength to grow powerful.
Just as I had thought when I was younger, Magic could cause miracles to occur with a single spell. However, Martial Arts were something that required hard work and dedication to produce results. Compared to Magic, it was much more difficult.
With my theories simplifying magic and bringing forth new possibilities, no one could boast of the same in Martial Arts. As a result… the people became lazy!
Magic was revered. Scholarhood became respected. Martial Arts were neglected.
“Martial Arts may be more difficult in terms of training and practice. However… when it comes to results, it will never betray you! Many inconsistencies may occur in magic. In the end, you can only rely on your body! I want the whole world to once again see the value, no, the superiority of Martial Arts, especially Sword Arts!”
As the boy bathed in his grandeur and showed his unwavering spirit, I rolled my eyes. While I respected his goals, they were too childish. Words like those only deserved to be spoken by the strong.
‘How conceited…’
I had several friends who were Martial Artists, the best in their fields. I was especially close with the Sword Emperor, famed to be the strongest with a Sword throughout the land. However, even he admitted that humans had a limit and that he had reached his.
“If only I had more Skill in magic… I could achieve Transcendence…” Was something he often told me.
He was right!
‘This kid fails to realize it yet, but… he’s not entirely correct in his belief.’