Aslan Seminar (6)

Despite facing Hong Si-hwa's probing, Hong Bi-Yeon didn't bat an eye.

On the contrary, she seemed to have been waiting for this.

'Well, that's right.'

She wasn't the kind of 'older sister' who would just silently watch her younger sister succeed.

"Interesting."

"Ahem... I will just watch the show for now."

"Me too..."

At the Aslan Seminar, plagiarism accusations were a sensitive matter. It caused some mages to cough awkwardly and stay alert.

Why?

Because most of the regular attendees here indeed brought forth what Hong Si-hwa referred to as 'patchwork.'

It was customary.

Until now, no one had pointed it out.

But... Hong Si-hwa was different.

She genuinely prepared her own magic thesis and consistently presented extraordinary and remarkable thesis every year.

That's what made her special.

For someone like Hong Si-hwa to critique Hong Bi-Yeon's thesis?

Moreover, raising suspicions of plagiarism?

That wasn't an issue to be casually overlooked.

It was a sensitive matter which had to be handled delicately; it was practically akin to starting a 'political fight' right in the heart of the Aslan Seminar.

"What's this?"

"She's raising the suspicion of plagiarism?"

"Oh, come on..."

"But, wasn't her previous thesis rejected?"

Some clueless students were completely confused.

They felt the atmosphere was unusual and cautiously looked around.

As the two princesses of Adolveit began their dispute, the ambiance of the grand Aslan Seminar itself began to waver.

"Well, that... seems like a valid point."

"Yes... I've seen the previous thesis. It was a complete mess and disappointing. Ahem."

A few members of the review committee subtly sympathized with Hong Si-hwa, casting furtive glances. Probably those who had been leeching off her for money all along.

Given this atmosphere, Hong Bi-Yeon absolutely needed to clarify.

That this magic was indeed her own.

However, the process of proving this was incredibly intricate and convoluted, so suspicions of plagiarism were not usually raised in those situations.

"... I see. You've posed an interesting question, First Princess of Adolveit."

Chairman Jiaryumon appeared to have accepted Hong Si-hwa's query as quite valid.

He nodded wearily and spoke.

"As everyone knows, when plagiarism is officially raised against a mage, they must prove through 'Magic Analysis' that the magic is indeed their own."

Every magic leaves traces of the one who created it.

The sequence in which the magic circle is drawn, the number of strokes, the style of the patterns, the numbers of lines and circles, the intensity and rhythm of mana flow, and even the direction—all those traces remained in detail.

The above characteristics were akin to human fingerprints, making it difficult to mimic unless one was the original creator.

In other words, even if someone claimed another person's magic as their own, the professional analysts would quickly expose the truth.

"However, the first princess must be aware, right?"

Jiaryumon gazed at Hong Si-hwa's eyes with a piercing gaze.

"Just requesting a magic analysis from a mage... it's a behavior that greatly offends their honor."

The dispute for the rightful creator of the magic had happened countless times in history.

Each time, the mage had to thoroughly dissect their own magic in front of everyone, which was a great blow to their pride..

In the modern era where magic had become widespread, there might be nothing to be ashamed of, but tradition still remained. It refrained people from demanding a Magic Analysis without solid evidence.

So, if Hong Bi-Yeon failed to properly prove ownership of the magic here, ultimately, Hong Si-hwa's insulting behavior might just be overlooked.

However...

On the contrary, if Hong Bi-Yeon provided proper evidence.

"You'll have to bear the penalty for that, First Princess."

Jiaryumon said with a cold gaze.

".....Yes, of course."

She nodded slightly, and the smile never left her face.

Since a political battle was waged at the Aslan Seminar, it was inevitable that it would not be overlooked by the Chairman of the Association.

'Still, if this helps Hong Bi-Yeon lose her mind, it'll be a great harvest.'

Since she had confidence in her victory, Hong Si-hwa could afford such leisurely thoughts…

However, the subtle smile which adorned Hong Bi-Yeon's face earlier kept haunting her mind, making her uneasy.

"Hmm, surely not..."

No matter how much of a genius she was, she didn't have the wisdom to create such extraordinary magic within just two weeks.

Moreover, Hong Bi-Yeon was a failure when it came to creativity, so she must have received help from someone.

For example.

'Could it be Baek Yu-Seol...?'

The boy walked down an unconventional and unique path. His resolve was comparable to that of the legendary great mages she had only read about in the history book.

Wasn't it strange that she could create innovative flame magic out of nowhere?

Well, whether it was Baek Yu-Seol or not didn't matter.

After all, Hong Bi-Yeon was finished.

"Fine, let's have the Magic Analysis conducted by me and the review committee directly."

Although Jiaryumon's statement made Hong Bi-Yeon slightly nervous, she quickly composed herself.

Perhaps having such a figure do it personally might be more effective.

"Let's take a moment to review and discuss the thesis."

Of course, the committee had to skim through all the thesis before arriving here, so the time wouldn't be long, at most 30 minutes.

However , the internal discussion didn't even last 10 minutes before it concluded.

"... Now that the review's done, let Hong Bi-Yeon prepare for her demonstration."

The crowd murmured in surprise. They hadn't expected the internal discussion to finish so quickly.

With a slightly relaxed expression, Jiaryumon glanced through the thesis once more.

'This... is remarkable.'

The reason it took only ten minutes was simply because the magic was genuinely easy.

Does that mean the thesis was less valuable?

No, on the contrary, its value rose significantly.

'To create such powerful magic with such simple equations and theories... The logic behind it completely revolutionizes the nature of flame magic itself. It can even be taught at a high school level. This is a remarkable display of creativity.'

"Deploy the activation sequence."

"Yes."

Following Jiaryumon's instruction, Hong Bi-Yeon nodded and signaled to the staff.

Usually, a magic circle appeared simple, composed of circles, lines, and combinations of runes.

But everyone knew it contained countless modifiers.

As those modifiers were part of a cryptographic system, deciphering the magic circle by sight alone was not easy.

To borrow Baek Yu-Seol's words, magic could be termed as the combination of mathematics and programming.

It involved complex computer languages and mathematical formulas all at once.

And the process of Magic Analysis consisted of the same thing.

With a slight sheen of sweat, Hong Bi-Yeon drew a red magic circle in the air.

'Flame Circle' - a Class 4 magic.

She had to pour out most of her remaining mana, which came with the downside of exhaustion.

But here, she wanted to showcase the best magic she could perform.

Swoosh!

As a round-shaped flame emerged in the air, some people were startled and their eyes widened in shock.

"Fl-Flame Circle... A Class 4 magic?"

"But, Princess… isn't she just a freshman?"

"How is this possible?"

Most of the magic warriors in their 20s gathered there had already surpassed the Class 4, so the Flame Circle magic itself might not seem significant.

However, the issue was her remarkably young age.

"Goodness... Just like the Eisel Morph earlier, she achieved Class 4 at only seventeen?"

"Exactly how many geniuses are there in this generation?"

The reactions from the crowd began to tilt towards positivity.

Seventeen and already Class 4?

It represented the fact that she was a once in a century genius.

If someone could perform at this level... Perhaps creating such magic might not be impossible.

Watching this unfold, Hong Si-hwa's expression slightly hardened.

She had heard about her younger sibling's remarkable magical prowess, but her accomplishments at that age...

'... She's much faster than me. I barely reached Class 4 at eighteen.'

One might think a one-year difference wasn't significant, but during the teenage years, reaching a level a year earlier was indeed a tremendous feat.

A child achieving Class 1 at nine would later become a Class 7 mage, whereas one achieving it at twelve might only reach Class 5 according to the statistics.

Yet, the future still remains a mystery.

Even though her magic skills soared dramatically, it didn't mean that her creativity also improved.

"Let's keep it simple and throw theoretical questions."

Jiaryumon calmly scanned through Hong Bi-Yeon's thesis, and soon parted his lips.

"Ordinary flame magic systems adopt the 'Destalin's Third Law' and 'Doyler's Law' at the beginning and end of ignition. But this magic employed what could be considered a relic of ancient times, the 'Powder Rule.' This law has a serious flaw. If the ignition point doesn't reach the threshold of the target to be burned, all the mana turns into powder. How did you solve this problem?"

She answered without any hesitation.

"If the threshold is not achieved, it absorbs oxygen from the air to create a small ignition point. The reason behind the incorporation of the Wind attribute into the third activation sequence was precisely for that."

"Alright. Allow me to ask the next question."

The panel members took turns querying Hong Bi-Yeon.

Anyone could recite the theory of a thesis, but it wasn't the same for the aspects which couldn't be easily comprehended unless you're the one who invented the magic.

If the person stopped to ponder, 'Hmm, why did I do this part like that?'

The moment there is doubt, you're eliminated.

"Regarding the next question..."

Yet, Hong Bi-Yeon answered without hesitation.

Analyzing the core thoroughly, she swiftly responded even to sharp inquiries from the council elders who posed direct and piercing questions.

"Well, that should be enough, but... Mage Hong Si-hwa? As the mage who pointed out plagiarism, do you have any questions?"

Jiaryumon handed the authority for the final question to Hong Si-hwa.

When the mic turned on, she asked a single probing question after thoroughly analyzing the thesis.

"Hong Bi-Yeon, your magic oddly incorporates the repetitive design. However, it doesn't seem to have any impact on the operation of the magic... Why did you put it in?"

It was quite a reasonable question.

In reality, Hong Bi-Yeon's magic had repeated patterns of 'meaningless' magic circuits numerous times.

However, once again, she replied coolly, "I just put it in because it's pretty."

"... What?"

"..."

Her utterly perplexing answer left everyone in the audience gaping.

Even the questioner, Hong Si-hwa, was baffled.

"Did you say you put it in because it was pretty...?"

In truth, it was kind of pretty.

The arching patterns surrounding the edge of the circle made the magic circle look like a flower.

"Once the magic was completed, it felt too easy, simple, and bland. It was my first magic creation, so I wanted to decorate it nicely. Is there anything wrong?"

No, of course not.

It was her own desire even if she wanted to embellish her magic circle with rabbits and lions.

However, considering that runes and circuits densely occupied every section of the magic circle, the reason behind Hong Bi-Yeon's addition of floral patterns seemed somewhat unusual.

"I don't know if you remember, but that flower was the one big sister liked the most."

"..."

Now, she could mention her older sister, which was a sign of her mental growth.

Hong Bi-Yeon's words prompted Hong Si-hwa to merely shut her mouth. Her expression was visibly stiffening, but she remained oblivious to that fact.

Jiaryumon observed the situation and intervened, "Let's move past the theoretical part."

Theory was cleared with ease.

"Next, let's analyze the magic's signature."

It was time to identify the traces of Hong Bi-Yeon within the magic circle.

"... You've prepared the theory well, little sister."

Up to this point, it was an area which could be somehow cleared by studying the theory thoroughly.

In fact, quite a few plagiarism mages had made it through here.

However, from now on, it would be different.

The breath and traces of the creator engraved in the magic itself; the scent and fingerprint of mana couldn't be hidden at all.

If they dig into this thoroughly now...

"Let's skip this part."

However.

"Yes?"

"Hold on a moment!"

Unexpectedly, at Jiaryumon's words, the examiners and the mages were astonished.

"Why...?"

gazed intently at Hong Bi-Yeon, then calmly parted his lips.

"I once worked as a profiler for magical criminals. I kept my name hidden, so very few people know about it... but I do pride myself on being rather good."

Crimes caused by magic were relatively easy to trace since all you had to do was follow the traces of mana.

Nowadays, technology had even advanced to the point of being able to determine when and where a particular magic was used.

So, the tricks of criminals had become more and more sophisticated.

Just like modern Earth criminals erase their fingerprints after committing a crime, mages erased their own traces from their magic circles.

And those who meticulously analysed such magic circles to find those traces were called 'profilers.'

For Jiaryumon, who once worked as an exceptional profiler, it was a piece of cake to sense the scent of a 17-year-old mage's spell.

Flare!

"This is a spell that seems to be based on Hong Bi-Yeon's thesis."

Jiaryumon drew a crimson magic circle in the air.

It was the exact same Flame Circle as Hong Bi-Yeon's.

"I compared the direction of mana circulation, the rhythm of the flow, as well as the handwriting and scent of runes... Student Hong Bi-Yeon..."

"It was exactly the same as yours."

"That's..."

No one could refute it.

It was the opinion of Jiaryumon, the Chairman of the Council and a formidable Class 9 Grand Mage.

Who would dare to go against it?

"I don't want to take sides. I don't particularly fancy these youngsters bickering about politics here. However, I must admit."

He looked at Hong Si-hwa and declared firmly.

"This... without a doubt, is Hong Bi-Yeon's original magic."

Hong Si-hwa's expression turned icy cold.