#37. The Exchange Meeting (1)

At first, I thought it was a good thing. I figured the thing that bothered me so much was gone.

Wasn’t that perfect?

The artificial intelligence remained as it was, only Akasha had left.

“……”

Just a few days.

A very short time, not even a month.

That’s all the time I spent with ‘Akasha,’ not just any ChatGPT.

And yet.

Despite the brevity of that time.

Its intensity wasn’t small.

“It’s…empty.”

A large void remained in one corner of my heart.

“No, where did she go without saying a word?”

At the same time, I felt a little resentful.

If she was going to leave, couldn’t she have said even a single word?

Of course, that resentment soon faded.

Something unavoidable must have happened. That thought simply came to me at some point.

“I wonder if we’ll ever meet again.”

My heart felt unsettled.

The lecture washes over me, unheard.

I’ve offloaded all the assignments to ChatGPT.

Is this… melancholy?

Something feels distinctly *off*.

…

But time, that relentless current, waits for no one.

To halt for mere…emptiness? There’s no profit in it for me. Only isolation.

I can’t lie sprawled on the ground while everyone else walks, runs.

Deficiency can sometimes be a stepping stone.

Overcoming the ache of loss, ascending to a new plateau.

This bleak period, I’ve defined it thus:

A time to grow.

I still remember it vividly.

The two Mind Invasions. How powerless I was against the ‘true strong’ within.

Especially the second time, I was taken out with a single blow, forced to retire.

Experiencing those events, I realized I was never truly safe.

This *is* a fantasy world, after all. Teeming with monsters and malevolent forces, a place where anything can happen at any time, and it wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary.

I’d been complacent, and now I must prepare.

So, what must I do?

Is it my physical strength that’s lacking, so I should train?

“Nonsense.”

It’s a self-evident truth that a novice won’t see any real results from training in a short period.

Therefore, the only thing I *can* do is accumulate knowledge.

I need a mind that can understand more, see through things.

Someone might say:

With an AI that can tell you everything, is there really a need to become smarter?

Let me be clear. There is.

Even though ChatGPT can tell me anything, if I don’t understand that knowledge, there will be clear and constricting limitations on its ‘application.’

I need to think broadly. That’s the only thing that can become my weapon.

First…

“System.”

[ Do you require assistance? ]

Let’s master things that only *I* can know.

“I think I’ll study Earth’s knowledge properly.”

*

“Professor Rachel, time flows relatively.”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I mean, time is going by fast.”

Week three had already arrived.

It feels like only yesterday that I reunited with the professors, but already the time has flown by like this…

“Well, I see it as a positive phenomenon. Humans inherently perceive time as passing faster when they are busy, so this means my days have been fulfilling.”

“I’ve noticed you’ve been studying something alone lately. It’s not some strange cult… or something, is it?”

“A cult?”

“Mmm… Well, isn’t time absolute?”

Ah.

That’s right.

There’s no scholar like ‘Einstein’ in this world.

In the first place, physics itself doesn’t exist here, so the theory of relativity is a rather bizarre concept.

Time is absolute…

Professor Rachel’s words troubled me a little.

I should set aside a day and explain it to her later.

No.

Should I write a thesis on it?

“…?”

Just now.

What was I just thinking?

I felt goosebumps rising all over my body, and a faint fear.

I feel like I’m going insane.

A thesis…

Am I trying to become a doctor or something?

“What’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Get a grip.

I want to remain human.

I don’t want to become a monster like a Ph.D.

“So, what’s the matter you came to see me about?”

For the record, I initiated this meeting with Professor Rachel.

I walked directly to her lab, knocked, and opened the door.

“Well, it’s about…”

The matter was clear.

The ‘Empire’s’ annual event.

A schedule where the brightest students from each academy gather to compete on their achievements.

The ‘Academy Exchange Meet’.

It concerns that.

“About the Exchange Meet.”

“Ah, that.”

Of course, not all students participate in the Exchange Meet.

There are a total of four academies built in the Empire, and summing all the students exceeds the thousands.

There isn’t enough time or space to test all of them.

So, how does it proceed?

Each academy chooses three students. The selection method is by faculty vote, and the criterion is skill.

The students thus selected go to the ‘academy that won last year’ to hold an exchange meeting.

Currently, it is said that the Felite Academy has won for 11 consecutive years.

“I know what you’re going to say. That you want me to take you off the list? It’s a shame, but there’s nothing to be done.”

For the record, student consent is mandatory for selection.

No matter how outstanding, if the student refuses, they cannot participate in the exchange.

I…

“No.”

“Hm?”

“I will participate.”

I made a slightly different choice than usual.

“Huh? Why? Really?”

Professor Rachel looked surprised. So utterly astonished that her wide eyes didn’t seem to want to close.

“What’s your reason? What wind has blown you here?!”

Professor Rachel’s voice rose. Driven by curiosity, no doubt.

If I tried to brush it off now, it would only provoke her further.

It’s alright. There’s nothing to hide, particularly.

“I’m curious to see how far it can go.”

A fantasy world where magic exists, and modern science.

Which is superior?

Curiosity is a fundamental human desire. Because of it, learning exists, and teaching exists.

In a similar vein, if there is practice, there must also be real combat.

I wanted to apply my weapons to a ‘live’ situation.

“There’s no better place than the exchange to test acquired knowledge, is there?”

“Right? That’s what I thought!?”

Professor Rachel seemed delighted as she started writing something.

I glanced over and saw it was the exchange participation list. My name was being written in the very last slot.

“…Wait a moment.”

Something’s off here.

“Is this the final list?”

“Yes. The final list.”

“…But why are *they* coming?”

I frowned as I looked at the list.

=

Kevin Aldeharm – Department of Knighthood

Charlotte Märchen – Department of Magic

Rain Ortiz – Department of Magical Engineering

*

As mentioned earlier, the final decision regarding participation in the exchange lies solely with the student.

Regardless of which students are voted for by all the professors, if those students do not want to participate, it will not happen.

And so.

“I think it can’t be helped.”

The rough diamonds of the Lunea Academy have endured too much in too little time.

The onslaught of numerous events has ultimately scarred even these precious gems.

Lunea’s prodigies have lost their will.

And rightfully so. They may aspire to be mages, or knights, but in the end, they are just young lives barely twenty years old.

The terror of death is never a light thing. It would be stranger if they *weren’t* broken.

For them to rise again… that is the Academy’s responsibility now, I suppose.

In any case.

That’s why these damaged stones are here instead.

“Hmph.”

“Long time no see, Rain Ortiz.”

A sigh escapes unbidden.

Kevin Aldehar and Charlotte Märchen.

So, you’re telling me to win with *these*?

“Wow.”

This is going to be rough.

“Charlotte.”

“…What do you want?”

“I heard you switched majors.”

“That’s right.”

“What was the reason?”

“Magitech didn’t suit me.”

Charlotte crossed her arms and smirked.

A strikingly arrogant smile.

“You know, I haven’t heard much from you lately? If you get too complacent just because you’re called a genius, I’ll surpass you in no time.”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks for the advice.”

“You’ve heard about the Penicillin, right? A genius should naturally achieve something like that. Why don’t you try to emulate that person a little?”

Something felt strange.

Being told to emulate *me* by someone else…

Even the arrangement of the words is dizzying.

More importantly, I could sense a faint hostility in Charlotte’s tone.

What’s the reason? I don’t think I’ve done anything.

“Then shall we make a bet?”

It’s not surprising that I’m being challenged like this. After all, I’m hiding all my achievements.

Of course, I wasn’t hoping for some kind of ‘strong but hiding it’ moment. It’s purely because I find the attention overwhelming.

What can I do if I’m an introvert?

Anyway.

This woman, Charlotte Märchen, still thinks I’m just ‘that guy who’s good at magitech.’

“A bet?”

“Aye, let’s wager with that magic you love so much.”

“Hah, I’m speechless… Fine! The loser speaks in honorifics.”

Ten minutes later.

“…Rain-nim, how long must I keep this up?”

“Forever.”

Now, it’s time to board the carriage.

Let’s depart.

Toward Pellett Academy, the academy that has won for eleven straight years.