Chapter 29: Magical Prodigies and the Space Magic Showcase

The promising young wizards exchanged glances in midair.

“M-M-My apologies, you can speak first.”

Bena, the lowest-ranking among them, nervously stepped back.

“If you have something to say, please go ahead.”

“I’ll wait my turn too!”

Nia subtly withdrew, and even Felice yielded her place.

“Thank you, everyone.”

That left only Fabiana standing there.

Clearing her throat, Fabiana placed a hand awkwardly over her chest in what was supposed to be a refined gesture.

“If it’s not too much to ask, could we see some of your magic, senior?”

She spoke with a slightly forced elegance.

“Oh? That’s what I was going to ask too!” Felice exclaimed, her eyes widening.

“…Actually, me too,” Nia admitted, stepping back into the group.

“M-Me as well…” Bena, who had been watching nervously, also raised her hand.

Eventually, all the promising young wizards who had initially backed off returned to the group.

“You’re all remarkably in sync. The Empire’s future is indeed bright.”

Luke found it fascinating that four people could think the same thing simultaneously.

“Performing magic for you isn’t a difficult request, but…”

Luke glanced at Elin.

Her cowlick swayed furiously, and her cheeks were puffed out with air.

The obvious display of displeasure was an unmistakable warning sign.

“It seems your attention is focused too much on me.”

“Oh…”

Fabiana, noticing Elin’s expression for the first time, quickly turned to her.

“My apologies, Lady Elin. Meeting Senior Luke in person was so exciting that I got carried away…”

With a look of discontent, Elin ducked behind Luke’s back.

Luke simply shrugged.

“It seems the young lady is still feeling a bit shy. Is there a particular type of magic you’d like to see?”

“Anything related to spatial magic would be fine.”

At Fabiana’s words, the other three nodded in agreement.

“Then I’ll show you something simple.”

With a snap of his fingers, Luke opened a subspace—a spatial inventory he frequently used.

Elin, who had seen it countless times, looked unimpressed.

“Oh! I know what this is! It’s an inventory, isn’t it?”

“That’s incredible! Is this the magic that creates a storage space in another dimension?”

“I’ve heard of this… Is this the real deal?”

The reactions came in order from Bena, Felice, and Fabiana.

Even Nia, who was somewhat familiar with inventory magic, was still amazed.

“…It’s always fascinating to see.”

She wasn’t entirely unfazed.

“Can we take a look inside?”

“Go ahead.”

Fabiana’s eyes sparkled as she peered into the subspace.

Unlike Natia, her face still held traces of youthful innocence.

This suited her far better than pretending to be mature.

“Wow, all of this fits inside?”

“But why do you have bedding in here, Brother?”

Nia tilted her head as she examined the contents alongside Fabiana.

“Someone stayed over once, so I needed it.”

“…You mean a person can fit in here?”

“I wasn’t aware of it until then.”

Luke glanced around and locked eyes with Dien, who was quietly observing the scene.

Dien quickly averted his gaze and casually resumed his conversation with Natia and Ranian.

“Anyway, it’s not such an extraordinary thing. Once you learn it, all of you will be able to do it.”

“Well, I’m satisfied just mastering flame magic,” Felice said cheerfully when Luke’s gaze fell on her.

That’s fair. At her age, being able to use 5th-circle flame magic was impressive enough.

“Does that mean I could learn it too?” Fabiana asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Perhaps she was inspired by Luke’s earlier comment.

“…No.”

The answer didn’t come from Luke but from Elin, who peeked out from behind him and glared fiercely.

“Spatial magic… was promised to be taught only to me.”

The dark aura Elin exuded was almost palpable.

“Haha… Of course. That was a rude question, considering I’m not an official disciple.”

Fabiana quickly retreated a step, her face turning red as she realized she had overstepped.

“Does that mean Lady Elin can also use spatial magic?” Felice asked, surprised.

“Yes, she can use various types of spatial magic beyond inventory magic.”

“Wow… That’s incredible.”

The way they looked at Elin changed.

Before, they had merely seen her as an adorable child, but now they regarded her as a peer—a fellow wizard worthy of respect.

“C-Could Lady Elin also show us some of her spatial magic?”

Bena, who had been hesitant to join the conversation, suddenly raised her hand.

“I could, but…”

Elin trailed off, clearly reluctant.

“Are you too shy to show us?”

“It’s just that I’m not as skilled as my teacher yet.”

“Pardon?”

An awkward laugh escaped Luke.

“She’s only been learning spatial magic for less than a month. If she were better than me, where would that leave me?”

Was this the mindset of a genius? Feeling embarrassed just because she wasn’t at the same level as the creator of the magic?

“My apologies for asking. I didn’t mean to offend…”

The courage Bena had mustered seemed to crumble, and she shrank back.

Watching her retreat, Luke felt a pang of sympathy.

It wasn’t just because she was a baron’s daughter and seemed perpetually timid.

She was also one of the youngest participants here, just like Elin.

“Why not show them something simple? Isn’t that what exchange meetings are for?”

Exchange meetings existed so wizards could showcase their magic, discuss, and sometimes even compete.

Everyone was pretending to behave, but deep down, they were eager to flaunt their skills.

The only reason no one had stepped forward yet was that the host, Bertain, hadn’t made the first move.

“Fine.”

Elin finally stepped out from behind Luke. Just as she was about to demonstrate her magic—

“Ahem, Luke? Could I have a word?”

Natia appeared out of nowhere and called him.

“What is it?”

“I just need a moment. It won’t take long.”

She wore her usual smile, but Luke noticed the faint quiver in her lips, as if she were holding back anger.

Why would she be angry?

Although he had no idea why, he nodded.

“I’ll be right back. Please continue your conversations.”

“Huh?”

Elin’s cowlick wavered uneasily, like a puppy realizing its owner was leaving.

“I won’t be gone long.”

“…”

Still, she looked worried, so Luke leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

“Hold your head high.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve seen how the Empire’s promising wizards view spatial magic, haven’t you?”

“They think it’s amazing…”

“As they should. And you’re the only one on the continent I’ve passed it down to. Do you understand what that means?”

Elin nodded hesitantly, and the tension in her hands relaxed.

“…Just don’t take too long.”

“Of course.”

Luke smiled and followed Natia out, leaving Elin to face the others.

To his surprise, Elin seemed to be doing better than expected in his absence.

“This is my inventory. It’s nothing special, really.”

“Wow…”

“Only a month? That’s incredible. To use your teacher’s original magic so proficiently already…”

It seemed Elin had warmed up to the group.

Of course, she hadn’t initiated the interaction herself.

Instead, Bena’s unusually bold approach had sparked the conversation.

“If it’s hard for you to stand, you can sit on my lap!” Bena offered earnestly.

“No, I’m fine.”

Despite Bena’s overwhelming eagerness, Elin didn’t push her away.

For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to reject the small, animal-like girl entirely.

As the others joined in, Elin’s charm as the youngest and most unique member of the group shone through.

But just as things were getting lively, someone exclaimed:

“Thirteen years old and already mastering original magic? That’s—”

The scene transitioned to heightened admiration.