ISMFF18

Episode 18

The Problem Child (1)

Temia immediately recognized the uniform.

A luxurious jacket made of wine-colored fabric with gold embellishments, topped with an ornate, flowing sash—this was unmistakably the formal attire of the prestigious Therium Academy, a place only true mages could attend.

Since one couldn’t become a mage without innate magical ability, just seeing the robe alone was enough to stir admiration and envy in those without such gifts.

That was why it was impossible not to recognize the outfit. Though it had been a while since she’d seen it up close.

“Yes, this is the place. May I help you?”

Temia responded with a hint of confusion, once again glancing at the man’s uniform.

“If I had met Roy back when he still wore that uniform… would things have been different?”

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the man clearing his throat and speaking again.

“The headmaster of Therium Academy asked me to deliver a letter. But the thing is…”

Strangely, he trailed off there. Even Lerry, curious, flew in circles around the young man’s head, flapping its wings energetically.

Rather than being bothered, the young man’s eyes widened in awe, and he suddenly exclaimed,

“Whoa… incredible! You’re commanding a summoned creature so freely? Does that mean you have enough mana to keep it summoned like this all the time? Just from this alone, it’s clear you’re…!”

“Um, excuse me?”

“Ah, sorry. Right. So, there’s a bit of a problem with the recipient’s name, and I thought I should verify it before handing it over.”

The young man pulled out a thick sealed envelope and showed Temia the writing on the front.

“Super Ultra Glorious Perfect Magician.”

“…Huh?”

“It says ‘Super Ultra Glorious Perfect Magician’ in the recipient field. At first, I thought the headmaster was joking. But no matter how many times I asked, he just said, ‘That idiot wrote it himself in the recipient section, so just accept it and go deliver it to that address.’ Still, since there’s no real name written, I thought I should confirm it with someone here.”

Super Ultra… what?

Now it was Temia’s turn for her eyes to widen.

She was speechless. ‘Magician’ clearly referred to a mage, and in this workshop, the only mage was Lowell.

And he had written “Super Ultra Glorious Perfect Magician” in the recipient field?

“Is he out of his mind?”

Temia couldn’t help but let out a stifled laugh. She’d always thought he was a bit strange, but this? For even the headmaster of Therium Academy to refer to him like that—it begged the question: what has he been doing out there?

Then, before Temia could respond, Lerry suddenly chirped out in a loud voice.

“Ah! That’s my master! Yep, yep! Look—he keeps me summoned even now for this long! So of course he’s the Super Ultra Glorious Perfect Magician!”

“Well… that’s technically true, but still…”

“Come to think of it, it was about a week ago that Master told me to send a thesis to the headmaster! He did say he expected a reply soon. I’ll give this to him! But he told me not to be disturbed for about five hours since he’s deep in research right now.”

“Hmm… but I’ll need someone to sign for receipt.”

“You just need to verify the recipient, right? I can’t sign, but I can stamp it with my paw! I’ve been officially appointed as Master’s proxy. Here—watch!”

Finishing its speech, Lerry tapped its paw on the confirmation document.

Though it looked like a simple claw print, a shimmering official seal of the workshop appeared on the paper. The young man stared in amazement, then carefully checked the mark before nodding in understanding.

“So it was true. I heard he was the headmaster’s protégé… What a tremendous mage. He’s certainly worthy of being called the greatest genius in Therium Academy’s history.”

“Mage seals are embedded with extremely complex formulas. For a summoned creature to not only speak fluently but also replicate and apply that seal despite not being the caster… that’s impressive. To summon such a high-intelligence familiar—it’s beyond remarkable.”

Temia was so stunned that her mouth hung open.

So this little summoned creature contained that level of complexity? She had already struggled to believe how intelligent it was—but now the scope of Lowell’s abilities truly felt terrifying.

“I only know bits and pieces, but I did see the headmaster sighing in regret after reading the thesis…”

“Why? Was the thesis disappointing?”

“Not at all! It was quite brilliant. The exact words were: ‘Why is someone like this hiding in the middle of nowhere instead of working at the royal palace?’”

“Ah… I see.”

So Lowell hadn’t been unable to enter the royal palace—he’d chosen not to. No wonder his whereabouts had been so difficult to track after graduation.

The more she learned, the more suspicious it became. For the headmaster to know his address and personally send letters? That wasn’t normal.

But she didn’t have enough clues yet. Temia pressed her lips together, her mind swirling with thoughts.

Meanwhile, the young man, having finished admiring Lerry, gave a light bow.

“Thank you for letting me witness such magic. I’d love to stay and learn more, but I’m out of time. Please make sure the letter is delivered properly.”

“Was that… really the kind of magic people would call amazing?”

Lowell truly was a strange one. But still—the greatest genius in the academy’s history? That wasn’t just impressive; it was almost unbelievable.

Temia returned to her room in a daze, Lerry flying beside her. It took a while to regain her composure. And once she did, she began wondering how exactly she was supposed to relay this to Lowell.

“Should I actually start calling him ‘Super Ultra Magician’ now?”

It was such an embarrassingly ridiculous title—but if he had written it himself, maybe she should go along with it to keep the peace. Especially since even the academy headmaster had accepted it without question.

With that thought, Temia stood before the lab door and took a deep breath. No matter what, saying it out loud required mental preparation. After a few more deep breaths and glances at the ceiling, she steeled herself.

Then, whispering so only the door could hear, she muttered:

“Su… Super Ultra… Magician…! Please come out.”

“…Super… Ultra Magician? Um, hello?”

Temia’s low voice echoed down the quiet hallway. Even though she knew no one else would hear, her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment.

But there was only silence in response. Complete stillness—except for the sound of Lerry’s fluttering wings as the fairy stared at her.

There was no reaction from inside. But Temia had definitely seen Lowell go into the lab an hour ago.

And knowing his habits, once he went in, he wouldn’t come out for at least three hours. Which meant he was definitely in there. So…

“Is he… ignoring me?”

Temia furrowed her brow and braced herself. Forget embarrassment—this time she raised her voice and pounded on the door.

“Super Ultra Glorious Perfect Magician!! Come out right now!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Her fists slammed against the door hard enough to rattle it.

Finally, Lowell opened the door with a frown. Spotting Temia, he massaged his temple and spoke in a voice heavy with fatigue.