← A Failing Student Chases the Truth Buried in the Academy's BasementThe sound of the test paper falling onto the desk was quieter than expected.
Lewis Khan stared at the red X marks drawn across the page. From problem one to fifteen, they were all X's. On the last page, there was a note from the teacher: *'Insufficient understanding of basic concepts. Supplementary learning required.'*
Seven times. This was his seventh failure.
Lewis picked up the test paper. He pointed his finger at problem seven. 'Calculate the resonance period of a mana circuit.' His answer had been simple. He substituted the values into the formula and showed his work. It was marked as wrong. But the calculation itself was correct. Was it a problem with how he applied the formula? Or did the formula itself not fit his mana structure?
Teacher William Thomson was watching Lewis from behind his desk. Mid-fifties, beard streaked with gray, always wearing the same black robe. His eyes were full of pity. Lewis hated that the most.
"Khan."
William opened his mouth. His voice was soft. Sad, as if someone had died.
"This is the last time."
"Yes."
Lewis answered without emotion. As if he were commenting on the weather.
"You're a fourth-year student. You have a year and a half left until graduation. But the fact that you still haven't passed basic magical theory..." William sighed. "It means your aptitude doesn't lie in this subject."
Lewis looked at the other problems on the test paper again. Problem three. 'Find the error in the mana affinity measurement method.' This was also marked with an X. He had received a mana affinity score of 12 on the aptitude test. The lowest possible. But the error he had identified in problem three was logical. The measurement method excluded certain types of magic. Yet it was marked as wrong.
"Support mage."
William said.
"You were classified as a support mage from the time of your admission. Your mana affinity is low, and your circuit efficiency is below average. That's not something to be ashamed of. Not every student needs to become a combat mage. Support mages play an important role too."
Lewis remained silent.
"Even if you studied for three more years, I don't think you would fully understand this theory. That's my assessment. And..." William stood up from his desk. "The headmaster's office has already made a decision. There will be an official expulsion hearing next week."
"I understand."
Lewis folded the test paper. It creased.
"You're a good student. You were diligent. You always submitted your homework. But ability is something that effort alone cannot overcome. Accepting that is maturity."
Lewis stood up. William tried to observe his face more carefully. Anger? Frustration? He might have expected such emotions to appear. But Lewis's expression didn't change. It remained calm. As if someone had just told him that a stranger's shoelace had come untied.
"One more thing."
William said.
Lewis stopped.
"Problem three. The one about finding 'errors in the measurement method.' You clearly presented a logical answer. Sample bias, exclusion of magic types, misapplication of historical standards. All valid points."
Lewis turned around. He met William's eyes.
"So why was it wrong?"
"Correct."
"Because that is not the correct answer."
William's voice had changed. The softness from before was gone. Something else had seeped through. Something like a warning.
"Our academy's measurement method is a standard that has been maintained for two hundred years. To question that standard is..." William paused. He seemed to be reconsidering. "That is not something a student should do."
Silence flowed between them. It was long.
"I understand."
Lewis turned around again.
"Khan."
"Yes?"
"It's truly unfortunate. To lose a student like you..."
Lewis left the classroom. The sound of the door closing. Whether he heard William's sigh after that or not didn't matter.
The hallway was quiet. Most fourth-year students were in specialized subject practice at this time. Only Lewis had to retake magical theory, so he had taken the exam during this hour.
He unfolded the test paper again. This time he looked at it more slowly. Problem five. 'Look at the following mana circuit diagram and calculate its efficiency.' The circuit diagram was complex. Six nodes, fifteen connection lines. A standard circuit. The basic form that all students learned. But Lewis's answer had been different. He had calculated the efficiency at 68 percent. The correct answer was 75 percent.
Where did that difference come from?
Lewis redrew the circuit in his mind. The mana flowing from node A to B... No. Mana doesn't flow in a straight line. There might be a third pathway not shown on the diagram. Or perhaps he needed to calculate the resonance period between nodes differently.
Someone's laughter came from the end of the hallway.
Lewis folded the test paper and put it in his pocket. He heard footsteps. Fast and confident footsteps. Lewis moved his body toward the wall.
Marcus Belin appeared. Eighteen years old, the academy's top student. A gold stripe on his black robe. Top-tier combat mage rank. Beside him were two classmates. Both were laughing along with him.
"Oh, it's Khan."
Marcus saw Lewis. His gaze was like looking at a pebble he'd seen on the way past.
"Did you take the theory test? You failed again, didn't you?"
Lewis didn't answer.
"Why are you still here? Three years have passed and you're still at the same rank. If you're a support mage, why don't you just graduate and leave?"
The students beside him laughed.
"What? Not answering? Or do you have nothing to say?"
Marcus brushed Lewis's shoulder. Lightly. But it was rude enough. Lewis didn't move his body. Marcus walked on with a laugh. His laughter faded down the hallway.
Lewis moved again. His destination was the library.
He went down the hallway and down the stairs. The library entrance on the first floor. He opened the door. Warm air and the smell of paper. And silence.
The librarian was sitting behind her desk. Early fifties, wearing glasses. She was Helen's mother. She saw Lewis but didn't react particularly. He was a student who came often.
Lewis headed toward the magical theory section. It was on the third floor. He climbed the stairs. He passed the first and second floors. When he reached the third floor, a thought occurred to him.
That 68 percent from problem five.
It might not be a wrong answer, but a different way of calculating. If you calculate using the standard formula, you get 75 percent. But what if you interpret the mana flow differently? What if there were losses not shown on the circuit diagram?
Lewis scanned through the books in the magical theory section. Basic theory, intermediate theory, advanced theory. And behind those... old books. Books that modern students rarely touched. Published around two hundred years ago.
He went to that section.
Something strange appeared behind the bookshelf. Part of the wall was a different color. No, not color but texture. As if someone had repaired the wall but hadn't finished it perfectly. Lewis touched that spot with his finger.
A cold, rough surface. And there were fine cracks. There were traces of magic. Old magic. It looked like sealing magic.
Lewis lowered his hand.
The expulsion notice was scheduled for next week. There was no need to wait another year and a half. Next week would be the end.
But this wall. These cracks. He felt he needed to know what this was.
Lewis examined the bookshelf again. He began picking up the old books one by one. He read the titles. *'The Nature of Mana'*, *'The Difference Between Ancient and Modern Magic'*, *'The Basics of Sealing Magic'*.
When he picked up the last book, another book became visible from deeper within. This one was even older. The cover was almost completely worn away. Lewis took it out.
The title was illegible. But when he opened the book, something was written in handwriting on the first page.
*'Experiment Log - Seventh Bloodline Enhancement Project'*
Lewis closed the book.
And he checked his surroundings. The third floor of the library was still quiet. No one was there.
He took the book and moved behind the bookshelf. He stood in front of the wall's crack. He needed to know where this fissure led.
The academy was aging. Things left behind by two hundred years of history. Things not in the official records but remaining inside the walls.
Lewis's finger traced the crack. Small and cold, and continuing on.
Lewis lowered his hand.
Footsteps echoed. From the direction of the library's staircase. They were light and hurried. Lewis quickly tucked the book inside his clothes. The worn cover brushed against his shirt. Cold and rough to the touch.
The footsteps climbing the stairs grew faster.
Helen appeared on the third floor. Her face was slightly flushed. She was catching her breath.
"Lewis."
There was something in her voice. A tone different from what Lewis had heard before. Anxiety. No, it was closer to determination.
Lewis turned around. "Helen."
"I heard. What Teacher William said to you." Helen took another step closer. In the dim lighting of the library, her eyes looked sharp. "An expulsion hearing next week?"
"Yes."
Lewis's answer was brief. As if he were talking about someone else's affair.
Helen stopped. She studied his expression. As if trying to analyze that cold face.
"Are you... okay?"
"That is a question. What do 'okay' and 'not okay' mean?" Lewis turned back toward the bookshelf. "Physically, I am normal. Emotionally... it is an unnecessary variable."
"Lewis."
Her voice grew quieter. Lewis knew that tone. The sound of Helen's voice when she was truly angry. But this time, frustration was mixed in more than anger.
"Don't say that. You're a person. Not some strange calculator."
Lewis turned from the bookshelf. He faced Helen. She had her arms folded across her chest. It wasn't a defensive posture. Rather, it seemed like she was trying to hold herself together.
"That's right. I am a person. Which is why I can analyze the current situation." Lewis spoke quietly. "Mana affinity of 12. By the Academy's official standards, the level of an auxiliary mage—the lowest-ranking profession. Failed the magical theory exam seven times. Judgment that my problem interpretation ability falls short of the standard."
"That's wrong."
"No. It's an accurate evaluation." Lewis continued. His voice was flat. As if emotion had been removed from it. "Either I was wrong, or the Academy's standards are correct. It's one or the other. Teacher William chose the latter. Because there's a 200-year tradition."
"So you're giving up? Really?"
Helen's voice rose. In the silence of the library, it sounded like a small explosion.
Lewis looked at Helen. Her lips were trembling slightly. Her fingers were clenched.
"Giving up and accepting reality are different things." Lewis said. "I am still thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
"Whether my weakness is truly my weakness, or if the method of measurement is wrong." Lewis's hand pressed against the bookshelf. "I looked at problem three again. There is no basis to say my answer was wrong. I simply approached it differently. I was judged wrong because that method isn't in the Academy's textbooks."
Helen came closer. "What method?"
"I don't know yet." Lewis answered. Honestly. "But the books here... they are suggesting something."
He gestured toward the bookshelf with his hand. Sealing magic, ancient theory, bloodline enhancement. Those words must have entered Helen's eyes.
Helen's face went pale.
"What are these books?"
"That's what I want to know too."
Lewis and Helen's gazes met. The silence of the library grew thicker. Footsteps from someone at the end of the corridor were heard, but they soon faded away.
"Are you perhaps..." Helen asked carefully. "trying to investigate the Academy?"
"It's not that stage yet." Lewis said. "First, I need to find the cause of my weakness. If it's my problem, I need to fix it. If it's the Academy's problem... a different approach will be necessary."
Helen exhaled. Slowly.
"Lewis, you really..." She raised her hand. For a moment, it seemed it would touch Lewis's shoulder. But she lowered it. "Why do you always try to do things alone?"
"Alone is faster."
"It's also more dangerous."
Lewis looked at Helen. Her eyes were full of sincerity. Lewis calculated it. Helen's concern as a friend. How deep it was. How pure it was.
"If I look at my situation objectively, the probability of me being removed from the Academy is high." Lewis said. "There's an expulsion hearing within a week. If my scores don't improve in that hearing, it's over. No one can help me. Not by law, not by tradition."
"Then raise your scores."
"How."
"I don't know, but you'll figure it out since it's you." Something irrational entered Helen's voice. Trust. Lewis recognized it. "You've always found a way."
"That is a bias based on past experience."
"No. You really do. You sneak into the library before exams and read books, and you said you see things in class that other students don't. You think differently."
Lewis heard those words. He heard how Helen saw him.
"That ability is being evaluated as incompetence by Academy standards." Lewis said.
"Then that means there's a different standard."
Lewis was silent for a moment. Helen continued speaking.
"I can't let you go. Lewis, please. Don't give up."
Helen's voice trembled. Really. Lewis didn't miss it. She was afraid of losing him.
Lewis's hand moved. Without his knowing. It touched Helen's shoulder.
"What if I'm not giving up?"
"What?"
"What if I'm looking for a different way?"
Helen's eyes followed Lewis's hand. When she realized that hand was on her shoulder, her face flushed slightly. But she didn't brush it away.
"What way is that?"
"I don't know yet." Lewis lowered his hand. "But what's here... it might help."
Helen looked at the bookshelf again. Those old books. Those titles.
"What are you doing, Lewis? Really."
"I don't know." Lewis answered honestly. "But the Academy is hiding something. I'm trying to find it."
"Alone?"
Lewis looked at Helen.
"What if not alone?"
Helen hesitated for a moment. Lewis could read that hesitation. The balance between fear and resolve. And that balance began to tip.
"My mother is the library librarian." Helen said quietly. "She knows all the books here."
"I know."
"And I... I trust you."
That was all. Lewis accepted it. Helen's decision. Her choice.
The library's lighting was dim, but it was enough. In that space where Lewis and Helen stood, behind the bookshelves, something was beginning.
"Then let's start." Lewis said.
Helen nodded.