← A Failing Student Chases the Truth Buried in the Academy's BasementThe time had passed 4 PM. The reading room was nearly empty of students. Louis sat at a desk by the window, with three magic theory books spread open before him.
His finger turned the page. Mechanically. But his eyes stopped.
Page 127 of *Standard Guidelines for Mana Affinity Measurement (3rd Edition)*. Measurement Procedure 7: "Apply a standard frequency (440Hz) to the subject's mana circuit, and analyze the circuit's response signal."
Louis picked up his pen. He began writing in his notebook.
Standard frequency. 440Hz.
He turned to the next page. It was *Magic Circuit Anatomy*. He had already marked this section. The circuit type classification section.
Circuit Type A: Sequential Processing Type. Mana flows in a linear fashion. Standard type for combat mages and elemental mages.
Circuit Type B: Parallel Distribution Type. Mana flows simultaneously through multiple pathways. Standard type for healing mages.
Circuit Type C: —
Louis's eyes stopped here. He picked up the older edition of *Magic Circuit Anatomy (5th Edition)* that he had placed beside him to compare the 3rd and 5th editions. The same section.
Circuit Types A, B, and C were all there.
C: Non-linear Phase Conversion Type. Processes mana by dynamically converting its frequency.
Louis's finger moved. He wrote in his notebook again.
Standard frequency: 440Hz
Circuit Type C: Non-linear Phase Conversion Type — dynamically converts frequency
Then he looked at the 3rd edition again. Page 127. Standard frequency. 440Hz.
He continued reading the explanation for Measurement Procedure 7: "By applying a standard frequency, mana affinity can be measured equally across all circuit types."
Equally.
Louis's lips thinned.
Non-linear phase conversion type circuits dynamically convert frequency. In other words, they would likely not respond properly to a fixed 440Hz signal. No—they couldn't respond. That circuit only resonates with converted frequencies, not fixed ones.
Then what?
Louis returned to the 5th edition. Below the description of Circuit Type C. A footnote in small print:
"Non-linear phase conversion type circuits have different base frequencies depending on individual physiological characteristics, and measurement requires complex examination by an auxiliary mage or higher."
This footnote only appeared in the 5th edition. It wasn't in the 3rd edition.
Louis slowly leaned back. He rested his back against the chair.
3rd Edition: Published 2015.
5th Edition: Published 2019.
A four-year gap. What had changed in that time?
The fluorescent light in the library hummed. Louis ignored the sound and continued reading.
He carefully reread the entire measurement procedure section of the 3rd edition. Not just item 7, but items 1 through 6. And items 8 through 10.
All of them were based on the standard frequency of 440Hz.
Next, he checked the final pages of the 3rd edition. The revision record. Here, "items added in the third revised edition" were listed. Most were about improving measurement accuracy.
But one item caught his eye:
"The item regarding 'non-linear phase conversion type circuits' listed in the 2nd edition has been removed from student textbooks starting with the 3rd edition to minimize confusion in actual educational settings."
Removed.
Louis's finger stopped. He picked up his pen to type on the keyboard, then put it down again. He couldn't write with a pen. He had to write by hand.
He wrote large in his notebook:
"Non-linear Phase Conversion Type Circuit — removed from student textbooks. Why?"
The answer was already there. Louis knew it. But he needed confirmation.
He picked up *Introduction to Magic (1st Year Textbook)* from the pile of books beside him. This was the textbook being used this semester. He found the circuit type section.
Only Circuit Types A and B were there. C was missing.
Then he picked up *Introduction to Magic (Old Version, Teacher's Edition)*. He had found it in the bookshelves deep in the reading room a few weeks ago. The same section.
All three circuit types A, B, and C were there.
Louis wrote in his notebook again:
1. Standard measurement frequency: 440Hz (fixed)
2. Non-linear phase conversion type circuit: dynamically converts frequency
3. Cannot be measured with fixed frequency → measurement result = low affinity
4. Therefore: Student with Type C circuit = possible judgment of "low affinity" in measurement
Louis put down his hand. He didn't pick up his pen. He only thought.
What if this was intentional?
What if someone had changed the measurement method to classify students with a specific circuit type as having "low affinity"?
Why?
Louis stood up. He pushed his chair back. He gathered the books. He organized the scattered notes quickly, without care.
He headed toward the stairs on the third floor of the library. His footsteps were steady. Emotionless. But something was moving inside him. The sound of puzzle pieces fitting together. The sound of logic chains locking into place.
He went down to the second floor. He could see the library desk. Saber Mortensen, Helen's mother, wasn't there. In her place was a part-time employee.
Louis saw the door to the librarian's area. The office. The librarian's records would be there. The history of curriculum changes. The modification records of measurement guidelines.
But not now. Not yet.
Louis went down the stairs to the first floor. He stopped at the library's entrance. Through the window, he could see the academy courtyard. Students were passing by. Most of them didn't question their job classification. They accepted their measurement results.
Louis recalled his own transcript again.
Mana Affinity: 12.
Was that the truth, or was it a measurement error?
And if it was an error, why was the academy continuing to maintain it?
Louis left the library. As he walked down the corridor, he thought about sending Helen a message. But he stopped. Not yet. He needed more evidence.
His hand pulled a small notebook from his pocket. And he picked up his pen.
He began listing what he needed:
1. Confirm the definition and characteristics of non-linear phase conversion type circuits
2. Determine the exact timing and reason for the change in measurement guidelines
3. Understand the current status of students with Type C circuits
4. Review any connection to something behind the wall in the library basement
Louis's lips moved. A very small movement.
"This is the beginning."
His murmur was buried in the noise of the corridor. No one heard it.
The basement reading room of the library was the oldest space in the academy.
The pipes on the ceiling were rusted, and half of the fluorescent lights were flickering. Louis was crouched behind the third shelf. It was a task that had started two days after Helen's mother asked him to do it. Organizing old records by year. It seemed like a trivial job, but Louis thought differently.
It was an opportunity to find evidence.
His finger slid along the spine of a book. Academy academic records from 1987 to 1995. The old paper had absorbed moisture and was slightly swollen. Some of the vertically shelved books already showed signs of having been removed before. Dust had accumulated between the pages, and the cover had turned black with fingerprints.
Louis proceeded systematically. As he moved the books by hand, he checked the condition of the wall. Concrete wall. Old, but no signs of damage.
Twenty minutes passed. Thirty minutes.
His knees began to ache, but Louis didn't move. Pain was something he could ignore. There were more important things than that.
When it came time to organize the books from 1954 to 1962, Louis's finger caught on something.
The wall was uneven.
It was a very small section. There was a vertical line-like crack on the concrete surface. About thirty centimeters long. Louis immediately stopped his hand. And then, slowly, he began to trace it with his finger again.
The crack was vertical. Perfectly vertical.
Louis's eyes narrowed. A natural crack couldn't be this regular. Concrete cracks irregularly over time. Not vertically or horizontally, but diagonally, in multiple directions.
But this looked different.
Louis pulled himself out from the shelf. And approached again. This time to observe more carefully. As he moved his finger along the crack, he scanned the surroundings.
There was another vertical line. About a meter away.
And the wall surface between them...
Louis bent down closer. He rubbed the wall with his fingertip. The texture of the surface was subtly different. The part where the books from 1954 to 1962 were shelved and the wall next to it. The color also looked slightly different. One side was darker.
Louis's hand moved along the edge of the darker section.
He tapped it lightly with his fingernail. The sound was different. As if it were a different material, not concrete. A deeper sound. It meant there was a hollow space.
Louis stood up. And looked around again. The basement reading room was empty. No students came this deep at this hour. The basement of the library was a space barely marked on official records.
When he sat down in front of the shelf again, Louis's mind had already begun calculating.
The dark section of the wall. An irregular shape. Vertical lines at the edges. And a sound different from concrete.
Everything pointed to the same conclusion.
There was something behind the wall.
Louis took out his notebook. And began sketching quickly with his pen. The location of the wall. The size and direction of the cracks. Color changes. Differences in sound. He recorded everything.
His finger stopped at one line in the notebook.
"Safe. Or more than a safe."
Below that sentence, Louis added in smaller letters.
"200 years. Early days of the academy's founding."
"Why is it hidden underground?"
"Who installed it? The founder, or someone after?"
Louis set down his pen. And looked at the wall once more. Nothing had changed. It was still just an old concrete wall. But now what Louis saw was something different.
An invisible boundary. Intentional camouflage. And something behind it.
His breathing slowed. His heartbeat too. Louis had trained himself not to feel emotions, but something was happening in this moment. Something very small. Deep in his chest.
Should it be called curiosity? Or fear?
Louis decided not to name that emotion. Instead, he returned to analysis.
How could he open the space behind the wall? Physically, it would be impossible. All construction at the academy is recorded. Then it would be magic.
Sealing magic.
Louis's eyes slowly moved along the wall. As if searching for invisible traces of magic. But his eyes saw nothing. Magic didn't look like that.
It was something you felt.
Louis closed his eyes. And tried to concentrate on mana. But when he remembered that his mana affinity was 12, he gave up.
He couldn't feel it. Or perhaps he couldn't feel what he should have been able to feel.
Louis opened his eyes. And slowly stood up.
The fluorescent lights in the basement reading room continued to flicker. There was also noise. The sound of old pipes flowing water. Footsteps from the upper floors of the library heard from a distance.
Louis didn't move from in front of the wall. He simply looked at it.
"...Could it be opened."
A murmur leaked from his lips. Louis didn't realize he had spoken these words.
Instead, what he became aware of was something else.
The books on the shelf. The reason they hadn't been organized. That they were old. That all the records from 1954 to 1962 were here next to this wall.
Was it a coincidence?
Louis's hand turned to the books again. This time with a different purpose. Not simply organizing them, but searching.
There would be something among these books. A clue. A record. Something.
As his finger traced the spines of the books, Louis's expression didn't change. Cold and quiet. But his eyes moved differently.
Eyes that analyzed. Eyes that searched for connections.
And those eyes were already planning the next step.
How to approach the librarian. When to tell Helen and when not to. How to gather more evidence.
Louis continued. One book at a time. Slowly and precisely.
The secret behind the wall hadn't moved yet. But now someone knew of its existence.
And that someone would not stop.