The first thought that crossed the minds of those seeing the man on stage for the first time was unanimous:

"Is he really that young?"

The man appeared no older than his mid-20s at best.

And his appearance? Far from what one might expect of a magician, he resembled an ethereal beauty one might encounter in high society. In fact, his looks outshone most men in the room, leaving many of the women in the audience momentarily dazed as they gazed at him.

For a brief moment, silence filled the hall, broken only when the man, Yujin, smiled knowingly and spoke.

"Surprised to see someone so young?"

-...

The silence lingered. No one responded, but the stillness of the crowd was itself an answer.

Understanding their reaction, Yujin continued.

"Perhaps some of you think I’m merely a proxy for the author or perhaps just a moderator for this event… but that’s not the case. The person standing before you is indeed the author of the thesis."

As he finished, a hand shot up in the audience. Before Yujin could acknowledge it, the person spoke.

"How can you prove that you are the author of the thesis?"

"Hmm... proof, you say?"

"Exactly."

"Alright, then let me ask you a question."

With a calm smile, Yujin directed his attention to the man.

"Why do I need to prove it to you?"

"What...?"

"Go on, explain why I must prove myself, and if I find your reasoning convincing, I’ll provide the proof you seek."

"Isn’t it obvious?! Everyone here came to listen to a lecture on space-time magic! If the one delivering it isn’t the actual author, how can we trust the information or accept it as credible?"

"And that’s precisely my question."

Still smiling, Yujin pressed on.

"Why must I convince you or teach you anything?"

"...What?"

The man was left speechless, his mouth agape. The rest of the audience began murmuring in confusion.

"What is he talking about?"
"If he’s giving a lecture, isn’t the point to teach?"
"What nonsense is this?"

The commotion grew louder, and some people even rose from their seats, seemingly ready to confront Yujin.

Clap!

"May I ask for silence?"

-...

With a light clap and a simple request, Yujin’s calm voice brought the entire hall to an abrupt hush. Everyone instinctively turned their attention back to him.

Seizing the moment, Yujin addressed the audience with his ever-present smile.

"I understand, of course. You’ve come a long way to attend this lecture, only to find the speaker apparently unwilling to teach. That must be frustrating. Yes, I understand."

"That’s right, so—"

"But you are all laboring under a significant misunderstanding."

Turning slightly, Yujin began pacing the stage slowly.

"I have neither the obligation nor the intention to teach you anything. In fact, I am not here to teach at all."

"What...?"
"What do you mean you’re not here to teach?"

"Exactly as I said. My purpose in coming here is not to deliver a lecture on space-time magic."

As he spoke, Yujin glanced toward the upper rows of the audience, where the Association head sat, his expression frozen in shock.

Yujin met his gaze with a light smile and pulled something from his dimensional pocket.

"What is that...?"
"Is it… documents?"
"Could it be...?"

The object in Yujin’s hand appeared to be a stack of papers. As the crowd murmured, speculation about its identity quickly spread.

"You’re probably guessing correctly," Yujin said, holding the papers aloft. "Yes, this is the complete thesis. Not the partial version made public, but the full document containing every detail of my research into space-time magic."

At his words, the audience collectively widened their eyes.

The complete thesis—unreleased and containing the entirety of space-time magic!

Greed flickered in their gazes. With that document, they could unlock every secret of space-time magic.

"How much? How much do you want for it?"
"If you need compensation, I’ll pay any amount!"
"Move aside! I’ll buy it! Name your price!"

Fwoosh!

-...!!

Before anyone could act, Yujin smiled gently and set the thesis ablaze in his hand.

The audience could only watch in stunned silence as the papers disintegrated into ash before their eyes. Yujin dusted off his hands and spoke.

"This is my answer."

"W-what...?"

Unable to bear it any longer, the Association head teleported to Yujin’s side, scooping up the ashes with trembling hands.

"Why?! If humanity could wield space-time magic, we could ascend to greater heights—reach unimaginable levels of greatness!"

Dropping formal speech entirely, the head’s desperation was palpable. Yujin, however, responded with a calm smile.

"Association head, did you read the partial thesis I made public?"

"What...?"

"The public version contains enough information for today’s magicians to begin exploring space-time magic. Though incomplete and imperfect, it provides a starting point. Isn’t that how humanity progresses—step by step?"

As the Association head gaped in silence, Yujin continued, his tone soft but firm.

"Magic that cannot be understood… what would you do with it now? Would you use it to satisfy some shallow vanity, as the Association often does?"

"What are you—"

"I’m well aware of the Association’s flaws."

Yujin began pacing again, his voice echoing through the hall.

"You speak of humanity ascending to greatness, but what you really mean is the Association’s magicians indulging in delusions of grandeur. Isn’t that the reality? The discrimination against non-magicians, the disadvantages faced by unaffiliated magicians, the corruption fueled by entitlement..."

"......"

"Is that what you call a leap toward greatness? Forgive me, but I cannot agree."

"W-what are you trying to say?"

"That it’s too early. Far too early."

Pausing, Yujin turned back to face the audience.

"Shouldn’t magicians, at the very least, aspire to pursue knowledge and truth rather than hollow pride?"

Snap!

With a sharp snap of his fingers—

Fwoosh!

Another flame ignited, capturing every eye in the room.

As Yujin snapped his fingers, the burned remnants of the thesis began to stir. Ash gathered, swirling as if time itself were reversing. Bit by bit, the destroyed papers reassembled, returning to their original form in Yujin's hand.

Everyone in the room widened their eyes in shock.

This wasn’t just magic. It was time magic, a spell that reversed time itself. A miracle anyone would covet.

"This... this can’t be real..."
"Is that truly what it seems to be?"
"Unbelievable..."

While the crowd murmured in disbelief, the Association head reached out toward the restored thesis, his hand trembling with yearning.

Fwoosh!

Before he could grasp it, Yujin calmly set the document ablaze once more, reducing it to ash again.

"A-ah..."

"Association Head," Yujin said, now kneeling on one knee to meet the man’s eye level, his smile still gentle but his tone sharp. "Space-time magic is too early for you."

The Association head, already humbled by his earlier encounter with Yujin, now found himself trembling with anger that he could barely suppress.

"Arghhh!"

As he instinctively reached for magic to lash out, Yujin snapped his fingers again.

Snap!

The color around the Association head drained into ashen gray, and his movements froze as if time itself had stopped.

-...!

The audience gasped, stunned. That Yujin could so effortlessly halt a grand mage like the Association head was beyond their comprehension.

Yujin stepped forward, addressing the crowd.

"That is why I have determined that space-time magic is premature for today’s magicians. My purpose here was simply to convey this message."

-...

"Of course," he continued, "if I were to outright refuse to share it, backlash would be inevitable. I understand that knowledge is valuable precisely because it is shared. So..."

From his dimensional pocket, Yujin produced another stack of papers, drawing the audience's attention.

"Have all of you reviewed the thesis I made public through the Association?"

Most of the crowd nodded. While not everyone had seen it, the majority had carefully studied the work before coming here.

"As I told the Association head, this thesis contains enough for skilled magicians to begin unraveling the secrets of space-time magic. It’s unfortunate that the Association itself has yet to uncover much from it. However..."

Yujin’s smile grew as he held the papers aloft.

"I intend to share my knowledge with anyone who can correctly interpret the thesis and demonstrate true understanding."

-...!!!

"Magic should be pursued for its intrinsic value—the pursuit of truth and discovery—not for vanity or hollow pride. Those who seek only to inflate their egos have no place in my world."

With that, Yujin ended his speech with a serene smile.

"That is all."

Leaving the lecture hall after his performance, Yujin walked leisurely back toward the inn.

Turning his thoughts inward, he spoke to Tiamat.

"Well, what do you think? Wasn’t that satisfying?"

『Heh, I must admit, it was quite amusing,』 Tiamat replied with a laugh. The way Yujin had struck a blow against those magicians who relied on entitlement rather than genuine pursuit of knowledge was deeply gratifying to her.

"By spreading the rumor of a lecture on space-time magic, I’ve not only undermined the Magicians’ Association’s pride but also ensured they won’t dare to trouble me. They wouldn’t want to risk losing access to space-time magic altogether."

『Indeed. That was your original goal, but it was still quite entertaining.』

"As long as you enjoyed it, I’m happy," Yujin replied with a chuckle.

Then Tiamat’s voice grew curious. 『But... were you serious about your offer? That you’d share your knowledge with anyone who correctly interprets your thesis?』

"Ah, that. Honestly, I don’t expect it to happen," Yujin admitted. Without the foundational knowledge necessary to comprehend it, deciphering the thesis was nearly impossible.

『So it was a lie?』

"Not entirely. While it served to deter those driven purely by greed, I’m genuinely willing to share knowledge with someone who approaches it with sincere curiosity and dedication."

It wasn’t beyond Yujin to reward someone with genuine intent to learn. However, he doubted many would meet that criterion.

"By the way, Tiamat, did you sense it?"

His question caused Tiamat to tense. 『Ah... yes, I did.』

"The individual with the dragon’s aura from earlier—along with their companion—they’re following us now."

『Uh... Yujin, perhaps we could just ignore them and move on?』

"Ignore them? Why?"

『Well... that is...』

Tiamat stammered, overwhelmed by embarrassment. Yujin, sensing something was amiss, slowed his steps and eventually stopped, turning to look behind him.

"You may as well come out. There’s no one else around."

"...You’re sharp."

From the shadows of a nearby alley emerged two women.

Hmm... Just as I thought.

One had short, dark purple hair and sharp violet eyes, her presence as commanding as her striking beauty. The other had long red hair and golden eyes with vertical slit pupils, exuding an undeniable aura of power.

Recognizing them, Yujin nodded internally. These were figures he had seen in Labyrinth Academy.

The red-haired woman was Ines Karandar, the Chancellor of the Academy. Known as the "Grand Witch," she was one of the strongest mortals alive and rumored to carry the bloodline of dragons.

Beside her was Reyna Sahart, a professor at the Academy and Ines’ trusted aide.

It was Ines who broke the silence.

"I quite enjoyed your lecture. It was impressive."

"‘Impressive’ isn’t a word I’d use for what I did," Yujin replied, turning fully to face them.

"Regardless, it’s an honor to meet you both. I am Yujin, an unremarkable magician with no reputation to speak of."

"Unremarkable? Quite the joke, coming from the man who established space-time magic," Ines said with a smirk.

"Is that so? Then, might I ask why you’ve been following me? Especially you, Chancellor."

At that, Ines smiled faintly and spoke directly.

"Fair enough. I’ll get straight to the point."

Extending her hand, she continued, "Would you consider joining the Academy as a professor?"

"...Hmm?"

This was unexpected.

Internally, Yujin let out a quiet laugh.