Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1392: Smarter Than You Think (Part 2)

Once Yolden had finished explaining her answer, the professor dispelled the magic.

A wide smile stretched across his face as he reached under the table and pulled something out, a gleaming power stone.

“We have our first winner of the puzzle!” the professor announced proudly. “And here is your reward, young woman. You must’ve been very dedicated in your studies.”

Yolden blinked, caught off guard by the praise. She didn’t even know how to respond and was already turning to rush back to the rest of her group.

“Wait, wait, what?!” Nannan shouted, voice raised in disbelief. “How could she have gotten the right answer?”

She spun toward her companion. “Bones, do you know the answer?”

Bones shrugged casually. “No clue,” he said, clearly just as surprised as she was. He’d thought the same thing Nannan had, that no student from another academy could possibly solve something this complex.

“It has to be a fluke,” Nannan insisted, her voice laced with frustration. “She must’ve seen that puzzle before. Maybe a professor at her academy gave her the answer ahead of time.”

“Even if that were true,” the professor interjected calmly, “she still gave the correct answer. And I have to say, the way she explained her reasoning… it suggests she really understands the material. Not just memorized it.”

He turned back to Yolden. “There are still several puzzles left. Would you be willing to try another one?”

Yolden hesitated for a moment, her eyes drifting toward the next board. She stepped up to it, this time not writing anything down, just studying the magic circle, taking mental note of every rune and glyph carved into its design.

And as she stood there, her mind drifted back to the countless lessons she’d shared with Raze.

Day after day, Raze had drilled her and Chiba on the intricacies of rune logic and formation theory. Where other instructors had only scratched the surface, Raze dove deep, pulling apart every layer of the topic, until they could see the inner workings with complete clarity.

Another teacher, Panla, had introduced the concept of thinking outside the box when it came to runes and circles. She hadn’t intended to go too in-depth, just wanted to plant the seed for those interested to explore further on their own.

But Raze had taken that seed and forced it to grow.

He had been relentless, strict, and absolutely uncompromising. And it was because of that intensity that both Yolden and Chiba had developed near-expert understanding in solving these magical puzzles.

Now, it was paying off.

After a few minutes had passed, Yolden stepped forward once again and spoke privately with the professor under another brief silence spell. When it dropped, he beamed and produced a second power stone.

“Excellent work,” the professor said, clearly impressed. “You really must’ve had a brilliant teacher. Would you mind telling me their name?”

Professors from different academies often knew one another. Though having knowledge and being able to teach it were two very different things, the professor was curious. Perhaps it was someone he hadn’t heard of, someone whose skill didn’t quite meet the Central Academy’s high standards, but who nonetheless had a gift for instruction.

He figured it was someone he’d want to meet.

“Thank you,” Yolden said with a polite bow. “But it wasn’t a professor who taught me. It was another student.”

The professor’s eyes widened, genuinely shocked. “A student taught you this?”

Students often copied what they’d heard or memorized well. But to teach material this advanced? That required a true understanding of the subject. Not just knowledge, but mastery.

What kind of student could do that?

“Is this student also attending the event?” the professor asked.

“He is,” Yolden answered with a small smile. “But he’s not here with us right now. He’s off exploring elsewhere at the moment.”

“Well, if I get the chance,” the professor said, still smiling, “I’d love to speak with him someday, maybe on the second day of the event or so.”

Nannan, meanwhile, stood nearby shaking her head, staring at the remaining puzzles in disbelief. Confusion was written all over her face.

How could some student know how to solve these… and I don’t?

Her pride was clearly bruised.

Well, maybe it was just a fluke. Only one of them managed to do it. Maybe that girl’s just smarter than the others, she told herself, trying to rationalize it.

But right in the middle of those thoughts, Chiba strolled confidently over to the professor.

It took less than thirty seconds.

Just like that, the professor was handing her a power stone too.

Chiba turned around and casually walked back to the others, passing right by Nannan as she did.

“I know what you were thinking,” Chiba said with a small smirk. “But at Wilton Academy, all of us know how to solve these.”

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true.

It was really just her and Yolden who had trained seriously under Raze’s harsh, focused guidance. But still, all the Wilton students had benefited in some way from his classroom lessons. His method of teaching had elevated everyone.

With their second small victory under their belt, the Wilton Academy group turned and continued on their way, leaving the puzzle board behind as they resumed exploring the fairgrounds.

Left behind, Nannan and Bones stood in silence.

“They’re awfully confident,” Bones muttered, folding his arms.

Nannan didn’t respond, but her scowl deepened.

“I think someone needs to make sure they’re taken down a peg or two before the main event,” Bones added. “Let’s keep an eye on them.”

They carefully looked at where the others were heading, and Bones was getting in contact with a few others at the same time.

Nannan nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on the path the Wilton students had taken.

****

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