This is the principal of the Royal College, an elder of the Griffin Party, Damian, who is also the dean of the military academy; Princess Elizabeth is his student.
The King has three sons and two daughters; hence, Princess Elizabeth is also known as the "elder princess," in charge of the Royal Family’s military discipline.
"You’ve gone to teach at Saint Nali University?"
Damian continually stared at the letter on the table Fisher had sent him, the title of the theory of the origin of magic power and the soul seemed glaringly conspicuous, yet he found it difficult to shift his gaze away.
"Many people, including His Majesty the King, are aware of the Griffin Party’s blockade on the recruitment at Saint Nali University."
Fisher naturally took off his coat and hat, leaned his hand cane on the door, and sat opposite Damian to pour some tea, only to find the pot was empty, with nothing in it.
Indeed, between them, the pleasantries could be overlooked.
"Are you doing this for the Royal Family?"
"I am doing this for myself."
Damian was silent for a moment and then shook his head. He knew this student well and naturally understood his disdain for the Royal College controlled by the Griffin Party, so he didn’t urge further, only discussing the matter of this "trade,"
"Your paper, then? I need to have a look through it."
Fisher handed over a sheepskin bag containing a copy of his paper. After Damian took out the paper, he put on a pair of glasses, frowning as he read it carefully. He scrutinized every word of Fisher’s paper; it was a long paper, and for a while the entire room fell into silence. Fisher took this time to heat some water in his room for tea.
The more Damian read, the deeper his frown became. He reached out to call for a servant outside,
"Go, call Helsen over."
Mr. Helsen is the dean of the Magic Academy at the Royal College and also Fisher’s mentor.
Fisher made tea for both himself and Damian. Before long, a short, old man in a black robe walked in. The man’s face was covered in a beard, just like a wizard from a fairy tale, lacking only a twisted tall hat; however, his expression was kind and amiable, his eyes taken by a permanent smile.
Fisher stood up and respectfully greeted the old man, who waved his hand gently, smiling at Fisher,
"Benavides, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. By the way, have you gotten married yet? My granddaughter has also reached the age for marriage, 24 years old, loves theater and..."
"Helsen.." Damian coughed, bringing the conversation back on track, "Fisher has provided a theory that the source of magic power comes from the soul and has given proof. There’s no issue with the theory itself, but the method of proof needs your help; take a look."
"Oh! So it’s about serious business, good heavens, I’ve been nearly worked to death with her matchmaking these past few days. Let’s take a look."
Helsen patted his head, the rings flashing with magical brilliance on his fingers—there were as many as nine of them, making his image more and more wizard-like.
Mr. Helsen took the paper. He read very quickly and soon nodded at Damian, saying,
"This method is theoretically feasible. I’ll give it a try."
Without putting down the paper, two of his rings lit up, and lines were engraved in the air by him. The ability to engrave magic without a specific carrier or material seemed very mystical, but in fact, it was because of the power of Helsen’s rings.
One was a Pointing Magic whose Ring Head was "Air," and the other was an Active Magic whose Ring Head was "Trace." Using magic to engrave magic could indeed be effective, although not as potent as proper engraving.
A general-purpose magic whose Ring Head was "Soul" was quickly engraved, but Fisher suddenly thought of the terrifying presence that had fixed its gaze on him in the void during his own experiments. He feared that Mr. Helsen might also be entangled by that entity and that an accident would occur. Although it felt like the entity’s gaze was focused solely on him, Mr. Helsen was approaching 100 years old, and it would be disastrous if something were to happen.
"I’m going to the washroom."
Fisher found an excuse to leave for a while. The washroom was a good distance away in the courtyard; this should be completely safe. He stayed there for quite a while, and when he felt it was about time, he returned, only to hear Damian’s shouts from outside the room.
Could it be that it actually came true?
Fisher hurried back inside the room, only to see the figure of old Helsen in his black robes lying peacefully on the ground, as if he had passed away right there. Damian, the principal, was almost pallid with shock, his hands ready to perform CPR.
"How would I know what happened?! Right after Helsen released your magic, he just fell over! There’s something wrong with your proof!"
Fisher didn’t retort, but focused on reviving the old man before him. But before either of them could start, Helsen’s body suddenly lit up with one ring after another of green light, totaling thirteen rings!
Thirteen-Ring Magic, "Resurrection."
In the moment that light halo lit up, Helsen suddenly opened his eyes and took a deep breath,
"My God! It’s the soul! I’ve felt the soul! Fisher, you truly are a genius, I’ve felt the soul!"
He sat up, and his sudden revival scared Fisher and Damian, causing them to step back a bit. An excited Helsen then called out to the two men who had stepped back, "Haven’t you seen others resurrect before? What’s there to be so surprised about!"