VCAM 14

Chapter 14 

 “Summoned to the Royal Capital, Questioned Before the King”

The royal capital of Roselia—Selefia.

Marble spires rose skyward, while corridors polished to a mirror shine reflected the heavens, encircling the castle.
For Kai Cross, this was only the second time passing through the palace gates.

But this time, it was as a formally recognized “Summoned One.”

“――From this moment forth, the Existence Adjudication Hearing for Sir Cross Kai shall commence.”

The throne room was silent.

A weighty space filled with the kingdom’s ministers, the upper echelons of the Magic Ministry, the royal family, and even envoys from neighboring nations.
And at the center of it all stood—a man from Earth, once nothing more than an ordinary math teacher.

“…Man, I get nervous real easy, y’know. Why’s everybody starin’ at me like that?”

Kai muttered under his breath, only to be elbowed by Lutia, who stood beside him.

“Quiet. Read the room.”

“I am readin’ it—that’s why I said it.”

The unusual dialect in his speech made those around him frown.

But for him, this was just “business as usual.”

On the throne sat Leonhardt Celefia Roselia III, ruler of the Roselia Kingdom.

At his right hand stood the man once hailed as a “Wise King’s Strategist”—Zegal Falnark, a legendary Great Sage of the magical royal line.

“Sir Cross Kai. Though summoned from another world, it is said you have touched upon the fundamental definitions of our magical system and analyzed magic circles with your own original theory.”

“I’ve just tinkered with a few things, really. My actual profession is teaching. Math, specifically.”

“Yet your theory holds applications rivaling the Ministry’s forbidden arts. What’s more, it aligns in places with the royal family’s ancient style.”

“…Seriously? I didn’t know that.”

“…I see. Then, demonstrate it.”

At the king’s signal, a magical stone tablet was brought forth.

It was an ancient circle—one that no one had managed to decipher for centuries.

“Can you analyze this structure?”

Kai leaned over to study it.

(…Looks like a coordinate system written in magical vectors, with some rotation groups added.)
(Good thing sinθ and cosθ are defined just like back on Earth.)

Pulling out a piece of chalk from his pocket, Kai walked over to a nearby blackboard and began writing equations.

√(a²＋b²) = r
θ = tan⁻¹(b/a)
∴ The formula for magical flow can be converted into polar coordinates

As he calmly explained each step, murmurs spread among the royals, the ministry, and the foreign delegates.

“T-This theory…! It matches the principles described in the Book of Flowing Cycles!”

“Unbelievable…! But how could he read an equation none of us ever could—?”

When Kai finished, he clapped his hands lightly.

“Okay, done. If you treat magical power as ‘rotation,’ you can organize it like this.”

Silence.

At length, the Great Sage Zegal slowly rose to his feet.

“…This man is foreign to us. Yet he also carries the potential to lead us to truths still unknown.”

“Therefore, in my name—I propose we appoint him as a Specially Authorized Teacher of the Kingdom and designate him the New Magical Education Advisor.”

The atmosphere burst into uproar.

Some among the Magic Ministry raised their voices in protest:

“Impossible! He is far too dangerous to the kingdom!”
“To reduce the essence of magic into mathematical formulae—that is nothing short of sacrilege!”
“A mere commoner without noble status cannot possibly—”

“Silence!”

Lutia’s sharp voice cut them off.

“This man, before my very eyes, has saved the futures of countless students.
Those who could not cast magic succeeded for the first time under his teaching.
Noble or commoner, rank means nothing—he taught them!”

The king narrowed his eyes at her words.

“…For the daughter of House Valenstein to speak so highly of him…”

◆◇◆

Then—
Prince Leon himself broke the silence.

“I once scorned this man as ‘baseborn.’”

“But I was wrong. The magical formulas I could not solve, he solved as if it were nothing.
He reached in weeks the heights I could not attain in years.”

“…Perhaps that is why I did not want to acknowledge him. Because that day—Lutia seemed ready to choose him.”

Lutia faltered, speechless for a moment.

But the prince continued calmly:

“No longer will I mistake him. As prince, I recognize this man’s existence.”

And so, the “man from another world” was—

In the royal capital, officially acknowledged as the kingdom’s most unorthodox teacher.

Kai Cross.
Once a math teacher from Earth.
Now, his name began to be etched as a revolutionary of knowledge who would shake the kingdom.

◆◇◆

That night, in a room at the royal capital’s lodging.

Kai lay sprawled on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, murmuring:

“…Guess I’ve climbed a bit too high, huh.
A guy who used to just hand out candy at the teacher’s desk… now teachin’ in the royal capital? That’s one hell of a joke…”

His voice carried a faint loneliness—but also, unmistakably, a quiet pride.