Chapter 108: The Archmage’s Smile and a Lingering Touch

Lia Farrien’s breath hitched.

She knew exactly what it was.

It was the foundational myth of the entire electromagnetic world.

In her previous life, during the zenith of classical physics, these four equations were hailed as the world’s greatest poem, for they described the full mystery of light and electricity with unparalleled conciseness.

She wondered with a touch of curiosity what kind of storm this ‘poem’ would unleash upon this world.

The excitement in Klein’s eyes slowly settled, transforming into a deep, unadulterated sense of satisfaction.

He gently set down the chalk in his hand, which, upon touching the slate, emitted a faint, crisp sound.

He gazed fixedly at the four equations, the very laws of the electromagnetic universe seemingly within his grasp.

After a long moment, he finally turned to Lia, his eyes holding a clear, gentle warmth, like still water.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

His voice had returned to its usual calm, yet Lia detected a faint undercurrent of weariness and relief beneath it.

“My mind is overflowing; I need to unwind.”

Lia nodded, acknowledging that she, too, needed time to calm her turbulent emotions.

Klein approached her, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before shifting to the bookshelf behind her.

“Let’s both take a few days to rest,” he said. “You too, don’t spend all your time cooped up in the study.”

***

The following day, Klein resumed his classes at the Royal Academy.

The apprentices, long accustomed to his rigorous teaching style, quickly sensed that something was amiss.

During a practical electromagnetism lesson, a young apprentice, due to a mistake in operation, inadvertently burned out a section of expensive mithril wire.

He froze, his face pale with fright, bracing himself for the scathing rebuke that usually accompanied such errors.

Apprentices who made mistakes like this were typically met with Master Klein’s sharpest criticisms, often leading to the revocation of their practical qualification for the entire semester.

However, the anticipated storm never materialized.

Klein simply walked over, picked up the ruined wire, and examined it.

“Step five of the operational procedure,” he stated calmly, “your mental control wasn’t stable enough during the magic infusion.”

His voice was remarkably calm.

“Go to the storeroom and get another one. Remember the magnitude of this magic fluctuation, and avoid it next time.”

The apprentice stood dumbfounded, barely able to believe his ears.

After class, several apprentices gathered, conversing in hushed tones.

“Hey, did you guys notice? Master Klein didn’t criticize anyone today!”

“More than just not criticizing! I asked a stupid question about calculating magnetic flux, and he actually explained it to me three times! Three times! I almost thought I was under an illusion!”

“I saw him smile!” another apprentice added, his expression exaggerated. “It was only for a moment, just a twitch of his lips, but I definitely saw it!”

“Good heavens, is the Master ill?”

“I reckon he’s probably made some major breakthrough in his experiments, and he’s just unusually happy about it.”

The Archmage, renowned for his aloofness and sharp tongue, seemed to be in a significantly more cheerful mood these past few days.

He had become exceptionally patient when answering questions, and the entire classroom atmosphere had grown uncharacteristically relaxed.

***

Meanwhile, Lia had buried herself deep within the plush sofa.

She had finally finished the hefty novel Adèle had given her, a tale of a commoner knight marrying a princess.

Though the ending offered no surprises, she had found herself thoroughly absorbed.

The world within the book was simple and pure, with clear distinctions between love and hate, requiring no complex recommendations or contemplation of underlying universal logic.

Warm sunlight streamed through the crystal window, bathing her as she turned the final page, closed the book, and let out a long sigh.

Outside the window, several enchanted birds, trailing rainbow-colored light, chased and frolicked in the air.

In the distance, the Royal Capital’s clock tower chimed three o’clock, its tones lingering and melodious.

Lia casually placed the novel aside and sat up from the sofa.

She stretched languidly, her body’s joints emitting a series of soft clicks.

The hem of her dark blue gown swished, tracing an elegant arc in the air as she moved.

She walked to the desk in the second-floor library and stood quietly for a moment.

This magnificent edifice of electromagnetism demanded a paper of sufficient weight to announce its existence to the entire world.

Lia pulled out a chair and sat down, retrieving a stack of pristine parchment from a drawer.

She dipped the tip of her quill into the inkwell, saturating it with rich black ink.

The quill hovered above the pristine paper, not immediately descending.

She began to conceptualize.

‘This paper cannot merely be a collection of formulas.’

‘It requires a completely new mathematical framework as its foundation: the concepts of “divergence” and “curl” that she and Klein had jointly developed.’

‘She must first introduce these two powerful mathematical tools to the world before she could use them to reconstruct the entire theory of electromagnetism.’

‘This was destined to be a monumental undertaking.’

Just then, the teleportation array in the Mage Tower illuminated.

Klein emerged, seemingly having just concluded his academy lessons, dressed in his black mage’s robes.

He walked to Lia’s desk, silently observing the blank manuscript pages before her.

His gaze moved from the manuscript to Lia’s slender fingers gripping the quill, finally resting on her focused profile.

The afternoon sun gilded the tips of her hair with a pale gold, revealing the tiny strands of down in its light.

Her lips were slightly pursed, her clear eyes reflecting the light from outside the window, completely lost in her own world.

Sensing his gaze, she looked up, a hint of inquiry in her lucid eyes.

Klein remained silent.

He reached out and gently tucked a stray wisp of hair that had fallen near her ear back behind it.

His fingertips inadvertently brushed against her earlobe.

Lia’s body instantly stiffened.

Klein’s fingertip felt as though it had touched a leaping flame; the searing warmth sent a tremor through him, and he swiftly withdrew his hand.

Almost instinctively, he clasped his hand tightly behind his back, his gaze hastily darting towards the window, as if the scenery outside could somehow conceal the erratic pounding of his heart.

“I… I just came to check in,” his voice sounded a little dry. “I’ve still got some inspiration, so I won’t disturb you any longer.”

With that, he turned and quickly departed from the study, his retreating figure betraying a hint of haste.

Lia sat bewildered, unmoving.

She raised a hand, her fingertips lightly touching the earlobe he had just grazed.

The burning sensation seemed to linger on her skin, spreading all the way to her core.

Taking a deep breath, she forcibly suppressed the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind, refocusing her attention on the manuscript before her.

After a long while, the tip of her quill finally descended.

Across the pristine paper, a clear and powerful title emerged.

“On the Differential Characteristics of Vector Fields and the Dynamical Theory of Electromagnetic Fields”

‘This theory would unify the world, yet at this moment, she couldn’t even unify her own tumultuous emotions.’