Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into the body of mage apprentice Roland, Roland discovered that his predecessor had let classmate Ramsey steal his thesis and then attempted to take his own life. The academy refused to help, and the chapter ended with Atali and Cynthia arriving to discuss a solution with him.

• Roland woke in his bloodied dormitory, realized he had transmigrated, and learned that his predecessor had used a healing scroll to survive his suicide attempt.
• Roland recalled that Ramsey had copied the core ideas of his thesis and submitted it first, leaving him unable to prove the theft.
• Roland appealed to the academic affairs director, who dismissed his claim and told him to give up on becoming a Full Mage.
• Roland reviewed his meager possessions and messaged his Childhood Sweetheart, Atali, for help.
• Atali met Roland beneath a tree with her friend Cynthia, who scolded him before Atali urged them to look for a solution.

Roland faced the risk that Ramsey’s plagiarism accusation would ruin his prospects, so he decided to rewrite his paper rather than submit his earlier work. Drawing on his knowledge of historical linguistics, he wrote and submitted an overview of Oracle script before the deadline.

• Atali suggested repeating the year, and Cynthia offered to lend Roland money, but Roland refused both options.
• Roland concluded that he had to avoid his previous topic and write a new paper to keep Ramsey from turning the plagiarism accusation against him.
• After leaving Atali and Cynthia, Roland went to the library and chose Oracle script as the subject of his paper.
• Roland wrote about Oracle script’s divinatory function and structure, and created around a hundred basic characters for his account.
• Roland submitted the finished paper through the Magic Network.

Archmage Ovesto reviewed Roland’s Arcane Paper, which proposed a new writing system called Oracle, and decided to admit him to his Mage Tower. Swein warned that other towers might compete for Roland and offered to travel to Flandre to secure him.

• Ovesto’s Tower Spirit brought him Roland’s Arcane Paper and recommended that he read it.
• Ovesto studied the paper’s new writing system, Oracle, and recognized its potential as an alternative to Atrelin and Elvish scripts.
• Ovesto told Swein that he had decided to admit Roland to his Mage Tower.
• Swein praised Roland’s talent and warned that other mages might try to recruit him because Ovesto had taken an interest in him.
• Swein offered to go to Flandre and suggested Ovesto grant Roland an additional Level 1 Spell.

Roland confronted Ramsey over plagiarizing his paper, while Ramsey’s classmates celebrated his acceptance into the Wendis Mage Tower and mocked Roland for not graduating. Roland checked his admission status at the library and found no news, leaving his future and finances uncertain.

• Roland encountered Ramsey, who apologized for using ideas from Roland’s paper and offered him compensation.
• Roland rejected Ramsey’s offer and accused him of trying to ease his conscience and erase the plagiarism.
• Ramsey insulted Roland, then let his classmates believe Roland was jealous of his success and learned that Roland was absent from the graduation list.
• Roland realized that pursuing justice against Ramsey would grow harder as their status gap widened.
• Roland checked his mage tower admission status and found no response, then worried about finding work before the academy ended his free room and board.

After fearing he would fail to graduate, Roland worked washing dishes until Swein revealed that he had been accepted into Orvisto Wizard Tower. The admission confirmed that Roland's knowledge from his previous life could bring him unexpected success.

• Roland washed dishes at a restaurant to earn money in case he had to leave Falando Academy without graduating.
• Atali and Cynthia found Roland at work, and Atali left to fetch her coin purse while Cynthia followed her back to the restaurant.
• The restaurant owner told Roland that a mage wished to see him, and Swein arrived and took him to the riverbank.
• Swein introduced himself as a High Arcanist and Review Assistant, then congratulated Roland on his acceptance into Orvisto Wizard Tower.
• Roland checked the Magic Network and confirmed his admission, then realized his knowledge from his previous life could be a valuable resource.

Roland told Atali and Cynthia that the Orvisto Wizard Tower had accepted him, but they assumed he was delusional and gave him money for his expenses. As Roland prepared to leave his restaurant job and attend the farewell ball, Ramsey learned of his dishwashing work and planned to use it against him; meanwhile, the academy’s director discovered Roland’s special recruitment letter.

• Swein left after Roland signed the Special Recruitment Terms, giving him a pouch of gold coins.
• Roland told Atali and Cynthia that the Orvisto Wizard Tower had accepted him, but they did not believe him and gave him money for travel and living costs.
• Roland returned to his restaurant job, unaware that an ordinary graduate had seen him washing dishes and sent Ramsey a message about it.
• Ramsey told the graduate to secretly photograph Roland, considering how to ruin his reputation without resorting to violence.
• At the End-of-School Farewell Ball, the academic affairs director examined the Orvisto Wizard Tower’s special recruitment letter and recognized Roland’s name.

At the graduation party, Ramsey used rumors that Roland was washing dishes to discredit him before he could accuse Ramsey of plagiarism. Roland accused Ramsey in public, but the classmates dismissed him, and Ramsey offered to forgive him if he apologized.

• Roland arrived alone at the graduation party and looked for Atali and Cynthia.
• Ramsey's friends mocked Roland for supposedly washing dishes at a restaurant and called him a disgraceful dropout.
• Roland accused Ramsey of plagiarizing his paper, but the students treated the claim as an outburst from a disgruntled dropout.
• Ramsey pretended to be magnanimous and said he would let the accusation go if Roland apologized.

Roland watched Ramsey and his classmates threaten and scheme against him, while Atali and Cynthia came to his defense. The headmaster and senior administrators then arrived and greeted Roland warmly, leaving Ramsey and the crowd stunned.

• A classmate argued that Roland needed to be taught a lesson for allegedly insulting a mage, while Roland reflected on the Empire's social hierarchy and resolved to become a mage.
• Atali stepped in front of Roland, and Cynthia rebuked Ramsey and the others for ganging up on him.
• Ramsey planned to exploit Roland's lack of money by provoking him into breaking expensive party decorations and saddling him with the debt.
• The headmaster and academy administrators entered the banquet hall, and the assembled students stood at attention.
• The headmaster warmly praised Roland and shook his hand, followed by the director of academic affairs and other senior administrators, shocking Ramsey and the crowd.

At Falando Academy’s graduation celebration, Roland’s admission to the Orvisto Wizard Tower was announced, and the academy dealt with Ramsey’s plagiarism case after Roland negotiated with the director. Roland then said farewell to Atali and Cynthia, who discussed their own futures and the possibility of meeting again.

• The dean announced that Roland had become the first Falando Academy student admitted to the Orvisto Wizard Tower, and the crowd applauded.
• The director told Roland that the academy had investigated his plagiarism complaint against Ramsey, then arranged compensation and promised to expel Ramsey and discipline the students who had insulted Roland.
• Roland left the celebration and walked with Atali and Cynthia, explaining that he had sent money home and had not planned to visit his family.
• Roland told Atali and Cynthia that Archmage Ovesto had admitted him after reading his rewritten essay, while Cynthia shared that she had been accepted by Ailanburg.
• Atali worried that her prospects as a knight apprentice were limited, and Roland encouraged her to try for a place at the Orvisto Wizard Tower so they could support each other.

Roland left Falando Academy and traveled to the Orvisto Wizard Tower to report in as an Apprentice Mage. There, he met Froya, the tower’s supervisor for new arrivals, and began filling out his assessment form.

• Roland said goodbye to Atali and Cynthia at the school gates and left that night for the Orvisto Wizard Tower.
• Roland used the Teleportation Array and arrived at the tower, where he registered at the reception room.
• The Tower Spirit connected Roland with Froya, who teleported to the reception room using Dimensional Jump.
• Froya introduced herself as the supervisor for new arrivals and explained that Roland had to undergo an assessment.
• Roland sat down and began completing the form listing his spells, skills, and feats.

Roland confirmed his Mage Tower records and received guidance from Froya on his studies and life as an Apprentice Mage. He learned more about Ovesto’s achievements and ended the chapter with the Grand Mage as his role model.

• Froya reviewed Roland’s grades and explained that Ovesto had granted him a special daily allowance to cast Tongues.
• Froya arranged language and advanced magic courses for Roland and outlined his path toward becoming a Full Mage.
• Froya explained that Apprentice Mages had to guide their own studies, using the Tower Spirit and seeking authorization or funding for restricted knowledge.
• Roland asked when he could meet Ovesto, and Froya said he was away in Sky City Nevis but taught a free public lecture on Ovesto runes every Monday.
• Froya described Ovesto’s accomplishments, private domain, and standing as a prominent Grand Mage, and Roland decided he was someone to emulate.

Roland settled into life in the Orvisto Mage Tower, using its resources and a Tongues spell to study Ancient Elvish and expand his knowledge. In early August, he met the other students admitted to the tower alongside him and learned there were only three in their intake.

• Roland used the magic network’s Tongues allotment to understand an Ancient Elvish lesson and studied for an hour.
• Roland ate breakfast and explored the Mage Tower’s library, where he spent nearly half a month studying and copying notes.
• Roland’s knowledge of Arcana, the Mage Tower, and the world grew as he studied through the summer.
• On August 5, Roland went to the seventh-floor hall to meet the students admitted to the Orvisto Wizard Tower in his intake.
• Roland learned that only three students, including himself, had been admitted that year.

Roland met his fellow students, Skord and Yvonne, and explained his plan to create a new writing system based on Oracle. Convinced that someone had to begin the work, he continued refining Oracle, attracting admiration from his peers and skepticism from Froya.

• Froya introduced Roland to Skord, who researched magical scripts, and Yvonne, a specialist in translation.
• Roland described his plan to develop a new ideographic writing system using Oracle and discussed why creating a script was difficult.
• Roland decided he had to be the one to begin this work and continued researching in the library.
• Roland refined Oracle’s character rules and sentence patterns and compiled a dictionary, considering how his selected characters fit this world.
• Skord and Yvonne praised Roland’s ambition, while Froya warned him that his research might be beyond his abilities.

Roland completed a mature version of the Oracle writing system and, encouraged by Skord and Yvonne, decided to submit his paper to Arcana. Froya helped him register and submit it, still unaware of what his thick manuscript contained.

• Roland showed Skord and Yvonne his graduation thesis, and they were astonished by the complete writing system he had created.
• Roland developed Oracle to over a thousand characters, then asked Yvonne and Skord where he should submit his paper.
• Yvonne suggested Runes, but Skord urged Roland to aim for Arcana, and Roland decided to submit there.
• Froya was shocked by Roland's choice but helped him register and complete the submission while warning him not to lose heart if the paper was rejected.
• After Skord distracted Froya with teasing and she hit him with rolled-up documents, Froya realized she had forgotten to read Roland's manuscript.

Ovesto, Lunifis, and Watson received the same manuscript, “A Study of Oracle-Bone Characters,” for preliminary review by the journal Arcana. Ovesto and Lunifis found its script concept intriguing, while Watson dismissed it and rejected it, leaving the reviewers’ cross-review unresolved.

• Ovesto received the manuscript for review and discussed the poor quality of recent papers on script creation with Swein.
• Ovesto began reading “A Study of Oracle-Bone Characters” and was surprised by its subject.
• Lunifis received the same manuscript, poured herself wine, and recognized its unusual use of pictographs.
• Watson silenced his notification, berated researchers over a Projection about their work and funding, then read the manuscript.
• Watson called the manuscript fictionalism and rejected it.

The Grand Mages began the second-round review of Arcane Papers, where Lunifis recommended Roland’s paper on oracle-bone characters and Watson objected to it. The debate stalled after Watson argued that writing without the power to evoke magical resonance was meaningless.

• The moderator announced that the second review had received 123 submissions and that three new Candidate Papers would be selected for final review.
• Ovesto recommended a paper on Arcana and engineering, citing the potential of Intelligent Puppets to strengthen the Empire’s forces in the Outer Realm.
• Lunifis recommended Roland’s oracle-bone character paper as a rare, mature ideographic writing system.
• Watson objected, calling the paper unoriginal and attacking fictional languages and scripts as reckless fabrication.
• Lunifis defended the paper’s character-formation methods, but Watson argued that writing had to connect to magic and evoke magical resonance.

Grand Mage Watson opposed Roland’s Oracle script paper, while Ovesto supported it moving to the final review. Watson then studied the paper closely, discovered its value, and vowed to find flaws before the final hearing.

• Lunifis argued that the Oracle script might eventually gain magical significance, but Watson dismissed her reasoning as vague.
• Ovesto revealed that he knew the paper’s author and, after being pressed, supported its passing the second review because of its complete rules, mature system, and thorough dictionary.
• Watson agreed to let the paper proceed but declared that he would oppose its publication at the final review.
• Watson shut himself away to inspect Roland’s paper and realized he might have misjudged its value.
• Watson grabbed his magnifying glass and vowed to expose flaws in the Oracle script.

Grand Mage Watson discovered that Roland’s dictionary had an exceptionally high magical resonance rate, then learned it was an independently created supermagic script by an apprentice. The Arcane Committee approved the paper for publication, and Froya learned it would appear in October.

• Grand Mage Watson measured Roland’s script’s resonance rate at 98.52% and used a ninth-level Wish spell to verify what it was.
• Grand Mage Watson learned that apprentice wizard Roland had independently created the supermagic script and collapsed in shock.
• At the Arcane Committee’s final-review hearing, Grand Mage Watson withdrew his objections, and the tribunal approved the paper for publication.
• The Tower Spirit notified Froya of the publication, and she reacted with surprise when she learned it was scheduled for October.

Froya discovered that Roland's paper had been accepted by Arcana with priority after three archmages recommended it, astonishing the Orvisto Mage Tower's members. She and several seniors went to the library to find Roland and tell him the news.

• Froya verified that Roland's Arcana paper had been accepted and shared the announcement in the Mage Tower's communication groups.
• Roland's seniors reacted with shock when they learned that he was a new Apprentice Mage who had enrolled that year.
• Froya proudly told the group that Roland was one of the new students under her charge and refused their requests to share in his success.
• Froya visited Roland's floor with several seniors, where Skord and Yvonne celebrated the news and said Roland was probably still in the library.
• Froya led the group toward the Floating Stairway to find Roland and tell him his paper had been accepted.

Roland learned that Arcana had accepted his paper on Oracle-Bone characters for high-priority publication, earning him praise and a flood of attention from the magical community. The chapter ended with Lunifis of the Yther Wizard Tower asking Roland to answer questions and discuss his work.

• Froya told Roland that Arcana had accepted his paper on Oracle-Bone Character Studies for publication in October and showed him the reviewers' comments.
• Roland read praise from three Grand Mages, along with a reminder that he still needed to integrate his work with magic.
• Froya, Skord, Yvonne, and the other students congratulated Roland on publishing in Arcana.
• The Arcana Communications Journal's announcement brought Roland a flood of messages, which the tower spirit filtered.
• Lunifis of the Yther Wizard Tower emailed Roland with questions about his research and a request for an in-depth exchange.