Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 345 Recording and Reproduction

"How you address me is your prerogative. However, I suggest you avoid using any awkward or embarrassing terms of address. Otherwise, you'll be the one who feels uncomfortable."

Ritas casually pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Sofia, responding expressionlessly.

"Mmm-mmm."

As she nodded slightly, making a distinctive sound, Sophia picked up an old book and began writing in magical script on the blank space on the back of the pages.

"'Being indifferent to how others address you is similar to being indifferent to how others evaluate you, indicating a tendency towards arrogance. While indifferent, you will still, to some extent, use a warning-like approach to stop others from teasing you. However, it doesn't seem to indicate possessing normal human emotions of like or dislike, but rather a tendency to conform to popular standards.'"

"."

While Ritas remained silent, Sophia quickly muttered the same words and wrote them down.

“You make a good point. Using strange titles will only embarrass me. So, I'll just call you by your name. As for how you address me, I'd like to say the same thing: ‘It's your prerogative.’ But ‘Auntie’ or ‘Mom’ won’t do. Of course, it’s not that I don’t acknowledge you as a member of the Elson family. It’s just that I don’t want to sound old. Originally, I thought I’d never care about these trivial things. But now that I’m at that age, I can’t stand even a strange look from others. Yes, that’s exactly the kind of look you’re giving me. Hey, Ritas, you need to stop.”

"Okay, Sophia."

Under Sofia's somewhat dangerous gaze, Ritas nodded.

Although I haven't witnessed it in person before, rumors say that this "witch's disciple" is not a good-tempered person.

In the realm of magic, the "witch's disciple" is considered a fairly famous figure.

It was Sofia who made this word not only a statement of fact, but also a title.

Although Ritas and John were both disciples of the "Tree Witch," and Sophia passed away more than a decade ago, even now, when people in the magical world mention "disciples of a witch," Sophia is still the first person that comes to mind.

"It's really unbelievable. We have so many connections. When anyone creates a file or a family tree, they can't avoid writing the other person's name in it. But this is actually the first time we've met like this."

Sofia remarked.

Perhaps because she hadn't interacted with others for a long time, she was quite talkative.

"When did you start following us?"

Unlike Sofia, Ritas showed little interest in this "senior sister" who looked not much older than him and had always existed only in other people's words; he was only interested in her actions.

"It wasn't long."

As Sofia spoke, her gaze drifted to the potted "Livis flowers" growing outside the library, her expression quite complex.

"The teachers only recently 'released' us. It was around the time that the academy exchange meeting ended. By the way, I wasn't following you the whole time. Although I was curious about you, I was more concerned about my lovely daughter. It just so happened that you two ended up together."

When she mentioned her daughter, Charlotte, Sofia's face lit up with a kind expression.

Without her girlish exuberance, Sofia finally seemed to have the air of an elder.

"you?"

"Well, besides me, there's also Sister Vivian, whom you might not know."

Sofia answered without reservation.

Ritas did not know Vivian, as she had long since passed away. However, he did have a general understanding of the life of this "Princess Vivian."

"So, what kind of beings are you exactly?"

Ritas continued to ask.

"Hmm, once I was sure the other person would be able to answer all my questions, I started asking straightforward and direct questions. I completely ignored the other person's feelings and didn't care if my questions touched on untouchable areas."

"."

Seeing Sophia start taking notes again, Ritas wanted to ask if such analysis and recording could be done in a place where he couldn't see her.

However, this is likely a habit Sofia has always had. And because her "background" is so dazzling, probably no one dared to speak up in the past, so she should change this habit.

No wonder, given that Sophia's notebooks contain many completely unrelated and nonsensical things.

Those notes were perhaps not written by her to leave something for future generations.

"To put it simply, the state that Vivian and I were in before was a kind of 'record' extracted after our deaths. Hehe, even you probably can't understand it right now, right? To give you an analogy, it's like there was a painter who was following me all the time, painting and storing all my actions. And the storage room filled with these paintings is what our previous state was like. Paintings can only depict the surface part, but this 'recording magic' also records the inner part."

Sofia explained, then sighed softly.

"And no matter how much you say, the essence of this magic is just to leave behind a phantom of the past, to preserve that lingering attachment to the past."

Before Ritas could ask further questions, Sophia pointed to the Livis flowers outside the library.
"As a fellow disciple of a witch, what do you think was the thing our great teacher hated and found most unbearable?"

Faced with Sofia's abrupt question, Ritas thought about it seriously.

Is she a witch who would casually explode anything she dislikes, something she simply cannot tolerate?
"Let her be like a normal person?"

"Ha, that's true. If you expect a teacher to act like a normal person, she'll probably go crazy after a few minutes."

Sofia smiled and then revealed the answer.
"Perhaps it's because they've lived for so long. So, teachers actually really hate 'change'."

"change."

Hearing Sophia's answer, Ritas, his eyes slightly widened, was momentarily confused as to whether Sophia was referring to Livis or him. At its worst, even the slightest change in the furnishings of Ritas's room would make him extremely uncomfortable.

Compared to Ritas, Livis was practically the epitome of "free-spiritedness".

“Our teacher is like an elderly person with very poor eyesight. So, she can hardly see anything. But if there are things that remain in her sight, she will wish that she could always see them.”

Sofia added.

Ritas was starting to wonder whether Sophia truly respected her teacher or simply disliked her.

"It's actually a good thing you didn't notice this trait of your teacher. Anyway, some very unfortunate things happened when Sister Vivian passed away. In the end, to comfort her, I created that kind of magic that extracts and stores the 'records' of a single person from the world. However, at the time, I didn't expect that this magic would later be used on myself."

Sofia said with a sigh.

"The purpose of preserving those 'records' is presumably to reproduce their contents through some means. Since the essence of this magic is to 'extract' a portion from the original world, even if that portion is returned, it will simply revert to its original state. Therefore, you are destined to be unable to 'reproduce' it in the original world. You can only do so in another world, such as this created world, or... the new world that the teacher wants to create?"

Ritas deduced from what Sophia had said.

"Yes, very much. Of course, even a teacher wouldn't want to create a new world just for such a reason."

Hard to say
Ritas thought to himself.

"However, since the ultimate goal of this approach is simply 'resurrection,' wouldn't it be easier to just find a way to bring you back to life?"

After carefully reviewing the "record and reproduce" magic, which required traversing at least two worlds to complete, Ritas asked in confusion.

"Hey, hey, hey, this professor of demonic arts. You must have never tried to bring the dead back to life to say something so irresponsible."

Sophia was halfway through her sentence when she saw Ritas's "So you've tried it?" look and belatedly realized that he was trying to trick her into revealing information.

So, after making another note of Ritas on the page, Sophia continued,

"In short, compared to truly resurrecting someone, it's probably easier to directly study how to reverse time and space. Besides, didn't the teacher say he hates 'change'? So, resurrection magic in the conventional sense will never be considered by the teacher. Because, even if the resurrection is successful, who can guarantee that the resurrected body and soul are really the existence he wanted to resurrect, or a completely new existence born based on those? Moreover, resurrection magic itself is a huge variable. And what if the resurrected person 'changes' after such a variable is added?"

Sofia sighed softly.

“Sometimes, I wonder if it's because we know too much. So, at some point, these things turn into ropes, becoming our constraints, which seems a bit off-track. In summary, because of the recording magic, what is reproduced is ultimately the past, something that has already ‘ended.’ So, at the moment of true completion, we will completely follow the teacher's expectations, becoming an unchanging, indestructible, and eternally constant presence by the teacher's side.”

With her arms slightly outstretched, Sophia displayed her body, seemingly cursed by Livis, which would forever keep her young.

"Although 'Record Magic' was a magic I created myself for my teacher, after becoming a part of it myself, I can truly feel that it's a terrible magic filled only with illusion and despair. So..."

The conversation continued in the library. Sophia looked at Ritas across from her and a relieved expression appeared on her face.
"So, I'm really glad that the teacher was willing to give up this magic."

"Is this why you've become interested in me and are now willing to answer my questions?"

Ritas, clearly unable to empathize with Sofia, simply remained indifferent.

"That's partly true. But more importantly, it's about helping my children solve their problems!"

"."

"Tsk, they're completely uncooperative. Speaking of which, why did the teacher suddenly decide to stop clinging to the past and 'unchanging'?"

"Even if you ask the teacher directly, you probably won't get a definite answer. And as for guessing, you know her better than I do, don't you?"

Ritas kicked the "ball" that Sofia had thrown back.

"That's true. It's different from your relationship, which is simply that of teacher and student. To me, a teacher is not much different from a real mother."

Listening to Sophia's words, Ritas felt that whether he and Livis could be considered teacher and student was questionable.

It's really hard to list exactly what his teacher taught him.
"However, I won't speculate on what the teacher is thinking. Although the teacher doesn't like change, she herself is often changing, even fickle. So, I, who am already in the 'past,' should be unable to see through the 'present'... Wait, why is the topic turning gloomy?"

Sofia waved her hands, as if trying to dispel the increasingly unpleasant atmosphere.

"Besides what kind of being I am, what state I am in, and so on, is there anything else you want to know?"

When Sofia asked him a question, Ritas remained silent for a moment.

Ritas had previously felt that it had nothing to do with whether he used a particular way of asking questions or using platitudes. Sophia seemed to want to tell him everything about herself.

And now, this feeling is undoubtedly even more pronounced.

"By the way, there's something I think I should remind you of. As you know, I've been following you guys since the academy. And that's why I've found you're quite popular."

"?"

Seeing Ritas's confusion, Sofia smiled.
"Because, from what I've seen, including myself, there are at least five different factions that have been tracking you."

Sofia extended her right hand and began to bend her fingers one by one.
“I’m one of them, and then there’s that child named Estria. There’s another one who appeared near the western border, most likely from the Elson family’s influence. And what about the remaining two forces? Do you have any leads?”

Ritas paused for a moment, missing the opportunity to casually remark, "There are so many that are real and fake."

As for the remaining two forces that were tracking him, he could roughly guess who they were.

(End of this chapter)