NOVPUBMana contains memories.
This recently emerging hypothesis was more than enough to reignite the curiosity of both wizards and scholars toward the mysterious force known as mana.
When these memories collide, one can experience someone else's past as if they were dreaming it themselves.
This phenomenon was called Memory Storming.
Wizards began studying the Memory Storming phenomenon, pondering how it might be harnessed.
And eventually, they created a certain item—the very talisman that Marie Ross had shown them.
“Miss Marie, is there any chance this might be dangerous?”
Being able to read memories certainly sounded intriguing on the surface, but the potential side effects lurking beneath didn’t seem trivial.
“In extreme cases, Memory Storming can be harmful. If memories become too entangled, it can cause cracks in one's sense of self.”
There had been victims.
Though rare, some individuals fell into confusion, mistaking themselves for the mage they had transferred mana to, after experiencing Memory Storming.
Such psychological disturbances were notoriously difficult to treat, even with divine magic.
“But those were incidents where people ignored safety guidelines and transferred mana recklessly. And even then, the chance of a side effect is like one in a hundred—very rare.”
“But not nonexistent, right?”
“Correct. However, this prototype talisman we’re using now was designed to avoid those kinds of side effects. It’s a consumable artifact—weak in power, but highly stable.”
At the mention of its safety, even the more skeptical students began to show interest.
If Miss Marie herself vouched for it, it seemed safe enough to try.
Soon enough, students were eagerly raising their hands, wanting to try the talisman for themselves.
So much so that Miss Marie, who had brought it up in the first place, looked a bit flustered by the enthusiasm.
“Oh my. I didn’t expect so many of you would want to try. I did bring just enough, just in case.”
Her class was quite large—eighty students, the maximum capacity.
It was a shared course between first and second years, so finding a seat at all had been a challenge.
Miss Marie, knowing this, had brought a generous forty talismans.
“But there’s something to be careful about. You need to work in pairs. Simply injecting your own mana won’t trigger Memory Storming. You need a partner. Most importantly—be aware that it might reveal memories you’d rather keep private.”
At that, the students began glancing around at each other.
They were all dying to try it, but the idea of working in pairs gave them pause.
What if someone saw a secret they didn’t want exposed?
The chances were slim, but not nonexistent.
“Hey, what do you think?”
“Should we try it? I’m curious.”
“Ugh. Someone seeing my memories... I don’t know about that.”
“Eh, who cares? They said it’s not a big deal.”
People who valued their privacy were clearly hesitant.
Even with a close friend, most people had at least one thing they’d prefer not to share.
Especially across genders.
“Anyone want to give it a try?”
When Miss Marie checked again, far fewer hands went up than before.
Still, more than half the class looked interested enough.
“Rinne. Want to try it together?”
“Huh? Are you sure?”
Rinne was taken aback by Erendire’s suggestion.
She hadn’t expected a princess to be the one to bring it up.
“Don’t you want to try?”
Erendire coaxed her. Truthfully, she really did want to try it.
The idea of sharing memories with a friend stirred something deeply romantic in her heart.
'Sharing memories with a friend!'
Having never really had friends before, Erendire was the type to get fixated on such ideas.
Things like cherished memories with close friends, unforgettable moments.
It was something often seen in novels, after all.
Of course, Memory Storming wasn’t quite the same as genuinely sharing memories—but to Erendire, it was close enough.
“I don’t think mine are anything special. But are you really okay with it, senior?”
Rinne was more worried about Erendire.
She was just a nobody commoner, but Erendire was an imperial princess.
Even sitting beside her and having a conversation like this wouldn’t have been permitted anywhere outside of Theoran.
Rinne didn’t mind exposing her own past, but for a lowborn like her to glimpse a royal’s memories? That felt dangerously blasphemous.
She liked to think she was clueless about how the world worked—but even she knew that much.
“It’s fine. I don’t really have anything to hide.”
Erendire didn’t think much of it.
If her relationship with her sister hadn’t already been exposed, maybe she would’ve hesitated. But that annoying jerk Freud had already spilled everything to Rinne, so there wasn’t much left to hide.
She was the third princess, after all—the one already pushed out of the line for power. It’s not like she had any vital secrets anyway.
“Uhh... okay.”
Since Erendire was so insistent, Rinne didn’t press further. Truth be told, she was curious about Memory Storming too.
“Alright then, let’s try.”
“Yay!”
Erendire immediately trotted up to the front to fetch a talisman from Miss Marie.
The teacher seemed surprised that the third princess herself was participating but soon smiled warmly and nodded.
“Here we go.”
Other students had already begun using their talismans.
Suppressing her nervous excitement, Erendire took hold of one end of the talisman and extended it to Rinne.
Rinne grabbed the other.
The usage was simple.
Each person held one end and infused it with their mana.
Sssssss.
The pristine talisman’s ends began changing color under the influence of their mana.
Rinne’s side darkened to a deep gray, while Erendire’s gleamed with brilliant gold.
The colors slowly met in the center and, using the glyph inscribed on it, began to mix.
Both girls flinched simultaneously as they closed their eyes.
A massive current slammed into their minds.
Like a river in full flood after a storm—vast and forceful.
‘Th-this is...’
Rinne stared into the enormous torrent, barely able to distinguish anything.
It was overwhelming—but somehow, she instinctively understood what it was.
That raging flow was the stream of time—of memories.
‘So this is the Memory Storming phenomenon?’
Scenes flickered by like a panorama, flashing past like blinking lights.
Moments from just earlier, when they entered the classroom together, surfaced like snapshots.
‘If I go upstream... could I see even older memories?’
Rinne began walking upstream, against the massive current. It was intense, but not unbearable.
She pushed forward for a while—
‘It’s... getting harder.’
The farther she went, the more her body ached from the strain.
Even with mana reinforcing her body, it was difficult.
Finally, she stopped fighting the current and released her mana barrier.
A scene emerged before her.
‘Senior...?’
It was Erendire back when she had just entered Theoran as a first-year.
She didn’t look much different physically, but her presence felt much more fresh-faced and awkward—like when Rinne first saw her at the start of the semester.
The scene hit her with vivid clarity, like she was really there.
‘This must be her memory.’
Fascinated by the strange experience of Memory Storming, Rinne felt a flutter of curiosity about what Erendire’s first year had been like.
Watching with slight anticipation, she soon found herself—
involuntarily making a reluctant, awkward face.
* * *
Flora stared down at the talisman in her hand, lost in thought.
So if you infused only the other person’s mana into this paper, it would allow you to read their memories through shared mana?
It was a fascinating concept.
‘But... it’d be a waste to use it now.’
Glancing sideways—
Flora cast a casual look at the girl beside her. Cheryl flinched like a frightened rabbit when their eyes met.
“Y-you’re not actually thinking of using that, right?”
“Why not? You don’t want to?”
“Wha—n-no! It’s not that, it’s just... I’m not really mentally prepared, I guess.”
That reaction was unexpected. Normally, Cheryl would’ve been the first to shout "Sounds fun!" and leap into it. But now she was clearly trying to avoid it.
Was there something in her past she didn’t want revealed?
‘No way. I’ve known her long enough to know better than that.’
Flora swept her gaze over the classroom.
Some students were already using the Memory Storming talismans. Others, not so much.
“Well, if you don’t want to use it, then fine.”
Flora casually slipped the talisman into her pocket with a graceful motion.
No one seemed to notice.
Conveniently, it was around the time other pairs were finishing their Memory Storming sessions.
Students who had peeked into each other’s memories were now reacting with laughter or bored shrugs—depending on what they saw.
“You bastard! You said I was your only one! Now I get why you didn’t want to use this thing!”
“C-calm down! Gah—!”
Sometimes, things got more... colorful.
Watching a girl grab her presumed boyfriend by the collar, Marie Ross offered an awkward smile.
Another couple down, courtesy of Theoran Academy.
Rinne and Erendire also opened their eyes, their Memory Storming session complete.
“That was amazing. So you can see the memories stored in mana like that, huh? /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ So that’s what they mean by Memory Storming. Felt like it lasted forever, but in real time, barely any passed. So, Rinne—how was it for you? Pretty uneventful, right?”
“Huh? Oh, me?”
Rinne didn’t know how to respond.
Erendire seemed to think she'd already shown her most embarrassing side. But...
Rinne hesitated before cautiously opening her mouth.
“Um... Senior?”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to send out birthday party invites to people you’re not even close to.”
“Ah...”
Erendire’s expression twisted in horror as long-suppressed memories rushed back.
Those hopeless days when she’d desperately tried to make friends at Theoran, clinging to dreams and delusions.
A memory that now made her kick her blanket in embarrassment whenever it resurfaced at night.
Rinne had seen it—the birthday party incident she’d tried so hard to forget.
“T-that was...”
“I understand you, though, senior.”
“Ghhk!”
Erendire clenched her eyes shut.
More painful than having her embarrassing past exposed... was the genuine pity in Rinne’s eyes.
“So, senior... which of my memories did you see? I’m curious. Was it something from a year ago too?”
Trying to change the subject, Rinne casually threw the question back.
Truthfully, she didn’t really care about what part of her past was seen. Nothing stood out.
She figured Erendire probably saw her old self studying alone in some backroom.
“I saw something much further back.”
But Erendire’s answer caught her off guard.
“Further? You can go back that far?”
“I’m not sure how far exactly. But what I saw was... a bit strange.”
“Huh?”
“I saw you as a little kid. Like, really little. At least ten years younger than you are now.”
As she said it, Erendire rubbed her forehead—like something wasn’t quite adding up.
“And what’s weird is... you usually view these things from the memory owner's perspective, right? But I saw your childhood from someone else's point of view.”
“Someone else? Who?”
“I think... it was your mother.”
The scene Erendire had witnessed wasn’t from Rinne’s eyes.
It was from her mother’s. Holding a young Rinne—no older than ten—in her arms, inside a lonely cabin on a remote grassland.
“An isolated cabin in the middle of a meadow. You were living there with your mother. She really loved you, didn’t she?”
“...Senior, what are you talking about?”
Rinne looked completely confused.
“I grew up without parents.”
* * *
After the second test, I returned straight to the faculty office to tidy things up.
Since I’d already graded the tests on the spot, there wasn’t much left to do.
‘So the festival prep begins now, huh.’
The word “festival” brought back memories of my previous life.
Truth be told, I never really did festivals. The only one I remembered was the university festival—and that was just beer tents and live music from mid-tier celebrities.
But this was Theoran. It had to be different.
As I was thinking that, Sedina handed me a document labeled as an urgent update.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the updated schedule for the Magic Festival.”
“Didn’t we already get that?”
“Yes, but since the festival’s happening earlier this year, some events have changed. This is the revised version.”
An updated schedule, huh?
‘Makes sense, I guess.’
The event got moved earlier than usual—it was only natural there’d be some tweaks.
Skimming the document, I suddenly narrowed my eyes at the contents.
“A magic duel event... between faculty members?”
And the one who proposed it—was Hugo Burtegg.
