Math Is Magic Chapter 16: CHAPTER 16: Between Past and Sin

Read chapter 16 of Math Is Magic by iminchoo on NovelPedia.

{ THE DAY AFTER... } The morning light gently filtered through the castle windows, while the coolness of the new day seemed to whip the air with a serene calm. After a delightful breakfast of fragrant bread, sweet strawberry jam, and fresh milk, Mirac made his way to the classroom. His step was determined, but his mind was far from peaceful. The silence of the corridors only amplified the turmoil he felt within himself. Almost involuntarily, he kept thinking back to the previous day, especially to that mysterious "Instant Counting" which, although inexplicable, seemed to have become inextricably tied to him, like a shadow that he couldn’t shake off. Yet, Mirac had never asked for or desired any of this. Neither the mysterious power he now found himself possessing, nor being haunted by Math. "Why won’t you leave me alone?" Mirac wondered, his fists clenched in anger, as his footsteps echoed nervously along the corridors. Anger rose within him, mixed with a sense of helplessness that he couldn’t dispel. Thinking about his “Instant Counting” ability—which, while walking through the halls, was continuously providing him with information on the number of objects around him—why did it have to be him, of all people, to receive it?! "Why me, Math?" he thought bitterly, feeling the unbearable weight of that question. "Couldn’t you have just chosen someone else?" Despite his turmoil, Mirac couldn’t allow himself to face the day with that inner frenzy tearing him apart. When he reached the second floor of the castle, he forced himself to calm down. It wouldn’t be wise to bring that bad mood into the classroom. He stopped for a moment, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, letting the cool morning air caress his face and calm his restless thoughts. Then, step by step, as he approached his classroom, he felt the weight of frustration gradually lighten, as if the mere thought of diving into books helped him regain a bit of peace. Moreover, he was really looking forward to his first two lessons of the day: History and Geography! A thrill of anticipation ran through his body, and the excitement coursing through his veins made him ignore both the lingering tiredness and the disturbance still swirling inside him. ‘Finally! I can’t wait!’ he thought, as a smile spread across his face and he tightly clutched the notebooks he had brought for the lessons. Up to that moment, Mirac only knew his kingdom—the Kingdom of Ardorya—and a few superficial facts about the other kingdoms that made up the continent of Harmony. But his knowledge stopped there. Beyond these superficial facts, he had no idea how the kingdoms were connected, what their histories were, or the origins and characteristics of each kingdom. The mental maps he had constructed were full of gaps: he didn’t know the distances, the exact locations, or even the appearance of places he had only heard about. The constellations, which Mirac could recognize in the starry skies, along with the four annual seasons, seemed to match those of the southern hemisphere, leading him to assume that at least the Kingdom of Ardorya was located there. But after seven years, the young Prince would finally obtain the answers he had long been seeking. His questions would find answers, and the world that had so intrigued him would soon be revealed to him. Map after map. Chapter after chapter. * * * Standing before the intricately carved door of the classroom, Mirac felt his heart pounding with a mix of excitement and curiosity. ‘Calm down, Mirac! For now, at least, try to clear your mind!’ he told himself, trying to push away the thoughts of Math that still tormented him. Right now, it definitely wasn’t the right time to think about it. Taking a deep breath, he raised his eyes toward the classroom door. ‘Let’s go in!’ he thought, turning the handle decisively. Once inside, he immediately noticed Vincent behind the desk, busy arranging some papers and clumsily managing a stack of books that was on the verge of