The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Heh. In your dreams.

Rules are rigid, but people are flexible.

Just as the Holy Sanctuary and the Table of Truth were once Carl Black's to command, now, they were hers.

So, Diana, who had been silently watching the exam, suddenly spoke up.

"Instructor Sean."

"I'm also quite curious about the solution to this problem."

"Why don't you demonstrate the proof for everyone? Teach them how it's done."

Sean: "?"

The air fell silent for two seconds.

Then, an uproar erupted.

"Holy crap, did I hear that right? Her Highness the Saintess actually spoke up herself?!"

"Making a Judge explain an exam question on the spot... this is a first!"

"Does Her Highness the Saintess saying that mean she doesn't know the answer either?"

Someone had a moment of clarity, but was immediately drowned out by a chorus of angry retorts.

"What a load of Aunt Susan's crap!"

"As if a simple problem like this could stump Her Highness the Saintess!"

"Her Highness the Saintess is just using this as an opportunity to see how strong the new Judge is. She's giving him a chance to show off, get it?"

This was why Diana dared to admit her own curiosity about the answer.

No matter what she said, there would always be 'great scholars' to argue her case. They would spin her ignorance into knowledge.

The Lady and the others also looked at Sean, their expressions showing a hint of surprise.

'This handsome newcomer seems to be more than meets the eye, getting Her Highness the Saintess to speak up herself...'

This was a good thing, though.

They also wanted to know how to solve the problem.

Now it was Sean's turn to be silent.

'Is it my imagination?'

'Why does it feel like Her Highness the Saintess is targeting me?'

He put on a troubled expression and said tentatively, "Her Highness the Saintess, isn't this a bit inappropriate? It kind of breaks the rules."

But Diana didn't entertain any talk of rules, only of orders. "What? Instructor Sean, are you going to disobey my words as well?"

Sean: "?"

The Wizards in the audience began to jeer and heckle again.

They shouted, "Go on, Instructor Sean! Explain it!"

"Openly defying an order from Her Highness the Saintess is a capital offense, you know~"

A Female Wizard even licked her lips. "Instructor Sean, you wouldn't want us to... while you're still warm, would you?"

Sean: "..."

Laelando, however, secretly shot him a meaningful look.

This was a good chance to prove himself.

But Sean didn't think of it as a chance to prove himself, because the Saintess had been the one to give the order.

It was like an assignment from a boss: do it well, and it's merely what's expected—no reward; but do it poorly, and you'll be punished.

But the charge of 'defying a sacred order' had already been pinned on him. Sean had no choice. He couldn't just turn on the Saintess in front of so many people, could he?

Besides, it wasn't a big deal.

'I'll just jot this down in my little black book for later. Hmph.'

And so, forced by the Saintess's tyrannical pressure, Sean put on a helpless expression and sighed softly.

"Fine. Since Her Highness the Saintess has spoken, I'll go ahead and explain it."

Before he began, he made sure to emphasize one more time, "This problem really is simple."

The crowd of Wizards: "?"

'Simple my ass!'

'Just fucking say it already!'

At this moment, not only Tony and the other contestants, but also the audience and his fellow Judge, Laelando, all pricked up their ears.

Sean was seen raising a finger and writing an 8 in the air.

"First, from a common-sense perspective, it's impossible for 3 to equal 8."

As he spoke, he erased the left side of the "8." "After all, 3 is half of 8."

Everyone: "?"

Sean's very first sentence almost made them lose it.

'What the hell? 3 is half of 8? You can do that with math??'

But Sean ignored their commotion and proceeded to draw a square.

"If it doesn't make sense from a common-sense perspective, we'll approach it from another angle."

"Let's assume there's a block on a smooth, horizontal surface. A force F pulls it, causing it to move a horizontal distance of x. This physics model should be familiar to everyone, right?"

Sean then wrote a formula below the block.

"F=ma."

The Second Law of Mysticism. No need for a detailed explanation on this one.

"Additionally, W=Fx. I assume no one has any objections to this?"

W represents the work done by the force F. This is also one of the simplest and most common formulas.

"Now, pay close attention. Here comes the most crucial step."

"Given F=ma, if we substitute it into W=Fx, we get W=max."

Everyone: "??"

Sean continued, "What does 'max' mean?"

"Maximum value."

"What symbol do we usually use to represent an indescribably large value?"

A Wizard said, "∞?"

Sean said appreciatively, "Correct, ∞."

"Thus, W=∞."

"Now, if we rotate this equation 90 degrees counterclockwise and look at it from top to bottom..."

"...we get 8=3."

"Therefore, 3 also equals 8."

"Proof complete."

"Simple, wasn't it?"

Everyone: "???"

The audience erupted.

"Holy fuck, that actually works?"

"You're a goddamn genius!"

"Genius my ass! Someone check him back into the asylum!"

Laelando and the others were also dumbfounded.

'Wait, is that really allowed?'

'One moment it's physically cutting it in half, the next it's a substitution method I've never seen before, and then it's rotating it counterclockwise...'

'Are you sure you're not just making shit up?'

The Wizard who had raised the objection earlier felt like he'd been played. He had to admit that this method did, in fact, prove 3=8, but...

"This isn't math at all!"

"It has none of the rigor that math requires!"

he said, both embarrassed and annoyed.

He was embarrassed because he'd actually believed at first that the problem was legitimate.

He was annoyed because Sean's method of proof was making a complete mockery of the Truth Technique, which they held as the most sacred and romantic of arts!

'A person like this is fit to be an instructor? Fit to sit at the Judge's seat of the Table of Truth??'

But Sean just retorted with a curious question, "Who told you this was math?"

"Why don't you take another close look at the exam paper? Not just my question, but all the others, too. Where does it say any of them have anything to do with math?"

The Male Wizard opened his mouth, but was speechless.

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