Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 230 The Issue of Educational Background (Second Update)

As a cautious man, Salomon preferred to arrive at a rough conclusion before acting on any problem. This was a habit instilled in him by the Stigmata (a consequence of the spell slot mechanism), and it proved effective; Salomon always managed to find the right scrolls and spells to solve various issues. He left Peggy Carter's residence with a satisfied expression. Out of respect, he didn't tell anyone about the answer; otherwise, Captain Rogers wouldn't have been the only one subjected to bloodletting and research.

The next meeting place wasn't far from here. Salomon walked about three hundred meters, navigating the narrow, damp alleyways typical of London, to reach it. Since Captain Rogers couldn't get drunk, and Salomon was underage and couldn't drink, Captain Rogers chose a café not far from Peggy Carter's residence as the meeting place (or perhaps Captain Rogers disliked modern cafés like Starbucks). As Salomon pushed open the door, he smelled the aroma of butter and bread, then walked towards his target's seat—Captain Rogers was conspicuous wherever he went, and the café waitresses lingering around him were an even more striking feature.

"Black tea with sugar, and a French toast, please." Ignoring the waitress's resentful gaze, the sorcerer took the order and dismissed her. He sat down opposite Captain Rogers, loosened his suit jacket, and adjusted his tie. For Salomon, a suit was casual wear for going out, while a tuxedo was his school uniform. Stark had even recommended several good bespoke tailors, so now his wardrobe was even fuller of black suits. "Cheers to you," Salomon said. "I just found out about that too."

"What?" Captain Rogers was completely bewildered. "What does Carter want with you?"

"Simply put, everything is cyclical; your future is someone else's past. But that's how I came to understand a concept: the multiverse exists regardless of whether we know it or not, and the observer effect isn't always accurate." Salomon smiled as he accepted the hot tea. His smile made the initially somewhat disgruntled waitress throw her complaints out the window. No one can resist the charm of a clean-cut teenage boy. Perhaps he lacked some of the hormones of an adult man, but his short black mane, his delicate nose, his calm eyes, and his lips like those of a Greek sculpture were all works of art. Not to mention his deep black hair contrasting with his radiant white skin; in the right sunlight, he looked like a god descended to earth.

"Stop." Captain Rogers raised his hand to stop it all. "Stop the magic."

"Okay, I just wanted to create a suitable environment for conversation." Salomon canceled the spell, and his dazzling beauty vanished instantly. Although his appearance remained unchanged, he had transformed from a god back into an ordinary person, and his exaggerated charm no longer worked. Salomon had originally intended to use his charm to command the others in the café to leave, but Captain Rogers stopped him.

Captain Rogers was also having a bit of a headache. Since awakening from the ice and officially returning after the Battle of New York (excluding Ghost Rider, which was just a small TV station's report), he had been cooperating with the education department to film a lot of videos, just like seventy years ago. Look at what kind of videos he's made: physical education lessons, detention, opening speeches, final exam speeches—although he's made these videos, it doesn't mean he's an expert on adolescent mental health.

But it's still much better than Stark, that damn guy even let teenagers drink alcohol because of his negligence, neither champagne nor whiskey!

"Ahem." Captain Rogers took a sip of his almost cold coffee. "You still haven't explained your statement."

"You'll find out when the time comes." Salomon cut off a small piece of French toast and stuffed it into his mouth, then downed it with a cup of sweet black tea. After swallowing, he asked, "I'm more curious why you called me. You and your girlfriend have such a tight schedule; you don't seem to consider the feelings of a high school student who just finished tutoring."

Schoolwork is a good topic, and Captain Rogers plans to use it as a starting point.

"What did you learn?" he asked in a very old-fashioned tone. How difficult could high school coursework be? He thought to himself, I did some extra studying after waking up, this won't stump me, I need to show some adult composure.

"Fourier series spectral analysis and the law of constancy of the speed of light—these are prerequisites for exploring four-dimensional space..."

"I don't understand!" Captain Rogers felt like he was talking to a smaller version of Stark. They were speaking English, but why couldn't he understand a word? He tried to maintain a smile. "Alright, let's change the subject!" Captain Rogers waited until Salomon finished complaining about today's lessons before asking a question, "What hobbies do you have, like painting? I like to paint."

"Oh, to be honest, I've recently been studying the sculpting techniques of the Italian sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini. As an early Baroque artist, not long ago I visited the Conaro chapel in the Santa Maria della Victoria Church in Rome and saw his masterpiece, 'The Obsession of Saint Teresa.' Saint Teresa's slightly upturned toes, her longing and intoxication, her sweetness and pain, that sacred eroticism is not only reflected in the figure's face, but also in Saint Teresa's flowing robes..."

Okay, still don't understand. Captain Rogers picked up his glass and took a sip to cover his embarrassment. What's wrong with kids these days? How do they learn so much? He hadn't noticed anything particularly unusual about the high school curriculum in the videos he'd filmed. Shouldn't high school students be learning the same things they did seventy years ago?

If he were to raise this question with Salomon, the sorcerer would tell him about the decline of American public education, while also mocking America's happy education system and class stratification. This country, which declared freedom and war, has betrayed its original intentions and instead offered blood sacrifices to the altar of commerce. These are things that soldiers who dropped out of school before the war cannot understand.

Captain Rogers, unable to find a starting point, sighed. "Nick Fury asked me to talk to you," he said. "I also think I should correct your thinking. I don't know your background, but you're young, and you should have a normal life."

"My teacher is the most powerful arcane mage in the universe, and my foster mother is a war goddess renowned for her wisdom. And you now believe it's because of age that I lack the ability to distinguish right from wrong? Is that it?" Salomon asked with disdain. "Why?" he demanded. "Why do you think that? Just because of my alchemical artificial lifeform?"

"You're too mature, Salomon," Captain Rogers sighed. "Some of your information came from Nick Fury. I know about your contract with him. I don't object to you keeping your privacy, but if everyone were to conduct experiments recklessly, disregarding laws and ethics like you..."

“Because we follow different orders, it’s understandable that you think that way. Besides, I’ve been very law-abiding; you’ve never even seen real dark magic.” Salomon tapped the rim of his teacup with his small spoon, drawing Steve Rogers’ attention to what he was about to say. “We’re in different circumstances, destined to be unable to understand each other. But like you, I have the courage to sacrifice for others. I’ve wielded a sword against the incarnation of a god. I don’t believe that the rules set by a secular society that has nothing to do with me can bind me. America is powerful, so what? Magic isn’t America’s domain.”

"Do you want to spend your whole life trapped in the world of magic?"

"Oh ho, then let me tell you, in this universe, the governments of secular societies have no say whatsoever. All aliens recognize the Sorcerer Supreme as the ruler. Didn't you hear that from my conversation with the Asgardians? In other words, I am the government official, while the US government is the noisy opposition party."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)