Chapter 191 – Learning (3)
Cough, cough!
A shallow cough burst out repeatedly.
Barely managing to steady her breathing, Perne lifted her head.
"Ah, s-sorry. I was just so startled..."
Verden shrugged his shoulders.
It hadn't gotten on him anyway, so there was nothing to apologize for.
"Thanks. So then... why did an Elf suddenly show up?"
"Well, simply put."
Royal family, experiment, Elf, special trait, Leonil Bertanas, and so on.
Verden combined several keywords and summarized the inside story. Of course, even this much was enough to grasp the context.
All the more so for Perne, the broker of information.
Tap.
Perne set her coffee cup down on the table.
"So, you mean you secretly took an Elf from the First Prince's castle?"
"I also took care of the researcher and burned down the laboratory."
"Wow."
In other words, while the First Prince's eyes were wide open, he had smashed the inner chambers. That bold act was enough to make one go beyond shock into admiration.
From here on, whatever he did, she wouldn't try to predict it.
The best she could do was to recognize reality and just accept it as soon as she perceived it. Perne firmly resolved that in her heart.
"So then, in order to restore that Elf, you need Blue? And the magic stone crafting is also related to that?"
"That's right."
Verden turned his gaze upward.
Blue was spinning fiercely around in the air without stopping. Through the flow of magic power, emotions like joy and longing could be felt.
'A normal reaction.'
Spirits had intelligence.
But one couldn't let down their guard.
Even if it had such deep feelings that it had chased its contractor Elf all the way to the Kingdom, that did not mean those feelings were the same as the humanity Verden understood.
Spirits were not human, but abnormal species.
It would not be strange at all if they erased their emotions in an instant, as if they had never been there. For now, Blue seemed rather friendly with Perne, but it could suddenly turn and try to kill her.
That was why Verden had used the forced magic circle, Coercion, to eliminate any unforeseen danger from the Spirit.
Still, seeing how delighted it was at news of the Elf, perhaps it wasn't all that alien.
'Fortunately, I won't need to revise the draft.'
If Blue had shown no reaction, he would have had to try another method.
Verden eased, just slightly, the suspicion and wariness he had held toward the Spirit that had once tried to kill him.
There was nothing more to check.
It was time to get to work in earnest.
Verden rose from his seat.
"Then come when you're ready."
"Ah, yes! But... don't you have any particular requests? For example, information on Leonil."
If things kept moving in this direction, there was a high chance they would end up opposing Leonil.
A 6th-tier Magus.
Without a doubt, the strongest in the Kingdom. There was no way Verden would overlook such a danger. Perne, too, knew as much.
"Of course it would be nice to get information on Leonil and the Court Mage Corps. But right now, the risk is too high."
Neither Leonil nor the royal family had figured out who their enemy was.
If they rashly tried to dig into it in such a situation and were caught, it would only stir up a hornet's nest.
And as it was, there were already plenty of things to do.
For now, focusing on the immediate task was necessary. That was Verden's choice.
Ah, and before leaving.
"Stay put until I get back."
That wasn't said to Perne.
Blue, who had been flying around in the air, stopped still.
'Obedient enough.'
Verden left the tavern.
Perne, left behind, slumped down onto the table. Sighs poured out without end.
"After the princes, now the King of Estiria and Leonil... just what on earth is about to happen in the Kingdom, I can't begin to fathom."
The strongest Magus of the Kingdom, Leonil Bertanas.
When she heard that name, Perne wasn't all that surprised.
If the King of Estiria was plotting something, there was no way Leonil wouldn't be involved. The bond between the Court Mage Corps and the royal family was that deep.
It was simply that now she knew.
The truth was, a giant vortex had already been raging inside the Kingdom for some time, and once its aftershocks leaked out, not only Perne herself but confusion would scatter across the entire Kingdom.
'Should have moved to the duchy sooner.'
Perne thought of Pale.
That damn old senior.
Back when he said they should go together, she should have given in and followed... though honestly, she probably still would have remained in the Kingdom.
Well, enough regrets.
Stretch—
After stretching, Perne rose vigorously from her seat.
It was time to dig through her stacked documents and find a suitable magic stone craftsman. She gestured.
"Blue, could you help me out?"
Sparkle...
Blue moved slowly.
So that's how it reacted when told to stay still.
'It really is obedient.'
Who would believe there existed such an adorable abnormal species in the world.
Perne let out a small laugh.
***
Verden spent the night before bed drafting out the design.
And as soon as the morning sun broke, he readied himself and headed toward the entrance of Sloan Forest.
The schedule was tight, but it wasn't a burden.
If the progress of one task had truly been impeded, he would have simply put another on hold. Verden knew his own abilities precisely.
Before long, he arrived at the rendezvous point.
It was dawn, the sun not yet fully risen, and Geltone was already waiting. With practiced flight, Verden landed before him.
"Good morning, Sir Asher."
"You're early."
"Haha, I was so nervous, I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep."
Geltone scratched his head, embarrassed.
His heart, freed from the confines of the magic tower, was brimming with expectation. Even within his still sunken eyes, a sparkling light was visible.
'Hmm, this isn't exactly the time to be so thrilled.'
Verden started to say something, but closed his mouth.
He would know soon enough anyway.
Advice given now would hardly be taken properly. At this point, one experience was worth a hundred words.
"Then, follow me."
"Yes, sir!"
Verden led him into Sloan Forest.
Geltone followed with eager steps.
And before long.
"Uwaaaaaaah!!"
Geltone's scream echoed through the forest.
***
Until now, Geltone had only learned theory from Verden.
Breaking down the wrongly piled-up knowledge and rebuilding a new tower of knowledge was a process that had been unimaginably painful.
So much so that he had wanted to escape reality altogether.
But now, he had overcome it.
No longer would he cling to the hollow shell called the magic tower. Declaring such resolve, Geltone, the night before the new teaching began, opened a book of theory for the first time in a long while.
"Ohhh...!"
It was a feeling hard to put into words.
He began to understand theories he could not accept before, and he felt no resistance to them. To think that simply steeling his mind could change him so much.
Even Geltone himself was overwhelmed by the transformation.
Now there was no obstacle.
He would break down the wall, reach the 5th tier, and become a worthy companion. Geltone held unwavering confidence within his chest.
But hardship came soon after.
It was pain.
"Uwaaaaah!!"
Geltone collapsed onto the grass.
Agonizing pain, as if his mana circuits were being pierced with needles, filled his entire body. Dirt clung thick to his clothes.
Verden approached.
"Are you alright?"
"T-too much... hurts..."
"Endure it. To loosen your hardened mana circuits with ice and water attributes, there's no other way."
Mana circuits were governed by talent and adaptation.
When not leaning toward a particular school or attribute, one could handle many attributes, but the further one advanced, the more inevitably they became biased toward the school and innate attribute they were born with.
In the world of magic, it was common sense, that magic unsuited to one's talent could never surpass the 1st tier.
There were many who had tried to break such a concept, but none had overcome that limit. A truth unchanging became a law.
That was why the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory was special.
It allowed one, through blood-soaked effort, to touch a realm that had been thought impossible, a realm believed to be decided only by talent.
Though limited to elemental magic, it was more than enough to send tremors through the magical world.
'But those who practice the theory are few.'
The Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory was a milestone.
A theoretical guide, to more safely and systematically adapt mana circuits to new elemental attributes.
As groundbreaking as it was, flaws existed.
First, it was abstruse.
It was created using highly difficult theories as components, so there were countless mages who could neither understand nor apply it.
To gain talent through effort, one required study befitting it. At this point, half the challengers turned their heads away.
And second, it was painful.
Using magic one had no affinity for brought immense pain.
If one measured only the maximum intensity of pain, it was above having one's innards gouged with a knife. Even worse, reckless attempts could overload or irreversibly damage the mana circuits.
The present generation of mages shunned pain.
And among them, almost no one would shoulder great risk just to pioneer new talent. Better to cultivate the talent they already possessed.
"In truth, that is efficient. And most challengers, once they realize that fact, declare their abandonment. Frankly, it's laughable. They are handed a chance to grasp what they never had, and they throw it away because it's hard. Don't you think so?"
"Ughhh...!"
Geltone pressed his hand against the ground.
Dripping with cold sweat, he pushed himself to stand. His whole body bulged with veins, his face on the verge of fainting, yet still, his resolve was stronger than the pain.
"In the mornings, I will take the lead in operating your mana circuits, to transform them. Then, when we return to Asern, you will have theory lectures, and the rest of your time will be for self-study."
"Huff, huff..."
"It will be far more painful than now. So steel your heart."
There would be no acceptance of giving up.
He would not allow Geltone to toss away, like a rag, his vow to abandon the magic tower.
Verden stepped closer.
Geltone instinctively trembled.
Mana gathered at Verden's fingertips, pressing into various points of Geltone's mana circuits, assigning directions.
"Begin."
Fwaaaaash.
Geltone clenched his teeth and moved his mana.
Already it was so painful he could not even speak, and yet worse pain awaited. He feared it, but... he had no choice.
The water had already been spilled.
"Gyaaaaaaaaah!!"
Geltone let out a scream and collapsed.
Had he fainted?
It seemed he had less resistance to pain than expected... but well, this was understandable. In about ten minutes, he would wake.
'Until then, I might as well draw up some designs.'
He leaned his body beneath a nearby tree.
Sinking quietly into thought, he waited for his trainee to rise.
Verden was the creator of the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory.
Since he himself was teaching, there would be no failure. There would be no aftereffects either.
The expected training period was merely three weeks.
Even that could shorten, depending on Geltone's effort. Or lengthen.
But one thing was certain.
Nowhere else in the world could one gain such results as here.
Geltone Rodni.
He was fortunate.
"Ughh... uhh..."
Whether this moment would one day become a memory, or a nightmare, who could tell.
***
About a week had passed.
Geltone was noticeably different from before.
Not in mindset, but outwardly. His face grew thinner by the day, enough to worry Perne.
But there was no problem.
For in his eyes shone a brilliance like a morning star. It was the passion, the zeal, of a mage learning magic for the first time.
As the pain intensified, the frequency of fainting grew.
But just as much, Geltone's growth was steep day by day. He studied theory, asked without fail about what he did not know, and reviewed when he returned to the inn.
It was proof that his resolve was no mere words.
Meanwhile, Verden holed himself up in his room in his spare time.
Blueprints filled with elaborate magic circles lay scattered everywhere. At their center, Verden's hands worked busily.
And then.
"...It's complete."
After much refinement, a blueprint composed of six magic circles in total.
Each one inscribed with geometric formulae so complex they could hardly be copied. Now, all that remained was to carve it as-is onto the desired magic stone.
Verden wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
He was weary, but not so much he could not move. He gathered the designs at once and headed to Perne's tavern.
Perne was mixing cocktails.
Across the counter from her sat a man who had lived a rough life.
Verden furrowed his brow.
"...Strange, every time I come, I run into someone I know."
At that voice, the man flinched.
Then, slowly turning his head, he met Verden's eyes.
"What brings you here?"
"Not to press you for the money I borrowed, don't misunderstand. Perne called me."
Bartol, the moneylender.
The one who had lent Verden 220 million Elk, raised his hand firmly.