Chapter 57
Helton Hamilton.
Overseeing the preliminary evaluation for prominent figures, his mood was far from pleasant.
“How exhausting.”
Time spent here could have been used for honing his magic.
However, if he wasn’t present, there was no telling what kind of havoc these people might cause if they failed to pass the evaluation.
The participants gathered here were all the sort who could easily berate lower-ranked officials without a second thought.
When you get a group of self-important individuals in one place, it inevitably becomes draining.
This was precisely why Helton, the heir to the ducal estate, had to be here.
“Most of them are subpar.”
Although these candidates hailed from prestigious families, their skill levels were far from impressive.
“Frankly, ordinary magicians might be better than this lot.”
Sure, most of them had high Circles for their age due to their families’ support.
But the real issue was that their progress wasn’t achieved through their own capabilities.
Helton believed only about one in ten might have genuinely advanced through their efforts.
“The rest are just dead weight.”
Relying solely on family resources to climb higher was not inherently bad.
If they had the talent to fully utilize that support, it could even be commendable.
But, in Helton’s eyes, most of them didn’t measure up.
Bored with the tedious evaluations, Helton’s mood remained unchanged until Kyle Seltarion, number 11, walked in.
“A 1st Circle magician, wasn’t he?”
A magician born from a family of knights.
His background was certainly unusual.
Overcoming Hermemu was noteworthy enough to suggest some potential.
But that wasn’t enough to raise Helton’s expectations.
Even veteran magicians often failed to pass the theoretical division’s preliminaries, despite their experience.
Creating something new in magic was no simple task.
For someone who had barely begun their journey as a magician, it seemed even less likely.
Helton naturally assumed Kyle had come for the experience.
His disinterested gaze fell on Kyle as he entered.
After a few preliminary questions, Kyle began to cast a spell.
The moment the magic materialized, the expressions of the surrounding retainers, including Helton, froze.
“…Fire?”
It was undoubtedly the Fire spell.
There was no doubt about that.
Had another magician cast this spell, Helton would have immediately declared them unfit to advance.
But this spell was too peculiar to be dismissed so quickly.
The intense heat radiating from it was far beyond what a 1st Circle spell should produce.
Even the casting speed was drastically shortened compared to ordinary spells.
If Kyle were a high-ranking magician, such precise manipulation of low-level spells might have been feasible.
But the Kyle standing before him had been a magician for less than three months.
Overcoming Hermemu had been a recent feat.
There was no way someone like him could be a high-ranking magician.
“Then how…? Could it really be a new casting method?”
Helton couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
The retainers seemed to feel the same way, as they began bombarding Kyle with questions.
***
The Room Bursts into Curiosity
Curious gazes turned toward me.
The magicians here must be skilled enough to immediately recognize that my spell was different.
Even Helton, a 4th Circle magician, couldn’t hide his curiosity.
Then the questions began pouring in.
“Is that truly the Fire spell?”
“Yes, it is.”
“But how does it generate such heat…?”
“How did you manage to shorten the casting speed so much?”
“Is it truly a new casting method?”
Of the five magicians in the room, excluding Helton, four of them were firing off questions.
Then—
“That’s enough.”
Helton’s low voice silenced the room instantly.
As expected of the ducal heir, his authority was undeniable.
Helton fixed his gaze on me.
“I’ll ask on behalf of everyone. Kyle, that Fire spell—is it really a new casting method?”
“Yes, it is.”
“How much mana does it consume? With that kind of power, it must have a high cost.”
Unlike the others, who were caught up in its power and speed, Helton’s question cut straight to the core.
No matter how impressive a spell might seem, if its mana cost was unreasonably high, it was essentially useless.
“Efficiency is key.”
My hybrid casting method excelled in efficiency.
“The mana consumption is approximately 1.5 times that of a regular spell.”
“…1.5 times?”
Helton’s expression hardened.
A moment later—
“…Only that much?”
He seemed almost unable to believe it as he repeated the question.
“Yes.”
“The power is at least twice as strong, isn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”
Our conversation made the retainers buzz with excitement.
As experienced magicians, they quickly grasped the implications.
“What in the world…”
“Considering the faster casting speed…”
While the retainers murmured amongst themselves, Helton kept his gaze fixed on me.
“That casting method of yours.”
“Yes?”
“Can ordinary magicians use it?”
Universality.
One of the most critical aspects assessed in the field of magical formulas was universality, second only to efficiency.
No matter how groundbreaking a spell might be, if it could only be used by the creator, it held no practical value.
Why was universality important?
The reason was simple.
A significant number of spells that advanced to the finals in this competition would eventually be disclosed to other magicians.
In a way, one could say it was for public benefit.
This was one of the main reasons why the Magic Tournament enjoyed such a stellar reputation.
Each time the tournament was held, more than dozens of new magical formulas were released.
It was a festival that made all magicians across the continent cheer with excitement.
Once a spell’s stability and universality had been verified through the ducal estate’s rigorous review process,
those that passed the meticulous evaluations were compiled into magical tomes and distributed.
One might wonder if this would feel unfair to magicians who didn’t place in the finals but merely passed the preliminaries.
“Quite the opposite, actually.”
Not only did the creators receive a share of the profits every time the tome was sold, but their names were also credited as the inventors of the spells, further boosting their reputation.
A spellbook officially endorsed by a magical family was one of the hottest-selling items, published every two years.
“Mine will be included too, no doubt.”
From those who passed the preliminaries to the finalists, everyone who participated in the magical formulas category would have their spells disclosed.
This was why the rewards for this category were far greater than in other categories.
If the prizes weren’t attractive, no one would bother to participate.
Fortunately, my spell was accessible to anyone who practiced it diligently using the proper method.
“Yes, it’s possible if they pay attention to a few details while manipulating mana.”
“And the range?”
“It’s about twice that of a regular Fire spell. With sufficient mana, it can go even further.”
“…Impressive. You said you were a 1st Circle magician, correct?”
“That’s right.”
At my answer, Helton let out a faint chuckle, as if in disbelief.
“Do you have documentation on the casting method?”
“I do.”
It was standard practice to prepare documentation, so I had, of course, brought a detailed write-up of the Fire spell’s casting method.
Helton nodded at my response.
“Leave it here, then. The results of the preliminaries will be announced in three days.”
“Understood.”
The three-day period was likely for a final review of the most promising spells presented during the preliminaries.
“Oh, one more thing. Spells from those who pass the preliminaries may later be included in the magical tomes published by the ducal estate after undergoing verification. Do you agree to this?”
“Yes, I agree.”
Refusal would mean immediate disqualification, so naturally, I agreed.
Helton looked into my eyes and remarked,
“Confident gaze. I look forward to seeing good results in the finals. However… even if everything you’ve said is true, winning the championship with just this Fire spell will be difficult. At best, you might make it to the finalists.”
If it were only one spell, that might be the case.
No matter how exceptional its effects were, it was still just a 1st Circle spell.
But what if there were more?
The story would change.
I met his gaze and smiled slightly.
“It might not be just one.”
At my words, the expressions of Helton and the retainers stiffened.
They must have immediately grasped the implications of my statement.
“…Could it be?”
“You’ll see in the finals.”
There was no rule that the same spell used in the preliminaries had to be presented in the finals.
The preliminaries were merely a process to determine the minimum level of qualification.
It was common for participants to reveal a basic spell in the preliminaries and unveil their true creations in the finals.
For those aiming for victory rather than just exposure, preparing multiple spells was a given.
I intended to do the same.
The number of spells I revealed would depend on the competition.
I planned to disclose just enough to secure victory.
While I did intend to eventually make my hybrid casting method public,
it made sense to take my time and reap all the benefits along the way.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
Feeling the intense gazes on my back, I exited the tent.
Leonhardt immediately approached and asked,
“Young Master, how did it go?”
“They’ll review the casting method and announce the results in three days.”
“I see.”
By this point, success was almost guaranteed.
Judging by the unwavering expression on my escort knight’s face, he seemed confident in my passing.
Considering how many times he’d witnessed my spells, it would have been odd if he thought I’d fail at this stage.
With that, Leonhardt and I returned to our quarters.
The preliminaries would take quite a while to conclude, so…
“I should spend the time training.”
Perhaps I’d also take the opportunity to explore the ducal estate a bit.
***
Three Days Later
It took three days to sort through the crowd of magicians and pick out the gems.
The announcement of the preliminary results was posted throughout the training grounds.
Some magicians cheered, while others left the ducal estate, dejected.
<Preliminary Results: Magical Formula Division>
<Total: 20 Participants>
- Karon Milton – Combination of Ice and Grease magic.
- …
- Simton – Modified Fire Storm spell.
- Kyle Seltarion – Modified Fire spell.
…
“Only twenty made it.”
Among the numerous participants, only twenty magicians passed the preliminaries for the magical formula division.
The evaluation required spells to be universal, safe, and superior to existing spells—or at least show potential.
This rigorous process left few standing.
As I scanned the list of names, I thought,
“As expected.”
The tournament was progressing almost exactly as I knew it would.
The Magic Tournament, held every two years.
To my knowledge, there were no particularly exceptional magical formulas in this year’s competition.
If there was one notable figure, it would be…
“Simton.”
The magician who had modified Fire Storm, a 4th Circle spell, to make it more efficient.
Simton was someone I remembered, as he won the magical formulas category in this tournament.
While I couldn’t recall most minor participants, I did remember the champions.
No surprises here.
“At this rate, five spells should be enough to dominate the finals.”
The finals would begin tomorrow.
If I revealed just five spells as planned, victory would be mine.
—
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