Chapter 8
After finishing my conversation with Leon hardt, my mind started racing.
‘Isn’t there a middle ground?’
Using 1st Circle magic the way it’s done here lacked power, but using it my way made it far too powerful, which created its own problems. Plus, the mana consumption was extreme, making it a spell that I could really only use as a last resort.
‘I need to show something, though.’
The villains who want to engulf the continent.
If they weren’t planning on attacking for another hundred years, I could take my time to grow, but the problem was that the central continent would be destroyed in about ten years.
Time wasn’t on our side.
Which meant I had to prepare quickly.
Of course, my own power was important, but I also needed things like influence and wealth.
In order to get those, I’d have to show some kind of vision.
But I couldn’t just show off this cannon missile.
It seemed like a good idea to find a suitable middle ground.
After all, people would soon start viewing me as a mage who had overcome Hermem. Even if I used magic a bit stronger than the average mage, it wouldn’t seem too strange.
‘If I could create a new mechanism with power somewhere between a cannon and a magic missile.’
The possibilities would be endless.
I could sell it for a high price to organizations like the Magic Tower or the Magic Society, or I could release it separately to boost my reputation.
‘That would be ideal.’
In any case, if I was going to stop the villains, I needed to raise the overall skill level of the central continent.
It was better for me to reveal some of this knowledge rather than hiding it entirely.
While pursuing personal success, I’d also be helping the continent. What could be more perfect?
‘Should I try blending the two mechanisms together?’
The magic mechanism I knew.
And the magic mechanism used here.
If I mixed the two processes, maybe I’d find a solution.
Activating my Heart Eye, I began moving the mana within my body, searching for a new mechanism for magic missiles.
Thanks to my Mana Blockage, moving mana felt easier than breathing.
Just by thinking about it, the mana was already taking shape. Slowly, I began blending the two mechanisms together.
At that moment—
[Warning! Mana explosion imminent.]
A message appeared, and the mana stored in my Circle began rapidly draining.
[Analyzing body.]
[High understanding of Magic Missile.]
[Two mechanisms have been blended.]
[Analyzing mechanisms…]
[Analyzing efficient paths…]
[Analysis of mixed paths complete.]
‘…Huh?’
Between the mana pathways, several spots began glowing red.
The crimson glow made it look like a minefield, as if a mana explosion would occur if the mana flowed through those areas.
It wasn’t uncommon for mages to die while trying to create new spells or combine two spells. I had seen it happen more than once during the game.
Without Heart Eye, I would’ve been in serious trouble.
‘This talent is seriously overpowered.’
Red spots scattered across the pathway.
And then there were the yellow lines, as if they were showing me the safest route to avoid the mines. It seemed like if I followed the golden path, I could blend the two mechanisms without causing a mana explosion.
My mana began nimbly moving through the minefield.
Moments later, a magic missile once again appeared in my hand.
The size, shape, and color were all similar to the original magic missile, but its power had clearly changed.
I fired the magic missile into the same maple tree.
Boom!
This time, instead of the earlier boom, a much more appropriate sound rang out as the missile hit its target.
‘Nice.’
The dead center of the maple tree now had a clean hole through it, and another hole had formed just above it, burrowing into the tree.
The mana consumption was also far more reasonable.
If the cannon missile had left me dizzy, this new version had used only about one-tenth of my mana.
Naturally, I didn’t feel dizzy at all.
[The two mechanisms have successfully been combined.]
[A downgraded version has been created.]
[The mechanism has been memorized.]
The message said the mechanism had been memorized.
I immediately understood what it meant.
The next time I used this spell, my body would naturally follow the mana path.
My body had memorized the exact path of the magic.
Leon hardt, who had been silently watching, finally spoke.
“Are you finished?”
“Yeah. I think this will do. What do you think?”
“Well… It’s not as terrifyingly powerful as earlier. Stronger than a normal magic missile, but nothing too surprising. It’s about the strength of a 2nd Circle spell, I’d say. But…”
He looked at me and continued.
“Did you create a new mechanism?”
“Yeah. The one from the magic book was too weak, and mine was too strong, so I compromised.”
“…Young Master, do you know how much time has passed?”
“How long?”
“…Two hours.”
No wonder I was feeling a bit dizzy.
Studying for an hour gave me a headache, so it made sense that working on a new magic mechanism for two hours straight would do the same.
“That’s quite a while.”
I answered nonchalantly, and Leon hardt clicked his tongue.
“Young Master, you’re more of a monster than I thought. Creating a new magic mechanism in just two hours…”
“It’s only 1st Circle magic.”
“If 1st Circle magic were that easy to manipulate, there would be many more spells available.”
“That’s why I need you to keep this secret. No one came while I was focused, right?”
“…Yes. A few maids came near, but I sent them away.”
I didn’t even need to ask whose maids they were.
“Oh, by the way. That tree—can you cut it down? And get rid of the evidence.”
“…Understood.”
Leon hardt unsheathed his sword, moved next to the tree in an instant, and, with one swift strike, cut it down.
Boom!
The large tree toppled to the ground in a matter of seconds.
As expected.
His skill was truly remarkable.
Soon after, he began erasing the traces of magic. He crushed the remnants into fine pieces, leaving behind a dense aura between the fallen tree fragments.
“It’s done.”
“Not yet.”
There were still traces left.
Although he had crushed it finely, I wanted a perfect cleanup.
‘Goodbye.’
Fire.
The moment I cast the simple 1st-circle spell, a brilliant flame flared up from my hand.
After burning a few tree fragments clean, I cast Dig to scoop out a deep hole in the ground, burying the ashes of the burnt wood deep into the earth. The remaining trees were clean, without a trace of my presence left behind.
Now, even if spies saw the fallen tree,
‘They’d most likely think Leon hardt was responsible.’
With his skill, causing such a grand noise wouldn’t have been difficult.
I felt reassured.
Hiding my true strength didn’t seem like it would be too hard. In critical situations, it’s always best to conceal about 30% of one’s power to deliver a fatal blow when needed.
Of course, I planned to hide not just 30% but more like 70%. This place was full of unpredictable variables.
With that, my escort knight and I began heading back toward the annex.
Several days passed after that.
Thanks to Leon hardt standing guard and continuously erasing traces, my magic training proceeded smoothly.
It had been a very productive time, allowing me to apply the combined activation method to most of my spells.
Even though I was a 1st-circle mage, I was practically using spells with the power of a 2.5-circle mage.
Of course, if I used the formula that only I knew, I could even cast spells with the power of a 4th-circle mage.
However, the cost would be a dizzy spell and the hollow feeling of an empty circle drained of mana.
‘By the way, it seems like it’s about time to check.’
Erciel.
It had been over two weeks since I had handed her the Introduction to Spirit Magic.
I summoned Erciel and checked her favorability rating. It was at 70.
Was it because this guy had been such a jerk?
Raising the favorability of those around me was incredibly easy.
A friendly greeting.
A warm word or two.
Calling out their name once in a while.
Not drinking alcohol.
Even just following such simple steps diligently made their favorability shoot up.
It was one of the privileges of being a scoundrel.
Anyway, at 70, it was about time I could consider making her one of my subordinates.
“Erciel.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Did you finish reading the book I gave you?”
Her face flushed slightly at my question.
She looked a bit embarrassed—could it be?
She hadn’t finished reading it yet?
“If you haven’t finished, you can take a little more time….”
“No, I’ve finished it.”
“Really? How did you find it?”
“Well… it was fascinating. I’ve never encountered a book like that before.”
“Did you understand it?”
“More or less…”
“Can you explain it to me?”
Without hesitation, she began summarizing the contents of the book.
‘Huh?’
She said “more or less,” but she was clearly nailing the key points as if she had memorized the entire book.
Spirit Magic.
To learn it, one required various preliminary steps. It wasn’t just about understanding spirits; there were special methods for summoning them, and most importantly, a strong affinity for spirits was necessary.
Looking at Erciel as she explained, it seemed she had already cleared the first two hurdles.
Affinity? Obviously, that was maxed out.
Understanding? She had learned that from the book.
Now, only one thing remained.
Preparing to summon a spirit.
‘Between the materials for the magic circle and the spirit stone…’
I would need quite a bit of gold.
Unfortunately, this scoundrel had been placed under house arrest and his allowance had been cut off. The money I had was long gone, wasted away.
‘I need to secure some gold.’
It seemed I would have to visit this guy’s father. The Marquis Remton, the only golden connection this scoundrel had, surely possessed enough wealth to hand over that much gold with a smile.
“Erciel.”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever thought about becoming a spirit mage?”
“…What?”
“I’m asking if you want to become a spirit mage.”
The ten-year-old girl looked flustered at my words.
“Me, a spirit mage…?”
Kid.
With your talent, you could summon a top-tier spirit with ease.
Honestly, her modesty was impressive.
“Don’t worry about your qualifications. Just tell me whether you want to or not.”
I looked at her and continued.
“Erciel. I’m offering you a chance. Do you want to live your life as a maid forever, or would you like the opportunity to become a spirit mage?”
“…Is this for real?”
“Yeah, it’s real. If you want, I’ll provide you with the education, the gold, and even a spirit stone. If you want, you can become my personal maid….”
At that moment.
“I’ll do it!”
Her response came immediately.
“Really?”
“Yes. But… are you really offering to make me your personal maid?”
Ah.
Of course.
In a world full of villains, why would I ever distance myself from someone of her caliber?
“Don’t worry. If that’s what you want, I’ll make sure you stay by my side forever.”
At my words, Erciel nodded enthusiastically.
Now that the persuasion was over, all that remained was to gather the materials needed for summoning the spirit.
It was about time to visit the Marquis.
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