Chapter 13

Ossan, meets the lord *DISCLAIMER: I DON'T REALLY KNOW j.a.pANESE, THESE ARE MACHINE TRANSLATIONS THAT I TRY TO PUT INTO PROPER ENGLISH. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

Zweit von Solisthea, 17 years old. He was the eldest son of the Archduke of Solisthea and was said to be the next Duke.

He was talented in magic from a young age, while also being a hard worker who devoted himself to being worthy of being the heir to the t.i.tle of Archduke.

His personality was rough around the edges, but he took good care of the people he liked, and gave the opposite treatment to the ones he disliked, naturally garnering a good amount of allies and an equal amount of enemies.

And amongst them, was someone very close to him. His brother Kreuz, born at the same time as him, and one of his rivals in the inheritance dispute.

Always composed and with a calm demeanor, his personality rubs Zweit the wrong way, specially the moment he opens his mouth. It felt to him, that his brother was always trying to belittle him.

Another of those people was, her sister, Celestina, who is currently zealously working on magic deconstruction. She was the child of a concubine, born when their father, DelSasis, 'accidentally found himself' in the bed of one of the maids working in the Duke's state at that time.

When the d.u.c.h.esses, the mothers of Zweit and the Duke's other children, found out about it, they were quick to kick out Celestina's mother from the mansion.

That was to prevent the appearance of further rivals in the inheritance dispute, and at the same time, to keep the eyes of DelSasis, their husband, away from her as much as possible.

And as a result, she was taken under the care of Creston, DelSasis' father, delighted of having been blessed with a cute granddaughter and being able to dote on her to his heart's content.

However, soon after that, Celestina's mother pa.s.sed away from illness still at a young age, leaving her daughter to be raised by one of Creston's servants.

Nonetheless, her existence was still an eyesore to the d.u.c.h.esses, and they acted as she didn't exist in the first place. They negatively influenced their own children from an early age, and an insidious hara.s.sment towards her ensued. As a result of it, she soon started becoming withdrawn and insecure.

It also didn't help the fact that she was unable to use magic, and thus, branded useless.

From Zweit's point of view, he couldn't accept the fact that such an incompetent person was her own sister, and above all, he was influenced by his mother's antipathy towards her, so he treated her coldly without questioning it. 

However, Celestina wasn't a useless person when it came to magic. It turned out that the magic formulas themselves were flawed. According to what he had heard, she indeed had trouble managing to activate a spell, but she excell when it came to theoretical cla.s.ses.

As a magician, she definitely was incompetent considering her practical skills, but she was good at everything else besides that, so it was clear as day that she wasn't useless.

And now, all her problems regarding magic activation were solved by a certain Great Sage, who happened to be the person in front of Zweit, his tutor…

"…So if you decipher this magic formula you'll find that 'to make the magic flow converge, you will need between 10 and 50 MP'. That indicates the range of the mana required to successfully activate a spell and the upper limit it can hold. A magic formula requires a predetermined amount of mana, but the power of the spell does not necessarily rise the more you keep pouring it into the formula. Rather, the mana will flow back and leak out from the formula. That is a phenomenon known as overflow…"

In all honesty, he didn't like this Great Sage at all. Furthermore, he thought he was just a capable magician that, Creston, his grandfather and strongest man in the world to him, had recognized and was planning to use him as a subordinate.

That was just a few days ago…

"In other words, even if you increase or decrease the required amount of mana of the magic formula, its power will not change?"

"To put it bluntly, doing that is not as easy as it sounds. In reality, if you increase too much the amount of mana, it will affect the stability of the magic formula and its capacity to efficiently store and convert the mana into the desired phenomenon.

(*T.N: I'm not sure about this, I might change it, if it's mentioned in a different way in the following chapters, or if you guys interpret it in a different way: ぶっちゃけて言ってしまえばそうですが、それほど簡単ではありませんよ？　魔力量が大きくなるという事は、同時にそれを貯え現象へと変換する魔法式の耐久力に影響を与えます。)

It doesn't matter how much mana you pour in, if the magic formula isn't strong enough to withstand it, the mana will end up dissipating, so there's no meaning in doing that. What's more, the magic circle could collapse, causing the mana to run amok and resulting in a great amount of damage to the surroundings."

"Hmm, how complicated. Is there a way to increase the power output of a spell in proportion to the amount of mana employed…?"

"There's the multi-layered formula technique, in which, you circulate magic through two different formulas, one is the spell you want to activate which is divided into multiple different parts, and the other is, 【Spell Line], the magic formula that will bind and keep them all together.

For example, wide-range magic. If you used a regular magic circle, it would have to take quite the large area to be activated."

He exceeded all of Zweit's expectations.

For the first time in his life, he has met a person who he can truly respect from the bottom of his heart, due to the incredible amount of ability Zeros possess.

After all, Zeros doesn't suck up to the powerful. On the contrary, he respects his way of life to the extent of being able to relentlessly challenge anyone and everyone who will stand in his way and tarnish his pride as a magician (slightly exaggerated).

(*T.N: the text between parentheses is the narrator commenting between lines, in case you confuse them with my notes.)

Additionally, he's excellent enough that, the grandfather he respects so much, recognizes him.

Creston always advocated against the idea of magicians holding onto political power, causing ripples in every faction. 

It was taken as a betrayal, specially by the Weissler faction he belonged to. But, aside from threatening him, there was too much of a difference in ability between their magicians and Creston, for an a.s.sa.s.sination to be done successfully. Moreover, he was a blood relative of the royal family, so they couldn't caressly antagonize him.

He always said, 'He, who clings to power like ivy, is not a magician, a true magician is one who cultivates himself as his true purpose'."

The person in front of Zweit now is the true embodiment of those ideals(only in his mind).

He is a wise man who has reached the peak of his art, mastering both theory and practice, without wasting a single moment of his life. He is a savvy wisdom seeker, who even knows how to survive in a real battlefield, due to possessing a wealth of experience in actual combat.

One could easily see how insignificant other magicians, in the present time, look compared to Zeros.

"Well then, Do you have any other questions?"

How can anyone even say that a magician, who can even decipher magic characters, is not excellent?

In his eyes, this magician, who surpases even his respected grandfather, appears to be in the clouds, above him. Zweit, during the lessons in these past few days, has learned that he's only a chick in comparison.

It goes without saying that he's superior to the teachers at the Istor Magic Academy and their foolish arrogance by virtue of being part of a faction. He seemed more of a true magician than them(from his point of view).

He's someone completely used to the battlefield, and continues to do his own research while fighting many battles. For Zweit, someone like that clearly had to have some screws loose.

Most people with his talent would prefer to join a n.o.ble magicians' faction or a national inst.i.tution, but he was the exception.

"I knew that you could decipher the meaning of magic characters. But, the number and types of magic an individual can learn varies from person to person, right? How do choose the magic that suits you the best?

According to your theory, there's no barrier between all types of magic, everyone can learn magic regardless of the attribute, but in reality, the magic a person can use depends on their individual qualities and apt.i.tudes, right? And, in fact, at the moment, the factions are divided according to what attribute their magicians specialize in."

(*T.N: not sure about the last part;アンタの理屈では全属性魔法の得手不得手の垣根は存在せず、誰もが全ての魔法を覚えられる事になるが、実際は個人によって使う魔法は資質によって分かれ、現時点では属性派閥なんて連中も出てるんだぜ？」)

"It's a matter of personal preference. I can use magic of all attributes, but I usually just use wind and lighting magic… In short, it's not like you have to study all kinds of magic until your brain bleeds out to be a capable magician, it's enough with just putting constant effort."

"So you can remember but not master every kind of magic? But, Isn't there a limit to engraving magic formulas directly into the brain?"

"If you reduce the number of unnecessary parts, and make it more compact, the magic circle in itself will be smaller and, as a result, you'd be able to remember a larger number of spells. The important thing is, how well you understand and use a magic formula. That's the best indicator of a magician's skill."

(*T.N: this part in specific about the limit of engraving formulas into the brain is almost completely different from the manga, so I don't know if they're following the LN version or is a mistranslation from my part or the peeps working on translating the manga. imo, it doesn't matter right now, but it might end up conflicting with the manga eventually.)

"That's true, the magic formula we're studying in the Academy right now is big enough to fit in colosseum, so it's certainly useless for practical use."

"Well, if you had an even surface you could manage to activate it. It would require an enormous amount of magic though…"

"Don't say it as if you've done it before…"

"If you are a magician, it could be your trump card to break through a dangerous situation."

At that point, it became clear to Zweit that all the teachers in the Academy were inferior to Zeros.

The latest research on magic is, as Zweit previous said, that formulas can't be three-dimensional, going up, down, left and right; and it is a sort of esoteric puzzle formed by magic characters jumbled together.

Zeros' magic might be at least 500 years more advanced, is what he seriously thought.

"As a trump card you say… Isn't that the peak of magic?"

"Let's see, I don't want to compare my own research with others'. I'm not interested. and I don't have the intention of sharing it with other people either."

"So, you are saying that they have to get there by their own efforts, right?"

"Naturally, why would we have to freely share the results of the researches we've spilled our very own blood and tears to get? I don't know what it could be used for, it's too dangerous."

"But, aren't you teaching us the fundations of your magic? Don't you think we could reach that point eventually?"

"Is that so? n.o.body could use my original magics either way, even after having the research. So, there's no point in giving it."

A thrilling sensation runs through Zweit's spine. Not due to fear, but something closer to elation.  

What Zero is saying is, in short, create your own spells instead of just using the ones everyone can use. As long as no one can use your original spells, their existence would be meaningless to the rest of the magicians.

This Great Sage was already at such heights, and Zweit felt an indescribable feeling of joy, due to the fact that said person was teaching him the essence of magic.

"You two are still young, so you have the time to master magic by your own hands, don't you think? Remember that being ecstatic after learning something new is no longer synonymous with stagnation."

"Can you really create your own magic? That's not what the teachers in the Academy say."

"It's easy once you know the basics, don't you think so? After that, is the amount of effort you pour into it, the fight against yourself. Theory and practice… magicians are such lonely creatures."

In the past few days, Zeros has learned about the level of the magicians in the Solistair Magic Kingdom. Now he's starting to understand how powerful is the existence of a Great Sage.

The meaning of the magic characters, the deciphering method, the construction of magic circles, the usage of internal and external mana. They practically didn't know anything about those topics.

Moreover, considering their approach to actual battle, or lack thereof, and their ability in close combat, one could clearly see the overwhelming difference in skill.

"Easy you say… Does that mean that I could do it too?"

"If you can do it? Hmm, that would depend on your own efforts and how well you manage to understand how magic works."

"How great… This is the first time I've been so excited about anything. The teachers at the Academy were clearly useless."

He might have a bad temperament, but he's serious when it comes to magic. He wants to know the unknown, to see what lies beyond what he currently knows.

For that reason, he takes the lessons seriously, revises them and takes them to heart, trying to put them into practice on his own after each session.

In front of him is a magician that has reached the peak of his profession but he's far from being satisfied, and continues to research and train. In Zweit's eyes, he's the embodiment of the spirit of a true magician.

"Let's see, it looks like it's time to wrap this up. Let's continue with the lesson tomorrow."

"Eh!? Already!? I didn't even notice…"

"It's been already three hours, if you don't rest, you won't be able to learn much, even if you cram a lot of information at once."

"It's a shame, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's lesson then."

"In the near future, I'll have you two practice the multi-layered formula technique. It's a trivial thing, so please don't be anxious about not being able to do it."

That was the end of today's lecture. Even after Zeros had left the room already, Celestina doesn't forget to prepare for the next session. 

Zweit, on the other hand, can't hide his surprise at the sight of that younger sister, which he never tried to get close to before…

"Hey, Celestina…"

"What is it, nii-sama?"

"You've changed a lot, you used to run away from me before, remember?"

"That's right. But now I can use magic too. I'm not as good as sensei, but currently, I can at least roughly decipher the magic formula we studied today."

"He's an absurd magician… I'm sure you'll change to be like that in the future too."

In his mind, all magicians are inferior to Zeros. It's a great honor, for a person who aims to be a great magician, to receive the guidance of such a high-ranking magician. Moreover, today's lesson was about the basics on the construction of a magic formula. A teaching method which clearly differs from the Academy's, but that has already yielded more results.

"I'm but a small fish compared to him. But, it'd be the greatest honor for a magician to be able to say that they're the disciples of such a wise man."

"…Isn't nii-sama a disciple as well?"

"Nah, I'm already in a faction… ah… ahhh, d.a.m.n it! Why did I have to join that s.h.i.t faction!?·

The current Weissler faction is more power-oriented, and considers magic research a secondary thing.

He was mentally polluted due to being there for too long. Receiving extravagant praises from his surroundings, he grew arrogant, and the consequence of that was an awful broken heart.

(*T.N: Luceris.)

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was brainwashed, in a sense.

"They're rotten. This is my advice, be careful when you return to the Academy. They'll try to recruit you into one of those factions."

"…How strange. It's the first time you've given me a genuine advice, nii-sama."

"I'm not that much of an idiot! I've changed too, I at least know that factions will start pestering you."

"They sound troublesome. I'm not interested in them."

"That's right. Receiving lessons from such a monster of a Great Sage, they're a bunch of amateurs in comparison."

The last few days of the two of them have been nothing but rich and fulfilling. 

Their ability to learn has grown exponentially, as if the thing that has been stopping them from doing so had disappeared, and their true skill had flowed out all at once.

The more they know, the more interesting magic becomes, and even though they're just learning the basics, new discoveries are derived from their lessons every time.

Specifically, it was fun to them being able to see new possibilities every time things they've been wondering about had been explained.

"I don't wanna go back to the Academy….! I'll be able to learn more if I stay here!"

"Right, a month from now we'll have to go back…"

The contract with Zeros was for the duration of two months. In a month, they'll have to go back to the Academy and go through endless boring lectures, which seemed like a ma.s.sive waste of time to the both of them.

"Now that you mention it, is Kreuz-niisama going to return as well?"

"Kreuz? He's a candidate for a faction, he's going to be busy studying on his own… what a waste."

"Indeed, precious time wasted…"

"That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, 'Are you going back home? Please send my best regards to father. That would be all, my dear brother', that's the d.a.m.ned message he sent me, can you believe that!?"

"He's the same as always… focused on research."

The second son, Kreuz. Hated by his brother. Rather, he thought it was a waste of time to get involved with him.

It can be said that he's the type of magician to prioritize efficiency above all, devoting his time to research.

However, his words and actions annoy Zweit greatly.

"The same as always! That d.a.m.ned troublesome b.a.s.t.a.r.d… but he's run out of luck this time kukuku…"

"Ahh, he certainly has a terrible luck. Missing lessons from a Great Sage."

"Right? I'm looking forward to seeing the face he makes when he finds out."

They are polar opposites if you compare the two. Because of their opposite personalities, they've always thought they were incompatible with each other.

"But his att.i.tude as a magician… lately, it's making me think…"

"He's similar to sensei in a sense, right? Well, that's not quite right… he clearly lacks the knowledge."

"That's unfortunate. But well, as far as I'm concerned, that's good to me. Yeah, I don't like him because he's similar to that Kreuz b.a.s.t.a.r.d…"

"Do you hate Kreuz-niisama that much?"

"I do! I swear I'll beat him up one day."

He doesn't know that the cause of the inheritance dispute in the Duke's family is due to his abrasive and impulsive personality. Although, he's also happens to be a magician that doesn't care about what other people are gossiping about.

Thinking about her troublesome elder brothers, Celestina heaves a sigh, praying that it won't turn into a sort of civil war within the family.

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