Became The Greatest Genius In History

Chapter 8 – Rising Stock (3)

Wonderland, the worst criminal organization in the Kingdom of Justina.

They were famous for hunting nobles.

They brought down the powerful noble house of Fish, which had tremendous influence in the kingdom, and they are notorious terrorists with enormous power in the criminal underworld.

In this world, there is an absolute indicator called the existence value.

It might be described as the influence an individual can have on this world. The Royal Existence Measurement Agency of Justina publicly announces individuals’ existence values to the media at the beginning of each new year, reflecting their strength, knowledge, power, and prestige.

These are classified as Rare, Heritage, Hero, Legend, Myth, Unique, and Transcendent, in ascending order.

They rank everyone from high-ranking officials to vicious criminals and classify them accordingly.

Of course, they don’t measure people who aren’t famous, like me.

Next year, my existence value might be announced too, but that wasn’t the important thing.

‘Red Hood.’

The worst criminal measured as ‘Unique’ class—a rank shared by only two people in the country, including the king.

Nob AI said that the one who wrote me a letter was Red Hood, the leader of Wonderland.

‘Hmm.’

『I recommend not getting involved with them.』

Honestly, I was scared.

I never imagined such notorious criminals would take an interest in me.

I didn’t want to become a criminal.

I had planned to live peacefully and uneventfully, then grow old and die quietly.

‘Let’s pretend I never saw this letter…’

I looked at the other letters.

Fortunately, except for Wonderland’s message, there were no letters from vicious criminals.

The lower-ranked ones were mostly from magicians.

Letters ranked between 800 and 500 were asking for help with their research or wanting to discuss magic together.

‘I’ll ignore these.’

Letters from the middle to upper ranks contained offers to join their groups for a certain amount of money—essentially recruitment offers.

There were quite a few good conditions.

I received scouting offers from national institutions run by the kingdom and famous organizations.

An opportunity to become what you might call a ‘salaried employee.’

This might be a good opportunity for someone like me who aspires to a simple life.

However, I was currently taking the successor test.

To accept any offer, I would definitely need Porto’s permission, but well…

Would Porto really give his permission in the current situation?

In this world, the family head’s word is absolute to family members.

This was especially true for legitimate noble families like the Tristida.

This is because within their territory, the family head holds power equal to the king.

There was a reason why Felix, who was of legal age, followed Porto’s orders to become a soldier without any resistance.

Even though I had the title of a genius young master who solved the Millennium Problem.

Unless I was willing to be at odds with Porto, it would be difficult to accept these offers.

Having lived as his son for 15 years, I knew that people who made enemies of Porto seemed to have very exhausting lives.

I didn’t want to look bad right now, and there was no reason to.

From the beginning, I had no intention of leaving this mansion.

My ultimate goal was to be a parasite in the Tristida mansion.

Still.

There was one absolute reason why I couldn’t leave the mansion.

Of course, if Porto wanted to make me a soldier, that would be a different story.

‘Young master.’

‘Hm?’

Dalfi, who had organized the letters, called me.

‘Are you really reading those letters?’

‘I’m reading them diligently.’

‘To my eyes, you look like someone staring blankly at the ceiling. Your eyes are half-closed, and it seems like you’ll fall asleep any moment.’

Naturally, using a phone in bed tends to make one sleepy.

‘Yaaawn, it’s fine….’

I’m really not sleepy at all.

‘I can look at this all day….’

For a moment, I almost lost consciousness.

It was because the warm and cozy comfort of the blanket attacked me.

‘……’

Dalfi lifted me up.

‘Eek….’

And forcibly sat me down at the desk.

‘Young master.’

Dalfi spoke in a serious voice.

‘Although you’ve achieved the feat of solving the Millennium Problem, it was because luck was on your side.’

The successor test wasn’t over yet.

I could guess what Dalfi was trying to say.

‘You are still lacking compared to the other young masters and the young lady. Even if you have a friend who provides transcendent magical knowledge, you currently can’t use even basic magic. Your etiquette is a mess, and your body is weak.’

‘……’

‘If you reach a situation where you cannot use that friend, what do you plan to do?’

Dalfi’s nagging stung.

It was the truth.

‘I want you to be happy, young master. To be happy, you need strength. And perhaps now is the opportunity to train that strength.’

Dalfi had never spoken to me this seriously before.

I felt grateful to Dalfi, who had set aside playfulness and was genuinely concerned.

‘You’re saying I should cherish the present?’

‘Yes, that’s right.’

I smiled.

‘Thank you.’

‘Compared to the kindness I’ve received from you, this is nothing.’

‘Have I really been that much help to you?’

Dalfi blinked.

And then smiled playfully.

‘Perhaps I find small comfort in watching the young master work hard despite being ignored and treated like a parasite by his family?’

Once again, this impertinent maid strikes at a person’s weakness.

But since it was a fact, I couldn’t refute it.

‘Urgh…’

‘Hehe, I’ll bring some refreshments and tea.’

‘Please do.’

‘With Dalfi cheering me on like this, I can’t approach this frivolously.’

While I could certainly use Nob AI, the truth was that I was lacking compared to my siblings.

If the next successor test was ‘Use an extraordinary spell directly in front of Porto,’ or ‘Fight and defeat your siblings in a duel,’ it was clear that I would be utterly crushed even with Nob AI’s help.

I needed to grow.

I might not need to become the family head, but I needed to develop at least passable abilities.

As long as I didn’t completely fail, I could avoid becoming a soldier.

So I went back to reading the letters diligently.

“1. Letter from the Red Tower Master.”

“3. Letter from the Captain of the Steel Lion Knights.”

Nob AI’s performance was amazing.

After reading all the letters comprehensively, these two were the most appealing.

The contents of the letter from the Red Tower Master were as follows:

“To the young star of Tristida.”

“I am Erphs, master of the Red Tower.”

“I believe your magical understanding is a talent that could bring innovation to the magical world that has remained stagnant until now.”

“I am aware, due to circumstances I cannot mention, that you have been unable to properly use magic until now. Of course, since I don’t know the details, please understand generously that I must make a judgment after meeting you.”

“I wish to be by your side to help your magical talent bloom. All I desire is the revolution that a grown Esther Tristida will bring in the future.”

“If you accept this proposal, go to Professor Aria of Flame Elements at Tristida Academy. She will guide you on the path to the Red Tower.”

In short, they wanted to take me as a disciple.

I had no magical talent.

The reason was simple.

I didn’t even possess the small amount of mana needed to create a simple match flame from my hands.

I had tried to use beginner magic with Nob AI’s help before, but I only received the answer that it was impossible in my current state.

“Currently, there is no mana in Esther’s body. However, even if the user has no mana, there is a way to overcome this…”

The following explanation was too difficult for me to understand, so I asked for a simpler explanation.

“You need continuous help from an excellent magician.”

The Red Tower Master fulfilled this condition.

And there was one more major reason why I needed to meet the Tower Master.

I wanted to ask the Tower Master, who was also renowned for their medical knowledge.

About Haniel’s physical condition.

The proposal from the Blue Tower Master below was similar, but it contained a clause about keeping me as a magician of the Blue Tower.

Therefore, the Red Archmage’s proposal was appealing.

‘The one thing that bothers me is….’

The fact that it wasn’t me who solved the Millennium Problem, but Nob AI.

Well, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Also, I was planning to accept the proposal from the captain of the Iron Lion Knights.

“Currently, the Knights are struggling to break through the barrier in the Swamp of the Dead.”

“This barrier is a protective device guarding the Necronomicon, which is the worst item containing methods to awaken the dead. If this item falls into the hands of demons, the worst consequences may occur.”

“Even the heritage-class wizards assisting the Knights couldn’t easily solve the barrier. Due to the urgency of the situation, I am sending this letter to the young star of Tristida who solved the Millennium Problem, despite my impudence.”

“Below is the magical formula that constitutes the barrier.”

“…”

“…”

“Our Knights will wait for your reply for two weeks. If you solve this, we will inform His Majesty the King of your achievement and ensure you receive adequate compensation…”

The reason was simple.

“★★Nob AI can solve this★★”

Selected by Nob AI as the #1 easiest magical problem, like eating rice cakes while lying down.

Well, it wasn’t a bad thing, and I was helping with a good cause.

Come to think of it, if I establish a solid position by solving these problems, wouldn’t Porto feel really hesitant about sending me to the battlefield?

“I will interpret the magical formula.”

“The optimal process for solving the magical formula is as follows.”

I began writing the letter with Nob AI’s help.

‘Young master’s snacks and tea….’

Dalfi looked at me as I moved my hands diligently, then gently stroked my head.

‘Suddenly treating me like a child?’

‘You are still a minor, aren’t you? In my eyes, you’re a child.’

‘There’s not even much age difference between us, what’s with that.’

As I moved my hands while eating the tea and snacks Dalfi had prepared, the letter was completed more quickly.