NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
EP.14 An Unexpected Encounter (3)
A mage belonging to the Knights Order.
Libert, the former Master of the Red Tower, sighs.
The reason for his sigh is the desperate situation on the battlefield.
The Ancient Lich, Skebal.
The damage caused by that vile Undead grows day by day. Just a month ago, Libert didn’t think much of that skeleton.
‘It was all thanks to Lady Raniel.’
Whenever the Ashen Mage appeared on the battlefield, Skebal tucked its tail and ran away. In front of Raniel, Skebal’s barriers tore apart like paper.
Such a superhuman existence makes it easy for those standing on the same battlefield to lose their tension. That complacency also came over Libert without exception.
‘I relied too much on her.’
The mage who always stood at the front lines.
The result of relying on that one superhuman is devastating.
With the Ashen Mage, whom he thought would always be there, retiring, the Knights Order lost its way to penetrate Skebal’s barrier.
‘What a shame…’
Libert feels embarrassed by that fact.
Even though he is in a position where he should find the answer more than anyone else, he couldn’t find a way and ended up leaving everything to her.
Of course, he didn’t refrain from seeking guidance from the Ashen Mage.
He asked for teachings, but he couldn’t understand.
It was a story too difficult for him.
Just being the ‘Ashen Mage’ made it possible to handle mana; in the past, he had declared and given up on that.
‘Why didn’t I ask a bit more back then?’
He should have sought teachings until he could understand.
He feels pathetic for having given up so easily in the past.
“Phew…”
Regretting now is too late.
The communication network connected to the Ashen Mage only belonged to Heinkel von Zeikhardt, and even that is a one-way street.
He can send replies to letters received.
But the Knights can’t send letters directly.
Just then, when Libert was sighing, he heard someone’s voice from outside the tent.
“Libert, are you inside?”
“Heinkel Knight Commander? What brings you here…?”
“I’ll come in.”
Heinkel, who visited the tent, handed Libert a letter without warning.
“Could you take a look at this letter?”
Libert accepted the letter handed to him. It bore the royal seal.
“This is…”
“A letter from the Fourth Princess.”
“What does the Princess want…?”
“Just open it.”
Libert nodded and tore open the letter. Inside was a single sheet of paper.
“This is… Academic material, isn’t it?”
“The Princess sent a letter saying there is someone who has the answer to Question 1. That is the answer.”
If it’s the Academic’s Question 1, Libert knew the question well. It was regarding Skebal’s circuit. He had let the problem remain just in case.
“…Are you saying someone solved it?”
“According to the Princess, that’s correct. However, she asked to look it over coldly. It seems she isn’t sure either.”
“Hmmm…”
Libert made a hesitant expression.
The Fourth Princess, Ayla, the beloved child of the stars, was well-known for her talent in magic.
However, interpreting the circuit is a different realm.
Interpreting the circuit doesn’t just come from talent; it requires the memorization of numerous theories and countless practical experiences to ‘learn’ it.
‘That person must have never learned about circuits.’
But what could have given her the confidence to send such a letter?
Since the Ancient Lich Skebal appeared on the battlefield, no one except for one has solved that challenging problem, so it wouldn’t be easy.
“I understand why you’re skeptical. Still, please check it out.”
“…Understood.”
Reluctantly, Libert examined the letter.
There wasn’t even a name of the person who solved the problem written on it. The handwriting isn’t neat. It looks rather chaotic, as if written in haste.
– Skebal’s circuit is a format that inscribes a central circuit among hundreds of false circuits.
Who wouldn’t know that?
To reach the core, one must carefully remove those hundreds of circuits, making Skebal’s circuit complex.
– The reason that frontline mages struggle lies in this. The hundreds of circuits work together organically. Like cogs, disassembling the interlocked circuits is doubly difficult.
Observing the explanation without much interest, Libert furrowed his brow at the following sentence.
– This solution is based on that point.
– There’s no need to individually disassemble hundreds of circuits.
…What do you mean, there’s no need to disassemble the circuits?
– The circuits are connected. They interlock like cogs. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
– A crack that occurs in one circuit spreads to the hundreds of interlocked circuits. So there’s no need to disassemble the hundreds of circuits one by one.
– Instead of disassembling, ruin the circuits.
Libert narrowed his eyes.
– Process the mana.
– Process the mana to possess a quality similar to the poison of the ‘Mana Eater’ that spreads sharply through the bloodstream.
– Send that processed mana into the circuits.
– As if spreading poison.
His pupils quivered.
– Think of Skebal’s barrier as a pond.
– In this case, the central circuit of the barrier would be like a fish living deep in the pond.
– The actions most mages take, disassembling the circuits, is akin to draining all the water from the pond to hunt for the fish.
– There’s nothing more inefficient than that. Naturally, it takes a long time.
“…”
– Why do you have to drain all the water from the pond? There’s no need to do that.
– Pour poison into the pond.
– Just let the fish reveal itself by spreading the poison.
Libert was so absorbed in reading the solution that he forgot to swallow his breath. The letters danced alive before his eyes.
‘What the…’
This was a method he had never considered.
A way he hadn’t thought of was right before him.
– Below is the method of mana manipulation.
Underneath that was a detailed record of how to transform mana and how to handle the transformed mana.
“…”
Libert folded the letter in silence.
Then he looked up at Heinkel.
“Heinkel.”
“What is it, Libert?”
“Who is the person who solved this problem?”
“The Princess answered that it’s an unknown individual. Why, is there something wrong?”
It’s not that there’s a problem; it’s that there’s only problems.
“This is… strange.”
“Strange, you say?”
“I’m not sure how to explain this…”
The history of magic is long.
Among the most developed aspects over its protracted history are the spell circuits and their interpretation.
The laws accumulated over thousands of years.
The systematized formulas to solve those laws.
Therefore, for today’s mages, interpreting circuits is merely about utilizing the knowledge built up by their ancestors in the right context.
But what of the mage who wrote this solution?
‘They didn’t get bogged down in formulas.’
While bound by formulas, other mages missed the point, while this mage saw it.
‘Seeing it, proposed a new method.’
A completely new solution.
‘Imitation is neither application nor creation.’
These individuals who do not walk the path of magic already paved, but carve out their own way. Libert knew what to call them.
‘Genius.’
A mage destined to lead this era.
Suddenly, a figure of a mage popped into Libert’s mind.
“Isn’t this solution written by Lady Raniel?”
“That… doesn’t seem like it. The Princess wouldn’t lie about something like this.”
“Then maybe the Princess disguised herself so she wouldn’t be recognized…”
Just as he was speaking, Libert closed his mouth.
He realized that it was nonsense. How could someone hide their identity in front of the Fourth Princess?
‘She is someone who could see through even the polymorph of the ancient mage who secretly visited the Royal Capital.’
A disguise wouldn’t work in front of such a princess.
In the end, it means there exists another mage with talent comparable to that of the Ashen Mage.
That fact made Libert smile bitterly.
“…The world is so vast.”
“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Never mind. I wanted to tell the Princess that we should find this mage who wrote this solution and appoint them to a deserving position.”
Libert placed the letter on the table.
Then he took a deep breath and spoke, this time as a member of the ‘Knights’ rather than as a mage.
“This is a completely new method. Theoretically possible, but I cannot guarantee how it will apply in practice.”
“…”
“However, I dare say.”
Libert spoke firmly.
“There is enough value in attempting it.”
“…”
Instead of a response, Heinkel narrowed his eyes.
That gaze holds more than words could convey.
Having assisted Heinkel for a long time, Libert understood what Heinkel was trying to say.
Libert nodded.
“I will gather the mages of the Knights.”
—
2.
“Master.”
“What is it, Raniel?”
“Am I not good at explaining things?”
Suddenly, what was that about?
Rosel tilted his head while looking at Raniel.
“What do you mean you’re not good at explaining?”
“No, thinking about it, I haven’t seen anyone who came to learn from me understand anything properly?”
Raniel murmured, resting her chin on her hand.
“In the past, many mages asked about Skebal’s circuit, remember? I think I explained it then, but they didn’t get it.”
“How on earth did you explain it?”
“Um, well…”
Rosel listened to Raniel’s explanation for a while.
About thirty minutes passed, and Rosel pressed his temples.
“…Raniel.”
“Yes?”
“Teaching someone something starts with understanding their level.”
“Uh…”
“Things like ‘You just have to do it,’ ‘Why can’t you do it?’ ‘If it doesn’t work, just try until it does,’ are not teaching.”
That’s just being patronizing.
“Oh…”
Seeing his disciple looking as if she had realized something new, Rosel let out a deep sigh.
‘Is assigning this child the job of a professor a terribly wrong decision?’
Suddenly, such thought crossed Rosel’s mind.
“Oh, but I can explain well through writing.”
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
“No, I swear! I think they understand this time…”
“Alright. Come to my room later. I think I need to teach you what teaching really is from the beginning.”
“I’m telling the truth…”