chapter 33
300 years ago.
In the distance, beyond the dark blue miasma, the walls of the castle, eroded by the abyss and rotted away, came into view.
“Is that the place called the southern star?”
In response to Archmage Rin’s question, the fire dragon priestess Friede nodded gloomily while exhaling smoke from a pipe.
“The star of the south, <Orwardan>. It was a beautiful city with light pouring in from all directions at noon. I don’t even want to go near it anymore.”
“What should I do, Lista?”
It was on top of a precipice overlooking the city at a glance. Faquairious Lista stood on the edge and looked down at the city in silence.
“Uhm, I guess everyone will be in danger if we go in there.”
“Everyone knows that.”
“So Rin, just blow it up completely.”
I doubted my ears for a moment.
However, the courtiers Keith and Friede seemed to have different ideas from Rin, and everyone just grinned.
After blinking her wide-open eyes for a while, Rin hurriedly opened her mouth.
“Are you kidding me? Isn’t that like a cultural heritage? You have to leave it in its original state to be able to restore it.”
Rista looked back over her shoulder and then said:
“There are times in the world when you can just do something and regret it later.”
“He spreads sophistry again.”
“It is not sophistry. The three of you are many times more precious to me than that kind of cultural heritage.”
When Rista said something like that, she always laughed seriously. As if there was no pretense in those words. Lynn averted her gaze and murmured.
“… … What will you say later?”
“I will take on the role that I will later regret and get scolded for. Isn’t that what being a leader is?”
“This is so simple—”
“—If Rin does this lightly from time to time, the world will look different, right?”
So Lynn.
Feel free to commit once.
“I hate complicated problems. How is Rin?”
* * *
“You understand now? What is it like to aim for the lead position in <Delayten>?”
Christa confidently approached with her arms crossed.
“Even if you wake up from death in such an ordinary way, you cannot rise to the top position of <Delayten>.”
It sure seemed like it.
So I kept thinking about how… … No matter how much I thought about it, I could only think of things that were not enough to break Christa’s record.
‘Is there really no way to use my power differently from others?’
In an enclosed space like a labyrinth, it is impossible to fire offensive magic regardless of how powerful it is, and there is a high possibility that the terrain will collapse or be caught in the aftermath.
‘That’s why summoning is overwhelmingly good in such a small space, but I can’t use it… … .’
How can I lightly beat Christa’s record? In order to graduate at the top of my class, I have to set a record that not only Christa but also no one else can touch.
– Rin, just blow it up.
At that moment, at the echo of the past that warmly passed through his mind, Lane opened her eyes wide for a moment and then smiled.
“… … Yes, sometimes you can just do it and regret it later.”
While he was muttering to himself, an unusual magic power flashed around him, and Christa raised her eyebrows. Logan asked.
“What do you mean?”
“There is such a thing. By the way, lend me an ear.”
When Rain whispered something to Logan, Logan’s eyes widened as he listened to the operation with his head tilted.
“Did you not hear me?”
“You heard it right.”
“Are you serious? Otherwise, you might be disqualified!”
“I don’t think that will happen, but don’t worry. If there is a problem, I will take full responsibility.”
Is this a problem that you can take responsibility for alone?
Logan was dumbfounded and looked back at Lane, but his eyes were infinitely serious.
A laugh eventually escaped from Logan’s lips as he met those eyes.
“Well, even if I just did it, I would have gotten an A grade, but… … It’s no fun then.”
“yes?”
“I will try it.”
Christa had to look at Rain with a wary look.
‘A disqualification, what the hell are you trying to do?’
Saying disqualification or fun sounds like you’re going to try a strange fluke, but you’re going to gamble on the regular exam like that?
“Disqualification? fun? It’s cracking! Are you planning to play a strange prank in your fight with me?”
“?”
“I can’t tolerate that! this is a test You can’t just look at it with such a happy heart! You have to be more serious than ever!”
I burst into Christa’s resentment.
By the way, by the way, why does that Ranger look so incomprehensible and unbearably happy?
“What do you mean by having fun with magic? Even if you don’t want to be happy, you’re happy.”
“what… … ?”
“If you work with such a hard heart, don’t you get tired of it and leave? Haven’t you ever enjoyed magic?”
For some reason, the remnants of the past passed faintly like a spring breeze in Christa’s mind, who was at a loss for words… … .
– Dad, look at this!
After using beginner magic for the first time, he boasted to his parents and smiled brightly. However, he immediately shook his head and erased the echo from his mind.
He is not in a position to enjoy magic. I am not in a position to have a light mindset of enjoying it.
Christa chewed her lower lip and said as if to vomit out the years that had accumulated in her heart.
“… … Enjoyment is an irresponsible statement. You can’t achieve anything by having fun.”
At the same time, he turns his back and avoids the seat as if he would not listen to any more objections. Lane looked at him curiously.
“Why does he look angry? Did I say something strange?”
“Do I know? There is a saying that you can know a hundred miles underwater, but not a woman’s heart.”
“Oh~ Master, you can say pretty cool things, don’t you?”
“Um hahahaha, who do you think I am? Tsaihak’s late exponent Logan.”
When the 10-minute prize time was over, the cadets let out a heavy sigh and moved forward one by one in front of the assigned cave. It’s not like you’ll learn the structure of the labyrinth just by sitting here.
“professor.”
At that time, Team 12’s Lane Ludwig approached Professor Kyle.
“Tell me.”
“In any way, all you have to do is annihilate all the targets in the labyrinth, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“And if the cave collapses due to another team’s mistake, there’s nothing to do, right? Is the danger controlled by Professor Da’s magic?”
“Of course.”
Lane smiled and turned around.
what?
Professor Kyle and his assistant just tilted their heads, not knowing the meaning of that smile. Returning to her seat, Lane opened her mouth.
“Are you ready, Master?”
“I’ll finish mine in seven seconds.”
“I will take about 50 seconds, so let’s finish it in one minute in the end.”
Wood deuk, Logan moved his body lightly to loosen his joints.
“Nine minutes. We have one minute left.”
As the teaching assistant shouted, Logan took off his school uniform coat. The body was revealed in detail and intricately drawn with the magic square of Cheryunggang, the secret body of the Tchaihak school.
“Team 12, let’s start the test!”
The moment Lane shouted that, the magic square of Cheryeonggang emitted light and spread throughout his body.
“Hmm?”
Professor Kyle and his assistant, who were observing the situation through clairvoyance, raised their eyebrows. The same was true of the cadets standing next to them.
“You can’t enter from the entrance, can you?”
“What are you doing?”
“If that’s the case, why did you say you’d already start the test? Are you confident enough?”
Christa also stared at the screen with a dissatisfied expression, with her arms crossed.
‘What kind of joke are you trying to play?’
At that moment, a red light flickered in Lane’s eyes.
“uh… … ?!”
“I-that… … ?!”
Deathliness drawn in silvery white in a red light that is even bewitching… … Each of the cadets gasped, and even Professor Kyle’s eyes lit up in amazement.
“Bel Sidious… … At sixteen?”
The lineage of Prince Ludwig.
Bell Sidious.
An eye that is said to have the power to see through all abilities… … A bizarre power that makes wizards who face it chill.
‘It must have been when Scalzi and Kavern, famous for being Ludwig’s genius father and son, opened their eyes at the age of 17 and 18, respectively?’
Did Elin Ludwig open his eyes at about twenty-four?
Are you faster than them?
Yo is famous for requiring tremendous talent and effort even to master the basic skills, unlike the blood relatives of the other Sedo families, whose initiation is relatively simple.
‘But what are they doing in front of the alternate entrance?’
Christa rolled her eyes in disbelief. Even if you know the location of the enemy in advance, it is meaningless unless you go and annihilate it yourself.
┏ 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 ┓
The law circle of the magic formula is a single rectangle.
The rune symbol used is a modified lutishen.
Size 3 Axels, Range 5 Gimit.
┗ 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 ┛
01010100010101, at that time, all the targets located inside the labyrinth were perfectly searched beyond the landmarks in Lane’s field of view, which was stained red.
“Okay, connect.”
Brilliant threads of light were untied from Lane’s palm, and were soon woven gracefully over it, forming a square shape.
The magic square is the intersection of a trapezoid and a pentagon.
The inscribed runes are Yeon (連) and Jeon (傳).
In the telekinesis magic square
‘Yeon(連): Connecting’,
in the magic square of lightning
‘Jeon (傳): Conveying’ traits are given.
At that moment, Professor Kyle’s eyes widened.
“Could that be… … .”
Shrrr’, leaving a long trail in the labyrinth.
And one, one, one, the light that went deep into the labyrinth split into many strands and reached the targeted targets.
Okay, the moment Lane nodded, Logan, who had been waiting with his entire body emitting the light of the Chering River, raised his fist high above his head.
“Uhhhhh!”
With an intense spirit, he hit the starting point of the beam of light with all his might.
The magic curtain that spreads as if wrapping the skin with the body ryunggang explodes with overwhelming heat, doubling the power.
And the powerful destructive power that the ground was crushed and pebbles bounced like a hail of stones spread throughout the labyrinth by the runes engraved on the line of light.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu—!
Waves of destruction spreading along the beam of light mercilessly overturned the labyrinth’s landmarks. A violent roar erupted, dust swirled, and the clairvoyance window was covered.
“what?”
“What is going on?”
“What did you do now? Why do you destroy the labyrinth? Are you crazy? How are you going to get in there?”
The cadets were just whispering like that, but Professor Kyle and his assistant were different. The assistant stared blankly at the spear emerging from the magic tool on his wrist.
“Remaining target number 19, no 11, no 4?! Gyo, professor?!”
Professor Kyle looked back at his clairvoyant as if possessed, and his eyes behind those angled glasses opened wide and shuddered.
ㆍTeam 12 – Aisle No. 12.
ㆍTime – 00:59.
ㆍRemaining targets – 0 units.
59 seconds.
You said it took less than a minute?
How could this be nonsense… … I laughed blankly, but the assistant came to his senses and shook his head.
“Professor, this seems to be an act that deviated from the purpose of the test.”
“… … ?”
“The test is to enter the labyrinth and check its ability, but it’s over by destroying it. I guess you could call it a fluke… … Wouldn’t it be right to invalidate this?”
“Why?”
“It is said that an S grade is perfect, but that can only be seen as far from perfect… … .”
Still staring out the window in awe, Professor Kyle opened his mouth.
“Did you know, Zimar, that genius is the creature furthest from perfection?”
“yes? what is that… … ?”
“Perfection is a state that clearly meets the standards accepted in the world. But geniuses who have changed the world have always exceeded that standard.”
Sudden words, ideas, and actions… … The actions of geniuses, which were considered incomprehensible in that era, become ‘standards that are accepted in the world’ over time.
“Don’t you know what I mean? Because a genius is not a person who fits himself into the mold of perfection, but a being who has created a ‘new perfection’.”
“A new standard of perfection… … ?”
“That’s right! If you look at the evaluation standards of the era, you can’t help but feel that Lane Ludwig, that cadet, is definitely far from perfect.”
The assistant teacher narrowed his eyes.
It was because it was the first time I had ever seen Professor Kyle give a raveful praise like he is now, although his praises are sloppy.
“Did you ever think about destroying the cave, Zimar-kun?”
“I haven’t tried it… … I think I can do it.”
“Sure. Because that student has created a new path! The important thing is to be the first to do something that no one else has done, and to do it again.”
And the magical knowledge and understanding to perfectly implement such reckless thoughts… … Is that really sixteen years old?
did you find
did it finally appear?
A true genius who will blow a new wind into the now stagnant world of imperial magic… … . Kyle concluded his words with a shudder of intense emotion.
“Take a close look now, Mr. Zimar. The day that student becomes an adult and becomes the backbone of the magic world, the horizon of magic may change.”