Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Became History's Greatest Genius
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Erps let out a hearty laugh.
"Hah! I heard you were the genius who solved the Millennium Problem, and honestly, I expected some gloomy type. But look at you—this is one handsome young lad! It's like looking at myself in my younger days! Sending you that letter was the right call! I should send my regards to my past self!"
He was cheerful and outgoing.
A rare personality type among mages.
"Thank you."
In contrast, Ester Tristy embodied the stereotypical mage temperament.
Quiet and concise.
Cool-headed and rational.
'He probably doesn't care for idle chit-chat.'
Erps smiled as he took a seat in his chair.
"Anyway, I'm truly grateful you made time to come here despite your busy schedule. I was dying to have a chat with you."
"The honor is mine, meeting the head of the School of Flames, the Deathheat Sorcerer."
Deathheat Sorcerer—the moniker given to Erps for creating the hottest, most agonizing flames in the world.
Erps quite liked the title.
It had been ages since anyone called him that, ever since he became the Red Tower Lord.
'Mage second, noble first.'
From his attire to his every gesture, he exuded elegance and refinement.
'I heard he was the discarded young master.'
Erps had already gathered all the relevant information before Ester's arrival.
After all, several mages from the School of Flames, like Aria, worked in the Tristy Autonomous Region.
"I have one question for you, if you don't mind?"
Ester nodded.
"I hear the Blue Tower Lord also sent you a letter. May I ask why you chose to visit the Red Tower first?"
Ester answered succinctly.
"To claim my reward for solving the Millennium Problem."
"Hoo."
"Also."
Ester pointed to his own heart.
"Among all the letters I've received so far, yours seems to understand best what I truly want."
The Red Tower and Blue Tower tended to view each other as rivals.
Not that they were on bad terms.
Erps was quite pleased that Ester had chosen the Red Tower.
"For starters, I have something to show you."
He handed Ester a bar made of a brilliantly shimmering mint-colored ore.
"Mithril."
"That's right. Mithril."
Mithril was one of the most valuable metals in this world.
Items capable of holding mana were exceedingly rare, and mithril was one such material.
This metal had the property of absorbing ambient mana—up to an amount equivalent to what ten mages could hold per kilogram.
Once fully saturated with mana, mithril became the hardest metal in the world.
The resulting mithril was used in artifacts, weapons, and siege engines.
Its value soared like gold due to the immense demand far outstripping its limited supply.
"One hundred grams of mithril. At current market rates, that's about 100 million credits worth of treasure. Could fetch even more. A fair reward for the one who solved the Millennium Problem. But."
Ester didn't so much as blink.
Even for a scion of House Tristy, it was no small fortune.
"Hahahahaha!!"
His desires were crystal clear, as expected.
No need to drag this out.
"Shall we get down to business?"
"Yes."
"You possess an astonishing level of magical comprehension. Truly awe-inspiring. The fact that you could propose a theory for recreating hellfire proves that..."
Erps lifted his teacup.
"You're far greater than this old Tower Lord sitting here right now."
"You're too kind."
"I heard that back at the Tristy estate, you couldn't cast even a single spell."
Erps had figured out the reason the moment he laid eyes on Ester.
The old man possessed a special eye.
Mana Sight, the ability to gauge residual mana in others.
Ester had no mana.
Not even a hint of it forming, so it was congenital mana deficiency.
"I get it now. That's why you responded to my letter. No matter how profound your magical understanding, without mana, it's hard to live as a mage."
"......"
"I'll, Erps, cure your congenital mana deficiency. My reward to the genius who solved the Millennium Problem. Of course, it'll take some time. Implanting an artificial mana vessel is no easy task. It'll put considerable strain on your body, too."
Ester Tristy nodded.
"Have you decided on a school yet?"
"No."
"Then how about joining the School of Flames? We're not conservative at all. We'd support any research you want to pursue."
The School of Flames primarily researched magic related to war or destruction.
If the genius before him joined their ranks, unimaginable masterpieces would be born.
Erps felt his mouth go dry.
'To think I'd be this nervous in front of a kid at my age.'
Ester's talent was the real deal.
He'd once thought Ethyl Badford had the talent closest to transcendence, but the boy solving the Millennium Problem changed his mind.
'A talent without precedent in kingdom history—no, continental history.'
The goal of all mages was transcendence.
The essence of magic was to manifest miracles.
For any phenomenon in the world to occur, causality was required.
To ignite a fire, you needed fuel and heat; for lightning to strike, charges in clouds had to separate and discharge.
The world operated by immutable laws.
But magic could ignore those laws entirely.
Because spells and mana could supplant all natural providence and processes.
Miracles.
The old man who had risen to Red Tower Lord was convinced no word fit magic better.
They devoted their lives to researching magic.
If mages were the bows, magic was the arrows.
How far the arrow they loosed in exchange for their lives could fly depended on the mage's own capabilities.
All mages shared the hope that their arrow would reach transcendence.
To magic, nothing was impossible.
Impossibility existed only in humans.
The path for humans to approach omniscience and omnipotence.
That was magic.
Erps wanted to witness the infinite possibilities the 15-year-old boy before him could achieve.
But.
"I have no intention of living as a mage. I'm sorry, but I must decline your offer."
Thud—Erps's heart sank.
"What...?"
"I said I'm declining the offer."
"No, before that."
"I said I have no intention of living as a mage."
What had he just heard?
A genius who could reshape the magical world was refusing to become a mage...?
"Why, why!?"
"My dream isn't to become a mage."
"If you aspire to the headship of House Tristy, then from this Red Tower—"
"I'm not dreaming of becoming family head, either."
Erps had been prepared to accept a refusal.
He thought it premature for such a young boy to commit to a school for research.
Even if he joined another school, he would have understood.
It might sting a bit, but such was fate.
But.
'This extraordinary talent, and he won't become a mage...?'
Ester never revealed the reason.
"It seems our talk is over."
"W-Wait!!"
Erps tried desperately to persuade Ester.
"Magehood is incredible, you know. A truly remarkable profession—one so special that without knowledge and talent, you couldn't even dream of it."
"I think so too."
The hearty "Hahahaha!" from their first meeting was long gone.
He listed the virtues of being a mage in an urgent voice.
Right now, Erps resembled less the boisterous Red Tower Lord and more a grandfather desperately trying to convince his grandchild.
"You could revolutionize the world of magic!! I, the Red Tower Lord, guarantee it!! Have you truly no desire to walk the path of the arcane!?"
Ester shook his head.
"To me, magic is just a means to an end. The heir exam I'm going through now is the same. Everything is merely a tool for me."
Ester's words were enough to ignite Erps's imagination.
But no suitable answer came.
He fell silent, lost in thought for a while.
***
I have Nob AI.
Tough magic? Use "Expert" mode and say "do it"—done.
Self-defense? Use "Auto-Protect Program" and say "do it"—done.
Sure, I could use Nob AI to solve the remaining Millennium Problems and crank out groundbreaking magic research, but why would I waste my time on that?
Once I pass this heir exam, I can hole up in my room, read light novels, and live easy.
I've got the fame from solving the Millennium Problem, and I just fixed that mess with the Steel Lion Knights freaking out last time.
Enjoy some moderate power and glory, then kick the bucket—that's a happy life, right?
Honestly, who'd pick the life of some famous mega-corp chairman like Jadragon over the guy who made 300 billion on crypto, bought buildings, rides foreign luxury cars, and chills?
Free lunch—such a beautiful ring to it.
'Damn, but 100 million is kinda tempting...'
Maybe I should've just said no to the treatment.