Chapter 42
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 042
Chapter Title: This Actually Works
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Andy arrived at the inn and opened the book.
'The four basic elements.'
Water, fire, wind, earth. The elements that mages learned from the start, and the most common ones.
Until now, Andy hadn't properly learned them.
There had been no opportunity to encounter those elements. He'd had no choice but to master the ones he could access first.
The electricity element from Kurt's ability. The fire element from the magic book Dietrich had brought. And even the light element through Estelle's magic tool.
In total, he'd only handled three elements.
But now, that number was about to increase dramatically.
'I'll be able to wield three more.'
The means to learn the remaining basic elements that Andy hadn't mastered yet was right there in his hands.
If he mastered all the books, he'd handle six elements in total.
A mage who wielded six elements.
He'd heard there weren't many even among 1st circle mages. Most handled just the four basics before preparing for 2nd circle.
Andy examined the book with eager anticipation.
Flip.
The boy turned the page.
'How long will it take to master them all?'
It probably wouldn't take long.
For this boy, finding the means to learn a new element had always been harder than mastering it.
These books would be the same. He'd master them all without much time passing.
And so, the boy looked forward to it.
To manipulating the air around him with his fingertips, twisting river currents, changing the terrain.
He focused and read on.
From that day on, Andy's routine became regular.
During the day, he went to Estelle's workshop to work on magic tools, then after work, he practiced new elements and magic in his inn room.
Today, too, he practiced magic in his inn room.
In the quiet inn room.
Andy rotated his circle.
-Whummm...
His circle resonated with the boy's will, amplifying the spiritual waves. The boy's sensory domain sharpened.
Andy arranged his mana.
'First, wind.'
He completed the wind mana arrangement and activated it.
Fwoosh!
A fierce wind swirled inside the boy's inn room. Even with the windows closed, the artificial wind formed by mana drove air circulation. The boy's hair fluttered wildly in the gale.
Wind attribute magic. In other words, magic that handled 'gas.'
It could compress air endlessly into sharp blades or whip up fierce winds to maximize circulation.
'Next, earth.'
Andy operated the earth mana arrangement.
Kuduk... Kudeuk...
The wooden inn floor began to bulge slightly. A low mound formed on the once-flat surface.
Earth magic. Or soil attribute magic.
Though called soil, it wasn't limited to dirt alone. It manipulated the form and movement of all 'solids.'
Just now, the boy had manipulated the wooden inn floor, causing it to rise.
'Finally, water.'
Andy operated water attribute magic.
Plip plop.
Water appeared in midair and fell limply, wetting the floor. It seeped between the wooden boards, darkening them.
Water element magic. It handled 'liquids.' It could create water from nothing or freely move existing moisture.
'...And the fire I already knew.'
Andy ignited flames at his fingertips.
Roarrr!
Crimson flames bloomed above his hand, flickering wildly. Warmth spread, and the dancing firelight illuminated the inn room.
After practicing the four basic elements for a while like that.
Andy suddenly muttered.
"...These four basic elements. Looking at them now, each represents a different state of matter."
Matter has four main states.
Solid, liquid, gas. And the fourth, called 'plasma.'
Nearly all matter in this world took one of these four states.
And the four basic element mana arrangements each represented one.
Water for liquid, wind for gas, earth for solid. Fire for plasma.
Fire was technically the process leading to plasma, but... anyway.
The four basic elements each embodied a different state of matter.
Suddenly, Andy thought.
'Maybe the four basic elements are "basic" not just because of versatility... but to evenly cover matter's states?'
It was a pretty plausible hypothesis.
Since they handled different states, mastering all would make learning varied advanced magic easier later.
Like basic arithmetic: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division.
The foundation of all math, evolving into complex equations. The basic elements were the same.
Beginner mages familiarized themselves with the four states through basics, then advanced to higher magic.
Worthy of being called 'basic elements.'
"Handling basic elements feels pretty natural now."
The boy muttered as he summoned wind.
Fwoooo!
A fierce wind swirled in the narrow inn room. The raging wind condensed, gathering in the boy's hand and spinning violently. He'd compressed the room's air into his grasp.
If he released that compressed air now, the sudden pressure would tear the small room apart.
Eardrums would burst, organs damaged. Compressed gas was that dangerous in confined spaces.
Not one to do something so reckless, Andy slowly released the air in his hand.
"I've mastered all the application formulas in the book too."
Andy had gone beyond basics, mastering every application formula.
There was no more knowledge to learn from the books.
'Too bad. No more new magic to learn.'
Andy felt a pang of regret.
He enjoyed the process of learning and mastering new magic.
The sense of achievement from finishing the books was overshadowed by disappointment at no more to learn.
He wanted to get another magic book and learn more.
But magic books were rare. He couldn't learn new spells right now.
As the boy felt that regret.
Suddenly, he thought.
'What if I try combining magics?'
Combining magic. Not an unnatural idea.
His basic spells used single attributes.
But as mages advanced to higher concepts, they wove multiple attributes into complex spells.
Of course, for a mere 1st circle mage, it was impossible.
Normal 1st circle mages could only use one spell—one attribute—at a time.
But Andy, despite being only 1st circle, could already cast multiple spells simultaneously.
With that ability... maybe he could combine different elements?
"Let's give it a shot."
Deciding that, Andy closed his eyes and focused his mind.
Whummm...
His circle spun, amplifying the boy's will.
His spiritual senses expanded, his sensory domain swelling. The light within his soul intensified.
The boy drew up mana.
He thought inwardly.
'If I can combine attributes, I can cast more effective, varied magic.'
For example, mixing wind and fire would scorch wider areas efficiently.
Combining earth and water into a swamp would trap enemies easily.
Attribute combinations yielded diverse effects.
He focused his mind.
Immersed in handling and controlling mana. His thoughts accelerated.
-Kieeeeng—!
The mana ring around his soul began spinning furiously.
Time stretched, thoughts compressed. In accelerated cognition, his brain calculated mana particle arrangements intensely.
'Merge two mana arrangements into one...'
Andy began manipulating mana.
First, he formed a fire element mana arrangement, then inserted a wind element one.
He adjusted particle distances, predicting effects.
Like wind cradling fire, or fire weaving into wind. The two arrangements merged and transformed.
Magic modification.
Familiar to Andy.
He'd remade Kurt's wide-area lightning into a single-target spell.
Combining magic was modification on a grand scale. Andy seamlessly merged, modified, and designed a new spell.
And moments later.
"...This actually works."
Andy muttered, staring at the flaming orb in his hand.
-Roarrrrr...!
The fire orb in his hand blazed unbelievably fiercely. Far stronger and more violent than his previous fire magic.
It would surely output far greater firepower than standard flame spells.
'Magic weaving wind and fire attributes.'
If he named it, maybe 'Flame Gale'?
Despite being mere 1st circle, Andy had created a new spell combining two attributes.
The boy gazed intently at the fire orb hovering above his hand.
A massive encampment sprawled across the snowy plains amid falling snow.
A cluster of snow-blanketed white tents, vast enough to stretch beyond the horizon.
At the encampment's center.
A particularly ornate and enormous tent bore the legion flag fluttering atop it.
The legion command tent.
Home to the Empire's legion leader, who had pierced Federation lines, marched south, and razed countless cities and villages.
"Legion Commander, sir!"
Flutter. Someone lifted the tent flap and entered. Snow gusts from outside poured through the gap.
Legion Commander Gilbert looked at the entrant.
"What is it, Chief of Staff?"
"Intelligence from the Imperial Intelligence Bureau. The Federation dogs are finally on the move."
"What do you mean by that?"
"See for yourself."
The staff officer proffered documents. Gilbert took them and read.
The Imperial-stamped paper detailed recently gathered Federation intelligence.
Gilbert read on briefly.
His brow furrowed.
"The Federation... I thought they'd abandoned the frontier since they hadn't sent troops all winter. So they move at last."
"The enemy's reinforcements are substantial. Two legions, plus one knight order and one battle mage unit..."
"Indeed, considerable force. And with city walls for defense, it'll be a tough fight."
The Federation, idle all winter, was finally stirring. They'd sent tens of thousands of soldiers—plus about a hundred mages and knights each—to Carius City.
Carius City was a vital bridgehead the Empire must secure. Only by taking it could their army advance smoothly inland.
But a large force with walls was hard to dislodge. Walls turned even ragtag Federation troops into worthier foes.
"..."
Gilbert glared at the documents.
He asked the staff officer.
"Federation dogs. How long until they reach Carius City?"
"Coming from the northern interior... Probably about a month."
"Then we must seize Carius before that."
"...Is that possible? The legion needs more than a month to march there."
Legions were huge. And slow. Tens of thousands couldn't move fast.
Plus, securing cities and villages en route meant at least two months to Carius.
Reaching in one month was impossible.
So how to seize it before reinforcements? The staff officer questioned.
Gilbert replied.
"I'm thinking of forming a detachment. Send a small force to Carius... and take it before their reinforcements arrive."
"Any chance of success? It's a fairly large city, from what I know. Just the garrison guards number over a thousand."
Carius was a major city. Over 100,000 residents, garrison of about 1,000.
Not like a village or small town takeable by a few hundred.
A grand city with sturdy walls, seized by a small detachment?
Unlikely.
But that assumed ordinary 'soldiers.'
"We have the knight order and battle mages marching with us. If we call for volunteers from them, it could work."
"Hm."
"Ten knights, ten battle mages. And a thousand fast infantry. That should suffice to take the city. Assuming the mages and knights cooperate, of course."
Gilbert was legion commander. He led twenty thousand soldiers.
But even he couldn't unilaterally order battle mage or knight units.
They were 'unit'-level formations, knights and mages nobility-equivalents.
He could only request cooperation as equals.
So if knights and mages refused the detachment, no recourse. Couldn't force peers into battle.
The staff officer shook his head.
"Those arrogant mages and knights volunteer? Especially for grueling detachment duty instead of proper frontline battle... I doubt it."
"As you say, most won't. But... among knights and mages, there are battle maniacs. Ones willing to endure the long march to ravage a major city. A few like that should exist."
Gilbert planned a detachment to seize Carius before reinforcements.
Carius. Bridgehead between Federation frontier and north. Gateway to the north.
Securing it would smooth the Empire's main spring offensive.
'I hope the mages and knights cooperate.'
Gilbert hoped as he began drafting letters. Requests for cooperation to the accompanying battle mage and knight units.
The Empire prepared a detachment for Carius.