15
Chapter 15 The Culprit
The key figures of the Magic Tower's Southern Branch and various mages gathered for an emergency meeting. They were individuals of considerable authority in their respective fields, including circuit studies.
Francis, the barrier magic specialist of the Southern Branch, distributed two sheets of paper bearing circuit diagrams to each person present. Some among the assembled had already seen them; others were looking at them for the first time.
"What is this?"
"One is the circuit diagram of the barrier magic installed on the southern front's castle walls. And the other one… please, take a look for yourselves."
The elderly mage who had spent his entire life studying circuits lifted his glasses slightly from the bridge of his nose and examined both diagrams in detail. And as he continued scrutinizing them, his face rapidly became colored with surprise and astonishment.
"This… who drew this?!"
The mages present recognized that the new circuit diagram was an improved version of the original barrier magic.
Francis pressed his palms face-down and moved both hands gently up and down, as if urging them to calm their excitement. Then he explained,
"First, we verified the validity of this circuit diagram. And remarkably, the result was a success. The circuit operated without issue, and both performance and efficiency were improved compared to the previous one."
The elderly mage with glasses chimed in, eyes blazing.
"It is astonishingly innovative. No — revolutionary would be more apt. Circuits that are taught never to be used in barrier magic have been incorporated here. On top of that, circuits considered outdated and no longer in use have been employed as well. And the structural composition wastes virtually nothing — it is meticulous to an extraordinary degree. The existing design has been subtly yet entirely reworked."
"That's correct. We only came to understand how their combination produced these effects after verification. Even what we initially dismissed as minor errors ended up amplifying efficiency further as they interlocked with the other circuits."
Francis jabbed at various points on the circuit diagram as he said this.
"Outdated circuits from long ago… No, wait… these have been improved too…!"
"Yes. It appears that virtually everything has been improved. Even the circuits we considered outdated have each been reworked at least once."
The circuit diagram was enormous. Counting by base units alone, it contained no fewer than several hundred circuits. Even identifying the outdated circuits among them was a daunting enough task — honestly, it was questionable whether one could even still call the improved outdated circuits "outdated" anymore.
The expressions on the mages' faces went beyond surprise into utter disbelief. Just the discoveries contained here alone could easily fill several books.
"Who on earth could have done this…"
Everyone was at a loss.
It had been two months since they had decided to post it publicly, as the demonic forces' offensive intensified and improvement of the barrier magic became necessary. Since it was a circuit diagram that had already undergone long years of refinement, they had naturally expected almost nothing — let alone revolutionary change, even a new approach had seemed unlikely.
And yet, who could have dared imagine such a staggering result would emerge?
"There is a testimony that someone was seen drawing something as they passed by the bulletin board."
"Exactly who is this person who drew it?"
"They were said to be a handsome young mage. Beyond that, there is no information."
The elderly mage who was a circuit researcher leaped to his feet and cried out,
"We must find them immediately. We must search the entire city if we have to — by any means necessary, we must find this person!"
An unknown individual had left behind an improved circuit diagram, but this alone was not enough.
They needed the underlying principles — why it functioned the way it did. Not mere speculation from observing it in operation, but the precise principles…!
"What if we send a request to His Excellency's daughter? Does she not belong to the Magic Tower as well?"
"That's an excellent idea. I'll take this to the castle myself."
The elderly mage with glasses gathered the circuit diagram and rose from his seat. Several junior mages followed behind him.
"Then let's move quickly as well."
Soon after, the entire Southern Branch began to bustle with activity.
All in search of the genius who had left behind this circuit diagram.
After spending several days laboring over improvements to the circuit diagram, Yurik shut himself in his room for about two days and leisurely enjoyed a period of rest.
And when the handsome mage finally emerged from his room after a long while, he resumed the city-sightseeing he had not finished before. He visited places he had not yet seen, captured beautiful scenery in paintings, watched children playing war games in back alleys, and browsed through shops displaying all manner of dazzling goods….
Having grown thirsty from wandering the city, Yurik stepped into a nearby cheap tavern. The moment he entered, a wave of raucous noise crashed over him like a tide. The majority of the packed crowd were mercenaries.
The mage claimed an empty seat at the counter and ordered a mug of beer. The tavern keeper set an iron cup brimming with beer in front of Yurik and stole a glance at his face.
"Handsome one, aren't you. Are you a mage by any chance?"
"I am a mage, yes — but why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"The Magic Tower has been making quite the fuss lately searching for a handsome mage. Anyone who looks reasonably good-looking, they're hauling off every last one of them."
Yurik made an expression that said, what on earth are they talking about. At that, the furry mercenary seated to his left, who had been sipping beer, opened his mouth eagerly as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"They say even the Lady came out searching herself. She's with the Magic Tower too, isn't she. Something about a circuit diagram or whatever."
"…A circuit diagram?"
"It's mage talk, so I don't really know what it is. How many people here can even read? I just take it at face value."
At that moment, the pockmarked mercenary seated to Yurik's right joined the conversation.
"Apparently someone drew a circuit diagram on the branch's bulletin board. They're turning the city upside down looking for whoever did it. Wanted posters are plastered everywhere. Didn't you know? Haven't been here long?"
The handsome mage's gaze shifted toward the pockmarked mercenary.
"Something about needing an explanation of the principles, I think…. Oh right, there's also a big reward posted for it. Apparently a lot of fakes have been showing up because of that too."
Yurik downed the rest of his beer in one go, gave both mercenaries a pat on the shoulder with a "thanks for the info," and bought them each a mug of beer.
He hurried out of the tavern and headed for where the wanted posters were posted. Perhaps because most people couldn't read, only a scant few literate individuals were lingering in front of the posters.
Yurik read through the poster from top to bottom. It was not much different from what he had heard in the tavern.
They were looking for the mage who had drawn the circuit diagram on the branch's bulletin board. Young, and handsome.
Below, the circuit diagram was helpfully drawn in as well.
And what had been a maybe became a certainty.
'This………… is me?'
Angel Hring, the Count's daughter and a mage affiliated with the Magic Tower, committed herself to providing every possible form of support the moment she received word.
— I will spare no effort in supporting the search for this person.
The Magic Tower's associates, backed by Angel's support, poured every last ounce of their strength into finding the handsome mage.
Posting wanted notices, tracking down witnesses, searching the streets, offering a reward, spreading word far and wide—.
Yet despite every effort, only unrelated individuals came and went through the Southern Branch in droves. It was now difficult to even count how many times the Magic Tower had rushed out at reports of a handsome mage.
Every time they rushed to a reported location, all they ever found was some vaguely decent-looking man performing only a trickle of magic. That such a person would have no idea about circuits was, naturally, a given.
Three days after the wanted posters went up, even the foot traffic of people claiming to be that mage began to thin. They even searched through young mages who were handsome-adjacent — but again, nothing came of it.
Angel and the Magic Tower associates alike began to entertain the anxious thought that perhaps this person had already left the city. …Honestly, given how long it had gone without result, that possibility had grown quite high.
Still, they refused to give up and continued searching for the handsome mage. All while also pressing hard on their research into the circuit diagram.
Angel in particular — the Count's daughter and a woman who was deeply devoted to circuit research — felt her breath catch with every circuit she broke down and analyzed, struck anew each time by the breathtaking harmony of it all. Even she, who rarely batted an eye at anything ordinary, reacted this way — what the other mages felt went without saying.
Having been deep in research for some time, Angel glanced out the window and noticed the sun sinking slowly toward the horizon.
The Count's daughter stepped out of the research building for a brief rest and headed toward the garden in District 4. Her escort quietly fell into step behind her.
After strolling a full lap around the garden, she made her way to the corridor where the bulletin board with the circuit diagram was posted. Perhaps because the day had nearly faded, the corridor was sparse of people.
Arriving at her destination deep in thought, Angel noticed someone standing squarely before the bulletin board. The man was staring fixedly at the circuit diagram.
He turned his head toward the Lady who had approached nearby. And the moment she confirmed his face, her eyes widened ever so slightly.
Handsome.
And a mage.
Angel scrutinized the figure before her, who matched the testimony exactly.
Once, twice, three times.
With each pass, certainty filled her gaze more and more.
This man, right here —
Was without a doubt the very person they had been searching for so desperately.