Rising Higher #4
Lucian Theodore von Deodore felt his cheeks heat up. “My magic, you say?”
“Yeah. Last time too, and on the exam. I’ve been thinking about it, and it just feels off somehow.”
“Ah… I was planning to ask you for advice about that part anyway?”
“Who?”
Charles’s question made Lucian almost blurt out “The Deputy Tower Master, Fryn!” without thinking.
It was still a secret even Rie Arche von Haniel didn’t know he had a connection to the Magic Tower. She only vaguely sensed that he knew someone there, but she had no idea it was the Deputy Tower Master.
After a quick internal debate, he settled on someone he could actually mention without raising suspicion. “Professor Raven.”
“…That human magic professor handling the first-year classes? Yeah, I remember him.”
“Exactly. When I was taking the midterm, he noticed in time and cast a defensive spell the moment I almost slipped up. My classmates would’ve been in real trouble otherwise. He also gave me some advice on expanding my magic execution capability for the future.”
“Hmm… he’s been keeping a very close eye on you. He’s a pretty good professor, surprisingly.”
Lucian muttered, “Yeah, that’s the Deputy Tower Master for you,” under his breath.
Elves were the race that simply overwhelmed most mages with raw magic power. If even Charles—someone who excelled at magic—considered Professor Raven worthy of praise, it was only natural that the Deputy Tower Master of the massive Magic Tower would be so highly regarded.
While he was lost in that realization, Charles finished his hot chocolate and gulped it down in one go. The sight of it made Lucian wonder if a new chocolate demon had been born.
“The human professor is right, Lucian. Your magic execution ability is pretty weak. To be honest, it’s pathetic.”
“I- I’m that bad, huh?”
“Yeah, that bad. I could say worse, but the hot chocolate’s too good, so I’m holding back.”
“That’s genuinely heartbreaking… so, do you think Charles-senpai also believes that the only way to expand my magic execution is to keep doing it, even if it feels dangerous?”
“The most effective method, yes. Widening the vessel lets you hold more.”
“…Is there some shortcut or easier path?”
“Lucian.”
The one who cut him off wasn’t Charles but Rie herself. She was giving him a stern look, as if she had already guessed why he was thinking about shortcuts.
“No, listen, Rie. I’m not talking about using underhanded tricks. I just want to know if there’s a faster way to grow in the short term. If effort 1 naturally gives result 1, then wouldn’t effort 10 give result 10 as well?”
“…That’s a relief. I thought you wanted effort 1 and result 10.”
“I’m not that cold-hearted. I want exactly as much as I put in.”
The real issue was that his analytical eye already gave him result 10 no matter how small the effort. It wasn’t something he chose—it was just how his mind worked. Living like this was simply fate.
“There is a way.”
“Really?”
“But it’ll be tough here. It’s dangerous.”
“…Wait a second. What kind of method is so risky that Charles-senpai would say something so concerning? I’m suddenly super nervous.”
“Using more magic.”
The moment Charles answered, Lucian’s head went blank. Wasn’t this exactly the same advice Professor Raven had given? Had he completely forgotten what he said while they were drinking hot chocolate?
“It’s different.”
“Huh?”
“What you’re thinking is different, Lucian.”
“What do you mean?”
“Professor Raven said to keep practicing magic execution carefully, step by step, and steadily expand the range. In other words, slowly widening a lake a little at a time. What I’m suggesting is…”
“What?”
“Dropping a meteor magic straight into the lake to create a much larger crater… I guess that’s what you could call it?”
“What the—? That’s insane!”
Lucian wasn’t the only one who looked stunned. Rie let out a cute little sigh of disbelief as well. “Is this what you meant?” he asked, trying to understand. But suddenly “meteor” came up and he had no idea how to interpret it.
Slurp—
Meanwhile, Charles had drifted into a cookie coma and was blissfully munching away. The bright fruit jam on top of the cookies clearly delighted him. Normally he would have waited patiently until the plate was empty, but today was different.
“Charles-senpai.”
“Ah!”
He quietly slid the plate toward Lucian. When Charles finally looked up, his eyes asked, “Why?”
“You were explaining. What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I’m saying take the risk and just do it.”
“Do it?”
“Exactly. You heard me say it’s dangerous here and I should restrain myself as much as possible, right?”
“Well… yes.”
“I don’t want you to. Your limit is already different from everyone else’s. If you keep pushing past it and practicing, it won’t be worth it.”
“So you mean I should keep casting the same dangerous spells I almost used in the cafeteria building or the permanent ice layer during the midterm?”
Charles nodded without hesitation. “Exactly.”
Lucian understood now. That was why he had called the idea ridiculous. Magic wasn’t some illusion from a stage show; it was inherently dangerous, especially when its purpose was mass destruction. Minerva Academy itself warned students not to go beyond swordsmanship because magic could harm dozens or even hundreds of people.
“I can’t do it here at the academy. It’s too cramped and dangerous.”
“Of course it is. If I tried that here, Professor Raven and every other instructor would chew me out. And I’d get an academic warning too.”
“If I have free time later, I can try it that way. But right now, you’re right—small, steady progress is all I can manage. You said you want a more reliable result in one go. For that, you really have to accept the risk.”
“Have you ever tried it yourself, Charles-senpai?”
“Yeah. Two lakes and a small forest.”
“…”
Lucian hadn’t meant to ask out loud, but the answer came instantly. The cute elf had somehow wiped out two lakes and one forest. It confirmed once and for all just how terrifying magic could be.
After a few more minutes of conversation, the lecture time was approaching, so they had to part ways. As Lucian sent Rie and Charles off toward the classroom, he reflected on the upcoming final exams and the vacation right after them. He began sketching out his future plans.
‘First and foremost, expanding my magic execution ability is the priority.’
Swordsmanship had already reached a solid foundation. With his current level, he could probably hold his own against the viscount’s knights if he wanted to.
The servants who had watched him since childhood were already marveling at how much he had grown. Magic had improved too, but stability was still lacking. One moment he tried to make a small light, the next minute it turned into a raging firestorm. One second he wanted an ice orb, and suddenly it became a blizzard. That kind of unpredictability was genuinely dangerous.
That was why he would use the vacation to find the largest possible empty plot of land—some worthless stretch of earth—and fire off every spell he could think of while testing his limits.
‘This semester has no big events, so I can focus. To achieve a stronger result during vacation, I need to push harder this semester.’
Some people said first-year academy was a time for adaptation and it was fine to take it easy. Lucian had heard those opinions before, but he didn’t share them. The time he had wasted in the past was simply too long to waste any more of.
********
The final exams were already knocking on the door. Fleta Presto von Deodore, the 3rd-year swordsmanship assistant instructor, looked utterly stunned.
“…What did you just say?”
She had one younger brother seven years her junior—Lucian Theodore von Deodore. Everyone had once called him a useless sword prodigy, but she had always believed her brother was far superior.
Only his swordsmanship refused to improve no matter how hard he tried, which was the only thing that truly pained and disappointed her.
Then he entered Minerva Academy, met the daughter of the Haniel duke, and suddenly he started growing at an astonishing rate—especially in both swordsmanship and magic.
“You want to spar, Fleta noona?”
“…Are you serious?”
“I’m pretty busy myself, so I don’t have time for empty talk.”
She never imagined the day would come when Lucian would ask her to spar first. She knew his swordsmanship was excellent, but the gap in experience was enormous. She had always been a little hesitant to challenge an opponent with her level, yet here he was, calm and composed.
“You’re not holding back for me, right? If you’re being gentle because of last time, it’ll be a problem.”
“Of course not. I’ve grown too. You should push me as hard as you did back then.”
“So cocky. Yeah, after sparring with that future Sword Master you’ll have, your confidence is just going to keep rising, isn’t it?”
“No. I’ve been fighting myself and learning a lot. Now even that isn’t enough, so I need something new.”
He spoke with surprising maturity. At this point he could genuinely be called a proper swordsman. And not only in words—his aura flowed cleanly and elegantly from his body.
That meant he hadn’t just trained; the results were there.
Fleta stared at him for a moment, nodded, and stood up. Just like always, she obtained permission for sparring and strode toward the training grounds, sharp swords in hand.
She usually avoided live sparring because it was more dangerous, but she always pushed for it anyway. The reason was simple: the right opponent to test against didn’t appear often enough. She wanted to give him every possible chance to gain real experience.
‘Lucian will walk a completely different path from me. So the only place left for me to truly test him is right here. The difference between never having faced him, having faced him once, and having faced him multiple times will be enormous.’
She would rather see him become a knight like her, but she wouldn’t force that path on him. As his older sister, she knew him better than anyone.
“Keep your head straight, Lucian. This noona has been a little frustrated lately because of the final exams.”
Of course she wasn’t going to go easy on her brother. That was never an option.