Summer Break - Joshua Vergilius
Just facing this man made his body feel heavy. Even in the vast lord's chamber, it felt like he couldn't breathe.
8th Circle archmage... is this what it feels like?
Hinisila always considered others and never flaunted her power openly. In contrast, Joshua before him displayed his strength as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As if it were only right for one side to be overwhelmingly crushed.
"So... the youngest has returned."
Joshua's eyes fixed on him.
"...I just got back."
"I heard you took first place at the academy?"
"Yes."
For a split second, Joshua's eyebrow twitched. He must have found it surprising that he had claimed top spot. After all, when he'd been chased out of the family, he hadn't even had a single circle.
"Impressive. I thought you had no affinity for magic."
The reaction was pure astonishment.
Well... even with all the family's support, I'd failed before.
Moreover, Joshua himself—an 8th Circle mage—hadn't been able to fix the problem. That was why he'd earned the mocking nickname "Vergilius Family's Failure." A trash so irredeemable that even a mage who'd reached that realm couldn't save him.
"Well then. Top of the academy means you've achieved quite a bit."
For the first time, a flicker of expectation appeared in Joshua's ever-lifeless eyes.
"5th Circle."
"...5th Circle?"
He deliberately didn't mention 6th Circle. Achieving 5th in half a year was impressive enough.
My growth right now is unnaturally rapid, too.
With this man's obsession for magical power, who knew what he'd do. Joshua's ambition for power was fanatical.
"Hm. Beyond expectations. To reach that level in less than a year... perhaps greater talent than your siblings."
The first praise he'd ever heard from Joshua. There had been a time when he'd strived for this man's recognition. Now, it only filled him with disgust.
He never had a parental ego to begin with.
He saw them merely as chess pieces for the family—and himself. Joshua's ambitions were so vast even a possessor like him couldn't fathom them.
"However..."
"Yes?"
"Is it really just 5th Circle?"
Insight detects the target's anomalous power.
Myth's Owner resists the pressure.
A massive surge of mana began pouring from Joshua's body. It wasn't even a spell—just raw mana manipulation—but it crushed down on him like a weight.
A brute-force pressure using circles and mana alone. Even though it was just that, he couldn't shake the momentary stiffening of his body.
"You think you can earn the title of hero with a mere 5th Circle?"
Joshua's eyes were endlessly cold and piercing. His tone suggested he'd already seen through the lie. But it didn't matter. There was no way to accurately gauge his realm.
Seal of Original Sin perfectly conceals your information.
He'd learned recently that the Seal of Original Sin could do more than he'd thought.
"Hm? Truly 5th Circle?"
"......Yes. Truly 5th Circle."
He resisted the pressure forcing his head down and answered casually. Joshua still looked suspicious but eventually nodded. A man who trusted his own eyes above all had no choice but to accept it.
"Fine. 5th Circle in half a year is still impressive."
"Thank you."
"Now that you're back at the main house, rest and then go."
"...Understood."
Truth be told, he wanted to leave immediately, but...
"Master. It seems you've been hit with a surveillance spell."
"I know."
Joshua still suspected him, so reckless moves were off the table. Now that he'd piqued his curiosity, it would last until that was satisfied.
"Ah, and since I value your achievements, take one item from the family vault."
"Pardon? You mean enter the vault?"
What? Had Joshua finally lost his mind? Allowing him into the Vergilius family vault?
One might think of it as just a chance to grab an item, but this was a massive opportunity. The family had lost much of its former glory but was rising again. The Vergilius County was one of the empire's most historic houses—once a ducal family.
Which meant the vault held not just treasures but high-performance items in abundance...
Let me in there and take one?
It could be a test, but he didn't care. Wasting such a precious chance would make him an idiot.
Simple curiosity... or a scheme? Who knows.
But he had no choice. Even if it was a poisoned chalice, he couldn't pass up the chance to claim it.
The Vergilius family vault lay beneath the estate. A sanctuary only the lord could freely enter. And now, he was heading there. With his only sister.
"...You're escorting me yourself, Sister?"
"Yes. Any objections?"
"Of course not."
The vault's security was paramount, so escorts by someone approved by the lord were standard. And the one beside him now was...
The only child with the lord's full trust.
Ash Vergilius.
She was probably there to monitor his actions.
"You've entered the vault before, haven't you, Sister?"
"Yes. Twice."
Twice... Most direct descendants never entered even once in their lives. Many died without ever seeing it. To enter twice before thirty...
I can't fully trust her, but I need her help.
He'd extract any info she could provide beforehand. Time inside was limited.
"Are there that many amazing items?"
"The family has a long history. Naturally, there are many great things."
"Like...?"
"Ring of Disintegration, Phama's Robes."
Phama's Robes neutralized magic; the Ring of Disintegration nullified most physical attacks. Items that had once shaken eras.
But.
"...No spellbooks?"
"Spellbooks? You want one of those?"
"I'm a mage."
Gear was temporary. Something to permanently boost skill was far more valuable. He already had some resistance to magic and physical attacks anyway.
"I wouldn't recommend it. Even if you take one, the family has copies."
"I see."
He already knew. Originals in the vault or not, the main library held copies. Discarding hard-won knowledge would be foolish.
But copies don't always capture everything.
There was a reason originals were prized. They might hold what copies missed.
"There are plenty of great spellbooks. They're just damaged."
"Ah..."
Obvious, really. If all were intact, the lord would have reached 10th Circle (Star Manifestation) by now.
"Well... we're here. Let's go in."
As Ash finished speaking, he found himself before a massive door. Towering like a castle gate. Whatever it was made of completely blocked mana. He wondered how they'd even installed it underground.
"You have 30 minutes."
"Got it."
"Then I wish you a fruitful time."
"Yes."
The sealed door creaked open, unleashing a torrent of dense mana. The pressure was even more suffocating than with Joshua.
Myth's Owner adapts to the mana storm.
But he couldn't waste precious time on mere pressure like this.
"What will you pick, Master?"
"Me?"
"Yes. You said it's a rare chance."
Lilia was right—it was precious. So he'd make full use of it.
"First, every spellbook."
Insight memorizes all visible spellbooks.
He read them all. With Insight, memorizing was easy.
The damaged parts are a bit tricky, though.
Messing up a faulty memory could cause issues...
Insight naturally reconstructs the damaged sections of the spellbooks.
Suddenly, torn pages became visible in his mind. Huh? It worked like that? Every spellbook in the vault flooded perfectly into his head. His talents were going wild.