Internal Circuit
After frantically getting into position and swinging the wooden sword, the holographic scene that had been projected soon vanished. The one-hour time limit had expired, and the activation of Memory of the True Body had stopped.
The memories I’d gained from Schluss during that time weren’t particularly numerous. Fragmentary impressions of his father. A handful of basic longsword stances and a few cutting techniques. That was about it.
“Hoo… Haa…”
Even after the ability ended, I kept swinging the sword. The blade felt strangely familiar in my hand, as if I’d learned swordsmanship long ago, yet that familiarity was all I had. In the end, I had no choice but to learn by peering into Schluss’s memories for one hour each day. If I simply waited for the cooldown without doing anything, even decades wouldn’t be enough to master it. So I had to pour the remaining time into fully embodying what I’d learned.
The reason I was so obsessed with swordsmanship was simple: there was no other way. With Selection and Concentration, I could be the strongest in a one-on-one fight for three seconds. But what if it wasn’t one-on-one? What if another battle broke out right after I used the ability? Even a common street thug would be enough to kill me where I stood. Therefore, I needed enough power to handle at least the extra villain roles without relying on my ability.
That was why I devoted so much time to swordsmanship… though I’d have to learn some magic later as well. When the time came to venture into dangerous regions for opportunities, basic combat strength would be essential. It did feel rather odd that the first thing I was doing after enrolling in the Imperial Academy—a magic university—was sword training, but there was nothing to be done about it. An event would arise shortly after the semester began in which this swordsmanship would prove its worth.
“Haa… Haa…”
Only after swinging for a long while did I finally notice how exhausted I was. Sweat poured down like rain, and every muscle in my body ached as if it might snap. Still, the results were clear. The hazy memories of Schluss had melted firmly into my body. The fragments of swordsmanship that had once belonged to someone else had become completely internalized—mine.
Learning the techniques came through the ability Memory of the True Body, but mastering them depended entirely on my own effort. Still, simply swinging at the air in the training room seemed to have its limits. It would be nice to have a chance at real combat someday.
“Shall I test the internal circuit next?”
The internal circuit. A method of circulating mana throughout the entire body to push physical abilities to their utmost limit. Its shape and structure determined exactly how, and how much, the body would be strengthened. One could think of it as a magical formula engraved directly onto the flesh.
This internal circuit was innate, impossible to modify or redesign. It was no exaggeration to say that a knight’s combat prowess was decided solely by bloodline. Very rarely, however, a commoner would be born with an overwhelmingly powerful circuit—like a dragon rising from a ditch.
……Could that be me?
“Hmm… I think I’ve got the feel of it.”
I closed my eyes and focused, searching for the circuit engraved within my body. That part wasn’t difficult. Then, as a test, I channeled the tiniest trickle of mana into it……
Whiiiiiiiiing—!
“Huh?”
The mana began circulating through the internal circuit, spreading throughout my body. At the same moment, a bizarre noise erupted—like a sports car engine idling at high RPM. I had no memory of anything like this. What the hell was—
“Keuk!”
A sudden surge rose in my throat, and blood sprayed from my mouth. It was a massive amount. Had some internal organ ruptured…? I tried to lift my head to see what was happening, but my skull rang as if I’d been struck from behind.
“Ah… ugh… fuck…”
I collapsed to the floor. My limbs trembled violently; my body refused to obey. If I passed out here, it was over. No one could enter because of the barrier. I didn’t want to be discovered as a corpse ten days later. I had to get out immediately…
“Ugh… ghh…”
I desperately moved my paralyzed, rigid arms and legs. I crawled and crawled toward the door that seemed infinitely far away. My vision blurred, yet I somehow managed to reach out, release the barrier, and… after that, I remembered nothing.
“You’ve opened your eyes.”
“……”
The moment I regained consciousness, I turned toward the low voice. A man who perfectly matched the modern image of a doctor stood there. I was lying on a hospital bed.
“Easy now. Stay lying down.”
“Ugh… What happened to me?”
When I tried to sit up, agony tore through my entire body, forcing me to collapse back down. It felt like the morning after being thoroughly beaten. Not that I’d actually experienced such a thing, of course.
“This morning, the manager of the dormitory’s single rooms carried you in.”
Marie… It seemed that last night I had barely managed to release the barrier and stretch my hand outside the door. The manager, arriving for her shift, had seen me and brought me to the hospital. I’d have to thank her properly later.
“You were eroded by mana energy. Your internal organs nearly shattered completely. A little later and you would have died.”
Insane. It had been far more serious than I imagined. I now owed Marie my life.
“Did you activate your internal circuit?”
“Yes. Right afterward I suddenly coughed up blood and lost consciousness…”
“Do you know the state of your own internal circuit?”
“I don’t.”
“Then learn it now. This is a schematic of your circuit.”
The doctor unfolded a sheet of paper before me. At first glance it looked like a pitch-black circle, but on closer inspection I saw countless black lines tangled together like a hopelessly knotted skein of thread.
“It’s serious.”
“Serious doesn’t begin to describe it. This circuit is writhing around like it’s throwing a tantrum. Even a hereditary disease worsened over three generations wouldn’t look this bad.”
For some reason the doctor was genuinely furious.
Originally, the smaller and simpler an internal circuit, the better. The less time it took for mana to complete a cycle, the higher its efficiency. But a circuit as pointlessly complex and lengthy as mine maximized resistance during circulation. The result was the generation of mana energy—a deadly poison to ordinary humans.
“You survived because only a microscopic amount of mana was introduced. If the circuit had run for even another tenth of a second, you would have died instantly.”
“……”
“Never activate your internal circuit again. You will die for real next time.”
“Understood.”
“Rest well for a day and you should be able to move. We’ll decide on discharge tomorrow after checking your condition.”
The doctor set the medical report beside the bed and left. In the fields for treatment and hospitalization fees, the number 0 was clearly written. It was a setting that the top student of the Imperial Academy received free medical care at the affiliated hospital. At times like these, I was truly grateful for all the careless details the original author had scattered about. I had nearly gone into debt from the very first semester.
Anyway, continuing the earlier discussion—the internal circuit held enormous importance in close-quarters combat. It directly determined one’s physical specifications. No matter how skillfully one wielded a sword, without an internal circuit you could never defeat someone who could use theirs with bare hands. People with truly supreme circuits could shatter castle walls with their fists; that alone said everything.
And yet my own precious internal circuit looked like a filthy ball of tangled yarn…
“Ha… Good grief…”
A laugh escaped me. Not out of resentment, but gratitude for this absurd stroke of luck. To humans it was nothing but a useless circuit that produced deadly mana energy, but as the author I knew the truth. Mana energy was actually an incredibly valuable byproduct.
If one’s mana adaptation was high enough, it was possible to decompose mana energy back into pure mana. The massive quantity of mana generated inside the body would then automatically reinforce muscle tissue and harden the physique to a degree incomparable to ordinary internal circuit enhancement.
This was precisely why Ma-in were so strong. The setting was that they generated mana energy simply by eating and sleeping, then freely converted it into usable mana. I should try using Selection and Concentration on my mana adaptation and see just how much the body could be strengthened.
“Ugh… Later…”
I tried to sit up again but immediately lay back down. As the doctor said, it seemed wiser to rest for today…
“Oh my. Now that I think about it, today’s the day. The entrance examination results are being announced.”
“……”
Lady Lichtenburg clapped her hands together in excitement. The teacup in Erika’s hand trembled slightly.
“It will be first place without question, yes?”
“…I already told you it might not be. I missed one question.”
Erika sighed and repeated the story she had told her mother several times before. During the entrance exam she had been so nervous that she couldn’t finish solving the final problem. Of course, the exam had never been designed for anyone to solve completely. Given that the average score among admitted students was 70 points, missing only one question should have secured her an easy first place.
If she had achieved a perfect score there would have been no anxiety at all, yet Erika had spent the entire previous day on edge, terrified that a perfect scorer might appear for the first time in ten years.
“Nonsense. Who could possibly get a perfect score? Even our daughter couldn’t solve everything. I heard from Lady Wittgenstein that her son missed three questions.”
“That could simply be a comforting lie.”
This entering class was special. Lichtenburg, Wittgenstein, Flechette… It was an extraordinary cohort that had gathered prodigies not only from the great houses but from every lesser noble family as well. Therefore, it would not be strange at all for a perfect score to appear after such a long time. Even if someone had correctly answered the question Erika missed, she was confident she wouldn’t be surprised.
“Don’t worry. You will definitely be first. Whose daughter are you?”
“……”
Erika leaned her cheek against the arm her mother wrapped around her from behind. She lifted her gaze to the frame hanging on the wall—a portrait of her stern father in military uniform. The confidence that had been scraping the floor only moments ago suddenly surged upward.
She had inherited the blood of Count Lichtenburg, the man who had left achievements that would be recorded in the empire’s history. If not her, then who could possibly claim first place at the Imperial Academy?
“Madam, a letter has arrived.”
“Oh my, could it be—!”
“Yes. It is from the Imperial Academy.”
“Oh my! It’s here! It’s finally here!”
Watching her mother hurry over with quick, light steps after receiving the letter from the butler, Erika let out another deep sigh. Even with her confidence recharged, the tension at this moment was unbearable.
Lady Lichtenburg carefully slit open the envelope—sealed with the Imperial Academy’s antique crest—using a letter knife. She sat beside Erika and unfolded the letter. As the paper slowly opened, Erika’s eyes widened.
Imperial Academy Entrance Examination Results
1st Place — Schluss Heinkel
2nd Place — Erika von der Lichtenburg
3rd Place — Eins von Wittgenstein
“Ah…”
Scanning rapidly from the top, she immediately found her own name. Erika von der Lichtenburg. It stood in second position. The words “2nd Place” beside it crushed even the faintest sliver of hope.
Then who in the world had taken first?
The eccentric from Wittgenstein? The saintess of Flechette? Or perhaps an unforeseen surge by a prodigy from some lesser noble house?
…It was none of them.
“Schluss Heinkel…?”
“What kind of name is that? Surely this is a printing error?”
Schluss Heinkel. That short, rustic name sat at the very top alongside the words “1st Place.” No matter how many times she rubbed her eyes and looked again, it remained the same. It was clearly a name that did not begin with “von”—a name without any noble surname attached.
Which meant…
“A commoner took first place?!”
“Mother… please lower your voice a little…”
The one who had stolen the top spot was none other than a lowly commoner. And not even from some well-known bourgeois family. She had truly never heard the surname “Heinkel” before in her life.
“We must contact the Imperial Academy at once! Butler! Butler!”
“Yes, madam.”
“Send a letter to the academy immediately. Ask whether there was some error in the examination results—”
“Mother.”
At Erika’s icy tone, Lady Lichtenburg fell silent. On the surface Erika appeared calm, yet her mother—who had watched her since birth—noticed the faint trembling in her small shoulders that clearly betrayed her rage. It was a reaction Lady Lichtenburg found rather adorable, the result of the strict training her father had given her from childhood not to display emotion outwardly.
“The Imperial Academy does not commit such errors.”
“Well… that is true.”
“Then…”
Only one possibility remained. The commoner named Schluss Heinkel had committed foul play. Yet those words refused to leave her lips. To speak them would tarnish the dignity of the very academy she was about to enter. At the same time, she could not bear to acknowledge that a commoner had truly surpassed her.
“I will confirm it myself.”
“Confirm what?”
“Schluss Heinkel. I will see for myself exactly what kind of person this commoner is.”
Erika rose abruptly, brushed past her mother, and left the room. Only after confronting the man directly and confirming he was beneath her would she feel at ease. Of course she would reclaim first place during the midterms, but until then she needed to settle her heart.
With that single thought burning in her mind, Erika summoned the coachman and ordered him to take her to the Imperial Academy.
“Sigh.”
Lady Lichtenburg, watching from the window, let out a long breath. She gazed down at the teacup that still held half its contents.
“There will be an unexpected encounter.”
“He may be the one who changes your daughter’s entire life.”
She recalled the fortune she had secretly read without her daughter’s knowledge. Come to think of it, she had never been told in which direction that change would occur. That uncertainty made her worry all the more.