Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 250
Chapter Title: System Operation (3)
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Shirone finally stopped his attack. While parallel circuits alone were weak, gathering them to form a Mansion produced an amplifying power far beyond what even series circuits could achieve.
Moreover, due to the nature of the three-dimensional circuits, the distribution pattern appeared differently depending on the viewing angle. Therefore, it was impossible to identify which six magic circles constituted a specific Mansion.
It was like how a square drawn on a flat page is instantly recognizable, but the same shape in three dimensions becomes impossible to distinguish.
“How about it, Shirone? Can you dodge this one too?”
The moment Dante finished speaking, six air-type magic circles moved, trapping Shirone in a Pressure Mansion.
“Kugh!”
The instant Shirone felt the weight pressing on his spine, a bluish bolt of energy charged in the center of the Electric Mansion floating above Dante's head.
A powerful electric beam shot out, and with a sharp crackle of colliding charges, all the air in its path was incinerated.
No matter where Shirone dodged, the attack followed. This was because the photon output from the Photon Mansion was tracking Shirone's coordinates in real time.
“Ah…”
Shirone's mind went blank. It didn't feel like he was fighting a person. It was like battling a warship armed to the teeth.
Shirone dodged an Ice Spear plunging down vertically by rolling on the ground. As the world spun around him, he heard a searing sound near the ground. He cast a photonization spell and snapped his body away just as an Atomic Bomb detonated almost simultaneously.
The students were dumbfounded by Dante's immense firepower.
“My god… What in the world is that magic?”
Mark also thought it was absurd. Even if Pascal handled the parallel processing, the human brain was still what controlled the whole system. Managing hundreds of magic circles was beyond human capability.
Iruki looked back at Nade. Seeing his unusually serious expression, it seemed Nade had already figured it out.
“Nade, say something. I honestly have no idea.”
“That's… an Automaton.”
“Automaton?”
“An automated mechanical device. You interlock multiple gears and then move the first one. The last gear then produces a fixed result. It's a simple mechanism, but when the process is scaled up to an astronomical level, even seemingly impossible tasks become possible. Like the photon output tracking Shirone's coordinates, or rapidly switching between Mansions.”
Shirone was experiencing the power of the Automaton firsthand. No matter how he responded, the Automaton would automatically calculate and counter, making it an impregnable fortress.
They were basic spells, but their power, enhanced by the Mansions, was anything but basic. Rolling on the ground to evade the bombardment, Shirone frantically searched for Dante, but he was completely obscured by the hundreds of magic circles.
The magic circles floating all around him felt like the gaze of a monster with hundreds of eyes.
“Uuuuugh!”
Feeling a chill, Shirone frantically unleashed a Photon Cannon. The Automaton reacted instantly. A fully charged Lightning Cannon shot out from the Volt Mansion, its blinding electricity carving a straight line of light through space and popping the Photon Cannon like a balloon.
The Lightning Cannon grazed Shirone's side, and that alone was enough to trigger Anti-magic. While Shirone staggered, the Automaton unleashed every available spell. Countless spells scorched the entire area.
Having exhausted all its available energy, Pascal made a strange noise and ceased to function. As the smoke cleared, Shirone was revealed, clutching one of his shoulders. A moment later, his knees buckled, and he finally slammed to the ground.
“Th-this time, Shirone's down.”
It wasn't just about being knocked down once. A direct hit from Anti-magic meant that Shirone's durability had been cracked, which signaled the end of his Immortal Function.
“Truly magnificent.”
Even Alpheas couldn't help but be impressed this time. The Dante System—with the parallel magic circle Pascal, the power-enhancing three-dimensional Mansions, and the automated functionality of the Automaton—was comparable to a work of art that had reached the pinnacle of function.
To think he'd combine Information Magic with an Automaton. It was a challenge that even a professional mage couldn't easily undertake. No, even for a talent as great as Dante, it was a level impossible for a student to reach.
If it were possible, it would only be if one assumption was true.
“Is he using binary?”
Olivia was silent. But from that, Alpheas understood. He was definitely handling binary. The only race that used a magic system composed of ones and zeros came to his mind.
“Since when… did Dante learn the language of dragons?”
A smile touched Olivia's lips. If he was already certain, there was no longer any need to hide it.
“What's wrong with that? Dragon Tongue magic is a binary system, but it's not the exclusive domain of dragons.”
“Humans can understand binary. But using binary at the level of a language is another matter entirely.”
Alpheas suddenly realized.
“Don't tell me… he was born with it?”
“I couldn't believe it at first either. But it's true. Just like Shirone's insight or Iruki's Savant Syndrome, Dante was born with an innate information processing ability.”
Olivia recalled the first time she met Dante, ten years ago.
At the time, she was serving as the headmaster of the Royal Magic Academy when she received an invitation to a tea party at a social gathering in Bashuka.
The host was Bianca, the lady of the Airhain family. A total of six people were gathered, and all of them, except for Olivia, were married.
The noblewomen savored tea imported from overseas and were lost in conversation.
Olivia participated in the conversation when the topics interested her, but the married women's chatter inevitably turned to their children.
Bianca sighed and said.
“It's a real problem. My youngest son just took a leave of absence from school and came home.”
“Oh my, but Dante is known to be a model student, isn't he? Did something happen at school?”
Bianca shook her head, her expression dark.
“I don't know. He's barely said a word lately. He came home with bruises on his face, said he got into a fight with friends at school. From what I heard, it seemed like he was ganged up on.”
The noblewomen's faces flushed with anger. The thought of their own child suffering such a fate made their teeth clench and their hands tremble.
“What, and you just let it be? You should go to the school immediately and file a complaint.”
“I was going to do just that, and I went to the school. But I heard something shocking there. They said Dante hadn't spoken a single word to his friends. No matter how much they tried to talk to him, he wouldn't even look at them. His homeroom teacher thought he had aphasia at first.”
“Oh dear… Could there be some reason for it?”
“He won't tell me, no matter how much I ask. Anyway, I went there to raise hell, but I felt like my world was collapsing, so I just took Dante and left.”
Olivia paused, her teacup halfway to her lips. As she had no children of her own, she had stayed quiet, not expecting to be included, but one possibility came to mind.
Bianca rested her chin on her hand and continued.
“Haa, so in the end, I had him withdraw from school and brought him home. But what worries me is that he just sits in the garden all day, staring at the ground. He won't answer when I ask him why. I have no choice but to just watch him.”
The woman sitting next to her took Bianca's hand and said.
“Don't worry too much. Dante is ten years old, after all. It's an age where they start thinking a lot. They say noble children hit puberty much earlier than commoners.”
“I wish it were that simple…”
Bianca could find no way to soothe her troubled heart.
Dante had been a brilliant child from a young age, carrying the family's expectations on his shoulders.
To think such a precious child would cause her so much grief.
The noblewomen offered words of comfort to Bianca. Not all their words were sincere, but as mothers themselves, they could fully understand her distress.
Olivia set down her teacup and murmured.
“Overflow…”
Bianca turned to look at Olivia.
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
Olivia quickly composed herself. As a teacher, she knew how dangerous it was to evaluate a child in front of their parent.
But with all eyes on her, it was difficult to take back her words. Especially in front of noblewomen who couldn't stand not having their curiosity satisfied.
Olivia spoke with a nuance suggesting it was nothing important.
“Ah, I was just thinking there's a possibility of an overflow.”
“An overflow? What is that?”
“Well, it's not common, but it's a phenomenon that occurs when one awakens at a young age. No, it's closer to a psychological factor than a phenomenon. Their existing common sense collapses, and they start seeing a world different from the one they knew. They usually suffer from extreme fear.”
“So, are you saying my son is sick?”
A cold sweat ran down Olivia's spine. A wrong answer here would not only get her branded in high society but would also subject her to gossip for a long time.
“No, it's not an illness. It's something that often appears in geniuses, for example. We have quite a few such children at the magic academy.”
Olivia had no choice but to use the magic word that no parent could resist.
As expected, Bianca exchanged glances with the other noblewomen as if to say, ‘Did you hear that?’
Could there be anything more exciting for a parent than hearing their child is a genius?
Thanks to that, Olivia avoided humiliation, but she had to pay a steep price.
Ignoring the other ladies, Bianca turned to Olivia as if for a private audience and began asking all sorts of questions.
Whether Dante was really a genius, what field he was a genius in, what kind of education he should receive, and so on.
Olivia gave various answers, but nothing was certain.
If it were that easy to figure out, the geniuses who suffered from overflow wouldn't have met such unfortunate ends.
“So, my Dante is really, truly a genius? Hmm… I suppose that makes sense. He's had an extraordinary side to him since he was little. Besides, genius children are often ostracized by their peers. That must be why Dante didn't get along with his friends.”
Olivia wanted to go home. She couldn't bring herself to tell Bianca to her face that it was only a possibility.
Before she could find an excuse to leave, Bianca made her move.
“Could you perhaps… speak with Dante?”
“What? Right now?”
This time, Olivia openly showed her reluctance. She didn't want to play the part of a teacher, especially at a social gathering.
What would be the fallout if she met with him and he turned out to be nothing special?
Bianca, nicknamed the 'Fox of High Society,' couldn't have been unaware of Olivia's feelings.
As if she had made up her mind, she rose from her seat and pleaded again.
Given that the other noblewomen were present, it was the most polite way she could have acted.
“Please. You're the headmaster of the Royal Magic Academy, Ms. Olivia. I'm certain you can discover Dante's hidden talents. He's in the garden of the annex right now.”
With the situation as it was, Olivia had no choice but to agree. In the end, she sighed and stood up. However, she didn't forget to take out some insurance just in case.
“Alright. I'll talk to him. But please don't get ahead of yourself. If it really is an overflow, it's an issue that requires a long time to teach and guide him through.”
“Yes, yes, I'll be counting on you.”
Olivia headed to the annex to meet a student she didn't even know.
Befitting a family ranked in the top 20 of Tormia's financial world, the annex was the size of an ordinary nobleman's mansion.
A vast lawn, fragrant with the scent of spring, stretched out like a playing field, and beyond it lay a deep forest.
Dante was sitting at the entrance to the forest. Olivia watched the boy from a distance and sighed again.
Perhaps, as the noblewoman had said, it was just an early onset of puberty. But she was convinced it was an overflow. It was a gut feeling honed by twenty years of teaching.