Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Iron Wall Archmage: Kreiton Lukeheart (4)
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There's a situation often described as "reinventing the wheel."
The act of recreating something that already exists from scratch.
In other words, it's a criticism of wasting time redoing the same step instead of building on what's already complete and moving to the next.
So why was I thinking about this now? Because the materials laid out before me were exactly that.
Countless documents brought to the library by Lua Polaris, a mage of the Blue Tower.
According to them, the mages of the Magic Tower were endlessly reinventing the wheel.
"These mages are all sitting around doing the most inefficient things."
"...Yeah, you're right."
Sitting in the garden on the top floor, reading through the documents, I glanced at Lua, who nodded awkwardly in agreement.
Now a full-fledged mage, she had her own research lab.
Perhaps because she'd escaped the apprentice stage and had a bit more breathing room.
She munched on a macaron from Dessert Tower, quietly watching me review the materials.
Rustle, rustle.
I flipped through the documents in my hand busily, aware of her gaze.
"..."
There was one reason I was personally reviewing the materials Lua had gathered for me.
To gauge the gap between the magical level of the outside world and Celestia.
For that research, I'd asked her to collect everything she could access.
Beyond the three types of magic I'd previously requested from the two of them, I'd tried to examine as many materials as possible.
The byproduct of one genius's continuous research accumulated over centuries.
Versus the output of numerous mages building up over generations in a closed ecosystem.
To see which held more value.
"Even existing spells aren't properly preserved and are being lost. They're repeating research on those vanished spells year after year."
"...Yes."
"And even theories close to optimal efficiency are being shelved due to absurd paradigms."
Through this process, I'd reached one conclusion.
The Magic Towers— this world's academic institutions for magic, the most common researchers— were regressing as time passed.
In other words, the magical level of this world was falling behind.
Spells amassed in brilliant eras were vanishing under the name "ancient legacies."
Even existing magic wasn't properly transmitted and faded into history.
In their place, "wheel inventors" were springing up like weeds, starting from scratch.
"Is it the closed-off culture among mages that's the problem? Or should we blame losses from wars or fires?"
A place that once held spells even I might covet was now barely maintaining its legacy amid the flow of time.
In this state, no comparison to Celestia was needed to see its level.
Through the Blue Tower's materials, I understood why Kreiton called this library the "Archmage's Legacy."
"In a situation like this, spells created in ancient times would be valued even higher."
"Yes. That's why there are so many explorers chasing ancient civilization ruins."
"...I see."
"Dungeons of Archmages or long-lost secret spells are the dreams of adventurers."
The older the spell, the greater its value.
Ridiculously, that was the mindset embedded in modern mages' heads.
And I might even get swept up in that trend myself.
Spatial magic. Summoning magic. Necromancy.
Rather than building those from the basics, finding high-level spells would yield bigger progress.
Of course, right now, acquiring either was the priority.
"A summoning spell from ancient times. If you bring it, it could mean significant progress."
"..."
"Of course, it doesn't have to be ancient right now. Bring the magic I want. I'll reward you accordingly for what you obtain."
"I-I'll try my best to find some...!"
Did my mention of ancient magic weigh on her?
Lua replied with an even more troubled expression than before.
Well, this was enough to gauge the outside world's magical level.
Asking her to raid ancient ruins outright would be unreasonable for her now.
Whoosh.
I swept my hand, gathering the papers on the table into one pile.
Then, I brought up the topic I'd been putting off with Lua.
"Lua Polaris. I'm assigning you a task."
"Huh? A... a task...?"
A task for Lua, mage of the Blue Tower.
Her face paled as she heard it.
But unlike ancient magic, this wasn't something she could brush off.
Did she think she could learn magic from me without doing even one assignment?
Even after I'd declared I'd make her an Archmage myself.
There was no way I'd let such behavior slide.
"Create a magic tool."
"...A magic tool?"
New magic tool creation.
That was the task I'd given her.
Because my analysis of Celestia's mana flow over the past time was complete.
From the mana flows of the two who arrived here, I'd reverse-traced where the library's visitors had come from.
And the result was a newly devised communication ritual.
A prototype spell to project influence outside the library.
"I've created a communication ritual that shares vision and voice. Make a magic tool to activate it from outside."
"..."
"It's unlikely you'll succeed on the first try. You'll need to tweak the ritual several times and check results."
For her, fresh out of apprenticeship, it would be no easy journey.
She'd have to endure countless trials and errors, adjusting the ritual.
She might even face structural issues with her magic tool repeatedly.
However, after overcoming all those adversities, a fitting reward awaited.
"Once you successfully complete the magic tool, I'll permit you to check out one grimoire from the Second Repository."
"Is that for real?!"
"Yes. This task warrants that much."
A grimoire from the Second Repository.
Lua's eyes sparkled at the sweet reward.
* * * * * *
Northern Astio Empire, the northernmost margrave seat under Margrave Rogers of the Rogers March.
On a road where a carriage had clearly passed noisily days ago, two men stood.
One was a middle-aged man with faded white hair covered by a robe, wearing a monocle over one eye.
The other was a mercenary yawning behind his companion, sword at his hip.
They were members of a secret society called the Polar Magic Research Society.
Among them, the monocled mage— Begerton Antares— was infamous in the empire, for all the wrong reasons.
He was a "top-priority wanted criminal" on the Astio Empire's bounty list.
The public called him Madman Begerton.
An authority on life magic and chimera research, he'd come to collect materials from the barbarian warriors pierced by thorns and killed here— suitable for his experiments.
"To think a mage of this caliber was under the margrave! What a truly astonishing sight."
Begerton spoke, gazing at the thorns impaling the barbarians.
The thorns stretched from the abandoned carriage across a vast area.
It felt like beholding a massive flower carved from rock.
A feat beyond the imagination of average mages.
Perhaps wanting to chime in on Begerton's words.
His companion behind him, swordsman Leintus, spoke up.
"Not under the margrave— probably part of the Magitech Legion."
"Hmm... If Magitech Legion, then likely a mage dispatched from the capital."
"Of course. So, Doctor. What do you make of that magic?"
Leintus pointed at the thorns radiating everywhere.
It was powerful magic at a glance.
That's why he asked Begerton, with his deep magical insight.
Click.
Begerton adjusted his monocle and reached out to touch the rock before him.
"They tried to erase traces of the magic. The actual range was even wider than this."
"Mad magic. Isn't this top-tier among combat spells?"
"It's not quite Forbidden Curse level, but right below it— safe to say."
Leintus's eyes widened at Begerton's assessment.
—Forbidden Curse.
The highest praise Begerton of the Magic Research Society could give to magic.
"This magic is that level? You're saying it's that impressive?"
"In terms of power, yes, it warrants the name. But what makes this spell special is elsewhere."
Swipe.
Begerton's monocle focused on a sharp thorn.
The thorn-rock created by magic.
Gazing at it, Begerton twisted his lips into a wide grin.
"It obsesses over efficiency to an extreme degree. From hardening the rock to sharpening the thorns— every process shows no waste worthy of the name."
"..."
"Compared to the scale of the deployed magic, it used a relatively small amount of mana."
"..."
"And above all... the mana left in the earth is terribly imbalanced."
Tap, tap.
Begerton's eyes peered beyond the thorn touching his hand.
Around the abandoned carriage where the thorns had begun radiating outward.
A massive mana imbalance emanated from there.
For the aftermath of wide-area magic, the mana in a specific region was excessively depleted.
"It pursues peak efficiency to the point of draining surrounding mana entirely. Who could eliminate waste to this degree...?"
"It's been ages since the Chairman that I've seen a spell you rate this highly, Doctor."
"Such a unique ritual. It reminded me of a recent paper that impressed me."
Heh heh heh.
Flashing a chilling smile, Begerton traced the magic's remnants with misaligned eyes.
From the moment he arrived and saw the traces, the barbarian warriors were no longer his priority.
The magic spread everywhere.
That alone was his sole interest.
"If the chance arises, I'd love to meet the mage who created this and talk."
"Planning to invite them to the Magic Research Society?"
"If possible. I'd need to discuss it thoroughly with the Chairman first—"
Begerton's monocle finally turned to the abandoned carriage.
"Still, it's exciting."
Begerton Antares.
The empire's wanted criminal revealed a mania-like obsession with the magic before his eyes.