Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Regarding Authorities
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After deciding to stay longer at the Mage Tower, Enoch began learning magic theory from Iris at her urging.
Hadn't he learned from Rionne? Surprisingly, Enoch had never delved deeply into magic theory. In a way, it made sense. Rionne herself wasn't exactly an expert on the theory side of things.
"Combat mages can get away with that. It's tough to do complex calculations mid-battle anyway."
That was why most combat mages relied on instinct to cast their spells. Those who couldn't either pivoted to theoretical magic or had their heads chopped off long ago.
"But the reason combat mages can pull it off is because there's already a solid foundation of established theory. It's not like you can just conjure some random phenomenon out of thin air as magic."
Enoch tapped the desk as he listened to Iris's lecture. The desk broke apart, emitting a brilliant light.
Enoch floated a lump of plasma above his hand and spoke.
"It works fine."
"...There are exceptions sometimes."
Iris cleared her throat awkwardly and flicked her hand. Several pieces of chalk floated into the air, rapidly scribbling letters on the board.
"From what I can tell, your lightning isn't exactly magic. Right?"
"Yeah, it's an Authority."
"You're not even a little hesitant about admitting it?"
Most people would hide having such power. Was it pure innocence, or did he just not care who knew? Iris scratched her cheek and conjured a flame above her hand.
"Well... In my case, it's already so well-known that it doesn't matter, so I'll tell you. I'm an Authority holder too. They call it the Authority of Flames, or the Authority of Terrifying Fire, or some other grandiose name like that."
"Oh."
"Here's the question. What's the difference between magic and Authorities?"
Enoch pondered. She hadn't been like this back in the territory. Why did coming to the Mage Tower suddenly turn her into a teacher?
Of course, he didn't actually think about the question. He'd just wait a bit, and she'd explain it herself.
"The answer is... pretty much everything. Authorities and magic have almost nothing in common. The only similarity is that they both twist the laws of the world."
See? She spilled it all on her own.
Of course, hearing the answer didn't mean he understood it. Enoch blinked vacantly.
"Want an example?"
Iris manipulated the flame hovering above her hand. Soon, it transformed into a single flower that took root on the desk. Rather than burning the wood, it swayed its petals in the breeze like a real flower.
"Do you think I could make a cold flame with my Authority?"
She could make flowers, so why not? Enoch nodded.
"You're right. It's possible. I can change the color to blue, green, black—whatever. It takes some mastery, though."
Iris scattered the flame flower and extended her hand.
"Okay, now something else. Could I make ice with my Authority?"
"Nope?"
"Why not? If you think of flames as the release of heat, that means I can control thermal energy. So I could absorb the heat from water and make ice, right?"
"...I have no idea what that nonsense means, but it's the Authority of Flames, so no."
Iris's face fell.
"...That's the right answer."
Enoch puffed up with pride. Yonia, who had been listening quietly from behind, shot her hand up.
"Why not? It sounds easier than making a flower."
"Exactly! That's the normal reaction!"
Pleased, Iris waved her hand through the air. At the same time, a piece of chalk dynamically wrote a single word on the board.
'Concept'
Yonia tilted her head.
"Concept?"
"Yeah, concept. My Authority governs the concept of flame. So it can become any kind of flame, but nothing that's not a flame."
Enoch shot his hand up.
"Just tell me the gist."
"...You're really just impossible sometimes."
Iris ground her teeth. And yet, she continued her explanation properly, which was oddly admirable.
"Your Authority might not just handle lightning— it could govern electromagnetism itself."
"Ah, so what's electromagnetism?"
"The four fundamental forces: strong force, electromagnetism, weak force, gravity. They're the immensely powerful forces that rule the universe."
"Oh, sounds pretty good?"
Enoch responded nonchalantly. He didn't know the details, but 'four fundamental forces' sounded impressive.
And it wasn't far off. They really were immensely powerful. Iris's expression grew serious.
"If there were even a tiny change to electromagnetism on a cosmic scale, what do you think would happen?"
"How tiny?"
"Even the slightest bit."
"Then probably nothing much?"
Iris let out a wry chuckle at his response.
"The universe would scatter."
"......?"
"Or contract into a single point."
"Oh...."
Just that? Enoch couldn't believe it. If that were true, wouldn't he be the strongest on the continent? A wave of his hand could scatter the universe. Heavenly Killer Star or whatever—he could just erase it entirely.
"Of course, that won't happen. If it did, one of the Absolute Gods would scatter the force away."
"What's an Absolute God?"
"They exist. Or rather, I don't really know. And I shouldn't."
It sounded like a joke, but Iris was more serious than ever. It was best not to even mention the Absolute Gods lightly. Piss them off, and the whole world could vanish.
"Hmm."
Sensing the mood from Iris, Enoch's face grew uneasy. Beings who could casually prevent the universe from scattering... Easy to say, but he couldn't even imagine how.
"Tch, whatever. Just finish telling me what you were going to."
The lesson continued in a somehow heavier atmosphere.
*
Enoch left the Mage Tower, reviewing what Iris had taught him in his head.
Oh, and separately—he'd just learned that the Mage Tower was quite far from Iris's territory. Mages could handle spatial magic once they reached Master level, so she must have managed somehow.
'Space.'
Still impossible for Enoch. He'd reached Master rank, but only in the broader sense, not specifically in magic. The sorrow of being an all-rounder.
He gave up on the impossible early and focused on what he could do right now. That's why he'd stayed at the Mage Tower.
'Plasma. Nuclear fusion. Railgun.'
Key terms. He'd ended up focusing on Authorities over magic by chance, but they were no less impressive.
'Railgun first.'
Lowest difficulty, so he could master it quickly. He hadn't learned the full theory, but he knew how it worked—no big issue.
- Whether you're handling lightning or electromagnetism, you should be able to use a railgun. It's more useful than you'd think, so give it a try.
Of course, testing it at the Mage Tower would cause problems, so he headed out of the city to a vast plain. Yonia, who tagged along to watch, grumbled.
"You know you collapsed before, right? What if you pass out again?"
"I'll go easy."
Even drawing on his Authority only made his chest ache a little—no major problems. Figuring he wouldn't die, Enoch unleashed his lightning.
Pzzzzzt-!
The widely scattered lightning gathered at his will. He formed two long rod-shaped bolts.
"Lightning direction... like this, right?"
Something about current and the right-hand rule—she'd explained it, but he didn't remember the details. Results mattered anyway. With the barrel ready, Enoch aimed at a tall tree in the distance.
Rumble-!
The rod-shaped lightning flowed rapidly, exuding menace. Enoch shaped a round bullet from the lightning.
'Place this on top, and the current propels it, right?'
The barrel and bullet were both lightning, so "current" was a bit odd, but whatever—it was the same thing.
Enoch tossed the bullet. It landed perfectly between the barrels, bridging them and acting as the trigger.
Fwooooosh────────!!!
A fierce wind blew. When Enoch squinted and looked at the target tree...
"Oh."
From his position to where the tree had stood, a long trench had been gouged out. Just a tree, so he didn't know the full power, but it wasn't bad.
"Wow."
Yonia clapped in awe at the spectacle. Then she paled in shock.
Pzzzzzzzzzt-!
Dozens of barrels appeared in the air. Enoch grinned, eyes gleaming.
"W-Wait a sec...!"
Rumble rumble rumble────────!!!
The plain was no longer a plain.
*
Buoyed by his railgun success, Enoch moved to the next step: plasma.
Thud-!
He stomped the ground, severing all lightning in the area. The laws warped, and the earth turned to plasma, emitting dazzling light.
He could control this plasma as he wished. On a whim, Enoch started shaping a halo above his head with it...
[Daddy────!! That's insane! Insane!!!]
He stopped abruptly at the instinctive danger. His head had nearly exploded in real time.
"Phew."
Narrowly avoiding disaster, Enoch changed plans. The problem came from messing with his body, so why not just fire the energy?
Iris had said shaping it into a donut and spinning it enabled nuclear fusion or something. The energy produced was beyond imagination. What if he fired that like a railgun?
"That could be fun."
"Wait. Hold on. At least tell me what you're—"
──────────────!!!!
Long story short, he nearly died.
"Hmm, not easy."
This one would take a while.
"Uh, Mommy...."
First, dump the fainted Yonia at the Mage Tower. And keep it secret that elves could freak out too.