Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Side Story - A Certain Princess's Memories (13)
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# 165
#17 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of the Imperial Magicians.
Those who fight in battle using mana are commonly called mages.
They are all the flowers of the battlefield, unleashing overwhelming firepower based on their immense mana reserves.
Powerful mages are said to be equivalent to siege weapons on an individual level—their might is beyond words.
But not everyone can become a mage.
The discipline of magic doesn't automatically increase one's mana just by advancing in proficiency.
No matter how exceptional one's innate talent, if their mana is insufficient, they can't wield the desired level of power.
Those with low mana can't join mage units, no matter their talent.
On the battlefield, raw mana quantity is prioritized over talent!
But that doesn't mean their talent goes entirely unused.
The study of magic isn't so undervalued as to neglect geniuses merely for lacking mana.
Those who technically unravel the truths of magic.
People call them magicians!
And Count Relgray, the representative of the Karan Empire's Imperial Magicians—known as the tragic genius—shouted.
"Drag that madman out! Or I'll kill him myself!"
"Please calm down—he's been dispatched from the Imperial Family!"
"He's the First Imperial Princess's direct knight. You have to endure it!"
"En, endure? You call this something to endure? What the hell is that bastard saying!"
The other magicians sighed as they watched the man leisurely enjoying his tea time.
It was an order from the Imperial Family—directly from the Emperor, no less.
Unlike traditional mana-based magic or magic bombardments, this absurd new magic bombardment gathered moisture from the atmosphere, froze it, and dropped it!
Since it doesn't use mana, mana barriers have no effect.
But if they deployed a mana barrier to block the mass?
The mana required just to calculate the impact is unimaginable.
Unless you're a grand mage, the barrier would shatter from mana depletion, leading to death.
At first, they couldn't comprehend directly freezing water.
Why freeze water when you could just use ice magic?
But the more they researched, the more they were astounded by the true value of this bombardment.
For one, magic loses power over distance.
Magic manifests one's imagination through mana as a medium.
Naturally, the farther the range, the more mana is consumed, and the power diminishes.
Humans can't control mana beyond their domain.
That's why mages and magic engineers struggle with precise strikes in bombardments.
They compensate for accuracy with sheer power.
That's what mage and magic engineer bombardments are.
But this bombardment is different.
It's not purely natural, but it's ice formed from frozen water—ice in its raw state.
Its mana efficiency is lower than ice magic, but no mana is needed to propel it to the ground.
The moment it's dropped, gravity accelerates it, building power.
This is a revolution.
Mages' bombardments deal lethal damage on the battlefield, but why are magic engineers' bombardments merely for suppression?
Because even at high altitudes beyond mana detection, they can't use magic effectively.
Magic doesn't gain acceleration.
It only wastes mana and loses output.
That problem has been solved.
Now magic engineers can perform bombardments on par with mages!
And stealthily, at that!
A paradigm shift in warfare is inevitable.
Their orders were to shift the paradigm back.
They had to make the impossible bombardment possible—and block it.
The military racked their brains endlessly and requested help from the magicians.
The magicians, after racking their own brains, demanded the creator of this bombardment be summoned.
And the creator arrived with the empire's First Imperial Princess in tow.
They were flustered by the sudden imperial visit but quickly composed themselves, as befitting those residing in the palace.
But they were thrown off again by what the princess's companion said.
"A way to block it...? Just put up a physical barrier, no?"
"That's why we called you? Do you think I have an answer?"
"What? Then what were you thinking when you made this bombardment? Obviously, to mess with... er, I mean, it came up while assisting Her Highness's amusement."
"Hmm... As the creator, you should come up with a solution? Hey now, I'm just a butler. The exclusive butler to the First Imperial Princess. Magic research and development is for magicians; military strategy and tactics are for the army!"
"Ah, screw it! I'm out!"
After that, Count Relgray charged, truly intent on gutting him, while the magicians barely held him back.
That was the current situation.
"That bastard... He got a barony just to enter here! I'll make sure to strip you of your noble title!"
Count Relgray screamed in rage, his face flushed red.
Baron Ast, watching him, set down his teacup, stood up, and said.
"Bravo."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
He started applauding.
With a strange sense of satisfaction on his face!
"You... you mad bastard..."
Even the great Count Relgray was left gaping.
"You think I can't do it?"
"No, you can do it, Director Relgray! Go for it!"
He looked genuinely expectant.
"You dare act up because you trust in Her Highness? I'll strip your title and turn you into a commoner if it's the last thing I do!"
"Sob... Thank you, Director Relgray. Truly, thank you."
Now tears were flowing.
"You madman!"
The great Count Relgray recoiled in horror, stepping back two paces.
The Imperial Magic Research Institute gathered only the empire's top magicians—a collective of geniuses.
Count Relgray, its director, was one of the empire's foremost geniuses.
He'd solved every problem thrown at him, yet now he stared at the man shedding tears of joy and thought.
'Th-this bastard... He's really insane!'
An incomprehensible realm.
Realizing this, Count Relgray shuddered.
Baron Ast de Lyrac.
The man the Emperor's favored First Imperial Princess had elevated to baron in a single day through loopholes.
But Count Relgray understood.
The magic bombardment he'd created was a groundbreaking technique even he hadn't conceived!
As someone more passionate about magic research than anyone, he recognized Ast more than most!
'A madman just created a mad technique!'
But meeting Baron Ast in person, he was madness incarnate.
At first, he thought it was a joke.
That he'd already solved it and was toying with them.
Even his reaction to the threat of title revocation seemed the same.
Relying on the First Imperial Princess behind him, enjoying the show.
That's what he thought.
But look at that face!
That smile brimming with joy, those streaming tears!
He's just a madman.
He even considered if it was acting, but concluded that pulling off such an act made him mad anyway.
'Her Highness is inspecting the military... Meaning I have to share space with this lunatic for hours!'
Count Relgray averted his gaze from Baron Ast, who smiled and cried while staring at him.
'It's scary. Truly scary!'
For the first time since first meeting the current Emperor.
Count Relgray trembled in fear.
#18 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Villain.
"G-get away from me."
"Hahaha, if I don't want to get fired, I have to work hard."
"Aren't you a butler!"
"Her Highness ordered me to attend the meeting here."
"Urgh..."
Director Relgray began trembling.
He'd been hurling insults at first, but now suddenly kept his distance.
Push-pull? Sorry, but I'm straight—men are off-limits no matter how pretty, and the director's an old man anyway. Out.
Too bad, Director.
Just take away my barony!
So please, strip my barony already!
"M-meeting... Let's start the meeting."
Did he read my intense gaze? Director Relgray cleared his throat a few times and looked away.
The meeting topic could be summed up as: [If this magic bombardment falls on my head, how do I block it?]
"Melt the ice with fire magic! Turn it all to water before it hits the ground!"
"Even fist-sized ice chunks kill on impact. You'd need to melt it instantly—how many can chantlessly cast spells that fast?"
"Right, and it has no mana signature. If it's a surprise attack, you're hit first. Mages need to activate spells the moment they spot it visually."
"Modify detection magic to identify magic engineers in advance?"
"But this bombardment gains power with altitude. Normal ones fly just above detection for max power, but this doesn't need to."
"True. No need to get close, so it can operate at even higher altitudes."
"As long as scouts get rough coordinates."
They talked, but no answers emerged.
Realizing the scale of what I'd done wasn't ordinary, but it wasn't my problem to solve.
I'm a butler! Butlers don't handle this!
Still, since I'm in the meeting, I should speak up.
"Just engrave a rune on magic staves to automatically deploy physical barriers?"
"That makes no sense..."
"Urgh..."
The magicians, who'd been shouting, fell silent upon looking at me.
What? This treatment? Why do they quiet down when they see me?
"It's impossible. Staves are just aids. Altering mana with them?"
Doesn't work? It should.
"But magic swords can?"
"Magic swords and staves are totally different. Swords are weapons; staves are aids. Different uses!"
In RPGs, you put swords and staves in the same inventory. They don't get this simple truth.
Guess the friendly me has to explain.
"You there, magician."
"Y-yes."
He shrank under my gaze.
What did I even do to deserve this?
"What happens if a sword hits your head?"
"You... die?"
"Yes. A lethal weapon—that's a sword."
I nod, acknowledging. No one survives a sword to the head.
"Now, what if a staff hits your head? Die?"
"Huh?"
He glanced panicked at his colleagues.
They all looked away—poor social skills.
"N-not... die?"
"Right, you might not. But hit hard enough, and you could."
Blunt force cracks skulls better than blades.
Swords slice throats, not shatter pots.
"So staves can be weapons too, right?"
"Yes."
He looked uneasy but agreed.
Obviously.
No one's fool enough to use staves only as mana conduits.
They've tried everything else—it didn't work.
But I want this meeting over fast.
Over so our director can strip my title!
So I'll keep spouting nonsense, giving more reasons to revoke it!
Ideally, fire me as exclusive butler too!
"If you haven't tried, shouldn't you try?"
Force the "make it work" spirit and end the meeting.
Easy to say, hell for them.
Not just them—the whole imperial magician corps will curse me.
Wasting time with clueless meddling on magic.
That'll strengthen the director's resolve to strip my title!
It has to!
"Congratulations, Ast. A plaque of appreciation from the military and imperial magicians."
Our brilliant magicians actually perfected the staff.