Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Talent Bestowed by the Ancestor (1)
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I shattered the error in the weather magic.
For a person, it was like unclogging blocked meridians.
Then the magic activated normally, just as it felt.
'That split-second moment... I definitely saw it.'
The released aura smashed the startup magic circle's error,
and the correct mana flow erupted, instantly linking all the way to the ground's drive magic circle.
Finally, the weather magic was complete.
A torrential downpour so thick that the palace dozens of meters ahead was barely visible.
'Having Canelian release her aura in fine strands and using that power to break the error... it worked.'
When the idea first hit me, even I was only half-convinced.
But somehow, it felt like it would work.
A powerful impulse had seized me.
'Is this not baseless confidence, but a signal from the Discernment Eye cheat guiding me?'
It had been the same when directing Canelian.
A little thinner, more refined.
The exact sense that this was the right level.
A bit more downward, to the side.
The precise intuition that firing from here would hit the mark.
'Man, a Swordmaster is something else. Like a computer-controlled precision machine.'
Perfectly executing the minute aiming adjustments.
And when I told her to stop, there was zero shake at that exact angle.
If it hadn't been Swordmaster Canelian?
The aim wouldn't have held steady, and it would've failed.
My whole body was drenched in seconds, but I felt too damn good.
So I spread my arms wide like a madman and let the pouring rain drench me to the bone.
"Haha! Professor Silvret, thanks to you, Arcana won't have to worry about droughts anymore."
"Your Highness..."
The elf Object pulled back her hood.
Her glowing green eyes pierced right through me from between strands of soaked green hair.
"Until now, I believed Your Highness's talent for magic was lacking..."
"It might be... or it might not."
I answered deliberately vaguely.
'That should plant a strong impression on Object.'
Then what about Canelian?
She hadn't even thought to sheathe her sword, just let it dangle at her side.
Standing there with her mouth agape, staring blankly at me.
The sheer scale of the shock in her red eyes was plain even to me.
"Your Highness, what in the world did you just do?"
"I'm wondering the same thing. Is it some secret technique passed down only to the dragon's descendants?"
Arrogance is a flaw, but a touch of self-promotion can win favor.
I couldn't pass up the chance to boost Canelian's and Object's goodwill.
"Duchess, you know I possess unusual eyes."
"...Yes. Though it was hard to believe at first."
"Fortunately, our elaborate ritual to the Ancestor bore fruit."
"No way... not just the mana herb, but Your Highness's special eyes were enhanced too?"
"Exactly."
In truth, the rank increase came from witnessing the massive mana flow of the weather magic.
But I had to let them think that lavish spending had been a meaningful investment.
That's how I survive...
It was starting to get chilly, shivering cold.
"Professor Silvret, when does this magic actually stop, anyway?"
"I'm not entirely sure. It's the first time the magic circle has activated properly..."
The sky looked like it had a real hole punched through it.
We headed back to our residences for now.
After a thorough shower in the grand marble bath, I changed into comfortable clothes and returned to my bedroom.
'Still pouring like crazy.'
The thrill of activating that complex magic circle by shattering its error with aura...
Recalling it made my heart pound harder.
Excited and thrilled, like discovering an unknown hidden quest.
Knock knock.
"Your Highness, it's Duchess Canelian. May I come in?"
"Come in."
Canelian entered, cheeks flushed from her shower.
Not her usual armor.
A flowing blue silk dress.
It gave off a fresh vibe, somewhere between a girl and a woman, more knight than lady-in-waiting.
"Sorry to disturb your rest, but I couldn't hold back my curiosity."
"What are you curious about?"
"How did that faint strand of aura complete the magic circle? I just can't wrap my head around it."
"Hmm. Knights are used to training through bodily intuition rather than head knowledge, so my explanation might not click."
"Are you saying stupid knights can't understand advanced studies like magic?"
"That wasn't what I meant."
"I know I'm stupid. Magic theory alone gave me headaches just hearing it. But I still want to know."
Canelian clenched her fists, her body trembling.
Her red eyes gazing at me burned like the sun.
"I'm a stupid knight, but... I got a feeling.
That maybe the experience Your Highness shared could break through my own stagnation..."
The continent's youngest Swordmaster, fretting over her plateau?
Fitting for the world's top knight NPC.
Knock knock.
At the follow-up knock, both of us turned to the door.
"Your Highness, it's Silvret. Might I have permission to behold your noble visage?"
"Come in, Professor Silvret."
The door creaked open, and Object stepped inside.
She startled upon seeing Canelian,
and seeing Object's outfit startled both Canelian and me.
It wasn't her ornate, heavy mage's robe.
A white silk dress that revealed her collarbone and shoulders.
The thin fabric made her silhouette faintly visible.
Her green hair, braided into one and neatly draped over her right breast, amplified her pure aura.
'She looks stunningly beautiful like this.'
"A guest already..."
"Didn't expect the professor so soon."
"I couldn't contain my curiosity."
"Same here."
"Have a seat, both of you."
The three of us gathered around the round table.
I could see the two women exchanging silent glances.
'Did they coordinate beforehand to show up together?'
Them coming right away was a good sign.
I needed to shake off my tyrant image fast.
"Your Highness, I want to learn the detailed principles of how you activated my incomplete magic."
Object spoke urgently.
Licking her lips in anxiety.
Stagnant for over 150 years—she must be going mad with frustration.
'Time for some push and pull. This is my specialty.'
With all that dialogue branch quest experience piled up.
Time to farm some favor relentlessly.
"So, Professor Silvret... you're saying you want to borrow the aid of my dragon's eye?"
Might as well loosen up the speech a bit.
Canelian saw the desperation etched on Silvret's face.
The look of one craving a higher realm.
Having sought out the prince with the same mindset, Canelian understood it well.
"I told the duchess: imagine a point without volume and thin out the aura accordingly. How did you conceive of a point without volume?"
"Mathematically, a point is a virtual numeral designating a specific position.
But if a point has volume, wouldn't that create an error where it infinitely designates a position by that volume?"
"Infinitely...! I've never even considered such a concept! Is that the world as seen through the dragon's eye?"
"Something like that."
"How did you activate my weather magic?"
"My grasp of magic theory is too shallow to explain verbally. Maybe if I pointed it out while you watched."
"Please wait just a moment!"
Silvret spread both hands.
The initial startup magic circle appeared in midair and stopped right there.
This let them review the spell's flow without activating the magic.
Canelian watched as the prince pointed to various parts of the startup magic circle with his finger, explaining.
"Professor, right here—this part is wrong."
"Honestly, I have no idea what's wrong. The circuit grammar looks flawless."
"I'm telling you, it's wrong. You can't see it?"
"P-Please... teach me..."
"This part requires non-linear numerical analysis to construct the circuit grammar, but instead..."
"Non-linear numerical analysis? What's that?"
"I'm telling you, this circuit grammar is wrong."
"H-How do I fix it?"
"No idea. Professor, I'm just a student who finished Intro to Magic Theory today."
"Ah! You possess such sharp insight and intuition, yet lack the means to express it..."
"Then the professor can teach me diligently."
"I have only meager knowledge, but I'll strive my hardest from now on."
Canelian narrowed her eyes.
In the back-and-forth explanations, their shoulders had somehow touched.
The prince grew frustrated: This is the problem. Can't you see it?
Silvret floundered: Sorry, but I don't know what the problem is. Please explain so I can understand.
'Do they really need to be that close?'
At that moment, the prince glanced at Canelian.
Caught off guard, she felt a flush of embarrassment, like her thoughts had been read.
"Better to show it directly. Duchess, can you help?"
"Like before?"
"Use that sword."
The prince pointed to the ceremonial sword hanging on the wall,
and the moment Canelian gripped it, she startled at the unexpected sensation.
"Your Highness, this sword...?"
"A legendary artifact. It holds the power of flame, able to incinerate enemies from within."
"Y-You're just hanging something like this as decoration?"
"If the duchess wants it, I can gift it to you."
Canelian felt a twinge of greed, but...
"F-First, let's focus."
Canelian shifted to sit beside the prince.
"Don't get the wrong idea. Can't have anyone in the line of the aura release, so I'm sitting here."
"I know. Let's begin."
A repeat of before.
Canelian poured her effort into drawing out her aura as thin and fine as possible until the prince said it was good.
She thought it was enough, but he kept repeating, Still not there. A little weaker.
"Good. Now."
Canelian immediately released her aura,
and a strand thinner than a silk thread pierced one part of the startup magic circle.
The startup magic circle was enveloped in brilliant light.
Silvret beamed, her face almost tearful.
"S-Success! It succeeded again!"
"Professor, you saw it properly this time, right?"
"Sorry. I saw it, but I still have no clue what exactly happened. C-Could you do it one more time?"
"Duchess Canelian, is that possible?"
"...Of course."
'Just how different are the prince's eyes from mine when it comes to aura?'
Canelian couldn't comprehend it.
"Output's still too high. It'll destroy the entire startup circle like this. Lower it more."
"More from here? It felt exactly the same as before."
"Not the same at all. Needs to be lower."
To her eyes, it was clearly the same output as before.
Yet the prince shook his head, insisting it was still too much, that it needed to be even thinner.
Dozens of times over, Canelian repeated the fine aura release to shatter the startup magic circle's error.
And finally.
"Your Highness! I get it! I know what's wrong! Ahh, so this was it! This is what held me back for over 150 years!"
"Congratulations, Professor."
The prince absentmindedly stroked Silvret's hair,
and when Silvret flustered, he calmly withdrew his hand.
"Sorry. The professor looks so young, I forgot you're older than me."
"...Not at all. It's an honor, rather."
Canelian unconsciously touched her own hair.
A surge of emotion welled up unbidden.
'What? I was the one busting my ass releasing the aura.'