Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 207
>Chapter Title: Talents and Calamities
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Why hadn't I thought of this?
Because I saw it as a field I knew nothing about, my thinking had lost its flexibility.
'This is why confidence is so important.'
It was the moment I truly felt the weight of that.
Anyway, putting that aside.
"Where do I get slaves from?"
"......Let me correct you first. Slavery is illegal in the Empire. And if you're looking for talent, there's no need to search far and wide."
"No need to search far?"
I gave Henji a deadpan look.
Henji shook his head with a wry expression.
"Not me."
"Who said it was you?"
He told me to look close by, so I was just looking nearby.
But no need to look far...
"Damian?"
"The Blandoga Family would love that."
"I'm kidding."
This one really was a joke.
I had no idea what Damian would become in the future, but when it came to things like this, he was closer to a human calamity than actual talent.
And more than that.
'......I need to avoid getting the tower tangled up with the Blandoga Family.'
There were probably many reasons for the Blandoga Family's downfall in the future, but building the tower on their territory had to be the biggest one.
So, Damian was out.
"......Chenbi?"
"Chenbi...... Don't you feel sorry for that guy?"
"You know Chenbi?"
"He's the one Grandmother designated as a sponsored student—how could I not know? We exchanged brief greetings at the banquet not long ago."
"Ah, right."
Talking with Henji sometimes made me forget he was actually part of the Blandoga Family.
Anyway, Chenbi was out too.
"So where am I supposed to find them? There aren't any standouts around. You're not suggesting I drag Parun into this, are you?"
"I wouldn't know about the magic side, but Parun isn't the type of talent who'd be helpful here. Speaking of which, socialization has improved a lot now, but it used to be a serious issue back in the day."
"It's still serious. So, what then?"
This guy's no good, that guy's no good.
Dragging the headmaster predecessor into it would be elder abuse.
Frustrated with no relief in sight, I stared blankly at Henji, who let out an incredulous chuckle.
"You're leaving it all to me?"
"I left it to you?"
"No, you didn't."
"Then no."
"......"
Henji's eyelid twitched. This was a first. Seeing Henji's poker face crumble!
Henji took a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure before speaking.
"You're draining my energy. I'll cut to the chase. When I said there's no need to look far, I meant look in the academy."
"The academy?"
"Yes. It seems you don't quite grasp it, Aster, but most academy students are elites who've been trained in these areas since childhood."
Elites? They all seemed pretty dumb to me.
From what I'd seen, academy students all had this vague airheaded vibe.
I didn't know the martial arts side well, but the magic side was... Like that 310 gold thing, Evelyn, Dalia of the Dinai Family, Purion, Damian and Chenbi of the Blandoga Family.
My expression naturally dulled, and Henji sighed deeply, shaking his head.
"First-years are all like that. They're busy adjusting to the academy, and for most, it's their first time in a peer group like this."
"Hmm, maybe."
"Yes. And the amount of knowledge doesn't determine wisdom. Knowing a lot doesn't make you clever. Take yourself, Aster—you don't know much, but you're clever, aren't you?"
"That's a compliment?"
"It is."
Fine, since it's a compliment, I'll take it.
But anyway.
'......He's got a point.'
Henji wasn't wrong about anything.
I couldn't relate to calling academy students elites, and the first-year excuse didn't feel entirely trustworthy either...
'But talent isn't just in the basics class.'
As that thought crossed my mind, Henji exclaimed with an "Ah!"
"......?"
"Now that I think about it, that exists."
"That?"
"Yes. When the young patriarch entered Jenion Academy, the family compiled a list of notable talents."
There was something like that?
I blinked in curiosity, and Henji spoke as if it were obvious.
"All the great houses do it. Who’s in this batch, who’s worth recruiting. Of course...... we just investigated and didn't use it."
"Why not use it?"
"Why do you think?"
......I could understand.
Damian wasn't the type to act on something like that.
Wait, no. Actually, Dalia from the Dinai Family didn't seem to operate on that either...
'......She's similar too.'
But hold on.
I looked at Henji with sparkling eyes.
"You gonna give it to me?"
"It's not hard to hand it over. But first......"
"......?"
Henji leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and interlocking his fingers.
I furrowed my brow slightly at the classic villain pose.
"I still haven't heard the answer to the question I asked before."
"......What question?"
"My little brother."
"......Ah."
That jogged my memory.
"Stan...... no, Rob something?"
"......I never told you his name."
"Ah, did I?"
But it felt familiar.
"Loden."
I got the 'Lo' right.
Anyway, I recalled what Henji had said back then.
- Can you get my little brother into the magic tower?
I'd told him to give me time to think, and it seemed now was the time for an answer.
"What'll it be?"
I thought as I looked at villainous Henji.
'Selling his brother for an academy personnel file.'
Of course not.
There had to be give and take in a transaction, but here, only I stood to gain.
Still, there was one thing to clarify.
"Main attribute?"
"Earth element. He received instruction from Duke Toho Man thanks to Grandmother's consideration. Not his direct disciple, but he'll earn his keep."
Hmm, earth element. Not a bad attribute.
"The tower's rules are pretty strict. No special treatment."
"That's fine. Don't worry about that."
Then there was no need to hesitate.
"Alright, Loden's a magic tower member from now on."
"Not Loden—Loden. Thank you."
I smiled and offered Henji a handshake. He grinned back contentedly and gripped my hand firmly.
As our eyes met, I added one more thing.
"Oh, you can show some sincerity now."
"......?"
"Isn't that how it usually goes? Most family connections come with that."
"......"
As I said, no special treatment.
But fair compensation had the power to make even special things ordinary.
......Of course, Henji never showed any sincerity.
* * *
Anyway, with my dilemma and Lo-something's tower entry settled, we got to the main topic.
"So, the reason you called me today is, as expected......"
"Yes, about the New Heavenly Origin Art."
"Some results already?"
My heart raced personally.
New Heavenly Origin Art.
I'd experienced it directly and indirectly countless times in my past life, but facing the real thing for the first time was thrilling.
Of course, there was no guarantee it was exactly the same as the past life's version, but the anticipation was real.
Henji nodded at my question and handed me a book.
"This is......"
"I compiled the thesis theories into a secret manual. However......"
I reached for the New Heavenly Origin Art but paused at Henji's voice. That's when he spoke.
"There's something you should know, Aster."
"Tell me."
As I pulled my hand back from the New Heavenly Origin Art, Henji continued.
"First, this manual isn't a perfect result. You know that, right?"
"I heard it's an intermediate stage."
"Yes, exactly. There are flaws, you could say. The most important part is missing."
"The most important part?"
Henji nodded at my question.
"How should I explain this."
He seemed hesitant, but soon opened his mouth.
"Would it make sense if I said the 'mental image' is missing?"
"......Mental image?"
"Yes, the mental image."
I tilted my head at that.
'......The mental image is missing?'
Why?
A mental image is the ultimate form a secret art ultimately pursues.
Take the Crimson Flame as an example: the 'lone blazing fire' is the ideal it strives for.
Higher-grade secret arts invariably have their own 'mental images' like this, which was exactly my question.
'Heavenly Origin Art is a basic art, though?'
Basic arts don't have mental images by default.
That's why they're 'basic.'
The reason Heavenly Origin Art holds infinite potential yet remains a 'basic art' is precisely this.
What makes Heavenly Origin Art great is its potential to encompass all attributes' mana, not because it's a higher-grade art.
That's why I was puzzled.
Heavenly Origin Art was a secret art that naturally lacked a mental image.
Seeing my reaction, Henji continued as if it made sense.
"The New Heavenly Origin Art is a secret art with a mental image. If you understood the thesis, you might have noticed......"
"It was tough."
"Yes, that's why I'm explaining. The current manual version of the New Heavenly Origin Art doesn't have a constructed mental image. It only holds the potential."
"Potential......"
"This is the key part. Hmm."
Henji glanced toward where Dinner No. 1 was.
Dinner No. 1, who had been sizing up the wyvern, quieted down right after, and Henji spoke soon thereafter.
"To put it precisely: the current New Heavenly Origin Art has the 'potential to hold a mental image.' But it lacks a specific mental image guided by the art."
"Then......"
"It's like a blank canvas? Other secret arts provide guidelines and tell you to follow them, but the current New Heavenly Origin Art lets the user shape the mental image as they wish."
Was that even possible?
No, setting aside possibility...
"That sounds dangerous."
Right, this was dangerous.
Someone might argue that if the user can shape the mental image freely, it holds infinite potential.
But.
'That's nonsense.'
Even if the Crimson Flame's mental image is simply phrased as 'lone blazing fire,' the implications packed into those few words are beyond measure.
This is because interpretations of 'completeness' vary by person, and secret arts guide the user through a set sequence to grasp those implications.
So why do secret arts use this cumbersome method?
Simple.
'Conceptual clash.'
Take 'the shield that never breaks' and 'the spear that pierces all'—classic examples. Think about it.
These two concepts are opposites. What if mutually exclusive concepts like that end up in one mental image?
'......Boom.'
......It wouldn't literally explode, but chaos would ensue.
And yet.
"You're saying the New Heavenly Origin Art is in that state right now?"
"Yes, that's why I'm warning you. It's extremely dangerous. If you plan to learn it...... you need to consider this."
"......"
I gazed at the New Heavenly Origin Art manual on the table for a moment. Then I turned back to Henji and asked.
"How long until the final version is complete?"
"Honestly, I can't promise."
"Can't promise?"
"Yes. In a way, it might take a lifetime...... or even a lifetime might not be enough."
......Yeah, that's how it is.
Various thoughts flashed through my mind.
What Pahren von Decullan learned in the past life—what the Decullan Family adopted—was it the completed New Heavenly Origin Art? Or a diluted version with the danger removed?
As I followed that train of thought.
Henji's voice came right then.
"What'll it be?"
Tap, tap.
Henji smirked mischievously as he drummed his fingers on the New Heavenly Origin Art.