Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: 7-Year-Old Black Sorcerer (2)
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“Young Master. The sun is setting.”
“Ah, has it gotten that late already?”
At the librarian's words, Jamie closed the book he had been reading.
The book's title was Mana Flow and Control.
It was a newly published volume containing the Mana Breathing Method for beginners.
It held no particular use for him, but since it was the latest method, he had checked it out to see if there were any advancements.
The Mana Breathing section isn't much different from other books.
He had read a few related books here, but it only added slightly more detailed aspects.
Time for another meal, huh.
Three meals a day, without fail.
Even eating was starting to wear on him.
Jamie headed to the dining hall with weary steps.
And upon arriving at the dining hall entrance, Jamie couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Someone was standing in front of the entrance.
With a backpack on, he was admiring the dragon statue placed beside the door.
“Indeed, Count Welton. To place such an ornate artifact even at the dining hall entrance. Quite an intricate magical device. Heh heh.”
The voice belonged to an elderly man.
Then, as if sensing a presence behind him, he turned around.
The first thing visible was the pure white beard reaching down to his navel.
And what he sensed was...
This guy's no joke.
A vast amount of mana emanating from the old man.
He was suppressing it as much as possible, but it couldn't fool Jamie's eyes.
Mages accumulate mana in their hearts.
Thus, intense mana reactions typically emanate from around the heart, but this old man had a massive storm raging throughout his entire body.
At least 7th Class.
A powerhouse so overwhelming it felt disrespectful to even compare to his current self.
But why was this old man here?
An intruder?
If he's an intruder, that's trouble.
Regrettably, he currently lacked the power to stop the old man.
That fact left Jamie with a bitter taste.
For now, he needed to figure out who the man was.
Fortunately, the old man didn't seem intent on attacking immediately.
He might not be an enemy, or he could be letting his guard down because Jamie appeared to be a child.
Better to keep all possibilities open.
As Jamie made his decision and opened his mouth to ask, the old man struck first.
“The Count's son?”
A tone laced with faint interest.
A bluish light flickered across the old man's cornea.
In that instant, Jamie felt something crawling over his entire body.
An analysis of his own flesh.
But he didn't react.
It had been ages since he'd felt such a sensation, but he wasn't clumsy enough to respond to every little thing.
Seeing Jamie like that, the old man chuckled softly.
“Like father, like son, eh?”
The evaluative words irked him, but he didn't show it and said what he had intended.
“Who are you?”
“Quite bold.”
“How did you get in here?”
“Aren't you scared in a situation like this?”
“Because I'm the Welton heir.”
At that response, the old man's eyes widened slightly.
It wasn't the kind of answer expected from a boy his age.
Jamie sneered inwardly at the old man's reaction.
Showing even a hint of cleverness in a child's form usually elicited such responses.
“I don't know who you are, Grandfather, but this isn't a place just anyone can enter.”
As he spoke, Jamie stirred his mana.
Regardless of whether it would work against the opponent, as the Welton heir, he needed to display the proper demeanor.
That old coot might have come here with exactly that in mind.
He probably wasn't an intruder.
Referring to his father, Count Welton, so casually, and maintaining such leisure when a Sword Master could arrive at any moment—that wasn't the attitude of an intruder.
And the way he was testing him.
It grated on him, but slightly humbling that arrogant nose wouldn't be bad.
He doesn't seem to know how much it hurts when you hit someone off-guard.
Jamie concentrated mana at the tip of his index finger.
Watching him, the old man inwardly admired.
I'd heard rumors, but I didn't expect this much.
Was that the mana a mere 7-year-old child could produce?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward just a bit.
At first, he had planned to gauge the boy's personality and be done with it.
Old habits die hard, it seemed.
His insatiable curiosity, undimmed by age, stirred him.
Shall I test him a little?
The old man wiggled his finger.
At the sight, Jamie's eyes widened in fury.
This bastard!!
He saw the old man's fingertip glowing.
Daring to test me?!
He knew the old man intended to test him.
But that was about observing his reactions, not his magical prowess.
Yet now, he was blatantly testing his magical ability.
This insignificant fool, against Diablo Volpir, who had nearly toppled even gods in the past!!
Fire. Wind. Compression. Rotation. Acceleration. Expansion.
The complex calculations completed in an instant.
Though his body was young, his mind was at its peak.
Fire Bullet
High-heat projectile accelerated by wind. Counterclockwise spin enhances penetration.
A yellow-condensed high-heat bullet accelerated by wind.
The counterclockwise swirling rotation boosted its penetrative power.
Straight line.
The yellow trail pierced through the corridor toward the dining hall.
And as it reached the old man,
EXPLOSION!
Flames sufficient to melt a face.
It exploded!
The explosion wasn't large, but the erupting flames were enough to incinerate a person's face.
However, Jamie's expression was far from pleased.
So this is the full extent of my current power?
The incantation had been perfect.
But his present capacity fell far short of what he envisioned.
To others, this would be astonishing, but the great Black Sorcerer sighed at the pathetic reality.
Regardless of Jamie's reaction, the target of the spell was dumbfounded for entirely different reasons.
Is this truly magic cast by a 7-year-old child?
Amid the thick smoke of the explosion, the old man was at a loss for words.
He waved away the smoke.
As expected, it didn't work.
Jamie clicked his tongue inwardly and prepared his next spell.
But the old man was faster.
“But still a child, after all.”
Five magic circles materialized in the air without any prelude.
Magic circles required attention to combinations, arrangements, balances, attributes, and more.
Simple ones were easy, but complexity drastically raised the failure rate.
Yet the old man's five circles each incorporated at least one attribute.
And he deployed them simultaneously, without preparation.
“My turn now, right?”
The old man grinned mischievously and extended his hand.
Without even holding a mana-conducting tool.
Damn it, he's annoyingly good.
Even one who had reached the pinnacle of magic deemed him impressive.
That meant the old man's skill exceeded expectations.
Nevertheless, Jamie didn't dodge.
With a composed face, he simply met the old man's gaze.
Hah! This kid really is...
A gem.
No, a treasure.
The old man saw something extraordinary in the boy.
However.
“This is the price for attacking me.”
Punishment was still due.
The five magic circles glowed.
Vast mana surged, shaking the corridor.
Shrieeeek—!
The roar of fierce winds.
A gale struck in that instant.
Clang!!
A single sword blocked the spells from the five circles.
Jamie saw the massive back blocking his view.
The brown coat flapped sharply in the raging wind.
Just looking at it brought pressure upon his small frame.
Such was the aura.
“Your joke has gone too far.”
The slightly hunched back straightened fully.
Jamie thought the man resembled a mountain.
The old man, seeing him, called out the man's name with a momentarily dazed expression.
“Count Welton.”
The man who had instantly positioned himself before Jamie.
He was the master of this count's household and one of the kingdom's five Sword Masters.
Count Welton.
He turned his head to look at his adorable son.
“Are you alright?”
“......Yes. I'm fine.”
At his son's calm reply, the Count smiled and nodded.
Then, hardening his expression again, he glared at the old man.
“We need to talk. Marquis Linmel.”
At those words, the old man called Marquis Linmel burst into loud laughter while looking at Jamie.
“Hahaha! So that's how it is?!”
“Marquis.”
“Count, I'm truly envious of you!”
Count Welton grimaced at Marquis Linmel's words.
“He's my son. And the Welton heir.”
“I know.”
At the words of the old man, Marquis Linmel, Count Welton's eyes grew icy.
“You knew?”
“Calm your temper. Still as hot-headed as ever?”
“I said he's my son.”
The Count's hand moved toward his sword.
There was a saying in the world:
Never cross a Sword Master.
A Sword Master wasn't simply one who reached the pinnacle of the sword.
A Sword Master had comprehended the ultimate essence of the sword and gained 'authority'—a superhuman feat.
The nature of that authority determined a Sword Master's rank, and Count Welton possessed one of the top-tier authorities in the world.
“I know. I'm not senile yet. Do you think I'd pick a fight with you?”
“You've crossed the line enough.”
“I tested him.”
“Tested?”
Marquis Linmel grinned and recalled Jamie.
“Do you know?”
“Know what?”
“To what extent your son is a genius.”
“That's why I asked you, Marquis.”
The Count knew Jamie had talent for magic.
He had assigned several teachers, but none could handle the child.
Thus, he requested Marquis Linmel.
He was one of the kingdom's premier grand mages.
“Then you really don't know.”
“Pardon?”
“Consider my request denied.”
At the Marquis's refusal, the Count squinted one eye.
Was Jamie not up to his standards?
Impossible.
He knew little of magic, but his son was born with magical talent.
With the right master, becoming a grand mage was within reach.
Seeing the Count's expression, the Marquis clicked his tongue.
“From that look, you're thoroughly mistaken.”
“Speak plainly.”
“It means I can't handle your son.”
“......If even an 8th Class grand mage can't handle him, who can?”
“You didn't see it. The child's eyes.”
The Marquis recalled the moment the spells deployed from the magic circles.
Jamie had perceived every spell flying toward him.
Yet he didn't evade.
He didn't even flinch.
As if he knew they would never reach him, he maintained a serene face.
It wasn't just 'guts'.
“He read all my spells.”
“......?!”
“And he was absolutely certain they wouldn't touch him.”
The Count couldn't believe the Marquis's words.
No matter how precocious, he was a 7-year-old child.
With library knowledge alone, he shouldn't have been able to read, let alone comprehend, an 8th Class grand mage's spells.
Even granting comprehension, he should have been terrified.
“That's not all.”
The Marquis also informed him about the spell Jamie had used.
He had deployed magic fusing higher attributes beyond the basic five elements.
That was a spell one needed at least 3rd Class to even begin.
“Self-taught 3rd Class. No, excluding physical limits, 4th Class or higher. 'Genius' doesn't even begin to cover it.”
The Marquis pondered deeply, then spoke with a resolute expression.
“He's a monster. A monster has been born. The boy needs no master. Just support him materially and morally. He'll handle the rest himself.”
“My son......”
“He might even become the legendary 9th Class mage from myths.”
9th Class.
A legendary realm said to have existed long ago.
In thousands of years of human history, no one had verifiably reached it.
It was treated as a realm beyond mortals.
“I apologize for attacking your son.”
With that, the Marquis rose from his seat.
“A massive storm will sweep through the magical society. No, the entire world. Heh heh heh!”
Then he vanished in a flash of light.
Left alone, the Count fell silent with a grave expression.