Chapter 3
Chapter 3
‘According to the family rules, I have to become a professor at one of the Four Great Academies.’
Perhaps to emphasize the setting of an “academy,” the Empire was, quite literally, a nation of academies.
There were countless academies throughout the Empire, and nobles—as well as commoners who could afford it—without exception went on to attend one.
The “prodigies” whose talents had been specially recognized went to the Four Great Academies.
‘The sixteen protagonists in the game attend those Four Great Academies, too.’
Hero Academy had a total of sixteen playable protagonists.
The system assigned four playable protagonists to each of the four prestigious academies.
Each academy had its own distinctive character, and being able to choose one to play at your leisure was one of Hero Academy’s strengths.
‘…Honestly, instead of somewhere as impressive as one of the Four Great Academies, I’d rather go to an academy that nobody attends and that’s on the verge of going under.’
There was nothing I could do about it.
The only academies recognized by the Ecclesia Ducal House were the Four Great Academies.
‘Still, being a professor is a hundred, a thousand times better than joining the military or entering government service.’
For one thing, those jobs were hard.
Being a soldier or an official was a hundred times more difficult.
On top of that, soldiers and officials would soon find themselves directly confronting the forces of evil as they began to stir.
The Academy, by contrast, was relatively safe.
‘Well, the forces of evil might reach their hands into the Academy, too, but the protagonists will take care of fighting them. I can just keep my head down and stay out of trouble.’
As a professor in the Scholar class, I’d have no reason to get caught up in a fight.
‘For now, I’ll think about that later. I should study first.’
Since I’d only just possessed this body, my knowledge of magic was practically a blank slate.
No matter how gifted I was with the Grandmaster ability, I still had to study and fill my head with knowledge.
But there was a problem.
“Young Master, you intend to study magic? Are you being serious?”
A bald, middle-aged man frowned sharply.
He was a mage employed by the Ducal House.
An Upper Mage of the Fifth Star Rank, no less.
‘Even though I’m of the ducal family, he’s not someone I can treat carelessly.’
This mage managed all the magical books and supplies belonging to the Ducal House.
It would be best to maintain a cordial relationship with him, but he already seemed to be brimming with hostility toward me.
“You threw a fit, saying you were done with magic because of your Mana Insensitivity. I can’t imagine what scheme you’re up to this time. Are you planning to steal a magical artifact and sell it, like last time? Just when do you intend to grow up, Young Master?”
He snarled at me like a dog that had spotted a cat. It seemed he had a lot of resentment built up.
‘Still, isn’t that a bit too much? I’m a young master, at least.’
Even so, I kept my true feelings to myself and spoke gently.
“How insolent.”
“!!”
Oops.
There went that over-the-top translation again.
-Black Flame Dragon’s Wrath has been activated!
-When someone nearby feels hostility toward you, your attitude becomes even more domineering!
‘This is a curse that makes me completely socially inept! You’ve got to know when to back down!’
For a moment, I hesitated.
‘…But do I really have to grovel like I used to?’
That was right. I was no longer the one beneath him.
I had a diamond spoon in my mouth—the top of the top!
‘It’s not like I spent my life groveling because I wanted to!’
When I was the one in the position of power, I could be every bit as powerful as I wanted.
“Whose property is the wealth of this Ducal House?”
“…It belongs to the Ducal House.”
“Then what are you, that you presume to act so arrogantly?”
“Th-that’s…”
My cold voice continued.
“Anyone watching would think you were the master of the Ducal House.”
“N-no, I’m not!!”
Hans, the mage, bowed his head in a panic.
No matter how successful a mage of the Fifth Star Rank he was, he was no match for the authority of the Ducal House.
“I advise you to be careful with your words and actions. If you want to keep your head, that is.”
“I-I apologize.”
“Now show me inside.”
Hans hurriedly led me farther in.
“This is my research room. You may look through any of the magical books you wish. As for reagents, you may use any mass-produced consumables you need.”
He bowed his head obsequiously, but he wasn’t truly bowing to me.
-That insolent little brat. You’ll study magic, my ass. Let’s see how you manage it.
It was plain as day that this was what he was thinking.
I could have just ignored him, but perhaps it was the effect of being in a position of power?
The nasty Black Flame Dragon squirming inside me insisted on leaving him with one last remark.
“You’re to be pitied, too.”
“…Pardon?”
“You fail to recognize how incredible an opportunity is approaching you right now.”
“…What do you mean?”
The corner of my mouth curled into a sneer.
“Watch closely. Just by standing beside me and watching me study, you’ll gain an astonishing boon unlike anything you’ve experienced in your entire life.”
I opened a magical book, brimming with confidence.
‘With the Grandmaster ability, building up my magical knowledge should be simple.’
Ban had a fatal flaw as a mage.
Mana Insensitivity.
‘It’s not impossible for him to accumulate mana, but his rate of cultivation is unbelievably slow.’
In this world, anyone could sense and accumulate mana.
But the rate at which they cultivated it varied tremendously depending on their aptitude.
If an ordinary person’s rate was 10, someone with the aptitude to become a mage had a rate of at least 100.
By contrast, Mana Insensitivity reduced that speed to a mere 1.
Even compared to an ordinary person, that was only one-tenth.
In practice, becoming a proper mage was all but impossible.
It doesn’t matter. I’m trying to become a “magic scholar,” anyway.
Even if I grew strong as a mage, when the calamity came, I’d just be forcibly conscripted and put through hell.
A magic scholar is the perfect match for the Grandmaster trait.
—See through the very essence of magic!
Building up my magical knowledge should be a breeze.
But it wasn’t long before I realized there was a serious problem.
…What is this?
An hour had passed since I opened the book.
A cold sweat gathered on my forehead.
There was a problem.
A very serious one.
Why is this hard?
The title of the book I was reading was The Fundamentals of Star Rank Theory.
The foundation of all magical studies.
—Magic creates phenomena through arrangements of mana. These arrangements of mana are called stars, and the study of stars may be called the foundation of all magic.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand the sentences.
It was the most basic of basics, after all—a book written for beginners encountering magic for the first time.
The problem was the contents of the mana arrangements—the “stars.”
—The arrangement of the element “fire” must be drawn as the following star.
—This star is the fundamental arrangement that is applied in exactly the same way even to high-level fire magic…
…Why do you draw a star like this for fire?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
There’s no way the contents of this book are wrong, is there?
I tilted my head.
It was practically the Bible of the magical world, with its first edition published a full three hundred years ago.
For three hundred years, every mage had studied the fundamentals through this book.
It’s not just the arrangement for fire. I can’t make sense of water or earth, either. And what’s with the Lightning Star?
I looked perplexed.
…Even with the Grandmaster’s talent, do I still have to build everything up one basic step at a time?
Even a future great mathematician had to learn the existing formulas first, after all.
But I shook my head.
If that’s how it is, I might as well quit.
If I was going to stumble over even the most basic of basics, how long would it take me to study the vast body of existing magical knowledge?
…Can’t I just learn it my own way?
The question kept coming back to me.
—Why draw the fire star like this?
—Why go out of your way to do it this way?
—Doesn’t it feel awkward?
In the end, all those questions led to one conclusion.
—I wouldn’t do it like this.
A “star” kept appearing in my mind.
It was similar in shape to the one I’d seen in the book, yet completely different.
If I compare it to the existing method, I think I’ll be able to tell which one is better.
Just then, I heard someone clear his throat.
“Ahem. It seems this is rather difficult for you, after all. I understand. You’ve kept your distance from magic all your life, so of course you’d struggle. You only managed to graduate from the Academy’s Magic Faculty at the very bottom of your class because the duke pulled some strings for you.”
It was the mage Hans.
Perhaps he still harbored a grudge over having bowed his head to me earlier; he was sneering with an obnoxious look on his face.
“It’s all right. Magic was impossible for you from the start, Young Master, given your Mana Insensitivity. And even if you can’t become a mage, aren’t there plenty of other things you can do? You’re of noble blood, after all.”
What could you possibly do with Mana Insensitivity? You and magic?
Just rely on your “family connections” and find something else to make a living at.
That was what he meant.
I crossed my arms.
Looks like he’s planning to keep picking a fight with me.
Having dealt with every kind of unreasonable person back on Earth, I knew.
With someone like him, you had to put your foot down at least once.
But what can I do against a Fifth Star Rank mage?
Just then, one idea suddenly came to me.
“You need an education.”
“…What did you say?”
“You’re a frog in a well, thinking you’re the greatest thing in the world. I’m saying it’s time you learned how vast the sky is.”
Hans blinked at me for a moment.
But only for a moment.
Soon, his face flushed bright red.
“…Even for you, Young Master, that was going too far.”
“Too far? I don’t see what’s wrong with a superior providing a proper lesson to someone beneath him.”
I stood up.
“Let’s do this. We’ll settle it right now with a duel using First Star Rank Fire Magic.”
“!!”
Hans growled in disbelief.
“Are you serious? Do you really think you can beat me, Young Master, even with First Star Rank magic?”
Even the same spell could produce an entirely different level of power depending on who cast it.
Even the most basic Fire Magic would unleash tremendous power if cast by a man who was an Upper Mage.
But I nodded.
I need to find out how powerful the star I’ve been designing is compared to the existing one, anyway.
He seemed like the perfect test subject.
What if I lost?
…Somehow, I don’t feel like I’m going to.
It was an absurd thought.
I didn’t feel like I’d lose to a Fifth Star Rank mage?
But I wasn’t lying.
“Since a simple duel would be rather dull, let’s make a wager. If I win, you’ll be my demonstration assistant from now on whenever I study magic.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Studying from a book is fine, but I’ll learn more effectively if I can watch magic being cast right beside me. You’ll demonstrate whenever I tell you to.”
Hans looked as if he were about to pass out from anger.
“Fine. But if I win, you will never set foot in here again!!”
Whoosh!
Flames sprang up in his hand.
It was a basic spell, but the force behind it was extraordinary—as one would expect from a Fifth Star Rank Upper Mage casting it.
I cast Fire Magic in response.
Fizzle.
A tiny flame.
Compared to the one he had conjured, it was so modest that it was downright embarrassing.