Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Fundamentals of Magic
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After a brief silence, Arthur spoke.
"So you want to become a mage. Hoho, I see. It's been a long time since I've heard such pleasant words. Go on, take a seat."
Loan bowed his head to Arthur before finding an empty seat and sitting down.
Arthur said.
"But tell me, Loan. Do you know that the path you wish to take is longer than that of swordsmanship?"
Longer than swordsmanship?
Loan couldn't understand what Arthur meant.
"No, this is the first I'm hearing of it. Why is that?"
"Sophie. Why don't you answer?"
It seemed Sophie was well-regarded in this class, too. She answered.
"It means that learning magic is that much more difficult."
"And why is it difficult?"
"Because it requires a great deal of study, and it places a heavy burden on both the mind and body."
"Then at what point can one be said to be able to wield magic?"
"Yes. Typically, even someone with exceptional talent must study for about ten years before they can be recognized as a 1st Class mage."
"That must be rather sad news for those who wish to become members of the Union upon graduation."
But a 1st Class mage, unable to serve as a direct combat force, cannot become a member of the Union.
Even if they did, they would at most remain in Oz, a position akin to a reserve member.
Only after another ten years or more of training, upon becoming a 2nd Class mage, could one become a true member of the Union—a Runner.
After explaining that it would take Loan twenty years from now to become a 2nd Class mage and a member of the Union, Arthur asked.
"So, Loan? Let's hear your thoughts."
Loan thought for a moment before answering Arthur's question.
"Then to be safe, I'll just have to master 3rd Class magic before I graduate."
Once again, Arthur and the other children were left speechless.
In an era of swordsmanship, where the sword was more respected and swordsmen held key positions, wanting to learn magic and become a mage was an act that defied common sense.
The problem was that Loan lacked that 'common sense.' He could say such things because he didn't know any better.
To Arthur's eyes, Loan, with his interest in magic and desire to become a mage, couldn't simply be seen as endearing.
Because it was more likely he would change his mind once he knew the truth.
Arthur asked again.
"Do you even know what 3rd Class is?"
"No. I still don't know much about magic. There weren't any mages or books on magic back in Danton where I'm from."
Arthur let out a dry laugh before speaking.
"Alright. Then let's take this opportunity to review why swordsmanship is dominant in the Union, and why magic is increasingly dismissed as a mere academic pursuit of truth and wisdom."
Arthur turned and began writing complex characters on the blackboard.
The writing, which started at one corner of the large blackboard, continued densely until it reached the opposite diagonal corner. And at an incredible speed.
It looked like it would amount to several pages in a book.
"Now, this is the spell formula for creating a Fire Arrow. Though to be precise, it's more of a re-creation."
Loan couldn't read the tiny, dense script of the formula.
It wasn't a language he was seeing for the first time.
It was the same script that had been written around the pit and the tree in the annex of the shelter.
"Can anyone find the mistake in this formula?"
Silence fell over the classroom.
It was to be expected.
Simply reading the formula required a full year of studying ancient languages, but understanding it was another matter entirely.
Of course, even if one could understand it, finding an error in such a long and complex formula would not be easy.
"It's natural that you can't find it, so don't be disappointed."
Starting with a word of comfort, Arthur tapped the blackboard and continued his lecture.
"It may look complicated, but Fire Arrow is actually one of the most basic spells. For a higher-level spell, the length of the formula would be beyond imagination. Some formulas span several books."
In Loan's memory, the formula at the shelter's annex had been incredibly complex and long.
Considering how the tiny characters formed lines and shapes, its total length must have been immense.
"However..."
As Arthur ran his finger over the formula on the board, the characters briefly shimmered as if absorbing a haze of mana.
Soon, the form of a blazing arrow suddenly materialized in the air.
*Wow...*
Loan's eyes widened.
It was so magical, so much like real magic.
But along with his amazement, a doubt arose.
The fire arrow looked somewhat unstable.
The arrow, which should have been sharp and hot enough to pierce its target, seemed to be melting feebly, as if it would drip to the floor.
Arthur's words continued.
"Spell formulas are quite sensitive, you see. It consumes my magical power, yet this is the result. Just like this, a single, speck-sized mistake, one you can't even pinpoint, can skew the interpretation and lead to disastrous results."
Arthur waved his hand, dispelling the incomplete Fire Arrow, then placed a single dot somewhere around the two-thirds mark of the long formula on the board.
And when he ran his finger over the formula again.
*Fwoosh-*
This time, a perfectly formed fire arrow appeared,
"Woah!"
captivating the children's eyes.
"Sometimes, a mage must reinterpret the entire formula just to find what's wrong. It's an impossible task without considerable patience and comprehension."
This time, Arthur added a few more miniscule characters between the lines of the formula and attached an auxiliary blackboard to continue writing it out even further.
"There are also times when you must completely overturn a formula created through a higher-dimensional process just to achieve a very small change."
And when he activated it again, the shape of the flame changed once more.
This time, dozens of arrows pointing in different directions overlapped each other around a single center point, changing their form from two-dimensional to three-dimensional.
"The mages of old modified formulas like this in pursuit of greater power, establishing perfect laws for each spell through much trial and error."
From a line to a sphere.
Since it was a blazing flame, the linear shape became meaningless, making it look like a hollow ball of fire.
"When the process of a basic formula becomes more complex like this, it becomes a Fireball. Of course, manifesting this puts a considerable strain not only on one's magical power but also on the mind and body."
A marvel that defied reason and understanding.
Loan couldn't take his eyes off the first magic he had ever seen.
At the same time, he made the pencil he'd been given move on its own, transcribing the formula from the blackboard into his notebook.
Of course, he had propped up a book to hide it from the others' view.
Arthur glanced toward Loan before continuing.
"But it doesn't end there. Even if you endure the strain, the problems continue."
Arthur held his palm out toward the crudely shaped Fireball.
A moment later, the Fireball burned itself out where it was.
"The efficiency of magic is quite pathetic compared to swordsmanship. Can someone tell me why?"
Sophie cleared her throat slightly and answered.
"Because even when using the same amount of mana, imbuing a weapon with mana to convert it into aura is far simpler, more powerful, quicker to learn, and can be sustained for longer than manifesting magic."
"Yes, Sophie. An excellent answer, but try to breathe next time."
Her face slightly flushed, Sophie glanced at Loan.
Loan gave her a thumbs-up, making Sophie's cheeks turn even redder.
"A 3rd Class mage's destructive power with a single spell can be great enough to cover several swordsmen, but if they can't sustain that ability for long, they can't be considered a major asset."
There's a limit to enhancing physical abilities with mana. Once it's depleted, you become ordinary.
Magic must be the same.
Wouldn't stronger spells use more mana in a shorter amount of time?
Loan listened intently to Arthur's continuing explanation.
"That's because the power to handle mana—that is, magical power—is consumed rapidly, placing a great burden on the body and mind. A mage's power is proportional to their magical power. It's similar for a swordsman, but the efficiency is different. From a mage's perspective, it's a very bitter truth."
Just as he thought.
If a mage's strength was proportional to their magical power, then he, with his pitifully low mana density, would find it difficult to use powerful magic.
But that was something he had expected.
In fact, Loan could see a certain possibility.
*'I'm not sure, but it seems like there's some sort of instantaneous process when magic is manifested.'*
The flow and changes of mana that occurred when Arthur ran his finger over the formula.
The scattered mana in the atmosphere colliding, generating heat and light in the process, and sweeping up the surrounding mana in the reaction until it finally became a flame—
A chain of phenomena occurring according to a specific action.
If he could manifest those phenomena individually, couldn't he also wield powerful magic?
He wanted to ask, but he couldn't rashly put it into words yet.
If Sienna was right, his ability to observe and attune mana was something only the 'ancient elves' could do.
"Loan. Then what is needed to connect the medium and the phenomenon?"
When Loan remained silent, Arthur changed the subject.
Loan refocused on the lesson.
"Wouldn't it be the formula you wrote on the board?"
"Correct. When the caster's magical power corresponds with the formula, magic is manifested. But it's not feasible to write out the formula every time you cast a spell. Moreover, higher-level magic, which is more precisely controlled, converted, and utilized, requires even more complex formulas, making it incredibly cumbersome."
"Yes, that makes sense."
Arthur used telekinesis to move the eraser and wipe the blackboard clean.
The children responded to the marvel with low gasps of admiration.
Loan was very pleased to see Arthur perform telekinesis without any preliminary actions.
On the clean blackboard, Arthur began to draw something.
"This process involves replacing the steps of the formula with lines and spaces, and then materializing it as an image."
The act of drawing lines and leaving spaces was repeated countless times.
Straight lines filled the space like a spiderweb from the center outwards, with a circle enclosing them. Just looking at it gave a very stable feeling.
"Even so, the content is still vast, so it usually takes the form of expanding concentric circles, which is why we commonly call it a magic circle."
"Ah, do people sometimes inscribe those on their bodies?"
"Yes. Some mages use their magical power to inscribe magic circles on their bodies to quickly manifest frequently used spells."
Loan recalled the tattoo inscribed on Bureau Director Lazaros's forearm.
That might have been the magic circle that had tapped and clung to Loan's palm.
"Does that magic circle react to the caster's magical power?"
"Yes. An earnest thought with a clear purpose, what we call 'intent,' triggers the reaction."
"Then is chanting a conversion of the spell formula into language?"
Arthur, who had been answering readily with a benign expression, suddenly raised an eyebrow.
The question was far from ordinary.
"You didn't ask if it was an abbreviation. Why did you think it was a conversion into language?"
At Arthur's words, Loan narrowed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought.
Then he answered.
"Strictly speaking, the formula you wrote on the board earlier seemed more like a kind of blueprint."
"A blueprint?"
"Yes. That's the feeling I got. A collection of commands combined to achieve the goal of a Fireball. And the magic circle is a processed form of that, expressed with lines, curves, and shapes."
"Hah, is that so? And?"
"I understood the spell formula as an equation and the magic circle as a symbol. If that's the case, wouldn't the words spoken aloud have to be yet another form—language?"
"Ha, haha."
A young child pondering concepts that high-ranking mages of old would have wrestled with.
Arthur's excited heart refused to calm down.