Entwined Mana: Road to the Capital
I'd come up with the idea for remote control magic. A spell that let me interfere with space from anywhere, even if I wasn't at the Grand Duke's Castle.
To take that first step, I needed a bit of preparation.
"Where are you going?"
"Just here and there."
"I'll come with you!"
As I passed through the inner courtyard, Kian and Yriel tagged along behind me. It was like a mother duck and her ducklings.
...Though I'm the smallest one.
I ignored that fact and sorted out my thoughts.
"Hmm…."
It would've been nice if I could interfere freely anywhere without limits, but sadly, that wasn't possible. The best I could do right now was entwine the mana at point A with the mana at point B, then carry one of them with me. My idea was that manipulating the mana I carried would affect the other one simultaneously.
That's why I was busily visiting all the spots that might need me.
First up: the central lobby of the inner castle. I created a large mana crystal inside, gathered the surrounding mana, and entwined their information.
"Kian."
"Yes?"
"Stand still right there."
Since it was my first time trying this magic, I needed at least one test run. Even if the theory was perfect, you never knew how it'd turn out.
"Can I stand here too?"
I nodded to Yriel, who was beaming innocently, then slipped outside to observe the entwined mana.
"Ah, could you not go in for a sec?"
"Y-Yes? Sure."
I stopped a servant carrying a laundry basket from entering, then focused my mind again.
The element to collapse: light.
Really, really bright light.
—Flash.
The moment I collapsed the element in the mana I'd entwined, light leaked out through the door crack and windows simultaneously.
An instant reaction.
Heading back inside, I saw Kian wandering off in the wrong direction and Yriel in the center, arms outstretched, groping at thin air.
"…You guys okay in there?"
"Professor! I can't see!"
It looked like a perfect success.
"Ahem."
"Professor?"
"Your sight should come back in about a minute."
That was my rough estimate—and surprisingly, it was spot on! Exactly 54 seconds later, Yriel rubbed their eyes and blinked rapidly.
Yriel whipped their head around, searching for me.
"Did you just use magic remotely?"
"Yeah. Kinda sucks that it's one-use only, though…."
There was no helping it. The magic only worked because the two entwined mana particles shared a single state. Quantum entanglement collapsed the moment you fixed the state.
Once fired, that particle pair was done for.
I clicked my tongue in regret and re-entwined the lobby's mana.
Still, being usable in real combat was something.
"Hmm…."
If there were solid-state natural mana, it might be reusable. But I hadn't seen anything like that yet.
Leaving the central lobby behind, I headed up the stairs to Arwen's office next.
Knock knock.
"Ruen? Come in."
Like a proper lady, I knocked twice and waited for the room's owner to give permission. Of course, Kian and Yriel couldn't follow me all the way inside this time either.
"What is it this time?"
"Uh… I wanna install a remotely controllable magic circle here."
If the Grand Duchy got hit with a surprise attack, Arwen would definitely be target number one. And she spent her whole day in this office, except when sleeping.
"You can do that too?"
"It's not that hard. But how'd you know it was me from the knock?"
"Oh… well, the sound came from down low. Anyway, good to see your face. Come by often, even if it's nothing."
I'd come here planning to leave the North soon, but her words made me feel a little guilty.
I pursed my lips, entwined the room's mana, and bolted out like I was fleeing.
Outside, Yriel was craning their neck, peeking through the office door crack.
"Next spot."
Straight to the castle walls near the magic beast perimeter.
On the way, Yriel poked my shoulder with a finger.
"Can't you adapt this magic for teleportation?"
"Teleportation?"
"Yes! A great mage researched it a century ago! He failed and got stuck in a wall and died, but…."
"Hmm… Nah, not doing that."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't impossible. If I broke down my body info to the atomic level, transmitted the probability data to a preset spot, it could work.
But I didn't want to risk that philosophical mess. Was the transmitted me really me, or just a perfect copy?
Not even magic could answer that.
"I see…."
Yriel smacked their lips in disappointment.
The more I watched, the clearer it was—Yriel purely loved magic itself. That's probably why they could keep that childlike innocence despite living so long.
Riding the moving walkway and escalator, we quickly reached the top of the walls.
"Grrr…."
It'd only been a week since we wiped out the magic beast wave, but beasts were already piling up beyond the walls again, one or two at a time.
I flicked my finger.
—Whirr.
I manually activated the turret, took out the beast, and entwined the mana across two wide sections of the wall.
"Such incredible power…!"
Yriel's eyes sparkled at the spot the mana arrow had pierced.
"Come to think of it, this is your first time seeing the turrets in action, right, Tower Master?"
Kian smirked, running a finger under his nose. Even though he'd just copied my work, he seemed proud of the ones he'd installed.
As I double-checked the space's mana and turned to go—
"Why develop remote magic all of a sudden?"
"Oh, didn't I say? Thinking of heading to the capital."
I said it casually, but Yriel and Kian's eyes went wide at the same time.
"Wh-Why the capital?!"
"…I'll go with you."
Well, uh….
How to explain? I couldn't say the world differed from the novel I'd read, so I wanted to check it out.
"……Just 'cause."
Best answer I had. Sort of.
"I'll go too! I came to meet you—if you leave, I got no reason to stay!"
Why were they like this…?
Both insisted on following me.
"At least one of you has to stay."
I sighed, watching them glare sideways at each other. If one had to come….
"Hmm… Duel, then!"
"D-Duel???"
Kian jumped in shock at the word, waving his hands frantically. He still lacked confidence against the Tower Master. Total wimp.
"Nah, rock-paper-scissors!"
"What's that?"
Kian looked baffled.
"Oh, not here?"
I briefly explained humanity's fairest duel method, perfectly balanced.
They got it right away and nodded.
"…Ah, that's what you meant by duel."
Yriel smacked their lips and put away their staff—they'd apparently been prepping for a real fight.
From their view, Kian was just a kid. But giving your all even against a child? Not bad.
That's how mages should be. Yeah.
Next moment, the two faced off. I stood between them, raising my hand like a blade.
"Ready… set!"
It was just for a month max. I was only leaving briefly, but their faces were dead serious as they prepped rock-paper-scissors.
Atop the North's dividing walls. They hid their hands in their sleeves and gulped dryly in unison.
"Rock."
Even the beasts fell silent in the tension, as the blizzard played its symphony.
"Paper."
Light gleamed in Yriel's golden irises.
"Scissors!"
Hands thrust out together.
Kian: rock. Yriel: scissors.
"I win…!"
As Kian whooped in victory—
A massive golden scissors illusion formed over Yriel's hand and shot toward Kian's.
—Crunch.
Scissors beat rock.
"Hmm… Yriel wins."
"What??? But I won!"
"Nah. Scissors are steel, rock's just rock."
Technically correct, engineering-wise. Scissors are sharpened steel; rock's just an unstable crystal clump. If scissors match rock's mass and hardness, rock crushes every time.
"Tough break…."
First student or not, competition's ruthless.
I patted Kian's slumped shoulder as Yriel grinned at him.
"If it bugs you, train harder!"
◈ 114 pages of custom magic problems
◈ Solve while I'm gone, kid!
Their bright laughter pierced the howling blizzard, echoing across the entire wall.
*
I set off for the capital a week later.
On the day the Silver Fox Merchant Group's wagons returned from their third trade run, stuffed with shiny furs and ores. I hopped aboard one.
"Have a safe trip…."
"Don't mope. Work through the workbook I gave you."
Before leaving, I'd handed Kian two things: one portion of my entwined mana, and the workbook.
Seeing the 114-page tome clutched in his arms, I grinned proudly.
"Any problems, contact me with that!"
From the sky-crossing wagon, I waved.
My first time leaving the North.