Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Lumi
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The night in the forest conjured a profoundly frightening and mystical atmosphere. The wind blowing in from all directions naturally carried the cries of various animals. Amid the pitch-black surroundings, the only light illuminating the area was the lamp Raymond held.
"I'll teach you the first spell of the Golden Wind School. If you'd studied reading first, we could have covered more ground, but as it stands now..."
Is it really that strange that I can't read? Back in my village, people who knew how to read were the exception, not the rule. Raymond pressed on without pause.
"The world is governed by all sorts of laws. When you light a fire, it inevitably produces intense heat—that's one such example. But magic doesn't follow the laws that already exist in the world. It's the power to create laws that don't exist. That's what magic is."
"I see..."
"For example, like this..."
The moment Raymond trailed off and raised his right hand, a brilliant flame erupted above his palm, scattering bright light in all directions.
"Fire...!"
"That's right. Fire. But it's only fire in appearance. It doesn't carry the scorching heat of real flames."
As he explained, Raymond scattered the flame he'd conjured toward the ground. It fell without so much as a crackle, sprinkling faint light before naturally fading away.
"What you need to learn now is exactly this—imbuing the magic you manifest with a law."
The instant Raymond finished speaking, an intangible wind surged up from beneath his feet, billowing outward. Only after a considerable time had passed did it lightly brush past the surrounding grass.
But the scene unfolding before my eyes was anything but light.
As if sliced by a razor-sharp blade, the grass where the wind had passed was cleanly severed. Watching this, Raymond spoke.
"The most basic attack spell of the Golden Wind School. Reaping Wind, which harvests the barley."
"Whoa... How do you do that?"
"It's belief. Believe strongly that the magic you manifest will produce that effect. That belief becomes the law, strengthening your magic."
"Belief... Belief..."
"It's not an easy method. People's prejudices don't change easily. There's no wind in this world that cuts like a blade. That's the law of this world. But a mage is someone who rewrites those laws."
An astonishing sight had unfolded right before my eyes. I'd only just stepped into the world of magic. With endless possibilities laid out before me, how could I not try it myself?
I immediately summoned a small gust of wind.
The wind I produced was no more than a gentle puff from pursed lips. I directed it smoothly toward the patch of grass and let it fly.
"..."
An obvious result, perhaps. The wind I summoned couldn't slice even a single blade of grass. Raymond watched impassively before speaking.
"From now on, you'll imbue the wind you summon with a law. Listen carefully and remember it well. It's written in the grimoire I gave you, but since you can't read yet, I'll have to relay it orally..."
What flowed from Raymond's lips was an utterly grandiose old tale.
"The sage cloaked in golden winds spoke. 'Why do you toil so to harvest the barley? The wondrous wind can become a sharp blade at times. The winds gathered from heaven and earth charge forth like wolves...'" "Oh..."
"Are you listening properly?"
"Yes."
"This isn't just some story snippet. It's a vital Erkamon that establishes the firm framework of the Golden Wind. You must fully comprehend the beginning and end, and remember it vividly—that will boost the power of all your magic."
⟨ Erkamon ⟩
'It's like implanting firm belief into an image... a kind of incantation. In wuxia novel terms, something like a martial arts mantra?'
Only then did I understand why the mana pathways I'd created didn't function as intended. I'd just thrown them together without structure—they couldn't possibly work right. It was like a machine with an empty interior.
'Now that I get it, I can fix it.'
"Even when hordes of enemy soldiers advanced, raining arrows upon them, there was no retreat. The golden wind is a shield guarding the body, a spear piercing the foe..."
Raymond's tale droned on endlessly. At first, I concentrated to memorize it, but soon enough, the latter parts washed over me. It had grown too long, exceeding what I could commit to memory in one go.
And with that, a thought struck me: to outsiders, mages must look like raving lunatics.
Based on the lessons so far, mages were people who believed in absurdly long, fantastical stories as literal truth.
'Guess I'll have to wall myself off from the world...'
Building a sturdy barrier between oneself and the world to construct a firm personal reality. That would translate directly to magical prowess. Maybe that's why Raymond lived isolated deep in these woods.
The next morning.
Alone again after Raymond left the house, I stepped outside to practice my magic.
It had only been difficult at the start. Once I grasped the method, I could immediately imbue my wind with the property of a blade.
'The sage cloaked in golden winds spoke. "Why do you toil so to harvest the barley? The wondrous wind can become a sharp blade at times..."'
I paused mid-spell and thought: this is way too long. This Erkamon tale was undeniably helpful for wielding a school's magic.
People grow accustomed to repetition. If I recalled the Golden Wind Erkamon every time I cast a spell, it might cause issues later when using other magics.
Magic is a discipline of infinite possibilities. Limiting my own potential like this wasn't the way.
Then I'd just make my own.
I already had everything I needed. All that remained was an Erkamon to infuse imagination with belief.
'It needs infinite possibilities. And... the capacity to embrace all variety...'
The moment I closed my eyes, a library surrounded by bookshelves on all sides materialized.
'Everything in this world is magic to me. I reject no knowledge, for I alone will wield it... No need for posturing. This grimoire that shines most brilliantly shall be my creed—teach me everything...'
It didn't have to be perfect right away. Just sketch the framework to get the feel.
'Keep it concise. What this world's people lack is imagery, and Erkamon fills that void... But I have plenty, so no need to drag it out...'
The wind spread out in a wide arc, sharply slicing the surrounding grass.
If I could apply similar laws, there was no need for cumbersome methods.
I experimented with other spells too, but my limited mana reserves made anything large-scale impossible.
All I could manage now was granting razor sharpness to a small gust.
'The more complex and potent the law... the more mana it demands...'
Raymond had said that familiarity with mana would naturally increase the total amount I could handle. That's why child mages could wield greater power.
Time would solve it, but I wanted to accelerate the process now.
'How to integrate this into my heart... At least it's stable for now...'
I shrank it down a bit and slightly boosted the rotation.
Images of rotation, amplification, mana circles, circulation—all surfaced naturally. I selected a few essentials and envisioned them. It didn't need to be perfect from the start. As long as the mana consumed for maintenance was less than what it drew in.
I was deep in these fine adjustments when suddenly—thunk!—a sensation hit, accompanied by a deep mental click as if gears had meshed.
'It's done...!'
A fitting name for this perpetual engine came to mind.
'What else could it be?'
Mana Circle.
Goal achieved. Now for a spell.
I envisioned the same wind as before. Reaping Wind, infused with blade-like sharpness.
In that instant.
With a sharp sound, wind burst from my feet in a perfect circle.
The spell's activation speed had skyrocketed. It was inevitable.
Using internal mana eliminated the need to draw from the environment, and I'd streamlined the lengthy Erkamon. I'd skipped two crucial steps entirely.
An overwhelming surge of euphoria made my body tremble.