The Path of a Magic Swordsman, Part 2
Ever since I decided to learn magic, one thought kept echoing in my mind: I was a fool. I thought having a talent for mana meant I would pick up spells in no time, but it turned out I only had a talent for mana itself—not magic. Even when I visualized a formula, I couldn't construct a magic circle, and even the circles I drew by hand refused to activate. Yes, that was the reality. The only magic I could actually use was a basic Mana Bolt.
I threw my head back and squeezed my eyes shut. My past self, who had been so giddy at the prospect of wielding elemental magic, now seemed utterly pathetic.
“Sigh...”
Micaris Merian looked at me as I let out another heavy sigh and asked, “Why the long face?”
“I had no idea I'd be this hopeless at magic. I thought it would be similar to swordsmanship...”
“Of course it isn't. Magic requires years of steady study from a young age. Though, to be fair, I've never seen a case like yours before...” Micaris trailed off. Was she feeling sorry for me?
“Well, I'll head to the training grounds for now. I might as well master the Mana Bolt.”
“How optimistic. Very like you.”
Trudge, trudge. My feet felt like lead as I made my way to the training grounds.
“...”
I couldn't form a mana circle. The stars in my heart were acting as a substitute. Could that be why I couldn't use elemental magic?
“Hmm...”
But what could I do? Every time I tried to form a circle, the stars forcibly absorbed the environmental mana. I decided to run a few experiments to see if I could at least make the most of this Mana Bolt.
“Mana Bolt.”
Phew! A condensed sphere of mana arced through the air. However, its destructive power was nothing to write home about.
Will I ever actually have a use for this?
If I needed a ranged attack, unleashing sword qi would be vastly superior. If I just needed a distraction, conjuring a gust of wind with Aeterna would be far more effective. In other words, this Mana Bolt was practically useless.
“...”
This wasn't the outcome I had hoped for. Refusing to give up, I ran several more experiments. I tried firing sword qi and a Mana Bolt simultaneously, charging forward while firing consecutive bolts, rapid-firing them like a machine gun, and even launching them from within a conjured gale. All of it was possible, but none of it was particularly practical. Well, I suppose it all depended on how I used it. I decided to settle for this. Now that I knew elemental magic was out of the question, I didn't have high expectations anyway. Surely, an opportunity to use it would present itself eventually. Like that pack of kobolds during the Dungeon Practice...
“Sigh...”
I tried to accept it, but letting go wasn't easy. The deep sigh escaping my lips was proof of that.
Maybe I should go ask Lonia for advice.
“You're learning magic?”
“Yes, but I can't seem to draw magic circles. Let alone construct formulas.”
“Hmm...” Lonia tapped her desk, lost in thought. “Are you experiencing any unusual phenomena?”
“Unusual phenomena?”
“Like being unable to form a circle, or being completely locked out of elemental magic... things of that nature.”
As expected of Lonia. She was incredibly sharp, pinpointing the exact issues that had been plaguing me.
“Exactly. Even if I want to form a circle, the stars of my Aura interfere, and I can't use elemental magic at all.”
“Mmm...” Lonia sank back into contemplation. “It's highly likely that the lack of a circle is preventing you from using elemental magic. The same goes for the formulas. As for your Aura absorbing the mana and preventing a circle from forming... I'm afraid I don't know how to solve that either.”
In the end, it meant I had to figure out the relationship between circles and stars on my own... I was never exactly a straight-A student back in school, though.
“Thank you for the advice, Lady Lonia. Thanks to you, I think I know what I need to do.”
“I'm just glad I could help, Lord Hound! I truly hope you achieve a wonderful breakthrough.”
Lonia wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into another deep embrace.
“Um...”
“I'm just recharging my Hound-energy. If I don't do this once in a while, I won't be able to bear it.”
“Haha...”
Lonia really was adorable. Being showered with affection by so many women was something the real-world me could never have even dreamed of. I'm always grateful, Author!
“I should head to the library and look up some relevant texts.”
“Would you like me to help you?”
“No, thank you. This is something I need to figure out myself.”
“Hehe, that is so like you, Lord Hound.”
Leaving Lonia's warm hospitality behind, I made my way to the library of Estrada Academy. Barring forbidden grimoires, almost any book imaginable could be found there. Surely, there would be something on magic swordsmen.
But is there really a book that explains the relationship between circles and stars?
Upon arriving at the library, a familiar face greeted me.
“Hound!”
At Line's loud exclamation, I quickly whispered, “Shh! We're in a library.”
“Ah, my bad...”
“Anyway, it's surprisingly empty at this hour.”
“Most people just check books out to read them.”
True, reading in the comfort of one's own room was much more convenient. Personally, though, I preferred reading in the library. There were fewer distractions to break my focus.
“So, what brings you to the library?”
“I'm looking for books on magic.”
Line looked at me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Magic? You're trying to learn magic?”
“Yes. After fighting the Crown Prince, the path of a magic swordsman seemed rather appealing.”
“Well, yeah. If you can pull it off, a magic swordsman has a much higher ceiling. But...”
I knew what she was going to say. Becoming a magic swordsman wasn't something just anyone could achieve, right?
“I know. It's easy to end up being mediocre at both. But since I've already reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, learning a bit of magic shouldn't hurt, right?”
“Fair point. Since I've already read most of the alchemy books here, I'll help you search.”
“I'd appreciate that.”
Together, Line and I gathered every book in the Estrada library concerning circles and Aura, and I immediately began speed-reading through them. And as always, a familiar complaint arose: God, the readability of these books is atrocious! Seriously. To someone like me, who was used to the breezy format of web novels, these dense walls of text were a nightmare to parse. Granted, they were academic texts, so it was only natural.
Just then, my eyes caught a page containing information on the relationship between stars and circles.
The Path of the Magic Swordsman: Step One
1. Store mana within your stars to substitute for circles.
2. Maintain a clear distinction between mana and Aura.
3. To ascertain your affinity, you must first resolve steps one and two.
Hmm... I felt like I was starting to understand why the only magic I could use was the basic Mana Bolt.
But what does it mean to store mana in the stars to substitute for circles?
I continued to scour the surrounding books, but none of them explained the actual method of replacing circles with Aura stars.
Don't tell me it's just a matter of raw talent...?
A cold dread washed over me. Honestly, I could just ask the Crown Prince, but he wasn't exactly someone I could casually drop in on. I scratched my head with both hands, frustration driving me up the wall. This was supposed to be the finest library in the entire Empire, yet the information was so incredibly lacking.
Right then, Line called out to me. “I found it! The secret of the magic swordsman!”
“Really?”
Had the book I needed been in her hands all along? Thank goodness.
“Let's see... According to this, wielding both Aura and mana simultaneously is akin to splitting your heart in two.”
“...Splitting your heart in two?”
“The text says that from the moment you begin gathering mana, it is already stored within your stars. However, to actually utilize that mana, you must completely deactivate your Aura. In other words, the control required is incredibly precise.”
Deactivating Aura completely... Did that mean the Crown Prince shut off his Aura to cast a spell, and then immediately reactivated it the moment the spell ended? And then repeated that cycle over and over? ...But back then, he had used Aura and magic at the exact same time. Had he pre-loaded his sword with Aura, and then activated his mana to fuse the two?
Is this what true talent looks like?
I couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for the Crown Prince. There was a reason a proper magic swordsman was considered absolutely broken.
“Thank you, Line. You've cleared up all my doubts.”
“So, where's my reward?”
“A reward? If it's within my power...”
Line suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.
“Lady Line?”
“You said you'd do it if it was within your power, didn't you?”
Hugging in a public place like this... Line was definitely getting bolder. I'd heard she was still cold and stiff to everyone else, so was this treatment exclusive to me...?
A satisfied smile bloomed on Line's face. “Alright, that's enough. I have a lecture to attend, so I'll be off.”
“Have a good class, Lady Line.”
Line's steps were light as she headed toward the lecture hall. She had been an immense help, and I was deeply grateful. Now, it was time to focus on magic. I buried myself back in the books on magic swordsmen.
So the key to becoming a magic swordsman is the precise regulation of Aura and mana.
Of course, if it were as easy as it sounded, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would be a magic swordsman. It was going to be tough. But sitting around thinking wouldn't solve anything. I immediately headed back to the training grounds.
I completely dispelled the Aura enveloping my body. It had been a long time since I felt like an ordinary human. I could instantly feel the drop in my physical power, though the muscles I had diligently built up over time still provided decent raw strength.
Next, I focused entirely on sensing mana. Drawing on my experience with gathering Aura, I began channeling mana into the stars in my heart. Soon, a vibrant energy, distinctly different from Aura, began to circulate from my chest.
Is this mana?
Recalling the formula for determining elemental affinity from the book, I immediately began constructing a magic circle. And then...
Whoosh!
My affinity revealed itself. It was the dark attribute.
Wait, doesn't this make me a dark mage? Then why on earth did I manifest pure white Aura?
This was highly problematic. A dark mage... that was a one-way ticket to being ostracized. I had envisioned myself blasting fire like the Crown Prince, freezing the ground like Whinston, or unleashing lightning like Micaris. But what could I do? My attribute was dark. This wasn't a winning lottery ticket; it was a cheap gift card.
Granted, the dark attribute had plenty of powerful spells—necromancy to raise zombies and ghouls, decay, curses, and destruction. But wielding dark magic in a world already plagued by Contamination felt a bit on the nose. Still, shadow-based spells could be incredibly useful. The fact that they blinded both myself and my enemies was usually a drawback, but for me, it wasn't an issue at all. I had the Eye that Sees Crisis. Thinking about it that way, it was actually a pretty decent attribute.
I immediately opened the spellbook I had borrowed from the library and tried casting various dark spells. I had a sinking feeling, and it turned out to be true: I possessed absolutely zero talent for magic. Despite having the mana of a 6-Star powerhouse stored in my six stars, the only spell I could cast was the 1-Circle dark magic, Darkness Haze. Anything beyond that refused to activate—the magic circles wouldn't even form, let alone the formulas. My sheer volume of mana easily surpassed the 1-Circle threshold, yet I was stuck.
Darkness Haze was a spell that released a thick black fog to completely blind everyone within its range. It was a decent utility spell, but... having a massive mana reservoir equivalent to a 6-Star and only being able to cast a 1-Circle spell? Was this a joke? The sheer unfairness of it was driving me mad. Aside from that, I could infuse my Mana Bolt with the dark attribute.
Was becoming a magic swordsman just greedy of me?
I felt like bursting into tears right then and there. But suddenly—BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed from outside the training grounds. The entire building shuddered. The air vibrated unnaturally, and the ground trembled. My instincts screamed at me: someone was releasing an immense amount of power.
“What's going on?”
I quickly rushed out of the training grounds.
“Micaris Merian, was it? Pleasure to meet you.”
“Who are you?”
“Me? Forne Gillette.”
I could see it through his squinted eyes. Pitch-black sclerae, blood-red pupils, shoulder blades protruding like skeletal wings, and elongated fingers resembling the claws of a demon. He was a Demonic Human.
“Why did you come looking for me?”
“You're precious to Hound, aren't you? I really can't stand that guy. He's strong, loved, and capable... he has everything, doesn't he?”
“...So you became a Demonic Human out of sheer inferiority and jealousy toward Hound? How pathetic.”
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Forne Gillette closed the distance and choked Micaris.
“Kegh... cough...”
“You're in no position to talk back to me. You're going to have to come with me for a bit. It won't take long...” Forne Gillette let out a twisted laugh. “I wouldn't recommend resisting. My patience is a little thin these days.”