Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Light (5)
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“...As such, the Gruel Chant offers greater flexibility in the activation stage and possesses even more extensibility.”
Thick gray clouds were rolling in outside the window. It looked like they’d unleash a downpour any second.
I needed to get home before the rain started, but my fingers wouldn’t let go of the book. My gaze kept drifting back to the pages, and my voice was utterly absorbed in reciting the text verbatim.
“To accurately visualize the image in one’s mind, the practitioner requires rigorous training and experience.
Though the process is complex and arduous, once mastered, it allows for faster and more precise spellcasting than any other incantation method.
This efficiency is comparable to the now-extinct Troyan Imperial magic...”
Hmm.
I paused my reading and retraced that final sentence.
‘Comparable to Troyan Imperial magic,’ huh.
As a former Troyan Imperial mage, I had to disagree.
Troyan Imperial magic was worlds apart from the magic here in Prion—that is, the Southern Kingdom style.
Having once been a mage of the Troyan Empire and now learning the essence of Southern Kingdom magic in Prion, I could feel the difference all too clearly.
The textbook Luwen had assigned as homework covered the Gruel Chant, one of the Southern Kingdom’s simplified incantation methods.
In simple terms, it activated spells just by mentally conjuring preset patterns.
Since it didn’t require drawing magic circles or writing out incantations, it was relatively efficient and quick even for Southern Kingdom magic.
Still, it relied on those ‘images’ as a medium.
Troyan Imperial magic, by contrast, needed only immense innate mana and the iron will to wield it freely.
No words, no diagrams, no mana-infused stones or even wands—though they were sometimes used for efficiency, they weren’t essential.
While Southern Kingdom magic prioritized practicality, Troyan Imperial magic focused on devastating offensive spells, large-scale tactical magic, and theoretical pursuits that delved into the essence of the world.
Imperial mages were all high nobility, desperate to rack up achievements and make their family names known.
All of that was gone now, of course...
I closed the book, refusing to turn the page any further.
It hadn’t been long since Luwen taught me mana control, but I’d quickly realized Southern Kingdom magic just didn’t suit me.
His lessons had some effect at first.
But as my mana grew in quantity and density, it started grinding like mismatched gears, throwing everything out of whack.
I felt those warped gears throughout my entire body.
The seizures came more frequently, and my stamina plummeted.
Even taking the medicine Grain prescribed morning and night didn’t help much.
My vision blurred. Dizziness washed over me, and I slumped forward onto the book.
To distract myself, I let my eyes wander around the room.
Luwen’s study was impeccably neat and organized.
Two walls were lined with bookshelves, and a large display case brimmed with all sorts of exotic magical tools.
By the window sat Luwen’s massive desk, every sheet of paper on it perfectly aligned without a single disturbance.
When’s Teacher Luwen coming back?
Studying alone without him felt so empty.
The air in the room even felt unusually chilly.
No matter how busy, Luwen always made time for me. No matter how tired, he delivered lessons with a smile that made them fun.
And yet his passion for magic and his skill outshone anyone else in the tower.
He managed the tower’s mages while overseeing Prion’s defensive spells, attending knight order meetings to offer magical advice...
That diligence had earned him the position of chief mage at Althur Tower.
Not because he was Grand Mage Claus’s adopted son, but purely through skill and effort.
I wish Teacher would come back soon.
I was already sick of reading alone in this empty study.
It would’ve been more fun with Wedin here...
Althur Tower was a research facility for mages, so ordinary folk couldn’t enter.
Not even Wedin, Clemence, Shuren—heck, not Grain or Erner—without permission.
Couldn’t I take the textbook home for homework?
I rested my head on the book, pondering.
Taking tower items outside was normally forbidden, but maybe a textbook would be okay.
If I got permission from someone else in the tower...
I pushed back my chair and peeked out into the hallway.
This was near the top of Althur’s central tower. Only one or two other chief mages’ studies nearby.
So the corridor was deserted.
I strained my ears but heard no footsteps.
I hung from the study window, peering outside.
Cool high-altitude air carried the scent of autumn leaves and honey-laden flowers.
Althur Tower stood in Prion’s northwest.
A massive, slightly gloomy gray spire, with auxiliary buildings clustered around the central tower.
Beyond lay the dense northern forest stretching to Prion’s walls.
Luwen once mentioned eccentric mages with hidden labs deep in those woods.
Most mages worked in the central tower, annex labs, or tactical research centers, conducting studies Prius demanded.
They’d deploy with knight orders on request, fighting alongside them.
“Ah.”
I spotted a redheaded woman passing between garden trees and leaned against the window frame.
Luwen’s assistant, Airan.
In her gray robe, she walked slowly, her fluffy golden tail swaying.
Heading to the rear garden between Althur Tower and the White Guard quarters, it seemed.
Temporary tents dotted the garden—some joint research with a complicated name, probably.
From here, I couldn’t see what they were doing, but one thing was clear.
Airan would let me take the textbook and notes home.
I dashed across the study and into the corridor, hurrying toward the rear garden.
After racing down the spiraling stairs to the first floor, I paused to catch my breath.
Be careful. Even slight shortness of breath triggers coughing.
But I was anxious Airan might vanish.
“Oh, Liberic...”
“Hello!”
I gave hasty greetings to those who recognized me, then hurried on.
Naturally, I was the youngest allowed in Althur Tower. The youngest ever, even.
Mages with talent usually started serious study around twelve, at knight academy age.
So I, tagging along with Luwen since seven, drew stares wherever I went.
I didn’t mind anymore, but those looks at the odd kid weren’t always comfortable.
Using my small size to my advantage, I wove between buildings and trees, reaching the goal swiftly.
I paused at the rear garden entrance, peering at the facilities inside.
A tall iron fence encircled it—unseen from the study window earlier.
Inside, tents of various sizes stood amid bustling mages and knights.
It was pretty spacious.
No sign of Airan. I’d have to go in and look.
Creeeak...
Confirming no one around, I nudged the gate open and slipped inside.
The mages came and went so often between tower and garden that it wasn’t locked.
“A kid?”
A gruff voice from behind startled me. I whipped around.
An unfamiliar knight looked down at me curiously.
“How’d you get in here? Who’re you with?”
“Uh, I’m looking for Airan sis.”
I hesitated in my reply. Couldn’t get chased off now.
“Investigator Airan? She’s probably...”
The knight thought for a moment, then pointed to a large blue tent deeper in.
“In that big blue tent, I’d say. But...”
“Thank you!”
I bowed quickly and bolted for the blue tent before he could stop me.
He let out a surprised “Huh?” behind me but didn’t follow, thankfully.
The blue tent dwarfed the others and stood a bit apart.
As I approached, I realized it was different.
A mana flow, imperceptible in other tents, caught my eye.
Thin lines of mana snaked across the ground beneath my feet, forming complex ritual structures and patterns spanning the entire garden.
The flow was so faint I hadn’t noticed until now.
I brushed aside the faint mist-like mana creeping up my ankles and approached the blue tent.
The mana thickened, growing heavier.
It’s centered on this tent. A defensive barrier? Some research spell?
My Southern Kingdom magic knowledge was still basic—I could see mana flows but not yet decipher the spells.
Like hearing a language without understanding it.
I’d need much more study for that.
I gripped the blue tent flap, hesitating. Even the fabric pulsed with mana, shimmering faintly.
Is it okay to go in?
After a moment’s doubt, figuring I could just call for Airan, I cautiously peeked inside.
The interior was far darker than expected.
No warm autumn light penetrated, and there were no lamps.
Only a thin ray from the slight gap I’d opened sliced through the gloom.
“Airan sis?”
I called into the silent, lightless darkness, voice thick with suspicion.
No response.
Airan wouldn’t hide in the dark if she were here.
Yet I sensed something present.
Curiosity bubbled up.
What were all these people doing with this massive magic circle and makeshift labs?
I stepped inside, pulling the flap shut.
A faint light still seeped in.
I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark.
Gradually, the tent’s outlines emerged from the shadows.
Miscellaneous crates piled in one corner, chairs and a round table in another.
And in the center loomed something huge, reaching the ceiling.
I reached out, sensing the mana emanating from the crate-like object.
A strangely familiar feeling...
“You can’t be in here.”
A rough, deep voice made me freeze.
As my eyes fully adjusted, a man came into view—sitting inside an iron-barred cage.