The Awakening of the Vibration
“That… Marquis?”
“Yes.”
“Must we be this close?”
“Of course. In fact, it would be even more effective if we were stripped down and skin-to-skin, but I suppose there is a distinction between men and women, isn't there?”
In truth, there was no need for such intimacy. Cleora was simply trying to look her best for Carix, flaunting her abundant assets to appeal to him.
“Hmm. I see. Understood.”
However, Carix, who possessed only the theoretical knowledge gained from reading magic textbooks, was oblivious. He simply nodded at the current situation, where the Marquis had her back pressed against him and was clinging to his entire body like a koala.
“My lower abdomen… it’s getting hot.”
Because of the close contact, the phrasing sounded somewhat suggestive, but it was truly hot. It was a phenomenon that proved her words were not entirely false.
“Oh my? It seems you aren't lacking talent for mana; rather, the resonance training you’ve received until now was simply wrong. It’s not common for resonance to happen this quickly, you know.”
“Until now, I only heard abstract advice about focusing on the mana flowing in my own blood and gathering it in my dantian.”
The villain of the game, Duke Carix, was clearly set up to have overflowing talent for mana. Yet, for some reason, even when I learned about mana seriously and tried until I was half-dead, it never worked.
“Hmm. I suppose you learned it for the first time at the Academy?”
“Yes.”
“The professors there are… how should I put it? They have a strong tendency to teach as if the students already know how to do it. Originally, one should start by very carefully injecting mana into the student’s body to help them feel the mana flowing through their blood vessels…”
“So the professors taught me half-heartedly because I was known as talentless.”
“But didn't you ask Count Dust? Given his skills, I would have thought he knew this method.”
“He’s a commoner by birth.”
“Ah. That’s right. He was a genius type.”
A commoner feeling mana and becoming a junior knight is treated as a miracle in noble society. Yet, Leng was a 4th-grade knight at twenty-six. Objectively, that was enough to be called a genius.
‘But come to think of it, that seems to be because he trained like a brute, just like Leng.’
After seeing Leng’s body shattered, I told him to change the knight order’s training methods. I told him not to force himself to endure through mana and overwork his body. As a result, a letter arrived saying my father had crossed the wall of the 4th grade. The news that he no longer used crutches was quite a happy one.
‘Once I sign the contract, I should let the Marquis know.’
Since she helped me feel mana, I should reward her, too. It would certainly help in rebuilding her shattered family. Of course, I have no intention of sharing this with many people. If this is the average for this world, it’s obviously better for those around me to be ahead of it.
The world’s crisis? The story’s progression? Someone else will do it. It doesn't have to be me at all.
“Phew… shall we stop here for today?”
While I was lost in thought, the Marquis’s abundant body pulled away from mine, letting out a deep, weary sigh.
“Ah. Is it over… Oh. Was it that exhausting?”
The moment I turned my head, I saw the Marquis in a seductive state, drenched in sweat with her dress and platinum-blonde hair clinging to her entire body.
“Hehe. It’s a bit of a strenuous task. Usually, prestigious families call in a 3rd-grade mage to attempt mana resonance if they are a Ducal house or a hegemonic family like ours… or rather, the former Marquisate. I’m still only 5th grade, so it’s a bit difficult.”
“I see. You’ve worked hard.”
When I was younger and acting talentless, the mages who came to our house didn't do anything like this. I’ll have to look into that bastard later. Anyway, seeing the Marquis in such an embarrassing state, I immediately tried to take off my clothes to give to her, but I noticed that I, too, was completely drenched in sweat.
‘Is this normal?’
Heat and sweat that my brain couldn't grasp at all. Fantasy… it really is a bit dangerous.
“Please wash up in my quarters. I’ll have a maid wash and dry your dress.”
“Hehe. May I? Even if I am a Marquis on the verge of ruin, it’s a bit embarrassing to walk around like this.”
So, after taking off the outer coat of the unconscious Leng to cover her and handing the Marquis over to a maid, I returned to my room, took off my top, and sat down, recalling the sensation from earlier.
‘Mana is not a muscle, nor a blood vessel, nor a nerve—it is a completely different organ.’
If it were truly blood or vessels, Carix’s brain wouldn't have stuttered like a poorly coded program.
‘…A non-existent passage. Energy flowing through unknown parts within the body. Memories of my past life are of no help.’
I have completely taken over most of the body through my 21st-century memories, but that is actually what’s holding me back. Therefore, I reason. I create a new organ in my body. I imprint that it was there originally, and I brainwash my own flesh.
“……”
Before, I couldn't feel it at all, so brainwashing wouldn't have worked. But now, I can feel a different energy within my body. As I told my body that it was an organ that had always existed, it gradually began to be recognized like a muscle.
‘I can feel it.’
Exactly two fingers below the navel, an organ that wasn't there before. The sensation of a completely different organ, unlike blood vessels, spreading throughout my body. A hot and ‘familiar’ energy rising all the way to my head.
‘Gather this… in the dantian…’
Rotation and circulation. Flexible and elastic like a muscle. I refine it so the flow doesn't stop.
‘This should be enough…’
Focusing on the mana circulating through my body, I slowly stood up and lightly curled my hand. Then, with a snap of my wrist—the way I usually control my body with my brain—I gave a light flick.
-Fwoosh!
“……”
Oh, man. Fantasy, indeed. That startled me. I just flicked my hand as if giving a light tap on the forehead, but the back of my hand shattered the air. I’ll have to be very careful if I want to control the power.
“……That’s impossible.”
“Oh.”
When I turned around at the sudden woman’s voice from behind, the Marquis, who had returned in casual clothes provided by the maid, was standing there with her eyes wide open, her hair still damp and her face flushed from the bath.
Hmm. The dress was one thing, but the Marquis seems to suit this look better.
“Th-that just now. Mana reinforcement. Right?”
“Oh… I suppose so?”
“‘I suppose so’!? I, the person who just succeeded in resonance, come back after washing up, and you’re suddenly shattering the air with your hand, and you say ‘I suppose so’!!?”
The Marquis approached with wide eyes and placed her hand on my body. Whoa. Wait. You said there was a distinction between men and women. I’m currently shirtless.
“Im-impossible. You’re really circulating mana through your entire body…? How is this happening? The dantian…! Oh… what is this? The mana in your dantian is like, like you’ve been training for 20 years…?!”
Now I know. How she was putting mana into me. Thanks to that, I also knew. That she is truly a talent that appears once every 50 years. To think she has more than double my magical power. It’s hard to believe we are only one year apart.
“Ho, how is this… what, if this happens, the plan…”
“What kind of plan did you have?”
“Ah…? Ah. Ah!! I, I mean, the training plan I was going to teach you about mana resonance has all disappeared! That’s what I meant!”
I chuckled at the Marquis’s flustered appearance. She must have wanted to score points somehow to make a better contract than the current one, but she seemed flustered because I suddenly handled mana better than she had imagined.
But this was something that was originally destined to happen. The original Duke Carix was set up to handle not only physical prowess but also mana well. It was strange that I had been held back until now just because I knew the knowledge of my past life.
“Ha. Now there’s nothing I can help you with.”
“Eh? Why not?”
“Eh. Is there anything? I’m a mage, not a knight…”
“I’m going to learn magic.”
“……Eh?”
The Marquis looked at me as if asking what kind of nonsense I was spouting, but I was serious. There were books I hadn't read because I didn't have them, but there were no books I had that I hadn't read. And all the books on knights or mages said the same thing:
━Mana training and magical conversion, if learned at the same time, will see their efficiency drop to less than a quarter, resulting in poor performance.
━Even those who train their whole lives to reach the 2nd grade cannot cross the wall of the 5th grade.
━Focusing on one thing to break the wall is the true way to use mana.
In the history of this world, there were quite a few people who handled both magic and swords, but they all fell into the ‘mage’ category. Knights don't use magical conversion, so they can't use magic in the first place. Mages can at least use a sword instead of a staff, so they can sword-fight even if they don't use mana-based physical reinforcement. The problem is that their level doesn't reach that of a knight. But me? I can perform brain-based movements that would crush a 3rd-grade knight even before doing mana reinforcement. So, investing in true fantasy—the realm I couldn't understand—is naturally the highest efficiency.
“Marquis, you must teach me some magic as well.”
“Oh… really? Was your goal to be a mage, not a knight?”
“Even now, I can beat someone like Sir Jena without using mana. Then, it’s only natural that I reach out into the realm of fantasy… magic, which I don't understand.”
“……If you make the most of mana reinforcement and gain physical abilities superior to what you have now, you could even reach a 1st-grade knight, a realm of transcendence beyond human limits?”
The Marquis frowned slightly as if she were dissatisfied with my choice, but I shrugged my shoulders.
“I haven't seen a 1st-grade knight yet, but how many 3rd-grade knights can one person beat alone?”
“Oh… I haven't seen one myself, but books say a 2nd-grade knight can beat ten 3rd-grade knights, and a 1st-grade knight can beat five 2nd-grade knights.”
“I can handle three or four knights of Sir Jena’s level without mana. If it’s about killing, I can do even more than that.”
“……What?”
In a sparring match, the calculation is a maximum of 8 people. If it’s just killing, double that is perfectly possible.
“So, teach me magic starting tomorrow. Got it?”
“Ah. Yes…” It was funny to see the Marquis tilting her head as if she understood something but wasn't convinced.
“Ah!”
“?”
“Since you’ve mastered mana resonance, let’s sign the contract now! I’ll give it to you right away…!”
“Rewrite that. I don't want any strange contracts like… night duties. Just write that you will never betray me or the Valentia family. If you betray us, you die. Just write that much. I’ll fill in the gaps tomorrow if I see any.”
“Uh, eh… hmm… Ah, okay. Then I’ll rewrite it and see you tomorrow.”
At the sight of the Marquis making a face as if she were disappointed, it was a very absurd thought, but the image of the Princess slightly overlapped. Oh, that’s a huge insult. I would have felt sorry if I had said it out loud.
Thus, the day I gained mana was passing by.
*****
Cleora was utterly flustered.
‘Is this even possible?’
Why did he finish mana resonance already? No, did he hide some kind of elixir and eat it? If there’s something like that, give me some too!
‘What kind of man did I make an enemy of?’
Until just a moment ago, he didn't have a speck of mana, let alone resonance, but after coming back from a bath, he was casually wielding mana reinforcement at the level of at least a 4th-grade knight, shattering the air. And even at a glance, it wasn't his full power. To think the air would shatter just from a light flick of his wrist. What level of mastery is that? Even Sir Daltian, a 3rd-grade knight, had never shown such a display.
‘My head hurts.’
When I saw his back muscles moving mana through his body while he sat still and focused, I thought, ‘Unlike when he’s dressed, his body is quite sturdy and muscular,’ and I was about to speak to him immediately. But then the amount of mana kept increasing, reinforcing his entire body. And the sight of him shattering the air immediately after—it evoked awe beyond fear.
‘I know that the rope I’ve grabbed isn't a rope, but a steel chain.’
That cannot be broken. If that breaks, the Valkart Kingdom will probably collapse completely. But… still, isn't there a line for that? How can someone who just learned mana resonance handle mana reinforcement at will 20 minutes later?
“But, you want to learn magic?”
If he continues to train only in mana reinforcement and aims for the pinnacle of knights, he might become a monster capable of slicing even the Empire’s greatest sword in one stroke. Even if I can't become the woman of the young Duke, just following behind him would make it not an impossible dream to become the greatest hegemonic noble in the East again. If that’s the case, why magic of all things?
“……Tomorrow, should I speak more strongly?”
His talent, that ‘talentlessness,’ is such a waste. I want to grab his pant leg and beg him to please, please become the world’s greatest sword. But why is he looking elsewhere? Magic is a bit flashy and the flower of the battlefield, sure. But go stand 100 people and ask them. Would you rather become a 1st-grade transcendent knight in your 30s, or spend your whole life on the probability of a miracle happening to become a 2nd-grade mage in your old age? Even if you ask a thousand people, they will all choose the 1st-grade knight. But this person called the young Duke, his head clearly seems good, but…!!
“……Don't tell me. Does he have a fantasy about mages?”
If knight stories are close to secular tales of social climbing, mage fairy tales are close to myths. Of course, mages of that level are… known to exist only one in the entire Empire, across the whole continent.
“Right. Let’s talk well tomorrow. I’m a 5th-grade mage, surely he won't refuse to listen at all?”
We had only met for two days, but the talent he showed in passing wasn't just ordinary; his conversation and behavior were truly close to those of a gentleman, just as he said. I had approached him in a posture of surrender, admitting complete defeat and begging him to just let me maintain my family, but he was the one who told me to take back the rights I had given up.
“It was much more comfortable than talking to other stupid nobles.”
So he will surely listen to what I have to say.
-Clatter!!
“Ah. Marquis. You’ve come.”
“…Eh?”
Thinking that, I visited the young Duke’s quarters again in the evening. He had just lightly grabbed a glass cup, but he was shattering it.
“I practiced alone while reading a book yesterday, but I’m not sure if this is elemental awakening. Could the Marquis check it for me?”
“……Liar.”
“Yes?”
“What! Elemental awakening in just one day…!!”
Beatrix felt as if the monstrous talent before her eyes was slowly tightening around her.
*****
Seeing the Marquis looking at me with teary eyes as if her mentality had truly shattered, I thought, ‘Was the progress a bit fast?’ I did it because it worked after reading the book, but it seemed I had made her feel deprived, as she had been sincere about magic her whole life.
“……Haa.”
“Hmm. I apologize?”
“No. It’s my fault.”
“?”
I don't know what was the Marquis’s fault, but she approached me with the same look as Jena, who had given up on her lord.
“So, you asked if it was elemental awakening, right?”
“Yes.”
“Could you try using it one more time?”
“Yes.”
Cleora, who had tried to make Carix a knight, gave up. Since he showed the talent to teach himself magical training, not just mana resonance and amplification, she figured she could bet on this side too.
-Tremble tremble tremble.
“……Are you using it?”
“Yes.”
As Carix grabbed the table and converted mana into magical power, only the table began to shake as if there were an earthquake. And seeing that, Cleora thought, ‘I’m doomed.’ It was the worst attribute. No, to be precise, it was an attribute that would collapse the user along with it.
“It’s the [Vibration] attribute.”
“Oh. [Vibration].”
“Why are you happy? Didn't you read the magic textbook?”
Somewhere, people say natural attributes like fire, water, wind, and earth are the best. But not in this world. A mage’s attribute is like an individual’s personality. Natural attributes are versatile techniques that anyone can use if they know how to draw magic formulas and circles at the 7th grade.
“I’ve read it. That means I can add vibration to my magic, right?”
Once you cross the 6th grade and awaken an attribute, you can mix the effects of that attribute into the magic you unleash. I learned later that the reason the former Count Berzen caused weathering with wind bombs was not just the effect of wind magic, but the effect of the [Weathering] attribute.
“That’s right. And the vibration attribute is a common ability that more people manifest than you’d think.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And it’s not suited for combat.”
“Eh? Why…”
“Can you increase the power a bit more?”
“Yes.”
When I poured more magical power into the table that was still trembling, the vibration gradually grew until—
-Crack.
“This is the reason.”
The table shattered, unable to withstand the vibration. Surely, if you look at the effect and power, you might think it’s suitable for combat. But the reason the Marquis was talking about was different.
“Because the vibration is transmitted to the user’s body?”
“That’s right.”
If you try to use it as an earthquake attack by vibrating the ground, once the intensity rises, that vibration is transmitted to the user, and there’s no way to avoid being caught in it. If you’re not careful, your own body will be shattered first. Because of that, most mages who use vibration magic were engaged in alchemy or blacksmith support work.
“Young Duke. I won't say anything worse than this. Even now, stop magical training, raise your resonance ability, and choose a career as a knight—”
“Marquis. I don't know how to handle basic magic yet, so can’t you teach me just anything?”
“……Fine. Let’s go to the training ground.”
I thought he was a smart person, but it seems he has a bit of stubbornness. Eventually, Cleora made up her mind.
“I am a 5th-grade mage with the [Crystallization] attribute.”
There was no choice but to show him how shabby the [Vibration] attribute was compared to her own ability, which possessed an attribute truly suitable for combat. Honestly, awakening an attribute—reaching the 6th grade—by self-study in just one day was an astonishing talent. But the attribute he awakened was at a level that hindered his talent.
-Crackle.
“Oh. Did you trap water in a crystal?”
“Yes. Water magic suits me best.”
There are many opinions that the water attribute isn't suited for attack, but the crystallization attribute has enough versatility to overturn those opinions. The strength of the crystal she made is basically stronger than steel. If reinforced with magical power, it can compress and hold more water.
-BOOM!!!
When she threw the crystal containing more water onto the training ground and released it, the highly compressed water spread out like a bomb.
“How is it? My crystallization magic, which contains the basic water magic the young Duke wanted.”
“It’s good. The versatility also looks good.”
The young Duke applauded, saying it was a wonderful demonstration. If he were smart, wouldn't he have realized it with this? I had such expectations, but he was busy trying to implement the water magic he had just seen.
‘It really is an amazing talent.’
He had only seen it once, but his talent of creating water droplets in an instant after a few failures with immense concentration was certainly extraordinary. If his attribute hadn't been [Vibration], I wouldn't even want to force him to become a knight. But seeing the huge mass of water he barely made shaking unstably because of the vibration, I just felt sorry.
━!
“?”
While I was looking at the young Duke with a pitiful gaze, a thin stream of water shot out onto the training ground with a fwoosh. Oh, how did that happen?
“Marquis.”
“…Eh. Yes?”
“Stay behind me for a moment. Since it’s my first time, I might not be able to control it.”
“Yes.”
The power of the water stream wasn't very strong. But the young Duke’s performance, which manifested a phenomenon like [Compression]—which is overwhelmingly superior to any attribute in battle—was clearly reality. If he had noticed something I didn't know and was acting on it, it was absolutely right to follow the words of a magic beginner for now.
And what followed was—
-Swoosh!!
“My, heavens…?”
An indiscriminate slash drawn like a scar on the training ground made of solid marble. It was as if a mage with the [Compression] attribute had gathered light to fire a beam—no, it felt even more dangerous and powerful than that.
“It’s difficult. Because it doesn't fix like compression, but I have to hold the constantly collapsing flow with vibration to maintain it in a single stream. If my concentration wavers even a little, it scatters immediately.”
“Th-this is a failure?”
“Yes. I intended to make only one stream, but it was shot in all directions where the magical power spread. If this happens in a real battle, I’ll grind my allies before my enemies.”
What on earth is this person? Did vibration have such an effect? No, then why couldn't other mages do this until now?! Even now, when it’s a failure of control, it’s to this extent, but if it’s completed… he could grind the battlefield.
“Yo, Young Duke?”
“Yes.”
“By any chance, when you awakened your attribute, did you think of something you desperately wanted or something you absolutely had to achieve?”
Most attribute awakenings manifest according to the person’s personality. When he said he awakened vibration, I assumed it manifested as such a personality because he was a person who shook all his enemies and surroundings, so I jumped to conclusions. But if that’s not it?
“It’s about the investigation of characteristics regarding attribute awakening.”
“Yes.”
To the Marquis’s question, Carix replied with a gentle smile on his face and a voice so soft it was alien.
“I only thought about wanting to kill the opponent more easily, faster, and more painfully.”
“Hiccup…!”
Cleora sincerely prayed that she would no longer be this person’s enemy.
*****
“Then, let’s stop here for today.”
“Yes.”
A few hours passed while the Marquis taught me basic magic and I researched ways to mix vibration into it. Now that the night was deep, I had to send the Marquis back to her quarters.
“Ah. By any chance, did you bring the contract?”
“Ah, yes, of course. Here, read it.”
The Marquis took out a truly warm scroll from her abundant bosom again. What on earth is going on inside that dress? You can’t even tell there’s anything inside from the outside, but things keep coming out.
“Hmm. Good. It’s a clean contract. Then, should I put mana into this?”
“Yes.”
Unlike yesterday, it was a contract that had only the contents I wanted written down. I added just one more line to it.
“‘Any act that hinders the young Duke of Valentia’s revenge is strictly prohibited…’?”
“Yes. It’s an extension of the attribute awakening talk from earlier. I enrolled to avenge my older brother, who passed away after attending the Academy before me. Honestly, I have no interest in the Academy, politics, or the duties of a noble. My goal is just to make those who touched our family and all their families suffer the same pain we experienced… or even more.”
I spoke while putting mana into the contract. Everything from my brother’s death, the intervention of nobles, the circumstances of the Academy’s cover-up, and even the man with blue eyes who is still alive somewhere.
“Fortunately, I searched the Beatrix Marquisate, but there was almost no connection.”
“‘Almost,’ you say…?”
“Among those I killed, there were some who belonged to the Beatrix Marquisate faction. You know the Marquis of Gylos, right? The Beatrix Marquisate had iron ore dealings with them.”
“Ah…”
“Still, I was fortunate. There is a 99 percent chance that neither the Marquis nor the Marquis’s father is related to my brother’s case.”
“……”
However, 1 percent. Information, ledgers, evidence, or even witnesses hidden somewhere I don't know. If such things are revealed even later—
“It will be unfortunate for both of us. For the Marquis, that misfortune will be the last emotion of your life.”
Even though it had only been two days, Carix Valentia stated his end so plainly, despite having built a quite good relationship, that Cleora pressed her chest to stop another hiccup from rising.
“I… will investigate the family one more time. So that the young Duke can have 100 percent certainty.”
The Marquis of Beatrix replied with a tense look, properly recognizing that his words were not only a threat but also ‘the final gateway to becoming his ally by proving the innocence of the Marquisate.’
“Yes. Please check.”
“Yes.”
The two looked at each other and smiled, slightly awkwardly, at the strange sensation that their intentions were perfectly aligned. However, because of the previous words, Cleora swallowed hard, recalling a part she had noticed a little late.
Don't tell me the reason she and her family weren't wiped out was… that he really had no interest in political fighting, and he just pushed her aside because she kept getting in the way of the revenge he was carrying out. If, when she investigated again, her family was even slightly related to the death of the former young Duke—
‘Please, Father. You didn't deal with strange people, did you!?’
Then all the efforts she had made to build a good relationship with him until now would all go down the drain. Contract or not, the Marquisate would be wiped out without exception. Feeling no small amount of fear, she prayed that her father, the former Marquis, was not related to that incident.
“Then, please teach me magic tomorrow as well.”
“Yes! Then at this time tomorrow!”
“Ah. Marquis. Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
When she turned to leave, leaving a promise because she was scared and wanted to return even a little faster, Carix asked her with a serious expression.
“The final exams are coming soon, aren't you a second-year student? Aren't you busy?”
“Eh…? I’m currently on suspension. Didn't you know?”
“Ah?”
It was natural, but even if the Marquis took responsibility and stepped down for the previous incident and the young lady paid the fine, it was impossible for the Academy not to discipline her separately. In the first place, the professors and directors who were lobbied were all fined, imprisoned, or disciplined and dishonorably discharged, so it made no sense for her alone to have no punishment.
“It’s a 6-month suspension, so being held back is certain. I’ll be attending with the young Duke next year.”
“Hmm. Th-, hmm… I apologize?”
“……Hehe. Don't mention it.”
At the sight of the young Duke, who had been directing a threat-that-wasn't-a-threat at her until a moment ago, genuinely flustered and covering his mouth, Cleora felt her heart ease, if only just a little.
“Then, please have a comfortable night tonight.”
“Yes. Marquis, have a comfortable night as well.”
The two parted, bowing to each other.
‘Please, I hope there are no problems with our family and my father.’
‘If possible, I want to save the Marquis family, so I hope there are no problems with the investigation results.’
The wishes of the vengeful ghost and the victim were strangely aligned.