Episode 3
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“Okay.”
Dale said, feeling the ring of mana firmly anchored around his heart.
“… … What did you just say?”
“I can feel the shape of a mana ring engraved around my heart.”
Sepia blinked, doubting her own ears for a moment. But Dale continued talking as if it was no big deal. He acted as if it was someone else’s business.
“Isn’t this the completed form of a ‘circle’?”
“Can you try releasing your magic power along that circle?”
“Yes, sir.”
Dale nodded at Sepia’s words.
Before I knew it, the mana that had been spinning around Dale’s circle had been transformed into a clear form of magical power and was gushing out through my blood vessels.
A formless energy that glows with a soft blue glow.
And──.
“… … !”
Taang!
It no longer remained a condensed mass of magical power, but began to take the form of ice crystals covered in pale frost.
The magical power released from Dale’s fingertips crystallized and cut through the air with a chilling coldness.
Ice Bolt, a water attribute magic that can be considered the most basic of the basics.
Sepia perked up her ears in surprise at the sight.
Dale, too, could not hide his bewilderment at the magic that had just unfolded in his hands.
Dale’s original intention was to experimentally release magical power while incorporating a slight element of cold. However, the magical power released from his fingertips escaped Dale’s control, absorbing the surrounding cold and creating a perfect ‘Ice Bolt’.
‘What the heck is this… …!’
Of course, Sepia was an elf. As a race loved by Mana, this was by no means the first time in her long life that she had witnessed someone possessing talents that defied common sense.
It is understandable that a young wizard who does not have 100% control over his own abilities would unconsciously cast magic while being influenced by his surroundings.
This is especially true for someone as talented as the son of a blacksmith.
Yet, what truly astonished Sepia was something else. It was the ‘form of sophistication’ that Dale’s Ice Bolt displayed.
‘… … Additional formulas are projected to maximize the killing power.’
Three formulas for rotation, acceleration, and density.
It is no wonder that wizards unconsciously project their ‘personality’ into their spells.
It is not uncommon to intentionally add formulas to improve the properties of magic, depending on the purpose.
The problem was that the personality projected into his magic by a mere 8-year-old perfectly embodied the golden ratio of ‘military magic’ that emphasized lethality. It was so sophisticated and complete that it could be used right in the middle of a battlefield… no, it was even more so.
Perfect killing magic.
A chill ran down my spine without me realizing it.
“teacher?”
Dale opened his mouth cautiously towards Sepia, who was flustered. He was watching Sepia’s expression as if he were a frightened child.
“… … No, it’s nothing.”
But Sepia soon shakes her head and smiles.
“I finally understand why the Black Knight expresses such regret.”
Sepia opened her mouth with a bitter smile.
“Which wizard would not desire such a brilliantly shining gemstone as his disciple?”
“teacher…….”
At those words, Dale hesitated again and was about to open his mouth.
“Everyone was here.”
A familiar voice rang out from behind the two people.
“Dale, are you studying hard with your teacher?”
“mother!”
Her mother, Elena, watches Dale with a pleased look.
“Elder Sepia of the Blue Tower, I humbly greet His Majesty the Black Duke.”
And Dale’s father, the Duke of Saxony, was there.
* * *
Immediately after the Duke and Duchess returned, however, the Black Duke did not return to the Duke’s castle alone. This was because Sepia had urgently requested a private meeting with him.
“Your Majesty, may I have a moment?”
The Duke of Saxony’s office on the top floor of the ducal palace.
“Hyunyo Sepia.”
“I owe you a great debt of gratitude, Your Majesty the Duke.”
Sepia bowed her head politely, then immediately opened her mouth.
“This is a story about Prince Dale.”
“What do you mean?”
The black ball narrowed its eyes.
“… … After teaching him how to use mana, I succeeded in imprinting the first circle within a few minutes.”
A faint wave of agitation crossed Black’s expression.
He is the one who reigns at the top of the Black Tower and is one of the five greatest magicians on the continent. So it is impossible for him not to know the meaning of Sepia’s words.
“And then I managed to cast the Ice Bolt right there on the spot.”
Sepia continues.
“An ice bolt with a ‘military formula’ projected on it that wouldn’t look strange even if used in the middle of a battlefield right away.”
Rotation, acceleration, and density.
An additional modifier said to be the most effective in enhancing the killing power of projectile magic.
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“That was a perfect golden ratio, too. It matched the Imperial military combat magic doctrine exactly.”
The moment he heard those words, his father’s agitation flashed across Black’s face once again.
“That means… … .”
“I can no longer teach you, Confucius.”
After a moment of silence, Sepia spoke. Non-killing is the most important doctrine that the Blue Tower pursues. That must be why they are reluctant to teach a child with the ‘talent for killing’.
The black ball, who had guessed so inwardly, opened its mouth.
“Does that mean that you cannot teach talents that go against the doctrines of the Blue Tower?”
“It is true that Prince Dale’s talent is both fearsome and covetable as a wizard.”
Sepia shook her head at Black Gong’s words.
“That is why I also feel the desire to lead Prince Dale correctly with my own hands.”
“Then there is no reason to refuse teaching Dale, right?”
“That is my greed. But.”
Sepia shook her head at Black Ball’s question.
This morning, I recall the conversation I had with my disciple for the first time.
─ But there is another magic I want to learn… … .
“It is impossible for a magician to decide to walk the path of magic due to pressure from those around him.”
You can’t make your child learn magic that he or she doesn’t want to learn just because his or her parents want him or her to. That would be like making him or her inherit a spirit that he or she doesn’t want to learn.
“I believe that Your Majesty the Black Knight knows very well what a terrible result such an act would bring.”
Sepia understood the weight of the words she was saying.
“──His Majesty the Duke’s promise to Lady Elena is respected.”
The Duke of Saxony remained silent.
“However, this does not mean that parents’ promises have the right to determine their children’s future.”
An ideology that was instilled by others. Sepia never took lightly the dangers of such an act, even if it was paved with good intentions.
“This is especially true for someone with such great talent as Confucius.”
A talent that defies common sense.
The difference between a genius and a monster is ultimately a sheet of paper. And Sepia had seen a ‘monster’ like that before.
A monster of slaughter.
For a split second, there was even an illusion that the monster’s shadow overlapped Dale’s appearance.
“… … .”
The black ball kept silence with a heavy face. He knew better than anyone what the wise elf’s words meant.
* * *
While Sepia was talking alone with the Black Ball.
Dale was celebrating his 8th birthday with his mother Elena at the Duke’s Great Hall. However, despite the joyous occasion where everyone was congratulating him, Dale’s heart was not at all at ease.
‘It was immature.’
Rather, Dale swallows his regrets and blames his own immaturity.
The Ice Bolt used in front of Sepia was several times more powerful than Dale had originally expected. The magic that was supposed to be used to reduce its power had gone out of control.
His instincts, which stemmed from living his entire life as an imperial hunting dog, unconsciously projected even into the combat-oriented modification formula.
‘I never thought that the magic I unleashed right after engraving the first circle would have this much power.’
He had grossly underestimated his own ‘vessel’. The fact that Dale was the blood of the Black Tower Lord.
‘The talent contained in this body is far beyond my imagination.’
Moreover, Sepia is the elder of the Magic Tower. It would be a piece of cake to see through Dale’s magic that was unfolding without restraint. Dale could vividly recall Sepia’s astonishment at seeing his own magic.
It was just then.
“Happy birthday, Prince Dale!”
A hearty man’s laughter was heard. He was a man with a bear-like build, over two meters tall.
Even though it was a rare birthday celebration, a knight was wrapped in black armor that was completely watertight.
“Uncle Helmut!”
Only then did the expression of an eight-year-old come over Dale’s face.
Sir Helmuth Blackbear, the Grand Master of the Knights of the Night Raven, directly under the Duke of Saxony.
Sir Helmut was a swordsman who was unrivaled throughout the Duchy of Saxony and the northern part of the Empire.
The strongest knight in the North and one of the Seven Swords of the Continent. At the same time, he is a vassal knight renowned for his loyalty to the House of Saxony.
Before he knew it, Sir Helmuth and his knights were fully armed for battle.
“Are you going to attack the dungeon created in the Demon King’s Territory?”
As expected, Elena, who was next to Dale, asked in a lowered voice.
In this world, the overflow of monsters or the appearance of dungeons are always major issues for the territory. In the case of the Duchy of Saxony, the situation was especially severe.
Moreover, as if things were not bad enough, after the hero defeated the Demon King, he was given the entire Demon King’s territory as a fief and was given an imperial decree to reclaim it as land for the empire.
It’s called a fiefdom award, but in reality it’s just a temporary measure.
The death of the Demon King did not mean that the entire Demon King’s Territory fell into human hands. There were still many dungeons that had not been conquered in the Demon King’s Territory, and various monsters and high-ranking demons were rampant. In addition, the monsters that were overflowing within the territory were a long-standing headache for the Duke’s Territory, even without going to the Demon King’s Territory.
“Please forgive my disloyalty of not being able to celebrate Confucius’ birthday!”
“Take care, Uncle Helmut!”
“Haha, Your Majesty! Are you worried about this Helmut?”
Sir Helmut laughed heartily at Dale’s concern for him.
Right then.
“Bring me Your Majesty the Duke!”
As soon as the two men finished their conversation, one of the attendants raised his voice. The commotion surrounding the Great Hall suddenly stopped.
Silence fell, and a black ball appeared across the blood-carpeted hallway.
With Elder Sepia of the Blue Tower, the butler and attendants of the Saxon House, and several elders of the Black Tower who assist the Black Duke.
“I respectfully greet Your Majesty the Duke!”
Sir Helmut and his knights all knelt down. Clang! The riveted plates of armor clanked together.
The Duke of Saxony crossed the Great Hall straight to where Dale and Elena were.
To the Peacock’s throne towering at the end of the hall.
“Dale. Congratulations on turning eight.”
“Yes, father.”
After the brief ceremony, the sounds of musicians’ songs filled the hall once again. Elena smiled happily as she looked at the two rich men.
“And Elena, thank you for always giving me so much.”
“Dale, come on, tell me what you want from your father.”
Soon, Elena, as if trying to hide her embarrassment, quickly changes the subject to Dale.
‘Because it’s something I want.’
There were many things. The heads of those who had driven him to this state. The Emperor’s head. But Dale did not feel anxious about any of them.
So Dale just said what he wanted, purely at that moment.
“I want a younger sister.”
