Novel

목마10-13 minutes 22.07.2022

“Ahem… but I’ve heard that the Red Tower Master’s heart is as broad and as deep as the sea,” Trempel flattered the absent Lovellian. “Rather than being offended, I’m sure he would be pleased that you’re seeking guidance from a senior scholar.”

“If that’s the case, allow me to ask Master Lovellian for permission directly.”

“Hey now… why do you need to do that? Instead, let’s just do this. You and me, why don’t we just keep it a secret between us. You won’t have to feel any stress from confronting your master, and the Red Tower Master won’t lose any face either. As for me…. I’m just happy to be contributing to your research—”

“Please excuse me,” Eugene quickly slipped past Trempel without listening any further.

Trempel reached out to Eugene with a face full of regret, but in the end, he sighed and shook his head.

Trempel silently cursed to himself, ‘Darn it.’

“Fucking Hell,” Eugene had also spat out a curse as soon as he got some distance away from Trempel.

If he said that he didn’t want to do it, then Trempel should just accept it. Why continue to pester him like this?

‘Since he doesn’t know about my progress with the Eternal Hole, it’s still only at this level. If he found out the truth, he might even try to crawl through my bedroom window,’ Eugene shuddered at this thought.

The only ones who knew that Eugene had managed to replicate the Eternal Hole with the White Flame Formula were Lovellian and Mer.

If Eugene were an Archwizard at Trempel’s level, upon replicating the Eternal Hole, anyone with sufficient mana sensitivity would be able to detect the state of his magic and the revised application of his mana. However, the ‘Ring Flame Formula’ that Eugene had created appeared no different from the White Flame Formula until someone saw him casting a spell.

In other words, they wouldn’t be able to find the truth just from looking at him. This had several advantages for Eugene, as this meant that Eugene could completely hide his progress in magic from higher-level wizards.

Lovellian had said that when looking at Eugene with ‘magical’ sight, he didn’t appear to be a wizard at all. This was obviously because he didn’t have any Circles.Nêww 𝒄hapters will be fully updated at (n)ov(𝒆)l/bin(.)com

It also meant that even when he cast magic without using the Ring Flame Formula, it would be difficult to detect the level of his magic. If they used the flow of his mana to estimate his level… he appeared to be around the Fourth Circle.

But when he used the Ring Flame Formula….

“…If you set aside which spells you’re using and just look at how much power they hold, you appear to be far beyond the Fifth Circle,” Lovellian said once he had gotten over his surprise.

They were currently in one of the underground laboratories beneath the Red Tower of Magic.

Although Lovellian had been Eugene’s teacher for the past two years, he had never spoken to or treated Eugene like he was a subordinate.

“This means that your First Circle Fireball is stronger than a Fifth Circle Volcano Shot,” Lovellian sighed in awe.

The tidal wave of mana brought by the Ring Flame Formula was paired with a perfectly efficient structure and a swift casting technique.

And finally, the lack of any incantation.

No, wait, there was still something more. One of the many reasons the Eternal Hole was considered the pinnacle of the Circle magic system — the ability to ‘store’ spells without the use of any seals. Even without using a scroll, it was possible to immediately cast a spell that had previously been recorded in your own sea of consciousness with this technique. There was also no need to call out an incantation in the process.

This was… no different from replicating the way in which dragons cast magic.

“I’m still limited to the Fourth Circle,” Eugene said as he emerged from the black cloud of smoke. “Anything more than that, and the spells won’t come out of the Eternal Hole. Is my understanding of them still not sufficient?”

“That shouldn’t be the case, Eugene,” Lovellian reassured him. “Simply put, it’s likely just a matter of limited capacity. Because your Ring Flame Formula isn’t a perfect replication of the Eternal Hole after all.”

The Eternal Hole was a magic system that transcended the Ninth Circle — creating a ring with infinite mana and then creating an infinite amount of Circles within that.

The present Eugene fell far short of that level.

“Sir Eugene, you’re currently substituting your Cores for Circles. As you’ve reached the Fourth Star of the White Flame Formula, you now have four Cores. It appears that it would be accurate to assume that the number of Cores is equal to your progress in Circles,” Lovellian estimated.

Though, the power of Eugene’s spells was absurd for their level.

Lovellian continued, “If we make a few assumptions, this means that every time you reach another level in the White Flame Formula, your Eternal Hole—no, the Ring Flame Formula will also become stronger.”

Although only Fourth Circle spells could currently be stored, what if Eugene’s White Flame Formula reached the Fifth Star? This would mean that his Ring Flame Formula would be able to store spells up to the Fifth Circle. Though, they couldn’t be sure of this just yet. As this was the first time such a magical formula was being practiced, they couldn’t necessarily predict what unique peculiarities might arise each time Eugene reached another level of strength.

“But don’t let your guard down,” Lovellian warned Eugene. “Although the current Ring Flame Formula doesn’t seem to have any downsides… some dangers might arise when your level increases.”

To ensure Eugene’s safety, Lovellian had taken it upon himself to adjust the Circle spells to better fit Eugene’s unique magic formula.

Lovellian sighed, “…Really now. As I get older, I seem to become even more of a worrywart. When I should just be praising you for this….”

“Rather than hours of hearing how well I did, a short bit of advice is much more helpful,” Eugene reassured him.

“Although I’m grateful for you saying so…,” Lovellian hesitated for a few moments before shaking his head. “…I’ve said this a few times before, but….”

“Are you trying to bring up your warning about me not using magic from levels above my own?”

“Yes.”

If he was using the ordinary Circle magic formula, there was no need to give this sort of warning. This is because circle magic was systematic and safe. In the past, overconfident wizards had ruined their ability to use mana by trying to convert their existing magic formulas. But as the Circle magic formula became more popular, the number of reckless wizards like them was greatly reduced.

But generally, wizards of lower Circles could not use the magic of higher Circles.

“The Fourth Circle…. No, there should be no problems with spells from the Fifth Circle, depending on how many times you use them… but don’t try to use magic from the Sixth Circle,” Lovellian cautioned.

The Ring Flame Formula might not be able to store these higher-level spells, but it was still possible for Eugene to cast spells from the higher Circles on his own. Moreover, his innate calculation speed and absolute control over mana allowed him to even cast higher-Circle spells with speed.

Although this was an astonishing surprise, it was also rather worrying for Lovellian. It was impossible to predict what kind of danger would arise from freely using something that should usually be impossible to use.

Thanks to that, Lovellian had had to abandon the sleeping pattern he had adhered to for decades. It wasn’t easy to change the existing Circle spells to fit Eugene, but when he thought about the possible dangers that might arise when using higher-Circle spells, Lovellian couldn’t help himself.

“…When do you expect to finalize your thesis?” Lovellian changed the subject.

“Probably before the end of summer… so it should be finished somewhere around September. For now, my goal is to have it completed before my birthday,” Eugene stated.

Although he had called it a thesis written for his self-satisfaction, it had been of great help to Eugene in organizing all the knowledge he had studied and researched.

“You said you have no intention of returning to the Lionheart clan immediately, right?” Lovellian confirmed.

Eugene nodded, “Yes, sir. As there’s no reason for me to head back right away.”

“I’m sure that Gilead and Gerhard will be disappointed….”

“Don’t they still have Cyan to keep them company? I’m sure they’ll forgive me for being away for a few more years since it just means that I’m coming back a little later, that’s all.”

Ciel was no longer staying with the main family. She had left the main estate last year and had gone to live at the Black Lion Castle on Uklas mountain. She had managed to become Carmen’s squire just as she had hoped.

But it wasn’t like Ciel had to stay there all the time. Just this year alone, she had returned to the main estate for her birthday.

An invitation to the party had arrived, but Eugene had ignored it. Cyan and Ciel’s birthday had been in February when Eugene happened to be so engrossed in his thesis that he couldn’t spare any attention for anything else.

“If you aren’t heading back to the main estate right away, where are you planning to go?” Lovellian asked curiously.

“…Ice crabs are said to be a specialty of the Ruhr Kingdom. I’ve wanted to try some ever since I was little…,” Eugene hesitantly admitted.

Lovellian asked doubtfully, “Do you really need to go all the way to the Ruhr Kingdom for that? There are currently a lot of shops selling ice crabs on the streets of Aroth alone….”

“Won’t it taste a lot better to eat them in their home environment?” Eugene tried to sound convincing.

Of course, this was all a lie. Ice crabs? He had already eaten plenty of those pale king crabs during the winters he had spent at the main estate.

“I didn’t know that you were such a gastronomist,” Lovellian said with surprise.

Eugene reminded him, “You know I’ve always loved to eat since I was little.”

“I always thought that you just liked the big chunks of meat for their protein…,” Lovellian trailed off thoughtfully.

“I like them because they’re delicious,” Eugene insisted.

The Northern Ruhr Kingdom was the country that had been founded by that fool, Molon.

Eugene continued to work on his excuses, “In Ruhr… um… I’ll be eating ice crabs. And after that… I’ll go to Nahama to see the oases.”

“The oases?” Lovellian questioned.

“I’ve heard that Nahama’s cactus scorpions are a delicacy….”

This, too, was a lie. Two hundred years ago, Anise, who had been revered as a saint by the Holy Empire of Yuras, had gone on a pilgrimage without even notifying the Pope of her intentions. After wandering around the world, she had been last sighted in the heart of the Nahama Desert.

“…It seems that you really like crustaceans,” Lovellian observed.

To think that Eugene would go chasing after the cactus scorpions of Nahama once he had had his fill of king crabs in Ruhr.

“…How about we get some lobster for dinner today?” Eugene recommended with a cough.