Episode 747

Unaware of his senior’s misery, the heartless junior asked a question.

-By the way, senior. I have questions about spell development and 5th circle spells.

Lee Han explained what he had experienced earlier.

The crazy doppelgänger had berated him to learn a 5th circle spell and then suddenly ordered him to create a telekinetic shield spell.

Of course, this telekinetic shield spell itself could be a 5th circle spell.

But every choice of a great mage, even the minor ones, held meaning.

Even though he was a crazy doppelgänger, as a great mage, Lee Han couldn’t ignore that.

Why did the crazy doppelgänger order the creation of a telekinetic shield spell instead of one of many 5th circle spells?

-You cast a telekinetic shield spell without incantation??

-Senior, that’s not the point right now. If I fail to master this in a day, I’m in real trouble.

-…R-right.

Direte almost wrote, ‘How is that not the point?!’ but pulled himself together at the junior’s reply.

Certainly, it wasn’t the most important thing right now.

Sure, a second-year had cast a telekinetic shield spell without an incantation, which was impressive, but…

‘I’ll ask him about it once he’s back.’

Direte couldn’t resist jotting down a note.

No matter how he looked at it, it was astonishing.

-I think I know what the crazy doppelgänger is after.

-Really?!

Though he’d asked, Lee Han was startled by his senior’s instant answer.

‘Are fifth-years really as close to being archmages as students?!’

-Normally, starting from 5th circle spells, the difficulty jumps a lot. That’s when you first get introduced to personal worlds… Junior, have you ever heard of “parrot mage”?

-What’s that? Some kind of rare animal?

-Hmm. You haven’t heard yet.

Parrot mage was a phrase one often heard from the skeleton principal starting around third year.

-“Are you a mage or a parrot?! You have to think for yourself and use magic! If you just squawk memorized spells like a parrot, you’re not fit to be a mage!”

‘So it wasn’t a rare animal.’

Lee Han was slightly disappointed by Direte’s explanation.

He’d hoped there was a parrot that could help with magic…

-For magic below 4th circle, just using the spells you’ve learned by rote is fine. But from 5th circle onward, you have to… start understanding.

-I don’t quite get it, senior. Don’t you still need understanding for magic under 4th circle?

-Right, but it’s not complete understanding. Junior, why is it that a mage who has learned -Flame Arrow- can’t cast -Flame Spear-? Or -Flame Shield-, -Flame Whip-, or -Flame Wall-?

At Direte’s words, Lee Han was amazed.

It was true.

Fundamentally, the principles were similar—if one learned -Flame Arrow-, one should be able to cast -Flame Spear-.

Yet Lee Han, and his friends, couldn’t do so.

Why?

-In the end, you may grasp a fragment, but you’re missing complete understanding of the whole. What you need is an epiphany. The principal calls this “sudden realization,” but that’s not important. Anyway, once you have that full understanding, you can, within a limited domain, cast whatever magic you want. Like I said above—even if you haven’t learned or researched -Flame Shield- and other spells, you can improvise them on the spot.

‘Personal world!’

Instinctively, Lee Han recalled what the skeleton principal had said.

Didn’t he torment him so much to make him master 5th circle magic for the sake of personal worlds?

Hearing Direte’s explanation, Lee Han realized why those two concepts were connected.

Learning 5th circle magic required a much deeper understanding than before, and that understanding became the foundation that led to a personal world.

How much comprehensive understanding would it take to reshape the world according to one’s will?

-So in order to even get started with personal world magic, you have to master 5th circle spells!

-Junior. That’s right, but… isn’t personal world beside the point right now? Aren’t you in a life-or-death situation and still distracted by other magic?

-…Sorry.

Lee Han apologized, recognizing Direte’s point.

Personal worlds weren’t the important thing right now.

-So, junior. Based on your strengths, what area would be easiest for you to understand that deeply?

-Probably form changes for water or lightning elements. I’ve experimented a lot with water element, and while lightning is still lacking, I’ve done quite a bit…

-Actually, I was going to say telekinesis.

Direte felt a bit self-conscious at the junior’s answer.

Still, neither he nor the crazy doppelgänger were actually wrong.

Telekinesis (psychokinesis) suited someone like Lee Han, who had a lot of magic power.

Of all the elements, it consumed the most mana.

There was a reason why mages rarely used pure telekinesis for complex spells, preferring other methods.

Plus, since pure magic alone was used without borrowing the power of nature’s elements, it required not just more magic, but greater skill.

Yet for some, those same disadvantages could become an advantage.

For a mage who wielded spells by pouring out magic power in great, bold strokes, without delicate manipulations…

If he could instinctively conjure a telekinetic shield, he must have internalized it considerably.

‘All the grueling training last year must have contributed.’

Direte recalled what his junior had endured last year.

He suspected the training from a certain professor who had only one disciple might have indirectly had an effect.

-Telekinesis, you say?

-You cast it without an incantation.

-Oh, right. So was I actually more suited to telekinesis rather than water or lightning?

-…Maybe so…

Although telekinesis wasn’t something you had a natural aptitude for like water or lightning, Direte agreed in order to cheer on his junior.

-Anyway, junior. Being told to create a telekinetic shield spell means you need to seriously understand telekinesis.

The telekinesis spells Lee Han commonly used were basic at best, like -Low-rank Manipulation-.

But if he researched the shield spell he cast unconsciously, and fully understood even a narrow domain related to it?

He’d essentially be mastering not just one 5th circle spell, but a dozen lesser spells at once.

-Understood, senior. So what I need to understand is…

-First off… non-verbal casting. You should be able to cast telekinesis without incantation.

-Non-verbal…

-And compression.

-Compression?

-It’s not just about invoking telekinesis with magic and concentration. You have to layer and combine telekinetic force to amplify it. That’s how you freely increase output.

To impart a certain level of weight or force with telekinesis, you needed to understand compression properties.

It wasn’t a wholly new topic, like when he’d dug deep into rotation with water, but…

-Compression… But, senior, how did you know my shield spell included the principle of compression?

-To block that much force with only telekinesis, you need compression. The next is, obviously, form change. No need to explain, right?

-Yes.

-Multi-manipulation.

-Why multi-manipulation?

-You cast it instantly. If you had to focus only on the shield, that wouldn’t work. You were able to invoke the shield while simultaneously partitioning your focus for something else.

-Multi-manipulation…

As Lee Han organized his thoughts, he cursed his past self.

Why did he unconsciously use such a complex spell instead of just taking the hit?

‘Still, at least I’ve done most of this before.’

Direte continued helping clarify a few more points.

-…That’s roughly it, junior.

-Yes?

-Never mind. You can do it. Ask me if you have questions.

-Thank you. I’ll do my best.

Direte closed his artifact and immediately prepared to send a paper bird to Yukbeltire.

No matter how he thought about it, there was no way his junior could pull this off in a day.

• * *

Falkrius of the Cooking Club was leading his juniors up the mountain range.

Usually cheerful, Falkrius was now frowning, eyes fixed on the distance.

“Something’s wrong.”

“What is it, senior?”

“There’s magic all over the place.”

They hadn’t even gotten near, but he felt powerful magical energy from several peaks.

This was beyond what a giant or mountain-wrecking sheep could muster.

Clearly, something much greater had descended on Einrogard.

“…Come to think of it, I heard a rumor.”

“What kind of rumor?”

“They say the principal’s crazy doppelgänger is roaming Einrogard.”

“Hmmm!”

Falkrius fell into thoughtful silence.

Einrogard was full of wild rumors, but some were true.

And the magic emanating from those peaks gave the rumor a ring of truth.

“It can’t be, right?”

“Heh. That’s not the principal’s crazy doppelgänger. At most, it’s a monster from another dimension.”

“Phew. That’s a relief…”

The Cooking Club members breathed a little easier.

While monsters from another dimension were scary, they felt much safer than the skeleton principal’s crazy doppelgänger.

‘If we’re going to rescue him, we’d better do it fast.’

Falkrius thought to himself.

If it really was the crazy doppelgänger, they needed to move fast.

His juniors were keen now, but he wasn’t certain they’d stick around if they saw the crazy doppelgänger.

…But what on earth had Wardanaz been doing to get kidnapped by the principal’s crazy doppelgänger?

-What brings students here?

“!!!”

The Cooking Club members flinched at the booming voice overhead.

There weren’t many beings who could approach like that.

“It’s a giant!”

“Lord Ikurusha, we have no intention of stealing sheep, milk, or cheese. We’ve brought tribute, so please forgive us!”

Like a seasoned senior, Falkrius quickly offered up their tribute and backed away with his juniors.

Ikurusha was one of the more reasonable giants, but giants were giants.

If he got irritated, you had to run immediately.

-Tribute… hmmm… It’s acceptable. It’s rare for students to make it up here. What’s your business?

“One of our juniors got lost, so we came to look for him.”

-I see.

Ikurusha clicked his tongue like thunder.

-Good luck. I’ll accept your gift.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Senior, can’t we just ask if he’s seen Wardanaz?”

“No. If we approach him for no reason, we might just anger him.”

-Wardanaz?

“!”

Falkrius tensed up.

Just as they were about to leave, Ikurusha stopped walking and showed interest.

“Is there a problem, Lord Ikurusha?”

-I thought I heard someone say Wardanaz.

“He’s the junior who got lost.”

-Is that so?!

Ikurusha was astonished.

The Cooking Club members were also shocked.

‘What’s up with him?’

‘No idea…’

“Yes. May we go look for him now?”

-No. Wait just a moment.

“……”

Falkrius now wondered if he would need to subdue this giant.

Something felt off.

Bwooooooo—

Ikurusha blew long on the horn around his neck.

From afar, the earth shook as giants came stampeding with mountain-wrecking sheep.

“……”

“……”

The Cooking Club members were on the verge of collapse from fear and tension. Falkrius was bewildered at the situation.

‘Is this some kind of celebration?’

-That human boy is missing.

-Wardanaz! Wardanaz is lost in the mountain!!

-We have to save him! He might starve!

-I doubt he’d… no, you’re right. He might starve, so hurry and find him.

At Ikurusha’s words, the eyes of the giants glistened with tears.

-Let’s hurry and look for him!

-You, mage! Help us!

“Uh? Yes! Yes!!”