Chapter 51

Duke's Magical Genius - Chapter 51 (51/324)

51

"Winning, huh. Are you really confident about it?"

"Yes. Do you remember the Fire Magic I wrote about before?"

"Yes. For a 1st Circle spell, it had quite a powerful impact."

At the time, I had vaguely answered that it seemed to be just overcoming Hermes and producing such power.

But this time, what I was about to reveal was quite different.

I was planning to gradually reveal the mixed activation method to the Duke.

"I have formalized it and created a new activation method."

"Formalized...?"

"Not only can I, but other mages can also easily use it if they learn it."

The Duke's eyes lit up at my words.

It was no different from saying that I had improved an existing spell to create a more powerful one. He must have also realized why I wanted to participate in this magic competition.

"About that Fire Magic. Compared to the traditional method, are there any drawbacks?"

"It does require a bit more mana, but considering the increased power, it's manageable."

"No risks either?"

"That's right. As long as you avoid the areas where a mana explosion could occur and move the mana accordingly."

"Hmm..."

After pondering for a moment, Remton nodded.

"I understand what you mean. I see that you're not just participating in the competition for fun. However—"

The Duke continued, looking at me.

"Your magic is excellent, but it's just a modified 1st Circle spell. Do you really think you can win the largest magic competition in the empire with just that?"

"Of course, it might seem that way if you only look at this."

In most competitions, new 3rd to 4th Circle spells appear, so I could understand the Duke's concern. Just this one spell seemed to lack impact.

So, the answer is simple.

Not just one.

"What if I have several such improved spells?"

Just showing a few would be enough.

"…You mean you have more spells besides this one?"

I do.?

If I count roughly, there must be over thirty.

Of course, I had no intention of revealing all of them.

"I have about five."

"Five 1st Circle spells…"

"They can be cast much faster than traditional methods and have power comparable to 2nd Circle spells. And the mana consumption is not much higher than before."

After a moment of eye contact with Remton, I spoke with confidence.

"If I have five such spells, wouldn't I be confident of winning no matter what?"

"As long as safety is guaranteed, that could be possible."

"I've used them for quite a while. I can guarantee their safety. I can also prove it."

"Can you show me?"

"Of course."

So, I showed the Duke five spells.

Fire. Lightning. Ice. Wind. Haste.

"Four of them are basic elemental spells, right?"

"Yes. These can help when using other elemental spells later, so I created their activation methods first. Haste is a spell that can compensate for a mage's slow movements, so I added it separately."

"Indeed… Since these are the most basic spells among the four elements, you might get bonus points. Your strategy is good. Did you plan this?"

"If I'm going to create them, it's better to make ones that can score higher, right?"

With just these, winning shouldn't be a problem.

From what I remember, the spells in this competition are just average compared to the mixed activation method.

"When do you plan to leave?"

"I'll go the day before."

"Haven't you registered yet?"

"No, I planned to do it when I get there."

"I'll inform the Duke's family in advance."

"Thank you."

In essence, this was his approval.

After seeing my magic, he must have realized that I had a good chance, so there was no reason to deny it.

"Even if you don't win, I won't blame you, so go with peace of mind."

The Duke smiled, seemingly trying to ease my burden.

Indeed.

Punishing a young and promising mage like me would be detrimental to the family's interests.

"Thank you. Still, I'll do my best to win."

"That's all I need. You can go now."

"Yes."

The door opened, and Remton's expression gradually hardened as he was left alone in the office.

Kai Seltharion.

His youngest son's talent far exceeded his expectations.

So far, it was fine.

But.

The more his talent shone brightly, the more beasts would be drawn to the light.

"…A magic competition…"

He closed his eyes, lost in thought.

* * * * *

Having achieved both of my goals here, my steps naturally felt lighter as I left the office.

After returning to the annex with the two of them, I looked at Leonhardt.

"About the basic sword techniques and mental training. You can start teaching them formally now. I got direct permission from Father."

"Is that so?"

"He said I can learn both up to the advanced level if I want. Start with the basics. Teach me what the training knights learn."

"Understood."

Since the Duke had given his approval, there was no reason to object. Leonhardt nodded readily at my words.

From his expression, it seemed he wanted to teach me too.

"Oh, by the way, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"How do you usually train? Do you only do mental training? You're always with me, after all."

"Usually, I do that."

"You don't do much physical training?"

"At my level, maintaining basic physical fitness is enough. From now on, enlightenment is more important."

So, he must have been sitting in meditation with his eyes closed while moving around.

He probably practiced sword techniques whenever he had a chance after finishing his guard duties.

Anyway.

Now that I had the Duke's approval, it was time to entrust Saron's education to someone.

"Leonhardt."

"Yes."

"Can you teach Saron now?"

"Right away?"

"Yeah. The faster you start, the faster his skills will improve. Start with the basic sword techniques."

"Understood. Then, what about my guard duties…?"

"It's fine. We're inside the family estate."

"…Understood."

Saron and Leonhardt headed to the training ground. I followed them.

It was a historic first lesson, so I wanted to see how he would teach.

"Draw your sword."

At Leonhardt's command, Saron drew his sword.

Satisfied with the change in his eyes, Leonhardt nodded slightly and began demonstrating the sword techniques.

"I'll teach you the first form of Storm Sword, one of the basic sword techniques passed down in the Duke's family. Since you haven't learned mental training yet, today I'll only teach you the basic stance. Storm Sword has four forms in total, and its characteristics are…"

'Hmm. Storm Sword.'

As a renowned sword family, the Duke's family had a considerable number of basic sword techniques for training knights.

There must be about seven.

Among them, Storm Sword was:

'While it may be slightly less stable than other sword techniques, it excels in offensive power. It's the only sword technique with four forms.'

One of the most powerful offensive sword techniques, and it was highly regarded within the Duke's family.

The reason was simple.

The first form is a basic sword technique.

The second form is an intermediate sword technique.

The third form is an advanced sword technique.

Other sword techniques only have up to three forms.

If you master all the advanced forms, there's nothing beyond that.

While the advanced forms are impressive, the lack of a supreme form is a significant drawback.

But Storm Sword?

It's the only sword technique with four forms.

In other words, it has a supreme form.

Of course, only the head of the family and direct descendants can learn this supreme form.

Occasionally, it's taught to exceptionally skilled loyalists, so it's no exaggeration to say that learning Storm Sword is the ultimate goal for all training knights.

After all, they might have a chance to learn the fourth form if they have talent and show loyalty to the Duke's family.

One might ask, why not just learn this one among the seven?

'It's not that simple.'

It's impossible.

The seven basic sword techniques in the family.

They weren't randomly divided.

Considering a person's personality, training style, and many other factors, the most suitable sword technique is taught.

No matter how good Storm Sword is, if a knight can't utilize its offensive power, it's useless.

That's why they're divided.

Leonhardt.

The fact that he's teaching Storm Sword among the many sword techniques means:

'Saron must have impressed him.'

Of course, he must have judged that Saron's talent suits Storm Sword.

Still, Storm Sword is a technique only the elite among training knights can learn. It's not something that's casually taught just because someone's personality matches.

After considering various factors like character and loyalty, and passing the tests, one can learn it.

So, it's not entirely free of bias.

That's how my guard knight continued explaining Storm Sword to Saron.

The first form consists of five sword paths.

With each progression, the speed and power of the sword increase.

'It's a pretty good sword technique.'

The first form can be learned by passing the training knight exam.

To learn more, one must serve the Duke's family, consistently improve their reputation, and pass several tests.

The fourth form requires discovering special conditions. Once learned, Storm Sword becomes one of the most powerful techniques in the game.

Probably, only the current Duke knows the fourth form.

Abel and Adolf are likely still practicing the third form, and Duke is probably just starting the second form.

After the brief explanation of Storm Sword:

"From now on, I'll teach you the first form's sword paths."

Leonhardt began demonstrating Storm Sword.

Five sword paths.

His movements were so precise, it was easy to gauge his level just by watching him swing the sword.

However, I couldn't help but tilt my head.

'It's different?'

This was the first time I saw Leonhardt swing his sword so slowly.

He usually only did mental training, so I rarely saw him swing a sword.

In the battles I've experienced, his sword movements were too fast to follow.

Even with my keen eyes, I could only catch a blurry image.

So, I never paid attention to the sword paths.

Now, it was different.

He was swinging the sword quite slowly to teach Saron.

A curiosity arose in my mind.

The magic activation method I used in the game.

When I used it, it showed incredible power.

Then,

'Could this be applicable not just to magic but also to sword techniques?'

I had taken on countless roles in the game, so I naturally knew the activation methods of sword techniques in detail.

Sword techniques.

The activation method is simple.

The stance and the circulation of aura.

If you match these two according to the game's requirements, you can gain special effects during attacks.

The process of obtaining sword techniques is complicated, but using them is not.

Users can't spend years practicing like the people in the game to use sword techniques.

As you advance to higher forms, the required stance and aura circulation become more complex, but even lower forms can be easily activated by anyone.

Having rolled around in the game, I naturally knew many sword techniques.

Especially the ones used in the Duke's family.

'I know them well.'

The Duke's family.

The sword techniques obtainable here are highly effective, so I often used them.

So, there's no way I wouldn't know.

The sword paths Leonhardt is demonstrating for Storm Sword.

They differ from the activation method I know for the first form.

Quite a bit, actually.

To find out if the game's method applies not just to magic but also to sword techniques,

I'll have to conduct an experiment.