Chapter 6

The Marquess Family's Magic Genius - Chapter 6 (6/324)

6

Understanding came in an instant.

The phrases he had read until now seemed to unravel in his mind.

'They form it in this kind of way, I see.'

Now that he had a clear understanding of how to form a circle, it was time to gather mana.

"Let's go out."

Leonhardt's eyes filled with doubt at his words.

"Already? It hasn't even been thirty minutes since you started reading..."

"I understand it all, so there's no need to read more."

"..."

Leonhardt fell silent at his words.

He seemed unsure whether to believe him or not. After all, even if it was a low-level magic book, it wasn't something that could be understood so easily. If it were that easy, everyone would be a magician.

He chuckled at Leonhardt's skeptical gaze.

What good would it do to explain it in words?

Showing him once would be better.

"Let's go for a walk."

A path rich in mana particles.

He planned to gather the mana needed to form a circle there.

* * * * *

Thirty minutes.

The time he spent gathering mana particles while walking along the path.

Perhaps because the characteristic of his body with blocked pathways had weakened, he could now hold much more mana in his body than before.

'This should be enough.'

He had a feeling.

With this amount of mana, he should be able to achieve a 1st Circle spell.

'Trying it outside would be too risky.'

The safest place was still his room.

Fortunately, he thought he could hold the mana for about ten minutes. After returning to his room,

"Make sure no one enters."

He closed the door, leaving Leonhardt, who nodded trustingly, behind.

'Shall I start?'

At his will, the mana began to slowly move toward his heart.

Right then.

A yellow light began to swirl in the blood vessels leading to his heart, as if guiding the mana this way.

'Wow.'

Not only the theory, but also the practical part?

There was no reason not to follow it.

When he reached his destination, a faint yellow ring began to form around his heart.

It looked like it was telling him to shape the mana in that form.

Wasn't this like solving a math problem with a cheat sheet by your side?

'Good.'

He concentrated as much as possible and visualized the shape.

A round ring.

'Move.'

As he repeated it in his mind, the mana gradually took shape.

Just as he had visualized.

Now that he had created the framework, it was time to make it rotate. The moment he made the mana spin,

'Gulp!'

It felt as if a fire had been lit in his chest, causing an immense pain.

He almost screamed.

He had seen the warning about pain, but this was far beyond his imagination. Despite the terrible pain, he couldn't lose his focus.

He didn't know what would happen to the mana gathered in his heart if he did.

'Ugh... Damn it!'

He had to concentrate.

What if he lost consciousness here?

He had told Leonhardt not to let anyone in, so he might be found dead the next day.

Biting his lip until it bled, he struggled to maintain his focus.

One rotation.

Two rotations.

The speed increased with each rotation.

His mind also became increasingly hazy.

A short while later.

His dazed mind began to clear up.

A state of no-self.

Wasn't that what it was?

When he naturally looked inside his body, he couldn't help but smile.

Near his heart.

A solid ring had already formed there. A luminous, blue ring.

Was it finally over?

"Phew..."

The reward for the challenge was incredibly sweet.

* * * * *

Inside the annex.

In the room where the maids gathered, a conversation was in full swing.

"Hasn't the young master really changed lately?"

"That's true. He doesn't even yell anymore."

"Or break things. Moving broken items used to be a daily task."

"He exercises every day too."

The changes started with small things.

A calm tone, a composed gaze.

And not drinking alcohol.

The maids who lived with him in the annex couldn't help but be sensitive to these changes.

Things had become much easier since Kyle started changing.

The sudden change.

At first, almost no maid accepted it.

It would probably only last a few days.

He would snap back to his old self soon.

They were full of such negative speculations.

But after a week, a few maids began to cautiously suggest that he might really be changing completely.

It could really happen.

By the time a month had passed, almost all the maids were used to the 4th Son's changes.

"Even Leonhardt's face has brightened up."

"That's understandable. A skilled knight like him guarding the annex all day, how bored must he have been?"

"Er. Now that you mention it, he reads books a lot lately. What's that about?"

In response to a maid's question, Ershiel, who was reading a book, answered.

"Just a book about spirits..."

"Spirits?"

Her answer piqued the maids' curiosity.

"Why spirits all of a sudden?"

"The young master told me to read it..."

"Oh my. Could he be interested in you? He wouldn't give you a book otherwise."

"That's true. Now that I think about it, the young master often calls for Er. You're right!"

Teenage girls.

Their favorite topic was romance. In this place, it was common for girls to get married in their mid-teens.

And it was quite common for maids to become concubines, so it wasn't an unfamiliar topic for them.

Ershiel's face turned red at the words.

After her family fell apart in a day.

Dragged to a slave auction, she had almost given up on life.

The person who saved her was Kyle.

Even if it was out of simple sympathy from a noble heir, he had still saved her.

Even though he sometimes spoke harshly, if she had been sold to other nobles...

Thinking of the fat nobles she had seen at the auction, she shook her head. Their greedy gazes were too terrible to even think about.

'Really?'

'Want to read this?'

An Introduction to Spiritology.

The book he had given her.

Honestly, she had no idea why he wanted her to read it.

She had no talent for spirits, and even if there was a tiny possibility, summoning a spirit required a lot of gold, which was an amount far beyond a maid's means.

Perhaps the reason he treated her so warmly, more than just trying to teach her about spirits, was because of the reason the maids around her were so excited about.

If he continued to show this side of himself.

'It might be nice...'

While she was lost in her imagination, one of the maids talking about Kyle brought up a new topic.

"By the way, did you see that? The young master used magic."

A few maids' eyes widened at her words.

"Really?"

"Yes. I saw it by chance outside the annex. Flames burst from the young master's wrist! If that's not magic, what is? I've seen a magician before, and it was exactly the same."

"Wow! So the young master is really a magician?"

Magician.

In a world rich in mana and aura, it didn't mean that magicians and knights were common. Special techniques and talent were required, and money was needed for the average civilian to follow such a curriculum.

Naturally, magicians and knights were objects of admiration.

At that moment.

A few maids' expressions hardened.

Hermemus.

The only way to overcome this incurable disease was to gather energy within oneself and break through the pathways blocking the body.

That was not an easy task.

Gathering energy in a body that couldn't gather energy?

It was a clear sign of immense talent.

If the 4th Son truly became a magician, this was not a trivial piece of news.

It was a story that could shake the entire empire, not just the Marquess family.

Soon, a few maids quietly left the room.

* * * * *

One month.

The time that had passed since he created the 1st Circle.

During that month, his daily routine was very simple.

Eating well, gathering mana diligently, and exercising a bit.

And whenever he had time, moving to the library to analyze all kinds of 1st Circle spells.

That was his daily life.

With the Insight Eye, analyzing magic books was not difficult. As a result, his magical knowledge had grown much richer than before.

'I've gained some weight.'

The characteristic of his body with blocked pathways had gradually weakened, and the flesh on his body had become plumper. His once withered body had become somewhat presentable.

Moreover, he had mostly removed negative characteristics like alcoholism, weak spirit, and lack of willpower. The only remaining characteristic was the blocked pathways in his body.

'Should I start experimenting?'

Fantasy Defense.

The way to use magic in this game was simple.

When using magic, a white path appeared in front of the user's eyes.

By moving the mana in the body along that path, the magic would naturally be cast.

Of course, the path became more complex with higher-level magic, but it was much more efficient than the NPCs who chanted complex incantations to cast magic.

It was one of the few privileges of the user.

While playing the game, he didn't think deeply about this.

He just accepted it as it was.

But.

As he delved deeper into the magic books, a question arose.

The method of casting magic described in the magic books and the path shown to users were clearly different.

'I thought the movements would be similar.'

No, they were different.

The way to move mana to cast magic and the path users used to cast magic were completely different.

What would happen if he tried to cast magic using the latter method?

He was curious but had held back until now.

If he tried a new method and something went wrong, his weak body might not be able to handle it. So he hadn't dared to try, but now that a month had passed and he had somewhat strengthened his body,

He was confident that he could endure even the worst-case scenario.

Magic Missile.

The 1st Circle spell he planned to experiment with today.

'It was roughly Z-shaped.'

Since it was a 1st Circle spell, the path was not difficult at all.

Mana conduit.

Thanks to his body's characteristic, moving the mana along that path was not difficult at all.

Fortunately, there was no rejection.

'Can it be cast this way?'

The moment he cast the spell toward the thick oak tree, the mana spinning in the circle rushed out, causing dizziness. This was not the mana consumption of a 1st Circle spell.

While he was losing his balance,

Boom!

An enormous explosion echoed.

'What?'

His face turned blank as he saw the result.

The same went for Leonhardt, who was standing next to him.

"Master? What is this...?"

"Is this for real?"

At the center of the oak tree.

A large hole had been blown through where the Magic Missile had passed.

As if it had been hit directly by a cannon.