Chapter 60

The Marquess Family's Magic Genius - Chapter 61 (60/324)

61

Silence filled the examination hall.

The participants were staring at me with wide eyes.

Especially Shinton's expression was quite remarkable.

His face showed a mix of doubt and uncertainty, his eyes trembling intensely as if filled with anxiety.

The participants probably still didn't know exactly what my Fire magic was.

After all, it had only been revealed to the judges so far.

However, they had some idea.

If the magic that the Duke praised so highly was anything, it must have been a formidable spell.

In such a situation, if four more similar spells were to appear, the winner would be a foregone conclusion.

"…Are you really saying that you have four more such spells?"

Heltan.

The moment he asked, a single elemental magic began to rise in my hand.

Ice.

"…"

The faces of the judges and the Duke immediately stiffened upon seeing it, as if they could instantly tell that its power was different from ordinary Ice magic.

Soon, the Duke's eyes began to gleam with interest.

His expression was as if he had discovered a fascinating toy.

"Oh… That Ice magic is also quite unique. Just like the Fire magic, its power has been significantly enhanced."

"Thank you."

"Do you have documentation on the activation method?"

"Yes, I do."

I had already prepared the documentation for the activation methods, as I had decided to reveal five spells.

After handing the documents to the Duke, I demonstrated the remaining spells.

Lightning.

Wind.

Haste.

While demonstrating the four elemental spells along with Haste, the examination hall was so silent that even the sound of breathing could not be heard.

The mages present were, after all, people with a deep understanding of magic.

They would have immediately recognized the value of these five spells.

The Duke, who had read through the documents, began to show interest in his eyes.

"You, you use magic in a unique way. The documentation and the way it's written are exactly the same as that time."

His words naturally drew everyone's attention to him, as he was the most prestigious, highest-ranking, and oldest person in the room.

Then, Meleos looked at me.

"You're quite a remarkable fellow, aren't you?"

The Duke's amber eyes.

They were filled with curiosity.

"What do you find remarkable?"

In response to my question, Meleos lifted the document.

"While you try to explain the theory with plausible words, there are many sentences that don't make sense. According to the theory written here, it would be impossible for such magic to exist."

He must have noticed.

There was nothing I could do about it.

While the Insight Eye helps in understanding magical knowledge, it only provides a superficial level of understanding.

I didn't really know why the mixed activation method produced such powerful effects.

Just because I understood the existing magic books didn't mean I could explain why the method used in the game was so strong.

I tried to explain it in a plausible way, but to an Archmage, the wording would have seemed quite loose.

"I tried to explain it, but it seems quite lacking."

"It's not just lacking; with those words, it would be impossible to activate the magic. Nevertheless…"

Then, the spells I had demonstrated began to rise in the Duke's hand, one by one.

Starting with the four elemental spells, followed by Haste.

A smile appeared on Meleos' lips as he activated all five spells in one go.

"When I move mana according to what's written here, such efficient spells arise… Is there any other magic as bizarre and monstrous as this?"

Bizarre and monstrous.

Despite the not-so-good expression, the smile on his lips suggested that the Duke wasn't in a bad mood.

'Well, of course.'

Having lived for decades as an Archmage, this was probably the first time he had seen such a unique magic activation method.

A mage who is passionate about new knowledge would naturally be curious about such a spectacle.

"So what if it's bizarre and monstrous? The important thing is efficiency. If a magic is safe, powerful, and can be used quickly, isn't it valuable enough?"

My words were met with nods from the Duke's advisors, including Heltan.

I don't know why, but if there was a better method and it was safe, there was no reason not to use it.

Then, the Duke looked at me.

"Kail Seltarion."

"Yes."

"Normally, I would have disqualified you the moment you submitted such an activation method. This is a theoretical competition, and the exploration of how the submitted magic works is a crucial factor."

That's true.

If it had been a clumsy magic, I would have been disqualified immediately.

But my magic wasn't clumsy.

Didn't it easily pass the preliminary round?

"The reason I let you pass is simple. Even if you don't understand the theory, the activation method is easy to use, and its power is incomparable to existing magic. That's why I'm curious."

Then, the Duke looked into my eyes.

"How did you create this magic? For hundreds of years, no one has transformed magic like this."

Of course, I had no intention of mentioning the game.

The answer was already decided.

"When I first learned magic, I felt something strange."

"…Strange?"

"Let's say… a feeling that there might be a better activation method. So, every time I used magic, I felt uncomfortable. That's why I tried to modify it. And it worked."

"…"

The Duke was speechless at my words.

His eyes showed a mix of amazement and confusion, as if he didn't know what to say.

The same was true for the advisors and Heltan, as well as all the participants.

"…You haven't been a mage for a long time, have you?"

"That's correct."

"Did you modify five spells in such a short time? Without any errors?"

"Yes."

Theory?

I couldn't explain it.

But I was confident in the results.

Isn't that enough?

Moreover,

'Saying this, I'll definitely gain an advantage.'

The magic activation method from the game.

No matter what, if I mentioned that I modified the magic because I knew this special element,

I might have been dissected.

But if I said I created this magic by intuition,

I could be packaged as a once-in-a-lifetime genius.

Moreover,

'They won't dissect the goose that lays the golden eggs.'

The longer I live, the more the field of magic could develop, so they would try to recruit me rather than dissect me.

If I mentioned knowing a special secret, they might torture me to extract it.

But if I said I created it by intuition, what could they do?

The eyes of the Duke's people, who were looking at me, were boiling with desire.

I must have started to look like a talent they couldn't afford to miss.

Kail Seltarion.

The youngest son, treated as a nobody, the child of a concubine.

With such rumors circulating, they might think it's worth pulling me into the Duke's fold.

If they offered me a remarkable position and rewards, they might think it's possible.

Of course,

Even if I received such an offer, I had no intention of becoming one of their advisors.

'The position of the Tower Master is much better.'

I only needed to maintain a moderate level of interaction with the Duke's family.

Then, Meleos, who had been looking at me, nodded.

"Indeed, that seems to be the case. There are no commonalities among the five spells."

At this, Heltan, who was sitting next to him, tilted his head.

"…There's nothing at all?"

"That's right. Didn't I say that two activation methods seemed to be mixed? The original magic and the new method. But… the new activation methods for these spells are all different. If I had seen this, I would have had to abandon the hypothesis that the activation method could be applied to all spells. It's truly a pity."

The Duke's eyes showed regret as he answered Heltan, licking his lips.

If all the spells had used the same activation method, they could have studied it to enhance magic. It could have been a groundbreaking discovery of the century.

The new activation methods.

It was fortunate for me that they were different for each spell.

For example, Fire moves mana in an L shape, while Ice moves it in a shape similar to the number 9. The shapes for activating each spell in the game were different.

If the method had been the same for all spells,

I would never have participated in this competition. If one method was revealed, it could be applied to all spells, so I would have never revealed it before the right time.

'Fortunately,'

Thanks to the different activation methods, I could confidently reveal them.

Then, the Duke and the advisors began to read the documents and try to activate the spells.

They were all skilled mages, so they could easily avoid the precautions mentioned in the documents.

Naturally,

Soon, the spells with the mixed activation method began to rise above their hands.

"Truly… amazing."

"This is truly… a groundbreaking discovery!"

"Incredible… to think such a method existed…"

Heltan's exclamation was followed by the judges' praises. After the test of the activation methods,

"Five such spells could be considered even more valuable than Fire Storm."

Heltan's assessment was met with nods from all the mages. Although they were 1st Circle spells, that didn't diminish their value.

One might be understandable, but five?

This could cause an explosive reaction in the magic books to be published in this theoretical field.

4th Circle spells can only be used by talented mages, while 1st Circle spells are basic spells that even a newly minted mage can use with sufficient practice.

"Moreover… as 4 elemental spells, they will be of great help to mages practicing their elements. This Haste… if it's published, it could save many mages' lives. Honestly, the winner is half decided."

No one objected to Heltan's words.

Shinton, the strongest contender with his Fire Storm, couldn't help but lose his luster compared to the five spells presented by the Marquess family's youngest son.

Then, Heltan looked at me.

"You said you wanted to win. Is it because of the position of the Tower Master?"

"Yes."

"Right. It seems you want independence."

That's correct.

And it wasn't something I needed to hide.

After all, it was a well-known rumor that either Abel or Adolph would inherit the family.

In that case, it was obvious that I, the youngest, would be reduced to a nobody.

It wasn't strange for Heltan to bring up such a topic.

Of course, it wasn't just for that reason that I wanted independence.

"More or less, that's correct."

"Right. I understand. The results of the main round will be announced after the remaining participants are evaluated. You may go in now."

The main round evaluation continued.

The remaining eight participants.

Naturally, none of them, not even Shinton, could surpass me.

After the evaluation ended,

The judges began to discuss.

They were probably deciding the ranking from the top twenty, starting with the award candidates.

After that,

"I will announce the results. Normally, it would take about a day, but since the results are clear, there's no need to prolong it. The winner is…"

Then, Heltan looked at me and said without hesitation,

"Kail Seltarion."