Magic Genius of the Fallen Dukedom - Chapter 1.1
‘Genius of the Myon Dullard-dom.’
That’s what Aden was called.
In that title, mockery and astonishment coexisted.
Firstly, the Myon Dullard-dom was not actually a ‘Dullard-dom’.
Myon Dukedom.
Among the five founding families, the Myon Dukedom was the very epitome of a fallen noble house.
The household’s vast territory once occupied the eastern half of the empire, yet the domain had long since fallen to the level of a barony, now having only one small city and eight villages.
After selling the mansion in the capital, they rarely showed their faces in high society. Perhaps they couldn’t afford the cost of formal attire and dresses.
How had the once-thriving Dukedom, boasting a millennium of prosperity, fallen so low?
Regrettably, the cause lay in the Myon Dukedom’s significantly below-average intelligence. The family’s intellectual decline had worsened with each generation, reaching a point in the current generation where even basic daily tasks were questionable.
Despite his strikingly handsome appearance, Duke Myon’s mind was empty. People derisively dubbed him a “fragrance-less flower” or mockingly referred to the house as ‘Dullard-dom’ or ‘Dull-Myon’.
Aden was the eldest son of that Dull-Myon.
Secondly, Aden was a mage produced by the Myon family for the first time in centuries.
A mage, hailing from Dull-Myon’?
People couldn’t believe such news.
‘Only the smartest become mages, and then the rest become everything else.’
The fact that there was a saying like this emphasized how being intelligent was crucial for becoming a mage.
So Aden was called that.
A genius from the Myon ‘Dullard-dom’.
Nevertheless, Aden was considered a prodigy, the one who could potentially restore the fallen family. This title held both awe and scorn.
In any case, a genius.
His father, who, despite not being exceptionally intelligent, had a kind heart.
His mother, who worried about the future of the Myon family until she passed away.
Siblings who seemed to have a tough life unless they were part of the aristocracy.
He had to take responsibility for all of them.
I must make sure no one underestimates the Myon family!
Aden clenched the young sprout in his hand at the age of 5 and made a firm decision.
That decision shattered when he was 15.
Having barely achieved the 2nd Circle, he took the entrance exam for the Magic Academy, confidently passed, and entered the capital to the cheers of his entire family.
But…
His peers were mostly kids around 12 years old.
Even among them, the “real” ones quickly surpassed him by a significant margin.
He realized.
The genius of the Dull-Myon was only a genius by the standards of Dull-Myon.
In a family where one could be taught ten things yet learn only one…
He was worshipped as a genius who understood one thing for every one learned.
But real geniuses, who understood ten for every one learned, existed elsewhere.
In the world of mages, he was, at best, a dullard.
Not more, not less.
* * *
“What are you doing?”
“A hobby.”
“Is it fun? You won’t be able to use it anyway.”
“It’s for a staff that I can’t even use in my magic circle. That kinda fun.”
“Oh my, you pervert.”
Languid turquoise eyes.
A beauty with silver hair, sleek as if melted and drawn out, leaned languorously, revealing slender legs.
Yet, Aden did not budge.
He was deeply engrossed in a highly complex calculation.
“It’s fascinating that someone as dull as you is doing such complex calculations.”
“The calculations are done by the hand, pen, and paper.”
“33. The answer to that calculation is 33.”
“Oh! Thanks.”
Aden was not frustrated, even when the woman glanced at the calculation he would have taken an hour to solve and casually gave the answer.
He had seen enough of people superior to him.
Of course, that person was a genius of a rare kind, beyond merely ‘superior’, but what did that have to do with him?
Having a calculator nearby was merely convenient.
“Cut it out with the useless stuff. Time reversal is a 10th-circle spell. It’s just a plausible theory but essentially a phantom that doesn’t exist.”
“If I succeed in simplifying it, it’ll become a 9th circle spell instead.”
“Well enough. Even if it becomes possible, who would use it?”
“Is it impossible for you as well, Master?”
“Me? Haha. I’m merely an 8th circle mage.”
‘Merely’ one of the four 8th circle archmages on the continent.
Aden couldn’t help but find Silion’s humility absurd and asked again.
“Magic circles can amplify output across circles. A 4th circle mage can use a 5th circle magic through a circle, so can’t an 8th circle mage use a 9th circle magic circle?”
“Ah, it’s different. The boundary between the 8th and 9th circles is said to be the boundary between humans and gods. Can that really be crossed?”
“Hmm…”
“Who knows, maybe if a well-designed, high-efficiency magic circle is used by a skilled 8th circle mage who pours all their mana and even their life into it, it might be possible…”
Aden felt an ominous premonition at her nonchalant expression.
Sure enough, Silion smirked and said,
“Give it to me—once it’s completed.”
“Forget it.”
“If I can’t awaken to the 9th circle, I might as well use that instead of killing myself.”
“I said just forget it.”
“Ridiculous. How long do you think it’ll take you to complete that? With your brain, it’ll take more than a hundred years. Even if you manage to complete it after a hundred years, it’ll be so full of errors that it’ll be unusable, so why refuse so seriously?”
“I will complete it. Not in a hundred years but within ten, and perfectly at that. Still, I won’t give it to you.”
“Tch. How cold-hearted.”
Silion had no will to live.
She regarded her own death indifferently, always saying the only reason she was alive was to achieve the 9th circle.
Aden always hated hearing that.
In the end, she never became a 9th circle mage.
However, the place she laid down her life wasn’t for the magic circle Aden created…
But for Aden himself.
* * *
Ten years later.
“Master. Bl…blood is coming out. So much… Ahh, too much!”
“Cough… Naturally. An 8th circle mage dispelled a 9th circle-level curse.”
“That…that was a 9th circle-level curse?”
One day, Silion said,
‘I thought it was strange and looked into it, but Aden, it seems like you’re actually cursed.’
He thought it was a joke.
Since half of what she said was usually frivolous banter.
But this time, it wasn’t a joke.
It seemed like an ancient curse had been afflicting not just Aden but the entire Myon family lineage.
A curse that gradually reduced intelligence with each generation.
A chilling curse that had slowly eroded a family to ruin over the course of centuries.
‘Who would do such a thing… Could it be the Nodus faction?’
‘Well. It doesn’t seem like they’d have that ability, but who knows. But that’s not what’s important.’
‘Is dispelling it possible?’
‘Would it work?’
‘…So it’s impossible.’
‘You can’t, but I can. I’m a genius, aren’t I? Let’s see how much more obedient our rebellious Aden can get.’
‘Master!’
Silion only agreed to dispel the curse after receiving a shoulder and leg massage, and a scalp massage, as if doing a favor.
She didn’t show the slightest sign that dispelling a 9th circle-level curse could be dangerous for her.
Had he known, he would have never accepted.
“Huu, that was tough. Really.”
“Why would you do such a thing! What am I to you!”
“My disciple. My only disciple.”
His heart sank.
