Magic Genius of the Fallen Dukedom - Chapter 1.2
It had been 10 years since Aden became Silion’s assistant.
Sometime after, he started calling her Master.
He never formally became her disciple, but since he had learned so much from her, he called her that out of respect.
And partly because she somewhat disliked that title, to tease her.
‘I don’t take disciples.’
‘Why not?’
‘What if I have to leave at some point? That means having responsibilities. Ugh… I don’t like friends or lovers, but a disciple is even more responsibility.’
Archmage Silion, who refused to take any disciples.
A fortress-like mage who wouldn’t agree to a single lecture, even if the imperial family or prestigious academies piled mountains of gold in front of her.
The essence of that impenetrable fortress was simple.
She didn’t want to take responsibility.
‘Don’t take responsibility. Even if I consider you my Master, you don’t have to think of me as your disciple.’
‘Stop it, don’t!’
‘What should I not do, Master?’
‘That, that title! Stop using it!’
Thus, they bickered for over a decade.
At some point, Silion no longer reacted to being called Master. Not that she ever acknowledged Aden as her disciple.
But… to call him a disciple at this moment?
To give up her life and say it was because of her disciple?
“How does it feel, does your head feel clearer? Maybe your siblings will start to improve now too. The Myon title has been sold off long ago, but if your siblings can at least manage to act human, it would ease your burden, wouldn’t it?”
Does his head feel clearer?
No, it felt like it had stopped working altogether.
A heavy grace pressed down on his thoughts like a boulder.
No, the blood…
Too much blood was flowing.
She collapsed against him, maintaining the posture she had while dispelling the curse, and endless streams of crimson blood flowed from her mouth.
“S…someone— anyone! Please help!”
“Calm down. Even without this incident, you know I wouldn’t have lived long.”
“I don’t care if the curse isn’t lifted. I just want to live in ignorance! Turn back time… please turn back time!”
“Hey, even I can’t do that. Ugh. Don’t move. It hurts.”
“Master, just hold on. I’ll get a doctor. Just a little longer, please endure it. I won’t leave you alone if you die. I won’t be your disciple anymore. Master, can you hear me? Please respond. Can you?”
There was no answer.
A bad premonition made Aden tremble as he cradled Silion in his arms.
“Master…?”
The lifeless body of Silion…
…was as breathtakingly beautiful as if her breath had been taken away.
* * *
His mind was startlingly clear.
‘Haa…’
Holding Silion, Aden stepped outside and collapsed onto the grass.
Beneath the bright sky, white clouds drifted by.
His Master had said,
Even while cursed, you became a mage. Imagine how smart you’ll be once it’s lifted.
Could you become as smart as me?
Then, maybe you’ll see the world as I do.
She had laughed, making such a baseless comment.
‘Was this how it felt?’
Whenever he tried to think, it was as if his mind was shrouded in fog.
He walked through the dense fog, turning back at every step to check his footprints, fearing he would lose his way otherwise.
But now, his brain was clearer than the bright sky of May.
’33… That’s right.’
He remembered a calculation from ten years ago.
Silion said the answer was 33. Since I’ve solved it for you, let’s go eat something, she had suggested.
He now remembered every detail of that calculation.
He could even grasp the thought process of Silion, who had instantly come up with the answer.
Thirty-three.
Even the way she lazily moved her lips came to mind.
The mana swirled around him like a storm.
It seemed eager to assist his enlightenment, urging him to use it.
He embraced it.
Awakening came in an instant, jumping through several stages.
The circles exploded, advancing to the next level, and the next.
Only the necessary amount of mana remained on the existing path, resonating with the new orbit of the circle.
Mana from the atmosphere surged in a vortex, and the new orbit exploded outward, separating from the rest.
Genius of the Myon Dullard-dom.
Aden, who had always forever been a 4th circle mage.
With a resolve to overcome his lack of talent through effort, he devoted himself to accumulating knowledge and relentless training.
His dull mind couldn’t break the mold.
Yet now, all locks were released, and his mind surpassed the walls.
What remained at the level of memorization advanced to understanding.
What stayed at the level of understanding evolved into enlightenment.
His body, honed through years of practice, supported his surging spirit.
How many times did a sharp sonic boom, audible only to Aden, resonate through his body?
‘7th circle.’
Aden took a moment to catch his breath and looked around.
‘The mana is swirling like crazy.’
The fact that mana continued to surge explosively, despite being heavily drawn upon, indicated an abnormal phenomenon resulting from the unblocking of flows that had been twisted and blocked for decades, no, for centuries through the generations of the Myon family.
…!
At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind.
With this amount of mana, it might be possible to activate the time reversal magic circle.
The magic circle he had been refining in his sleep for ten years.
Completed just the other day, yet he hadn’t shown it to Sirion, fearing she might actually use for it to take her own life.
The entire formula of that massive magic circle pierced through his sharply honed mind.
As Sirion could assert now, it was riddled with errors.
However, he instantly identified every mistake.
“It’s not impossible!”
Now, if he could cram his immense enlightenment and this extraordinary flow of mana into it…
It might be possible.
If not now, it would forever remain impossible.
The chance of the abnormal surge of mana occurring again due to the lifting of the ancient curse and the mental leap of the curse bearer was slim.
What needed to be done?
First, there’s the issue of surpassing the 8th circle’s barrier.
Though his will and consciousness were prepared, lacking enlightenment, he had remained at the 4th circle, but now he had achieved a great enlightenment, reaching the 7th circle in one leap.
At this moment, as he was gathering and refining that enlightenment, attempting to expand his circle further could lead to the collapse of both body and mind.
‘But I can endure it for a moment.’
He could manage a brief moment to conceptualize the magic circle and cram in the surging storm of mana.
Yet, there was another variable.
A magic circle of such high difficulty that it was labeled ‘unsolvable’ by anyone who attempted to decipher it.
Even after simplification, it remained a 9th circle magic circle, untested because of its complexity.
If he failed, he would have to consider his life forfeit.
Would he still proceed?
“Of course.”
His father, who was deceived and took his own life, losing his title.
The honor of the ducal house he resolved to rebuild.
Everything precious was in the past.
Including the life of his Master, sacrificed for someone as insignificant as himself.
With gritted teeth,
Another sonic boom swept through his body.
‘8th circle.’
The staggering figure hesitated not a bit to spread a formation.
Centered around him and Sirion, a complex blue line undulated.
‘This time, it’s my turn.’
He took a deep breath.
The life of his Master, who was sacrificed for him, would be reclaimed.
Definitely.
Moments later, a dazzling light enveloped the earth.
