Book 1 Chapter 15

The 14th Episode

While Part 1 covered Rin's life, Part 2 described the magic and combat style Rin primarily used.

You don't really need to read this part.

I idly flipped through the pages and eventually closed the book completely. There was nothing more to gain.

'Why did they send this to me? To let me know there was a note? I already knew that.'

Do they know my identity? Is there a living comrade among them?

No, even if they were alive, how could they recognize me?

My appearance is completely different, isn't it? If it's possible to recognize me, why haven't they contacted me?

It was an incomprehensible problem.

'When I see things like this, I realize there's nothing as honest and clean as a math problem…'

The most likely sender of this is Haraderiman the Mad Dragon, who is said to be able to see through everything in the universe.

One of the three divine dragons living an immortal life, and the leader of the Mad Dragon Orthodox Church…

If so, why did he send it?

To look for stories about my comrades? But what if it's not Haraderiman?

'I've tried to ignore it until now, but… I should probably go to the library and look into it soon.'

To find out what happened to my party comrades.

I already knew Rista was missing, without even needing to look.

Peiquaria, the strongest soldier in humanity, is a propaganda figure who must never die—a hero—so no matter how he died, it would be treated as a disappearance.

'But Friede and Kies… hmm.'

As I read the book, it was already 11 p.m.

It was the time when dormitory entry was forbidden, and lights out was mandatory, unless one had applied for an extension beforehand.

"Should I turn off the light before the dorm supervisor comes?"

As I was about to stand up, Rin's diary caught my eye.

Come to think of it, this was…

It was the moment I opened the notebook, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.

—Flutter.

My heart pounded as the butterfly of light scattered particles of magic beautifully and flew up.

It was Rudien.

Not the Rudien I had made in this life, but the one I had created as Rin, twice as large.

But what was strange was that its color was an even deeper, darker indigo than back then.

"How did this fellow…"

It had survived for 300 years without disappearing?

With whose magic?

My vigilance amplified in the unbelievable situation, and my hands and feet trembled.

It was then.

As soon as Rudien landed on my head, the blue light particles it shed clustered together, forming a string of characters in the air.

Socrafres.

- You can inherit 'Unique Magic' research progress from the surrounding environment.

- Progress 37%.

* * *

Unique Magic (固有魔法) is the ultimate secret of magic that one must master to attain the realm of a 6-star mage, a Sage.

It is said that one can only use it when they can create their own runes and formulate equations that can alter reality with those runes.

Unlike standardized common magic, Unique Magic can only be used by its creator (it's impossible to pass it on to someone else), and because the creator interprets their own runes with their own formulas, its power and performance are determined by the mage's individuality.

The Imperial Magic Alliance recognized only those capable of wielding Unique Magic as 6th-tier, or 'Renpage.'

"The truth will set you free."

Just as Emitsa Page, the first mage, said, only those who saw the end of magic, the truth (眞理), and could freely wield magic could become Sages.

The Renpage rank could be called the ideal for all mages, earning a proud statue in the Sage's Square of <Golden Rose>.

"I was researching this, but…"

After realizing my reincarnation, I prioritized magic training over restudying this theory because I was at a loss as to how to start researching it again from scratch.

■ Yoon (蝡).

- It seems possible to bestow the property of 'molecules wriggling,' but the mathematical formula is complex, and the only compatible magic circle is fire-attributed.

- The casting mathematical formula has been named 'Matrix Mechanics.'

■ Ro (癆).

- It seems to have the property of 'splitting the time of magical impact into long periods.' In the battle against Rumalden, I succeeded in extending the damage duration of a fireball, much like a poison-type spell.

- The casting mathematical formula has been named 'Rin's Infinite Function.'

…

…(Excerpt)…

…

■ Eun (齦).

- It has been confirmed that it can bestow the property of 'biting and crushing.' It seems to have the potential to develop into Unique Magic, but the problem is that its uses are too limited.

- The casting mathematical formula is named 'Variable Wave,' a formula that expresses the coordinates of magic in terms of probability.

These were twelve self-created runes that I had researched and tested in actual combat during the era of war.

I thought they had all failed, but the progress is 37%?

"Rudien, aren't you a 4-star magic?"

It is inexplicable that a 4-star magic can confirm the progress of a 6-star rank.

There was nothing like this in my previous life either.

'Just what kind of guy…'

Did a Sage who appeared before my reincarnation give some silent help?

That can't be.

From Rin's death until Rain's birth, only one Grand Mage appeared, but no Sage.

'But what if this is real…?'

The reason Grand Mages despaired, unable to advance to the Sage stage, was not a complex problem.

It was simply a lack of certainty.

Am I on the right path? Will this rune ever be completed? Even if the rune is completed, will I be able to create a mathematical formula?

"Ha."

A single laugh burst out.

I had originally thought it would be a blessing to see the truth right before I grew old, dedicating this entire life to it, but if a milestone like this appeared, the story changes.

'It's different from my previous life.'

I don't need to conserve magic for a fight that might come at any moment, nor do I need to risk my life to use an unfinished rune in actual combat.

'Now, what I have is time.'

The environment is also excellent. <Delaitten> has training facilities and the best magic library.

I need to set new goals.

Ideally, to see the truth before graduation. If not, then before I turn 30.

"Ah, this is so good. I'm going crazy."

I jumped onto the bed, hugged the mysterious Rudien with both hands, and rolled around.

Any speculation about the being who sent this was instantly pushed to the back burner. I barely suppressed the childish giggles that burst out.

Though I had a rather calm personality, when it came to the path of exploring truth, I always remained in a naive childhood state.

'Starting tomorrow morning.'

That day, I couldn't calm my excited heart and couldn't sleep. My heart pounded, and my eyes were wide open until late dawn.

'I need to start research right away in the morning.'

So, early in the morning, before the sun had fully risen, I put on my practice mage's robe, stretched, and left the dormitory front gate.

A light rain was falling from a sky covered in grey storm clouds.

In the south, which is affected by the climate of the Red Mountains, the rain carried warmth, so the southern rain was warm.

After enjoying the sound of the rain for a moment, I tucked 'Rin's Diary' deep into my chest pocket and walked out into the rain.

- You're looking for a place where you can practice magic to your heart's content? In that case, the Dragon Battleground (戰龍場) would be perfect.

According to the dorm supervisor's explanation, the Dragon Battleground was an outdoor combat training ground created for training magic of great power and vast range.

High-level magic, represented by [Damage Absorption] and [Area Restoration], surrounded it like a barrier, making it a place where one could freely unleash magic without worrying about collateral damage.

The entrance to the Dragon Battleground was blocked by a barrier of fire, but as I pressed my student ID ring, worn on my left index finger, against the magic circle, the flames parted to either side, clearing a path.

- Welcome, 1388th Class Rain Ludwig, to the Dragon Battleground.

- Currently, 30 out of 30 rooms are vacant.

Soon, a voice emanated from the guidance magic.

I felt a slight sense of interest.

When I made Rudien, it was impossible to add voice to guidance magic. Magic had advanced over 300 years.

"I'll use Room 15. It's right in front."

To use Room 1 or Room 30, I would have to walk a long way. I detest inconvenience.

- Approved.

The overall structure of the Dragon Battleground was fan-shaped, and the 30 training rooms were partitioned by 3-star barriers.

The training rooms were also small fan-shaped structures; where the user stood was slightly narrow, but it gradually widened as one moved forward, allowing for the indiscriminate use of area-of-effect magic.

"Give me a target. A sturdy one."

Then, among the complex magic circles drawn on the ground, a brilliant light illuminated the summoning circle, and soon a golem rose up.

"Is it a semi-2-star magic level? Well, that's not bad."

This is primarily for experimenting with runes and mathematical formulas.

If I were to face an opponent with too high a magic rank, I wouldn't be able to observe meaningful results.

"Shall we go?"

I opened Rin's diary. My research begins with my first created rune, Yoon (蝡).

"Yoon, bestow the property of 'molecules wriggling'."

I created it to compensate for the weakness of fire magic—that while its instantaneous damage is powerful, it becomes utterly powerless when its attack is nullified by a defensive barrier.

To make the flames wriggle.

I aimed to create a property where flames wouldn't just blaze once and disappear but would slowly yet persistently burn, eating away at the target.

"Magic circle construction, triangle."

As I spread my palm, a red ring floated above it. A triangle is the construction formation for fire magic.

"Rune bestowal, Yoon (蝡)."

The rune seemed to be engraved in the center of the magic circle but soon scattered weakly into particles of light.

'As expected, it doesn't work with 1-star magic.'

After regulating my magic with a deep breath, the moment I fully spread my palm, I felt blood rush to my shoulder blades.

Simultaneously, lightning sparked around my palm, and a triangular magic circle rose up. One more, and then another.

The interlocking magic circles instantly scattered seductive light and rotated, with the rune of Yoon (蝡) engraved at their center.

'Since it's 3-star magic, I should originally place three runes.'

Since Yoon alone occupied all three positions, its efficiency could be considered very low. Of course, it's still a child's scribble that can't really be called a rune, so that's natural.

"Mathematical formula calculation, Matrix Mechanics."

As I shattered the three-layered magic circle, an otherworldly power ignored the laws of the world and spread a variable paradox.

A torrent of crackling flames, like a swarm of gnats, surged towards the golem.

There was none of the violent explosion typical of fire magic; instead, embers, clinging to its massive body like insects, gradually began to glow brilliantly.

'What kind of trash magic is that?'

Someone inadvertently watched the scene from afar. It was Hubert, who had come out for morning training to relieve yesterday's stress.

'Since only one rune was engraved, it must be 1-star magic, but can't that guy even use 1-star magic properly?'

The first characteristic of fire magic was its brilliance. Such quiet fire magic must surely be the most basic of basics.

'He came all the way to the Dragon Battleground just to practice that kind of magic?'

Three years as a teaching assistant?

It was nonsense after all.

The fear I felt when he stared at me yesterday must have been a delusion too. He was an unremarkable fellow.

'To grow up as a noble of a prominent family and only be able to do that much, he's truly pathetic.'

Hubert let out a contemptuous sneer, shook his head, and walked towards Room 3, which was assigned to him.

And after a few seconds?

With a crash, the golem shattered into pieces and collapsed, shaking the ground. The recoil did not transfer elsewhere due to [Impact Absorption].

The deep inner flesh of the finely broken rocks… was dissolving and melting away.

The flames, imbued with the property of Yoon (蝡), had burrowed into its body and burned its core.

'Hmm, it's getting the intended feeling, but…'

But it was too slow; it took 30 seconds to melt a semi-2-star golem. Was the problem the completeness of the rune, or the mathematical theory?

'Discovering that is the real joy.'

Alright, then, let's slightly change the rune. Or should I try applying a different mathematical theory first?