Red Tower

“Again today?”

“Why the hell is a rich young master doing that?”

“How should I know? Why come all the way to Aroth to do that...? I hear even the main family acknowledged his abilities.”

“Isn’t he just trying to get attention?”

“A young master of Lionheart gets everyone’s attention just by sitting still. Why would he bother putting on a show like that?”

“He might. He’s from a collateral branch, not the direct line.”

The young mages in the library disliked Eugene. They had endured the grueling ordeal of preparing for the entrance examination to get into the Red Tower, while Eugene had entered on the strength of the Lionheart name alone.

They couldn’t openly express their discontent. Criticizing Eugene to his face was tantamount to criticizing Lovellian, the tower master.

“... Still, isn’t he better than that moron Eward?”

“There’s no comparison. He’s much better. At least that little young master works hard.”

There were plenty of mages who, despite their dislike of him, gave credit where it was due. Puffing heavily on their cigarettes, they looked up at the floor above.

For the past month, only Eugene had used the seat beside the window. It was practically his reserved seat. Of course, it wasn’t actually reserved, but no one else had sat there since Eugene first took it.

At first, quite a few people had approached him with awkward smiles. What interested them was his surname, Lionheart. They hoped to coax the seventeen-year-old boy into helping them establish connections with the Lionhearts.

Naturally, Eugene couldn’t stand those bastards.

“Lovely weather today, isn’t it?”

“An Introduction to Magic for Beginners! Wow, that’s the book I started learning magic from as a child, too.”

“If you don’t mind, shall I teach you a little about magic?”

“Don’t you get bored spending all day in the library?”

“Young master.”

“The weather’s so lovely. Why don’t we go out together? I know an excellent restaurant...”

“No, thank you.”

Every time one of those bastards approached, Eugene gave the same answer. With his reply never changing, the mages eventually stopped approaching him.

He liked that.

No one sat nearby, leaving the area around him deserted. The books he had brought over formed several towers on the spacious desk. The only sound here was the turning of pages. A smoking area lay just a few floors below, but the magic separating each floor kept the cigarette smoke from rising. Thanks to that, Eugene could concentrate on his reading in clean, comfortable air.

It had been a month since he arrived at the Red Tower.

Eugene had visited the library every single day, arriving early in the morning and returning to his room late at night.

Nor had he devoted himself solely to magic. He woke several hours before leaving for the library to train his mana, and before bed he exercised until sweat poured off him.

That left less time for sleep, but this gifted body shook off all fatigue after just a few hours’ rest. Now that mana had been added to the mix, he no longer felt particularly tired even if he went several days without sleep.

“... Hmm.”

The sun was beginning to set.

Eugene glanced at the sunset light streaming through the window. After looking outside for a moment, he stood.

Gathering the books piled on his desk into his arms, he returned them to their original shelves. He didn’t have to search. He remembered where every book belonged.

And not just their locations, but their contents, too. A brief search of his memory brought them readily to mind. His understanding, once ignorant of magic, had begun to grasp the discipline as his reading gave him an ever firmer grounding in its principles.

‘Born with brains, too.’

Eugene chuckled as he descended the stairs. In a single month, he had read every introductory magic book in the Red Tower’s library. Turning the pages had been a struggle at first, but the more he read, the better he grasped the principles. By the end, he could understand a book with little more than a quick skim.

‘It’s still only theory, though.’

He had done nothing but read for a month. He had filled his head with knowledge without actually taking his first steps in magic.

There was a reason for that. People lumped it all together as magic, but its varieties were endless. The more books he read in the library, the more he wondered which method would best suit this body.

So he had simply kept reading.

‘Now there’s nothing left to read.’

It went without saying that membership in a magic tower meant a mage’s abilities had earned recognition in the wider world. The introductory books kept in such a tower weren’t intended to teach its mages the basics, but to serve as references and research material.

In other words, they were excellent books of established authority. There might be countless introductory magic books in the world, but after reading all those kept in a magic tower, there was no particular need to read any more.

‘Shall I give it a try now?’

“I’m going to do it today,” Eugene said as he approached the library counter.

The librarian seated behind it looked up at him.

“At last.”

It was Hera, the mage he had met on his first day at the tower. The tower’s mages each devoted themselves to research of their own choosing. Hera had recently finished hers and was taking things easy while serving as a librarian.

Lovellian had told Eugene to seek his advice whenever he had questions about magic, but asking him about every little thing was both bothersome and daunting.

[“If there’s anything you’re curious about, you’re welcome to ask me.”]

Perhaps Hera had noticed that, because she had approached Eugene first and offered to help. Thanks to her, he had received assistance several times during his month at the tower, and the two had become fairly close.

“Where will you be doing it?”

“In the underground research chambers.”

“Please wait a moment. Another librarian will be here soon,” Hera said, tidying up around her desk.

While waiting for the librarian to arrive, Eugene methodically organized the spell formulas floating through his mind.

Although plenty of mages had homes outside the tower, most of the younger mages had no homes of their own and lived at the tower instead.

So did Eugene. He had plenty of money, but living in the tower was overwhelmingly more convenient than buying or renting a home. Perhaps because summoning magic was its specialty, a wide variety of familiars took care of all the chores inside.

His room... was much smaller than the main family’s annex. Even so, it was more than spacious enough for one person, and he liked it. He also appreciated being able to have a familiar bring whatever meal he wanted to his room, provided he requested it in advance, without having to visit the dining hall.

If he had to name something he disliked, it was the lack of a training ground. Still, the research chambers served the same purpose, so it didn’t really matter. The research chambers attached to each floor were reserved for senior mages. Having to take the elevator all the way underground was merely a nuisance.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Hera was wearing a large hat again today. Eugene had wondered whether an old fashion had come back around after three hundred years, but it was simply her peculiar taste. She was the only person in this tower who insisted on dressing so much like a mage.

“My brother didn’t come today, either.”

“Well... that’s how it usually is.”

Hera gave a wry smile as she pulled her large hat down snugly. For the first week after Eugene arrived, Eward had visited the library as well. Just that one week. Since then, Eugene hadn’t seen him in the library and had rarely even run into him in the corridors.

Apparently, he had been like that for years.

However close Lovellian and Gilead were, Lovellian couldn’t accept the unskilled Eward as his apprentice. Not only would that be unfair, it would tarnish the tower master’s reputation.

Instead, Lovellian had arranged for a senior mage at the tower with time to spare to become Eward’s teacher. He had not only let Eward live at the tower, but connected him with a skilled teacher as well. That was more than enough to honor his friendship with Gilead.

The problem was Eward. For about half a year after coming to the tower, the bastard had worked fairly hard. But at some point, he had stopped regularly visiting the library or research chambers, spending his time in his room or wandering outside the tower instead.

‘Pathetic bastard.’

Eugene knew why. Three years ago, at Lovellian’s urging, Eward had taken the tower’s open recruitment examination.

His results hadn’t been very good. He had earned a reasonably respectable score in theory, but his practical score was too abysmal to overlook. That had left both Lovellian and the mage who taught Eward in an awkward, embarrassing position.

‘If he’s not good enough, he should work harder. Instead, he’s spent years fucking around and draining the family’s money? And on top of that, he’s become a feeding station supplying a succubus with vitality.’

If Eugene had witnessed it himself, he would have beaten Eward senseless, direct descendant of the main family and older brother or not. Perhaps Eward was wary of Eugene, because he had quietly stayed holed up in the tower on the last full-moon night.

But that wouldn’t last long. Eugene had run into Eward in a tower corridor a few days ago.

His dry skin and brittle hair had regained some life, but his nails were bitten down to the quick, and his eyes were dull. Addiction. He probably wouldn’t hold back at the next full moon. It was obvious he would go to the succubus.

“You’ll be starting with circles, of course?”

They were in the elevator descending underground. Hera spoke as she supplied the mana to operate it in Eugene’s place.

“Yes.”

The reason Senya the Wise was revered in Aroth was that she had systematically defined the stages of magic.

Just three hundred years ago, those stages had been hopelessly vague.

Powerful, wondrous magic naturally demanded a great deal of mana. An outstanding mage therefore had to be able to manipulate vast amounts of mana freely. The magic manifested with that foundation had to be difficult and complex.

In other words, an outstanding mage had to command a great deal of mana and be capable of casting many spells. That wasn’t wrong. To be called an archmage, one naturally had to know many spells and excel at complex magic that other mages couldn’t replicate.

Three hundred years ago, Senya had clearly divided the stages of magic. Strictly speaking, these were her own unique laws, but after she became the Green Tower Master, countless mages in Aroth began imitating them.

Circles.

A ring was woven from the mana inside the body. By circulating it, a mage drew out the mana needed to manifest magic. As the amount of mana they could control increased, the ring grew thicker and stronger.

Once the maximum amount of mana a single circle could control was surpassed, another circle was added, layering the circles together. Each additional circle brought an explosive increase in the mana a mage commanded. Even a simple spell varied in power according to the number of circles.

Now, three hundred years later, most mages began learning magic through circles. The only real exceptions were systems of magic that differed fundamentally, such as spirit magic and black magic.

“There isn’t much choice, really. Other magical formulas do exist, but circles have been proven over three hundred years to be the most efficient and rational.”

Hera spoke with an expression full of pride. Lovellian wasn’t the only one who considered himself a follower of Senya’s teachings. Every mage who used circles as their basic magical formula claimed to follow her.

That pride was particularly strong in the Red Tower and the Green Tower.

“... I’m thinking of making a slight modification.”

The elevator arrived at the underground research chambers. Eugene stepped out first as he spoke.

“Though I don’t know whether it’ll work.”

“A modification? I don’t think that’s... a very good idea.”

Hera followed Eugene with a worried expression.

“Modifying circles is a research topic that most mages try at least once. But you haven’t even begun practicing magic yet, Eugene... Wouldn’t it be better to start with the conventional method and research modifications once you’ve reached a certain level?”

She wasn’t thinking that this child was being presumptuous. Hera was genuinely worried about Eugene. Magical formulas were abstruse, making them difficult to modify. One misstep could send his mana out of control and collapse the formula.

He might die, or be left crippled and unable to use mana for the rest of his life. Even if it wasn’t that serious, he might spend several days ill.

“Well, I’m not going to dismantle the whole thing and make it different from the outset. It shouldn’t be particularly dangerous, either.”

“If you don’t mind, may I hear how you intend to do it?”

“I’m going to try adapting the Lionheart mana-control method.”

Eugene answered without concealing anything. Hera blinked at his words.

‘... Is there no getting around his age?’

That thought did cross her mind. She knew Eugene was so mature that it was hard to believe he was seventeen. But hearing him now, it seemed he still possessed the inexperience one would expect at his age.

“... Eugene. Mana control for martial arts and mana control for magic operate on different principles. I don’t know the Lionheart mana-control method, but does it include the concepts of incantations and spell formulas?”

“No.”

“Then you can’t cast magic with the Lionheart mana-control method. You may be able to draw out the mana needed, but unless you give the magic form through a spell formula and activate it with an incantation, it won’t manifest as an actual phenomenon.”

“That’s why I want to test it.”

Eugene welcomed Hera’s advice. He wasn’t assuming he could do it no matter what. Would it really work? Could he do it? He had read every introductory magic book in the library to find out.

“It shouldn’t be particularly dangerous.”

“... Hmm... Go ahead and try, then. But if the flow of mana becomes dangerous, I’ll intervene immediately. If you’re injured, it will put both me and the tower master in a difficult position.”

“All right.”

Eugene nodded and stood before a door. Deep beneath the tower were countless research chambers. He opened the door to the one he had been using for the past month.

It was fairly spacious inside. Advanced spatial distortion magic made it possible for dozens of chambers this size to exist underground. Eugene had done plenty of marveling on his first day, so he calmly walked to the center of the chamber.

“I’ll begin.”

“All right.”

Hera made no attempt to hide the anxiety in her eyes. She quietly summoned her staff and gripped it with both hands, ready to respond immediately if anything went wrong.

Eugene was calm.

‘It’s similar to the White Flame Formula.’

Naturally, Eugene had taken an interest when he learned it was Senya’s magic.

Circles.

The method differed, but the essence was the same.

The White Flame Formula controlled mana through stars at the heart.

Circles controlled mana through rings.

With the White Flame Formula, the stars split whenever the practitioner reached a new level.

With circles, another ring was added whenever the practitioner reached a new level.

‘Adaptation.’

He had grasped the principles. He understood them. He was familiar with the White Flame Formula, too. Controlling mana? He had been doing that since his previous life. He didn’t know whether it would work, but it was worth a try.

‘Replace the circles with stars. That will let me amplify the mana. I’ll adjust it on the spot as the situation demands. If I try to predict things unnecessarily and get it wrong, it’ll be a headache.’

This wasn’t a normal method. A misstep could send the mana inside his body out of control.

Eugene didn’t hesitate. The mana within him gathered at his heart. The stars shone. Three stars resonated, meshing together.

“... My goodness.”

Watching with her staff in hand, Hera let out a startled exclamation. She could feel just how pure the mana Eugene was drawing out was—and how powerful.

A descendant of the Great Vermouth, the God of War, the All-Master. Everyone knew the Lionheart mana-control method was exceptional. But wasn’t this excessive? Could a seventeen-year-old boy really draw out such pure mana in such vast quantities?

‘Slowly.’

WHOOSH!

Pure white flames enveloped his entire body. Concentrating, Eugene adjusted his mana. He kept it from becoming excessive, staying conscious of the limit of what he could currently control. The principle itself was no different from creating sword aura or sword force.

The key was how to manifest the mana. Eugene pictured the form of the spell he would cast. An incantation didn’t necessarily have to be spoken aloud. All that mattered was a clear intent to trigger the manifestation.

The mana surged. He suppressed it. Once again, he adjusted the disobedient mana as it tangled together. His experience from his previous life allowed him to control it just as he wished.

‘He’s perfectly controlling that much mana... It looks as though it’s about to unravel, but it doesn’t. He’s controlling even the smallest particles of mana? Is that possible at his age?’

The more mana one handled, the less control one had over it. That was common knowledge. Manipulating mana required not only talent, but extensive experience.

Eugene Lionheart, a member of a collateral branch, had begun learning mana just four years ago. He had accumulated that much mana in four years and could control it perfectly? It was absurd. Even now, his mana was incomparably stronger and purer than Eward’s, despite Eward having begun learning mana at five.

‘... They did call him a monster.’

She had heard about Eugene from Lovellian.

But Lovellian wasn’t the only source of the rumors. The Lionhearts’ traditional Bloodline Succession Ceremony had continued for three hundred years, and only once in all that time had a collateral branch surpassed the main family. He was the very boy who had accomplished that and become the main family’s adopted son.

When word of it spread, the world had called thirteen-year-old Eugene a monster.

FWOOSH!

A sphere of flame appeared. Staring at it, Eugene slowly altered the spell’s form. He didn’t let the mana disperse completely and vanish. His entire awareness held it in place.

The scattered embers gathered again. Sweat trickled down his forehead and collected at the tip of his chin. By the time it fell, the gathered embers had changed form entirely.

Fireball, a basic first-circle spell, became Magic Missile. Eugene gazed at the Magic Missile floating before him.

To be honest, rather than go through all this trouble, releasing sword aura would have been easier and more powerful. Or he could summon a wind spirit. Either would be stronger than his clumsy magic, and both were familiar and easy for Eugene as he was now.

But Eugene smiled in satisfaction. Wasn’t this pretty respectable for a first attempt? The spell’s power might not justify the effort he had put into it, but simply being able to use magic like this made him happy.

‘I never learned magic in my previous life.’

In fact, Senya had offered a few times.

[“I could teach you magic, if you want.”]

[“Don’t need it.”]

[“Vermouth’s good at magic. Don’t you want to try using magic like him?”]

[“I’m already worse than Vermouth at the things I know how to do. If I get cocky and try learning magic, won’t the gap just get wider? Besides, are you confident you can teach me magic that’ll let me wipe the floor with Vermouth?”]

[“... Hmm...”]

[“Let’s be honest, Senya. You’re not better at magic than Vermouth, are you?”]

[“Do you want to fucking die? Make a sensible comparison! How does it make sense to compare Vermouth, who’s good at fighting and magic, to me, when magic is all I can do?”]

[“I can’t use magic, and I’m good at fighting, but I’m worse at fighting than Vermouth.”]

[“That’s because you’re a moron...! I... I’m better at magic than Vermouth. We just... h-have different specialties.”]

It would have helped if he had simply accepted her lessons back then.

‘Fuck, how was I supposed to know I’d reincarnate?’

If he had known he would reincarnate like this, he would have worked hard at learning magic from Senya. Eugene chuckled and tried moving the Magic Missile. Clumsy though it was, it felt different from controlling mana through the White Flame Formula alone.

‘Different from sword aura, too...’

With that thought, Eugene steadied his breathing.

“Ex... excellent work.”

Hera, who had been watching in a daze, finally spoke. Even seeing it with her own eyes, she couldn’t believe it. She looked back and forth between Eugene, drenched in sweat, and the Magic Missile hovering motionless before him.

‘He spent a month reading nothing but introductory magic books... and this is his first time casting a spell. Even if he could already control mana, the mana used for magic and martial arts is different...’

More astonishing still, Eugene hadn’t spoken an incantation aloud. An incantation was a declaration that transformed magic into a phenomenon. A high-level mage could manifest magic without one, but anyone who hadn’t reached that level had to declare their magic aloud.

‘He cast magic as a beginner through mental calculation alone. And he changed the spell without dispelling it.’

“Eugene.”

Hera swallowed.

“You already started practicing magic in secret, didn’t you?”

“Where’s that coming from?”

“You’re doing this to surprise me. Aren’t you? You’ve been secretly practicing magic in your room, haven’t you?”

“Today’s the first time I’ve used it.”

“That’s impossible...”

“Why would I lie about something like this?”

As he spoke, Eugene moved the Magic Missile this way and that. It probably wasn’t as powerful as sword aura, but he liked being able to move it without physically swinging anything.

“Please summon a monster for me.”

“Pardon?”

“I want to test its power.”

“Ah... um... all right. What kind of monster would you like?”

“Something tough.”

“Would a golem do? I happen to have one already made, so I can summon it directly without a catalyst.”

“Yes.”

Hera raised her staff and recited a summoning incantation. A magic circle formed a short distance away, and mana gathered within it. Before long, a large golem appeared.

“It’s a golem made of cabrium. It disperses most attacks on impact, without even needing a defensive formula.”

“Sounds good.”

Eugene grinned. Hera positioned the standing golem in front of Eugene, then stepped back.

“Try attacking it.”

“All right.”

The instant he answered, the Magic Missile shot forward.

KABOOM!

The golem toppled backward.