Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 11

11. Liu’s Test (3)

“Who wants to go first?”

Liu’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Me!”

Just as I was about to raise my hand, McDuff was a little faster.

“Oh, McDuff! You think you can do it?”

“Of course!”

McDuff proudly held up the orb.

[Oh, that show-off. Can he really do it?]

‘I wonder. How is he going to do it?’

His mana sensitivity was definitely inferior to mine. Even I found the task difficult. McDuff wouldn’t be able to do it through pure skill.

“Watch this!”

He placed the orb on the ground and began to conjure flames. The dark night and the open space behind the auditorium began to brighten.

“How is it?”

McDuff looked at Liu with a confident expression.

“How is what?”

However, Liu’s blunt response was all he got.

“I filled the orb with mana.”

McDuff frowned.

[What is he even saying?]

Oberon was also tilting his head. He had only created flames; no mana had accumulated in the orb. If there was any change, it was that it had become a little brighter because of the flames he created.

“Where is the mana, exactly?”

Eventually, Liu asked again.

“The light I created illuminates the orb. Thanks to that, the inside of the orb is clearly visible.”

“And?”

“The source of the light illuminating the orb is the flame, and the source of the flame is my mana. Light can be said to be my mana. In other words, the brightly shining orb is no different from being filled with my mana.”

It was a somewhat strange answer.

‘Something’s off.’

[What a load of nonsense. Did he suddenly become a philosopher?]

Since the evaluator was Liu, not us, I focused on his expression.

“Puhaha!”

He laughed loudly once and then spoke again.

“What are you even saying? I told you to fill it with mana, not to come up with some Zen riddle. Light is light. How is light mana?”

“Huh…?”

McDuff was flustered. Liu curled up one corner of his mouth at the sight of the boy’s face turning red.

“Who told you that? Who did you ask?”

“What? I, I thought of it myself.”

“Don’t lie. Who are you trying to fool?”

“No, I didn’t!”

Only then did I realize.

‘Ah!’

The reason I felt a sense of incongruity in his answer.

‘This guy asked Helena for the answer.’

The mature tone coming from him was the source of the incongruity. It wasn’t the tone he usually used. He had memorized the answer Helena gave him, word for word.

[Yep. The show-off can’t get away with anything today.]

He kept denying it, but Liu wasn’t stupid.

“I don’t even need to see it. Helena told you, right? That answer is exactly Helena’s style. She’s good at spouting sophistry.”

McDuff’s face was about to explode. A child is a child.

‘He still has a long way to go to control his emotions, this kid.’

Naturally, the turn came to me, and I rummaged through my pockets.

“Just a moment.”

Liu raised an eyebrow at the object I took out.

“That’s not an orb?”

“Yes. It’s a mana stone.”

Twenty mana stones I had obtained during the outdoor training. I spread them out in a circle on the floor.

[What is he going to do with that?]

Not only Oberon but also Liu had the same expression.

‘Just watch.’

I attempted mana induction towards the mana stones. The basics of becoming a mage. It was just a simple mana induction.

Whoooong!

The twenty or so mana stones on the floor vibrated, and mana began to flow out. That was a typical phenomenon for mana stones, but.

“Huh?”

McDuff tilted his head. The flowing mana gathered into a cluster, and a round spring of mana was being created.

“Hoo….”

Watching Liu stroke his chin, I placed the orb in the very center of the mana spring.

Trickle! Mana was sucked in. The orb slowly filled up through the hole in it.

[Oh…? Oh!]

Slowly, but steadily, the mana filled the orb with a blue wave.

There was no need to ask if I had succeeded. A satisfied smile was already on Liu’s face.

“A reverse way of thinking.”

“Yes. There’s no need to inject mana directly into the orb from the beginning. If I fill the outside with mana, it will naturally flow into the hole in the orb.”

“How did you come up with this idea?”

“I got a hint from the saying that you shouldn’t be trapped in the mold of a mage.”

“Mold?”

“Yes. I thought the answer to this task would be in that saying.”

What is the fixed idea of filling an orb with mana? Injecting mana directly into the orb. That is the common sense of the general orb training method.

‘If I make it so that it has no choice but to flow in on its own.’

That was the method that came to mind when I tried to break that mold. If the surroundings are full of mana, the inside will fill up automatically.

“Well done.”

Soon, Liu spoke.

“Ian. You passed the assignment.”

Then, as expected, McDuff started to protest.

“That’s not even mana, is that okay?”

But Liu was firm.

“I told you to fill it with mana, but I never said whose mana to fill it with. And even if you knew this method, you wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

“Why can’t I! I can handle mana stones too.”

“No. Simply extracting mana from a mana stone doesn’t make it happen like that. Usually, it scatters in all directions. But Ian concentrated 20 mana stones into one place. Can you control 20 individually?”

As he said, sweat was dripping from my forehead. It was because I was so focused.

Nevertheless, he ended up yelling.

“Then why is my answer wrong! Magic is also a product of mana!”

In the end, Liu sighed.

“Yes, you said it well. Magic is a product of mana. It’s not mana. And even if you got the right answer, I can’t accept it. I told you to break away from the fixed point of view, but I never told you to ask your mom.”

A wicked smile formed on his lips.

“But are you even allowed to contact your mom at the academy?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“It’s a penalty if you contact the outside during the education period. You know what happens if you get expelled from the academy, right?”

“Hiek!”

He quickly raised his index finger and brought it to his lips. And then he looked at me.

‘I already heard everything, you little rascal.’

McDuff, who already had 9 penalty points, was being cautious. He had no choice but to shut his mouth.

“Ian. You’ve completed the assignment, so think about a wish. Of course, within the limits of what I can grant. I’ll come again next week, so tell me then.”

“I’ve already thought of something.”

“Oh, really? What is it?”

“Please take me to the library.”

Liu tilted his head as if he was surprised.

“The library? You can go there alone. Why bother?”

“No. Not the place that’s open to everyone. The place only members of the family can enter.”

I had heard about it from Titania once. That there is a study that you can enter if you graduate from the Magic Tower and are recognized as a formal member of the family.

That place contains various magic books compiled by Delema….

“Hmm. Most of them are written in ancient languages, though?”

As Liu said, books written in ancient languages are on display.

I sensed it. That the books there would be like milk and honey to me.

‘Maybe there are books related to black magic.’

[Wow. Are we finally going there like this?]

I had asked Titania several times, that I really wanted to go there. But each time, Titania would only tell me to become a member of the family. It was a distant future.

“That’s a bit difficult for me too.”

Liu also frowned.

“Rather, I think I need some time to think. For now, go back to the dormitory today.”

It was fortunate that he didn’t draw a line and say no.

“Oh, and I’ll come here every week to give you assignments, so let’s see each other again next week.”

Liu came to give assignments, but he was taking an assignment with him.

‘Now, shall we deal with this guy?’

I immediately looked at McDuff next to me.

“Wh-what? Why are you looking at me?”

He must not have cared about our conversation. He still looked very nervous.

‘He must be thinking about being expelled.’

I was originally going to corner him with penalty points. If he told Helena about what happened with Ariel today, he would get 10 penalty points. But he had already contacted Helena to solve Liu’s assignment.

‘Then it’s even easier.’

Since he was caught by me.

“You. You’re going to be expelled now, right?”

This little lamb was in the palm of my hand.

“Ex-expelled!”

“You contacted Helena, right? If I tell them that, you’ll be expelled. You know what happens then, right?”

The only reason he was afraid was that being expelled from Delema’s Academy meant that Delema’s support as a mage would be cut off.

That was the rule of the family.

“I…! Ik!”

He clenched his fists tightly, but he couldn’t say anything.

“But, depending on what you do, I might not say anything and let it pass.”

Only then did a glimmer of hope shine on his face.

“H-how can I?”

His anxious face was suddenly cute.

‘He looks like a kid at times like this.’

[Serves you right! Show-off!]

I opened my mouth with the most menacing expression possible.

“Don’t tell Helena about what happened with Ariel this afternoon.”

“What? That’s…!”

“If you don’t like it, get expelled. By the way, even Helena won’t be able to stop that. You know that, right?”

For a moment, his eyes widened.

‘Does he have a choice?’

In the end, McDuff lowered his head.

“…Okay.”

“And don’t bully the other kids in the class anymore. If you cause another accident and get a penalty point, you’re expelled. It’s not my fault, okay?”

McDuff’s shoulders trembled and then stopped. After patting the little lamb’s shoulder, I headed to the dormitory.

In many ways, it was a refreshing night.

* * *

“Huff…. Huff.”

Drew was sweating hard, but.

‘Why is she doing this in my room?’

[So what? She must be grateful to you.]

Crunch! Crunch!

Ariel was biting into a cookie as big as her face.

“Anyway, I’ve talked to McDuff, so you don’t have to worry. And I’ll be attending the academy quietly from now on.”

Ariel put down the cookie for a moment and gave a small smile.

“Thank you. For helping me.”

Soon, her gaze reached Drew. Tilting her head to one side.

“Drew. Why are you doing that?”

Drew was now doing push-ups.

“Oh, I’m trying to lose some weight.”

I had told Drew to keep this training method a secret from others. He seemed to have found a suitable excuse.

“Really? Well, you do need to lose some.”

“Ah? Ah, uh….”

He seemed quite hurt by Ariel’s response.

“But, aren’t you guys leaving?”

It had already been an hour since they came to my room. I had to do my own training.

“Just after I finish eating this.”

“Just after I finish doing this.”

Another 30 minutes passed before the children left the room.

‘Cute guys.’

I immediately sat cross-legged on the bed.

[What are you going to do?]

‘I’m going to experiment with what I felt thanks to Ariel earlier.’

She started by implementing the elements. She didn’t use water magic from the beginning.

Don’t try to use magic from the beginning. Don’t try to do something difficult. Let’s express the most comfortable form. The answer will be there.

Like when creating a sword aura, I reach out and naturally let mana flow. I expressed mana in the most comfortable way for my body.

‘Oh, is something happening?’

The fluctuating energy concentrated at my fingertips.

‘……!’

[What is this again?]

Various colors of smoke were rising above my hand.