Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 12

12. Delema Archive

[Is it like a rainbow?]

No, not exactly. While it displayed multiple colors reminiscent of a rainbow at first glance, the colors weren’t as clearly defined.

The vapor hovering over my hand shifted hues constantly – blue, red, yellow, a spectrum of various colors.

[How can there be so many different energies……]

Even Oberon struggled to identify them all. However, I had a theory.

‘Oberon.’

[What’s wrong?]

‘I think all the attributes are manifesting.’

[What did you say?]

I couldn’t shake the feeling. The sensation transmitted to my fingertips varied with the vapor’s color.

‘When it’s yellow, it tingles, and when it’s blue, it feels cool.’

Didn’t that mirror the characteristics of each attribute? The vapor blooming in my hand seemed to be the nascent form of each element.

[Amazing. Is this how all wizards begin?]

‘I don’t know.’

This was simply the result of releasing mana without any specific intention or visualization.

‘If so……’

I focused intently on the vapor, concentrating on the warm energy I felt when the red color was most prominent. I embraced that warmth, searching for the sensation of fire, imagining the most intense heat I could recall.

The vapor remained a vibrant red.

[Oh? Something’s changing?]

Whirr!

Suddenly, it ignited into a blazing flame.

‘……!’

I had succeeded. I had finally manifested an attribute. Moreover, the vapor’s transformation didn’t stop there.

Swish!

The flame quickly morphed into water, a cool, damp sensation. This change occurred as I focused my mind.

‘This feeling is incredible.’

[Huh…… Isn’t it usually difficult to manifest even one attribute?]

I couldn’t explain it.

‘This body… I think I have an extraordinary talent for magic.’

The first attempt was challenging, but subsequent ones came easily. Soon, various attributes were blossoming in my hand.

* * *

Another week passed.

“Wait another month. I have something to do.”

Liu informed me that he needed an additional month before we could visit the Delema Archive.

‘He has something to do?’

I was unsure of his plans, but I had no choice but to agree.

“Okay.”

I continued Alois’s classes during the day and strength training with Drew at night. The routine wasn’t dull, especially with the constant emergence of new attributes from my fingertips. I found myself enjoying magic more and more.

The month flew by, marked by new achievements.

‘Can I finally go to the archive today?’

I was happily attending Alois’s class.

“Today, we’re going to focus on implementing attributes that are familiar to each of you.”

This was the stage that Ariel and McDuff had reached a month prior.

‘That’s easy.’

Now, I could do it effortlessly, and…

Whirr! Flames danced in my left hand, and Swish! Water flowed in my right. As I grew more adept at attribute implementation, I could manifest two attributes simultaneously.

“Wow, Ian. Are you really a genius?”

Drew stared in astonishment.

‘I can’t use magic *yet*, though.’

Visualizing the essence of magic rather than specific spells came naturally to me. Unsurprisingly, the other children were watching me with rapt attention.

[That rascal is quiet, though.]

McDuff, who usually would have been looking for a fight, was observing silently.

‘Is there an educational effect? He wouldn’t want to be expelled.’

Since I threatened him with demerit points, he had been controlling his temper in class.

[You must have been really hard on him.]

‘What did I do?’

I would clear my throat if McDuff seemed about to lash out at someone, but that was all.

Suddenly, a voice broke through my thoughts.

“What happened to you all of a sudden?”

Ariel had approached.

“What?”

“You couldn’t do anything a month ago. How can you do multiple things at once now?”

I didn’t bother mentioning that she was the reason.

“Well, it just… Once I could do one thing, the others came naturally.”

“Hmm… Does that mean you’re familiar with all attributes?”

Ariel could still only create water, so it was a natural question for her.

“Still, you can use Water Ball, too.”

In terms of mastering a single attribute, Ariel was ahead. Even though it was a low-level spell, she was already using magic. She was undoubtedly a great talent as well.

[You don’t know, but it’s not common for wizards to chant simultaneously.]

‘Really? The wizards I fought all used 2 or 3 each.’

[Those guys were all 7-star or higher, and they were famous on the continent. You’re using two at the same time even though you’re not even 2-star, so that’s why.]

I didn’t know how I did it either. I simply imagined the energy and allowed the mana to flow, and it happened naturally.

‘Isn’t it because I can control the internal energy well?’

[Maybe. Whether it’s mana or aura, you’ve reached 9-star anyway.]

I manifested different attributes in both hands for a moment.

“Okay, everyone is doing well. Ian, Ariel, and McDuff are progressing fast, but the others aren’t slow either, so don’t be discouraged. If you keep practicing, you’ll be able to do it soon.”

Alois’s voice echoed through the hall.

“Alright, everyone worked hard today. You can all return to your dormitories and rest!”

“Yes!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

The children responded enthusiastically.

“Drew, go to my room first and start training.”

“Ah, okay! Is it the day you meet your uncle again today?”

He whispered quietly. Since I trained with Drew every night, he knew my schedule.

“Yeah. Keep it a secret from other people.”

“Of course!”

Drew’s demeanor had changed significantly.

[That Gibson guy seems to be getting lighter now.]

It was an inevitable result of his daily training.

‘He seems to sense the aura well, too.’

I looked at him with a proud smile.

“You, look straight ahead.”

I turned towards McDuff’s voice.

‘I thought he’s been quiet lately.’

[That’s how a rascal should be.]

He was picking on Bella.

“S, sorry.”

Bella was bowing her head even though she hadn’t done anything wrong. Was I just going to stand by and watch McDuff’s bullying?

“Ahem!”

McDuff stiffened at my clearing of my throat. As I approached, he stammered to Bella.

“N, not that. I’m telling you to watch out in the future. I’m worried you’ll get hurt if you bump into the wall.”

McDuff’s pupils were shaking.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, nothing. I’m worried Bella will get hurt. I told her to be careful. R, right?”

Bella, thinking she had been caught by McDuff, nodded without understanding why.

“Then let’s go, McDuff. We have somewhere to go together today.”

“Oh! Right. Let’s go. Let’s go.”

With my arm around his shoulder, I headed towards Liu.

[Hey, McDam.]

‘What’s that?’

[McDuff’s 담당 일진 (protector).] [A Korean slang term for someone who looks after another, often by using intimidation.]

‘일진 (Iljin)? What does that mean? Is that what you use when 일진 (Iljin) is fierce?’

[Well, something like that. It was a popular term for a while when you weren’t around.]

Oberon was chuckling to himself.

* * *

“You worked hard today.”

Liu’s satisfied smile was directed at us.

“McDuff did well this time, too.”

As he had promised a month ago, he came to us every week and gave us homework.

The homework was similar to the beginning, guiding us towards enlightenment.

It was clear that his intention was to help us.

“Okay. You both did well, so I’ll skip this week’s homework. I’ll give you something new next week. Go now.”

“Oh, really?”

McDuff was simply happy to avoid homework.

“Yeah. You better go back quickly before I change my mind.”

“Eek!”

He ran to the dormitory.

“Ian.”

Liu turned to me.

“Let’s go. To the archive.”

The moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.

“You deliberately sent McDuff away first.”

“Yeah. He can’t come with us, can he?”

He skillfully got rid of him.

“But, how do we get there?”

“Follow me.”

I followed Liu as he led the way.

‘Is he using exploration magic?’

Moving through secluded areas, we headed to a corner of the academy.

“You’re smart, so you know this is a secret, right?”

“Of course.”

Liu smiled.

“Yeah. I don’t need to explain why I need to keep a secret from a smart kid like you. Then let’s go.”

Liu stopped shortly after, in front of an ordinary wooden building. It was a familiar building to me.

[What, isn’t this just a warehouse?]

The building was a shabby warehouse in a remote part of the academy.

‘Why are we here?’

Liu carefully looked around and cautiously approached the door. He grabbed the doorknob and began to release mana towards it.

Whoo-oong!

A strong mana enveloped the entire door.

“Watch carefully.”

Liu grabbed the doorknob and turned it. The scenery beyond the slowly opening door made my eyebrows shoot up.

‘Huh?’

“Uncle, what’s going on?”

In the place where Liu proudly opened the door, there was a vast library, with no sign of the warehouse items that should have been there.

“Wasn’t this originally a warehouse? Was the Delema Archive hidden in a place like this?”

Liu shook his head.

“This *is* a warehouse. I can’t take you directly to the archive, so I connected the space. Let’s go inside before anyone sees us.”

He grabbed my hand and stepped inside.

“You connected the space?”

“Yeah. The Delema Archive is inside the Seongwon Hall [Hall of Fame]. I can’t take you there, can I?”

Seongwon Hall was a place where only those recognized as official members of Delema by the head of the family could enter.

“Then did you create a portal connected to the archive here?”

“Similar. Do you know how hard it was for me to make this? Even within Delema, few besides me can do this.”

I finally understood.

‘So that’s why it took a month.’

I imagined how much effort he had put into creating such a large-scale space connection magic, especially while being mindful of others in Seongwon Hall.

“Why did you do this for me?”

“I said I would grant your wish as far as my abilities allow. I keep my word.”

Liu shrugged and continued.

“Then hurry up and look around. I hope this helps you progress in your magic.”

I hurried inside.

‘Wow, this is amazing.’

The bookshelves stretched out in all directions, packed with books. The fact that they were stored in the Delema Archive was proof of their value. Each one was undoubtedly a secret book that could shake the world.

‘Oberon, can you see it?’

[Yeah. All the books inside are in ancient languages. This is totally awesome!]

Oberon was already flying around, scouting.

‘There must be something related to black magic.’

Huan Delema had deliberately left black magic on the card used in the discriminant, suggesting that he had also left behind black magic books.

“Uncle Liu, can I borrow the things here?”

I asked just in case.

“That’s absolutely not allowed.”

Liu shook his head.

“All I can do is connect the space. Tracking magic is cast on the items here. No one can avoid it.”

“I see.”

It was a pity, but there was nothing I could do. I began devising a strategy to use this time most efficiently.

“Instead, once a week, after our class, I’ll bring you here for an hour.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. You didn’t just want to see the atmosphere of the archive, did you? You wanted to study what’s here.”

He understood exactly what I meant.

“If I can’t come, you can study alone. I’ll keep the connection magic going, so come and look at the books.”

He was truly a commendable and admirable uncle.

“Oh, and the inside is all ancient languages, so you don’t have to go there.”

Liu pointed to the place where Oberon was snooping around.

[Ah, you scared me.]

Oberon stiffened when his hand happened to point at him.

“But why didn’t you throw away the ancient language books and collect them?”

It was a natural question. It seemed strange to keep books that no one could read in Seongwon Hall.

“Magic books are like wealth to wizards. That’s just how they are. You’ll understand when you grow up.”

Liu stroked my head and continued.

“And ancient languages may not be completely extinct.”

“Yes? Can you learn ancient languages?”

“There’s a story that the head of the family will pass on the ancient languages. Besides, there are quite a few people outside the world who are trying to interpret ancient languages, though it’s illegal.”

Liu’s face turned serious.

‘Ancient language transmission……’

Why did that sound so appealing?

[Then originally, these are treasures that only the head of the family can see?]

That meant that the ability to read ancient languages was highly valued. My affection for this place grew even more.

“But what if someone comes in while we’re doing this?”

Liu smirked.

“You don’t have to worry about that. Who would come here? It’s all ancient languages, and everyone has already finished reading the books that aren’t in ancient languages.”

A smile appeared on my face. No one will come……

‘That’s what it means.’

[What are you plotting again?]

I answered Liu enthusiastically.

“Thank you! Uncle!”