Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 85

The Earl’s Secret (1)

The pub Heinz frequented was called ‘Silent.’

In other words, shut your mouth. Was that their not-so-subtle way of advertising their discretion?

I wonder if this place is even secure.

The owner must have read too many spy novels. While diligently wiping glasses, his eyes darted around incessantly. Even though we were the only customers, he looked like he knew something extraordinary.

His lips were quite thick. They looked heavy, as if they would never easily reveal whatever secrets he held.

“The atmosphere is different from ordinary pubs.”

“It’s too expensive for ordinary commoners.”

“How much?”

“A night’s drinking can easily exceed 10 gold.”

Wow~ The drinks are incredibly expensive! It’s not just too expensive for commoners; even most nobles would hesitate to come here. No wonder the interior is so flashy.

“Have a seat. What will you drink?”

“Anything is fine.”

“Understood. I’ll order for you.”

Heinz whispered something to the owner. The owner glanced at Legion and nodded. He quietly left.

The pub was eerily silent.

Heinz brought two bottles of whiskey and glasses, placing them in front of each of us.

Neither of us poured for the other. There was no toast. If you wanted to drink, you poured whiskey into your glass and drank.

That was it.

Was this a silent indication that we didn’t trust each other and had no intention of doing so?

Legion found this world quite profound, pursing his lips at all the unnecessary theatrics.

To be precise, they were enemies.

If this meeting were to reach the Earl’s ears, Heinz’s position would become quite precarious.

Yet, Heinz took the risk.

Annoying, but I should accept this much.

Heinz took a gem from his pocket and placed it on the table. It was the Abrinium Legion had given him. A metal several times rarer than the Mithril Earl Persimmon so desired.

Naturally, it was much more valuable than Mithril.

Especially to a mage!

Ignorant people might call it a lower version of Orichalcum, but the reality was completely different. Orichalcum was, of course, a metal of the gods, and its incredible abilities were beyond question.

But that was ultimately something helpful to extreme knights.

It wasn’t very helpful to mages.

Orichalcum, which could only be held but not manifested [used to channel magic], was merely a slightly harder metal to mages.

In comparison, this Abrinium….

“Where did you get this?”

Heinz asked.

Legion lightly filled his glass and swirled it around.

“How do you intend to pay for the answer to that question?”

Heinz swallowed hard.

Indeed, what kind of question had he asked? Would offering a hundred lives of a mage like himself be equal to the value of that answer? Perhaps even that wouldn’t be enough.

“Hoo….”

I fully understood the meaning behind Heinz’s sigh.

I also knew well how confused he must be.

“Aside from where I got it, how about I tell you that there’s much more? And of course, I can acquire more.”

Legion added with a sly smile.

“How long have you worked with the Earl?”

Heinz filled his glass to the brim and downed it in one gulp.

From the moment they agreed to meet, he was aware that he didn’t have the upper hand. But he had tried to endure somehow, yet this brat… he was truly extraordinary.

“It’s been about 10 years.”

“10 years, huh.”

Quite a long time.

“Did you receive a title?”

“It’s nominal, but I received the title of Baron.”

“Oh, a Baron. Higher than me.”

“Indeed. It’s a higher title than Baron Legion.”

Heinz scrutinized Legion with hawk-like eyes. He was so cunning that it was hard to believe he was really 19 years old.

He revealed that he was a Baron, yet he remained so calm.

As if he didn’t care.

He thought he had experienced all sorts of hardships, yet he was so shaken by a few words from this brat.

“10 years… enough time to build trust.”

Yes, an immense amount of trust had been built. Enough that he would never have wavered if it weren’t for the Abrinium. The Earl had the ability to fulfill everything else, but he couldn’t teach him how to break through his current wall.

Heinz took another deep drink.

The hot energy that surged from within rose up his throat.

“5-circle master for 10 years.”

Heinz’s eyes widened like lanterns.

How did this brat know he was a 5-circle master? Even the Earl didn’t know that fact yet.

“Stuck in stagnation for about 3 years?”

Yet, Legion asked without hesitation.

Heinz’s shoulders twitched slightly. His gaze also turned sharp. His piercing eyes met Legion’s gaze.

Legion remained calm.

“Th… that’s… right….”

Of course, the reason Legion knew was thanks to Mark.

-That guy, his emotions are heightened. He seems worried. He’s not aware of it himself, but in that agitated state, it’s difficult to make proper judgments. Judging by his brainwaves… it might be good to ease up a bit here. Relax, relax….

Okay. Should I switch back to a casual conversation?

Legion turned his gaze back to his glass, slowly emptying the remaining contents. Heinz couldn’t take his eyes off Legion.

-That guy is still watching you. Drink more slowly… and when you put the glass down, don’t place it firmly on the table, give the impression that you can leave at any moment.

Got it.

“I see. If you had focused solely on magic, you would have become a 6-circle master by now.”

“Th, that’s something no one can know. As you know, becoming a master from a Walker [a type of mage] is no easy feat….”

“Still, I think you could have done it if you had focused.”

“That may be so, but.”

What on earth was he trying to say, taking so long to get to the point? Heinz realized his mouth was parched.

Am I getting nervous in a conversation with just a child?

He filled his cup halfway with whiskey and downed it in one gulp. His throat felt like it was burning. The heat seemed to engulf his head all at once.

“What exactly are you trying to say!”

Heinz jumped to his feet.

“Gasp!”

And immediately sat back down.

Dozens of small, white, sparkling lights floated throughout the pub. That dense mana barrier! Feeling the beautiful flow, Heinz trembled in astonishment.

“Hard… Call… Explosion [a high-level spell].”

A spell only a 6-circle master could use!

This spell, created without the concentration, compression, flow, or emission of mana, was unfolding before his very eyes at this moment.

The opponent was, of course… Legion.

“Wh, who… are you….”

Legion calmly got up. And naturally emptied the last remaining glass.

“Thoughts, judgments, and proposals.”

“……”

“Everything is up to you, right?”

Legion took a small box and a book from his pocket, placed them on the table, and walked out without looking back.

-Don’t look back, no matter what.

Mark warned Legion, who felt a tingling in the back of his head. Heinz was still watching Legion’s back until he opened the door and disappeared.

And long after Legion disappeared, he opened the box and was stunned.

Inside was a higher grade of Abrinium than he had received before. And the book… was the insights left by a genius mage.

The insights of Mamon, a genius mage who had suddenly disappeared 120 years ago.

* * *

Heinz felt disoriented as he returned to the main house.

It wasn’t because of the lingering effects of the alcohol. It was because of that brat, no, Baron Legion. Just what was his identity? For a mere adolescent about to have his coming-of-age ceremony to use the magic of a 6-circle master so casually! How on earth could that be….

That alone shook his heart, and then there was the high-grade Abrinium.

With Abrinium of that level, it would be a great help in breaking through the 5-circle wall. And if a mage of Legion’s caliber were to help him from the side? Becoming a 6-circle master wouldn’t just be a dream.

That’s what Legion was saying.

“The choice is yours. I’m just making a proposal.”

The proposal was so sweet that he wanted to fall into it.

If it’s too sweet, it’s a trap. Hadn’t he learned that through long experience? There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and sweet free honey, if eaten wrong, can cost you your head. But… even knowing he might die, he wanted to eat it.

He wanted to eat it so badly he was going crazy.

The passion he thought had disappeared was reigniting. It seemed there were still embers left.

Heinz opened his palm. A brilliant flame burst out with a ‘pop’.

It was a 5-circle fire magic.

He had given up on the 6-circle a long time ago.

The path to the 6-circle, which had seemed so close, was completely blocked. He couldn’t even grasp how to start. He realized firsthand how amazing the 6-circle and 7-circle mages were, something he hadn’t felt in the lower circles.

‘My limit is here.’

He had realized that three years ago.

Being a 5-circle was good enough. His administrative skills were also excellent, so he could live comfortably anywhere. Although he couldn’t pass on the title, he had the position of Baron, so his children would have plenty of opportunities.

The kids were just 7 and 5 years old, brothers.

They would soon be entering the academy. He was overwhelmed by how much money it would cost. His wife said that the quarterly expenses were over 100 gold.

How could it cost so much to educate one child?

His back was breaking.

But if he became a 6-circle mage, his value would increase fivefold, no, tenfold or more.

Perhaps he would even be formally granted a territory by the royal family. Of course, a promotion would follow.

That’s how great the prestige of the 6-circle was.

‘Could I really… break through the 6-circle wall?’

Honestly, he couldn’t believe it.

But….

The title of the booklet that Legion had casually shown him bothered him.

-If anyone could have become a 6-circle, I would never have challenged the 6-circle.

It was a booklet left by a famous genius mage from 120 years ago.

‘Mamon!’

But he had suddenly disappeared.

The world didn’t know how he had died. Some said he had gone into the mountains and become a hermit, others said he had attained the ultimate mastery of magic.

There were also gruesome rumors that he had turned into a black mage.

One of the legendary booklets he left behind was this one.

-If anyone could have become a 6-circle, I would never have challenged the 6-circle.

It was legendary, so its existence had never been confirmed.

Heinz calmed his pounding heart and opened the first page of the book. A new method of managing mana. Just as he was falling into the incredibly detailed method of controlling mana, the book crumbled into dust.

“Aaaaaah!”

That brat Legion had cast a spell on this book from the moment he left it, causing it to disappear like this.

“A meticulous bastard.”

Heinz waved his hand. The burning fireball disappeared in an instant.

That young punk. He’s really meticulous.

Nevertheless, he could confirm that he was shaking madly at his proposal.

The 6-circle wall!

He could break through the 6-circle wall.

What mage could refuse that sweet proposal?

He knew a great mage who had become a 5-circle master at the age of twenty. Many people praised him, saying he would become a 9-circle grand mage. But he couldn’t break through the 5-circle wall. He grew old as a 5-circle master for 50 years.

He couldn’t get married and died lonely.

Everyone else got married, but he grew old alone, arrogant in his youth. In the end, he even had his fortune stolen by a con man and died alone.

It was a tragic end.

That’s how hard it is to break through the 5-circle wall.

Heinz desperately wanted that book. He wanted to run to Legion, grab his hand, and shout.

“I’ll do anything. I’ll even sell my soul to you.”

Yes, let’s do it.

The 6-circle wall… he would definitely break it.

Heinz made up his mind.

Step by step.

Two knights approached Heinz.

“It seems you’ve had too much to drink. You’re staggering a bit.”

They were Heinz’s escort knights. They had faithfully stayed by his side for the past three years. They were also the individuals Earl Persimmon had personally assigned to him.

“You guys….”

Heinz looked at the escort knights.

“Yes, please speak.”

“Do you know where I’ve been?”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“We know you’ve been to see Baron Legion.”

“Do you know why I went there?”

“Not that far….”

The knights shook their heads.

“The fact that I met Baron Legion will be reported to His Excellency, right?”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”