The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 6

Episode 6

That year, the winter felt endless.

It stretched on for a full three years.

Rumor had it that a chasm had opened in the Arctic, and two Fake Warriors [elite soldiers, possibly magical] were dispatched to contain it.

It was an era of relative peace. Until the end of that long winter, the boy continued his education under Scald Ludwig.

The focus of his training was on mana cultivation and unlocking the Magic Eye. Specifically, mastering the Bell Curios [Ludwig family’s unique magic eye ability] first.

“You must be able to wield Bell Sidious [a component of Bell Curios] freely. Now, read faster! Don’t miss a single detail!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Are you just going to stand there and watch until your opponent’s magic is fully activated? Move with more urgency!”

Scald beamed with pride every time he witnessed his grandson’s rapid progress. The boy’s genius was simply extraordinary.

He grasped in a single day what would take a dullard ten years, an average person a year, and even a gifted individual a month to learn.

All he needed was time. Time to hone his eye techniques and cultivate his mana.

The boy was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Formal education in general magic would have been tedious. But the Ludwig family’s heirloom magic opened up a vast world of knowledge that was entirely new to him.

The rewards were substantial, too.

The power to freely manipulate all abilities was an incredible gift compared to his rootless existence in his previous life.

“Normally, training yields faster results when you’re risking your life.”

“I understand.”

“From now on, I’ll be casting fireballs at you. If you can’t evade them, you die.”

Scald made the declaration, but he fully intended to use his Bell Curios to neutralize the magic if the situation became genuinely dangerous.

“Hoo…”

The boy took a deep breath and nodded. Cold sweat trickled down his body, and his white breath plumed in the winter air.

“Now!”

Scald was an exceptional magician.

The defining trait of a battle mage was their calculation speed. Scald’s calculation speed was remarkably fast, even by Lynn’s standards.

‘If I had been in my prime, Scald might have joined the Rista party instead of me.’

He was secretly pleased that things had turned out differently. As the fireball hurtled toward him, the heat shimmered intensely, distorting the surrounding scenery.

“Bell Sidious!”

The fireball grew closer. The searing heat began to prickle his skin.

“Hurry, Rain!”

The activation requirements for Bell Curios were theoretically complex. All five of the Ludwig family’s heirloom spells had to be calculated instantaneously, and mana had to be infused into the eyes.

It went beyond the three stages of Bell Sidious: rapidly reading, interpreting, and discerning magic. It also involved a technique to interfere with and manipulate its power.

Now that he thought about it, making something like this a family magic… Was Ryuken Ludwig [founder of the Ludwig family] a man who regretted not being able to beat up magicians?

“Rain!”

The fireball was mere inches away.

But the boy remained focused. Complex magical calculations were second nature to him.

Casting the five spells was instantaneous.

Suddenly, blood streamed from both eyes, and an excruciating pain erupted in his pupils, as if his retinas were burning and melting.

But wait…

The surrounding scenery was awash in a terrifying crimson hue, and everything began to manifest as numbers.

010101010101

Even the snowflakes fluttering down, Scald’s urgent shouts in the distance, and the raging fireball right in front of him…!

In that instant, Rain understood the transformation that had occurred in his eyes. Bell Curios had been activated.

Incredible.

This was truly incredible.

An absurd spectacle where everything in the universe was interpreted as a mathematical equation, directly transmitting information to his brain.

– If you can recognize information with Bell Curios, you’re all set. Then, just like when you calculate magic in your head, alter the formula in front of you as you see fit.

There were similarities to Bell Sidious, but something was fundamentally different.

The numbers were…

As if they could be grasped, like skimming the surface of water, they scattered or distorted strangely when touched or even looked at. As if he could interfere with all of it.

┏ 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 ┓

ㆍThe magic circle of the formula consists of two triangles.

ㆍThe rune symbol used is a formulaic Rutischen.

ㆍSize 17 Axel, range 23 Gimite.

┗ 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 ┛

Interpretation complete.

Initiating correction.

Shall we twist the rune of emission (發) into the rune of end (跋)? Since meaningless qualities are given and the rune does not resonate with the mathematical formula, the answer to the equation becomes an imaginary number.

This meant only one thing.

That the magic would return to nothing.

As soon as the interference was complete, the fireball, which had been roaring fiercely and scorching his face, dissipated into countless sparks, and the world fell silent.

The boy could only hear his own ragged breathing.

Then, a sharp pain shot through his magic circuits. It was mana depletion. Scald caught the boy as he stumbled and fell.

“Grandpa, did I do it, just now?”

“Yes! Look at your eyes! Now all you need is mana! Hahaha! Such an absurd thing… Bell Curios at the age of fourteen!”

At that moment, Scald Ludwig was laughing, but his joy was mixed with awe.

‘The realm I barely reached at the age of thirty-nine…’

The fact that even he was hailed as a genius, a legend in the magic world, highlighted the extraordinary nature of the current situation.

Then what kind of genius was Rain?

Was he simply a genius, or something more? Was this a talent that could rewrite the history of magic in the empire?

“Rain, I don’t care what path you choose or what life you lead in the future.”

“…?”

“But when you turn sixteen, you must enroll in the Magic University [prestigious magic academy]. You are a diamond in the rough.”

Magic University…

To be honest, he wasn’t particularly interested.

What truly intrigued him was the central magic library attached to the university. He didn’t want to waste time on anything else.

“Are you aware that if you graduate from the Magic University at the top of your class, you’ll have the opportunity to view the preserved body of the great magician Lynn?”

“Yes, well…”

Stop desecrating the corpse.

What was so appealing about seeing him frozen in ice, and offering that as a reward?

“I’m not really interested.”

“I felt the same way. But aren’t you curious about the contents of the note that the hero Rista left for Lynn?”

What…?

What did Rista leave for me…?

“No one has ever unlocked Bell Curios at your age. With that power, you might be able to decipher the contents of that note.”

At the time, he had simply listened to the shocking revelation in a daze, but in retrospect, that was the beginning.

This is the story of a journey.

A story of traveling and documenting every corner of the world, following the trail of old comrades based on Rista’s letter.

And along that path.

The story of how he met that child.

* * *

He turned fifteen.

Heavy rain poured down at the start of summer, providing a convenient excuse to remain at the Magic School without returning to the mansion.

Since he had become interested in school classes after submitting his application to Magic University, he started attending them occasionally.

Located in , the capital of the empire, the Magic School was divided into elementary, middle, and high schools, just like any other magic school.

Here, ordinary magicians graduated from elementary, middle, and high school, took the Bandoran (1-star) rank test [official magician ranking], and became certified magicians.

Prodigies, on the other hand, acquired the Bandoran (1-star) rank after graduating from middle school and proceeded to magic university.

“Today’s lesson is factorization. You’ve already learned the basics in middle school, but now we’re moving on to the advanced stage…”

Rain found himself more interested in the students in the class than the lesson itself.

“Hey, how do you solve this one?”

“Can I take a look at your notes for a second?”

“Why is this so difficult? Should I just give up on math?”

“Are you crazy? How can a magician give up on math?”

They asked each other for help, solved challenging problems together… and laughed and chatted along the way.

‘It’s similar to when I was with the Rista party, in that they complement each other’s weaknesses.’

It was a stark contrast to Lynn’s life, where she sat across from the headmistress in the magic tower to learn basic theory, and locked herself in her room to memorize formulas.

‘It seems like it could be fun…’

But wait… there was a slightly tricky problem here. How should he interact with his peers?

‘I didn’t know how when I was Lynn, and now I’m the eldest son of a magical family?’

Rain’s life before regaining his memories was also that of an outsider who had severed ties with the world, so it was of no help.

Such a useless son!

“This is… this might be a bit of a mess?”

The only thing he could rely on was Lynn’s memory. Let’s revisit the past one more time.

When was it?

There was a time when he discussed his attitude towards others with the party members.

– Now, may the souls of these children find rest with the gods, Dursiel.

As Friede, the priestess of the Fire Dragon, placed her hands on the foreheads of the fallen soldiers one by one and offered prayers, sobs rippled through the crowd.

Friede was a priestess and a religious leader in the Republic, and wherever she went, people tearfully begged her to pray for the souls of the dead.

Lynn might have been moved by Friede’s kind and gentle demeanor, raising the prayers of those left behind to the heavens. Of course.

– As someone who knows Friede’s true nature, I’m just dizzy.

– What, Inma?

Friede snapped at Lynn’s words. Keyes nodded vigorously in agreement, while Rista waved his hand dismissively.

– Friede? I don’t think so.

– Rista is the only one who gets it! I’m just going to kill these bachelors who smell like widowers.

– It’s not to the point of being dizzy, but to the point of feeling a little nauseous? Really just a little? Just this much?

Friede’s face, which was simultaneously attacked by three people, turned red as if it would explode.

– I’m a priestess! One of the top two in the Republic! But do I have to puff out cigarette smoke like when I’m with you guys? There’s an image to maintain!

– Yes, yes. Friede is right.

When Lynn replied sarcastically as if teasing her, Friede tried to get angry but stopped and put a pipe in her mouth.

– Hmph, even a shady kid like you will have to play a different role later, right? We’ll see. I’ll make fun of you properly.

– No way. Why would I?

– How disappointed would people be if the great magician of the hero party was timid, never smiled, and only spouted sarcasm? They’ll ask if you’re an imposter, right?

Lynn often smiled after joining the hero party. That could be said to be Lynn’s true nature.

He was shy with strangers, but as a boy who had only lived in slums and magic towers, he had no choice but to be wary of others.

Lynn’s expression suddenly turned serious, and he slammed the book he was reading on the table.

– Acting… how do I do that? Should I put an iron plate on my face like Friede? But that’s only possible if your face is wide like Friede’s.

– Come here, you’re really dead!

While Keyes was restraining Friede, who was roaring like a beast and throwing punches and kicks, Rista came and sat next to Lynn.

– What book is that?

– Gren Benivelte’s 『History of the Dragon Race – II』.

– …Lynn, you don’t have to act. Friede’s case is special.

– Special?

– Lynn can just be Lynn. Of course, it would be nice if you were a little brighter and more confident? There’s no need to try to change forcibly. You’re good as you are now.

Rista smiled as he made eye contact. Lynn felt a sudden wave of shyness and averted his gaze, lowering his head.

– Tsk, I won’t act even if you don’t say that. Because I don’t want to. But…

– But?

Hmm? Hmm?

As Rista urged him to answer, bringing his smiling face closer and closer, Lynn pushed him away and muttered so quietly that he could barely be heard.

– …I want to change.

Rista, Keyes, Friede.

Like you.

Always bright, confident, and kind… adults who can bring smiles to others. I can’t change my innate personality, but still, someday.