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Love is not about accepting everything about someone. It’s about forgiveness.
And the reason I’m suddenly waxing philosophical is because Mother has given me a trial.
Not just any trial. One that brings me immense suffering.
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「Hein-dono, do you understand? Magic is a privilege of the noble and sacred. Therefore, like noble bloodlines, it must remain pure」
「Uh-huh」
I’ve been listening to this inferior organism named Eugen drone on for some time now.
What he’s really trying to say is, ‘There sure are a lot of kinds of magic. That’s no good.’
There are many types of magic, and even more schools and traditions within each.
Bloodline magic of the Twelve Noble Houses, Origin Magic, Spirit Arts, Inscription Magic, Necromancy, Transmutation Arts—
There are enough to make one sick, and all of them fall under the broad term “magic”.
The schools, meanwhile, are nothing more than differences in interpretation or approach.
Say you want to produce fire. The way you go about it depends on both the type and school of magic.
You might draw upon legends or myths tied to fire, ignite the dust in the air as kindling, summon fire burning somewhere else in the world, and so on.
This inferior being insists all that should be consolidated into one form because ‘the way I do magic is obviously the best.’
There is neither logic nor legitimacy in his argument.
It is a pathetic philosophy, by the pathetic, for the pathetic.
If this isn’t a trial, I don’t know what is.
Mother suggested I at least hear him out, but my ears feel like they’re rotting.
「Hein-dono, what are your thoughts?」
「It’s madness」
—You, that is.
「Exactly, exactly! It’s madness! This may be hard to hear for one of the Twelve Noble Houses, but only Origin Magic truly governs all things under heaven!」
Origin Magic is the most widely practiced form of magic, learned by a great number of mages.
That’s because it’s simple.
Creating fire, conjuring water, stirring the wind—
All those “magical” things are made possible through straightforward methods.
Take fire, for example, the most commonly used offensive magic. There are countless tales from the old days about legendary mages conjuring fantastic flames in battle against monstrous beasts. You imagine what kind of fire it must have been based on such a story, then channel your magic power. That’s it.
Magic power is a power that everyone possesses, and once one grasps the ‘feeling’ of how to release it, channeling it is not difficult.
Incidentally, the bloodline magic of the Twelve Noble Houses is not particularly special in and of itself. Rather, I believe it was born from a long accumulation of history, solidifying the belief that ‘“this is a unique magic only the so-and-so noble family can wield.”‘
「The Chancellor understands my ideals quite well, you see. Eventually, I hope we can move toward unifying such matters as well」
「You intend to suppress them by force?」
I asked the question plainly, without euphemism.
It’s not that I’m criticizing him.
Force is the most primitive, most physical, most fetishistic of methods.
What matters is the ‘degree.’
Too much pressure and the target won’t be subdued, they’ll be annihilated. Too little, and they’ll mock you.
I was curious whether this man, who looks every bit the dullard, understood that balance. So I asked.
—However.
「…Hmm, that’s a rather harsh way to put it」
「Forgive me, I meant no offense」
「Perhaps… Hein-dono, do you oppose the idea of unifying magic?」
Of course I do.
「The Grand Founder of Magic, Merlin, once wrote that diversity is what enriches the hue of magic」
Merlin is considered the progenitor of Origin Magic.
I’ve read many of their works, his or hers, depending on the interpretation, and they’ve greatly deepened my understanding.
Mother told me to read many books, so I really, truly did. A whole lot of them.
「I see. You’re well-read in Merlin’s texts, I take it. However, while the Grand Founder Merlin was certainly a great mage, many of their magical theories are mistaken. Diversity is merely an impurity that dilutes the mystique of magic」
Ah. I chose the wrong words.
I brought up Merlin’s name on purpose, thinking this inferior being liked Origin Magic.
But now I understand. This man doesn’t love Origin Magic. He loves ‘himself.’
He practices Origin Magic, and because he loves himself, he declares that everything else is garbage.
Why did Mother send me to speak with such an inferior being—Wait!?
At long last, I, Hein, have fully grasped Mother’s t.r.u.e. i.n.t.e.n.t.i.o.n.
She didn’t send me here to ‘listen’ to this inferior being. She sent me here to ‘eliminate’ him.
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「Rather than saying it’s mistaken, I believe Merlin’s original texts are simply polysemous. In ‘The Primordial Record’, he proposes the concept of ‘stratified partitioning’ as a ritual method for conjuring fire. However, in ‘Chains of Light’, he explains the creation of fire using a method called ‘binding convergence’. Though the procedures are distinctly different, both produce the same result, which led scholars of the time into great difficulty when attempting to reconcile them. Personally, I don’t dislike Merlin’s theories. The room for interpretation they offer also means room to reshape them into one’s own form」
The inferior being watches me with a puzzled expression as I suddenly begin to speak fluently.
That’s just as well.
「Eugen-sama, as I’m sure you’re aware, in the conventions of Origin Magic, the mainstream procedure for conjuring fire involves invoking the symbolic essence of ‘fire’ itself. Most practitioners base their rituals on the legends of specific fire gods or flame spirits, applying an abstract ‘fire attribute’ and channeling magic power through it to generate actual combustion. In short, by forming the concept of fire beforehand, they convert magic power into heat and light through the shortest possible route. However, one could also argue that such a method fails to fully utilize the ‘phase conjunction’ described in Merlin’s ‘Theory of Layered Imprinting’」
「Ah, yes… Well, I’ve read ‘Theory of Layered Imprinting’ myself… Took me, what, three months to grasp it, yes…」
「How splendid!!!! I grasped it in ten minutes. Rather than summoning fire merely as a burning phenomenon, I cause overlapping interference of magic power waves within space to construct a sort of ‘combustion state’ at the interface. Specifically, I took inspiration from Merlin’s proposed ‘recursive binding of alternate dimensional strata’ and interpret the essence of fire as the ‘process of decomposing surrounding air and recombining its chemical bonds’. Through sequential calculations, I synchronize the resulting molecular vibrations with my conscious space. Therefore, every time I produce fire, a virtual fractal operation runs simultaneously in my mind, freezing the interface with a standing wave to stabilize the combustion reaction」
Here, I pause for a moment.
He seems to be struggling to comprehend, fidgeting with his mustache and shifting his eyes around.
A shame there’s no tea.
Watching an inferior being flail about in vain while sipping tea is one of my favorite pastimes.
「Naturally, this method is far more difficult than standard procedures. Any mage can easily summon fire by invoking its conceptual image. But in my method, I must compute dozens of variables, tensional force in space, temporal phase alignment, and more, while constantly ensuring that none of them conflict. Even the slightest misalignment can destabilize the fire and put myself and my surroundings in danger. However, the benefits are immense. Once a combustion state is established, I can freely control the temperature and shape of the fire. There’s no need to bother with picking tales or legends related to fire. Do you understand? You ‘do’ understand, don’t you? You ‘must’ understand. The utility of this is not limited to offense, it can be applied to metallurgy, to engineering. In exchange for the immense mental computation, I gain precise control over flame and an enormous breadth of applications. This is my firecraft. And the greatest strength I have gained through Merlin’s theories」
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—Damn this brat, acting all smug…
Eugen ground his teeth in frustration.
He was seething with rage.
Up until just moments ago, Eugen had been secretly looking down on Hein, this young upstart.
But after exchanging a few words, Hein had casually referenced Merlin’s various works and even claimed to have understood ‘Theory of Layered Imprinting’, something that had taken Eugen three months to grasp, in just ten minutes.
—He sure knows how to run his mouth.
And there was a certain edge to Hein’s words.
Call it overly polite insolence, but there was a definite tone of scorn directed at Eugen.
Even considering his status as heir to a Twelve Noble House, his attitude was unbearably arrogant.
「W-Well then, it seems you’ve studied ‘somewhat’ well……!」
Eugen coughed forcefully as he spat the words out.
Nobles were generally known for their eloquence.
He convinced himself Hein’s silver tongue was just another form of empty boasting.
「However, theory alone is meaningless. No matter how complex the arguments, if they cannot be executed in practice, they’re worthless」
At that, Hein gave a soft smile, as if he truly agreed from the bottom of his heart.
「You’re absolutely right」
But those eyes.
Hein’s eyes spoke volumes of what he truly thought.
—Damn it…! This brat is looking down on me…!
Eugen felt the blood rushing to his head, but somehow managed to keep his composure.
「T-Then!!」
His voice cracked awkwardly.
After clearing his throat once more to steady himself, Eugen leaned forward, placing his hand on the table.
「If you’ve studied that much, then I’d like to see the results of your training. Not with words, but with action. Let us prove it through demonstration… a contest of staves」
A contest of staves.
It was a mock battle where two mages would clash with magic without going as far as a full duel.
The two would take a set distance, wield their staves or catalysts, and exchange offensive and defensive spells.
The winner was determined by who could deplete the other’s energy more significantly. Simple as that.
Although, due to the risk of damaging one’s reputation, such contests were rarely held among nobles.
They were typically conducted between a mage and their apprentice.
Eugen, truthfully, had expected the boy to decline out of fear.
No matter how big his words, at the end of the day, he was just a bookish kid.
There was no way he could stand up to someone like Eugen, the Empire’s Deputy Chief Court Mage.
If by some miracle the boy accepted, Eugen could crush him. And if he declined, Eugen could mock his cowardice.
Either outcome would be in Eugen’s favor.
That’s why, when Hein accepted the challenge without hesitation, Eugen was momentarily speechless.
「If that’s what you propose, I’ll gladly accept」
With the same calm demeanor as before, Hein replied as casually as if agreeing to a morning workout.
「O-Oh… You seem quite confident. I should warn you, my skills far exceed what my title might suggest. The position of Deputy Chief Court Mage is no mere decoration」
Eugen barked the words, trying to steady himself.
He felt a trace of sweat gathering in his palms.
「I’ll face you with the utmost respect, as though borrowing the strength of a master」
Hein’s smile as he said it was thoroughly aggravating.
「Tch… Very well, then. Let us arrange another day and location. A cramped space would be far too dangerous. I shall contact you again with the details」
To that, Hein responded with a calm bow.
「I look forward to it」
And thus, the meeting came to an end.
After Hein left the room, Eugen clenched the table, slamming it hard enough to nearly break it.
「That little brat… He’ll regret mocking me! Just you watch. I’ll make him beg for mercy in front of everyone!!」
He roared, pounding the table, kicking it.
Still not satisfied, he called for a maid and vented his anger on her with brute force.
A vulgar man in every sense…that was Eugen.
Still, it was true that his title as Deputy Chief Court Mage was no empty honor.
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Meanwhile, on his way home, Hein sat in the swaying carriage, gazing out the window with a faint smile.
—Good. Now I can eliminate him legally. If I make him beg for his life in front of a crowd, his reputation will be ruined. I wonder if Mother will be pleased. Letting someone like that fester would only become a cancer in the realm’s future. Ah, right, I should ask if it’s acceptable to kill him under the guise of an accident.
Such were the thoughts running through his mind.
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