29

Ruine had been staying up late, trying to understand Arc's magic.

She was exhausted from lack of sleep.

"Arc, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Your magic is odd. How do you cast spells like that?"

"I use the Sharix Theory."

"I know that."

Normally, you'd need a massive amount of calculations for the spells Arc uses.

Even the Sharix Theory wouldn't make it easy.

"I tried computing it myself, but it's impossible. Even with the Sharix Theory, the formula is too big for instantaneous casting."

She'd tried calculating a spell of mine—like Absolute Zero.

It can't be done instantly, not by normal standards.

"So do you have a new theory?"

"No. Nothing new."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then are you doing all that math in your head?"

"You don't need to do it all in your head, do you?"

Ruine tilted her head.

"A magic tool (Magic Item)? But without an artifact (Ancient Relic), that wouldn't work."

"I'm not using a magic tool, either."

"Then…"

She pressed a hand to her chin.

Arc's words suggested a method for calculating magic without using your mind.

It's simple enough to imagine in theory, but nobody would actually do it.

She'd dismissed the idea from the start.

"No way… are you using inscriptions?"

"Exactly."

Ruine was stunned.

Yes, if you carve the Sharix-based formulas into your body, you can cast magic without incantations.

But if you mess up, you'll die.

Even if you survive, a runaway formula could leave you useless.

It's insanity.

"Why would you go that far?"

"I had something I wanted to protect."

Ruine's heart skipped when she saw the intense look in Arc's eyes.

She turned away.

"Is it really that important?"

She just couldn't understand.

There's nothing she'd risk her life for.

"It's more important to me than anything else.I need power to protect it—enough that nobody can deny me."

Ruine wondered who Arc was protecting.

Family?

Servants?

Soldiers?

Citizens?

Friends?

Or maybe all of them.

He'd saved Ruine twice already.

Maybe he wants to protect everyone he can reach.

That's madness.

No one can save everyone.

Even the strongest person fails sometimes.

But maybe that's exactly why he craves even more power.

Ruine looked again at Arc's eyes.

They shone with a kind of madness.

She couldn't look away.

◇　◇　◇

Ruine asked me some random stuff about my magic, so I gave vague answers.

I do have something I want to protect: my money and my status.

I won't ever let those go.

That's why I studied magic.

Spending time with the princess reminded me how awful it would be to lose my noble rank.

If I lost my title, I'd probably go insane and end it all.

Now that I've tasted real wealth and authority, there's no going back.

So I'll cling to it forever.

I'm going to live exactly how I want!

Hahahaha!

Sigh…

I'm tired.

Time to sleep.

◇　◇　◇

When I woke up, it was night.

I grabbed a quick bite, then went out for a walk.

I spotted Surt wandering around.

"…Tch."

He clicked his tongue at me.

Well, I did drag him here.

But he handled the condolence stuff pretty seriously.

"Nice work."

"Don't talk down to me, you stuck-up noble."

"It's not my fault I'm above you."

"…You're so annoying."

"Heh."

Not long ago, his attitude irritated me, but now I'm used to it.

No matter how he acts, he can't disobey a noble.

Teasing him is kind of fun.

"I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"How do I become that strong?"

"Why do you want to be strong?"

"I have something I need to do. I need power for that."

"Sure, you do. Right now you're weak."

"You jerk…"

Surt glared at me, fuming.

Fwahahaha!

He's so easy to rile up.

"Don't get mad. That just means you know it's true, right?"

"Enough messing around. Tell me how to get stronger."

"Heh, fine."

I took a magic stone from my pocket.

A red magic stone.

"What's this?"

"A magic stone."

I'd mined it from my domain, but it was worthless—nobody could figure out how to draw magic from it.

Some weapons dealer couldn't use it, either.

So I kept it because it looked kind of cool.

"I'm giving it to you. Be grateful."

"Tch, what am I supposed to do with some random magic stone…?"

"Don't want it?"

"…"

"If you use it right, you'll get stronger."

Obviously a total lie, but I'm messing with him.

"You swear?"

"Only if you figure it out."

"How do I 'figure it out'?"

He stared at the red stone.

No matter how hard he tries, it's useless.

Suddenly, his eyes went wide.

"No way… This is the Jewel of Laevatein?! How did you get this?!"

Huh? Jewel of what?

Never heard of it.

But if he wants to believe that, fine by me.

"I found it in my mine by chance. It's not very useful to me, so I'm giving it to its rightful owner."

"R-right… Thank you. I'll take it."

Ha!

He's totally convinced it's valuable.

In reality, it's just junk—but apparently it's useful for tricking people.

Fwahahaha!

Tricking a commoner is so satisfying.

This is the best part of being a nasty noble!

◇　◇　◇

That red magic stone is actually the Jewel of Laevatein.

It shines like a crimson flame.

For most people, it's useless because they can't pull any magic out of it.

But for Surt, it's a special item.

He wields the Sun Sword—Laevatein.

Its hilt has three slots for magic stones.

Placing the right stone in the sword boosts its power.

In the original story, Surt finds the stone much later on.

But here, thanks to Arc's random actions, he got it much sooner.

Arc thought it was worthless junk—but by pure chance, Surt ended up with a powerful upgrade far earlier than planned.