Returning to the Tower of Mages after leaving Berga’s grave.
The training continued.
In the span of a month, the number of spells mastered totaled five.
Without touching other special magics, he chose to learn only the elemental spells recommended by Furnel.
Starting with Blink, he moved to Fire Pillar, which creates a pillar of fire.
Ray of Frost, which breathes out a ray of ultra-low temperature frost.
Wind Blade, which creates a blade of wind, and even Explosion, which causes a blast at a targeted point.
Don’t think it will be easy just because they are elemental spells of the same attribute. Even though Explosion and Fire Pillar are both classified as Fire attribute, they do not share many Circle Inscriptions, just as it is with spells like Flare or Fire Wall.
Even with the same Fire attribute, the way they are utilized changes depending on how they are manifested.
For example, in the case of Explosion, its significance lies in the sudden blast.
A blast that occurs rapidly through compression, ignition, and expansion in the direction pointed. Moreover, since its range is quite wide, it is unavoidable unless one uses an anticipation close to foresight.
On the other hand, in the case of a pillar of fire like Fire Pillar, Circle Inscriptions of heating and expansion are the main components.
A pillar of fire that grows hotter and larger over time would be like an unstoppable Great Catastrophe to an enemy, leaving them no choice but to flee.
Far from a surprise attack, Fire Pillar was a flashy spell that openly overwhelmed the enemy on the battlefield.
In that way, despite being the same Fire attribute, their uses and utilities differed. The same would be true for other elements, but if there were a point of differentiation unique to the Fire attribute, it was, as expected, its power.
There was a reason Furnel had specifically recommended many Fire-related spells.
Flare—it is a ray of ultra-high temperature fire. You must not think it’s the same as Ray of Frost just because it’s in the form of a ray. Think of it as having a higher difficulty level. You have to contain an explosion within compression and designate a target. Consider the only similarity to the ray of frost to be its maintenance.
While most Fire attribute magics boast a wide area of effect, Flare was a single-target spell that compressed the power of fire to an extreme point.
Above all, maintenance is what’s important. Keep that in mind.
The advantage of Flare is that as long as the Magician’s Magic Power allows, they can continue to fire that burning ray.
Of course, even if Magic Power was sufficient, the concentration required to maintain the spell was a separate issue, but theoretically, it was a line of terror that would not break until the opponent’s breath stopped.
Give it a try.
With the spellbook for Flare open in his left hand, he holds his staff with his right hand and aims forward.
His eyes skim the formula in the spellbook while his mind infuses Magic Power into the Circle Inscriptions exactly as described.
Magic Power is loaded into the five rings. The innermost ring, the First Circle, rotates slowly, and the 2nd Circle above it rotates slightly faster in the opposite direction.
The third ring rotates faster still in the opposite direction from that, and the fourth ring follows the same law, until finally reaching the fifth ring, which rotates furiously.
Once the Circles have been moved like that, it is time to touch the Circle Inscriptions.
Hundreds of Circle Inscriptions are spread out like stars. The further out the ring, the faster the rotation and the greater the number of Circle Inscriptions.
As the Circles widen, the number of included Circle Inscriptions also increases.
Therefore, the outer Circle Inscriptions—the high-Circle ones—are small and light.
In contrast, the Circle Inscriptions contained in the inner rings were large and heavy. Being the starting Circle Inscriptions, they were intended to hold the center and lay the foundation.
Those were the Circle Inscriptions of the First Circle and 2nd Circle, and because they existed, the outer rings could rotate quickly and strongly to exert power.
The more he learned, the more marvelous the profound principles of magic became.
A 5th Circle spell requires the foundational Circle Inscriptions and all the subdivided Circle Inscriptions of every ring.
Since it was his first time, Hio moves his Magic Power carefully and slowly.
He touches them in order, starting from the heavy Circle Inscriptions on the innermost side.
Among a total of 51 fire Circle Inscriptions, Magic Power is granted sequentially to 17 Circle Inscriptions related to ignition and heating, and he heavily loads power into 3 Circle Inscriptions for explosion.
Light enters 33 Circle Inscriptions for compression and its support, and after passing through 8 Circle Inscriptions for aiming and maintenance, light finally enters the last Circle Inscription for the protection of the caster. Then, following the guidance of Magic Power, all that energy begins to clump together.
“……”
The staff, harboring immense power, shakes violently.
His right arm trembled along with that massive vibration.
He was aiming straight ahead, but at this rate, there was no way he would hit the target accurately.
Something had gone wrong.
……Concentrate until the end.
Failure was already a confirmed fact.
Nevertheless, he had to maintain his concentration and manifest it until the very end.
Only then would he be able to at least deduce where things went wrong…… He finally guided the bundle of incomplete power to the tip of the staff.
“Oh no…….”
The light of flames began to pour out brightly as if about to burst.
The temperature rising. The hot air blowing.
The staff vibrating like crazy.
To suppress it, he even threw the spellbook aside and gripped the staff with both hands using all his strength.
Then finally, when everything reached its limit,
Kwaaaaang—!
On the 105th floor of the Tower of Mages, a strong explosion occurred along with a brilliant light that covered the entire temporary training ground.
“Gah!”
‘Doesn’t power become greater as one moves toward high-Circle magic?’
That meant the risk of failing a spell also increased by that much.
Since the source was the tip of the staff, it was only natural that Hio was blown backward.
Still, because the robe and hat he was wearing had excellent magic resistance, and he had activated a Shield spell in advance due to his many previous experiences with failure, there were no major injuries.
Of course, regardless of that, his outward appearance became a total mess.
Thanks to the Tower of Mages’ excellent system, the smoke from the explosion cleared quickly, revealing Hio’s pathetic state.
Sprawled out on his back, Hio fiddled with his blackened, singed, and curled bangs.
“……Life. Nothing is easy.”
The path of a Magician was this arduous.
***
“I want to join the Royal Knights.”
Those were the first words from a girl whose heart was full of flames.
“Heh heh.”
At that, Vitalianus burst into laughter.
It wasn’t because the girl’s words were funny.
It wasn’t because that delusional goal was ridiculous.
It wasn’t because he was mocking her serious attitude.
Nor was it a hollow laugh that slipped out at unexpected words.
Then, for what reason did he burst into laughter?
The Royal Knights.
A group planned by the late Emperor and brought into existence through the actions of Vitalianus.
To the public, the Royal Knights were beautifully packaged as a knight order created directly by the Order of the Sword for the late Emperor, existing solely for the Emperor—but the reality was a bit different.
There were political reasons.
It was a means to gather strong knights using the name of Bitalianus Mahel and to keep the children of high-ranking nobles under his command using the facade of honor. Political pressure through military force.
That was the background behind the founding of the Royal Knights, known as the strongest knight order on the Continent.
However, that meaning had now become pale and faded.
Whether it was the strengthening of imperial power or the checking of high-ranking nobles, everything had become meaningless.
The Empress of Verdan, Sylvia Verden, had already completely seized control of all the nobles.
She was a person who would be recorded as the most perfect Emperor in history due to her unprecedented abilities.
It was a formidable power that could also make her the most terrifying tyrant in history, but he felt no worry.
Vitalianus was a superhuman who had distantly surpassed human limits.
A great knight of the 8th rank who freely manipulated intent.
He could easily grasp something like the character of someone close to him.
A heart that truly worried for the future of the Empire and a clear soul without falsehood were things he could feel without difficulty.
Therefore, the Empire moved forward toward the same goal with everyone as one, regardless of whether they were the Emperor’s faction or the nobles’ faction.
Moving smoothly with perfect integration, the Empire would grow stronger by the day and the future would be brighter than ever.
Of course, the more that happened, the more the Royal Knights would lose the meaning of their existence.
Political pressure and checking high-ranking nobles?
It had become completely meaningless.
Thus, he had sent three members from high-ranking noble families back to their houses.
It was a decision made after experiencing the 52nd Floor of the Abyss.
They belonged to a relatively strong group, but they were not at a level to survive the battlefields to come.
Considering their honor, their names would remain on the Royal Knights’ roster, but in reality, it was the same as them not being there.
Another person left the Royal Knights to fill the vacant position of the 2nd Chief of the Capital Knights.
When things turned out that way, another person also wished to move with them, and he had granted permission.
Thus, five remained.
Only five.
‘Could this really be called the strongest knight order on the Continent?’
Since the Empress did not even have a great need for the help of the Royal Knights, could it really be called the most honorable knight order?
‘Was it truly right to prevent them from enjoying any status or power simply because they belonged to the Royal Knights, despite possessing strong abilities?’
‘Wouldn’t it be better to just dissolve the knight order and let each of them flaunt their abilities to their heart’s content in their respective positions?’
This was the very agony Vitalianus had been harboring until just a moment ago.
“I…… I must join the Royal Knights.”
That was why he laughed.
“Heh heh…….”
Because the girl’s sincere words.
Her shoulders, stiff with tension, and her trembling fingertips.
And yet, her voice, which did not waver at all.
Because they blew away Vitalianus’s agony.
“Hahahaha!”
That was why he laughed.
The answer to his long deliberation had been so easy.
‘What did it matter if there was no political need? What did it matter if there was no great need for the Emperor?’
‘What did it matter if they weren’t the strongest, and what did it matter if they weren’t the most honorable?’
There were still many people to protect, and enemies to face clearly existed.
‘Weren’t there still many who held onto hope and nurtured their ambition while looking at the Royal Knights?’
Therefore, it was simply a matter of him existing for that purpose.
Since he had realized all of that through a single word from the girl before him.
Vitalianus stopped laughing and looked at the girl.
Flashy red hair and red eyes like jewels.
In his eyes, she was still a young girl.
A pretty summer flower blooming, likely having just become an adult.
An flustered expression as if she never expected Vitalianus to burst into laughter, and a body even more stiff with tension.
Even in the midst of that, a straight gaze.
“Your heart is full of flames.”
The fire she held in her heart was the girl’s desire.
A heart that intensely longed for the goal she wanted to achieve.
There was a goal she absolutely wanted to achieve by entering the Royal Knights.
There was no need to even look at her military power.
She was weak.
If he brought out any of the remaining Royal Knights, she likely wouldn’t last even a few seconds.
‘But what did that matter?’
‘Wasn’t this a time when much change was needed?’
He had a strong intuition.
The intuition that the girl’s flames would change many things.
The Royal Knights, and perhaps even Vitalianus himself.
He did not ask what goal she was burning herself for like that.
It was fine even if it wasn’t for the glory of the Emperor.
Because he knew that desire was a force greater than expected and could achieve many things; because he had experienced it.
Because that was a great flame that he himself had once possessed.
The girl’s appearance very much resembled his younger self, who once believed he would one day stand at the highest point.
Of course, his own flame had gone out at some point, and what filled that spot now was only emptiness.
He also knew that when the burning summer ends, autumn comes, and when even that passes, winter eventually arrives, but couldn’t he make this girl walk a different path?
The girl was summer.
She had a goal, things remained to be achieved, and she burned brightly with passion.
“Child.”
He was winter.
A winter where dazzling glory had become the past and all those who shared it had died.
A winter where he could not even weep before the corpse of his most precious friend.
The end of a life where even the heart had frozen solid, winter.
“Steal your heart.”
Such a summer and such a winter met.
‘Through that, would they really be able to achieve spring?’
Even though his own spring could never return.
Even though he would meet his end as a lonely winter.
If that could lead the girl toward spring.
“It will not be easy.”
It would not be such a bad ending.
“Introduce yourselves. She’s a newcomer.”
With that one word from Vitalianus, all procedures were omitted.
After that day, one person was added to the official personnel of the Royal Knights.
“I-I look forward to working with you!”
It was a small miracle achieved on an autumn night.