Chapter 29: Magic Reinterpreted

Levan’s flickering vision cleared, allowing him to properly see the surrounding landscape.

As his sight returned, he immediately heard a familiar voice.

“Welcome back to the Tower, heir.”

It was Rubix’s voice.

But no matter how much Levan looked around, Rubix was nowhere to be seen.

Levan asked,  
  
“……Where are you?”

“I am everywhere and nowhere at once, heir.”

“I’m really not in the mood for jokes.”

“Heh heh, looks like your temper is seriously bruised. I’m right here.”

With a sudden “Wak!” Rubix appeared from behind.

He seemed to want to startle Levan, but Levan put on a serious face. He didn’t want to play along.

Seeing Levan’s deadpan expression, Rubix cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Hmph, seems like you’re quite hurt inside. Well, that’s understandable.”

“It’s fine.”

“Oh no, I wasn’t asking you to answer according to my mood. That would break the bond between a god and an apostle… what do they call it these days? Emotional abuse, isn’t it?”

What nonsense.

But Levan didn’t say that out loud.

He sighed inwardly and replied,  
  
“No, it’s not.”

“Heh heh, not really. Your expression says everything. But, heir, think about it. The magic you took from Max, though a simple fundamental attack spell, was still stolen from a mage of the Tower, wasn’t it?”

“……And?”

“Oh dear… seems you’ve already forgotten your destiny. As a War Mage and my one and only heir, you have the duty to exact bloody revenge on all mages affiliated with the Tower.”

“So, I fought and won in a fair duel, and that’s why I took the magic, isn’t it?”

“No. That’s not what I mean. Even if the magic was taken as spoils of victory, it’s still magic taught by the Tower. That I cannot accept. As the first War Mage not affiliated with the Tower, I want to teach you only magic that I have created.”

Levan was lost for words after hearing Rubix’s explanation.

The reason Rubix gave sounded grandiose, but deep down it felt like nothing more than childish obsession.

‘He calls this my Divine Seat…’

A sudden wave of unhappiness washed over him.

But whether Levan felt miserable or not, Rubix spoke with a voice even brighter than before.

“Heh heh, so I hope you understand my intentions.”

Not understanding, but coercion.

But Levan, firmly in a position of complete subordination, dared not say this aloud.

Instead, eager to escape this place quickly, he hurriedly pressed for the trial.

“So, what exactly is the trial to receive your permission, Rubix?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a trial per se, but all power must be accompanied by the proper qualifications, right?”

What is he planning now?

Levan suddenly felt uneasy.

Rubix asked,  
  
“Before I give you the trial, let me ask you: how much do you know about Energy Bolt?”

Energy Bolt is just Energy Bolt—what else is there to know?

Still, Levan gritted his teeth and answered in agreement.

“I know it as the most basic attack magic with no element.”

“That’s right. That’s how the Tower teaches it. It’s a standardized, mass-produced spell anyone can learn and use easily.”

“So, is the Energy Bolt you use somehow different?”

“You ask? Want to see it?”

“No. Honestly, I don’t think it makes sense for you to show me your Energy Bolt.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you, Rubix, who went through Grand Mage and now reached Divine Seat, your Energy Bolt is incomparable to an ordinary one.”

“That’s a fair point. But the Energy Bolt I’ll show you is created with minimal power. Think of it as containing only as much magic as Max’s.”

“In that case, understood.”

That was a good move on Levan’s part.

If he hadn’t said that first, Rubix might have shown a tremendously powerful Energy Bolt, boasting all his might.

Rubix smiled at Levan’s answer, and then—

Ssssss—

Around them, where there had been not a blade of grass, dozens of trees began to grow.

Pointing at the growing trees, Rubix said,  
  
“We’ll need a target, after all.”

The sprouted trees were all massive, reminiscent of baobab trees.

Rubix warmed up and said,  
  
“Heh heh, only something this grand can be called a proper target. What do you think? Not bad, right? Someday you’ll be able to summon hundreds of such trees easily.”

“……I’m looking forward to that.”

“All right, with the target ready, I’ll demonstrate.”

Rubix raised his right palm in front of Levan. Then,  
  
Vwooom!

A grayish-white sphere formed in Rubix’s hand.

It looked like a glass orb filled with murky smoke.

Rubix clenched the summoned Energy Bolt like a baseball and approached the baobab tree he had summoned.

“Watch closely.”

Calling out “Look at me,” Rubix held the Energy Bolt calmly and touched it to the baobab.

Kraaaash!

The tree shattered terribly upon impact.

……Kraaaash!

For several seconds, the Energy Bolt tore through the tree before vanishing without a trace.

As the Energy Bolt disappeared, Rubix withdrew his hand from the tree and smiled.

“That’s it.”

The roaring noise ceased.

In its place was a deep, rounded scar of destruction.

Rubix tapped the mark with his fingers and said,  
  
“How was that?”

A brief question.

But Levan couldn’t answer.

Because he had seen a sight like this before.

“……Rasengan?”

“Rasengan? What’s that?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.”

Levan unwittingly voiced his honest impression.

Rasengan.

Yes, the Energy Bolt Rubix showed reminded him exactly of a Rasengan.

Of course, the difference was that the Energy Bolt had no wind element and hadn’t ravaged the tree wildly.

Still, the destructive power and shape resembled the Rasengan he had seen in ninja manga back in reality.

Rubix said,  
  
“I once said magic is efficient but inefficient. Remember that?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Now I have the chance to explain that to you. Tell me, do you think the Energy Bolt I just used is the same as the Energy Bolt you knew?”

“Not at all.”

“Right? It’s completely different because I reinterpreted the conventional Energy Bolt in my own way.”

“Reinterpretation… you mean?”

“Yes. Magic is about discovering countless natural laws woven into the world and realizing them through mana. So even spells with the same name can have many forms. The Tower’s version is just the easiest, most basic form, set as the standard. That’s how they mass-produce magic widely.”

Rubix erased the playful tone and began a serious lecture on magic.

In short, he said,

Magic is like a raw gemstone, and its value, appearance, and size depend entirely on how the craftsman shapes it.

“……Magic’s popularization. In some ways, it’s a good thing. But that popularization and accessibility are also holding back countless mages’ development.”

“Is that what you regret?”

“Of course. But in truth, it’s difficult for individuals to find their own laws and learn magic that way. I was a genius, so I could do it.”

  

“……Yes?”

“I told you not to waste your life chasing the impossible and instead train your body to raise your physical power.”

What kind of ‘I’m a genius’ speech is this?

Levan felt a strange disgust at Rubix, who suddenly shifted from serious explanation to self-praise.

‘Right, he was always like this.’

But it was true that he was a genius.

Rubix said,  
  
“So, how lucky you are. If you were an ordinary mage, you’d never even catch a glimpse of an Energy Bolt like that in your entire life.”

“Ah, yes… I’m honored, of course.”

  

“Thought so. Anyway, what did you think? That Energy Bolt just now?”

  

“Impressive…… It was so unlike the Energy Bolt I knew, I almost doubted it was the same.”

If he worked at a company, would this feel like talking to a boss?

For a moment, Levan thought Rubix looked like a department head.

“Heh heh, I knew you’d like it. Of course, what I made is a hundred times better than what the Tower mages distribute. Now that you’re motivated, I’ll give you your trial.”

“Eh? Motivation?”

“Why? Isn’t that enough? The Energy Bolt you just saw is the new Energy Bolt you will learn.”

“?!”

Levan realized the display was not just Rubix showing off but a demonstration of the skill he was to acquire.

Suddenly, his aversion to Rubix completely vanished.

Levan’s eyes shone brightly as he said,  
  
“I’ll do my best, Rubix.”

“Heh heh, good attitude. Then, from now on, I’ll give you the trial for the new Energy Bolt.”

Thanks to that, his motivation was fully renewed.

Levan happily awaited the trial that Rubix, now looking like a great figure, would bestow.

Snap!

Rubix snapped his fingers.

Between them, a trampoline appeared, and in Rubix’s hand materialized a glass cup filled with water.

Rubix said,  
  
“When I reinterpreted the Energy Bolt, I thought: since Energy Bolt materializes mana and explodes the accumulated force upon contact to cause damage, why not change that mechanism?”

“What do you mean?”

“I altered it so that when the Energy Bolt hits its target, the condensed mana doesn’t disperse. So the Energy Bolt tries to maintain its form, and the target naturally pushes it away, making both sides fiercely rub against each other.”

Rubix handed the glass cup to Levan and continued,  
  
“That means the side with lower density will inevitably lose. The reason the tree was destroyed just now was because it was weaker than my Energy Bolt. Understand the principle? The key to my new Energy Bolt is ‘maintenance of force.’”

“I see. But may I ask what this has to do with all this?”

“Heh heh, from now on you will bounce on this trampoline holding a cup full of water. The goal is to jump more than 20 times without spilling a drop. That is the trial I give you.”

“Eh? May I ask what that has to do with anything?”

“Think of the water in the cup as the force that must be maintained. Since you, as the second War Mage, will inherit the magic I created and have learned about the principles of magic, training your body in a way similar to the magic’s principles isn’t a bad idea.”

“Eh?”

“If you want to give up halfway, just say so anytime. But keep in mind, if you do, you won’t get the Energy Bolt.”

Rubix set down extra water and said,  
  
“Good luck.”

“Wait, wait, Rubix? Rubix?”

The god vanished after giving his one and only apostle the proper trial.

The trampoline, the Energy Bolt.

And Levan holding the glass of water.

Levan screamed silently, holding the glass.

This was a soundless outcry.