A book explaining the basics of magic written and published by Encia. Basic Theory of Magic by Cientia sent shockwaves through the mage society of Procyon.
To mages who had been using their one innate magic in various forms since birth, the theory of magic that manifests in diverse ways according to will was something that completely overturned their common sense.
Some mages resisted such content but couldn’t put the book down, while others began earnestly verifying its contents.
“Procyon’s in an uproar.”
“Meh, it’s to be expected.”
Encia was leisurely drinking tea with Cecil.
It was far too peaceful a time for the instigator who had turned Procyon upside down, but what could she do? The woodblock-printed books had all sold out, and rumors were spreading that some mages were even copying them by hand to share.
Having trained Cecil as a disciple and compiled her achievements into this published work, Encia no longer felt any need to do more.
“Those who cannot accept the contents of this book will be weeded out, while those who can will reach higher realms. Now I fully understand what Tia meant about this being a test for mages.”
“A trial akin to a filtering mechanism for mages, you mean?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
What meaning was there in only using the magic determined at birth? What meaning was there in teaching a disciple with similar magic to manifest it in various forms?
There would be none whatsoever.
All the mages of Procyon would collapse, lose form, then reassemble themselves into new mages. Those who could only use the single magic they were born with would disappear, leaving only true mages in the proper sense.
That must be…what Tia desired.
“Now that the book is complete…I want to reduce my public activities and rest for a while.”
“Huh? Rest, you say? With the book causing such a stir, surely you could make a fortune just by giving talks wherever you’re invited, Master?”
“I already made plenty of money before writing the book. More than enough to last a lifetime.”
Spreading rain where it doesn’t fall is a highly lucrative business.
It’s now widely known that paying a weather mage is far more reliable than building a huge altar to perform rain-summoning rituals. If one were to list the richest mages in Procyon, Encia’s name would inevitably appear.
“But so many people seek your advice, Master?”
“It’s bothersome.”
“Wha-?!”
“I think I understand Tia’s feelings now. Just…bothersome. Everything’s bothersome.”
Perhaps because she’d finished what she’d long aimed for, Encia was feeling apathetic about everything.
She was quite lazy even under normal circumstances, but since completing the book, it had grown worse.
“So therefore…I’ll leave the aftermath to you, Cecil. Unless it’s something beyond your capacity to handle…I don’t wish to get involved.”
Watching Encia speak with such deflated voice, Cecil worriedly said:
“But…will the other mages really leave Master alone?”
“Leave me alone…”
“Even now, many mages don’t fully understand the book. Won’t they come questioning you, Master?”
“If they’re the kind of mages who can’t understand the book yet feel confident enough to question me, you should be able to drive them off from your level, right?”
“My level?”
Encia nodded, looking at Cecil. To her eyes, Cecil was already a quite capable mage.
Perhaps only elder-level mages could rival Cecil in magical prowess.
“How could someone like me possibly…”
“You’re stronger than you think.”
But Cecil lacked confidence in her own abilities, despite having observed many other mages’ magic.
The cause likely stemmed from her background – not as a mage born into slavery, but as a girl possessing nothing but a frail, malnourished body.
Though she’d grown into a fine mage under Encia’s tutelage, that mindset hadn’t changed.
Sighing softly at her disciple’s state, Encia said:
“To be honest, I think anyone below elder-level strength wouldn’t stand a chance against you.”
“But…someone like me with such minuscule mana reserves…”
“Mana isn’t everything. You can produce flames larger than a person using the same amount of mana that others use to make fist-sized flames, can’t you?”
“Well, that’s true…”
“Our magic, which can draw upon ambient mana, can’t really be compared to other mages’. Eventually their magic may become like ours, but not right now.”
With that, Encia ruffled Cecil’s hair and said:
“So have more confidence. You’re stronger than you think.”
“Yes…!”
Watching Cecil muster a bit of courage to respond, Encia simply smiled faintly.
Mages.
Those who shape mana with willpower to create various phenomena.
Their existence has been confirmed since ancient times when Procyon was called Babel.
While they could use magic instinctively, they didn’t understand the principles behind it because they hadn’t properly grasped the nature of mana.
Viewing only primitive elemental conversion as magic, these mages are now derogatorily called “magic users”, implying foolish ones who merely use magic without studying it.
The one who ended the era dominated by such magic users was a single mage with extremely unconventional magic.
Her name was Encia – a powerful mage famous for controlling the weather, but more importantly, the one who established the foundational theory of all magic.
Through her existence, primitive magic faced great transformation…
The basic magic theory she completed gave new knowledge to many mages, though few could fully understand and accept it.
Most mages began applying her theory to build their own optimal magic theories.
This became the starting point for various schools of thought pursuing their own goals.
The author Encia herself didn’t establish her own school, taking on only one disciple.
Her name was Cecil Marygold – a future archmage renowned in the world and founder of the Grand Library sworn to gather all knowledge.
—
I can feel my consciousness slowly awakening from deep slumber.
How much time has passed? I did tell Encia I’d wake up decades later, but I’m a bit worried even at the minimum estimate.
Lifting my eyelids heavy as a thousand heavens, I opened my eyes and looked around.
The room looks much the same as when I fell asleep – one of the bedrooms in my temples within the Divine Hall. Not that it’s much of a bedroom, just a barren space with a single bed. Anyway…
I took out a pocket watch from my embrace to check how many years had passed.
The numbers indicated 14 years had gone by – much sooner than my estimated sleep duration of around 30 years.
Hm. Thought I’d sleep for about 30 years…waking up this early wasn’t bad though. My drowsiness has subsided somewhat, so I might as well get moving.
I fumbled around my pillowside and picked up the LD I had placed there.
There are several things I need to do, but first let’s check on Encia.
How is she doing? Did she properly carry out what I asked?
Curious about these questions, the scene that appeared when I flipped open the LD was…
“Hmm. Not bad at all.”
Encia was lying comfortably on a soft bed surrounded by dozens of stacked books, wearing casual clothes and buried among the books.
Eh? What exactly happened while I was asleep? And more importantly, what about the assignment I gave her? I told her to compile the knowledge I taught into a book! Did she actually do it?! This looks like pure hikikomori behavior to me!
