Magic.
The act of creating unnatural results using mana, or refers to such phenomena.
The study of magic as a whole is called magic studies, which includes the study of linguistics, magic devices, circuitry, and magical characters.
In the past, magic was performed by engraving circles on the heart, calculating directly in the mind, and handling mana. However, due to the severe physical aftereffects caused by failed attempts, circle magic has been replaced by class magic.
While circle magic and class magic are the two major branches, nowadays, when people refer to “magic,” they mostly mean class magic.
In the past, anyone who could use magic was called a mage, but nowadays, since most people can use magic with a cane, the term is reserved for those who graduated from the magic academy and work in related fields.
Using magic in public places without permission is prohibited for civilians. If someone gets injured from magic used without permission, the insurance process becomes extremely complicated, so caution is advised.
—
Cane.
An essential tool required to use magic. It assists in analyzing incantations and manipulating mana.
Civilians are also prohibited from possessing canes of class 3 or higher, so it is advisable to be cautious.
Private modifications could void warranty service, so they are not recommended.
Recommended Manufacturers List
Defiler Corporation – Offers great cost-performance. Especially efficient for everyday magic, it is often found in households, and it is generally recommended if you buy a class 2 cane from a store.
Chillinghide Corporation – A good choice if opting for a high-end product. They guarantee service and support minor customizations. The chipset is stable and has excellent responsiveness, but it is quite expensive. Class 3 and higher canes also perform fairly well.
Turk Corporation – Recommended if considering a class 1 cane. Due to its low price, it can be treated as a consumable. However, class 1 and above products are not recommended as they tend to be inferior to Defiler’s offerings.
“Wow. It really does provide information!”
Searching for information turned out to be quite convenient. Whether or not the information was reliable, it felt like it could be quite helpful. If there was a chance of needing a cane in the future, this could be a useful reference.
Having verified that the search function was working properly, Luke decided to search for information he had been curious about.
Tap tap.
“Ere’Dia Scarlet decides to step down from the popular airing show ‘Multidimensional Romance.’ I apologize to our viewers…”
“Ere’Steen. For beautiful hair, your wisest choice.”
Blog) …Ultimate ‘Ere’ race! The explosive semifinals!…
The results were disappointing. It was filled with irrelevant information, largely unrelated to what he wanted to know.
This was partly due to Luke’s inexperience in searching, but it was a disaster brought on by not knowing what “Ere” was, leading the search engine to gather information haphazardly.
This time, Luke decided to try a different search term.
Tap tap.
(Warning: GIF) My ‘cat’ is a ‘beast.’
[GIFs of cats climbing on tables and knocking everything off.]
If only it was cute…
34 recommends / 10 dislikes
—
The reason ‘cats’ are ‘beasts’
[GIF of a cat hissing.]
Yeah, yeah.
—
The search results regarding cats and beasts were equally unsatisfactory.
“Ha, I guess ‘searching’ isn’t omnipotent?”
Luke let out a deep sigh.
There was an overwhelming amount of data regarding “cats” and “beasts,” resulting in thousands of pieces of information, but again, there was no information he desired.
“Hmm. But I really think cats are quite cute.”
-…
Py also nodded in agreement.
—
James, who had returned, couldn’t help but laugh.
The reason being Luke Illusi.
The child, who had just been engaged in a deep discussion about beastology and the demon realm, was now merrily looking at cat pictures after being shown how to use a computer.
Looking at that, he really seemed like a child.
Every time the cat on the screen perked up its ears, did Luke also unconsciously perk up his own?
James nearly patted Luke’s head absentmindedly but held back with superhuman patience and coughed lightly.
“Oh, you’ve returned.”
He had been so focused that he might not have even realized someone was standing right behind him.
It was not just that James carefully turned around, but the main reason was that Luke had almost completely relaxed his own guard.
Luke decided he would need to heighten his vigilance going forward.
To be so flustered over a mere cat video, he thought, was unbecoming.
Thus, the expression that emerged on Luke’s face was one of utmost seriousness and calm.
James couldn’t help but admire Luke for quickly regaining composure. It was unusual; his expression control was sudden and perfect, reminiscent of a child actor.
“Do you like the computer?”
“It’s quite an interesting magic device. First off, it’s efficient… How much does that usually cost?”
“Hmm, that computer was about 1 million gil, probably. Including the monitor and crystal ball, it would be about 1.3 million gil.”
“Th-That’s expensive…”
It was too costly to ask Yerna to buy it for him.
—
After showing Luke around the facility and casually greeting the researchers, time had once again slipped away.
Feeling a bit hungry, James suggested they head to a nearby restaurant for a meal.
The menu was simple stew, but the incredible flavor captivated Luke’s palate.
Afterward, they talked for a while about various fossils.
As it turned dark outside, Luke decided it was about time he should head back and began to prepare to leave.
James asked.
“Have you contacted your guardian?”
“I’ve contacted Yerna, so there’s no need to worry. They said they’d come waiting at the lab.”
James nodded and led Luke to the front of the lab.
It wasn’t that far, so they arrived quickly.
But James didn’t seem inclined to enter the lab right away.
“Just go on ahead. Also take the book you borrowed from my office.”
“Aren’t you coming in with me?”
“When you get older, if you go inside immediately after eating, it’s a little uncomfortable. It’s better to take a walk first.”
“Hmm, is that so? Then I’ll go in first.”
Luke could relate to that.
Usually, he didn’t eat due to consuming elixirs, but when he did occasionally eat, he also took leisurely walks to stimulate his digestive system just like James did now.
As he aged, his physical ability declined to the point where he could no longer consume even elixirs and ultimately had to sustain himself solely through the mana control of circles.
Luke looked at the cover of the book he wanted to borrow from James’s office and pondered.
“Why did I live so fiercely?”
Looking back, he had lived a long time despite appearing no different than a corpse.
Since turning 100, he had lost the ability to count his age, including his eyesight and all senses, rendering him unable to mark the “date.”
That way, the body of a grand sorcerer of the 10th circle eventually reached its end.
“Dreams, thanks to them?”
Perhaps it was because he had grasped the clue to this body that some of his lost memories had returned.
—
When did he really start ‘dying’?
The heart’s movement had long since ceased.
The heart wasn’t what made the circle beat; rather, the circle made the heart beat.
The body didn’t dominate the mana; the mana dominated the body.
The eyes that once penetrated everything eventually closed, and he could no longer distinguish even colors, let alone magical energy.
He could not even fall asleep—he spent all his time and mind merely keeping his body alive.
The purpose of all those actions was singular.
Simply to realize the impossible concept of ‘immortality.’
—
Luke stared blankly down at his body.
If this body was the result of that research, then why had it turned out like this?
Without a doubt, this was not a body to his preference.
In the past, he had never wished to become a young girl.
He probably hadn’t truly desired to take on this form.
He could affirm that he had experienced taking on a woman’s appearance.
Luke recalled the experience of sneaking into an information clan that was only accessible to women with Renie.
It was a torment to perform polymorph into a female form at that time.
“Why do I have to end up like this?”
“Surely you don’t plan on sending me alone into such a dangerous place, do you? Think about it, Luke. Can Kail follow me?”
“Please stop saying such terrible things.”
“Hey, what’s the issue? Just cast polymorph on me right away!”
“Stop it… Fine, I’ll do it.”
But polymorph couldn’t fundamentally change one’s gender, so it was soon exposed, yet not sending Renie alone at that time turned out to be the right decision.
—
“Thinking back to that time gives me a headache.”
A black history.
That experience had become a kind of trauma, which brought about a headache every time it was recalled.
So for some time, he had sealed the memories entirely, but it seemed that this body had lifted the seal.
Now, he had no energy left to seal those memories again, so he needed to distract himself quickly, but nothing was coming to mind.
He considered pulling out a book, but reading genres like history, where there was much to reflect on, felt like poison. It would only continue to stimulate memories.
While pondering, Luke suddenly saw a researcher sleeping slumped over on a table in the lab.
“John.”
He was a man Luke had briefly seen and exchanged names with before the meal.
What was it he had said? He was in the middle of solving some problems, right?
He seemed to still be studying at the lab as an undergraduate.
The relationship was so light that nothing about him caught Luke’s interest, but his gaze was drawn to the scattered papers lying next to him.
Upon checking, it appeared to be traces of problems he had been trying to solve.
Were these the problems he had been working on until now?
With nothing better to do, Luke gathered the papers beside him and slightly lifted them.
To see if he was solving them well.
“Um, he wrote this part incorrectly. This formula is entirely wrong.”
Luke picked up a pencil lying carelessly on the table and drew correction marks and annotations on the problems.
As the sound of graphite scraping against paper continued, the correction marks and numbers or letters on the problems John was working on increased.
-…
Perhaps finding the sound pleasant, Py observed silently the scene of Luke solving the problems, trembling slightly with each noise of the pencil.
Thus, even the pencil’s noise, which could be a bit annoying given his tense nerves at the moment, was not a disturbance at all.
Rather, it only brought a sense of calm.
—
“Oh, this problem. I didn’t realize it at first glance, but it’s quite an interesting one.”
Counter to expectations, the rising difficulty brought Luke joy.
There was no thought of past memories now. The headache had completely vanished.
Just like a conductor skillfully wielding a baton, Luke’s hand handling the pencil finally came to a halt as his mobile phone vibrated.
It was Yerna.
“Looks like she’s already arrived.”
Luke put his phone back and quickly exited the lab, thinking he should ask if similar problems were available later.
—
“Hmm, ah. What is it? Did I doze off?”
Lately, he had been having trouble staying awake.
Was it due to stress? He didn’t actually want to delve into that.
He had been deeply engrossed in Sha’eh’s miraculous formula, known as one of the five great magical enigmas, for half a year now. This troublesome problem drove people mad the more it was solved.
Any time he felt he found clues, it would prove incorrect, forcing him to start over.
After repeating that nonsense for half a year, it was understandable he might want to throw in the towel.
It seemed he was not cut out for this problem.
As he thought that, he noticed something shocking written on the paper.
Someone had written a ludicrous doodle on the formula he had been trying to solve!
It had elegantly crossed out the formula with an X, suggesting he should just quit.
Unable to contain his anger, he crumpled the paper up.
Ah, yes. Was that an order to give up? Fine. Eat dirt. Somepeople took ten years for this proof, yet it told him to quit. He was done.
As he looked closer, it wasn’t merely doodling.
There were traces of ‘corrections’ on the wrong parts.
“Could it be…?”
He hurriedly unfolded the crumpled paper and followed the corrections with his eyes, to his astonishment.
“This, this is proven…!”
How? By whom? By what means?
No, perhaps he had made a mistake somewhere? This wretched magical formula always had a way of tormenting people like a miracle.
Whenever he thought it had been solved like a miracle, there was always a part that was incorrectly done. That was the nature of the tangled magical formula.
Thus, it received the bizarre moniker of ‘miraculous formula.’
But he didn’t know.
He didn’t know where the mistake was.
Perhaps this was, in fact, a proof.
“I’m going crazy…”
The problem was that he had to prove a proof he didn’t even understand.
Due to the very nature of magical formulas, if one didn’t fully grasp them, they would be utterly useless.
Otherwise, any proof would be worthless.
Ah, it felt like his head was about to explode again.
Why on earth was there a proof again…?
Otherwise, he would have just given up cleanly.
John held onto his head again.
—
“Who on earth solved this?”
