Chapter 14

1.

The lesson wasn’t as difficult as I expected.

According to Iris’s explanation, magic was broadly divided into two stages.

First, you set the attribute with an Element Formula.

Fire, water, earth, air, plus light and darkness—six in total.

Using a Fire Element Formula gives fire attributes, and using a Water Element Formula gives water attributes.

She said you could also mix different elements or overlap the same element to create other attributes.

A prime example is the ice attribute, made by overlapping water with water.
Combine air and fire, and you get the lightning attribute.

“Can you only mix up to two elements?”

“No. Three or more is possible too.”

Iris drew three Element Formulas side by side on the paper.

“For example, combining water, fire, and earth creates the rock attribute.”

“Water and fire are in there, but you get rock?”

“The properties of the elements don’t just stay the same. They influence each other during the combination process and transform into a new attribute.”

“I see.”

It’s like how mixing flour and eggs to make bread doesn’t mean it only tastes like flour and eggs.
I figured I could understand it roughly like that.

However, it seemed like adding more wasn’t always better.

She said that stacking more Element Formulas than necessary increased mana loss, and the more complex the combination, the more there was to calculate.

In the end, the most efficient approach was to add only as many as needed to create the desired attribute.

“And once the attribute is decided, everything else is determined by Magic Formulas.”

From that point on, magic started to look a bit more familiar.

The Propulsion Formula is the force that sends it forward.

The Direction Formula decides which way it flies, and the Coordinate Formula locks onto the target point.

The Shape Formula creates forms like spears or spheres, and the Output Formula controls size, power, and the number generated.

Add in things like the Trajectory Formula, Maintenance Formula, and Compression Formula, and there are about 20 basic Magic Formulas in total.

It looked annoying to memorize them all, but the principle itself was simpler than I thought.

You use an Element Formula to decide what attribute to use.

You use Magic Formulas to decide how many to create, what shape, and where and how to launch them.

That was all.

“Sometimes formulas are combined to create new ones.”

Iris tied together the Propulsion, Direction, and Coordinate Formulas.

“Combine these three and you get a Direction-Change Formula. Then connect a Trajectory Formula to that, and it becomes a Continuous Trajectory Formula.”

“Ah.“

That was a familiar name.

It was the spell I used when piercing through targets in succession at the Training Grounds, and the one I applied simultaneously to 30 Homing Bullets when fighting the Lich.

Back then, the AI had configured it all for me, so I didn’t know how it worked internally, but now that I was looking under the hood, the structure was simpler than I expected.

“So it keeps changing direction while following a set trajectory.”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

Iris nodded.

She added that there was also a way to reinforce specific functions by stacking the same Magic Formula multiple times.

“Lightning magic and light-attribute magic are prime examples.”

“How so?”

“For lightning magic, you create the attribute with air and fire, then stack the Propulsion Formula multiple times. Even the most basic Lightning Bullet uses about three Propulsion Formulas.”

Air and fire. Plus three Propulsion Formulas.

“Hmm… this is more interesting than I thought.”

I’d practically given up on studying after high school, but I never expected it to sink in this easily.

Maybe the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t study, but that I never did.

…Still, I should make a summary.

Human memory is unreliable, even after just one day.

‘AI. Organize everything I’ve learned so far.’

[Summarizing basic magic theory.]

[Element Formula = Determines the attribute of the magic.]
[Magic Formula = Determines functions such as count, shape, output, speed, direction, coordinates, and trajectory.]
[Element Formula efficiency decreases when stacked beyond the required combination.]
[Basic Magic Formulas can be combined or stacked.]
[Stacking the same Magic Formula reinforces that function.]

Clean.

Even a kindergartener could understand this.

I pointed at the Propulsion Formula drawn in the book.

“Hmm… so if I attach 10 Propulsion Formulas, it’d be incredibly fast.”

“…”

Iris hesitated for a moment.

“It’s a good idea, but… no such magic exists.”

“Why?”

“Well…”

After thinking for a bit, she said it as if it were obvious.

“Because no such magic exists.”

“Who decided that?”

“…Huh?”

“I mean, think about it.”

This time, I pointed at Iris.

“Your main spell is the ice spear, right?”

“Ice Spear.”

“Yeah. That one. How was it created?”

“A Great Mage who studied ice systems a few hundred years ago established the theory. After that, many mages refined it, and the current spell formula was—”

“That was a few hundred years ago.”

Iris’s words cut off.

“If that person could create it, why can’t we?”

I tapped the Propulsion Formula written on the paper with my finger.

The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

If all the basic parts were already defined, and combining them created new magic, why bother using only what’s already been made?

“And it’s not just that. You could attach a bunch of Output and Compression Formulas to a fire attribute to make a massive bomb.”

“Stacking a bunch doesn’t always make it better, but…”

“Then calculate the right amount.”

The AI would handle that well.

“Or what about that lightning magic from earlier? The one that uses air and fire with three Propulsion Formulas.”

“Yeah.”

“What if you added dozens more Propulsion Formulas to that? Couldn’t you make something like an incredibly fast lightning cannon?”

Iris didn’t answer.

I’m the only one getting excited here.

But still, this is more fun than I expected.
Back in my original world, I just said what I wanted.

Fire. Water. Light.

Then the AI would make an appropriate spell for me, so I had no reason to wonder what the inside looked like.

But seeing each individual part with my own eyes felt a bit different.

Attach them, and if it doesn’t work, remove them.

If something else makes it better, use that.

“Couldn’t I eventually shoot out something like a Black Flame Dragon from my hand?”

“…Black Flame Dragon?”

“That’s a thing.”

It’s like a magic word every guy shouts at least once by age 15.

But Iris had been quiet for a while now.

“Iris?”

She didn’t answer, just stared down at the Magic Formulas spread across the desk.

After a long silence, Iris muttered quietly.

“…The spell formula is neat. Like someone who just memorized the answers they were taught.”

“Huh?”

“That’s what my sister used to say.”

Iris stared at the formulas she had written herself for a while, then slowly stood up.

“Let’s end the lesson here for today.”

“Already?”

“Yeah. And…”

She looked at me.

Then suddenly, she bowed deeply at the waist.

“Thank you for the insight, Leon.”

“Out of nowhere???”

Wait, I was the one taking the lesson just now.
Why is the one teaching bowing to me?

“I told you not to do that.”

“But what Leon just said was—”

“I was just blurting out whatever came to mind.”

“…”

Iris quietly looked at me.

It was a look I’d seen several times since a few days ago—the one she got when she interpreted something I said carelessly into something several levels more grandiose.

‘What’s she misunderstanding now?’

It was obvious she wouldn’t listen even if I explained.

Instead of responding, I pointed at the stack of books on the desk.

“Anyway, there’s still a lot to teach tomorrow, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you. Teacher.”

Iris’s eyes widened slightly.

Then she broke into a bright smile.

“…Yeah!”

Pretty.

Enough to make my heart skip a beat.

2.

By the time the lesson ended, the sun had fully set.

My current location was the city’s Central Plaza.

Now that I had money, today I was going to do something I’d wanted to do at least once in 20 years.

“…Decided. This place.”

A restaurant in the Central Plaza that caught the eye more than any other.

Gold decorations glittered from the entrance, and even the chairs visible through the windows looked expensive.

It was the kind of place I’d only ever caught whiffs of as I passed by.

The restaurant’s signature dish was Sea Turtle Soup.

The price was a whopping 1 Gold Coin.

For someone who used to count out Copper Coins just to buy a single piece of Hard Bread, this was essentially food I’d never eat in my lifetime.

But now things were different.

In my hand were 2,000 Gold Coins.

“…Still, it feels a bit wasteful.”

One Gold Coin.

The fact that I was already calculating how many loaves of Hard Bread I could buy with a single Gold Coin showed just how deeply the beggar life had ingrained itself in me.

“…I’ll just eat that one thing and leave.”

Just the Sea Turtle Soup.

Eating just that would be enough.

Just as I thought that and reached for the door handle, a strange voice seemed to echo in my head.

• Ahh. So clumsy. The way you unleash your desires.

“Ugh…“

I covered my face with one hand.

“Stay quiet, my other self…!”

[I am a separate entity from the user.]

“Not you.”

• Hehehe… Indulgence isn’t something you do a little at a time. When you do it, you do it properly. All that food you missed out on will keep haunting your mind’s eye…?

…Now that I think about it, that’s true.

If I’ve starved for 20 years, I deserve one day of eating until I burst.

I have plenty of money, so spending this much should be fine, right?

“You think so too, AI?”

[The user’s logic is not sound.]

“Could you just agree with me…?”

[…]

[Wow… you really hit the nail on the head…]

[Your words truly rang out like a declaration.]

“It’s been a while since you said something right.”

The door opened with a jingle.

After naturally taking a seat at a table:

“Bring me everything on the menu.”

The employee’s expression stiffened.

“…Everything, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Ordering our entire menu would come to over 30 Gold Coins.”

“I know.”

The employee glanced at my face.

Then, as if humoring a child, they gave an awkward smile.

“Haha. Kid, you can’t fool around in a place like this. You should come with your parents—”

I pulled a money pouch from my chest and tossed it to the employee.

“Whoa!”

They caught it hastily.

Inside were 35 Gold Coins I’d counted out in advance.

“30 is for the food.”

I leaned back in my chair and said:

“5 is the tip.”

“…”

The employee looked back and forth between the pouch and my face.

A moment later, their back folded at a perfect right angle.

“At your service!!!!!!”

Money really is great.

Before long, the wide table was filled with food.

Roasted lamb, Sea Turtle Soup, a whole grilled fish, and some kind of meat stew I’d never seen before.

Then came pasta, bread, and dishes I didn’t even know the names of, one after another.

“Whoa… Look at that shine…”

I took a bite of the lamb.

The meat dissolved softly before I could even chew.

“Nom nom nom.”

The Sea Turtle Soup was savory with a strangely deep umami, and the pasta with red sauce was spicy, salty, and sweet.

Even with three different foods in my mouth at once, it blended together strangely well and tasted amazing.

No, there was no need to overthink it—just saying “delicious” was enough.

“Ngh…“

My eyes felt a little hot.

“I shouldn’t cry…”

It’s too good, damn it…!

For 20 years, I’d soaked Hard Bread in water and scavenged discarded food behind restaurants.

On days when I got a bowl of soup with meat in it, I’d be in a good mood all day.

But now, there was meat to spare.

No one would take it away even if I ate.

And on top of that, I’d paid for all of it with my own money.

“I… might die without any regrets at this point.”

[The possibility of death from overeating is low.]

“This bastard always kills the mood at the best moments.”

I picked up the lamb again.

That was when it happened.

“So I came out because of my family’s insistence, alright? I don’t want to be tied to you at all!”

A familiar voice came from somewhere.

With a fork in my mouth, I turned my head.

A few tables away.

Past a large plant, I spotted familiar silver hair.

“…Boss?”

It was Celia.

Instead of her usual robe, she wore a rather flashy dress, and across from her sat a man I’d never seen before.

The man, with neatly combed blond hair, tilted his wine glass and smiled leisurely.

“Hahaha. Even your stubbornness is beautiful, Lady Celia.”

Looks like she’s on a blind date.

I grabbed a cookie and casually tilted my body to the side.

The plant happened to block the view just enough.

This is entertaining.
I’ll have to tell Iris about this later.

“First of all, I have no interest in arranged marriages. Having this kind of meeting during the busiest time for the Magic Academy—I can only resent my family.”

“Is that so?”

The man calmly set down his glass.

“I hear the White Magic Academy’s Training Grounds was half-destroyed by a mysterious accident? Repairs like that must require a massive budget.”

Ah, that’s about me.

I might feel a little bad.

Celia’s expression hardened immediately.

“…Where did that information leak from?”

“I happened to see it while passing by. The entire building had essentially disappeared.”

“Ah.“

The man smiled.

“For someone about to earn the title of Archmage, surpassing even a Great Mage, that amount should be trivial.”

“I said no…!”

Celia cut him off immediately.

“Besides, I have a boyfriend!”

“Haha. No need to lie. The woman who rejected every suitor for 30 years and earned the title of White Saintess has a lover?”

The boss is 30?

She’s younger than I thought.

More importantly…

‘This is hilarious.’

It felt like watching a morning drama I’d never paid attention to before.

If the boss really threw her glass of water in that guy’s face, that would complete the story.

I chewed on another cookie.

Crunch. Crunch.

“I-it’s true!”

“Haha. Then I’ll believe you.”

He clearly didn’t look convinced.

“However, if you keep rejecting me, my family might have to cut off the annual funding we send to the White Magic Academy.”

Celia’s mouth closed.

“I’d prefer that not to happen either.”

“Ugh…“

That’s a bit dirty.

I picked up another cookie from the plate.

Celia turned her head, her mouth shut tight.

And our eyes met exactly.

“…?”

I stared at her, cookie still in my mouth.

Why are her eyes so wide?

“Honey! You’re here earlier than I thought?!”

Oh. So she really did have a boyfriend.

I quickly looked around.

But something was strange.

There was no one to the left, and no one to the right who was looking at Celia either.

“Why are you avoiding my gaze…?”

Celia forced a smile and gestured.

“Come over here~”

“…”

I looked at Celia again.

Her gaze was fixed squarely on me.

“…?”

What. Me?