Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

EP.12 The Sword That Disperses Moonlight

After placing Kito inside the orb and returning to reality, Leon immediately erased the traces of the bird’s presence. Although it was impossible to erase all evidence, Leon left the imperfectly erased marks as they were. This way, when mages came to investigate, they would realize that someone had tried to cover up their research.

Leon also deliberately left the old man’s poison vial behind. He knew it might seem blatant, but the poison was clear evidence of the old man’s research, which would help the mages understand the situation.

Leon didn’t stop as he exited the old man’s study. He headed straight to the second floor of the magic library. He had always been curious about the restricted grimoires and why even the librarian was barred from accessing them.

The door blocking the entrance to the second floor opened easily when Leon inserted the old man’s token. The revealed space was more modest than he had expected. Compared to the densely packed shelves on the first floor, this area had less than a third of the books.

Leon began to examine the books one by one, which were stored without any special restrictions. He had hoped to find grimoires on dark magic. It wasn’t that he wanted to learn dark magic; he was simply curious about it. Dark magic was so secretive that it was difficult to obtain information about it.

‘I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with the grimoire the old man had.’

There were no grimoires on high-level dark magic. Even if there were, they were so crude that it would be embarrassing to call them dark magic grimoires. As Leon skimmed through the books, his expectations dwindled. Most were clearly designated as restricted grimoires for obvious reasons upon a brief inspection.

It wasn’t the kind of restriction Leon had hoped for.

‘They’re just too lousy.’

The majority of the spells were either absurd, causing backlash to the caster, or trivial like the ‘Erogenous Zone Stimulation Magic.’

‘Well, this is an old magic library after all.’

By the time he was halfway through, Leon’s pace of flipping through the grimoires had quickened. Almost at the end of his search, his hand hesitated as he was about to quickly skim through another book.

‘El Cid Style, The Sword That Disperses Moonlight.’

It was a sword magic, not something else. In this place, where elemental magic was considered orthodox, magic involving bladed weapons was often looked down upon. Indeed, compared to elemental magic, it was true that it was difficult to exert great power with weapon-based magic.

Leon initially thought it was just another one of those lesser magics, but as he read the spells and their principles, he became intrigued. The reason it was designated as a forbidden grimoire became apparent. First, the grimoire was incomplete. The spells were sporadically connected like a cipher, and it was clear that channeling mana during calculation could twist the caster’s mana due to backlash. It seemed as if half of the content was deliberately hidden.

Moreover, this magic required tremendous talent from the mage. It was explicitly written in the book. It warned not to attempt it unless one was of the highest talent. To the mages who underestimated weapon-based magic, such a statement might seem arrogant.

Yet, Leon looked closely because, despite the risks, the magic seemed extraordinary.

‘I can’t use it right away, but… could this be considered high-level magic?’

Leon immediately copied the grimoire and stored it in his subspace.

*****

The next day.

In the dim cavern, Hamel, a mage affiliated with the Widia Investigation Bureau, stood with his assistant.

They had discovered the secret space while investigating Forn’s disappearance after receiving a report. Hamel picked up the green vial on the desk.

“Poison.”

“Did he think this hidden space wouldn’t be found?”

“He must have known.”

Hamel put the vial down and scanned the floor of the cavern. There were marks indicating something had occupied the space for a long time.

“Do you remember where the trail ended in the herb forest?”

“Yes, there were faint traces of a battle, weren’t there?”

His assistant, Mark, took out a half-burnt leaf he had sealed and kept in his pocket.

“It was strange that there were no mana traces despite the signs of a battle. Now it makes sense. Forn, that old man, is a dark mage, isn’t he?”

“Discovering this secret research space makes it almost certain.”

However, Hamel still felt uneasy and tapped his temple.

“Is something bothering you?”

“Hmm… The last traces on the mountain were so ambiguous that it was impossible to determine the truth, yet here in this secret space, the traces are clear? Doesn’t it seem like someone is guiding our thoughts?”

Mark tilted his head in confusion.

“Did Forn do it on purpose to make us think that way?”

“That’s the troubling part.”

“We should hand this case over to Pedro’s team. We’re only responsible for the outskirts.”

After a moment of contemplation, Hamel finally nodded.

“Who was the initial informant?”

“A man named Leon, who worked with the old man at the old magic library. He’s a civilian.”

“Was there anything unusual about him?”

“He’s a child who recently came from the Witerion Orphanage. What could a newcomer know? We only have testimony that Forn was always holed up in his study. It seems he was conducting research in the hidden space during working hours.”

“A child from the Witerion Orphanage…”

Hamel sighed, feeling as though even the last possibility had vanished.

“Forn, the dark mage, conducted secret research and then escaped… Let’s conclude with that and hand it over.”

“Understood. Things are going to get noisy now. There’s been a lot of talk about hunting down dark mages. I hope it doesn’t blow back on us…”

Hamel’s gaze turned to Mark. Realizing his slip, Mark quickly mumbled his words.

“Haha, we’ll just have to work hard. Yes…”

Mark scratched his head awkwardly.

*****

A noticeably tall spire compared to other buildings. At the top floor of the central magic tower in the magic city of Widia, several mages had gathered. Arpina, sitting next to the head seat at the long table, pouted as she watched a man fly in through the window.

“Do you crave attention that much…?”

“I had urgent matters to attend to. It couldn’t be helped. You’re still the same, I see.”

“Yes, yes… Some of us are struggling with research while others are busy reaching the heights of insight.”

The man who entered through the window sat across from Arpina and removed his hat. His bald head was revealed, but no one in the room commented on it.

“So, did you achieve anything?”

At Arpina’s question, the bald man shook his head.

“I’ll be honest. I realized this time that even if I stare at the wall for another ten years, it will still be difficult.”

Arpina looked puzzled at his words.

“Did you have an epiphany?”

“You could say that.”

“Giving up so quickly after claiming you’d follow the Tower Master’s footsteps?”

“It was a youthful folly…”

The man stroked his white beard, and Arpina shook her head. Did he really think such old man jokes were funny?

“More importantly, it seems I’m the last to arrive. Shall we begin?”

“The Tower Master…”

“You know he’s been in seclusion, contemplating the path of the sage, for a long time.”

The bald man had also entered seclusion to follow the Tower Master’s path, but he gave up much sooner. After all, reaching the level of a great sage required reaching the latter stages of insight. No one could predict when the Tower Master’s training, which began at the initial stages of insight, would end.

“Then let’s begin…”

Just as the long-haired woman standing near the head seat adjusted her monocle and was about to speak, a crackling sound like electricity filled the air, followed by a flash of light. A figure appeared at the head seat. All the mages present stood up abruptly.

“Tower Master!”

“Could it be… Have you made progress?!”

The old man with long white hair waved his hand.

“I’ve come out for an inspection after a long time, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Ah…”

The mages let out disappointed sighs. The old man smiled bitterly at their reaction.

“So, what is the reason for this gathering?”

The woman with the monocle began to speak.

“We have gathered to discuss a response to the increasingly blatant activities of dark mages.”

At this, the old man chuckled.

“It seems it’s time to suppress them again. Perfect timing, I was feeling a bit stiff.”

The mages, who had gathered for the meeting after a long time, instinctively knew that this meeting would end quickly.

*****

Three days had passed since the mages from the Investigation Bureau had come and gone. As usual, Leon reported to the magic library and encountered a new individual.

“Are you Leon?”

A gaunt man with a fierce expression stood before him. Having worked alone for the past three days, Leon quickly realized that this man was the new head librarian.

Leon promptly bowed his head.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Alderic, the new head librarian replacing Forn. I was just getting a grasp on the duties here.”

He was the type to speak only when necessary. Unlike Forn, who showed no interest in Leon, Alderic’s style wasn’t uncomfortable to work with.

“Is that so? Then…”

“You’re fired.”

“What?”

Leon reflexively questioned the abrupt statement.

“I don’t see any need for a librarian here.”

“Well, that may be true, but…”

“Good, you understand. Find another job.”

Alderic smirked as he watched Leon’s eyes dart around in confusion.

“Are you uncomfortable with suddenly having to do something else? Don’t worry about that. I’ve arranged for you to be given the utmost convenience. You can choose whatever job you want.”

Alderic wasn’t trying to be malicious, he genuinely didn’t need a librarian, so he was letting Leon go. Leon understood this better than anyone, so he couldn’t say a word and was promptly dismissed from the old magic library.

“Should I be happy about this or not?”

Leon trudged towards the job assignment office. The person he met there was an elderly civilian man.

“I’m from the old magic library.”

“You must be the one Alderic mentioned.”

Without any further ado, the man unrolled a scroll and showed it to Leon.

“Is there a job you want? If not, I’ll choose one for you.”

“Just a moment.”

Leon meticulously examined the list of jobs.

‘Sewer cleaning, waste disposal, apprentice mage attendant… all pass.’

These jobs would make it difficult to secure training time, and being an attendant to a mage could expose his level of skill. As his eyes reached the end of the scroll, Leon’s gaze halted.

[Herb Mountain Management.]

‘This is it.’

His eyes lit up the moment he saw it. He had been struggling to find a way to procure herbs despite having the recipes for F-grade and E-grade elixirs.

Leon immediately pointed to one side of the scroll.

“Herb management? Hmm…”

The job assignment officer seemed displeased and sighed. He glanced at Leon.

“Do you have any knowledge of herbology? Even if I’m giving you convenience, it’s difficult to assign you a job without any knowledge.”

“Yes, I do. Since I was young, I learned about herbs by foraging in the nearby mountains with the director of the orphanage. Forn also knew this and had me gather herbs for him several times.”

Leon made sure to mention everything that might help him secure the job.

“I might not know much about elixirs, but I learned from Forn about the herbs needed for F-grade elixirs.”

Leon attributed anything difficult to verify to Forn. After all, how could anyone question a man buried inside an orb?

‘That old man is useful in times like this.’

“I don’t expect you to know about elixirs. Hmm… now that I hear it, that sounds reasonable. You’re not lying, are you?”

“What would a resident like me gain from lying? If I get caught, I might lose my life.”

The man nodded. Being a civilian himself, he understood the sentiment well.

“I’ll inform the herb mountain manager. If he doesn’t find you suitable, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Thank you.”

Leon received instructions to return the next day and left the building. Back at home, he began to plan how to cultivate his herb garden in earnest.