Chapter 19 – Put to the Test (5)

At the boy’s innocent voice asking about my major, I swallowed hard and looked up at the bookshelf packed with books.

‘Am I… is it really just me who feels this way?’

Was this a talent I possessed, or was it because the magic engineering books and setting manuals released by ‘Snowstorm’, the developer of , were grand enough to encompass all of these fields?

I was truly getting goosebumps from this ridiculous capacity to absorb and understand everything, regardless of the field or major.

In an era where magic engineering was the salvation of this world, this was a form of power. Perhaps enough to shatter the unstoppable trend of the era that solidified the title of the First Embers.

Was that why…

“I haven’t decided on a main major yet. I was just trying to see how different each field is.”

I lied. Although I understood all of them regardless of the field, I could not say so. Not only would he not believe it, but it would also decrease my credibility instead.

To put my situation simply, it was equivalent to double-majoring in every single department that existed in a university.

The point to be careful about was.

‘I must not tell anyone before the time is right.’

Before my strength was established, I must never leak this fact to the outside. If someone in power learned the truth, I would certainly be exploited, killed, or forcibly recruited by a powerful embers like the Immortal Embers.

One might say it would be wiser to reveal my talent early and throw myself into the Immortal Embers, but that was both right and wrong.

If this society was ultimately structured to work for someone, then I had to become that ‘someone.’

Since I had been possessed into , where one survived the ice age by becoming a leader… that meant I must rise above everyone, so I had to align with the purpose of the one who possessed me.

Because that would be the only way for me to return home.

The boy asked with a puzzled expression.

“You’re at the upper-intermediate level, but you don’t have a main major?”

“Yeah.”

“…True. Since geniuses like us learn quickly, we often reach a high level without choosing a main major. I only chose mine recently. When I think of it that way, it’s not incomprehensible.”

Fortunately, perhaps because he considered me a fellow genius, the boy was easily convinced. Since the boy had also likely experienced a process of rapid advancement in realm, he seemed to empathize without difficulty.

“Well, shall we read some books then? The trash brought me quite a few books, but it’s my first time seeing books from such diverse schools of thought.”

Having confirmed that his younger sister Williana was sound asleep, the boy quickly picked up a book. Engrossed in the book with eyes burning with academic passion, he only then began to look like a young boy.

Still, a child was a child.

‘By the way, if he means trash… is it indeed the guy who exploited him?’

Since he would become my close aide in the future, curiosity surged, but it was not the time to ask, so I let it go.

“Oho…!”

It was because the boy was reading the book so enjoyably that he was even making sounds.

In fact, unlike me, there was a mountain of reading materials for the intermediate level suited to the boy’s realm because there were many research papers. Moreover, looking at the authors’ biographies, many had written their papers near the end of their lives…

‘Regardless of the realm, there are many things to learn.’

Their papers were not only filled with insight as magic engineers but also infused with the life wisdom that only old age could possess, making the content both interesting and substantial.

‘Then I should also…’

I also picked up the eleven volumes of the public upper-intermediate books where my understanding had cut off. Although they were less interesting than the papers, that was only relatively speaking; to me, the study of magic engineering itself was no different from entertainment. Only the size of the stimulation differed.

While sitting side-by-side with the boy, slowly reading the books and inputting new information and knowledge into my head,

“Excuse me…”

“Hmm?”

“Do you happen to know what this means? The explanation is too vague, so it feels like I’m losing my way even more.”

The boy spoke to me shyly with a half-believing face. It might be a matter of trust regarding whether I was truly upper-intermediate, but it seemed he also found the act of ‘asking’ someone for help awkward after living as a genius all this time.

However, his naivety might be an act, and his real purpose might be to test me.

“Give it here.”

I took the book from the boy. The book he was reading was an intermediate military magic engineering book, and the passage he was struggling with was the explanation on the ‘principles of expansion and contraction of magic guns.’

The original text read, ‘The expansion and contraction magic must deform the core itself,’ while the commentary read, ‘The expansion and contraction magic must prioritize the reconstruction of the magic substrate.’

As I understood it, this commentary was based solely on the natural laws of physics that constructed the world, rather than magic engineering.

“It’s a specialized field, so it’s only natural you wouldn’t know. I just asked on the off chance you might, so if you don’t know, you can just say so!”

As I was pondering how to explain it simply, the boy spoke while waving his hand. Seeing how each of his words was brimming with consideration despite his usual prickly demeanor,

‘How pitiable.’

It seemed this harsh era had caused thorns to grow on the boy’s exterior.

Lowering the book to the boy’s eye level, I began to explain with an expressionless face.

“The original text is misleading. Since the core is the key mediating element of operation and the essence of magic engineering, it’s not entirely wrong… but expansion and contraction magic doesn’t deform the core alone. It means that because the size and mass of everything constituting the matter change together, the reconstruction of the magic substrate must take priority over the core.”

Simply put, that was it. As expected of a public book, the explanation was extremely flat, based only on definitions and essence rather than being practical.

On the other hand, the commentary explained it more easily, but…

‘Is the fact that this feels easy also because it’s me?’

It was not arrogance. In the conversation with the boy about majors earlier, I had realized that the versatility of my talent… no, the knowledge I obtained from the setting book of transcended all fields.

“So… while the dictionary definition of a core is an immaterial and formless entity made of mana, meaning it has no great restrictions on expansion and contraction, everything else besides the core is physical matter, meaning you must reconstruct the magic substrate and mana circuits to defy the laws of physics in order to properly interfere?”

Perhaps due to the clear explanation, or because I finally looked upper-intermediate to him… the boy stared at me with an expression that could not hide his astonishment.

However.

‘How on earth is his comprehension level like this, when he is only fifteen and studied on his own…?’

I was only more amazed by the boy’s insight, which pierced the core at once with just this condensed and further condensed explanation. A genius was not a genius for nothing.

By the way, there had been something bothering me since we entered the bookstore.

“But why have you been speaking informally to me since earlier?”

Let alone when we first met, I was much older, so why was he using informal language? Even if it was something minor, it was polite to treat someone as a teacher if you received instruction, yet his speech was still short.

I snapped at him to establish the hierarchy in advance, but the boy scoffed.

“Do you want to be treated like that by a kid like me? You boasted about becoming a leader, but aren’t you way too petty for someone like that?”

“……”

Calling me petty, I took a heavy hit. How are both children and adults in this world so strong-willed and eloquent?

Although I felt like I had unfortunately only met people like that, I could understand to some extent since it was a world where one could not survive without being strong, at least on the outside.

“Fine. Once the examination results come out anyway, that cheeky way of speaking will naturally be corrected.”

“Cheeky? Me?”

“If that’s not cheeky, what on earth is it?”

“……?”

The boy widened his eyes as if he genuinely did not understand, not as a joke. When I, fed up with his shamelessness, frowned deeply, the boy spoke in an extremely obnoxious voice.

“Isn’t cheeky a word used for those who bluff without any skills? I think the expression cheeky doesn’t suit me because I have overflowing skills. Call me arrogant instead.”

“……”

Was he seriously a madman? To think his way of thinking was so twisted. It seemed I had brought someone even crazier than I thought onto my side.

But there was no counterargument I could make. Even if one searched the entire continent, this kid was the only one with this kind of talent, so if he was not arrogant, who on earth could be?

I had no choice but to make an admission that was not quite an admission.

“Fine, you are indeed arrogant.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

The boy nodded as if it were natural. On one hand, I could understand why the boy’s pride was so high. Although I did not know what happened in the past, reflecting on our earlier conversation, the boy had been exploited for his talent somewhere, and only now had he stepped out into the world to gauge the scale of his ability.

This was exactly the time when he would be drunk on his own talent.

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

“Yes, it was.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

In that way, I sat side-by-side with the boy until dawn, staying up all night discussing high-level magic engineering suitable for the intermediate and upper-intermediate levels.

* * *

Early morning on the day of the beginner magic engineer qualification examination. During the hours when the cold raged fiercely, there was an off-roader making its way through the blizzard.

“Clear the way! The great lineage is arriving!”

At the roaring shout, like welcoming a returning victorious general, dozens of guards rushed out of the building like a swarm of bees.

Heimdall Arcadius, who had returned to the First Embers just in the nick of time for the examination day, true to his easygoing personality. The appearance of the off-roader carrying the noble blood of the Immortal Embers was the cause.

Unlike other off-roaders, the hood, decorated with a golden emblem of the sacred flame, revealed the status of his existence.

“You have worked hard.”

“Thank you! We will guide you to the private elevator.”

Amid the immense attention of the crowd, Heimdall’s off-roader slid into the elevator. It was an elevator that only those bearing the name of Arcadius could use.

“You went through a lot of trouble, Lord Heimdall. Thanks to you, we were able to travel comfortably without any worries.”

The brothers Thomas and Willers Wayne, who were riding in the back seat, let out sighs of relief and bowed their heads. Although Heimdall’s status made it inevitably uncomfortable even after spending several days together in this small off-roader, their anxiety about failing to arrive in time for the examination date had been far greater.

Since they did not dare to urge Heimdall by asking why he was so slow, they had been on pins and needles for days. Furthermore, for some unknown reason, Heimdall ignored them… no, was indifferent to them.

‘It was truly a hellish few days.’

When they learned that the person who came to escort them was from the Arcadius family, they had been filled with expectation that they might secure a powerful backing. However, the journey that lasted for several days was only uncomfortable, as if they were sitting on a bed of thorns.

‘It’s finally a farewell…!’

Now that they were wishing so much to be liberated, they were simply overjoyed.

“Right, right. Traveling with you was also very comfortable for me. I didn’t know you would do nothing but sleep like this.”

“…….”

However, it was hard to understand. No matter how much talent overflowed in the First Embers, the Wayne brothers were worthy of being treated as elites wherever they went. It was a mystery what reason Heimdall had for such a dry reaction.

“Carlyle, that guy Charles must have arrived safely, right?”

“Since we saw nothing on the way, wouldn’t he be in the city by now?”

“Unless the detector is broken, he should be. I look forward to seeing which rank his name will occupy on the score list.”

Yes, it was probably that guy. The person named Charles whom Heimdall kept mentioning. Who on earth was he?

However, whatever his identity was, Heimdall was absorbed in that person. He had the expression of a child who had found a fun toy. Their indifference was also probably due to the person named Charles.

“Did you say you were the Tomato and Will Smith brothers?”

“…Yes.”

“I wish you the best of luck. Since others will be assigned as lead riders for the return, this is our final greeting.”

Although the names were very wrong, the Wayne brothers laughed it off awkwardly. What with Heimdall’s unpredictable personality, and because they would have no further business as he said.

“So, did Aileen really die?”

“I don’t know. If he went outside the snowy fields, he must have died.”

Having descended from the elevator and relaxed, the Wayne brothers casually muttered about ‘the disappearance of the Magic Engineering Department Head’s legitimate child,’ which was by far the hottest topic in their embers, and

“Thomas, you know Charles? Tell me everything you know about Charles.”

That moment was precisely the first time Heimdall showed interest in them.