Ch.9Books and Staff

“To put it simply… Codex Mages use the traditional method of preparing completed spells in their grimoires and then summoning them, while Staff Wizards break down the elements of magic into smaller components and combine them as needed using their magic staves.”

Jessica took out the grimoire attached to her waist, opened a page, and showed it to me. Unlike the Frontier License card or the documents I had filled out for identity registration, the complex patterns and letters written in the grimoire were completely incomprehensible and indecipherable to me.

“A single spell is composed of a combination of several magical elements. For example, let’s assume this spell uses two elements: ‘stone’ and ‘propel.’ In reality, it’s constructed a bit more complexly.”

“Stone Bullet?”

“That’s right. But if you encounter a monster that’s immune to earth-element damage, this spell would be useless, right? A Staff Wizard could simply respond by changing the ‘stone’ part to ‘fire’ or ‘ice’.”

“So a Codex Mage would need to prepare separate fire or ice-propelling spells in their grimoire in advance to deal with such situations.”

“Theoretically yes, but there are various constraints that make it practically difficult to prepare multiple similar spells. That’s why Staff Wizards, who excel at improvisation, are more highly regarded than Codex Mages who have no way to cope when situations go beyond what they’ve predicted.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what Jessica meant by “various constraints,” but the point of her explanation was that the Staff Wizard method has advantages in terms of adaptability, and it’s realistically difficult for Codex Mages to match that adaptability even if they tried. And given the nature of the adventurer profession, where you never know what you might encounter, Staff Wizards who excel at improvisation are more highly valued.

“I understand the gist of it… but I don’t think you need to disparage yourself as a useless mage because of that.”

“But…”

“Sure, the Staff Wizard method, which allows for freely modifying spells, might be welcomed for its improvisation capabilities. But even if you can respond to various situations, it’s all for nothing if the mage themselves can’t accurately judge how to overcome the current situation.”

Being able to freely combine magical elements according to need only has meaning if you have the judgment to select the appropriate option from numerous choices based on the situation. It doesn’t matter how many cards you have in hand if you can only make a one pair when it counts, and if you’re hesitating over a spread of cards and unable to do anything in an urgent situation, it’s better to have just one card.

“When the black panther we fought this morning was charging at us while dodging bullets and Stone Bullets, what broke its momentum wasn’t Jessica’s ability to switch the spell’s attribute to Fire Bullet or Ice Bullet. It was because you used a spell to trigger the animal’s instinctive wariness of fire, allowing us to stop its charge and seize the perfect opportunity. If you miss such fundamental judgments, having many options in hand means nothing. Just like that guy Hector.”

Hector, who had picked a fight with Jessica in Mothertown, tried to harm me with magic after being offended by my sarcasm. But despite being close enough for me to put a gun barrel to his chin, he was late in preparing his spell because he was busy hurling insults. When he had already made such a fundamental misjudgment, what difference would it make if Hector knew dozens or hundreds of spell combinations?

“In my homeland, there’s a saying: ‘The grass is always greener on the other side.’ It means being so fixated on overvaluing what others have that you fail to properly appreciate what you possess.”

“Still… it’s the Staff Wizards who are actually welcomed among adventurers…”

“Then in Jessica’s view, is the Codex Mage method completely inferior to the Staff Wizard method, with no advantages whatsoever?”

“Of course not! The Codex school has plenty of advantages!”

“Such as?”

“Above all, the stability of spell casting. Unlike Staff Wizards who might fail if their concentration wavers or they mix up the formulas they’re combining on the spot, Codex Mages summon already perfectly constructed spells, so they don’t fail due to caster error. Even if you have to cancel a spell, the mana channeled into the grimoire returns to the caster, reducing the risk of mana depletion. When casting advanced spells with complex and diverse formulas, Staff Wizards need expensive staves made with premium materials to maintain the Penbroil Singularity—the ‘space for freely combining formulas’—for longer periods… of… time…”

Where had her dejected demeanor gone? As soon as I threw out the bait of “Codex Mage advantages,” Jessica launched into a passionate speech like a fish taking to water. She looked so much like a salesperson promoting a new product to a VIP customer that I must have been grinning without realizing it. Jessica, who had been enthusiastically explaining, gradually trailed off when she noticed my expression, and her face began to turn red.

“Well, that was an excellent explanation that even someone as magically ignorant as me could clearly understand the advantages of Codex Mages.”

“Aww… d-don’t tease me…”

“I’m not teasing. Both schools have their strengths and weaknesses, but Jessica chose the path of becoming a Codex Mage. So the advantages of Codex Mages that you just explained to me are your advantages.”

“My advantages…”

“Jessica Walter, our party’s mage, will never fail to activate the perfect spell to overcome any situation, as long as we buy her time to use magic, even in the worst circumstances. Isn’t that a cool story?”

The Staff Wizard’s role is adaptability to respond to various situations, while the Codex Mage’s role is reliability in preparing spells methodically and activating them without fail at the right time and place. Even I, who just heard a simple explanation about the two schools of magic, can understand this. Did Jessica really not have a single companion who would tell her such an obvious and simple fact?

“…Will… why can you affirm me so positively?”

“Of course I affirm you. Even though it’s only been a day or two, you’ve shown yourself to be sufficiently competent as a mage, as a senior, and as a teammate, and personally trustworthy too. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“As I mentioned briefly yesterday, I come from a land without magic. Filling a water bottle with endless ice water? Starting a fire without any tools? Healing wounds from carnivorous beasts without leaving a single scar? In my homeland, people who could do such things were called ‘gods.’ Instead of worshipping Jessica as a goddess, I’m complaining that she doesn’t have enough spell varieties… what does that make me, who can only shoot a gun and can’t even use magic?”

It seems that during her two years as an adventurer, Jessica had lost confidence in her choices due to the prejudiced looks and low evaluations she received from others, and her heart had become full of feelings of inferiority and regret toward Staff Wizards. Even when she tried to prove that her chosen path wasn’t wrong by leveraging the advantages of Codex Mages to reassure herself, she was caught in a vicious cycle where she was rarely given the opportunity to do so.

If that’s the case, what Jessica needs now is the experience of success. The experience of being able to achieve sufficient results as a mage through her chosen Codex Mage method, the experience of meeting companions who recognize her strengths, and furthermore, the experience of overcoming many difficulties with those companions and finding the legacy of the Great Sage she dreams of.

I may not be able to give her that experience right away, but if I can at least stand with her at the starting line, wouldn’t that repay some of my debt to Jessica, who is my lifesaver, my senior adventurer, and a trustworthy companion?

“…Talking with you makes me feel foolish for having agonized over being a Codex Mage versus a Staff Wizard for two years.”

“That’s good. If you fall into self-deprecation again, I’ll tease you by calling you a silly goddess, okay?”

“What’s that? It’s doubly embarrassing, so stop it.”

“That’s up to you, Jessica. I think my food has digested, so I’m heading to bed… how do we wake up on time in the morning?”

“When the sun rises, the barrier spell’s effect will end, triggering the awakening effect I mentioned earlier.”

“OK, then good night and see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Good night, Will.”

Even after I put down my water bottle and went into the tent, Jessica seemed to remain sitting by the campfire, lost in thought for a while. But perhaps due to the release of tension from the first day of adventure and the fatigue accumulated from over six hours of walking, I fell into a deep sleep less than five minutes after lying down.