Chapter 18: Career

Putting aside the strange conversation, Leo told Elizabeth about the Blessing of the Pentagram.

In fact, you possess the Blessing of the Pentagram that the founding ancestor had.

Like a needle in a sack, it can’t be hidden no matter how much you try.

Above all, Elizabeth herself must know well that her talent is far from ordinary.

“The Blessing of the Pentagram…”

After hearing the story, Elizabeth nodded as if she understood.

She didn’t look very surprised.

Her expression simply said, “Oh, I see.”

“So that’s why you told me not to learn magic. I can’t believe it. That I have the same talent as the founding ancestor of Hessen. I’m from a completely different country, right? I’m not even royalty.”

“Ah, maybe not a completely different country. Then… wait. Dad.”

“…Huh?”

“If we trace back Mom’s ancestors, could there be someone from the imperial family? You said Mom was from the Empire.”

That was the setting, indeed.

To Elizabeth’s innocent delusion, Leo had no words.

Still, he couldn’t just stay silent.

“Hmph, there’s no guarantee that talent is inherited through blood, right? It could just be innate.”

Elizabeth looked Leo in the eyes and said,

“I want to learn magic from you, Dad.”

“From me?”

“You’re a magician, and I have the talent. If it were just average talent, I’d let it go, but I don’t want to waste this kind of gift.”

Elizabeth gently stirred the air with her fingers.

No matter how many times he saw it, it was a skill hard to believe.

To use magic with mana from such dull air…

I can do it too, but I’m a 6th-circle mage, while Elizabeth is just a regular person with no circle.

The fact she can do it is insane.

Really, it would be a waste if she didn’t learn magic with that talent.

“I’m not good at teaching.”

“What circle are you?”

“6th circle.”

“…Isn’t that a high-level magician?”

“I got there through real combat, so I’m weak in theory.”

“We can study together using textbooks. Anyway, please teach me magic. Okay? Please?”

Elizabeth clung to my neck and acted cute.

At this point, there’s no way I can say no.

But…

…’Will it really be okay?’

I thought of the “Memory Alteration Spell” I cast five years ago.

It’s a type of curse—if the gap between the caster and the target is too big, the target doesn’t even notice.

But as that gap narrows, it naturally becomes noticeable—that’s how curse magic works.

In other words, if Elizabeth reaches the 6th circle, she might become aware of and undo the spell I cast.

‘It should be fine.’

But I wasn’t too worried.

The foundation of the memory alteration spell isn’t magic.

It’s the power of the Demon of Memory—fundamentally different from magic itself.

Like water and oil.

Chevalier, the one who taught me the memory alteration spell, said, this spell is essentially no different from the authority of a demon.

So, even if Elizabeth becomes a 6th-circle or even a 7th-circle mage, it would be impossible for her to recognize the memory alteration I cast.

Because it’s not magic.

‘Unless the real Demon of Memory appears and tells her.’

That would never happen.

“Alright. Let’s start learning.”

“Then this originally belonged to you, right? Saying someone gave it to you was a lie.”

“I used it, but someone did give it to me.”

“But it was still yours. I’ll treasure it. By the way…”

Elizabeth hugged the wand and ring tightly and looked at me.

“There’s nothing else you’re hiding, right?”

…What?

Elizabeth asked clearly, with a pure expression.

“Dad, it turns out you were an incredibly skilled mercenary in swordsmanship, almost as strong as a Sword Master. Fine, that’s possible. But on top of that, you’re also a 6th-circle high-level mage who studied at the Royal Academy. Honestly, I don’t even know what more there could be, but I’ll ask anyway.”

“There’s nothing else, right?”

“…Huh?”

“You’re not hiding anything from me.”

Elizabeth stared at me with clear eyes.

As if she were looking right through me, she silently gazed.

I fiddled with my wrist, trying to keep a straight face.

With a smirk, I jokingly said, “Why? Do you wish I wasn’t your real dad?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

At this point, she should have let it go.

But Elizabeth asked with an innocent face.

I kept my smiling face and looked out the window.

“There’s really nothing else now. What more could there be?”

“Then why are you avoiding eye contact?”

Elizabeth got up slightly from the sofa and used one hand to turn my face toward hers.

Her blue eyes stared straight into mine.

“You should look into a person’s eyes when you talk.”

I was always confident I’d never lose my composure to anyone.

I’ve dealt with filthy scoundrels as a mercenary, hunted demons and beasts.

I’ve faced emperors and many powerful beings.

I’ve never flinched or backed down from anyone.

…I thought that would always be the case.

Gulp.

My Adam’s apple moved.

The sound of me swallowing was painfully loud.

Elizabeth’s gaze dropped to my throat, then came back to my eyes.

She simply stared at me.

I was sure of it.

Unless I said something, this uncomfortable silence wouldn’t end.

“I told you. I’m really not hiding anything now.”

I gently brushed away her hand from my face as I spoke softly.

She smiled just as deeply and sat back on the sofa.

Striking while the iron was hot, Leo went straight into teaching magic.

“First, if you want to use real magic, you have to establish your own Logos.”

“Logos… It means ‘reason’ in the ancient language, right?”

“Reason, or truth. The more vast your inner Logos becomes, the greater and more numerous your spells will be—exponentially.”

“That won’t be easy.”

“It’s hard. Maybe one in a hundred can even achieve it.”

Magic is the hardest discipline in the world.

Because it requires the realization of both mathematics and philosophy, most people drop out before they even reach the 1st circle.

It usually takes about half a year just to reach the 1st circle.

Normally, it takes about two years to reach each circle.

That means six years to reach the 3rd Circle and ten years for the 5th.

That’s assuming you’re a genius.

For an average person, even a lifetime of study wouldn’t be enough to reach the 5th Circle.

Logos is a different concept from Circles.

It’s more like a mage’s personal world.

Only mages who have reached a high level of subjectivity, conviction, and self-awareness can establish their own Logos.

“Do you have one, Dad?”

“I do.”

I possess a Logos.

My teacher, Chevalier, said that I had a firm Logos even from the first time we met.

Thanks to that, I became a high-ranking mage in just seven years.

“Do you think I could have a Logos?”

Elizabeth asked worriedly.

“Don’t be so down. You will. Anyway, should we get started? Open your textbook.”

Leo wasn’t particularly skilled at teaching.

He hadn’t studied the proper way—Chevalier had taught him in a makeshift, unconventional way, so he lacked a solid theoretical foundation.

It was like learning trigonometry right after multiplication in math.

Thankfully, Leo was a genius in practical combat.

If he hadn’t been, he would’ve given up long ago.

That’s why Leo was worried.

Could he really teach Elizabeth properly?

But that worry was unfounded.

Just as Leo was a genius, Elizabeth was one too.

No—she was a monster, someone who surpassed Leo and every other so-called genius in the world.

Even when Leo explained things terribly, Elizabeth understood perfectly.

‘Maybe it’s only natural.’

Considering who her ancestor was, it wasn’t so strange.

The Founder had created the 1st Circle in just a week.

At this rate, she might form her own Circle in two weeks.

“Dad! I created a Circle!”

Elizabeth formed her 1st Circle just one day later.

Mana surged in her hands.

It was pure mana.

The wind forming in her hand became more refined and powerful.

Leo was dumbfounded.

One day?

At first, he thought she was lying.

Even the Founder had taken a whole week to form the 1st Circle.

He couldn’t believe it, so he checked with mana.

There was a ring around Elizabeth’s heart.

It was small and unimpressive, but it shone like a star.

That night, the day Elizabeth created her 1st Circle— She had a dream.

But it was unlike any ordinary dream.

She was in the middle of a vast universe.

A starlight was holding her aloft.

She sat on a star and tried to count the others, but there were far too many.

She looked around at the universe.

It was infinite.

One would expect to feel crushed by the overwhelming scale, but Elizabeth felt as comfortable as if she were at home.

That’s when she noticed someone.

A man sitting on a star just like her, counting the stars.

He had radiant platinum hair and stunning eyes that were almost blue-white.

Most striking of all—actual stars twinkled within his pupils.

Though he appeared to be around twenty, he had the serene aura of someone who had lived for centuries.

He was dressed in a luxurious purple robe like that of an ancient priest, and a gold ring with a ruby sparkled on his right index finger.

It was Elizabeth’s first time seeing him, yet he felt strangely familiar.

She tried to speak to him— But when he looked at her with a meaningful expression, the dream ended.

It was a strange dream.

***

“What? You’re not going to the School of Magic?”

“Elizabeth, you used to love learning magic.”

The second semester of the second year was an important turning point for Lenz students.

It was when they began shaping their future paths. It was time to choose a major.

It was a hot topic lately.

Students constantly discussed which major they’d choose.

Most students, naturally, wanted to enter the School of Magic.

Magic classes were so valuable, you couldn’t put a price on them.

The government banned private tutoring in magic, so students could only learn and get certified at Lenz Academy.

Many came to Lenz not just to build connections but primarily to study magic.

“I don’t think I have the talent for it, so I gave up.”

Elizabeth said with a faint smile.

“Still, that’s a shame. You were getting lessons from a royal court mage.”

“Why don’t you change your mind? It’s still the course correction period.”

“Opportunities like this are rare, Elizabeth. Even if you can change majors later, it’ll be hard to keep up.”

Her friends sincerely felt sorry for her.

No talent? As if anyone would believe that from the top student of the second year.

But they thought they knew the real reason.

Magic lessons were expensive.

While other majors had similar tuition, the School of Magic’s fees were astronomical.

Given Elizabeth’s family situation, entering the School of Magic would’ve been difficult.

That made sense—but the true reason was entirely different.

The royal court mage, Clemental, might discover the secret of the “Pentagram’s Blessing” and report it to the royal family.

That could actually lead to a good outcome.

There was always the possibility that the king would recognize Elizabeth’s talent and favor her.

But that was just wishful thinking.

He could simply consume her and claim the Pentagram’s Blessing for himself.

Leo thought there was a 99% chance that’s what the king would do.

And even if the king didn’t, what about his family? His sons, his brothers, his wife?

Or Clemental might not report it and just hoard the power for himself.

Either way, there were tens of thousands of bad outcomes if the Pentagram’s Blessing was exposed.

But that didn’t mean Elizabeth couldn’t learn magic.

‘Because she had her dad.’

Her father was a 6th Circle mage.

Clemental might be a better teacher, but a 6th Circle is still a 6th Circle.

And even if she somehow did get into Clemental’s class, Elizabeth would still choose Leo’s guidance.

She had just formed her 1st Circle the day before.

For now, she was keeping it hidden.

She hadn’t been sure it was possible—but it worked.

Her dad checked, and it was really hidden.

The look of utter disbelief on his face had been hilarious.

“So where are you going instead?”

Beatrice, who’d been hesitating nearby, finally asked.

The other girls looked at Beatrice.

“W-What? Why are you all staring?”

Beatrice blushed.

The girls silently turned their heads away.

Regardless of who asked it, it was a good question.

If the top student wasn’t going to the School of Magic, then where was she going?

“The School of Law.”

Elizabeth answered.