WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint ◈

Chapter 37: The Firefly Prince (7)

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The laboratory was empty but for one person.

Great Sage Louis quietly watched the door through which Julian had left.

‘The more I see of this child’s talent, the more it goes beyond wondrous and becomes frightening.’

His attitude toward learning.

His disposition of guarding against arrogance.

His powers of observation, driven by an obsession with truth.

He possessed every quality Louis believed a genius should have.

And over the past three years, the child had proven that genius once more by absorbing all the black magic knowledge the Great Sage had accumulated over his lifetime like a sponge.

‘A child so suited to black magic...’

Every spellcaster was born with something called an affinity attribute.

A spellcaster specializing in fire magic was not necessarily weak at water magic.

It was simply that the laws and theories governing the two fields were so vastly different that the limits of their knowledge made it difficult to handle magic from another school.

To use an analogy in Julian’s terms, it was like a thermodynamics major in mechanical engineering trying to master fluid dynamics until their head exploded.

For that reason, most spellcasters chose only one path of magic to pursue for their entire lives.

The magic they understood most intuitively.

That was what it meant to choose one’s own affinity.

And as Louis saw it, Julian’s affinity for black magic was incomparable to that of any other being.

He could say it with certainty.

Even that elder lich, called the King of Black Magic, could not match Julian’s aptitude for black magic.

‘He has already surpassed me in black magic.’

Of course, Louis overwhelmingly surpassed Julian in pure magical power and Rank.

But when it came to the theory of black magic, Julian had already reached a level where he stood shoulder to shoulder with Louis, the Great Sage.

And if that were combined with Julian’s limitless knowledge of life...

‘How fortunate that this child is good.’

Black magic was originally magic that directly interfered with life and souls.

Because it struck at the roots of life itself, it was far more difficult to counter than other forms of magic, and its results were overwhelmingly lethal.

Most dangerous of all, a single misstep or the wrong kind of curiosity could corrupt the caster’s mind in an instant.

The transgressive thrill of manipulating human lives was that dangerous.

That was why Louis, despite having founded black magic a thousand years ago, had been extremely cautious about teaching it to other mages or studying it deeply, considering it taboo.

Yet with Julian, Louis could pour all that forbidden knowledge into him without the slightest hesitation.

Over the years he had watched the child, he had never seen even a trace of malice toward others or an arrogant hunger for power.

Only a pure determination to save those at the bottom of society had taken firm root within him, leaving no room for the temptation of black magic to corrupt him.

Ironically, Julian also had a disastrously small amount of traditional mage talent.

Even if he mastered the essence of black magic, he did not possess the magical power or talent to take to a battlefield and spread wide-area curses over tens of thousands of people, leaving him with no risk at all of becoming a mass murderer.

From a teacher’s perspective, could there be a more perfect and safe successor?

‘Of course, there is one more fortunate thing.’

Louis recalled Julian’s handsome face and secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Of black magic’s three branches, there was hypnosis magic, which violated and controlled the minds of others.

If Julian, with that face, had also possessed an affinity for hypnosis...

‘No woman in the world would have been able to resist him.’

In some cases, perhaps not even men...

Fortunately, Julian showed not the slightest talent or interest in hypnosis magic.

If he had shown even a little aptitude for it, Louis might have seriously considered erasing his disciple’s memories.

‘...No, that is taking things too far.’

Louis gave a hollow laugh.

He shook his head.

As he thought about his disciple while tidying up the laboratory, Louis Edelhardt’s gaze suddenly fell upon the egg from the successful experiment.

He picked it up and examined it once more.

Blood vessels spread over the transparent chorioallantoic membrane.

White spots blooming across it.

Traces of a curse, alive but not diseased.

“...”

A smile spread across Louis’s lips.

‘Does that child understand the weight of this egg?’

From what Louis could see, Julian was simply happy.

Happy that they had found a medicine capable of preventing the blister plague.

That alone was an extraordinary achievement.

Even the southern fever, the vicious disease recently named malaria, could not hold a candle to the blister plague.

In the Great Sage’s lifetime, it was the most terrible disease and had claimed more human lives than any other.

‘It was because of this that I had to cut off my arm as well.’

Even the Great Sage had not escaped the disease over the years.

Blisters beginning on his arm and spreading to his face.

To stop them, the Great Sage had cut off his arm and restored it with divine magic.

He had been one of the fortunate ones.

For most people, the blisters began on their faces rather than their arms.

‘Come to think of it, I have never caught this disease again since then... Why did I never notice?’

His face burned at the thought that he had lived through the years so carelessly.

But Julian had not overlooked that ordinary experience and had ultimately made a great discovery that would save humanity.

‘This will not end with the blister plague alone.’

Louis looked down at the magic formula written on the parchment.

[Qando vestigien complet = verus, tuncanic immunitas(objec, pest) = permanens.]

The Great Sage’s eyebrows trembled as he looked at it.

This formula did not apply only to the blister plague.

Red Fever. Black Plague. Curse of Decay. Bone Melt.

All the plagues that periodically swept through the Empire inside the walls, killing hundreds of thousands.

This formula could be applied to every one of them.

Of course, the detailed conditions would have to be changed for each plague, but it was obvious that this formula would serve as the basic framework.

‘...The age of plagues is ending.’

He had seen countless discoveries over a thousand years.

The refinement method for mana crystals. Spatial leap magic. Life-extension spell formulas.

But this was a discovery worthy of standing alongside all of them.

It was a discovery that would change not just the history of magic, but the history of humanity.

‘I should tell that child how great this discovery is.’

After observing the boy named Julian for the past three years, the Great Sage thought he knew what kind of child he was.

A child unfamiliar with the word arrogance would surely fail to grasp the full significance even of this discovery.

Even if someone praised and built him up by his side, he would not recognize even a fingernail’s worth of his own greatness.

So, as his teacher, the Great Sage wanted to directly tell Julian how remarkable he was whenever he had the chance, so that the child could develop pride in himself.

Just as he was thinking that, Julian returned to the laboratory after speaking with Wangcho.

Louis immediately explained the greatness of the discovery to him.

“I see.”

As expected, Julian’s response was calm.

It was clear that he understood it in his head.

He seemed to know very well what impact the discovery would have.

He simply refused to accept it as his own because he was guarding against arrogance.

‘Ha... just as I thought...’

Still, the slight lift at the corner of Julian’s lips told Louis that he understood his achievement, at least a little.

That fact was some comfort to Louis.

At least it was not proof that his disciple’s self-esteem had been shattered.

Once Julian’s praise time was over, Louis suddenly remembered something.

“Julian.”

“Yes, Master.”

“This magic formula... Or was it called a vaccine? Have you considered formally registering it with the Mage Tower Union and the Imperial Patent Office?”

“You mean a patent?”

Julian tilted his head.

Louis added an explanation in a serious voice.

“Spell formulas are originally personal achievements, so there is no obligation to share them. But for great formulas that serve the public good, the Empire directly guarantees a patent and grants exclusive rights to the original creator.”

“...”

“If I lend my name, even the Imperial Family will find it difficult to refuse. If you wish, I will help you secure exclusive rights to this formula.”

Julian fell silent for a moment.

Louis took that silence as hesitation.

‘Is he wavering?’

In truth, Julian was already wealthy enough.

Louis knew that well.

Over the past three years, Julian had introduced other medicines to the world whenever he had the chance.

But a patent for this vaccine-making formula was on an entirely different level.

The moment this formula was made public, lords across the Empire and royalty from neighboring nations would gladly offer money to protect their families from plagues.

Even magical tools that prevented poisoning cost enough to buy one or two mansions.

For medicine that could prevent plagues for a lifetime, they would gladly pay enough to buy a castle.

If that happened, it would take no time at all for Julian to acquire wealth surpassing that of a grand ducal house.

‘No. Perhaps he could even stand shoulder to shoulder with the Golden Lords...’

The richest person in the world.

Who would refuse that position?

That was why Louis expected his young disciple to be delighted by this tremendous offer, or at least consider it carefully.

But after seeming to think for a moment, Julian gave an answer Louis had not expected.

“No. I will not file a patent.”

“...What did you say?”

Louis’s single eye widened in bewilderment.

“I intend to release this formula unconditionally, so that all alchemy workshops and healers may use it freely without any compensation.”

“W-Wait, Julian. Think of the blood and sweat you have poured into completing this formula over the past three years. A pack of rotten hyenas seeking this formula may try to steal your rights. Why would you give up such enormous compensation?”

“Did you not do the same, Master?”

“...What?”

Julian smiled gently.

“When humanity was losing its place to live to magical beasts, you organized the unknown field of magic into an academic discipline and began teaching it to people.”

That was true.

When Louis had organized the concept of magic into an academic discipline.

He had taught people the magic he classified into thirteen systems.

Not everyone became a spellcaster, but the number of spellcasters, once only one in several hundred thousand people, increased dramatically because of him.

Furthermore, magic that had once been capable of defeating only low-grade magical beasts had grown explosively, to the point where it could now face high-grade magical beasts.

That was why the world called Louis the Father of Magic.

Even after a thousand years and countless magical discoveries, the Father of Magic’s reputation had never faded.

And Julian sincerely respected Louis.

“I want to follow in your footsteps as well.”

“...You don’t need to follow the same path as I did, Julian. This is your rightful claim.”

Despite the Great Sage’s persuasion, Julian merely looked into his single eye with a peaceful expression.

Then, as though he had not the slightest doubt or regret about the decision he had made, he replied with the warmest smile in the world.

“Master, would you patent the rising sun as well?”

The Great Sage’s breath stopped for a moment.

His heart pounded violently.

This excitement. How many years had it been?

“The sun is great because it shines equally upon all people and nurtures life. This medicine is the same. It becomes great precisely because it is widespread.”

Ah, yes.

His companions who had passed on.

The First Hero. The Founding King. The Mother of Fairies.

This was the first time he had felt such excitement since sending them away.

“...Are you sincere?”

“Yes.”

“Will you not regret it?”

“Rather, I think I would regret it more if I discovered this medicine and still failed to save people.”

There was no wavering in Julian’s voice.

Louis let out a sigh.

It was long and deep.

“...Very well.”

Then he gave a soft laugh.

“I respect your mindscape.”

All mages were arrogant.

To wield magic, they needed not only knowledge and talent, but their own inner image.

The scenery they imagined, the ideals they pursued.

Mages called that ideal <Mindscape: Idea>.

And the mindscape the Great Sage had glimpsed in his youngest disciple was even more arrogant than he had imagined.

“If that is your mindscape, then as your teacher, I too will release this formula to the world free of charge.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“However.”

Louis raised one finger.

“I will name this formula.”

“A name?”

“Yes. A name that will be passed down to future generations.”

Louis spread out the parchment.

Then he wrote a line at the top of the formula.

「Formula Schnabel - Schnabel Formula」

“...Master.”

“I will accept no objections.”

Louis spoke firmly.

“You may refrain from filing a patent as you wish. But I will not tolerate the name of the person who created this formula being left out of history.”

“...”

“This is my mindscape, so respect it.”

“...Understood, Master.”

Julian nodded reluctantly.

His expression suggested that he did not like it.

But as his teacher, Louis had no choice.

This humble disciple did not know how to look after his own interests, so Louis had to make him do so, even if it meant being forceful.

Louis rolled up the parchment and tucked it into his robes.

“Now then, let us begin the next experiment. We still have a long way to go.”

“Yes, Master.”

The Great Sage’s left eye followed the back of the fifteen-year-old child’s head.

With a small wish that this little joy he had found in his final years

would continue forever.

* * *

Meanwhile, Julian...

‘Ah, this formula can’t be called the Schnabel Formula...’

The name his master had given the formula made him uncomfortable.

‘How many formulas and medicines am I going to make in the future...’

He could not call every one of them the Schnabel Formula.

If he did, medical students and apprentice healers hundreds of years from now would be certain to curse Julian.

“Schnabel Formula No. 3? What was that again?”

“Formula No. 5? No, this isn’t related to No. 4 at all! Why did they classify them like this?!”

Julian knew better than anyone the suffering that came with diseases being named after the scholars who discovered them.

Behçet’s disease, Huntington’s chorea, Hodgkin lymphoma...

That was why he had vowed not to attach his own name to diseases or formulas he discovered.

But his master had not allowed it.

‘...Sorry, future juniors.’

In any case, this should not be Julian’s fault.

And so Julian vowed to make sure that the origin of the name was recorded in the history books.

Footnotes:

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