WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Inept Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 35

“What kind of mess is this?” Boen asked.

While the other students were still taking their tests, Boen used the excuse of tending to Ethan’s injuries to pull him aside to a grassy area. Ethan lay stretched out on his coat, while Boen sat beside him, wrapping a bandage around Ethan’s wrist.

“It’s called Tusk Breaker.”

“I hope you didn’t come up with that name yourself.”

“…It’s a real technique, used by the hunters of Ruure. They say it’s for taking down giant boars. Ask Professor Rivielton if you don’t believe me.”

“All right, I’ll trust you.”

Ethan pressed a hand to his throbbing head. At least he hadn’t ended up with a lump this time.

“He said the best way to teach me the technique was to fight for real. He used a live blade so it wouldn’t feel like a sparring session, and I got a bit carried away… Even though the Professor was going easy on me, I lost control and slammed into the wall of the combat workshop.”

“Impressive you still managed to pass your test after that.”

“I overdid it, but once I was in this shape, there was no way I wasn’t going to pass.” Ethan turned to Boen. “How about you?”

“I passed Accuracy, Transmutation, and Discharge pretty easily,” said Boen. “Levitation was simple enough, but Illusion was tricky. Still, I got through it. Restoration was borderline, but that makes 10 points in total. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Not going to try Destruction?”

“That would be a waste of mana. You just need seven points to pass, that’s all. Unless you’re overflowing with both mana and talent like your sister, Arca… the professors from the various schools of magic might watch you with interest, but that’s it. As for me, I’m going to become a battle mage.”

Ethan looked puzzled. “Didn’t you cut ties with the Empire? Why do you need to do that? Wouldn’t it be easier to stay here at the academy and become a scholar?”

“To become a scholar, you either need to be from a noble family or have the right connections. I’d have to grovel at some noble’s feet for research funding or join some association as a glorified servant. Not interested. Unless you are truly exceptional, you won’t earn much money or status. Meanwhile, wars never end. Battle mages are welcome everywhere.”

“That’s the same as saying they’re cursed everywhere.”

A single battle mage could shift the tide of a battlefield, yet most mages had no desire to become one. Because supply didn’t come close to meeting demand, battle mages were welcomed by countless mercenary groups and by nobles who anticipated war. However, attitudes changed drastically as soon as one side became aware the other had a battle mage. Immediately, the general would mobilize a “mage-hunting” force to find and kill the enemy battle mage. After all, a battle mage was as critical to the battlefield as the enemy’s own commander. To make matters worse, while a captured noble commander might have political value, a mercenary battle mage would often just be executed on the spot by enraged troops before official orders could even be given.

Boen adjusted his glasses. “So what? If I just sit around, will anyone appreciate me?”

Ethan tried to laugh but only managed a grimace. “You’re pretty screwed up too, huh?”

“You’re hardly in a position to talk.”

As Boen finished bandaging Ethan’s wrist, another student approached, relaying that Professor Rydel wanted to speak to Ethan.

Once the other students had dispersed, Rydel said, “How are your injuries?”

“Oh… I’m all right.”

“Can you walk?”

“Yes.”

“Then walk with me. We can talk on the way.”

When Ethan saw they were heading toward the workshop building, he realized their destination was Rydel’s own workshop.

“You learned body magic from Rivielton?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Professor Rivielton may be a fine sorcerer, but he’s not what people call a good mage.”

“…Sorry?”

Ethan wondered if Rydel and Rivielton had some personal grudge. He naturally had no knowledge of the professors’ relationships… but Rydel didn’t sound hostile.

“By ‘good mage,’ I mean the type who holes up in their workshop and brags about the moss growing on their back. And for all that, they rarely produce any great spells. If you don’t use magic, what’s the point of being a mage? Don’t you agree?”

“Ah, yes.”

A “mossy mage” was a well-known old joke among sorcerers. It went like this: Three mage friends scolded one another for never leaving their research labs. They each tried to prove who has been most devoted to research. On the appointed day, the first mage arrived claiming fungus had begun to grow on him, he had stayed indoors so long. The second boasted that moss had sprouted on him. The third, however, never showed, and so the first two went to his workshop. There, they found no sign of him, only a stone statue that resembled him. The third mage’s assistant explained that he’d been so focused on his research that he had literally turned to stone. All three had wasted years without achieving anything, showcasing how pointless a mage’s vanity could be.

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“Professor Rivielton is an admirable spellcaster. Most of the Mage Council’s seat-warmers dismiss his magic as nothing more than a knight’s fancy trick or a performer’s stage act, but he has saved countless people with that power. Even if you can cast some ‘grand magic,’ what good is that if you never actually use it?”

“I agree.” Ethan nodded, and Rydel smiled approvingly.

“Then what about your summoning technique?”

“Oh, that’s…”

“A secret?”

“Yes.”

“Generally, receiving outside help in your test is an automatic fail.”

“…That’s true.”

Ethan couldn’t tell if Rydel was fishing for a confession or genuinely knew something. Regardless, Rydel seemed to view Ethan rather favorably.

Rydel specialized in transmutation magic and ancient magic, and her workshop fit Ethan’s own mental picture of a mage’s workshop much better than Rivielton’s, which resembled a knight’s training hall, and Bain’s, which was more like a personal study. Here, however, there was a wide space for magic demonstrations, a separate area for experimenting with magical reagents, and a library of books for research. Everything was clearly organized.

“Ethan, the reason I called you here is that I want to give you a book.”

So saying, Rydel picked up a volume from her desk and handed it to Ethan.

He read the title aloud. “Introduction to Primordial Magic (Part 1)?”

“Early ancient magic is sometimes called ‘primordial magic.’ You know that magic is activated through certain frameworks, right?”

“Yes.”

On a level even higher than “schools,” magic was categorized into different lineages: the demon lineage, the witch lineage, the Damarth lineage, the Yurmus lineage, and so on. Each lineage relied on a distinct “system” to function.

For instance, demon-lineage magic used unintelligible sounds because it interacted with the demon’s blood in its own system. Meanwhile, what was referred to as the Damarth or Yurmus lineage required reciting a poetic incantation that resonated with the “Yurmus System,” generating magical output.

Magic that relied on a lost or now-unused system was called ancient magic. Because these older forms lacked advanced systems, their casting could be extremely lengthy and complicated. For instance, to create fire using the Yurmus System, you might chant a single line—but a certain ancient magic might require ten minutes of chanting instead. Modern magic was built upon far more developed systems.

“I heard about you a while ago,” Rydel continued.

“…Heard about me?”

“Not in a good way. Word got around among the mages that the ducal house of Charasen had a boy with poor magical talent. Of course, if Duke Charasen himself couldn’t fix it, nobody else was going to, right? But I heard Professor Rivielton managed to teach you Ruure’s Breathing. That got me thinking… Maybe there’s another approach? Primordial magic refers to spellcasting with no reliance on any system at all.”

“Is that possible?”

“Technically, primordial magic is grouped under natural magic. Modern natural magic is far more advanced, though. Back then, ‘spirits’ took the place of a system. Primordial magic relied on nothing like that, however. It was the foundation of all ancient magic.”

That might well prove useful to Ethan. The three elements of magic—which Ethan had heard about ad nauseam growing up, and even from Rydel’s own lectures—were a modern concept. They had existed in ancient times but had not been so clearly defined, and in the earliest eras, magic had been used without them. If that was the kind of magic this was, then perhaps Ethan could use it too.

“Are you saying that if I read this, I can learn primordial magic?”

“That’s what I need to explain. First, don’t get your hopes too high. It’s like someone telling a modern glassblower, someone able to melt sand into a fine glass cup, to go back to shaping clay by hand. Ancient magic has its mystique, but it was abandoned for a reason. Especially primordial magic, which was already obsolete even in the heyday of ancient magic.”

Rydel tapped her finger on the cover of the book Ethan was holding and continued, “On top of that, it’s a tough read. Even specialists in this field often give up on it. You’d have to consult all sorts of supplementary theses and references wedged between its pages to fully understand it. But your grades in other magic courses are good, and you showed impressive zeal in the recent practical tests. That’s why I believe you can handle it—and why I’m giving it to you.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“Besides, that’s only Part 1.”

“Hmm?”

Rydel rested her chin on her hand. “A former grad student of mine wrote this book.”

“They didn’t finish it?”

“Oh, she finished it. But soon after writing Part 2, she got married, inherited some land, and abandoned her research. Only a few copies of Part 2 exist, and I don’t have any of them.”

“What about the Great Library?”

“They have two copies of Part 1, but not Part 2.”

Ethan tentatively asked, “What about the Great Library Labyrinth, then…?”

Rydel, as if anticipating the question, offered a sly smile. “They do have two copies there.”

“How?”

“Students at Yurmus Magic Academy, especially grad students, get a kick out of slipping their own texts into the Great Library Labyrinth. Gives them a sense that their work stands alongside the grand volumes inside. Granted, most of those labyrinth books are garbage. Even so, exploring the Great Library Labyrinth can be a thrilling experience for a mage.”

Ethan frowned thoughtfully. “It’s a huge place. Finding just two copies must be tough.”

“It’s not that hard. Usually, these sorts of research books come in matching pairs connected by a simple enchantment. Not all do, but it was kind of a trend among my grad students. Part 1 resonates with Part 2, and vice versa. If you have Part 1, you can use it as a key to track down Part 2.”

Once again, Rydel tapped the book’s cover.

“Give it a try, Ethan. You still need one more point, don’t you?”

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