The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More - Chapter 33

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

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◈ The Romance Fantasy’s Pushover Crown Prince Is No More ◈

Chapter 33: The Magic Tower (3)

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Magic was, by nature, something that required extensive preparation.

It began with circulating Mana, and chanting a spell was the bare minimum.

After that, one had to decide which magic to use and what formula to employ.

Finally, one had to be clear about the intent behind the spell.

Magic was no different from a miracle that brought something nonexistent into being.

The desire for a miracle to occur was no different from a prayer.

And every prayer required a purpose.

That was why, if there were a hundred mages, there would naturally be a hundred different kinds of magic.

Even if they used the same spell, their intentions and experiences would differ.

The result might be the same, but the process could vary wildly.

Since mages needed such extensive preparation even to cast a single spell, their output usually fell below average in unfamiliar surroundings.

A change in environment changed one's state of mind.

Then what about the space most familiar to them?

The place where they were born and raised, where they had always practiced magic.

What about magic cast where they had always stayed to study it?

"It produces absurd firepower!"

Pababababang!

Multicolored magic circles formed in the air, and all manner of spells shot toward the Crown Prince.

The severed leg had reattached as though nothing had happened.

Archibald, the Mage Tower Master, who had been crawling like a Turtle, had already relocated and was recovering among the mages.

"No matter how powerful you may be, the Mage Tower is both the home and workshop of mages. Do you truly intend to face mages in the place where they are most prepared?"

Archibald clearly believed he had the advantage.

He had already calculated that he did.

"I'm surprised the Barrier was breached. That the protective formula was dismantled as well... A dragon! If it was the work of a dragon that had reached the pinnacle of magic, then I understand everything!"

Dragons were certainly a great race.

They stood at the pinnacle of magic, capable of completing spells simply by speaking, without formulas.

Dragon Speech and Dragon Hearts.

And Dragon Fear, the pressure naturally inflicted upon races beneath dragons.

All of it.

"At last, I can reach the dragons! A Dragon Heart! I'll be able to obtain something that exists only in legend!"

The opportunity had fallen right into his lap, perfectly suited to fulfill his wish.

He knew the Crown Prince, no, the Empire, was powerful.

Still, he thought they had made an excessively arrogant choice.

"No matter how strong you are, one person cannot cover the sky. How could you come here alone... no, with only a dragon at your side!"

There were only a few dozen mages at the moment.

But if the nearby Mage Towers moved immediately upon hearing of the attack, their number would reach four digits if they all gathered.

Could one person handle a thousand mages?

None of them were mediocre.

Every one of them had more than five circles engraved within their hearts.

If even those who had only just begun learning magic were included, their number would reach several thousand.

"Did you think that because it's called the Mage Tower, there are only a few towers here? You're wrong! This is a nation of mages!"

Even now, mages were steadily gathering.

They needed no explanation of the situation.

An enemy stood before them.

It did not matter if that enemy was the Crown Prince.

The Mage Tower was a proud place.

Even the Crown Prince would not be forgiven for acting disrespectfully here.

Crackle, boom!

Countless spells merged and intertwined as they flew toward the Crown Prince.

As if invading the Mage Tower without fear was not enough, he had said he would turn every one of them into slaves?

It was an unbearably insolent thing to say.

"You can't even withstand this magical bombardment properly! How do you intend to turn us into staffs?"

Archibald laughed.

At the same time, he moved to show them why he was called a Great Mage.

The nine rings within his heart spun fiercely.

Nine represented imperfection.

Imperfection was the final stage before perfection.

The mental world meant to reach perfection manifested outside his body.

"Magic Garden! Altu's Orchard!"

The world changed in an instant.

It was originally a technique that took a very long time to cast, but because he was in the Mage Tower, he had a perfect advantage.

A familiar environment, a space he had practiced in countless times, skies overflowing with his magical power.

The certainty that defeat was impossible settled firmly in his mind.

And in truth, it had only been a little over five minutes, yet enough power to easily erase dozens of territories had struck the Crown Prince and the dragon.

Of course, they would not die from this. He had no intention of killing them. There was still plenty to take from the Empire.

'I will show them the greatness of the Mage Tower, the power of magic, and my authority... then make the Empire crawl beneath my feet.'

Swoooosh.

The Mana released by the colliding spells clouded the view around the Crown Prince and dragon.

"Stop! Cease fire!"

Archibald ordered the mages still gathering to halt their attacks.

He thought that if they kept firing, they might really kill them.

"Ha ha, no matter how mighty Sol Velos may be... he is still only human! As long as he is bound by human limits, he cannot overcome a numerical disadvantage!"

The same applied to the dragon called the pinnacle of magic.

The Mage Tower had not spent all those years merely lording itself over the Empire.

During that time, it had focused solely on magical research.

It had created a variety of artifacts, and through countless studies, it had developed a magical system entirely different from that of dragons.

"Humans no longer use dragon magic. The days when dragons taught magic are long past! Humanity! Humanity will now rule proudly through human magic!"

It felt wonderful to make that declaration before a dragon.

Swoooosh.

As Archibald continued ranting to himself, the Mana slowly cleared, revealing the Crown Prince and the dragon.

But what he saw was entirely different from what he had expected.

"So that was the principle behind it?"

"Yes, Your Highness. As expected, you learn extraordinarily quickly."

The first thing that caught his eye was the sphere of fire above the Crown Prince's hand.

It was difficult to tell whether it should be called a fireball or a Little Sun.

Whatever it was called, it burned fiercely within the Crown Prince's grasp.

"Magic that devours magic. It certainly is useful."

"Because Your Highness learned from this lady, Your Highness's magic differs from ordinary magic. You are walking a path of magic entirely your own."

"I like it."

Setting the Little Sun aside, their conversation was even more absurd.

Judging by the tone, the two seemed to be leisurely holding a lesson.

In a situation where hundreds of mages had gathered and poured magic down on them.

They had leisurely conducted a magic lesson, then created magic that devoured other magic in the process?

And not just ordinary magic, but a path of magic entirely his own?

Archibald understood exactly what that meant.

His eyes widened.

This was an insult to the life he had devoted to magic.

He had given everything to walk his own path of magic, to escape the category of dragon magic.

Yet a Crown Prince who had not even shed the appearance of youth was doing it now?

He could never accept it.

"You bastaaaard!"

Archibald flew into a rage.

Before him stood talent that mocked every moment he had devoted to magic, making him feel as though everything he had done had been denied.

He had to crush him.

The instant that thought crossed his mind, Archibald ordered the mages to unleash their magic once more.

Then, at that very moment,

"I've finished the magic lesson, Arveda. Now I'll teach you something."

"What will you teach this lady, Your Highness?"

"How to make staffs."

The Crown Prince lightly tossed the Little Sun from his palm into the air as though bouncing a ball.

Hundreds of spells poured down once more.

Swoooosh.

The Crown Prince's gaze turned toward the Little Sun.

"Erupt."

The moment he spoke lightly,

Fwoooosh!

Overwhelming power burned everything.

+++++

"Ha."

I let out a hollow laugh as I looked around at the surroundings that had been reduced to ruins in an instant.

I had discovered one more terrifying thing about the Crown Prince.

'The Crown Prince's strength wasn't even complete yet?'

The Crown Prince possessed talent that could make him stronger without limit.

The most frightening thing about this body was not its inherent strength.

It was the learning ability that mocked that strength.

If I wanted to learn, I could learn.

The Crown Prince made that absurdity possible.

That was the result before me.

I wanted to devour magic with Sol Velos's power.

Arveda helped me with it.

That was how I created fire that devoured magic.

This process had required no effort whatsoever.

The moment I heard it, I understood it, and the moment I understood it, I applied it.

A mad talent that eliminated practice as an intermediate step.

With that talent alone, the Mage Tower had been reduced to ruins.

"The principle behind Dispel is truly exquisite."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Unlike the devastated Mage Towers, not a single mage had died.

It would be more accurate to say they had been brought to the very brink of death.

I wanted to say they had been cooked perfectly.

Medium well.

They felt scorching pain, their nerves burned, and agony so fierce it felt as though their eyeballs were boiling pierced their brains.

Still, none of them died. They had no choice but to slowly experience the shock of their flesh burning away.

Because that was the kind of magic I had wanted to use.

"Still, Archibald, thanks to you, I wasn't bored. Practical use is important for magic, and thanks to you, I now understand exactly what mine can do."

"Ugh, uuuurgh..."

Even as Archibald collapsed, his gaze remained fixed on one spot.

It was hard for Archibald to speak. No, I could tell that his vocal cords had already melted together, making it difficult for him to make a sound.

Still, it was hard to understand why he was looking somewhere other than me.

"I broke only the outer walls of the Mage Tower and left the research materials inside alone... But what you're looking at is on an entirely different level."

I could read the emotion in Archibald's eyes.

It was clearly the look of someone worried that something precious might be hurt.

Like that of a parent.

'Don't tell me?'

Just before beginning the staff-making process.

Slash.

Leaving behind Archibald, who had become a Turtle roasted over firewood, I followed his gaze.

'Could he be looking at that wall because...'

I cut through the wall in one short, clean stroke.

The space where the wall should have been collapsed like cloth being cut apart.

A small boy was revealed behind it.

"Ugh, snif... snif...!"

He was desperately holding back his tears, trying not to be noticed.

He only looked short, though. He did not seem young.

If I had to put it in terms of keywords, it would be:

[ Revealing the keywords of the 'Genius Mage Tower Master': #Growth #Intelligent #BoyishCharm #TenderHeart ]

'Ha, how considerate of it to tell me this.'

As I read the system message, I became certain that the boy before me was a male lead of I'm Full Because Everyone Keeps Giving Me Things.

A guaranteed winner had flown right in front of me. It would have been ridiculous to think otherwise.

I could kill him immediately.

But seeing how timid he was made me wonder.

"Do you know a woman named Mirne?"

"Th-that woman... I like her. She's kind..."

So I tried speaking with him.

"How much do you like her? Could you die for her?"

"Y-Yes? N-no... Even so, dying is a little... I-I have sworn loyalty to Your Highness the Crown Prince, so if I were to die, shouldn't I die in Your Highness's service?"

After exchanging only a few words, I realized something.

'This bastard has incredible instincts.'

It did not even seem like he had formed a deep relationship with Mirne yet.

If he was lying, I could just kill him.

Male leads would keep appearing from somewhere even if they died.

What would change if this one died?

"Arveda, can you place a Restriction on someone? I need something that makes their head explode the instant they entertain improper thoughts."

"This lady is always prepared, Your Highness. Shall I apply all of them?"

"Yes, apply all of them... What's your name?"

That was why.

"Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince! M-my name is Theo!"

"All right, Theo. I'll make special use of you as my custom staff."