Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

It is often said that humans are the lords of creation.

Beings who are self-aware, contemplate, and create value.

Because they are creative lifeforms that have not been found on this blue earth until now.

However, even those who firmly proclaim the title of the lords of creation sometimes degrade to the level of primitive beasts, and in most cases, it happens when romantic relationships are involved.

It’s not entirely a bad thing.

If they have a mutual affection for each other, no matter what they do, it will look cool and pretty, so who would care? Sometimes, it’s more effective to become a beast.

The problem arises when only one side is sincere.

Unless affection is presumed, a beast is just a beast.

Indiscriminate savagery must be governed by cold reason, so if you hastily treat the other person as if they are already your lover, the atmosphere will naturally turn hostile.

And now.

“That’s enough. It’s unsightly.”

“Wh-what?!”

There was a man in front of me who tried to show off his maturity, combining savagery and intelligence through a duel, but ended up being called ‘unsightly’ by the woman he had his heart set on.

That one word must have been quite scathing.

Seeing him frozen in the bizarre pose he took while holding the grimoire, it seemed so.

“……”

I didn’t feel any sympathy. Because it was unironically unsightly.

Although it hadn’t even been 30 minutes since I met them, I could vaguely tell.

The man, Evarist, was trying his best to look good to the female student and was under the delusion that he had almost won her over.

Unfortunately for him, the female student had not the slightest interest in him.

I properly confirmed the impression of the female student, whom I had only glanced at until then.

The female student, whose clothing was impressive, appropriately combined simple decorations to create an antique look.

Although she seemed younger than me and still had a youthful appearance on her face, the atmosphere she exuded was far from that of a girl.

Discernment and decisiveness.

Not as a joke, but there was a genuine fragment of a businesswoman in her.

“Le-Lena.”

“Please don’t call me so casually.”

Perhaps she had been holding back a lot.

Words started spewing out of her fresh mouth like a machine gun.

“Wasn’t the reason you approached me that you were going to form a debate society for young intellectuals? I accepted because you said you were thinking of promoting it as a business venture… Why me in the first place? I’m still a minor and a student.”

“That’s because. You’re famous as a business prodigy.”

“Those are just groundless rumors and exaggerations.”

“Lena. I think you, the youngest consultant of the telegraph bureau and a genius investor, are an essential talent for our debate society.”

“Enough. You’re deviating from the point.”

The female student, Lena, shook her head.

What was contained in those large eyes was thorough calculation and disillusionment.

“Be honest. It’s not for such grandiose reasons, is it?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“I was hoping something would change during the three debates, but nothing changed except the increasing number of your yes-men who praise you. I’m not a person with enough free time to play along with this silly act.”

“……”

“And a duel? What is this? If you wanted to impress me, instead of grabbing and harassing an innocent person like this, it would have been enough to show me you’re doing your best.”

Her gaze sank coldly.

“You’re the complete opposite. A person with no ability but is full of pretense. The type I despise the most.”

“…Ack, Lena… Are you taking this gray-haired bastard’s side now?”

“I’m on the side of the wronged person. Not the unsightly person.”

Chilling.

A space of thorough silence was born on the outskirts of the bustling square.

Lena didn’t fill her words and actions with meticulous logic.

She simply listed the facts, convincingly conveying to herself, him, the six henchmen, and even me, who was scratching my cheek on the side, that Evarist was a petty person.

I was contemplating whether to offer a word of comfort, seeing him trembling all over.

“Gray hair-!”

“I told you, it’s Eugene.”

“How dare you insult me… The duel will continue! Hurry up and hold your grimoire!”

Around then, I glanced at Lena.

Although we had never conversed before, somehow, it felt like we were communicating just through eye contact.

The content was roughly like this.

[This person seems to have lost his mind.]

[I agree.]

[What should we do?]]

[I’m sorry, but could you deal with him appropriately?]

[Ok.]

After finishing the eye contact with a nod, I took out the grimoire from my bag and held it in my left hand.

Of course, I didn’t take any strange poses.

“How does the duel work?”

“It’s simple. The first to attack shows a spell, and the second follows and does the same. We take turns attacking, and the one who becomes unable to follow the other’s magic first loses!”

So those are the rules.

For a moment, I thought I might be at a disadvantage.

If Evarist really was an undergraduate student at the University of Magic, he would have mastered both Type-1 and Type-2 magic. Unlike me, who had only learned Type-1 magic through self-study, he would have a much greater variety of magic he could use.

Then, the strategy I should take is clear.

Difficulty.

I’ll win by using magic with a difficulty that’s absolutely impossible to follow.

Just then, Evarist gestured to me with an extremely arrogant attitude.

“I’ll let you go first.”

“……”

I didn’t answer.

My magic would speak for me.

I recited the activation phrase of magic that now felt like an extension of my limbs.

“[Disc].”

Plop.

A single water droplet shoots up from my outstretched right hand.

Perhaps hearing the activation phrase I recited, Evarist, who had his arms crossed, laughed violently.

“BAHAHAHAHA! Just the Type-1 magic [Disc]? Using such beginner magic in a duel, you’re worse than a little kid passing by.”

“Quiet.”

“……?”

I need to concentrate.

This magic was also very difficult for me.

Swoosh!

The water droplet, the size of two finger joints, starts rotating, and in the blink of an eye, it transforms into a wide disc.

Its speed increases even more for about a second.

It was an innovative casting speed that made Evarist, who had been acting arrogant, flinch, and even Lena, who seemed to be a layman in magic, open her eyes wide.

But the magic wasn’t over yet.

I furrow my brows and narrow my eyes.

A state of selflessness.

And I imagined.

‘…Fold.’

Silently.

The disc begins to twist.

Folding. Curling up. Tearing. Spreading out

“Ugh.”

The magic I had practiced countless times in my room. How much time had I spent trying to reproduce this magic since ‘that day’?

I haven’t properly learned magic studies yet. Although I’m providing necessity with foundational studies, more than half of my instinct is still involved, so my head feels like it’s going to explode.

Still.

Even so.

Because I admired and admired again… and practiced and practiced again….

At some point, it bore fruit.

“Phew!”

When I exhaled the breath I had been holding, a bouquet of blue roses was floating in front of my eyes, gently swaying in the wind.

“[Flowering].”

My first unique spell.

Although this spell originated from Benjamin, no one can easily ignore the sweat and effort that went into reverse engineering this magic.

I smiled, trying my best to hide the trembling of my hand.

“Now. You try to follow it.”

There was no answer.

Thud.

The grimoire Evarist Dumas was holding fell to the ground.

“It seems the match has been decided.”

“Ah, Lena!”

Evarist, who had been standing there as if his soul had left his body, reached out his hand, but Lena didn’t even look at him.

Rather, she approached me and grabbed my wrist firmly.

“Follow me.”

“Uh, okay.”

When viewed from afar, Frauzen gave a strong impression of being a well-planned urban city.

But as I left the boulevards and squares and entered the city’s living areas, I began to feel that it wasn’t quite like that.

The liveliness of people fills every small alley. I could feel it.

“It’s a more boisterous city than I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“No. I was talking to myself.”

Lena, who tilted her head, soon let go of my wrist.

And then, she bowed her head.

“Thank you.”

“Hm?”

I don’t remember doing anything that deserves gratitude.

While I was puzzled, Lena, who had straightened her posture, sighed deeply and glanced at the void.

“Thanks to you, I was able to shake off that man.”

“Aha.”

“No matter how many times I told him I had no interest in a relationship between a man and a woman, as I had called him for work-related matters, he wouldn’t listen. Eugene, was it? I express my gratitude once again.”

“I’m not sure how to react to being thanked for something like this, but…”

When I said that, Lena made a dry, surprised gesture with an ‘ah’ sound.

“I suppose that’s true.”

Lena pondered for a moment, then looked up at me as if she had realized something.

“You’re not from Frauzen, are you?”

“Yeah. Did you figure it out because of my travel bag? I arrived today.”

“Then you must not be familiar with Frauzen’s geography. If you tell me the address of your destination, I’ll give you directions. I’ll accompany you until the place that’s in the same direction.”

Destination.

Actually, I couldn’t quite say that I was pondering that issue and headed to the restaurant. There were too many intertwined stories to explain it simply.

After a moment of deliberation, I decided.

“Then I’ll ask you.”

Benjamin’s family home.

I thought that even if I visited them after establishing a foundation for living, it wouldn’t make them any less surprised.

Lately, I’ve even begun to suspect that I might be directionally challenged, so I thought it would be better to get help now and directly visit the Oslo family.

I recalled the address I had memorized.

“I want to go to Kram Street.”

“Oh. You’re in luck. I’m going to Kram Street, too.”

Lena’s eyebrows curved.

If Dorothy was the type who was ’emotionally rich but clumsy at expressing,’ Lena seemed closer to the type who ‘has rich emotions but doesn’t express them.’

Perhaps she treats people in a businesslike manner.

It was a good thing for me. At least I didn’t feel any rejection towards my gray hair at all.

We crossed several alleys and came out to a main street, then walked for a while.

Finding the way seemed more difficult than I thought, so I felt I had made the right choice in getting help.

Lena’s steps stopped in front of a long, straight street. 

“This is Kram Street. If you know the house number, you’ll be able to find it right away. What’s the number?”

“Number 15.”

“…Having the same house number, too, is a bit strange.”

It seemed another coincidence had occurred.

Lena tilted her head, but I was satisfied that I could get detailed directions and followed Lena as she walked.

“This is number 15.”

“Thank you. Now I just need to find which house the number 20178 refers to.”

“…!”

The next moment.

Rustle!

Lena tiptoed and grabbed me by the collar.

With those large eyes filled with suspicion, Lena interrogated me.

“Who are you? A stalker?”

“Uh…. Huh?”

“What business do you have at our house?”

Putting aside the change in her tone, a word that was hard to ignore came out of Lena’s mouth.

Our house?

Feeling cold sweat dripping down, I asked.

“…Could it be that your name is…”

“Lena Oslo. The third daughter of the Oslo family.”

Ah.

“Now it’s my turn to ask. Who are you, and what do you do?”

T/N

Re-edited this due to poor TL quality. (6/30/24)

Thanks for reading, see you in the next one!