I Became a Magical Genius After Regression

Chapter 19

The road to the lord’s castle was, as expected, without any major issues.

As it was a mountainous region, there were many hills, making it difficult to march, but there were no monsters or bandits.

‘If they made a nest in a place like this, both monsters and bandits would starve to death.’

The only people who traveled this way were the villagers from Randel’s village and a few merchants.

Of course, even if there were any, it would have been a peaceful journey.

Attacking a group of armed soldiers numbering in the dozens would be a difficult task unless one was crazy.

“……”

The one who was tense was Manwellin.

She had been excited ever since Randel brought back the head of the blood goblin.

So she was desperate to somehow get close to this future pillar.

“Randel, sit here.”

“Yes, my lady.”

When the group stopped marching and lit a campfire at the campsite, Manwellin pointed to the spot next to her.

“Just call me Sir Manwellin.”

“Understood.”

“It’s not that, do you know what to do when you meet a noble?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about etiquette. You don’t know much since you’ve only lived in the forest village, right? You’ll learn it separately before you meet my father anyway, so I’ll teach you now. Watch.”

Manwellin then demonstrated various examples.

Even though they seemed trivial, there were quite a few types.

When they first met, when they met inside, when they saw each other outside… the etiquette was different each time. Moreover, there were titles according to rank, which made it quite complicated.

After showing all the demonstrations, Manwellin said,

“Try it.”

“Um, the first one is… like this?”

“Huh? Yes, you’re doing well. Try the next one too.”

“Was it like this?”

“Yes…”

“And the last one is like this.”

“…Have you learned this somewhere before?”

Manwellin asked with a slightly puzzled face.

It seemed that he was trying to show his broad mind and get closer to Randel, who was flustered.

However, Randel, though a bit awkward, got all the order and posture correct.

Just like someone who had known it before.

“No way, I’m a commoner. It’s because Sir Manwellin taught me so well.”

“Is that so? I was confused because you did so well.”

“Thank you.”

“And my father wouldn’t mind if you make a few mistakes in this. He really cherishes talent.”

“I see.”

“I’m not just saying this, he really cherishes it. Can you imagine what kind of support my father would give you?”

“Yes, roughly.”

Manwellin flinched at the natural response.

“Oh… you can imagine?”

“A recommendation letter to the Magic Academy, tuition, living expenses, and other small things.”

“Yes, that’s right…”

“But in return, you would have to work in the territory after graduation.”

“…That’s right.”

Manwellin nodded with a disappointed voice.

But only for a moment.

He soon continued to ask questions as if he couldn’t lose.

“Then do you know about the Magic Academy? Our kingdom’s academy is one of the best on the continent. The reason is―”

“It must be because one professor is in charge of five students. They also have a lot of practical classes.”

“You, you know that too?”

“Yes, I heard it from a mercenary before.”

“……”

Manwellin, perhaps out of spite, continued to ask various questions and share interesting things.

But Randel’s reaction was somehow indifferent.

The other person was a young lady not even twenty years old.

What could she teach Randel, who had wandered all over the continent at that age?

In the end, Manwellin, after pestering a bit more, went into the tent.

Bang!

She kicked a tin pot hanging on one side.

‘She has always had a childish side, both then and now. Or is it because she’s still young that she acts so childishly?’

Manwellin was like that in the past too.

Despite her slender appearance, she was stubborn and hated losing more than anyone else.

So, when they traveled together, she often got into fights with other mercenaries.

Manwellin was so strong that she beat up all the guys who picked fights with her.

But fortunately, she had no hard feelings afterward.

Tap, tap.

While reminiscing about old memories, there was a sound in front of the tent.

Turning his head, he saw a soldier standing by the campfire, striking a flint.

But his face was covered in cold sweat.

It was obvious that a senior soldier had ordered him to do it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get it to work, and he was on the verge of going crazy from the impending scolding.

“Is there a problem?”

“Ah, Mage…”

“Speak comfortably. You’re older than me.”

Randel said this while feeling proud. To think he was younger than this young soldier…

He now understood why the old men in the Mage Guild resorted to forbidden magic to rejuvenate.

“It’s just that the fire won’t start well… The flint seems to be wet…”

“It rained a bit yesterday, so it seems it wasn’t managed well. Step aside for a moment. Fire.”

Randel waved his hand towards the wooden logs.

The magic was completed immediately, and the fire blazed for a while before extinguishing as the logs burned.

“Thank you. Phew, if it weren’t for you, wizard, I would have been stuck all day.”

The soldier said with a bright expression.

However, Randel’s expression was a bit strange upon hearing those words.

He seemed somewhat displeased, his eyebrows furrowed in a peculiar way, like someone needing to use the bathroom, and he remained silent.

An unbearable discomfort.

The soldier, sensing the mood, bowed his head slightly and returned to the soldiers’ camp.

But Randel didn’t even notice him leaving.

‘What is this? The magic feels a bit off.’

Because there was a much more serious issue.

Randel left the campsite and headed into the forest.

* * *

Fire, Dig, Wind, Water, Magic Arrow, etc.

Randel tried all the spells he knew, one by one.

And the conclusion was.

‘It wasn’t just my imagination.’

He hadn’t noticed until he lit the campfire a moment ago.

But now it was clear.

‘Strangely, the magic is much easier to cast.’

It didn’t mean that the casting speed had increased.

Rather, it felt like the mana flowed much more fluidly.

It moved more smoothly than before, yet responded swiftly to Randel’s will.

Until now, Randel had used magic with the sense of commanding the mana with his will.

But now, even before he gave the command, as soon as he intended to give it, the mana already moved slightly to the desired place.

“What is this? Why is this happening?”

Randel muttered with a serious expression.

No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t a bad thing.

But just because it was fine now didn’t guarantee it would be in the future.

Magic was a sensitive and mysterious discipline.

If something worked well without reason on one side, there would inevitably be problems without reason on the other side.

So, the scariest situation when using magic is not,

[Why isn’t this working?]

but rather,

[Why is this working?]

‘Let’s think.’

It was the same as before when catching the hobgoblin.

Even when proving to people that he was a wizard, the magic was the same as before.

But two days later,

while preparing for camping, the magic had definitely changed.

Then the answer must be there.

‘I haven’t practiced magic for two days because of people’s eyes… Is that why?’

But he soon shook his head.

If taking a break from magic improved abilities, every wizard in the world would use magic once a year, if at all.

‘Then… Ah!’

Randell suddenly sighed.

In his previous life,

his magical skills had stagnated at some point.

It wasn’t because his casting was slow.

Just because it was a bit slow didn’t mean a 3-circle wizard couldn’t become a 4-circle wizard.

Circles were about proficiency in magic, realizations through various research and experiences, rather than casting speed.

Nevertheless, Randell remained a 3-circle wizard forever.

‘At that time, I just thought it was because I lacked talent…’

But now he knew for sure.

Every wizard has their own mental world.

And they create circles in that mental world.

The mental world is a space where the wizard’s mind, soul, and vision for the future are materialized.

So, magic is a discipline that refines the soul and mind.

But Randell’s soul and mental world were greatly shocked when his family was killed by goblins.

The heartbreak, despair, and guilt he felt at that time half-killed his mind as well.

So, the 3-circle was his limit.

Since his soul was dead, his magic couldn’t grow either.

‘That was it…….’

It was clear that the healing occurred when the root cause of all the incidents, the Goblin, was killed.

“…….”

Randell suddenly recalled the past.

He had gone to the lord’s castle, caught the eye of his master, and was recommended for admission to the academy.

But as you know, Randell’s casting was trash, and he experienced a gloomy school life and the death of his family.

After graduation, he went to the wizard guild where his master belonged.

At first, it was quite good, but the problem arose after his master passed away.

No one taught Randell magic.

The wizard guild was established to share visions among wizards, but there was discrimination even within it.

To learn magic there, he had to substitute for dangerous experiments or research.

In the process, his mental world collapsed, and he hovered between life and death for three months.

‘Ha… back then.’

He didn’t know how much he resented the wizard guild at that time.

For Randell, who had lost his family, only magic remained.

So he wanted to forget everything and delve into it madly, but he couldn’t quench that thirst.

The knowledge the wizard guild taught him bit by bit was rather poison.

It was like giving seawater to a thirsty person.

So in the end, he threw everything away and ran out of the wizard guild to become a mercenary.

Normally, that would make him an enemy of the wizard guild, but Randell didn’t even have that.

He was a half-wit not worth such value.

Randell suddenly wondered.

‘How far can I go this time?’

In his previous life, the limit was the 3rd circle.

But now it’s different.

The wounds on his soul have healed.

The casting that had choked his heart and dragged his reputation to the bottom has also been resolved.

If he regains the skills of the 3rd circle, entering the wizard guild would be so easy it would be boring.

Then he would be able to learn magic as much as he wanted.

Suddenly, a severe thirst arose.

Wizard, Sorcerer, Grand Sorcerer, Sage…

If he could surpass all of them.

Randell had one thing he really wanted to do.

“A tower. I want to build a tower.”

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Randell’s gaze was fixed on the high mountain behind.

He was looking towards its peak.

* * *

A few days later.

Randell and his party safely arrived at the lord’s castle.

‘Nothing much has changed.’

The lord’s castle was still peaceful. It hadn’t been long since he last visited to sell herbs, so it was to be expected.

Manwellin was the first to disband the soldiers.

After telling Knight Sanchez that he would make the report himself, he turned to Randell and said,

“Are you very tired? If you’re okay, let’s meet my father first. He happens to have some free time now.”

“Yes, that’s fine with me.”

Randell headed to the lord’s mansion with Manwellin.

The mansion was modest, unlike the grand exterior of the castle.

The territory’s only specialties were herbs, monster by-products, and minerals.

Naturally, the taxes collected were small, and even this modest mansion was a blessing.

‘Well, the barren north is all like this.’

Of course, there were many lords in the north who didn’t care about such things.

Even a dry rag yields water when squeezed, and taxes could be extracted from the commoners if they were squeezed hard enough.

But the lord here was far from such practices.

This was one of the reasons Randell chose this territory as the home for his family.

‘The problem is that good people don’t always have good things happen to them.’

The future of the kind lord was tragic.

Defeated in territorial wars due to the combined attacks and schemes of other territories, the lord’s entire family was executed.

Only Manwellin survived.

The day he drank heavily, Manwellin had once told him about such a past while shedding bloody tears.

He said he had seen the heads of his family hanging on the castle gate…

Randell shook his head to clear his thoughts.

‘Get a grip. Don’t let yourself be completely taken advantage of like a fool.’

There shouldn’t be any issues, but still, he was in front of a noble.

He was still a worthless commoner. It wouldn’t be strange if any unexpected situation arose.

Never let your guard down.

Randell calmed himself and followed Manwellin.