I Became a Magical Genius After Regression

Chapter 20

“Here we are.”

The place Manwellin led him to was the mansion’s reception room.

When they opened the door and entered, the lord was already seated inside.

In other territories, this would have been unimaginable.

Not only would they not meet with commoners, but even if they did, they would make them wait for four hours on purpose.

‘That’s why I hardly ever took on requests from nobles when I was a mercenary. Those scumbags.’

The unusual thing was the middle-aged man sitting next to the lord.

From his attire to his demeanor, he was proclaiming with his whole being, ‘I am a wizard.’

“Father, I’m here!”

“Yes. Tsk tsk, you insisted on going there?”

“What could I do when you wouldn’t let me go? I’m a knight too, I need to experience real combat.”

“When will you ever grow up…?”

“Oh, I’ve heard that so many times my ears are calloused. Save that for later, here’s the wizard I mentioned. His name is Randell.”

Manwellin pointed to Randell as he spoke.

Then the lord, who had been looking displeased, immediately brightened up and approached Randell.

“Oh! Nice to meet you. Come on, lift your head. There’s no need to be so stiff.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

Randell, who had been bowing his head in accordance with etiquette, looked up at those words.

There stood a middle-aged man with a gentle impression, smiling.

‘He looks exactly like I remember.’

Although he had never seen him personally, the lord would occasionally visit the village to look around his domain.

I had seen him a few times back then, and it was exactly the same face as now.

However, the atmosphere felt quite different.

At that time, even from a distance, there was an inexplicable sense of intimidation and charisma.

But now, he was just a neighborhood uncle, nothing more, nothing less.

‘Is it natural?’

Even before his regression, he was 5 or 6 years older than this lord before he died.

Moreover, he had endured all sorts of hardships. The life he had lived was too rough to feel intimidated by a lord who had lived peacefully in his own territory.

While Randel was lost in his memories, the lord introduced the middle-aged man next to him.

“This is Sir Kapus, the magician of our territory.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Hmm.”

Kapus, with his impressive goatee, nodded gravely.

A magician’s circle is a kind of gravitational field.

The more circles there are, the more mana from the atmosphere is drawn in, and the stronger the resonance.

So, when facing a magician with more circles than oneself, one feels a sense of pressure.

‘Judging by that… about 3 circles.’

Of course, a high-ranking magician can hide their circles.

But the probability of a high-circle magician working in such a barren and poor territory was extremely low.

There are magicians who seek quiet places for research, but this place was beyond quiet, it was desolate.

For magical research, the infrastructure for material procurement is also quite important, and in that aspect, this place was lacking.

‘That’s why they welcome my appearance so much.’

If Randel is raised well, it would be like having a future high-circle magician rolling in.

Meanwhile, the lord asked Kapus.

“How is it? Do you feel the magic of the artifact?”

At those words, Kapus closed his eyes and chanted a spell.

A blue wave spread out from Kapus.

Detect. It was a magic to measure the mana density around.

“No. He does not have an artifact.”

The meaning of those words was simple.

It meant that Randel had not cheated with an artifact.

It meant that the report from the messenger was true.

The lord swallowed hard and said,

“Well, Randel. Show us your magic now.”

“Understood.”

Randel began casting on the spot.

At first, he pondered how much of his skill he should reveal.

The saying that a protruding stone gets hit is so common now that it doesn’t even serve as a lesson.

But completing magic in one second?

Everyone would be shocked and turn upside down the moment he used it.

‘Let’s reveal only half. Keep the casting the same, but only use one circle.’

That was the range Randel decided on.

It was hard to keep hiding it anyway.

Moreover, those who envied Randel would inevitably emerge.

Right in front of him was Kapus, and there were also knights.

At that moment, he judged that it was better to show overwhelming talent rather than be ambiguously recognized as a competitor.

So that they wouldn’t even dare to touch him.

Or so that the lord would cherish him so much that they wouldn’t even think of it.

“…Light. Fire. Water.”

The thought was long, but the casting was short.

Every time Randel spoke the incantation, light flashed, fire blazed, and water droplets scattered from his hand.

The total casting time for the three spells was just five seconds.

“Gasp!? What is this…?”

The lord, who had been watching with an expectant expression, was beyond surprised and let out a gasp.

It was that shocking of a sight.

He had heard from the messenger sent by his daughter that the boy had great talent.

But wasn’t this beyond great?

However, the person most surprised in this place was someone else.

So shocked that he couldn’t even let out a groan and just stood there with his mouth agape.

It was Kapus.

“Well, what do you think? To me, it looks real.”

“Y-Yes. I am sure… I am sure. This boy… is real.”

Hot tears streamed down Kapus’ cheeks as he stammered out his answer after a long pause.

It must be a very complicated feeling.

Even though it’s just a 1-circle spell, the casting time is only 1 or 2 seconds.

And he learned it by self-study?

This isn’t just talent. It’s an unreasonable violence.

He must feel like he’s falling into an abyss right now.

He must have lived with pride as a wizard, but now he realizes that his talent is like a firefly’s tail that can’t even shine in front of the sun called Randell.

“I’m sorry.”

Randell apologized inwardly.

Randell understood Kapus’ feelings better than anyone else.

Because it was a feeling he experienced every day in his previous life.

So even though everyone was amazed by his casting, Randell didn’t feel that good.

In fact, it was the power of the God’s Box.

“You there!”

The lord, who saw Kapus’ agitation, stood up abruptly.

Then he hurriedly approached and grabbed Randell’s hand.

“I won’t say much. I want to sponsor you.”

The lord’s tone had already changed.

“It would be an honor for me if you do.”

“I like your straightforwardness! Then I will make a direct proposal without further ado.”

“I will listen.”

“I will enroll you in the Magic Academy. I will also provide you with enough maintenance costs to live without envy. Our territory may not have much, but we can manage that much. Instead…”

“After graduation, I will work in the territory.”

“Yes, you will become the exclusive wizard of our territory.”

Randell nodded at those words.

It seemed like a great offer, but considering Randell’s genius talent, it was as stingy as saltwater.

Of course, to enter the academy, you need a recommendation letter from a noble or another wizard.

And it costs a huge amount of tuition, dormitory fees, and living expenses.

But could Randell not solve that?

It wasn’t that difficult to earn enough for tuition if you had some time.

Getting a recommendation letter was also a matter of showing your talent to a successful merchant or noble.

There are many wealthy people in the world, and among them, the wise ones prefer to invest in people rather than material things.

‘If I were alone, I would have surely done that.’

But Randel had a family.

A family he wanted to protect, not a burden.

Therefore, until Randel himself grew into a proper wizard, his family needed a safe place to stay.

So, receiving sponsorship meant that his family could naturally be protected in this territory.

Above all, Randel knew well that there were hardly any lords as decent and trustworthy as the one here.

‘If we went to another territory, nine times out of ten, my family would be taken hostage.’

That’s the kind of people nobles are.

If that happened, they would probably be worked like slaves for the rest of their lives.

Of course, there was a condition that he had to graduate from the academy and work here.

But it wasn’t something he couldn’t do.

Becoming an exclusive wizard meant that he wouldn’t enter another territory and would be solely affiliated with this place.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult task.

‘If it really doesn’t work out, there are many other ways.’

Several options came to mind immediately, but Randel shook his head.

In any case, from the lord’s perspective, it wasn’t an easy decision to split the limited resources to sponsor Randel.

Randel’s tuition and other maintenance costs alone would probably be about one-tenth of the entire territory’s budget.

Even though it was said to be 10%, it wasn’t easy because it meant reducing the budget for already planned projects.

He didn’t want to betray that gratitude.

Above all, wasn’t it the family of Manwellin, who had helped him a lot in his previous life?

‘First, let’s prevent the territory from falling.’

A few years later, the lord and his family would be beheaded and hung at the castle gate.

If he could prevent such a disaster, wouldn’t he have no reason to feel guilty even if he changed his mind later?

The people involved wouldn’t know, but.

After organizing his long thoughts, Randel spoke.

“I would be really grateful if you could do that.”

“Is there anything else you want?”

“May I ask you a few favors?”

“Of course. Feel free to speak.”

“First, I would like my family to stay near your lordship’s mansion. And I hope that ‘no one’ will harm them.”

Randel emphasized the last part.

A boy from a commoner family.

If they were suddenly treated as semi-guests of honor, there would naturally be people blinded by jealousy.

But if the lord personally took care of it, there wouldn’t be any madmen who would dare to do such a thing.

“Don’t worry about that. Or how about they stay in my mansion? If you want, I can even give them work.”

“No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, but… I would like my family to live doing what they want.”

Randel knew well.

No matter how much money you give, if the recipient’s heart is uncomfortable, it is nothing more than torture.

The same went for his family.

Working in the lord’s mansion would be safe, and they would be paid well.

But if the people themselves didn’t want it, what meaning would it have?

‘There are so many people in the world who can’t live as they wish…’

The limits of status, the eyes of others, financial circumstances.

They live silently, suffering for various reasons.

Just like his past life.

Randel hoped his family wouldn’t be like that.

A life where they could make their own choices and rise again even if they failed.

He wanted to create such a life for them.

“Hmm…”

The lord seemed to understand his meaning and made a sound of contemplation.

For a boy in his early teens, his words were excessively earnest and scholarly.

The lord no longer insisted and said,

“Alright. I’ll have the head butler take care of it personally.”

“Thank you.”

“What is the second favor?”

“That is…”

“Don’t hesitate, just tell me.”

“Excuse me, but I heard there is a place where the lord keeps cherished items passed down through generations.”

“Hmm… that’s right.”

“If I could receive just one treasure from that place, I think I could always remember the lord even at the academy.”

“Treasure? There’s nothing that grand in there…”

Endis Estate was indeed poor, but surprisingly, there were quite a few valuable items in the storage.

Thanks to the frontier base at the very front of the estate.

The frontier base was more like a shield protecting the kingdom from the monsters that swarmed in, rather than just a pioneering base in name.

As such an important place, it was a direct dominion managed directly by the royal capital.

A place where the lord had no influence at all.

However, due to its geographical proximity, there were quite a few instances where items obtained from the monsters flowed into the estate.

The storage was a place where only the useful items among them were collected by the lords over generations.

Of course, as the lord said, there were no grand items.

The real treasures had long been used by the lord himself or sold elsewhere.

In other words, it was a warehouse of valuable knick-knacks.

‘But sometimes, there are times when you don’t recognize a treasure even when it’s right in front of you.’

Randell had heard something separately.

From none other than the eldest daughter of this estate, directly.

―Phew, spirit mages are really amazing. They make war seem like child’s play. Do you see that flame?

―Indeed, I’ve only heard about spirit mages, but seeing one in person leaves me speechless. Why did I even learn magic?

―If we had a spirit mage, would the future of our estate have been a bit different?

―Who knows, it’s all futile thoughts. Why would a spirit mage be in your estate? To make a spirit mage, you need a spirit stone, and there are only a few of those in the kingdom.

―No, we had one.

―What? Really?

―Yes. Well, in my father’s storage―

Randell shook off his thoughts and spoke.

“I must have asked for too much. If it’s a burden, please forget I mentioned it…”

“No, no. You will be the pillar of our estate in the future, what can’t I do for you?”

“Thank you for your grace, my lord.”

Speaking with a tone full of disappointment, the lord immediately shook his head.

There wasn’t anything grand inside, but he couldn’t give Randell a bad impression by being stingy.

Isn’t he a talent who will work with my son in the future?

“First of all, you must be tired from the long journey, so take a rest. I will send someone tomorrow to convey the details.”

“Thank you.”

Randell bowed his head and withdrew.

‘This is the best result. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.’

He said with a satisfied smile.

Thus, Randell’s first day at the lord’s castle came to an end.