I Became a Magical Genius After Regression

Chapter 22

Randell examined the ornament closely.

The surface of the round body, presumably made of metal, was engraved with various patterns.

“This looks like… a map of the continent.”

“But why is it so round? Isn’t the earth flat?”

“That can’t be. Look at the lunar eclipse. Isn’t the shadow covering the moon curved? Of course, it’s round.”

“Aha.”

“How can a noble say such ignorant things, even if a commoner might not know?”

“Well, I might not know. I only swing my sword, so I’m not familiar with such things. So, this is a map of the continent, right? Then why do you look like a dog that needs to go?”

“Well, that’s because…”

Randel scratched the back of his neck.

As Manwellin said, this seemed to be a model of the continent.

He had actually seen it before. Back in the days when he was rolling around in the wizard guild’s laboratory.

But the problem was.

“It looks a bit different from the continent I know.”

“Maybe the land looked like this in ancient times. I’m a noble worse than a commoner, so I wouldn’t know~”

“Ugh…”

Leaving the offended Manwellin behind, Randel pondered.

The lord had promised one item from the warehouse. But he wanted to take two.

‘Of course, if I had to choose just one, there’s no need to think about it.’

A clay tablet like a spirit stone?

No.

The divine box was the supreme treasure that had brought Randel back and shortened his casting time.

The sphere within it reacted.

Without a doubt, he had to choose that model.

But.

‘Is there no way to take both?’

If the two items he wanted were weapons, it would have been difficult.

In such a barren place, the most important thing was food, followed by good quality weapons.

But what Randel chose were things that anyone would see as junk.

If he could just talk his way out, he might be able to take both.

“Hey, are you done yet?”

“Just a moment. I’ve chosen two, but I’m still thinking.”

“What’s that in your hand?”

“This clay tablet… it looks like an ancient document. I want to study it personally.”

“What about that?”

“It must be a map of the continent. It’s definitely nothing special, but strangely, I’m really drawn to it…?”

Manwellin wondered what this guy was up to with his incoherent words.

But looking at Randell’s face, he realized that wasn’t the case.

Randell, who had always been confident and composed since they first met in the back alley.

Even when a knight came to the village, he only pretended to be flustered.

But now, he had a genuinely confused look on his face.

‘He must really want it badly.’

Manwellin chuckled and said,

“Both are useless anyway, so take them all. I’ll explain it well to my father.”

“Really?”

“Then just take one.”

“Thank you, miss.”

Randell accepted without hesitation and quickly packed it up.

* * *

“Please put it over here.”

Two servants struggled to move the heavy model.

The clay tablet was light, so he brought it himself.

“We’ll be off now.”

“Good job.”

After hurriedly sending the servants away, Randell quickly examined the spoils.

The first thing he checked was, of course, the model.

Regardless of spirits or anything else, the source of Randell’s power was the divine box.

Uncovering its secret was the most important thing.

‘It looks magnificent like this…’

The large chunk of metal in the small room made it feel cramped.

Although the model’s exterior was all oxidized and had an unsightly blue hue, upon closer inspection, its detail and craftsmanship were as good as any art piece.

The patterns and engravings representing the continent and islands were incredibly intricate.

‘Could even a dwarf make something like this?’

The pedestal was the same.

The quality of the replica was not as good as the original, but the intricate relief work indicated that it was definitely made by a renowned craftsman.

However, as mentioned, it was rusty and too bulky to be displayed in a noble’s house.

So, it was neither good enough to be displayed nor something that could be thrown away, which is why it ended up in storage.

‘The problem is… what is this thing?’

Randell scrutinized the model thoroughly but couldn’t find anything unusual.

There were no gaps to see inside, nor did it seem to have any mechanisms.

Even when he infused it with mana, there was no reaction.

“Then there’s only one answer.”

Randell muttered as he extended his hand forward.

“Spear.”

With those words, a blue sphere appeared before his eyes.

Still, there was no significant reaction.

Randell strengthened his will.

‘Move forward, move forward.’

Then the sphere began to move slowly according to Randell’s command.

As the sphere touched the model,

Whoosh―

A blue light emanated from the model.

“Ugh!”

Randell reflexively covered his eyes from the intense light.

But even so, he watched through the gaps between his fingers to see what was happening.

A brilliant light, as if it were the sun. The light was spreading from the model where the sphere had merged.

Click, click.

The outer part began to rise and disassemble, and the model started to shrink in size.

Simultaneously,

Thud.

With a familiar sound, new strings of text appeared before his eyes.

∥Verifying / Please wait up to 8 seconds

∥Identifying user’s characteristics

∥……

∥The system has been synchronized (1/9)

│Increased synchronization of the connection processing device

│All magic casting –10%

│No.7 / CASE. 2179

“The system… synchronized?”

While Randel muttered in surprise, the light faded.

When he looked down, the large spherical model had disappeared without a trace.

All that remained was the sphere that had been absorbed inside the model.

Wooong―

Soon, the sphere returned to Randel.

But something peculiar was seen.

“What… did you bring back this time?”

A small purple sphere had appeared above the sphere.

The new sphere was slowly orbiting around the main sphere, just like the moon.

Gulp, gulp.

Randel walked to the desk with weakened steps and drank cold water in one go.

As the coldness entered, his mind cleared a bit.

‘Okay, let’s organize this. First, the model was indeed related to the God’s Box. And when I placed the sphere, its true form was revealed…’

The system, he didn’t know what it was.

He also didn’t know what the ancient words at the very end meant.

But he understood the words in the middle.

‘All magic casting has decreased by 10%?’

Randel felt his heart pounding.

He wasn’t sure if ‘all magic’ referred only to what he had learned so far.

Or if it also included what he would learn in the future.

But since the word ‘all’ was used, the latter seemed more likely.

‘This can be tested later.’

Anyway, with the lord’s help, the 3rd circle wasn’t far off.

After all, he was a lord, so he wouldn’t lack a few magic stones.

What was more encouraging was the number at the end.

∥(1/9)

‘There are eight more of these?’

I don’t know if the others have the same function.

But if they do, and I gather all nine of them…

‘All casting times… reduced by 90%?’

Randell shivered.

What was his biggest concern?

It was his casting time.

To be precise, it was the casting time of the magic he would learn in the future.

In his previous life, it took him 15 minutes to cast a 3rd circle spell.

Considering that a 2nd circle spell took 3 minutes, it was five times longer.

Then what about a 4th circle? A 5th circle?

If he became a 7th circle mage, he might have to chant for 24 hours just to cast one spell.

Even with the help of the God’s Box, reducing casting time was extremely difficult.

‘But if I gather all nine of these?’

He would be free from such worries.

“Hahaha!”

A hearty laugh burst from Randell’s lips.

As his biggest worry disappeared, he felt a refreshing sense of relief.

After a good laugh, Randell finally calmed down.

There was still one more gift to open.

Would it be an empty box, or a treasure chest?

With a pounding heart, Randell picked up the clay tablet.

* * *

Three days had passed since he stayed at the lord’s castle.

Randell hadn’t done much during that time.

All he did was practice magic in his room while waiting for his family, who would arrive soon, summoned by the butler.

However, yesterday, the resident mage of this territory had visited him.

A 3rd circle mage, Kapus.

“Would you like to become my disciple?”

They came and said many things. That it was amazing, but that I was just starting out and lacked skill, and so on.

But the conclusion was this.

―I have spoken with the lord……. I’m sorry, but I have to work in this territory after graduating from the academy. Is that okay?

―What I’m saying is to break that and become my disciple. If you do, you can learn magic and dream bigger than this rural territory, can’t you?

―I would like that too. But… if I cancel the sponsorship, will my family be safe?

―…That’s right.

When he mentioned his family with a troubled face, using the lord’s name, Kapus also fell silent.

[How can you betray the lord when your family lives in this territory? Can you handle the consequences?]

When it came to this, Kapus had nothing to say.

He was only a 3rd circle mage, so it was impossible for him to take responsibility for Randel’s family.

Kapus retreated quietly, though with a hardened face.

But from the looks of it, he seemed likely to pester him a bit more. That’s how those types always are.

‘Would I be crazy to become your disciple?’

Of course, even if that was resolved, he had no intention of becoming a disciple.

Kapus only said good things, but his eyes were full of greed and jealousy.

It was a look often seen in the mage guild.

Not looking for a disciple, but a slave.

At first, he would pretend to be kind, but once on track, he would surely suck him dry.

‘If there was anything to learn, maybe.’

Randel was already a 2nd circle mage, though he hadn’t said it.

And he was not far from reaching the 3rd circle.

Randel grumbled and focused on the clay tablet again.

But looking at the clay tablet, he sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

“Ah, what a waste.”

After testing it in various ways, the result was that this clay tablet was indeed a contract with a spirit.

If he stayed in contact with the clay tablet for a certain amount of time, he could understand the spirit’s intentions.

Whether it would make a contract with him or not.

Randel was fiercely rejected by the spirit.

‘Damn it…….’

The problem was not just that he was a mage who processed and used mana.

The spirit uses the pure power of nature as it is.

On the other hand, Randel, who processes and contains such power within his body, feels intense rejection.

‘No wonder there hasn’t been a single person in the long history of the continent who is both a wizard and a spirit master. The same goes for knights…’

Still, Randel was constantly observing, trying to study the spirit language somehow.

Since spirits belong to the mystical category like magic, he might gain some insight while researching.

‘Transcription… is done with this.’

Randel stretched as he put down his pen.

Crack.

The sound was pleasant after sitting at the desk for a long time, having always run around the mountains and fields or used magic.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

At the sound of knocking, Randel spoke, and the attendant who entered delivered a message.

“Sir Manwellin wishes to see you for a moment.”

“What is it about?”

“I am just here to deliver the message…”

“Understood.”

Randel nodded and began to prepare himself thoroughly.

“It’s about time for something to happen, isn’t it?”

Randel muttered as he looked out the window at the cloudy sky.