Infinite Wizard

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"I will try again."

Shirone continued to observe the tree grooves for a long time, even after Vincent had left.

Now he was feeling a slight shudder.

Putting a line of tricks in your head is knowledge. However, it was a sensation that was accepted by the whole body.

Hit the same place, but twist it a little.

This simple knowledge, which had been handed down through the mouths of countless people, was being absorbed by Shirone with a far greater realization than Vincent expected.

"Dad."

"yes?"

"Should I break this one at a time?"

"ha ha ha! I haven't even cut half of it yet. Will it break?"

"If you're lucky, it might be."

The tree is not broken because it is lucky. The skilled woodcutter persistently digs into the weak point of the resolution and knocks it over with just a few blows of an axe, but there is no way Shirone can do that.

"Good! Let's trust our son's luck!"

Vincent readily matched his son's rhythm. I was just grateful that you were interested in chopping wood.

"If you break this, please grant me a wish."

"yes? wish?"

I suddenly felt uneasy. Could he possibly be saying that he wants to learn to read? Or maybe he wants to be sent to school like the other rich kids?

"Please take me with you when I go to the city to sell things this time."

To be honest, it took ten years, but Vincent didn't show it and smiled broadly.

"It's okay, that's fine. I will listen to you!"

After accepting the agreement, Shirone passed the ax behind her shoulder and looked at the tree. The smile faded abruptly, leaving Vincent with a sudden surge of terror. The son, who stared at the tree without blinking, seemed to be looking for something invisible.

Shirone suddenly swung the axe. He seems to have hit the groove exactly but with extremely minute twists mixed in, in categories unrecognizable to humans.

What a bummer!

The sound of lightning struck Vincent's eyes wide open. In the place where the ax had entered, a crack occurred like an earthquake, and the tree could not handle the weight and cracked.

"Hurray! Success!"

Vincent couldn't believe it. It was a 'thunder strike' that came down as a legend among woodcutters. It was a mythical skill that Vincent and the woodcutter he knew had only heard about but had never seen or experienced.

But that is because the woodcutter's work is focused on making a living. In fact, in some occupational groups, the phenomenon of thundering can be encountered quite often, but it was none other than the swordsman.

A swordsman risking his life to wield a sword sharpens his skills systematically and deeply incomparably with a woodcutter.

Among them, a thunderclap was included. However, it was clear that even such tests were not a skill that could be easily performed.

"Hurray! Success!"

Shirone, who was able to tour the city as promised, ran around with his arms raised.

Vincent, watching the scene, was confused.

I couldn't figure out whether I should raise this child to be a woodcutter or not.

* * *

Grabbing the reins of the two-headed carriage with a cart, Vincent crossed the gates of the city of Creas. Shirone, who was riding in the luggage compartment, looked around with sparkling eyes.

Leather is delivered to the weapon shop, meat to the grocery store, and intestines to the apothecary or magic shop. I had to go around several shops, and it would have taken more than four hours to even bargain.

Upon arriving at the store, Shirone jumped off the cart. said Vincent, placing the bag of meat on his shoulder.

"We must be back before sunset."

"Do not worry. I have memorized all the roads."

"Never go into a dark place, and you have to go only on the main road. If someone comes and asks why you're alone, you have to point to the nearest store and say you're waiting for Dad."

"OK. The last time I came, nothing special happened."

Vincent was heartbroken to think that he was neglecting his son. But he couldn't help it because his family's livelihood depended on how he bargained.

Shirone reassured his anxious father and left the shopping district. Vincent expected a concert hall or a toy store that children usually visit, but Shirone was not interested in such things.

The place where Shirone arrived was the largest library in the city. As he looked up at the huge, majestic building, his heart pounded.

Could all the knowledge since the beginning of history be accumulated in this building?

There is no way to check. The library, a top-notch cultural space, was not accessible to non-nobility.

When two female students walked out of the library holding books in their arms, Shirone hurriedly stepped aside.

Vincent is a loving father, but he always threatens like a goblin when he talks about nobles.

Never give up what they say is absolutely right. When you make eye contact, bow your head.

Shirone didn't care how great the nobles were. He just wanted to read a book.

'Why can't I go in?'

Shirone decided to follow the female students. There was nothing I wanted to see other than the library, but I was curious about how nobles differed from commoners.

After walking for about 20 minutes, the scenery changed dramatically.

Shirone forgot his original purpose and was overwhelmed by the gigantic structures towering all over the place. Among them, the highlight was the school, which boasts an enormous site even through the barbed wire.

The name of the building was written on the arch of the main entrance.

Alpheas Magic School.

If there was one-word Shirone couldn't understand in life, it was magic.

It appears in many stories without falling out, but I have never seen a book that describes the principle. It was kind of neglected. It was also the arrogance that non-mages didn't need to know.

A guard spotted Shirone and shouted.

"What! What are you doing, child?"

And as if Shirone's outfit was a pariah, he waved his hands back and forth as if to drive away flies.

"Go back! This is not the place for crap like you to come."

"Oh, sorry."

Shirone got scared and ran away. The guard, who was also savage in appearance, opened his eyes and made his hamstrings tingle.

But when the guards were out of sight, they stopped again. Surprisingly, it was still under the walls of the magic school.

How wide is this school?

While I was thinking about that, I heard an old man's voice from across the fence.

"Now then, let's talk about what magic is."

"Aaaah, no! Show me the magic Show me one more!"

"No! Show me the fire going, Headmaster!"

Shirone looked up at the beautiful tree that stood over the wall. The principal of the magic school seemed to be holding an outdoor class under the shade of a tree.

All of the children's voices were younger than Shirone's. Being educated from the moment they are born is aristocratic, so it wouldn't be strange if a child went to magic school.

"Heh heh, if you start a fire at school, you get scolded. Instead, if you get it right, I'll show you some fun magic."

"Oh yeah! What's the matter? Hurry up please!"

Shirone listened to the wall.

"What is the most necessary talent to learn magic?"

The silence continued for a while.

Everyone must have been dumb from eating honey. It was a question that required a fairly subjective answer, even for Shirone.

However, the children are gifted children who have been recognized for their magical talent and have been admitted early. Rather than give up, he gave his answer one by one.

"Effort. Effort is important because even if you study magic for a lifetime, you cannot learn everything."

"I think it is knowledge. There are over 100 magic books alone."

Besides that, plausible answers such as concentration and memory continued.

But the principal's voice was still unheard. Perhaps he is looking at the children with a benevolent smile?

"Money. There are so many things to buy to learn magic."

The children burst into laughter.

The principal's laughter was also mixed in.

At this point, Shirone also became curious. If not effort, knowledge, or money, what talent is most needed to learn magic?

After hearing all the children's answers, the principal finally spoke up.

"The most necessary talent to learn magic is insight."

The second stillness came.

"What is Insight?"

The headmaster grunted and let out an embarrassing groan. However, he continued to explain in a friendly voice.

"Insight is more accurate than knowledge and faster than effort."

"Wow! So, is it really magic?"

"haha! It could be. No, that's right. Because all the magic that exists in the world comes from insight. Let me give you an example. Do you know how many 1 plus 1 is?"

"Of course it's 2."

The children responded unanimously. It was like how could you ask such a thing?

"I see. So can you explain why 1 plus 1 is 2?"

"uh? yea of ?? course... ... ."

The children who tried to speak confidently shut their mouths. It's because I can't figure out where to start explaining, what to explain, and how to explain it.

There was laughter in Alpheas' voice.

"The strange feeling I feel right now is insight. Long ago, there was a time when people did not know that 1 plus 1 equals 2. It has been proven through knowledge and hard work. But don't you guys understand perfectly that one plus one equals two without going through that process?"

Shirone gradually fell in love with the story. The children on the other side of the wall were probably listening with their mouths open as well.

"Magic is a phenomenon that exists from the beginning. Just like the correct answer is 2 even when you don't know that 1 plus 1 is 2. Someone has uncovered that fact with effort and knowledge, but you don't have to. As such, insight is the fastest way to understand the rules of something."

"Then there is no need to study or work?"

"Does that make sense? But to be honest... ... It is true."

Common sense is the knowledge that the majority believes in. But sometimes it's easy to accept, so it's common sense. Shirone was able to guess Alpheas' heart as he had to tell the cruel reality.

"Then you don't have to go to school?"

"Heh heh heh! Insight is not so easily obtained. The reason why 1 plus 1 equals 2 is because scholars have proven it through the ages. Of course, some people realize the correct answer without going through the process of verification. We call such people geniuses."

"Did my mother say I was a genius?"

"It is not wrong to say that. Everyone is born with a talent, and anyone can become a genius if they hone that talent."

Anyone can be a genius. Shirone's words got stuck in his chest.

But is it? Will the opportunity to go over this high wall come to you too?

"Yes. It's the kid standing there behind the wall. I want to hear what you think."

Shirone hurriedly retreated from the wall.

Should I run away? No, should I answer? But are they qualified to answer commoners?

"Don't do that, come over here. I want to see your face."

Shirone heard his heart beating as he approached the wall. I was still young, so I didn't know the world, but one thing was clear. It was a fact that if I couldn't cross this wall now, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

Shirone climbed the wall. The principal of Alpheas Magic School, Alpheas, was smiling.

The first impression was a gray-haired grandfather. But in reality, he was a virtuous person whose name was known even to other countries as a certified fourth-class wizard recognized by the kingdom.

Alpheas, sitting on a flat rock, waved his hand.

"Would you like to come? Have you come to be the companion of this old man?"

Gaining confidence in Alpheas' benevolence, Shirone jumped over the fence. As expected, children around the same age as Shirone or younger were sitting in a circle.