*
A few days after I took Erika on as my Assistant.
It was my 12th Birthday.
— "Happy birthday, Yulian!"
The Birthday party passed like a storm, with congratulations bursting from all sides.
A mountain of gift boxes sent from the Merkur Trading Company.
My father's Gushing as he wiped away tears, saying, "To think our Yulian is already Twelve years old!"
And even Freya, who awkwardly wished me a happy birthday and handed me a handkerchief.
After the hectic party and Dinner were over.
I had just returned to my room and was about to check my gifts.Knock, knock.
I opened the door at the sound of the knock to find my Mother standing there.
For a moment, I thought she was a Ghost.
Coming here herself in the dead of night, with no attendant or maid.
"Yulian, come to the Office for a moment."
Her face was extremely serious as she spoke.
Tense, I followed my Mother without being able to ask why.
'What is it? What on earth is going on?'
The atmosphere in front of the Office was grim in many ways.
Bodyguards were posted on both sides of the hallway.
In addition, there were two more on either side of the Office door.
As the hallway, which usually had only one guard, was filled with four, my body tensed up without me realizing.
As Mother and I passed, the Bodyguards bowed their heads and said nothing.
Seeing these men, who would normally greet me warmly, act like this made it feel like something very serious was happening.
Creeak—
A Bodyguard opened the door without a word.
The door opened.
Inside, my father was waiting.
The door closed behind me, and Mother bolted the Lock from the inside.
"Sit down, Yulian."
Father pointed to the Sofa.
The atmosphere was incredibly heavy.
So much so that it wouldn't be strange if a Secret of birth were to pop out at any moment.
Could it be? Was I not adopted, but an Illegitimate child?
'No way.'
Since they were both just staring at me without a word, I was so nervous that I started Gushing a bit in my head.
At last, my father broke the silence.
"You are now Twelve years old."
"Yes. Thanks to you, I was able to grow up safely."
"That's not something your age should... sigh. Never mind."
The Family Head let out a sigh.
"I called you here because this isn't something I could say at the Birthday party. According to Imperial Law, you can learn Magic when you turn 12. Are you aware?"
"Yes, I am."
There are two main abilities required to handle Magic.
The minimum cognitive ability to understand the world,
and the Physical sense to feel Mana.
And these two factors are usually considered to have met the minimum requirements by the age of 12.
Father nodded, saying it was good that I understood quickly.
"So, it's about time you learned How to become a noble."
How to become a noble.
The moment I heard that, I understood why the atmosphere was so tense.
Magic was the minimum Condition for becoming a noble.
Not all Wizards become nobles, but all nobles must know how to use Magic.
That is so they can fulfill the Duty of a noble.
'So that was the reason.'
Only then did I understand this tense atmosphere.
The instruction of Magic is a Matter of great family importance.
Depending on who learns it, you might know the next Successor, and depending on what Magic is learned, you can somewhat predict the family's future path.
As such, there was no benefit to letting outsiders know.
"Good. I will tell you the schedule."
It goes without saying, but there is an order to learning Magic.
Just as Basic education has an Elementary, middle, and high school curriculum.
"First, let's have you learn the Basics from a Tutor."
A Tutor teaches only the Basics of Magic, just as the title implies.
The Properties of magic, Basic formula, Activation principle. And finding out what kind of Magic I have an Aptitude for, and so on.
However, they never teach anything more than that, no matter what.
This is because once a Wizard has a grasp of the Basics, they must forge their own path.
If their path is similar to the Tutor's, a Connection may continue, but usually, one parts with the Tutor there and moves on to the next stage.
But Father was reserved about that part.
"The next step is a long way off, so let's talk about it later. The Tutor's course alone usually takes about three years."
Mother, who had been listening quietly beside Father, smiled gently.
"Don't push yourself too hard, and learn slowly."
Facing that smile, I couldn't bring myself to say it.
That it probably wouldn't even take a few months.
*
Three months later.
"...Does this make any sense?"
Teacher Schmidt, my Tutor, muttered with a blank face.
He was someone Mother had called, said to be a top-tier private tutor for noble children.
And he really was a good teacher.
"I've been teaching for over 30 years, but this is the first time I've seen a case like this."
"It is because you are a great teacher, Teacher."
"No. I only did as I always do. You can be proud of that."
Saying it like that is so embarrassingly cheesy.
"Especially in the field of Alchemy, there is nothing for me to teach. Your understanding of the structure and transformation of matter is..."
"I was a bit familiar with that part."
"Familiar, you say?"
"Well, there are circumstances..."
I couldn't say, 'Because I'm a Director at the Pharmaceutical Merchant Guild,' so I just laughed it off.
I just framed it as having a lot of Interest in that area.
At this, the Teacher didn't press for details and just nodded.
"It seems the Young Master should pursue the path of Alchemy."
Yes. I'm already on that path.
I already have a company. It's huge. It was just promoted to a Class 2 Trading Company.
"..."
"..."
After he finished speaking, the Teacher fell silent.
He clearly looked like he had something more to say.
But he held his tongue and bid me farewell.
"It was a pleasure teaching you, Student Yulian. I hope we can meet again if our Connection allows it in the future."
"I am also grateful for the past three months."
"On the contrary, it was a joyful time for me, as it has been a while since I felt the reward of teaching. Thank you."
The Teacher left the room with a gentle smile.
As soon as he was gone, I confirmed no one was around and approached my bed.
And then,
I buried my face in my Pillow and let out a groan.
"Guuuh..."
It was hard pretending to be unfazed on the outside.
I thought I could Freeload with my 21st-century scientific knowledge.
After all, I had been on what I considered an elite course even for the STEM field in the 21st Century.
To finish the entire curriculum in three months, and at the end,
'Ah, is this all there is to this world's magic? It's so dull I could die of boredom.'
I thought I'd be able to do something like that.
But life isn't that easy.
The Scientific principle was the same.
The problem was that it wasn't only Science.
I also had to know Folklore, Mythology, and even Religion and Philosophical symbolism.
'Why is Salt a 'Symbolic object' that repels Evil spirits?'
'Why is silver an 'Inhibitor' for Werewolves?'
'Why is Lead a 'Catalyst' for trapping a Soul?'
I don't know. It's just that way because that's how it is.
In this world, those laws are basically gravity and electromagnetism.
'And what the hell is the Caster's mindset?'
Symbol, inhibitor, catalyst, Mindset, Faith, intention...
Add scientific knowledge to that.
Magic was a field with too many Superstitious variables for a rational and logical 21st-century Surgeon to comprehend.
But as long as I was pursuing the genius persona, I couldn't accept showing myself stuttering during Class.
So every day, I did a Pre-study the day before class, then acted the part of a genius who understood everything in an instant the next day.
'This damned Genius persona... I can't keep this up.'
But if I kept this up, the persona felt like it would break.
So I had to periodically Gush, at least internally.
Wow, finishing it in three months? That's insane.
...Damn it.
A Crow-tit trying to follow a Stork, my groin is killing me.
'I shouldn't have aimed to finish it in three months...'
But I couldn't Compromise.
A genius Protagonist taking the full three years to learn a three-year curriculum is just lame.
So I studied with the mindset of a Speedrun.
This was not something a person should do.
Thanks to that, for the first time in 25 years, I got to feel like an Examinee from the Republic of Korea again.
Good luck to all the Examinees out there. You guys must have it tough.
But you have to keep studying even when you get to University. Too bad.
'In other stories, they learn it At the Click of a Button.'
In other stories, wasn't Magic different from this?
You wake up and it's engraved on your body, or a Skill window pops up while you're sleeping.
At the very least, since it's a Fantasy world, you'd think learning things one by one would be exciting and release Dopamine.
What the hell. Give me that kind of Freeload too.
'...Well, whatever. It's over, so it's fine.'
All that's left is to wait.
After putting in this much effort, the Power of Misunderstanding will take care of the rest.
***
At that same moment, while Yulian was pouring out his emotions into his Bamboo Forest—his Pillow.
Teacher Schmidt visited the Office to report his final results.
"So, what is it you have to say, Teacher."
Yulian's Parent, Handel, asked.
Across the Desk, Schmidt let out a heavy sigh.
The gentle smile he had just shown Yulian was nowhere to be seen.
"...Baron. Is it alright if I speak frankly?"
"Go ahead."
Teacher Schmidt then carefully began to speak.
"Please do not misunderstand what I am about to say, and listen carefully. The Young Master's ability to follow along is more outstanding than anyone's. In terms of Theory, I can say he is superior to any student I have ever taught."
After finishing his words, Teacher Schmidt paused for a moment.
Countless worries swirled in his mind.
Would it really be okay to convey this as it is?
It was news that could make the Family Head throw an ashtray at his head at any moment.
He had actually met many such nobles.
But, Schmidt soon steeled himself and opened his mouth.
"However, it would be best... to give up on the dream of becoming a Mage."
"...What do you mean by that?"
At Linier's question, the Teacher hurriedly bowed his head.
He had phrased it well, but in terms of meaning, it was an incredibly rude statement.
To interpret it: Your son has no Practical talent.
Just get him a Research position.
That was roughly the meaning.
Beside Handel, Linier's hand, which was listening to the explanation, froze over her teacup.
"Could you please explain in more detail, Teacher?"
"Yes, Mother (Formal). We held a Practical exam in the latter half of the Class."
Teacher Schmidt counted on his fingers.
It was to count the subjects covered in class.
"He got a perfect score on the Theory. Freezing, Lightning, flame, Alchemy... ordinary Young Masters usually show Talent in one area, but the Young Master was proficient in all areas. He completely understands the principle of the Runic formula."
"Then what is the problem?"
"Despite understanding the Theory, he cannot actually activate it."
Handel's brow furrowed.
"Not a single one?"
"Yes. Not a single one."
Schmidt let out a sigh.
"Baron, Baroness. In Magic, Theory and Actual combat are different."
Schmidt wrote letters in the air with his finger.
It was a basic Conditional statement from a workbook, one that nobles would have memorized like a Formula.
"In Theory, you start by assuming a Condition, don't you? 'You wish to activate magic at 32 degrees Celsius and 85% Humidity.' Something like that."
"That's right."
"Under this assumption, the Young Master constructs the Runic formula perfectly. The problem is..."
Schmidt trailed off.
"In Actual combat, no one tells you these conditions, do they?"
"..."
"Some places are 30 degrees, some are 14 degrees. The Humidity changes in real time, and once you activate magic, the conditions change again. Furthermore, the Symbolism embedded in each location is also different."
Linier, understanding what Teacher Schmidt was trying to say, asked carefully.
"Don't tell me Yulian can't feel Symbolism?"
"Yes."
In contrast, Handel, who lacked knowledge in this area, Crossed arms and demanded a more detailed explanation.
"Explain a bit more. I'm a layman in this field. What about Symbolism?"
"I will use Freezing as an example."
Schmidt opened his palm and created a small piece of ice on it.
"To activate Freezing in this very spot, one must first grasp the Temperature and Humidity with their skin. At the same time, one must read the 'Aura of Stasis and Oblivion' embedded in this space."
"Hmm..."
"For Lightning, in addition to the 'sense to read the potential difference and atmospheric state,' you need the 'sense to find where the aura of fury and arrogance gathers'."
"You're saying he lacks that?"
"Yes. The Young Master lacks both Magical physical sense and Sensitivity."
At those words, Linier put down her teacup and nodded.
"Certainly, that is not something that can be taught."
Schmidt bowed his head.
"The Young Master understands it perfectly with his head. It's just that his body cannot follow."
Silence fell.
Handel broke the silence.
"...So what is the Conclusion."
"Among nobles, people like the Young Master are called the 'Twilight Firefly'."
Twilight Firefly.
Handel knew that Metaphor as well.
One that shines brightly at dusk, then disappears when night comes.
It was a term for Young Masters or Young Ladies who shine brilliantly in their youth but fail to even join the ranks of the nobility as adults.
"Are you certain, Teacher?"
Handel's brow furrowed upon hearing the Metaphor.
Schmidt nodded.
"It seems the Young Master will have no choice but to walk the path of a Magician."
Magician.
The type that can only use Magic by either researching Runic formulas, pre-drawing the formulas, or receiving help from a Magic tool.
It wasn't impossible for them to become nobles, but it was a very difficult path.
"So becoming a Mage is truly difficult?"
"A Mage is..."
A Mage was the type who could freely use Magic on the spot with just a Magic staff.
Naturally, it was not difficult for such elites to become nobles.
However,
"I am sorry."
Yulian was not that type.
Schmidt didn't bother to explain this.
Even without hearing it to the end, Handel knew what it meant.
"I understand."
Handel's voice sank.
In the Empire, a Magician is just a Technical profession, not considered a Mage who can maintain a Title of Nobility.
To explain this situation using Yulian's expression, Teacher Schmidt was saying this:
- It seems your son won't be able to get into Medical school; he'll have to go into Engineering school or Coding.
he was saying.
It wasn't that he lacked Talent.
It was just that his Talent was not in a socially convenient direction.
To Yulian himself, it was not a big deal, but from a Parent's perspective, it hit a little differently.
"Teacher. Just tell me this. Yulian, do you think that child can inherit the Noble Title?"
To a noble, Magic is a weapon and a Means of achieving success and fame before it is an academic field.
Their Privilege stems from the military power to fight the Demonic Beasts Outside the Wall.
Therefore, Handel's worry was valid.
No matter how outstanding his Talent, if Yulian could not become a Mage...
He would most likely be the first to be pushed out of the Food chain of Noble society.
"Tell me without holding back, Teacher."
"He can succeed as a Magician or a Scholar. But as a noble or a Mage..."
Schmidt trailed off.
A pained look flickered in Handel's eyes.
It was because he knew the heartlessness of this ecosystem better than anyone.
But that was only for a moment, and Handel nodded.
"I understand. Thank you for telling me."
"Then. I will be on my way, Baron."
After Teacher Schmidt left.
A heavy silence descended upon the Office.
Around the time the steam rising from the teacup subsided.
Handel was the first to break the silence.
"My lady."
"Yes."
"I was a Dullard."
Linier turned her head.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I was naturally slow, so it took me five years to learn the basics of magic. And I barely learned it with my body at that."
Handel looked out the window.
"But it was fine. Because my body followed. Even if your head is slow, if you have the sense for it, you can somehow manage with magic."
Linier did not answer.
"But Yulian is the opposite. His head is ten times better than mine, but they say his body doesn't follow."
"...Yes."
"Isn't that more cruel?"
Linier's hand clutched the hem of her skirt.
Cruel. That was right.
To understand, but be unable to do.
Linier knew better than anyone how frustrating that was.
It was also the reason why the Nihilrit Family had to take Handel in as an Adopted son-in-law.
"Hoo... Let's not say anything to Yulian."
Handel said.
"There's no good that will come from him knowing."
"...Alright."
Linier also nodded.
But a corner of her heart felt heavy.
To fall from the nobility.
It meant more than just a change in Social status.
'This world has no Mercy for the Downfall.'
Linier recalled the words her mother told her when she was young.
Those above trample on your wings so you cannot rise again.
Those below tear off your limbs to build a ladder.
And those even further below hack to pieces what little is left, just to vent their anger.
That is why the people of the Empire struggle so desperately.
Not to climb up, but to avoid falling down.
"I had hoped Yulian would not have to experience what I did..."
Linier covered her face with both hands.
Before she met her husband, what a painful and anxious time she had spent.
Handel knew this well, so he embraced her.
"It will be alright, my lady."
Handel's heart felt as if it were breaking too.
But at the same time, he did not let go of the thread of hope.
"Isn't he the child who worked Miracles?"
Because he knew well what kind of Miracle Yulian had brought about through his efforts.
"That child will be alright."
From the position of having watched this fact from the closest proximity, he believed in Yulian.
Though he knew how arduous that path would be.
As a parent, he could only cheer him on that path.
*
And at that moment.
The Laboratory.
"Hehe."
Yulian let out a silly laugh as he peered into a Flask.
'I should've learned this Magic sooner.'
Yulian already knew better than anyone that he could not become a Mage.
But that did not lead to despair.
Because it was Common sense in this genre that when one route is blocked, an unconventional route opens.
'This is telling me to go with Alchemy, isn't it.'
He grinned foolishly as he watched the Pig's intestines bubbling inside the Flask.
'Is there really a need to become a Mage? I can control the Temperature just fine with Lifestyle magic.'
For him, the Protagonist of a Misunderstanding Genre, the fact that he couldn't become a Mage was of no concern anyway.