The Sleeping Devil

For some reason, Didier began to explain teleportation magic as if he were trying to instruct me.

"You see, teleportation involves placing a pair of magic circles in different locations and using them. Teleportation gates have fixed magic circles, so they can be used permanently, but for a mage, you can only teleport once. So, the idea of teleporting 'anytime' is impossible."

"Only once? How do you teleport, then?"

"Well, for example, you'd chant the teleportation spell in your room, right? Then, you'd go out into the garden and chant the teleportation spell again. That would teleport you back to your original position in your room. Oh, I see, this magic also creates a circle, doesn't it?"

It seemed that the concept of magic circles being generated when using magic wasn't widely known, and Didier was still getting used to this mechanism.

According to Didier's explanation, it seemed that mages could only teleport once because the outside world had only one set of saved coordinates, and they were constantly overwritten.

"That sounds like it's mainly for returning, then."

"Yeah, it consumes a lot of magical power, and its applications are limited, like for evacuations during combat. Julius, for example, can hop around like a spirit using the power of spirits."

"But since you can save magic circles, it doesn't seem unusual, right?"

"It's the concept of 'saving' that's unusual."

I see. Perhaps I unconsciously thought of the inner dimension as something like a server, which made the idea of 'saving' come naturally to me, but Didier might be thinking of it more like creating a simple room with spatial magic.

"Big brother, when you chant in the inner dimension, how do you imagine and use magic?"

"Hmm? I just imagine standing in a pitch-black space and offer prayers to the gods as if I were actually using magic."

It felt a bit strange to hear Didier say that he offered prayers to the gods, but I decided to remain silent, as I might provoke a reaction otherwise.

"So, try imagining that space as a library or an archive room. Imagine rows of blank books and documents, and you create the books yourself by imagining the finished form as the book cover. Then, copy the generated magic circle into the book. The next time you want to use it, just imagine a water sphere, and the book will open, allowing you to infuse it with magical power."

I tried to provide an analogy that Didier might find easier to grasp. Would it get through to him? When I looked up, I saw Julius closing his eyes, deep in thought and concentration.

For a while, there was silence as they contemplated. To prevent their concentration from breaking, I quietly stretched my stiff body.

"Oh, right, I did it. This is definitely saving, isn't it? So, for teleportation magic, you can save each set separately."

"I think so."

Didier seemed to be experimenting with saving magic circles using water spheres, quickly summoning and dismissing them.

As the three of us discussed teleportation magic, I thought there wouldn't be any groundbreaking discoveries, but Julius, who had been silent for a while, suddenly smiled with satisfaction.

"I see. I've been doing it by perception all this time, but you can actually give dimensions a specific form."

Huh? Did the teacher really use only perception?

Rather than imagining, how did he save and do everything else? Maybe it was because of his synchronization with Noah, or perhaps his handling of magic was closer to that of a spirit.

It seemed that they all had slightly different perceptions of magic, and someone always seemed to have questions.

"Teacher, how do you usually teleport? You can also freely specify the destination, right?"

"Hmm? It's just as Didier explained earlier. When I draw the circle, the coordinates of that location are woven in, so when I specify the destination, I just need to imagine that place. I said it was the same as your 'saving,' didn't I?"

I see, so even though magic circles look the same, they incorporate location information in the background. It's like an external parameter, isn't it?

"I'd like to try it, but I haven't learned advanced magic yet..."

"I can't use advanced magic because I don't have the blessing of the sky. I'll have to explain it to Father later..."

"Julius! Come on, can you do that thing you did before?"

Sergio immediately asked Julius for shared sensory perception. Despite being my father, he really didn't want to think for himself.

"Father, you shouldn't rely on Professor Julius all the time."

"Hmm, you're right. How about I teach swordsmanship instead? Julius might need it too."

That's not what I meant, Father.

Even though he could be mistaken for a beautiful woman in men's clothing, Julius had a somewhat androgynous face, and I couldn't imagine him wielding a sword. But perhaps it was because he was still a boy. He smiled and agreed, nonetheless.

"Then, let's try teleporting together while synchronizing."

"Can Julius teleport with others? Isn't that a special ability?"

I thought teleportation was a common ability because I had been teleported several times, but it seemed that even with advanced magic, an individual could barely teleport alone. Julius was indeed an exceptional mage.

Julius walked a little away to the side of a tree and then returned to place his hand on Sergio's head. With his other hand, he grabbed Sergio's wrist. It seemed that he couldn't lift Sergio up like he had done with me.

In an instant, it seemed like the two had disappeared from in front of me, but they were now standing in the same position next to the tree they had just gone to. Then, they reappeared in front of me.

"I see, I sort of understand."

"Since Father relies on his senses, he's compatible with Professor Julius, I suppose."

Sergio walked around the area, occasionally stopping to create a magic circle. When he stopped walking, he began to move around the area instantly, not shuttling between two points but sequentially moving between recorded coordinates.

"Wow, amazing! Father learns things so quickly!"

"Hehe, this is very convenient. No chanting required, and it's perfect for assassination."

It seemed that Julius had taught a method of teleportation without any incantations. I understood the curiosity to try it, but I wished they would consider their surroundings. Sergio was becoming increasingly reckless.

Didier, who also seemed fed up, sighed while watching Sergio.

"Sigh, it's tough having a father like this. Ugh, I hate it."

"Big brother, you learned it quickly too, didn't you?"

"I'm trying it on my own after understanding it to some extent. Please don't compare me to Father, who learns by sense alone without understanding anything."

I thought it was still impressive, but it seemed that Sergio, who appeared to not think about anything, quickly learning was unacceptable to Didier. I agreed with them.

As I watched Sergio, who was carelessly teleporting all over the grasslands, with a weary expression, it seemed that Julius was thinking about something else.

"How skilled are you in teleportation magic, Didier?"

"Intermediate, I guess. I can do object transfers."

"Hmm, since saving relies on using the magic circle you've crafted with your own magic power, you might be able to use advanced magic for this."

What did he mean?

I had learned that the rank of magic was determined by the amount of magic power used. Even for upper-class nobles, intermediate-level magic was the limit for most attributes.

"In advanced magic, a lot of magic power is required mainly because creating the magic circle itself consumes a significant amount of magic power."

"Professor, even intermediate nobles can use magic circles, right?"

"If there are multiple people. Even if it's a magic circle, you still need to pass magic power through the whole thing, so the amount of magic power used doesn't change. But when it comes to saving a magic circle, that's a different story. You're preserving the circle you've created with your own magic power, so it should only require the equivalent amount of magic power as the actual phenomenon."

I hadn't used advanced magic yet, so I hadn't actually tried it, but considering the magic circle I used during the baptism ceremony, I understood. I had put so much magic power into opening the entrance to the spring.

"By the way, Julius, didn't you use to save magic circles with teleportation magic? Why didn't you notice this sooner? If there's a difference in the amount of magic used, you should have noticed it earlier."

"I have more magic power than the average person, you see. Even with advanced magic circles, the difference is minimal, so I didn't pay much attention."

"What an arrogant guy, seriously."

In reality, I hadn't noticed either that I was using magic power to create magic circles. It might be different for advanced magic circles, and saving magic circles not only shortened the time but also reduced magic consumption, so I thought it was a good idea to try it.

We had been experimenting with saving and teleportation for some time, and the servants had already finished cleaning up, and preparations for departure were ready. We had originally planned to study and do some training in the carriage, but we ended up experimenting with magic due to the flow of events.

"Let's call it a day for now. We'll make up for it with more time tomorrow. Sergio, do you have your spellbooks with you?"

"Yes, they're on the carriage. By the way, what about dinner tonight?"

"Oh, for dinner, we'll have Owens prepare it. We'll arrange it for tomorrow morning."

"Professor, thank you. Oh, please take this bread and these pastries. Make sure to eat them."

I handed over the bread and pastries I had requested from the chef. I had baked them at the castle this morning, but it seemed they could be freshly baked during the journey, so I planned to have them brought every day. If we were staying at noble estates, Julius probably wouldn't come out for dinner.

With that, our short magic lesson, combined with a meal break, came to an end, and we got back into the carriage. Sergio, who had played with teleportation magic for a while, was already munching on pastries, despite having eaten breakfast just a while ago.

"It's a shame that teleportation magic can't be used inside the barrier."

"Father, do you dislike barriers that much?"

"Yes, because fighting with a short sword against a lot of enemies is incredibly tiring. Besides, the basics are hand-to-hand combat, so even with teleportation, it might not be very useful."

"Why does Father always assume he'll be in combat..."

"Because I'm a knight."

Perhaps it was a professional habit. In reality, Sergio also participated in monster subjugations in his territory while performing his duties as a lord. Although I had never heard of someone combining the roles of a knight and a lord, for Sergio, who was obsessed with swordsmanship, it seemed to be an unyielding part of his identity.

"If barriers are in effect, then wouldn't others be unarmed as well? Using a sword to massacre them would go against the chivalric code, wouldn't it?"

"Hmm, you're right. I'll fight unarmed if the barrier is in effect."

That's a relief. Now, even if something happens, most people should get away with minor injuries. I should tell Zaris to take the short swords away, just in case.

After several short breaks, we arrived in a large city as the sun was setting. Tonight, we would be guests at the mansion of a branch family of Beriard, who ruled this city.

"Visiting this place is one of the purposes of our journey."

As we entered the grand mansion's main gate and descended from the carriage, a large number of servants welcomed us. At the very back stood an elderly couple. As we approached, I felt a vaguely familiar sentiment.

"Welcome, Lord Sergio."

"It's been a while, Uncle. Since we're family, please make yourselves at home."

"I see. Didier has grown as well. And who is this young lady?"

"Uncle, this is..."

Uncle? Did that mean he was Hermes' or Grandma's sibling? I offered a polite noble greeting and the elderly couple welcomed me so warmly that it almost seemed their eyes would disappear from smiling so much.

"He's my uncle, Father's younger brother, and Dior's parents. And this young lady is your grandfather, Count Zorad's, granddaughter."

"Gr-grandfather and grandmother!?"

In truth, I wasn't Dior's child, so perhaps I was a distant relative. It felt wrong to deceive them, but I couldn't help feeling pleased with the warm welcome.

"They haven't inherited the family's curse, so rest assured."

As we entered the mansion, Sergio whispered this to me confidentially.