Silent Witch

Book 12: Chapter 6: People who Follow Theories and People who Follow Gut Feelings

When Glenn was first taken in as an apprentice by Louis Miller the Barrier Magician, he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about studying magic.

Prior to his apprenticeship with Louis, Glenn had been responsible for a magical disaster that left a portion of Minerva Academy's building in ruins. What if he repeated such a disastrous event? What if this time his uncontrollable magical outburst caused harm, or worse, claimed lives? The mere contemplation sent shivers down his spine, rendering the very thought of harnessing magic unbearable.

So, Glenn resolved to be forthright and convey his sentiments to Louis.

"I, I really don't want to study magic."

Fully aware of the potential for severe rebuke, Glenn poured his honest feelings.

His fear of another catastrophic failure was paralyzing. The thought of injuring someone weighed heavily on him, and in truth, he was growing weary of magic.

To his astonishment, Louis responded in a rather casual manner.

"Oh, that's quite reassuring."

"Huh?"

"It's reassuring to hear you receive such setbacks this early."

Louis waved his slender fingers, then pointed them directly at Glenn's forehead. Behind his monocle, Louis's grayish-purple eyes emitted a frigid glint.

"Up until now, you've been a mere plaything of the power you acquired with little effort."

The term "acquired with little effort" stung, prompting Glenn to respond with a forceful tone.

"I, I did study properly at Minerva! I even did a secret special training!"

As Glenn furrowed his brow and defended his case, Louis couldn't contain his laughter, finding it immensely entertaining.

Glenn pursed his lips, glaring at Louis.

"What's so funny?"

"It's quite entertaining to hear a youngster like you, who underwent a mere three months of amateur instruction, claim to comprehend the intricacies of magic."

""

"Those who label half-hearted training as effort' are rather fortunate, wouldn't you say? They can easily attain a sense of accomplishment."

In Glenn's perspective, Louis might as well be known as the "Sarcastic Mage" rather than the "Barrier Magician." His tone remained courteous, but his words were consistently sharp.

As Glenn lapsed into a disgruntled silence, Louis smiled with a trace of mischief.

"Those who grow complacent without ever experiencing setbacks will eventually face painful lessons. It's good that you've learned early."

Though Glenn couldn't entirely refute the accusation of complacency, it was frustrating to hear it from someone else. At the very least, he had grown complacent after receiving the prophecy, believing he was chosen.

"People who acquire things without any effort can lose them in an instant. So, you better start building from scratch now. You still have time for that."

"But I'm still scared of using offensive magic."

He was prepared to be called a coward when he confessed his apprehension. In response, Louis, donning a contemplative expression, brought his slender fingers to his chin, as if pondering a matter of great consequence.

"Hmm In that case, let's start with some enjoyable magic."

"Enjoyable magic?"

With a perplexed countenance, Glenn received Louis's wink, imbued with a touch of mischief.

"Wouldn't you like soaring freely through the skies?"

Lately, Monica has been experiencing days filled with constant unease.

When moving around the classroom, she must constantly be on edge, worried about encountering Hubert Dee. And when she's in the classroom, Roberto Vinkel often barges in, inviting her to play chess.

While chess is indeed enjoyable, engaging in matches outside of class inevitably leads to discussions about their engagement and other uncomfortable topics. Moreover, the scrutiny from her classmates is painful.

Roberto, a recent transfer student to the senior division, seems to be drawing even more attention than Monica had anticipated.

Being a foreign exchange student from Randall is unusual enough, but he also achieved victory over the top-ranked student in their grade during a swordsmanship class, or so the rumors say. It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep these matters from becoming common knowledge.

She had confided in Lana about her situation, but it hadn't really made things much better.

So, on afternoons when there were no student council duties, Monica decided to slip out of the classroom before Roberto arrived and spend her time in the school library. Serendia Academy's library was well-stocked, offering endless opportunities to pass the time.

Right now, Monica is searching for books related to biology.

In order to understand some of the texts from her father's books that she had obtained from Porter's Antiquarian Bookstore, a basic knowledge of biology was often necessary. Therefore, she wanted to review any terms she didn't understand in her father's books and read the referenced scientific papers. It's quite common for scholars to read other books to understand the one they're currently studying.

The library at Serendia Academy was located in a separate building from the student dormitories.

While there were plenty of books related to magic, it seemed like Serendia Academy had a much larger collection in other fields.

No matter how many times I come here, it's still impressive

Impressed, Monica reached for the book she was looking for but winced as she tried to open it. Her left hand, which hadn't fully regained its grip strength yet, made it difficult to hold open thick books.

Realizing that reading while standing wouldn't be practical, Monica decided to carry the book to the reading area.

The library was equipped with study desks and comfortable sofas for leisurely reading.

As Monica searched for an available seat, she spotted a familiar chestnut-brown unruly hair in a nearby chair.

Out of all Monica's acquaintances, Glenn Dudley was probably the person least likely to be found in a library.

Glenn had a book opened in front of him, seemingly studying, but from the way he pursed his lips, furrowed his brows, and wrinkled his nose, it didn't appear to be going well.

Even though they were acquaintances, Monica was somewhat hesitant to initiate a conversation herself. Nevertheless, she mustered a bit of courage and called out to Glenn from behind.

"Um, hello, Glenn."

She initiated a conversation with a friend! And during their study time!

Basking in this minor accomplishment, Glenn looked up from his book.

"Hello. Are you here to study too, Monica?"

"No, I'm here for some reading Are you studying, Glenn-san?"

"Well, sort of."

Monica briefly glanced at the book Glenn had opened and was left speechless.

The book he was reading was a collection of research papers on shortened incantations. As it happened, Monica had also contributed to this book, and the page Glenn had opened was precisely the one with Monica's contribution.

Monica suppressed her agitation and asked Glenn a question.

"Um, Glenn, do you want to learn shortened incantations?"

"I do Without them, I'd be useless in real combat."

As Glenn muttered, his profile looked unusually stern, quite different from his usual cheerful self.

When speaking of real combat, it was likely referring to battles where magic was employed, particularly the Magic Corps, known for their proficiency in combat magic. Glenn's master, Louis, had been the leader of the Magic Corps before becoming one of the Seven Sages.

In this Magic Corps, there were four crucial criteria evaluated during the entrance test.

• Proficiency in shortened incantations.
• The ability to maintain two different spells simultaneously.
• Mastery of magic attributes beyond one's natural affinity.
• The capability to use Flight Magic.

Among these criteria, shortened incantations were particularly emphasized.

For mages, the biggest vulnerability lay in the gap during incantation. Shortened incantations could reduce incantation time to less than half, minimizing that vulnerability.

However, shortened incantations were like working through complex equations, thoroughly identifying areas where you could cut corners. In other words, it required a profound understanding of magic formulas.

Judging by the magic formulas scattered across Glenn's notes, his understanding of magic formulas was the issue he needed to address before mastering Shortened Incantations.

Monica recalled Glenn's words from a few days ago.

"I couldn't do anything at all. It was the Student Council President and the Silent Witch' who defeated the Cursed Dragon!"

During that time, he seemed in his usual cheerful self, but maybe deep down, he was feeling incredibly frustrated.

"Um, Glenn, do you maybe, feel concerned about the Cursed Dragon incident?"

"Well that's part of it."

Glenn spoke hesitantly and let his gaze wander for a moment. A bitter expression crossed his face, unusual for his usually lively self.

"There's also someone I don't want to lose to."

If a friend was in trouble, she wanted to help. However, if she intervened in magic discussions here, it might reveal her true identity. After all, Monica Norton was considered an amateur when it came to magic.

"But, um, Glenn, why did you choose this book to learn short incantations?"

"Because it had a paper written by the Silent Witch'! You might not have seen it before, but the Silent Witch' is really amazing! She can use magic without saying a word! I want to be able to use magic like that too"

While internally breaking into a cold sweat at the mention of her own name, Monica thought quickly. She felt bad for Glenn's enthusiasm, but with his current level of understanding, not to mention no incantations, even shortening them would be impossible. It was like asking someone struggling with basic addition to master advanced calculus.

"Glenn, what kinds of magic can you use?"

"I can use a fireball spell and a flight spell."

"Your affinity is fire, right?"

"That's right."

Monica was inwardly frustrated.

H-His proficiency is too unreasonable

If one's affinity is fire, then it is generally standard to teach intermediate-level fire manipulation spells first. However, in Glenn's case, fire magic only reached a basic level, and he strangely managed to master the most difficult wind attribute, the flight spell.

Why is fire magic only at a basic level, and then suddenly flight magic? What kind of teaching method did Louis use!?

Monica was in distress, and Glenn started counting on his fingers as he explained.

"At first, he told me to find a spell that suits me, so he taught me various things like wind magic, earth magic, and ice magic, but I ended up causing a tornado, splitting the ground, or turning the training grounds into an ice rink, so it's hard to say that I can use them. My master told me not to use them until I understand the magic formula."

That's a rampage. It's pretty much all rampaging.

Glenn had a lot of mana and was prone to rampaging. So, Monica guessed that he had tried various types of magic to see if there was anything he could use easily.

He was able to cast magic with the least affinity, so he's probably good at manipulating mana

If that was the case, they should focus on teaching spells that were relatively simple in terms of magic formulas, even if they required somewhat complex mana manipulation. Flight magic was a prime example.

While the magic formula itself was not that difficult, one needed excellent balance skills and high physical abilities to float in the air. (The reason Monica couldn't use flight magic was due to her lower physical abilities.)

However, the fact that Glenn only had fireballs as an offensive means bothered Monica. Monica decided to ask a more specific question.

"Glenn, how well can you control fireballs? I mean, their power, speed"

"My master told me to thoroughly learn the nuances of their power and speed adjustments, so I've been practicing that a lot recently. I've got that part down."

"I see"

"Also, my master told me to be able to use offensive magic while using flight magic. So, I practiced that during the winter break with my master watching. I can manage it somewhat if I pause in mid-air, but I'm still not able to attack while flying around at high speed."

As Monica listened to Glenn's explanation, she started to understand Louis's teaching methods better.

To become a combat-ready magician suitable for the Magic Corps, there were four conditions: shortened incantation, maintaining two different spells simultaneously, using spells outside of one's affinity, and flight magic. Glenn had mastered almost everything except shortened incantation.

Despite that, he could only use two spells: fireballs and flight magic. He likely prioritized learning the nuances of spellcasting through intuition rather than mindlessly increasing the variety of spells he could use. His approach was to enhance the precision of the spells he already knew.

Monica, considering Glenn's personality, found this approach reasonable.

"So, the next step is shortened incantation, I guess,"

Monica couldn't help but become serious at Glenn's words. In simple terms, her blood as a magician was stirred.

"Glenn, shortened incantation and even no incantation are not as big a deal as you think."

"Huh?"

"That's just about casting spells as quickly as possible."

Monica was highly regarded as the world's only user of chantless magic, but she didn't see that much value in it herself.

The benefits of chantless magic are that it's quick to cast and can be used discreetly. However, Monica's belief was that these were the only advantages.

She argued that if that was the case, it was not much different from magic tools that required charging with mana.

"No matter how fast you get the jump on someone, it's useless if your attacks don't hit. So, Glenn, what you should learn next is tracking spell formulas."

Tracking spell formulas, as the name suggests, are formulas that give attack spells a certain degree of tracking capability. They are highly effective when you want to hit a moving target and are particularly useful in close-quarters combat. While the tracking capability may not be extremely high, it still makes a significant difference in accuracy compared to simply firing magic straight ahead.

Attack spells are generally considered to have low accuracy. While it may be easier to hit larger targets like dragons, hitting smaller, agile creatures that move around is incredibly challenging.

"If you learn how to incorporate tracking spell formulas properly, you can apply them when using other attack spells. Shortening incantations is difficult because the method varies for each formula, so it's a tough task to learn them all. If you're going to learn, tracking spell formulas should come first, no doubt."

At that point, when Monica abruptly stopped talking, she found herself making eye contact with Glenn, who had a puzzled expression on his face.

Monica turned pale in an instant.

Oh no, did I go too far? I definitely went too far!! I only intended to give some subtle advice, but this was way overboard!

Monica anxiously let her gaze wander around while desperately trying to come up with an excuse.

"Well, you see, um, Lord Cyril mentioned something like that before"

"Oh, really! If the vice president, who's skilled in magic, says it, then it must be true! By the way, Monica, are you also studying magic?"

"No! Not at all! I don't know anything about magic! This is just um casual conversation! It may have come up in casual conversation or not"

Her excuse might have sounded like the strangest casual conversation topic, and she expected questions and disbelief from Glenn. However, he simply accepted it with a nod and said, "I see."

Monica couldn't help but find Glenn's simplicity exasperating. But it was precisely this simplicity that saved her from the predicament she had created. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"And, um, about learning tracking spells Mr. Gideon Rutherford has written some very easy-to-understand books on that topic Lord Cyril mentioned that too in casual conversation!"

"Really! Then I'll check out those books right away!"

As Glenn stood up from his chair and looked down at Monica, he scratched his head, appearing slightly embarrassed.

"Monica, thank you. I was getting a bit impatient I almost took the wrong next step."

"?"

"I recently saw this amazing person called the Silent Witch,' and I just jumped into things without thinking. Magic requires patiently and diligently building your foundation, right? Yeah."

His last words sounded like a self-reminder.

Monica smiled softly and fidgeted with her fingers, making a quiet suggestion.

"Um, well I don't know anything about magic at all, but since magic formulas are similar to mathematical equations, I think I could help a little with explanations"

She was fully aware of the risks she was taking by offering assistance while concealing her true identity.

Still, Monica wanted to be of any help she could, even if it was just a tiny bit, to Glenn. She felt a sense of responsibility for not being able to help him during the cursed dragon incident. But more than that, she genuinely wanted to support this earnest young aspiring magician's growth.

"That would be great! Thanks, Monica!"

"It's fine, hehe"

Seeing Glenn's happy smile, Monica couldn't help but join in with a shy chuckle.

Watching Monica and Glenn's interaction from the shadows, there was a young boy wearing the uniform of the intermediate division. He muttered to himself, "Hmm, hmm," as he diligently scribbled notes in his notebook.

Ah, that's Lady Monica Norton and Lord Glenn Dudley, Lord Felix's favorite, right? Okay, okay, I should report this to Lord Albert right away.

With these thoughts in his mind, he casually left the library with unhurried steps.