Chapter 281 - The Air Grows Heavy When He Speaks
"This one is also considered an exclusive spell of my family," Viktor said, showing it to us.
We walked over, and he stood there with a confident smile.
"This spell is called Blazing Flame Cyclone," Viktor explained. "It creates a massive, spinning tornado of fire capable of devastating a forest… or a city," he added with pride.
We were inside the spell scroll and grimoire room. A scroll can contain a powerful spell, while grimoires are books holding a list of spells. Each page of a grimoire contains a rune with a spell. Usually, a mage gains access to a simple grimoire, and as they progress through the pages, they unlock stronger spells.
For example, I could go to a military shop in the kingdom, and depending on my noble rank's military access level, I could purchase a grimoire. Let's say I buy a Water Element Grimoire—it would start with basic spells like Water Ball or Water Blasts. As I master those spells from the initial pages, I would gain the foundation to learn more complex spells that are in the second half of the grimoire.
Of course, a single grimoire doesn't contain all the spells of an element. There are grimoires with specific divisions for each mage class and types of spells, such as battlefield spells, elemental materialization, long-range spells, close-range spells, animal attack spells, and many others. A grimoire could be specialized solely for Fire Blasts, containing multiple spells ranging from the simplest to the most complex within that attack category. There are also mana categories like Transmitters, Emitters, and Summoners, meaning there are countless types of teaching grimoires.
Scrolls generally contain a single specific spell, unlike a grimoire, which holds multiple. A grimoire is created with the combined efforts of a spell inventor and a spell engineer who crafts the rune, sealing the spell's knowledge within the grimoire or scroll.
I couldn't just steal that scroll and swap it with a fake one to recreate the spell. First, it would take far too long to learn the rune's knowledge. Mastering a spell isn't simple and requires extensive training. Spells have levels of learning.
Once you learn a spell with your mana, the process doesn't stop there. Initially, you have to chant long, complex phrases to execute it. Then, as your proficiency increases, you reduce it to shorter phrases. Eventually, with enough mastery, you won't need to chant at all. This happens because mana is a unique language, and chanting is a way to help it be spoken.
Another factor is that even if a mage learns a spell from a scroll, they wouldn't know how to recreate the rune, meaning they couldn't forge another scroll. This is because the spell's creator develops their own language. When they inscribe the rune to lock the spell's knowledge, the apprentice only learns the final result of a complex calculation. It would take years for someone who learned a spell through a rune to become proficient enough to engrave it onto a rune themselves with the aid of a spell engineer.
Many noble families have their own spell knowledge. I plan to create my own scrolls in the future and store them in our vault. Unfortunately, my father passed away without leaving behind his thunder spells in our personal vault, so I had to create my own.
"Viktor… this is a classified military spell," Edmund said with admiration. "Was your family really authorized to display this? My family has a similar spell, but I don't think they put it here."
Viktor was smiling.
"The Saul Duchy has other powerful spells; this one is simple compared to ours," he said arrogantly. "Did you forget that I'm a user of steam and scalding water? This is just a simple fire spell."
"Simple…? I think this is quite complex," Kinue said. "It must be incredibly dangerous for just anyone to know how to do this."
He positioned himself beside the display containing the spell.
"That's why only military families have this kind of knowledge. We are superior in our capabilities—even in this," he said. "My cousin is a master of this spell. His family serves as vassals to mine, acting as our royal guards, and he even became an Inquisitor."
It reminded me of my own situation. My side of the family serves as protectors of the main branch. I was supposed to be Chloe's guardian, but now... I don't even know my role anymore, considering I'm her fiancé.
Either way, I'll always protect her… so nothing has really changed. But now, I've become a duke…
We continued walking through the exhibition, looking at various scrolls and even enchanted relics. Most were inside display cases, but I was surprised when one of the staff members received authorization to demonstrate one of them.
It was a spear that extended several meters at high speed when infused with mana. That could definitely do some serious damage.
The staff member also explained another utility of the spear—if the user ran and planted it into the ground while activating its extension ability, the rapid growth of the spear would launch them into the air, allowing them to leap over high walls or obstacles. Not to mention the surprise factor of attacking a distant enemy by making the spear extend suddenly at high speed.
"That's incredible," a noble next to us commented. "Are you sure it's not for sale?" he joked.
"This spear belongs to the Valemont family… They'd never sell it. Only another duke could afford it," the staff member replied, laughing.
"That weapon belongs to my family," Edmund told us. "My grandmother used to wield it."
We watched as the staff member demonstrated the spear's functions before carefully placing it back into the display.
"I think it's really beautiful," Melina said.
"Me too," Kinue agreed. "I use a halberd, but that spear is really cool."
We continued the tour and eventually found my aunt and my mother examining rare plants from different duchies.
Lately, my aunt had been buying seeds in bulk from all over the kingdoms. She even built a laboratory for my mother in our dungeons. She wants my mother to continue producing her corpse-hosting seedlings while she experiments with different seeds to enhance their abilities using traits from other plants.
Ever since she overcame her war trauma, she's been enthusiastically tending to her bizarre plants in the lab—right beside her Giant Seed, which she sometimes talks to, calling it her daughter.
Viktor Saul:
I was at the exhibition, surrounded by artifacts from various duchies, absentmindedly analyzing some of the pieces while our group of friends had dispersed. Each had gone their own way, either meeting with family members or exploring whatever caught their interest the most.
As I walked, my eyes landed on the displayed items from the Evenhart family.
"Why didn't they put that panther cub on display?" I murmured.
That family possessed something truly rare—the most coveted magical beast in the world: a Moon Panther cub.
When I first found out about it, about a year ago, I was stunned.
Something that dangerous, living so close to me.
I saw that gray cat every day, sleeping peacefully in the corner of our dormitory, and I would have never imagined what she really was.
I had heard that many scholars and professors had attempted to approach Nathan Evenhart, eager to study the habits and abilities of his magical beast.
However, he refused every single one of them.
Noticing how much this was bothering him, Headmistress Victoria eventually banned professors from using their authority in the classroom to pressure him about his familiar.
For a moment, I even considered the idea of buying that animal. But what would be the point? Money wouldn't buy the interest of a noble like him. We are wealthy, but he already has everything he could want. Why would he need more gold?
I pushed these thoughts aside as I continued walking through the exhibition, trying to focus on the event in front of me.
My eyes scanned the room in search of someone in particular, but I couldn't find them. Further ahead, I spotted the Evenhart family's demi-human servant standing in front of a display of old books. She seemed engrossed, observing them with curiosity.
"Of course, it fits perfectly with a farming duchy… giving jobs to talking animals," I muttered with disdain, feeling a growing sense of repulsion. It was disgusting. I still couldn't believe I had been in the same space as her, eating a meal nearby while exchanging words with our group of friends.
"This book belongs to my family," I said coldly, letting my voice sound authoritative.
She lifted her gaze, seemingly surprised. "It's very interesting, Viktor. It's a bestiary from nearly a thousand years ago. I imagine the information inside differs from what we have today, and it might even contain creatures that were removed from modern bestiaries," she responded, her voice calm but with a touch of genuine interest.
I clicked my tongue, irritated by her casual tone.
"It's Lord Viktor," I corrected with a look of superiority. "Remember that we're not among our circle of friends. In this setting, you must address me with the proper respect due to my noble status."
"But you're right," I continued with a malicious smile. "This bestiary is quite old. Who knows? Maybe your species was listed alongside the other animals, as it should be."
That's when I heard a voice rise behind me.
"Is there a problem?"
The cold tone made my skin crawl.
The instant I heard it, my entire body tensed.
I turned around, and to my surprise, it was just Nathan Evenhart.
I quickly masked my discomfort.
"No problem," I replied, trying to sound indifferent. "I was simply explaining to the servant about this book from my family. After all, I don't know if this dumb peasant can even read."
My voice carried calculated contempt, but Nathan didn't seem fazed.
He glanced at Kinue, then back at me before breaking into a smile.
But that smile… something about it was off. It was unnerving.
He stepped closer, casually placing a hand on my shoulder and pulling me in as if we were old friends.
"Then explain it to me too," Nathan said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I'd love to watch you try to read… without both of your eyes."
Did he just threaten me?
I turned to face him, ready to respond, but then—
Something inside me recoiled.
My chest felt compressed, and a visceral fear coursed through every fiber of my being.
It was as if my entire body rejected the idea of confronting him.
My lungs stopped working, my hair stood on end, and my legs threatened to give out.
Nathan's smile was calm, almost friendly, but his eyes told a different story—one that terrified me.
What's happening to me?
"It's okay, Nate…" Kinue said, tugging at his arm. "I'm fine. Let's go! Let's check out some other books together," she suggested, trying to dissolve the tension.
"Okay, if you say so…" he replied.
Together, they walked away, leaving behind an atmosphere thick with something invisible yet oppressive. I glanced around and noticed others looking pale, their expressions unsettled. Some had even taken a seat on a nearby bench, trying to catch their breath.
"For some reason, I suddenly feel sick," a man muttered to a staff member who was trying to calm him down.
I chose to ignore what had just happened and continued toward my real objective. The animal servant had been a distraction, but now my mind thoughts were focused once more. There was someone I had been looking for. And I finally spotted her, catching a glimpse as she examined a collection of wands and staves. The Shooter Mage weapons gleamed under the light, showcasing an array of powerful models designed to favor specific elements.
I found you… Chloe Evenhart.
"Or perhaps, Chloe Saul…" I murmured to myself, a satisfied smile spreading across my lips.