A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 32. The Magic Tower, Time, and Chess (4)

Jord spoke, his tone edged with displeasure.
“So you believe this arrangement is fair.”
“I understand your feelings completely, Jord.”
Empathy is one of the most effective speaking techniques. Blind opposition breeds resistance—especially from someone as confident as this.
“Admittedly, a mere student’s idea weighed against the Magic Tower’s support—by any conventional standard, that’s hardly equitable. But you, of all people, know that this world abounds with things that defy convention. A twenty-year-old develops Enchantment techniques and becomes the Tower’s Chairman. A student from Hebridon defeats the Tower Master at chess. These things happen.”
He had a point.
“So what are you trying to say?”
“That this arrangement is, contrary to appearances, quite fair. And I can prove it to you right now.”
“…Prove it, then.”
Jord folded his arms, settling back as if to judge for himself.
Dezir Armang glanced around the room.
Bookshelves lined every wall. On the desk lay a Chessboard, a Magical Lamp, and a scattered array of Magical Stones.
He approached the desk and picked up one of the Magical Stones—one that had no Enchantment Process applied to it, making it inert.
Dezir drew up his mana and wrapped it around the stone.
Hummmmm.
A resonant hum rippled outward.
Then Dezir began to vibrate each particle of mana individually. It was, quite simply, mana control at its apex.
‘Slowly. Find the frequency.’
But he didn’t stop there. Dezir began to shift the frequency of the mana gradually—incrementally raising the oscillation. He held this for a moment, then…
Huuuuummmmm!
Suddenly the Magical Stone began to vibrate with a noise far exceeding anything before.
Resonance.
They were singing to each other.
At that instant, Jord’s arms fell slack.
‘He interfered with the mana inside the stone without any Enchantment Process?’
Without Enchantment, it was impossible to interfere with the internal mana. That had been Jord’s knowledge, his law, all this time.
Yet before his eyes, everything he believed was being proven false.
Regardless, Dezir’s work continued. Now the mana inside the stone was spinning violently—rotating, turning, forming a perfect circle. As the rotation reached its crescendo…
“It’s done.”
Dezir handed the Magical Stone to Jord.
Jord accepted it, though he couldn’t begin to understand what had happened. The stone’s exterior was unchanged, yet within it, the mana spun ceaselessly.
He turned to Dezir, baffled.
“What did you do?”
But the answer didn’t come from Dezir—it came from the stone itself.
-I’m sorry? Is something wrong?
“…!”
The sudden sound of his secretary’s voice nearly made Jord drop the stone.
-More importantly, Master Jord, your meeting time has already passed.
As Jord stared speechlessly at him, Dezir spoke without expression.
“It transmits as well.”
The Tower Master’s words came slowly, his voice trembling, each syllable forced out with difficulty.
“I’ll contact you again shortly.”
Jord set the Magical Stone on the desk and turned to Dezir.
“Explain.”
“As you can see, I’ve deployed Communication Magic. I confirmed your secretary’s identification when you took the earlier call.”
“That much is obvious. What I’m asking is how you deployed magic without any Enchantment Process.”
“Mana possesses its own unique frequency. When this frequency is synchronized with another mana’s frequency, a Mana Resonance Phenomenon occurs.”
Unique Frequency.
A property yet undiscovered in this age.
“Magical Stones are no exception. If you vibrate the mana surrounding a Magical Stone to match that stone’s unique frequency, the vibration transmits to the internal mana through the external mana as a medium. Then the Mana Resonance Phenomenon takes hold.”
Dezir retrieved the Magical Stone from Jord and began to demonstrate once more.
“And if you spin the external mana, the internal mana spins as well. Once the rotation exceeds a critical threshold, the internal mana maintains a circular form—what we commonly call a ‘Circle.’ By shaping the internal mana into this Circle form…”
“Any spell can be cast. As many as desired. Without the Enchantment Process at all.”
“Yes, precisely.”
Dezir Armang gripped the Magical Stone tightly, feeling its pulse.
“The applications are, quite simply, limitless. If the Magical Stone’s mana capacity permits, we could deploy dozens of spells simultaneously. This prevents wasteful depletion of unnecessary stones. It addresses the critical shortcomings of the Enchantment Process we’ve relied on until now. The fact that the Outer managed to breach the Magic Tower’s front gates was precisely because they exploited the gaps inherent in Enchantment—but with this technique, it becomes possible to layer both Anti-Magic and physical defensive spells concurrently, making infiltration by conventional means impossible. Furthermore, even with a lower Circle, if a superior Magical Stone is available, one could deploy arbitrarily powerful spells.”
This isn’t where it ends. Following this approach, there are far too many techniques that could be developed.
Jord spoke in a trembling voice.
“Did you devise this yourself?”
“It’s a technique I’m familiar with.”
Dezir gave no elaborate answer. And for good reason—the truth was, this technique hadn’t been developed by Dezir at all, but by a future version of Jord.
Three years into the Shadow Labyrinth, Jord Exalion discovered the Mana Resonance Phenomenon, reformulated it, and by expanding that theory, eventually found a method to deploy magic through Magical Stones without requiring the Enchantment Process.
It was a discovery of epochal significance—a foundational technique that would lead humanity to develop technologies transcending conventional wisdom as they conquered the Shadow Labyrinth in the years to come.
Pressed into desperation within the Shadow Labyrinth, humanity pooled every scrap of wisdom and ingenuity, achieving boundless advancement as a result.
Since the Return, Dezir had entertained a thought.
Perhaps it would be possible to realize future technologies in this present age.
If humanity, driven to its limits and wringing out every ounce of wisdom, could manifest the countless techniques they’d developed—but here, at this point in time—then perhaps their chances of conquering the Shadow Labyrinth might rise to another level.
‘With the Magic Tower’s technical capacity, it’s possible to realize the techniques I know. If that happens, the feasibility of conquering the Shadow Labyrinth climbs another rung.’
Dezir’s purpose in coming here was not to receive support. Rather, he was the one providing it.
The Tower Master’s remark about trading a single peanut for a gold ingot was not without merit. Of course, contrary to Jord’s understanding, the peanut would be the Magic Tower, and the gold ingot would be Dezir.
Jord opened his mouth.
“This is extraordinary. A discovery that could rewrite the entire history of arcane magical engineering.”
“What I’ve just shown you is merely a fraction of the ideas I possess. Tower Master, I will share every technique I know. In exchange, please provide support to our party using the products developed thereby. This is the trade I propose.”
“Only a fraction…”
Jord, without a moment’s hesitation, activated his personal device.
“Cancel the meeting.”
—Pardon? But—
“And not just the meeting—postpone everything on the schedule until I give further notice.”
—Sir, what are you saying? We have over twenty backlogged appointments!
“Tell Hepatus to handle it. That’s all. I won’t be reachable for the next two hours, I’d wager.”
Click.
Jord hung up without further ceremony.
“Now, at last, we’re rid of that tiresome time constraint. We can speak at length.”
Jord spoke with an uncharacteristic flush of excitement on his face.
“Are you accepting the trade, then?”
“Only a madman would refuse.”
The Tower Master extended his hand to Dezir.

* * *

“Over here, Dezir!”
Fram waved toward Dezir.
Dezir joined them at the table and surveyed his surroundings. It was the sort of atmosphere one would rarely encounter in the Empire.
“How did you even find this place? An ice cream shop, no less.”
“Hmph, how provincial.”
Romantica spoke with a sardonic expression.
“Baskin-Robbins 79 is supposed to be a must-visit landmark in Alteia. Very Berry Strawberry and Bewildered Cotton Candy are famous flavors!”
“So you want me to order those?”
Dezir, reading Romantica’s intent instantly, called over an attendant and placed an order.
“Very Berry Strawberry and Bewildered Cotton Candy, please.”
Fram suddenly leaned in close beside him.
“Did everything work out with the business, Dezir?”
“Of course. Handled smoothly.”
“Thank goodness.”
Romantica interjected into the conversation.
“I’d appreciate an explanation.”
“An explanation of what?”
“Why you gave up the 120 gold reward. Honestly, I can’t wrap my head around why you’d forfeit 120 gold just to play chess with him.”
“Ah, that.”
Dezir waved his hand dismissively.
“Chess with the Tower Master obviously wasn’t the real goal. It was just a pretext for meeting him. The real objective was something else entirely.”
“The real objective?”
“Right. To seek sponsorship. And as I said, it’s been resolved cleanly. We’ve secured support amounting to becoming his patron, in effect.”
“Wow!”
An exclamation burst from Fram.
The Magic Tower, famous for its arrogance, was actually offering support!
Romantica studied Dezir with a suspicious look.
“Did you dig up some dirt on the Tower Master? Find evidence of human experimentation, uncover corruption, something like that? If you’re using it as leverage for blackmail, I suppose there’s a chance it could work…….”
“What kind of person do you think I am, exactly?”
“A sadist. And I’m not the only one thinking it. Fram, don’t just sit there — say something.”
“D-Dezir, blackmail isn’t good……. It’s a bad thing.”
“F-Fram, not you too!”
“I’m joking, Dezir. I trust you.”
Fram stuck out her tongue and laughed playfully.
She was impossibly cute, and both Romantica and Dezir found themselves breaking into unconscious smiles.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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