Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 38

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 38

“Let me be clear, without mana, you cannot cast magic. But that doesn’t mean there are no workarounds. There are magic circles that activate using something other than mana.”

Leo’s face became puzzled.

Magic may seem like a miracle in itself, but it’s actually a kind of elaborate rule where mana is overlaid onto magic circles, which are the language that defines the laws of the world.

In other words, mana and magic circles are absolutely essential to manifest miracles that change the laws of the world.

But to think there are magic circles that don’t require mana.

“What kind of magic circles are they?”

“The dark magic circles that dark mages handle are exactly that.”

“Gasp!”

Leo was startled as if he had made a huge slip of the tongue and covered his mouth with both hands.

Even young children like Leo knew that black magic was very, very evil and bad.

Dark mages were objects of fear and hatred, to the extent that when children disappeared from villages, rumors that a dark mage had passed through would spread first.

But soon Leo’s expression became strange, and his face showed he was pondering something deeply.

Chaser rested his chin on his hand as if impressed, observing Leo before speaking.

“You have questions, don’t you? Wanting to know isn’t a bad thing. Ask me anything.”

Only then did Leo slowly lower his hands and whisper in a very low voice, as if wary that someone might overhear.

“Are dark mages bad people who use dark magic circles, or are they bad because they use dark magic circles?”

It was a piercing question.

How could such deep thoughts come from that small, cute head?

I was watching fondly when suddenly Chaser’s head turned toward me.

“What do you think, Master?”

Wait, he’s turning the arrow toward me here?

It feels like being caught by a professor while lost in thought and getting hit with a surprise question.

I quickly racked my brain.

Details about black magic weren’t covered much in 【Hirome】 either.

I only knew that the Royal Court, Temple, and even the Magic Tower joined forces to condemn black magic and execute dark mages on sight without exception.

Especially the Royal Court was more serious than anyone about capturing dark mages, to the point of dispatching the royal knights to chase down a single dark mage.

Knowing they’d face such harsh treatment yet still using dark magic circles… perhaps dark mages aren’t people with normal values?

There were also terrifying rumors that using black magic required offering people as sacrifices.

“They’re probably not normal folks.”

“Hmm, so that’s what you think, Master.”

Chaser didn’t give the answer and just smiled meaningfully.

“The reason dark mages are condemned is because dark magic circles demand something other than mana as payment.”

After pondering for a moment, he snapped his fingers.

Golden rims appeared in his ash-colored eyes, sparkling like glass beads.

Immediately after, heavy snow began falling throughout the study room that contained only a few solid wooden furniture pieces.

“Wow!”

Leo’s legs, which had been positioned maturely, began swinging back and forth under the chair.

Just like a puppy’s tail wagging excitedly at the first snow.

The snowflakes falling gently like flower petals passed through Leo’s outstretched hand, but settled silently like feathers on the wooden furniture, beginning to accumulate.

“For instance, when such a cold winter arrives, how would mages light a fire to warm their bodies? Sprout, as a mage apprentice, would you like to try lighting a fire?”

“M-me?”

Leo was startled by Chaser’s words.

After hesitating somewhat uncertainly and glancing back at me once, he soon gripped his pen with a serious expression.

Though the lines were crooked, a decent fire magic circle was drawn on the paper.

Leo placed both hands on the magic circle and, making the chick-like lips he always made when concentrating, poured mana into both hands.

Soon the magic circle drawn in black ink glowed white, and sparks flew above it.

Once, twice, three times.

Like a lighter that had run out of fuel, only sparks flew each time, but Leo didn’t give up.

Biting his lip and squeezing out his last bit of strength as he poured out mana, suddenly a flame the size of a pinky nail bloomed like a spring flower above the magic circle.

“I-I did it!”

“Well done, Sprout. You’ve learned how to overcome winter like a true mage.”

Though it was too small a flame to warm one’s body, I silently recorded today’s events in my mental praise notebook.

[Some month, some day. Leo didn’t give up and after attempting magic, succeeded in lighting a sprout-like fire.]

When the day comes that I complete all synchronization and deactivate the Belinda translator, I must praise today’s events.

“Dark mages are different, however. What they need is the desire for fire, a dark magic circle, and a sacrifice to offer as payment.”

As soon as Chaser finished speaking, a butterfly out of season flew through the snowflakes, fluttering its wings.

“The first magic requires only a very small price.”

The moment the butterfly landed in front of Chaser as if to dry its wet wings.

“To summon one small ember to melt the cold, one butterfly that forgot the season as payment.”

Whoosh!

The butterfly was engulfed in black flames and crumbled away without leaving even ashes.

“…!”

Leo was so shocked he unconsciously jumped up from his seat.

The flame obtained by burning the butterfly was huge and greedy.

Soon several more butterflies appeared around Chaser.

The butterfly phantoms gradually became a massive swarm, and before long, instead of the heavy snow that had stopped, dozens and hundreds of butterflies swept through the air.

Even though there wasn’t a single flower in the place, it created the illusion of being in the middle of an endless flower field.

In the center of that dreamlike vision, the man like a single flower who had summoned hundreds of butterflies gently spoke.

“Then to light the second ember, what price would the dark magic circle demand?”

Simply thinking, another butterfly would be needed. That was the structure of normal magic.

But I didn’t think that would be the correct answer.

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“N-no!”

Despite Leo’s cry…

Snap.

That terrible sound echoed.

The golden butterflies all burst into black flames at once, and the surroundings instantly became a hellish inferno.

I reached out to cover Leo’s eyes, but it was too late.

“For the second ember, the extinction of an entire species is needed. This is the price required to activate dark magic circles.”

“….”

“Sprout, remember today’s vision. You must engrave in your blood and soul how dangerous black magic is.”

Chaser smiled like a spring flower while speaking the unpleasant warning that reeked of ash.

Ignoring my fierce glare directed at him, Chaser smiled warmly and clapped his hands.

“Well then, today’s lesson is over.”

* * *

“Let’s have a talk.”

It wasn’t strange that I called out to Chaser as he was preparing to leave work.

Leo was noticeably dejected after the lesson. He was always excited to review the magic he learned that day.

“Customer, unfortunately the rental time is over. If you want to have a conversation with me, you’ll need to pay an additional fee.”

So much for good service – what a lie.

The way he changed from calling me Master to Customer as soon as the lesson ended too.

“However, I can make special time for you without charging an additional fee. Shall we take a walk together, just the two of us?”

Or not. Is this good service?

And so I ended up walking with Chaser alone from the annex to the main gate.

The path, carefully maintained without a single stone, was beautiful with autumn-colored trees and abundantly blooming fall flowers.

I watched the autumn butterflies fluttering around, swaying the flower petals here and there, before opening my mouth.

“What was your purpose for doing such a thing during class?”

Did he sense that the atmosphere was unusual?

Chaser, who had been observing the sea of flowers where butterflies danced like me, slowed his steps and answered in a voice unusually devoid of any trace of laughter.

“A proper mentor would teach their disciple fear of dark magic, even if it means instilling trauma. That’s why many mages take their disciples to execution grounds—to show them the fate of Dark Mages.”

“They go that far?”

At my words that slipped out unconsciously, Chaser’s steps came to a complete halt.

He turned his head toward me as if quite surprised.

His ash-colored eyes that had been staring through me were soon hidden behind a gentle eye-smile.

“You know too, don’t you, client? How seductive dark magic can be.”

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