Chapter 37: Firefly Prince (7) |
The laboratory, now empty.
The Great Sage Louis quietly gazed at the door through which Yulian had departed.
'The more I see of this child's talent, the more it goes beyond wondrous and becomes frightening.'
His attitude toward learning.
A character wary of arrogance.
An power of observation that 탐닉s truth.
He perfectly met all the conditions Louis considered for a genius.
And over the past three years, the child had once again proven that genius by absorbing all the black magic knowledge the Great Sage had accumulated over a lifetime like a sponge.
'To think there is a child so well-suited for black magic...'
A wizard specializing in Fire Magic is not necessarily weak in Water Magic.
It's just that the laws and theories that run through the two domains are so different that they hit a limit in their knowledge, making it difficult to handle a different branch of magic.
To use Yulian's terms for an easy analogy, it's like a Mechanical Engineering major specializing in Thermodynamics trying to master Fluid Dynamics and having their head explode.
For this reason, most wizards decide on just one Path of Magic to delve into for their entire lives.
The magic that is most intuitively understood in their own minds.
Choosing that is what they call picking their own ‘Aptitude’.
And from what Louis had seen, Yulian's aptitude for black magic was beyond comparison to any other being.
He could say with certainty.
Even the Elder Lich, called the King of Black Magic, would not show as much aptitude for black magic as Yulian.
'His level of mastery in black magic has already surpassed my own.'
Of course, in terms of pure Magical Power or Rank, Louis was overwhelmingly superior.
But when it came to the theory of black magic, Yulian was already on par with the Great Sage Louis.
But if that was combined with Yulian's boundless knowledge of life...
'What a relief it is that this child is good.'
At its core, black magic was magic that directly interfered with life and souls.
Because it directly struck the source of life, it was extremely difficult to counter compared to other magic, and its results were overwhelmingly fatal.
The most dangerous aspect of all was that if one fell into misguided curiosity or took one wrong step, the caster's mind was prone to instant Corruption.
The sense of depravity granted by the act of controlling human life was that dangerous.
That was precisely why Louis himself, despite having created black magic a thousand years ago, had been extremely cautious and had made it taboo to teach it to other mages or to research it deeply.
But to Yulian alone, Louis was able to pour out all that forbidden knowledge without a shred of hesitation.
In the eyes of this child he had watched over the years, there was no malice to trample on others or any arrogant lust for power.
Only a pure determination to save the people of the underbelly was firmly in place, leaving no room for him to be corrupted by the temptations of black magic.
Moreover, ironically, Yulian was miserably lacking in traditional ‘talent as a Mage’.
Even if he were to master the essence of black magic.
He lacked the Magical Power and talent to go to a battlefield and cast an Area-of-Effect Curse on tens of thousands, so the risk of him degenerating into a mass murderer was nonexistent.
From a teacher's perspective, could there be a more perfect and safe successor?
'Of course, there is one more fortunate thing.'
Louis recalled Yulian's handsome face and let out a secret sigh of relief.
Of the three branches of black magic, there was Hypnosis, which defiled and controlled the minds of others.
If Yulian, with that face, also had an aptitude for Hypnosis...
'No woman in the world would have been able to resist him.'
No, depending on the case, men too...
Fortunately, Yulian showed not even a hair's breadth of talent or interest in that Hypnosis Magic.
If he had shown even a little talent for it, Louis would have seriously considered erasing his disciple's memories.
'...No, is this taking my imagination too far?'
Louis let out a dry laugh.
He shook his head.
Louis Edelhardt was cleaning up the laboratory, thinking about his disciple.
Suddenly, the egg from the successful experiment caught his eye.
He picked up the egg and looked at it once more.
The blood vessels spreading across the transparent chorioallantoic membrane.
The white pockmarks blooming upon them.
A trace of the curse, alive but not diseased.
"..."
A smile spread across Louis's lips.
'I wonder how much this child truly feels the weight of this egg.'
As Louis saw it, Yulian was simply overjoyed.
At the fact that he had found a medicine to stop the Blister Plague.
Of course, that alone was a great accomplishment.
The fever of the Southern Region—the vicious disease recently named Malaria—couldn't even hold a candle to this Blister Plague.
This Blister Plague was the most terrible disease that had claimed the most lives of humanity since the Great Sage had been alive.
'I, too, had to cut off my arm because of this.'
Even the Great Sage had not been able to avoid this disease over the years.
Blisters starting on his arm and rising to his face.
To stop it, the Great Sage had cut off his arm and then restored it with Divine Magic.
He was one of the lucky ones.
It usually started on the face, not the arm.
'Come to think of it, I've never caught this disease again since then... Why did I not notice that?'
The thought that he had lived his years in vain made his face flush.
But Yulian did not overlook that obvious experience and ultimately made a great discovery that would save humanity.
'This won't end with just the Blister Plague.'
Louis looked down at the Magic Formula written on the parchment.
[Qando vestigien complet = verus, tuncanic immunitas(objec, pest) = permanens.]
The Great Sage's eyebrows trembled as he looked down at it.
This formula didn't just apply to the Blister Plague.
Red Death. Black Plague. Curse of Decay. Bone Melt.
All the plagues that periodically swept through the Empire inside the walls, killing hundreds of thousands.
This formula could be applied to all those plagues.
Of course, the detailed conditions would have to be changed for each plague, but it was self-evident that this formula would become the basic framework.
'...The Age of Plagues is ending.'
In his thousand years of life, he had seen many discoveries.
The purification method for Mana Crystals. Spatial Jump Magic. The Life Extension Runic Formula.
But this was a great discovery worthy of standing alongside all of those.
This was a discovery that would change not just the history of magic, but the history of humanity.
'I must let the child know how great a discovery this is.'
For the past three years.
As a result of observing the boy named Yulian, the Great Sage felt he knew what kind of child he was.
The child, who did not know the meaning of the word arrogance, would surely not even properly realize the significance of this discovery.
Even if someone next to him exaggeratedly praised him, he would not recognize his own greatness one bit.
So, as a teacher, to help the child foster pride, the Great Sage decided to directly inform Yulian of his greatness whenever he had the chance.
Just as he was thinking that, Yulian, having finished his talk with Wangcho, returned to the laboratory.
Louis immediately explained to Yulian the greatness of this discovery.
"I see."
Just as he expected, Yulian's reaction was calm.
It was clear he understood it with his head.
He seemed to know well what kind of impact this discovery would have.
He was simply wary of arrogance and wasn't purely accepting it as his own.
'Haa... as I thought...'
But the slightly raised corners of his mouth told Louis that Yulian was at least somewhat realizing his accomplishment.
That fact, at least, was a comfort to Louis.
Because it wasn't evidence that his disciple's self-esteem was shattered.
And so, after Yulian's praise time ended.
Louis suddenly remembered one thing.
"Yulian."
"Yes, Teacher."
"This Magic Formula... no, you called it a 'Vaccine,' was it? Have you no thought of formally registering it with the Magic Tower Federation and the Imperial Patent Office?"
"A patent, you mean?"
Yulian tilted his head.
Louis added an explanation in a serious voice.
"Originally, a magic runic formula is a personal accomplishment, so there is no duty to share it. However, for a great formula that serves the public interest, the Empire itself guarantees a patent, granting the original creator its exclusive right."
"..."
"If I use my name, even the Imperial Court will find it hard to refuse. If you wish, I will help you obtain the monopoly rights for this formula."
Yulian was silent for a moment.
Louis interpreted that silence as contemplation.
'Is he hesitating?'
In truth, Yulian was already rich enough.
This was a fact Louis knew well.
For the past three years.
Yulian had introduced other medicines to the world from time to time.
But the patent for this 'vaccine manufacturing formula' was on a different level.
The moment this formula was publicly announced.
Lords from all over the Empire and royalty from neighboring nations would gladly offer money to protect their families from plagues.
A magic tool that protected against poisoning alone was worth one or two mansions.
If it was a medicine that could prevent plagues for a lifetime, they would gladly pay the cost of a whole castle.
If that happened, it would only be a moment before Yulian amassed wealth surpassing a Grand Duke's family.
'No. Perhaps he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Golden Lords...'
The world's wealthiest person.
Who would refuse that position?
Therefore, Louis expected his young disciple to be delighted by this incredible proposal, or at least to contemplate it.
But Yulian, after seeming to think for a moment, gave an answer Louis had not expected.
"No. I will not be patenting it."
"...What did you say?"
Louis's one eye widened in bewilderment.
"I plan to release this formula to the world without any conditions, so that all alchemy workshops and healers can use it freely, without any cost."
"W-Wait, Yulian. Think of the sweat and blood you poured into completing this formula over the past three years. A pack of rotten hyenas aiming for this formula might try to steal your right. Why would you give up such an enormous reward?"
"Did you not do the same, Teacher?"
"...What?"
Yulian smiled gently.
"In the age when humanity was losing its place to live to Demonic Beasts, you organized the unknown realm of magic into an academia and began teaching it to the people."
That was right.
Back when Louis had organized the concept of magic into academia.
He had taught people the magic he had classified into 13 systems.
Not everyone became a wizard, but thanks to him, the number of wizards, which had been only one in hundreds of thousands, exploded.
Furthermore, magic that was only good for hunting low-rank Demonic Beasts grew explosively to a level where it could now face high-rank Demonic Beasts.
That was why the world called Louis the ‘Father of Magic’.
Over a thousand years, despite numerous magical discoveries, the fame of the Father of Magic never faded.
And Yulian truly respected such a man.
"I, too, wish to follow in your footsteps, Teacher."
"...You do not need to follow the same path as me, Yulian. This is your rightful right."
Despite the Great Sage's persuasion, Yulian simply looked at his one eye with a placid face.
And as if he had not a shred of doubt or regret about the decision he had made.
He replied with the warmest smile in the world.
"Teacher. Teacher, would you put a patent on the rising sun?"
The Great Sage's breath caught for a moment.
His heart pounded violently.
This excitement. How many years had it been?
"The sun is great because it shines equally upon all to nurture life. This medicine is the same. It only becomes great by becoming common."
Ah, yes.
His comrades he had sent off.
The First Hero. The Founding King. The Mother of Fairies.
Since sending them off, this was the first time he had felt such excitement.
"...Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"You won't regret it?"
"Rather, I think I would regret it more if I failed to save people despite having discovered this medicine."
There was no wavering in Yulian's voice.
Louis let out a sigh.
It was a long, deep sigh.
"...I understand."
And then he chuckled.
"I will respect your Mindscape."
All mages are arrogant.
Because to wield magic, one needs not only knowledge and talent but also a unique mental image of their own.
The scenery they imagine, the ideal they pursue.
Mages call that ideal a Mindscape.
And the Mindscape of his youngest disciple that the Great Sage had glimpsed was more arrogant than he had thought.
"If that is your Mindscape, then as your teacher, I too will release this formula to the world for free."
"Thank you, Teacher."
"However."
Louis raised a finger.
"I will decide the name of this formula."
"The name?"
"Yes. The name that will be passed down to posterity."
Louis unrolled the parchment.
And at the top of the formula, he wrote a line.
「Formula Schnabel - Schnabel Formula」
"...Teacher."
"I will not accept any objections."
Louis said firmly.
"You don't have to patent it, as you wish. But I will not tolerate the name of the person who made this formula not remaining in history."
"..."
"This is my Mindscape, so respect it."
"...I understand, Teacher."
Yulian nodded reluctantly.
A look that was somehow displeased.
But as his teacher, it was a measure he couldn't help but take.
This humble disciple didn't know how to look out for his own livelihood, so he had to be forced to do so, even if it was coercive.
Louis rolled up the parchment and tucked it into his clothes.
"Now, let's begin the next experiment. We have a long way to go."
"Yes, Teacher."
The Great Sage's left eye followed the back of the 15-year-old's head.
With a small wish that this little joy he had found in his later years,
would last for all eternity.
*
Meanwhile, at that moment, Yulian...
'Ah, I can't let the name of this formula be the Schnabel Formula...'
The name his teacher had given the formula made him uncomfortable.
'How many more formulas and medicines will I make in the future...'
He couldn't call it the Schnabel Formula every time.
If he did, it was obvious that medical students or apprentice healers hundreds of years from now would be cursing Yulian.
— "Schnabel Formula No. 3? What was that again?"
— "Formula No. 5? No, this has nothing to do with No. 4! Why is it classified like this!!!"
Yulian knew better than anyone the pain of diseases being named after the scholars who discovered them.
Behçet's disease, Huntington's chorea, Hodgkin's lymphoma...
That was why he had resolved not to attach his own name to the diseases or formulas he discovered.
However, his teacher did not allow it.
'...I'm sorry, my future juniors.'
In any case, this had to not be Yulian's fault.
And so, Yulian vowed to make sure the origin of the name was recorded in the history books.
