"Laziness" and "Diligence"

Chapter 14: "Lazy" and "Diligent"

Chaldea, Luo Zhen's room.

"Senpai..."

At this moment, Mashu stood by the bed, her face full of worry as she looked at Luo Zhen sitting on it.

"What? Something up?"

Luo Zhen paid it no mind, still sitting on the bed, his fingers moving deftly.

A closer look revealed Luo Zhen sitting cross-legged on the bed, a laptop balanced on his thighs, rapidly tapping the keyboard as he played a game.

His eyes were glued to the screen, not even glancing at Mashu.

Seeing him like this, Mashu spoke hesitantly.

"The director seems really angry this time. She's not only canceled all the simulated battles but also locked herself in her room without coming out. Everyone's worried about what might happen next."

That was the current situation.

To this, Luo Zhen replied with a single word.

"Oh."

Having said that, he lost interest in the matter and went back to gaming.

If this were any other time, with Luo Zhen being careless about serious matters and only absorbed in games, Mashu would have already raised objections with a serious face.

But this time, she didn't. Instead, as if mindful of his feelings, she hesitated.

"Senpai." Mashu could only say, "Maybe you should go apologize to the director."

It was the only solution she could think of.

Too bad...

"Do you think that's possible?" Luo Zhen's hands never stopped, quickly working the keyboard as he spoke. "Even if I do nothing, that woman flies off the handle at the drop of a hat. If I go apologize, it'll just make her angrier—nothing else."

"That's... not true." Mashu tried to persuade him, though her voice lacked confidence. "Even the director, if you just apologize properly..."

"Enough, don't say anymore." Luo Zhen replied coldly. "I only spoke the truth. I didn't do anything wrong. I passed the simulated battle, so there's no reason to complain. As for how that woman feels, that's none of my business."

Hearing this, Mashu didn't know what to do.

Just then, the room's automatic door opened, and someone walked in.

"Doctor."

Seeing the person entering, Mashu called out and shot him a pleading look.

"Good work, Mashu." Roman patted her shoulder. "You just finished the simulated battle too. You must be tired. Go back and rest for now."

"But..." Mashu wanted to say more, but Roman's gaze stopped her.

"You know this kid's temper." Roman shook his head. "Let me talk to him. After all, I'm still his big brother."

Hearing this, Mashu glanced at Roman, then at Luo Zhen who was still gaming, and finally nodded after a moment.

"I'll head back to my room then." Mashu said to Luo Zhen, "Don't play games too long, Senpai. I'll come get you for dinner."

Leaving those words, she looked back several times as she left the room, letting the automatic door close behind her.

The room fell into silence, broken only by the rhythmic clatter of the keyboard and the game's background music.

Roman finally turned to Luo Zhen, letting out a sigh.

"You..."

Before he could finish, the words died in his throat.

"If you're here to lecture me, no thanks."

Luo Zhen cut him off without hesitation.

His next words were these.

"In Chaldea, plenty of people want to complain about me." Luo Zhen said. "Anyway, I'm just lazy and unreliable, so let me play my games in peace."

These words drew another sigh from Roman.

Then, Roman spoke.

"Coming from the most diligent Magus in Chaldea, that really doesn't hold water."

----"Diligent."

If a second person heard that word—besides Mashu—they'd sneer at it.

That word had nothing to do with Luo Zhen.

Anyone in Chaldea would think so, wouldn't they?

In others' eyes, Luo Zhen was a fool who, despite possessing extraordinary magical talent, wasted his time on meaningless games and entertainment, living a lazy life day in and day out.

But only Roman knew that, in truth, Luo Zhen worked harder than any other Magus in Chaldea.

"Someone who trains his magecraft every day as soon as his magical energy recovers, until it's completely drained—what's he talking about, 'taking it easy'?"

Roman helplessly exposed this fact.

Yes.

Luo Zhen practically honed his magic every single day, pushing until his mana was completely drained.

If not for that, how could someone who had only studied magic for three years summon a Mid-Level Familiar, let alone perfectly command hundreds of familiars at once?

All of it was the result of hard work.

Others only saw Luo Zhen wasting time on games.

But how could they know that every time he played, it was because his mana was spent, leaving him unable to continue training and forced to wait for it to slowly recover?

"Your poor physical condition is tied to this too, isn't it?"

Roman said.

Mana is the power that Magi generate by converting their own life force through the Magic Circuits within their bodies.

Luo Zhen, training magic every day, not only exhausted his mana but also constantly converted his life force to restore it, leading to excessive depletion.

This left Luo Zhen's body exceptionally frail, even weaker than some defenseless girls.

Of course, his overly refined Magic Circuits were also a factor.

In the world of magic, it wasn't uncommon for Magic Circuits to cause physical problems.

Magic Circuits are pseudo-nerves originating from the soul, organs used to convert mana. If something went wrong with them, affecting the body was only natural.

Luo Zhen's Magic Circuits were too excellent, his mana circulation too frequent and rapid, placing an excessive burden on his body.

In other words, unless Luo Zhen gave up magic and abandoned becoming a Magus, his body would always remain this weak. Even if he didn't fall ill often, a frail constitution was his Fate.

"That's why you used to..."

When these words slipped out of Roman's mouth involuntarily, Luo Zhen, who had been playing games, finally spoke up and cut him off.

"Can you stop nagging like that woman, big brother?"

Luo Zhen said, clearly annoyed.