Guter first extracted the difficult points he still did not understand from the material he had recently read.
Then, in extremely tiny handwriting, he wrote as much of the unresolved knowledge as possible onto a single sheet of paper.
After several attempts, Guter looked at the densely packed, black mass of tiny writing covering the page and let out a long breath.
This degree of abbreviation was already the limit of what he could manage.
If it still caused waste at this point, then Guter had no other choice but to accept it.
Fortunately, when Guter slapped the Memory Bread onto this page of "condensed knowledge," the system issued a notification that its use had failed.
The reason was that the amount of knowledge on the page had reached the maximum capacity of a single slice of bread. He did not need to worry about wasting the item because of problems with his abbreviation technique.
Unfortunately, Guter still had to reduce the amount of knowledge and rewrite it in order to determine exactly where the limit of a single slice of Memory Bread lay.
As he wrote page after page, reducing each one by a single knowledge point compared to the last, he finally tested out that "limit" through this repeated tug-of-war.
Smack!
After a soft sound, the slice of Memory Bread landed on the paper this time without the system issuing a failed-use notification. All the knowledge points on the paper were absorbed into the bread.
"Phew—finally done."
Guter let out a long sigh, picked up the bread imprinted with countless pieces of knowledge, deliberately ignored the wrinkles left by repeated slapping, and stuffed it into his mouth in a single bite.
His mind jolted, and a clear sensation of enlightenment lingered within it.
The knowledge stored in the Memory Bread was slowly released in an exceptionally gentle manner. A few breaths later, Guter had comprehended it all.
Feeling his profound grasp of those knowledge points, Guter had never imagined that he could understand the essence of magical formulas so thoroughly.
Still unsatisfied, Guter flipped through the Magic Book on the table, wanting to "condense" another portion of knowledge and swallow it.
But the sky beyond the window already seemed to be growing bright with dawn. Startled, Guter immediately looked at the clock in the room.
Had an entire night passed without him realizing it?
Guter rose from his chair and stretched his body after sitting for the entire night.
Looking at the several pages of "condensed knowledge" he had painstakingly written on his desk, Guter roughly understood where all that time had gone.
After washing his face with cold water, Guter put on his coat, carried the food box he had taken out last night, bought several loaves of bread along the way, and headed for Teacher Serie's residence.
After arriving nearby, Guter looked at the figure dozing on the stone slab by the entrance and paused. He had not expected that he would be the late one this time.
After stepping forward and patting Gumi on the head, Guter sat beside her, handed her a freshly baked loaf of bread, and asked,
"Why did you come so early? There should still be more than half an hour until the agreed time."
"Ah?! Senior Brother."
Whether she had been awakened by Guter patting her head or lured awake by the scent of the freshly baked bread placed before her, Gumi opened her eyes.
After sweetly calling him Senior Brother, she took the still-warm bread and happily began nibbling on it, her eyes curved into crescents.
As she ate, she answered Guter's question.
"Because this is my first time coming to Master's home after becoming her disciple, so I wanted to arrive a little earlier."
"Ahh~"
A sigh suddenly sounded from behind them. Guter and Gumi quickly turned around and discovered that the gate behind them had somehow been pushed open.
Their teacher, Serie, was standing in the doorway, covering her mouth as she yawned.
"Come in."
"You all came so early. Can human mages these days already go without sleep?"
However, after saying that, Serie paused and looked at Guter.
"Well, you really didn't sleep."
After her teasing, Serie turned and walked inside. Guter signaled for his Junior Disciple Gumi to follow, and the three of them headed together toward the library within Serie's residence.
After entering, Serie sat in the throne symbolizing supreme knowledge in an uninhibited pose, crossed her hands, and introduced Gumi to the privileges of becoming her disciple once more. Then she scrutinized her new disciple with great interest, wondering what kind of answer she would hear from her.
Standing to the side, Guter was wondering the same thing.
Based on his impression of Gumi over the past two days, what sort of magic would such a lively, cheerful young mage who loved good food ask Teacher Serie for?
Magic for Finding Food?
Or Magic to Make Food Exceptionally Delicious?
Or perhaps, for a young girl like Gumi, even if she asked for Magic to Make Oneself Beautiful, Guter would not have been too surprised.
Yet the answer given by the seemingly lively and cheerful Junior Disciple Gumi was none of those things.
"Teacher Serie."
"I want magic that can inflict tremendous damage on Demons... and make them die in unbearable pain."
As Gumi spoke, Guter could even hear the sound of her grinding her teeth. The expression on his Junior Disciple's face had become unfamiliar in a way he had never seen before.
That icy face filled with endless hatred, along with the towering rage hidden beneath her calm gaze, made Guter feel as though his heart had been struck by a massive hammer.
Only then did Guter's understanding of the Demons ravaging this world cease to be something written on paper. He had gained a direct understanding of it.
They were still at war.
Even though the Demon King had long since died, the blood, tears, and conflict between humans and Demons had never ceased.
On the throne, Serie was not surprised by the hatred displayed by the disciple before her. Instead, she revealed an expression of considerable agreement.
"You want to inflict tremendous damage on Demons and make them die in pain."
"There is a type of magic that fits your requirements quite well."
As Serie spoke, she beckoned with a hand. A Magic Book flew from the shelves in the library and landed before Gumi.
"This is Destructive Thunder Magic. It is effective against most Demons, and any Demon struck by it will suffer extreme pain."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Kneeling on one knee, Gumi carefully hugged the Magic Book to her chest as though it were a priceless treasure. After rising, she gave her Senior Brother Guter an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Senior Brother. I didn't scare you just now, did I?"
"It's fine."
Guter shook his head with a complicated expression. After hesitating for a moment, he still reached out and gently patted his Junior Disciple's hair without saying anything more.
On the throne, Serie silently nodded as she watched the scene below.
A moment later, she spoke.
"Guter, give Gumi the Barrier Terminal from the examination site, then stay behind."
"Gumi, take the Barrier Terminal to the examination site and maintain order there with Lairn."
"Yes, Teacher."
Gumi gave a slight bow. After accepting the Barrier Terminal handed over by her Senior Brother, she took her leave.
Only Guter and his teacher remained in the residence.
Before you continue