Learning Magic Scientifically

Over the next few days, Rhode devoted himself to learning basic magic.

Before Lilia, the little elf girl, arrived, life on the farm had been lonely and solitary, but it did have one advantage.

No one disturbed him.

Rhode could start practicing spells whenever he wanted, as long as his mana and mental energy had recovered.

As for little Lilia, she helped Rhode set up Alarm Wards around the corners of the farm. When one was triggered, she went to chase the animals away, then laughed delightedly as she watched the little boars flee.

Of course, as Rhode's "mentor," she still conscientiously "supervised" his studies, just like a real teacher.

"Only through the harshest hardships can you become an Archmage."

"One minute of combat takes ten years of training."

"Every successful adventurer is one percent talent and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

Lilia often clasped her hands behind her back and paced around like a grown-up, offering Rhode a few motivational platitudes to encourage him to keep studying.

That was important.

Rhode naturally understood that becoming a powerful mage required tremendous effort.

But he had never been particularly strong-willed. Otherwise, he would not have ended up a farmer-after all, a few years might have been enough for him to become a decent Warrior.

Things were different now.

Lilia had shown him that he had the potential to become a mage, and rescuing the child from the spider's jaws had also kindled his determination to study hard.

Just like the college entrance exams back then, a brighter future awaited if he could push through!

At the very least, it would make looking after the farm easier!

Besides, with Lilia's help, he now had a unique understanding of spell principles. He ought to learn far more efficiently than an ordinary person.

Although it felt a little tedious, Rhode began practicing magic whenever he had the mana and mental energy.

Rommath's Basic Spell Theory did not teach any specific spells. It only contained methods for controlling and adjusting mana, along with techniques for linking spell nodes.

Then it provided examples of a few minor spells.

For instance, he could recite an incantation and move his left and right hands slowly, and a wisp of mist would emerge on either side.

Or he could keep moving both hands while chanting, allowing him to sense obstacles ahead, as though magic had extended his sense of touch.

When Rhode practiced, Lilia sat nearby and watched with interest.

"Rhode, your movements are so funny. It's like you're dancing."

"Really? Like this?" Rhode went through the motions again.

"Isn't it supposed to be like this?" Lilia stood up and began hopping around.

The same movements looked painfully awkward when an adult performed them, yet were delightful when demonstrated by a cute little girl.

"Hey, you're clearly good at this. Let's practice together."

"I don't want to. You keep going."

But the minor demonstration spells had practically no real use. To put the magical knowledge he had grasped into practice, he needed to learn practical spells.

Rhode soon began leafing through the other spellbook: Practical Spell Ward Techniques.

This book explained how to use various spell wards.

Alarm Wards, Elemental Wards, Guardian Wards, and the like.

Naturally, Rhode chose to learn the Alarm Ward first. After all, Lilia knew that spell, so learning it would be quicker. It also looked like the simplest one.

But that simplicity was only relative.

When he began studying it seriously and gradually understood the rules for casting it, he discovered that the spell model appearing in his mind was far more complex than those of the demonstration spells. It had roughly seven or eight energy circuits and twenty or thirty spell nodes.

Why not try doing it my own way this time? Skip the incantation.

For the past few days, he had followed the book's instructions throughout. Although he could see gradual improvement, his progress still felt slow. After several days, he had only learned a few of the simplest demonstration spells.

After all, he had to memorize so many rules, as well as the incantation for every spell.

And now, even this beginner-level spell looked as though it would take ages to memorize completely.

If I keep going like this, when will I ever become a mage who can command all kinds of magic?

I might as well give it a try.

The pathways in this spell model look pretty clear. My head probably won't explode... right?

"Rhode, you're slacking off again." Lilia's clear voice rang beside his ear.

"I'm not."

"Then why are you staring into space?"

"I'm thinking," Rhode said. "I want to test a spell. The kind that doesn't need an incantation."

"No incantation? That sounds amazing. Go ahead."

"Move farther away." Rhode was still a little worried something might go wrong.

"Why?"

"You'll find out in a moment."

"All right." Lilia walked away, raised both hands, and waved. "Is here okay?"

"A little farther. Safety first."

Lilia had gone far enough. The distance should be suitable.

Rhode looked around again. He was standing in an open area, and there really was no one else coming.

Everything was ready. He took a deep breath and began connecting the spell nodes according to the model in his mind.

Input.

The red energy circuits began connecting the blue spell nodes.

A turn, then another turn.

One connected, then another.

Finally, he raised his hand.

Output.

Poof.

A tiny light appeared in Rhode's palm, but it quickly vanished.

Did it work?

Probably not.

During the normal casting process with an incantation, that light should have grown larger and brighter before taking the shape of a ward, just like the ones Lilia often used.

Then his head began to hurt, and he even felt the world spinning around him.

Who am I?

Where am I?

Rhode swayed, nearly throwing up, before simply lying down on the ground.

What an awful experience.

Lilia hurried over and looked down at him. "Rhode, what were you doing just now? That looked like mana backlash."

"I wanted to cast the spell my own way."

"But you looked so silly just now. You stood there forever, your hand flashed once, and then you lay down."

"I looked cool."

Lilia muttered under her breath, "You looked silly."

Rhode frowned. What was silly about it?

My casting movements looked pretty cool-apart from the bit where I lay down.

Seeing Rhode lying motionless, Lilia asked again, "Rhode, how do you feel?"

"Not too bad. This mana backlash feels very mild. It should be fine."

Rhode guessed that this mana backlash was caused by his lack of proficiency.

Perhaps the mana had taken too long to travel from the input to the output, preventing the spell from being cast properly and causing backlash. Still, it was not as serious as connecting the wrong spell nodes.

"Are you going to keep practicing, then?"

"Yes, but I need a break."

"Don't use this as an excuse to slack off."

"Oh, shut up."

"All right."

Once his head stopped hurting, Rhode tested the spell again, and failed.

He waited ten minutes, tried again, and failed again.

After repeating this more than a dozen times, Rhode's nose began to bleed. Yet he covered it and chuckled softly.

Failure was the mother of success. That saying was true, because Rhode discovered that he could guide his mana along the route from input to output faster and more smoothly. The light released from his hand was growing increasingly distinct, too. It was almost ready to take shape.

"Rhode, your nose is bleeding." Holding a cloth, Lilia carefully wiped it for him.

"It's fine. My head hasn't exploded."

"I heard that grown-ups sometimes get nosebleeds when they see or think about certain things." Lilia asked, her eyes wide, "Were you thinking about something, Rhode?"

"...I was only thinking about spells!"

"Why are you getting so worked up? Look, now your nose is bleeding even more."

"Mmph... mmph, mmph..."