328 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 328 "The essence of this analysis magic circle lies in its ability to analyze the core nature of subjects within its range and relay that information to two other magic circles. It swiftly deciphers and categorizes the biological structure of every entity within the area and transmits this data. Though crucial, it consumes one of the capacities of the grand magic circle despite being merely a supplementary circle with no direct effect." Victoria's explanation started off complicated. "…Ria, simplify, please." "It means there are unnecessary parts in this magic circle. It's like the obstinacy of geniuses who insist on thoroughness in everything." "Exactly! You can explain it simply after all." Once understood, Logan couldn’t help but nod in agreement with enthusiasm. However, Victoria's eyes narrowed as she looked at Logan, and the surrounding mages glanced at the ceiling or walls. No one laughed, but it felt like there were faint giggles. Logan gave a short cough of embarrassment before nodding for Victoria to continue her explanation. She sighed softly and went on. "If we significantly lower the criteria for distinguishing between enemy and ally, we can omit the magic that scans and analyzes the entire biological structure of the targeted life forms." "…Isn't that magic circle designed to accurately distinguish between friend and foe? Can you really reduce it?" Victoria smiled, seemingly satisfied that Logan grasped the context this time. "As I mentioned, this is a case of geniuses' talents being unnecessarily squandered. There's no need to scan all the biometric data for identification. And compared to ancient times, there are now too many people residing in Grian. We don’t need to spread the power of the magic circle among all of them." "So what then?" "We can utilize symbols. Equipments engraved with a 'flame pattern' of a certain size. We modify the vitality magic circle to activate only for subjects possessing such equipment. Conversely, the weakening magic circle…" "Targets the emblem of the Golden Dragon." Logan clapped in admiration. The emblem of the empire, the Golden Dragon. Enemy knights or soldiers would never relinquish gear bearing their symbol. "Yes, exactly," Victoria confirmed. "But couldn't the shapes and sizes of those symbols vary greatly? Then classification would be…" The engraving of symbols on armor was up to the artisan, and even the same craftsman couldn’t replicate it exactly. Victoria's response to this concern was straightforward. "Even considering variations and incorporating analysis codes for shape transformations, it's still far simpler than analyzing an entire biological structure. It frees up capacity in the magic circle." "So you're saying?" "It means we can potentially repurpose this auxiliary magic circle in other ways." "What?" Logan looked at Victoria with astonished eyes. Restoring the massive magic circle created by ancient archmages and even modifying it? Clayton, who couldn’t hide his pride in his disciple, interjected at Logan's shocked expression. "It's true. With eyes that see mana and Ria's genius, unforeseen achievements became possible." "Master, speaking like that raises His Majesty's expectations too high." "It seems justified, doesn’t it?" As Logan acknowledged Clayton's pride with a smile, Victoria waved her hands, denying it. "No, Your Majesty. It’s merely tweaking the utility of the existing magic circle." Victoria's face, suddenly looking much like her younger self, bowed in embarrassment. Naturally, Logan's smile was filled with pride, and he directly asked without beating around the bush. "Hmm. What exactly do you mean?" "The vitality magic circle is already at peak efficiency according to my understanding. If energy is concentrated on a few, it'll just strain their bodies, so there's no reason to modify it. However…" Under Logan’s curious gaze, Victoria spoke with a tone of confidence. "…the weakening magic circle is different. Magic that weakens a large force by a certain percentage seldom affects strong opponents beyond lowering their conditions. It’s useful, of course, but with some adjustments, we can refine it to primarily restrain the strongest among the enemy." "…Does that mean?" "It would be possible to weaken even superhuman forces by over 10%. Although this would mean the power to restrain regular soldiers would diminish." Logan felt chills run down his spine at her words. For those without battle experience, 'Only 10%?' might sound unimpressive, but 10% was no trivial figure. Reducing strength by 10%, slowing speed by 10%, even dulling senses by as much. In a duel, it could widen the gap by a move or two, an enormous advantage. "That's incredible. Truly incredible! Then should we lure the Imperial Army into the fortress to fight? Haha." Astonished by the impressive results, Logan inadvertently clapped his hands like a child in joy. "You’ve really outdone yourself, Ria." "No, Your Majesty. It was only possible with help from Master and the senior students." Clayton, who was smiling proudly beside her, immediately intervened at her humble words. "Being too modest isn’t good, Ria. Eight parts are your doing, we just helped with the remaining bit." "No, Master…" "Anyway, what matters is achieving results like this. You all did incredibly well." "No, Your Majesty." "With you suddenly…" As Logan unexpectedly bowed his head, the mages, flustered, bowed in response. Feeling satisfied, Logan turned his gaze again to the brightly shining magic circle. "There is, however…" Five magic circles emitted blues and whites, intertwining in the underground plaza, creating an ethereal atmosphere. Yet, eyes that see mana had known from the start that the energy contained within was not as substantial as it appeared. "What about the current status? What’s the situation here?" "We are conducting a final check before fully activating the circle by installing the mana stone. We're simply ensuring there are no anomalies with our mana." "So, does this mean you can activate the magic circle immediately?" "Yes. That's why I've reported it to Your Majesty." "Very well, let's proceed." "Yes." At Clayton's nod, Victoria, her excitement barely contained, ran toward the center of the magic circle. In her hand was a fist-sized mana stone glowing with a bluish light, though no one had seen where she got it. The underground plaza fell silent as everyone focused their tense gazes on her. As Victoria embedded the mana stone into the heart of the grand magic circle, a faint click resonated. Whirr. A flash! "Ugh!?" What began with a slight sound quickly escalated as the magic circle erupted into a blinding light, incomparable to what it emitted before. "My eyes!" "You could've given a heads-up!" "Just bear with it! You'll get used to it soon!" The sudden brightness turned the entire underground plaza into broad daylight, causing a momentary commotion. However, soon after, a wave of awe and excitement washed over the audience. "Ohhh!" "This is truly…." "Wow!" Cheers echoed through the plaza. "Finally!" "The ancient grand magic circles are coming back to life!" "We did it!" A select few were celebrating, sharing their excitement with one another. It was somewhat unfortunate that only a handful could fully appreciate the significance, but those few were genuinely elated. "We can finally go home!" Only for a moment did Grick ruin the atmosphere with his comment, which caused Clayton's expression to harden slightly. Grick ended up in a playful headlock by Clayton, screaming, which only served to amuse those around them further. Amidst the laughter and cheers that erupted all around, Logan kept smiling contentedly and shifted his gaze to Victor beside him. "This is incredible. It doesn't feel burdening, and it revitalizes me. The effect is certainly there. How about you?" "I feel the same as Your Majesty. I think I'll be able to do much more than usual." Victor, with his trait of 'Endless Vitality,' seemed to be experiencing the effects of the magic circle more acutely than Logan. Moreover. "Amazing. I exaggerated slightly, but it feels like I've become 10 years younger." Dwayne, looking down at his own hands and feet with surprised eyes, voiced his impressions as a regular person. A truly laudable evaluation, to which Logan responded with a bright smile. "Considering the high-grade mana stone and the short span of one month, can you understand it?" "Indeed, it makes sense. However, do keep in mind that given the cost, we can't afford to install this in every forward fortress." "I expected as much." Even the Minister of Finance, who had been worrying about the expenses, nodded in a daze, but that was not all. 'There seems to be another effect beyond what Ria explained. Could it be this one…' Victoria, who had been staring blankly at the now brilliantly white magic circle since its activation, caught Logan's attention. The magic circle yet to complete its analysis. Even Logan, who was relatively uninformed about magic, felt he was beginning to understand the effects of this magic circle; thus, Victoria, with her ability to see mana, must have already discerned and was analyzing those effects. 'She'll inform us once she has it all figured out.' Logan, satisfied with the achievements, looked back at Clayton. "This is impressive. So now, is it possible to deploy these magic circles somewhere beyond Grian?" "Given sufficient time and resources, it certainly is possible." At Clayton's confident response, Logan's fists trembled slightly with excitement. The final ace that had been prepared to counter the Empire was now in place. 'The preparations are nearing completion. Yet, I mustn't get complacent; there are too many variables.' Taking a long, deep breath to calm his excitement, Logan addressed Clayton earnestly. "Great work, Baron Clayton." "No, as I mentioned, it was more Ria who should be credited. Huh?" Noticing Victoria's vacant state, Clayton awkwardly lowered his hand that had been gesturing towards her. Logan, smiling at this, patted Clayton's shoulder. "Both of you did an outstanding job. I’ll soon proceed with installing these magic circles at key forward positions—not just Grian. I’m considering at least five locations, or even ten if we push it. Please prepare for about another year of effort." At this, Clayton looked back at Logan with an awkward expression. "…Ten locations within a year?" "Is that too much?" "N-no, not at all." Clayton, who had momentarily shown his surprise, quickly responded with determination. "Successfully implementing this will significantly aid in repelling the Empire's invasion as Your Majesty predicted, won’t it?" "Yes, it will be of great assistance." "I understand. Let's do it." As Clayton clenched his fist with resolve, Logan watched him warmly. Then, at that precise moment. "Your Majesty! I've discovered the remaining function!" Victoria shouted as she came running over, perfectly timed. "The one involved with this, right?" Logan tapped his head with a knowing smile, and Victoria nodded vigorously. "Yes. The magic circle purifies the mind and wards off intrusive powers. It incorporates techniques not present in current magic, so it took time to interpret… How did you guess?" "Have you forgotten? What you see, I see as well. Moreover, I am quite perceptive." Logan chuckled softly, brushing a hand over Victoria's head. "Oh, right. But there’s something remarkable. It seems the archmage who crafted this magic circle was aware of entities like the Kassel Tower." "Hmm?" Victoria's unexpected revelation swiftly captured Logan's attention. "I realized as much when recalling the spell of that woman we encountered before. This magic circle is a counter-pattern to dismantle that gray magic. It resembles Wizard School magic, but…" Oh. Logan's eyes glinted at that precise moment. "…So it might be as you say. Does that mean we can seal it off as well?" "We can't completely block it. However, for those under the effect of this magic circle, even if they do get brainwashed, they'll break free after a short while." An unexpected revelation. This discovery eased one of the worries lingering in Logan's heart, and a genuinely satisfied smile lit up his face like never before. After that day, another wave of transformation began within the royal castle of MacLine.