CHAPTER 36: BATTLE OF DEDUCTION

A thousand meters east of the manor, a clearing bordered the forest at the mountain's base. Silvia lay in a hammock reading a romance novel set in medieval times, a tale about the complicated relationships between a few women.

Meanwhile, Wayne practiced magic in the clearing, working through basic spells suitable for a newbie like him.

The spell he was currently wrestling with was ‘Mud Slime’, which conjured a floppy pile of mud with earth elements and shaped it through thoughts. It was simple, at least to Silvia. Given Wayne’s talent, he should master it quickly through diligent practice.

He was pretty good at solving magic problems, but the Mud Slime's form kept defying his expectations. No matter how he adjusted his posture or tweaked his technique, the earth elements always emerged as a wall instead of the expected pile of mud.

The damp wall solidified and hardened quickly, impossible to reshape to begin with.

He initially thought it was spellcasting mistakes, but Silvia disagreed. Incantations were formulas that should get the same results with the same input, meaning that Mud Slime should always conjure a pile of mud no matter the spellcaster. Unless...

There were other formulas mixed in!

Silvia believed the crux of the problem was his distracted thoughts and impatience. She told him to stop checking her out and focus on the formula.

Even if I’m distracted, one plus one should still equal two!

Wayne was ready to burst into tears from the frustration. He swore that his thought had not strayed when casting the spell; if anything, he was more focused than ever. Yet somehow, the right incantation and pure mana manifested as wrong magic.

Master, could it be that one plus one doesn’t equal two?

He didn’t voice the thought. Even if he alone had the right answer while the world was wrong, he would still be considered wrong. After many more failed attempts, his mana depleted, he sat cross-legged and began meditating.

On the first day, he captured nearly thirty elemental particles. On the second day, he’d mastered the use of his tentacles and captured a hundred. Today was the third day. Since meditation improved both mana capacity and thoughts, his now more numerous and longer tentacles managed to snare three hundred elemental particles.

He didn’t know if he was making good progress, but the answer seemed likely to be ‘no’ given the way his master kept sighing.

That made him anxious. His talent was too mediocre.

Practice supposedly makes perfect. He had an amazing master who taught him the best meditation method from the Church of Nature. But as Silvia had pointed out, many outstanding students had access to the meditation method; he wasn’t special.

From the same starting line, geniuses drove cars while he walked on foot. No amount of diligence could beat four wheels. How could he not feel anxious?

His concerns met only silence. His master didn’t know what she could say. Tell him that he wasn’t the one walking, but the one piloting a plane? She couldn’t risk making him overconfident. In the end, she expressed her sympathy in a roundabout manner and encouraged him to work harder. Once he overcame the initial hurdle, he would have a bright future in magic.

The road to success was always littered with difficulties. Wayne decided to trust her judgment, though he privately disagreed with her assessment.

He didn’t think he lacked talent.

He could’ve captured a lot more elemental particles, but the Book of Greed had been stealing seventy percent of his every catch. He only received the remaining thirty percent, and even that was under the book's scrutiny.

How dare it? I’d like to ask for a change for my cheat, coach.

“It’s getting late. I have to go.” Silvia checked her watch and climbed out of the hammock, closing the romance novel. She offered a few words of encouragement and said, “The theoretical books I ordered for you should arrive by evening, and by tomorrow morning at the latest, they’ll be at the manor. Read it and mark the parts you don’t understand. I’ll explain them later, or call me if you can’t wait.”

She meant the basic magical theories not included in the Hexagram Magic Book. Kristen had promised to teach him. The fundamental theory was crucial and a required study for all mages; students had to not only memorize the content but truly understand it. Otherwise, advanced theories would remain forever beyond reach.

Wayne’s face darkened, remembering his university time after nine years of required education. The advanced mathematics he'd buried in the depths of his memory was staging an ambush.

Why the ambush? I can’t beat you even if you come at me directly!

Silvia had originally planned to bring him to Londan for proper training as her assistant, but his talent changed her mind. Being an assistant to the High Reverend would be beneath him. She wanted to make him into an apostle.

The chaos in Londan exceeded her imagination, so she couldn't spare time for teaching. Better to leave him safely at the manor rather than risk having the genius meet a premature death.

There were things she left unsaid. She was from Londan, but she wasn’t part of the inner circle of the Windsor branch of the Church of Nature. Re-establishing connections wouldn't be easy, and she'd likely need to get her hands dirty after taking office.

Power struggle was the same in every field, including religion and faith!

For these reasons, she decided against taking him to Londan. She'd placed a spell ensuring he stayed within fifty miles of the manor. If bored, he could visit Enrod for outings, but not return to Londan to seek out his girlfriend.

That was unless his mana improved dramatically and exceeded the spell’s threshold.

Have you ever considered that I may not have a girlfriend?

He snorted. “You don’t have ground me, Master. I’m not going to return to Londan. In fact, I ran away.”

“Oh? Pray tell.”

“I was targeted by a powerful figure. They are incredibly influential in Londan, and both law enforcement and the criminal world suck up to them. Somehow, I’ve offended that person, and they cannot wait to stuff me in a barrel of cement to sink me in the river.” Wayne despaired at his circumstances. He still didn’t understand what was happening.

Silvia fell silent. The threat sounded awfully familiar.

“So? Did you not ask someone for help? Your girlfriend, for example. She should be able to help, given how rich her family is.”

“It doesn’t work. The person refuses to back down. I’m still waiting for her call. I can only return to Londan once they’re no longer angry with me.” He looked at Silvia with puppy eyes. “It’s been three days. Would you help me, Master? I want to at least find out who it is.”

“Ah, interesting. I’ll ask around in Londan. Wait for my call.”

She smothered a smile. She could more or less figure out what was happening. The bastard was unlikely to be appeased in this lifetime.

You shameless man! How could you bully a boy like this?

Come at me instead!

***

Silvia left by car.

The Lando family’s treatment of their guests struck Wayne as extravagant. The butler had arranged a luxury car to take a woman they barely knew to Londan, and to ensure her comfort, he'd even arranged for a maid to drive. The hospitality was unmatched.

In the afternoon, Wayne meditated in the garden. Following Silvia's advice, he stayed close to nature while meditating. This time, he glowed in multiple colors, with the red of the fire elements being most prominent. They were ready to pounce on him.

After half an hour, he stopped meditating. He felt pretty good.

But he shook his head and sighed a few seconds later. The glow didn’t mean much. The geniuses at academies were not only more talented, but also had been meditating for longer. He wondered when he would bridge the years of difference between them and catch up.

The thought made the visages of three magical girls in his mind grow fainter. He recognized it as the gap between geniuses and ordinary people. There was a thick barrier between him and his future happiness.

“If I can’t catch up in a day, I’ll spend two days. If I can’t do it in the morning, I’ll also work at night. They’ll be sleeping while I cultivate...”

“I was a software engineer! None can work harder than I do!”

Not now, though. The meditation left him dizzy and lightheaded, unsuitable for more work. He needed a break.

“I’m tired, Veryl. Get me a car. I’m going to town for some fresh air.”

“Of course, Young Master Wayne.”

Please don’t call me that. It sounds like I’m gonna encounter a tragedy in an alleyway.

***

The car entered Enrod. Instead of getting out of the car, Wayne remained seated in the back with his head pressed to the window, staring into the distance.

The driver had pulled over and gotten out to investigate the traffic jam ahead, leaving him to rest in the car. After a moment, the driver returned with the cause: there was a murder case in town, and two detectives were engaged in a battle of deduction. The spectacle had attracted quite a crowd.

One detective was local to Enrod, and the other was from Londan, supposedly quite famous.

“Are they fistfighting yet?”

Wayne no longer felt sleepy. He got out of the car and joined the crowd of spectators.