Chapter 31.1: The Red Tower of Magic (2)

"Today as well?"

"Why on earth is a rich young master like him doing something like that?"

"Who knows why he would come all the way to Aroth just to do that...? From what I've heard, even the main family has recognized his talent."

"Isn't he just trying to attract attention by doing that?"

"As a young master of the Lionhearts, he can attract everyone's attention just by standing there. Why would he feel the need to put on a show like that?"

"It could be possible. After all, he's only from a collateral line, not a potential heir."

The young wizards who were currently gathered in the library disliked Eugene. Unlike them, who had entered the Red Tower of Magic after a difficult series of exams, Eugene had been granted entry into the tower just on the virtue of his name as a Lionheart.

But they couldn't express their dissatisfaction directly. Openly criticizing Eugene was the same as criticizing Lovellian, the Tower Master.

"...Still, isn't he at least better than that fool, Eward?"

"Don't even think of comparing the two. Of course, he's better than Eward. At least this juvenile young master is actually working hard."

Even among these young wizards, many were able to recognize the admirable qualities that a person possessed, despite disliking that person. As they puffed on their cigarettes, the wizards kept glancing at the library's top floor.

On that floor, the seat facing the window was practically Eugene's exclusive spot, as he'd been the only one using it for the past month. Of course, it wasn't actually reserved for him, but after Eugene had taken that seat, no one else had dared to sit there.

At first, quite a few wizards had approached him with fake smiles. They had all been people who were interested in Eugene's family name, Lionheart. By getting close to the young seventeen-year-old boy, they were hoping to make connections with the Lionheart Clan.

But of course, Eugene had disregarded such attempts.

Isn't the weather today quite pleasant?

Isn't that The Beginner's Guide to Magic! Man, I also began learning magic using that book when I was young.

If it's alright with you, how about I teach you a bit of magic?

Doesn't it get boring spending the whole day inside the library?

Young Master.

Since the weather's so nice, why don't we take a walk together? I know a really good restaurant....

Whenever these sorts approached, Eugene always gave the same response.

"I'm fine."

Since they were always met with the exact same reply no matter what, at some point, these wizards had stopped approaching Eugene, and he was perfectly okay with that.

No one would sit near him, so his surroundings were always empty. And on top of the wide desk, the books that Eugene had selected formed several towers circling him. Inside this enclosed space, the only sound that could be heard was that of pages turning.

Although there was a smoking area directly below him, only a few floors down, the cigarette smoke didn't rise this high thanks to the magic that partitioned each floor. Due to that, Eugene could concentrate on reading while breathing in the fresh air.

It had already been a month since he had come to the Red Tower of Magic.

Without skipping a single day, Eugene had visited the library daily. He was in the library from early in the morning and only returned to his room when it was late at night.

He wasn't just spending all his time on magic. He woke up a few hours before he needed to head to the library each day to train his mana, and before going to sleep, he worked out until he was pouring with sweat.

Although this reduced his time spent sleeping, Eugene's gifted body was able to shake off all his fatigue after just a few hours of sleep. With the assistance of mana on top of that, he wouldn't feel more than a little tired, even if he missed a few days of sleep.

"...Yawn."

The sun was slowly setting.

Eugene glanced up at the last rays of sunset shining through the window. After staring out the window for a few moments, Eugene got up from his seat.

He gathered the books strewn across the desk and returned them to their original places. There was no aimless wandering, as Eugene clearly remembered where each book had come from.

Not only did he recall their original locations, but Eugene had also memorized the contents of each book he had read. Just by lightly retracing his memory, he was easily able to recall everything he had seen on their pages. Despite initially having a poor grasp of magic, Eugene had begun to increasingly understand the field of magic with each book he read.

'Even this head of mine proves innately talented.'

With a grin, Eugene headed down the stairs. In just a month, he had read all the introductory texts of magic that were stored in the Red Tower of Magic's library. At first, the books had been so confusing that it had even been painful to just turn the pages, but the more he had read, the more it all began to make sense; and later on, he had even been able to understand the contents of a book just by skimming over it.

'Although I'm still only at the theory level for now.'

For the past month, Eugene had only been reading books. While this had filled in the holes in his knowledge, he had yet to properly begin practicing magic.

He had his reasons. Although it was all lumped together as magic, magic actually came in an infinite variety of forms. The more books he had read in the library, the more Eugene had begun to worry about which method would best suit his body.

That was why he had only focussed on reading books.

'But now I don't have anything more to read.'

It went without saying that any wizard who had joined the Red Tower had already achieved public recognition of their skills. So the introductory books on magic provided by the tower weren't meant to be actually used by any of the wizards in the tower and were instead prepared so that the wizards could use them for research and reference.

In other words, they were all famous magical texts that had received public recognition for their reliability. Although there were countless introductory books on magic in the world, if you had read all the introductory texts in the tower, there was no need to read any other introductory text.

'Now then, shall I give it a go.'

As Eugene approached the library's front desk, he spoke up, "I would like to make the attempt today."

The librarian sitting at the desk raised her head to look up at Eugene and said, "It's about time."

The librarian was Hera, the wizard Eugene had met on the first day he had arrived at the tower. While the wizards of the tower were usually immersed in the research that they were currently pursuing, Hera had recently finished a research project and was relaxing while working as a librarian.

Lovellian had told Eugene to ask him for advice if he had any questions about magic, but it would be bothersome and awkward for Eugene to approach Lovellian with every trivial question he might have.

—If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Perhaps Hera had also noticed this, as she was the first to approach Eugene and make this offer. Thanks to this, during the past month that Eugene had stayed at the tower, he had received help from her several times and had even gotten to know her quite well.

"Where would you like to do it?" Hera asked.

"I'd like to use the basement laboratory," Eugene answered.

"Please wait one moment. Another librarian should be arriving soon to take over," Hera said as she began tidying up her desk.

While waiting for the replacement librarian, Eugene categorized the magical techniques floating around inside his head.

Many wizards had purchased residences outside the tower, but most young wizards stayed within the rooms provided by the tower.

This went for Eugene as well. Although he had access to a lot of money, living in the tower was much more convenient than buying or renting a residence. Perhaps because the tower had been used to research summoning magic for so long, there were many different types of familiars taking care of the daily chores inside the tower.

The rooms were... a lot smaller than the annex's rooms at the main estate. Still, they were spacious enough to comfortably live in by yourself, and Eugene was satisfied with them. There was also no need to go to a restaurant; as long as you told them in advance, the familiars would bring the dishes that you ordered up to your room.

If he was forced to pick something that he was dissatisfied with, it would be the lack of a gymnasium. But that still wasn't a deal-breaker, as one of the many laboratories could substitute for a gymnasium. The only annoying thing was that, since the laboratories on each of the tower floors were reserved for high-ranking wizards, he needed to take an elevator down to the basement to use the laboratory there.