[V13C18.1] Interlude: Hugo Galletti and His Master

Not everything went according to plan, but the Seven Sages had successfully captured Louis Miller. Later that day, the members of the Magic Corps gathered in the cafeteria with food and drinks to celebrate.

Some praised the efforts of their comrades, while others shared terrifying tales of their former captain. Many were lamenting the bets they lost.

Joining in the festivities was one Hugo Galletti, the Artillery Mage’s disciple, who could be seen ranting with a cheap bottle of wine in hand. His bangs bounced as he took another swig straight from the bottle.

“Man, the Barrier Mage is just ridiculous. That sealing barrier on the Thorn Mage right before the rose seeds sprouted. Timing that perfect is insanely difficult. I wish he wouldn’t casually pull such feats, because it gives the impression that all mages can do that… Like, how am I supposed to even come close?”

Norman, who was sitting next to him with a glass of fruit juice, raised his hand to ask a question.

“The Barrier Mage’s combat style seems to involve enchanting his staff with a defensive barrier. Can a similar technique be applied to magical tools?”

“You shouldn’t assume that ordinary magical tools can use the same magic as the Seven Sages. I mean, you saw him waving that barrier like it’s nothing, right? But that requires a ridiculous amount of experience and skill. Besides, is waving around a super durable stick even magic anymore? Does it even make sense to beat someone to death with a barrier?”

Norman nodded along, diligently jotting down notes on his memo pad.

The presence of an earnest listener caused Hugo’s tongue to loosen even further.

“Everyone was zooming around with flight magic, but aerial combat is more dangerous than acrobatics. It’s like swinging a sword while crossing a tightrope with no safety net. How can anyone sane do that? Glenn-kun could probably make a living off that stuff, even without becoming a full-fledged mage… Oh, and the Dragon Slayer Mage’s spear techniques were just so cool.”

“I think his dragon binding spell would be extremely valuable as a magical tool,” Norman replied. “The only problem is the difficulty of imbuing mana into a physical net…”

“Huh? Norman-kun, you’re interested in imbuement magic?”

“Yes, since my affinity is with earth magic. I’m also curious about the Thorn Witch’s mana imbuement for plant manipulation…”

In response, Hugo waved his hand and let out a deep sigh.

“My advice is to stay far away from plants. If an advanced mage pours all their mana into a plant, the best they can do is wave the leaves a bit. It just ends up as a one-time party trick, so what’s the point? Growing a bunch of vines from a few seeds? No one can actually do that except the Rosebergs. Those guys are ridiculous too.”

“Hmm, I see. Then what about curses? I understand that it is difficult to get access to curses and curse tools, but I don’t think the monopoly on such techniques will last forever.”

“Curses? That thing where a shaman mumbles some nonsense to make a guy fall over in pain? How does it even work? Don’t ask me. I honestly have no clue.”

“I see. What about the Silent Witch’s chantless magic?”

“Oh man, don’t even get me started on chantless magic… Like, is the Silent Witch even human? Or is she secretly a spirit pretending to be human? Because it just makes no sense. How can a human cast magic with chanting? Maybe the Silent Witch has like ten little Silent Witches inside her head to handle all the calculations… No, that’s still impossible even with ten… Maybe she really is a spirit…”

“Um, what about the Starseer Witch’s prophecies…?”

“Her prophecies are something for sure, but why doesn’t anyone mention the elephant in the room? Her age. How does she look so young?”

At this point, Hugo’s face was bright red, and he was having trouble sitting up straight.

Norman handed Hugo a glass of fruit juice, which he took a sip from while grabbing snacks from the table. However, his hands seemed very fidgety.

“By the way,” Norman continued. “Hugo-san, you’re the disciple of the Artillery Mage, right?”

“Yeah, I am! It sucks that my master didn’t get a chance to show off this time, but he would have definitely won with my support. Oh man, if only I was there. Seriously, I really wanted to help.”

It should be noted that Hugo said, “Sorry Master, I can’t help because I want to observe how skilled mages maintain a magical battle barrier. It’s totally not because I’m scared or anything!” right before the operation.

“You saw how he started out with a five-fold spell, right? That was because he had to hold back. If he went all out with a six-fold, it would have blasted a hole right through the barrier! And it would spell the end for the Barrier Mage too!”

“Hmm, I’ve recently started studying reinforcement formulas, and they are really difficult. Especially the mana manipulation required to maintain the compression…”

“Hey, you’re pretty knowledgeable for someone so young. That’s exactly right. A lot of people think the Artillery Mage is just brute-forcing his spells with a ton of mana, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. His six-fold reinforcement requires super hard mana manipulation and a deep understanding of the formulas. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind achievement.”

“I believe he has also invented several other magical formulas, right?” Norman asked.

“Yeah! My master is incredibly smart! But well, he usually doesn’t bother to write down the formulas that he only uses once…”

“Is that so? What a shame. The patents for magical formulas are worth a lot… I wonder how much he could have made…”

“Taking down your enemies in a single spell is just so cool! I wish I could walk up to a dragon and blow it up, then walk away saying, ‘Meh, that guy was nothing special.’ Seriously, my master is the coolest guy ever. I still remember the first time I met him…”

＊　＊　＊

“…Did you hear that?”

Hubert Dee had just walked into the cafeteria with his uncle, Bradford Firestone.

Bradford scratched his beard to hide his embarrassment.

“It’s definitely a bit embarrassing when he puts it like that. Especially since I screwed up big time earlier today.”

“Don’t sweat it, Uncle. Everyone loves you, especially me.”

“Yeah right! You wanted to play with me all the time when you were a kid, but ever since going to Minerva, you only have eyes for the Silent Witch!”

Bradford tousled the hair of his smirking nephew.

Meanwhile, Hugo was swinging around a broom as a makeshift staff, like a kid pretending to be his favorite Sage.

Several people had gathered to watch, which only added to the embarrassment.

Bradford headed over to stop him, but right before he could call his disciple’s name, Hugo pointed the broom and shouted…

“Dragon capture spell, activate!”

This was the special move of the Dragon Slayer Mage, Silas Page.

Bradford immediately grabbed his disciple by the back of his head.

“So you prefer him over me?!”

Kids may be crazy about the new heroes, but the original heroes always have a place in their hearts.

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