Chapter 43: Drawing the Future with a Pen (2) I studied mana. I reviewed everything I didn't know—or perhaps things I had once learned but long since forgotten.
The mana curriculum at Empire Point followed the standard path. It was the same for every mana theory book published by universities and every private tutor.
However, I was fundamentally at odds with those standards. The flow of mana transmitted to me by the virus was worlds apart from what was in the textbooks.
So, how do knights handle mana?
It is through a 'Formula' implemented via the 'Mana Circuit' within the body.
These formulas are entirely distinct from magic.
Mana is the primordial energy that constitutes the world. Magic, on the other hand, is a technique where human imagery combines with mana.
Therefore, while mana is a natural force that has existed since the beginning, magic is a human invention.
Because of this, a formula takes a much more primitive form compared to a magic circle. It is a chaotic, disordered flow, with straight lines and curves tangled together. This 'flow of mana,' channeled through internal circuits, creates Sword Aura, shapes Aura, and strengthens the knight's body.
Textbooks provide the most standardized process for constructing these formulas. They always emphasize the 'standard'—a fixed sequence and path. It's easy to see, easy to follow, and safe.
I am different.
The virus inside me always finds a different path. Even when looking at textbook examples, it bends the circuits to create the shortest possible path. Or, it merges four or five circuits to blast an entirely new trail, connecting the beginning and the end directly.
This eliminates the unnecessary waste that occurs during mana circulation.
Mana management becomes far more efficient.
Because of that, I can conceive of techniques unthinkable with mere textbooks. For instance, the idea that if you connect internal circuits with high-purity mana stones and emit mana 'while maintaining the formula,' you can create an Aura Sphere that significantly enhances a knight's survivability.
Scratch, scratch.
I carve these new concepts onto paper, line by line.
Scratch, scratch.
I am writing down formulas that have never existed in this world before.
* * *
For a week, I repeated a cycle of work and study. Even while commuting to the knight order, I studied mana in my spare moments, and after work, I stayed up nearly all night writing my thesis. Progress wasn't easy, but I didn't rush, knowing from the start that this would take time.
Knock, knock.
In the midst of this, Dieter came to visit.
"Sir. This is the basic plan for the new urban district in District 35... however."
District 35. In that blind spot, once used as military land and then abandoned, there was currently nothing but the private residence where Schatz was staying.
I intended to build a new city centered around that location. A place as creative and vibrant as Zestpol, but far better partitioned and orderly.
"Are you perhaps feeling unwell?"
Dieter asked, examining my complexion. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair had grown shaggy, and dark stubble was sprouting on my chin.
"Ah. I've been losing sleep lately trying to write something..."
It was then.
Thump. Thump.
Along with the sound of a cane, Mr. Lorenzo finally appeared.
"Mr. Lorenzo!"
I was glad to see him. I almost hugged him without realizing it. Lorenzo seemed momentarily flustered by the intense reaction.
"Quickly, come up to the study this way."
As I guided him, I prattled on about my concept.
"Mr. Lorenzo, you must have heard of Aura. It's the formula of knights. I'm thinking of a way to 'sphericalize' it. Ah, I don't mean 'concretize' in the general sense, but literally forming it into a round sphere."
I threw the study doors wide open. My notes were scattered messily across the desk and floor. I picked up a sheet of paper where I had summarized the core idea.
"This is it."
"Ah... I see."
Lorenzo took the paper. At first, his expression showed no expectation. The thought that he should just humor me was palpable. No matter how much he had mellowed, he was still a man with the strong pride of a scholar.
"..."
However, it wasn't long before he was struck speechless. His eyes flickered as he scanned the paper. His expression gradually turned serious.
Rustle. Rustle.
Lorenzo spent a long time turning the pages and reading. I sat in the study chair and waited leisurely.
Rustle. Rustle.
I watched him as he pored over every single line. A smug smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
Eventually.
"This..."
His eyes, which had been fixed on the paper, moved to me.
"Did you really come up with this yourself, Sir Knight?"
"Yes. It's still just a draft, though."
"Ha!"
Lorenzo let out a hollow laugh. Admiration bloomed on his lips.
"It is certainly a completely different way of thinking from us mages or scholars. It looks like a mana formula that utilizes mana in its purest form."
An accurate assessment. My virus treats mana as mana itself.
"Yes. What do you think? Is it feasible?"
"To take a formula completed within a knight's body, graft it onto an external mana stone, and then emit it... It's definitely worth refining."
Lorenzo's confirmation was given. He was far more reliable than the vague intuition transmitted by the virus.
"Then, let's write it together."
"...Together?"
"To be honest, my head is starting to hurt. I'm not a scholar, and I don't have the time to hang onto this thesis alone."
I had to write other papers too. Things like how to properly utilize knights, or the nature of the modern warfare that would soon arrive.
The important thing was time. For me, for us, and for this world, time was limited.
I held out my hand to Lorenzo.
"Mr. Lorenzo Carione. Why don't you become the co-author of my thesis?"
Not being a scholar, I couldn't convey the intuition of my virus in the proper language.
But Lorenzo could.
I still couldn't do anything alone, but with my people, it was possible.
"...I'm fine without being a co-author."
Lorenzo shook his head with a faint smile.
"It seems like a technology that's already complete. I don't particularly want to put my old name at the forefront. However, I will refine it into the proper language for you."
He took my hand.
* * *
Lately, there were many problems with Empire Point's budget.
In truth, it wasn't just a problem for Empire Point. As the overall situation of the Empire worsened, tax revenue decreased, and as the Emperor's Imperial Guard grew bloated, support was split into various branches.
With those factors overlapping, Empire Point began to face a mountain of problems that didn't fit its reputation as the 'Empire's finest military academy.'
"...I'd sooner catch a terminal illness just to have an excuse to quit."
Cadet Commander Dane was deep in thought, overwhelmed by the entire situation.
The part that stressed him out the most was the pressure from above. Specifically, the pressure from the school's superintendent, Lieutenant General Litruman.
To secure a budget, they ultimately had to skimp on costs for the cadets, while simultaneously using them to make money. The system of using them—combat resources—like mercenaries to earn operating costs by involving them in dangerous missions under the guise of 'field experience' had been established three years ago.
From that point on, students in the 'Elite Department' aiming to become knights began to incur heavy personal expenses. While Empire Point's tuition, room and board, and medical expenses were entirely free, they had to personally procure equipment like weapons that suited their bodies.
Because of this, commoner cadets in the Elite Department lived by taking out loans using their status as collateral, and the scholarship system operated by alumni donations was practically non-existent. This was because the children of nobles mostly split it among themselves.
There was no such thing as noblesse oblige for those people.
Knock, knock.
Then, one day just before summer break, the door opened with a knock. The visitor was Maximilian.
"Greetings, Cadet Commander."
Dane greeted him with a puzzled expression.
"What brings you here today?"
"It's nothing major... but first, I believe this is a duty I should naturally fulfill as a graduate of Empire Point."
Maximilian held out a check.
A donation!
Dane reflexively checked the amount first.
Having struggled so much with the budget, he had become a materialist before he knew it.
"...?"
Dane closed his eyes and opened them again. He rubbed his eyelids with both hands. The number written on the check remained the same.
"...I think you might have added a zero or two by mistake."
"No. It's correct."
Maximilian gave a small laugh.
"And... ah, they're arriving just in time."
He pointed to the parade ground outside the window. Massive trucks were pulling in and unloading a heap of boxes.
"Those are goods imported directly from the Kanilan Independent State. They're the latest computers and terminals. Please use a portion of this donation to invite professional instructors who can handle those and to expand the related facilities."
Among knights, there were many who were not familiar with computers. Trends, currents, and scientific technology weren't always easy to keep up with—especially the older one was, or the poorer one's background.
They need to learn from as young an age as possible.
"This is a separate scholarship fund."
He held out a second check. This time, too, the amount was beyond common sense.
"The criteria for awarding the scholarship is grades. If grades are similar, please award it to the student who is relatively worse off financially, and do not consider any other status whatsoever. I hope it isn't used for anything untoward."
"..."
Dane looked back and forth between the two checks and Maximilian. Donations from graduates were usually out of goodwill, but with a donation that defied common sense, he couldn't help but suspect a motive.
"My donation isn't without conditions."
As expected.
"...Speak."
Normally he would have turned it down, but for this amount, it was worth listening to.
"Empire Point is outdated. There are still training facilities from a hundred years ago. In particular, the cafeteria and the east dormitory need major improvements. Please use the funds there."
Empire Point's 300-year tradition was, in other words, junk.
Most of the manuals and doctrines remained stuck in the classics of decades ago.
"And... I'm thinking of rewriting the manuals."
"The manuals?"
"I thought about it every time I took a class at Empire Point. The Empire's strategy for utilizing knights is too old-fashioned. It's time for a change."
"...It's not old-fashioned, it's tradition. The superintendent thinks so, and I'm sure your father, Zebestian, thinks so too. Are you saying that way of thinking is wrong?"
"Yes. It's wrong."
Dane was momentarily dazed by Maximilian saying his father was wrong.
Well, he was young. It was a boldness possible only at that age.
"I'm sorry, but the education of cadets is—"
"That's what the donation is for. I promise you. I will donate ten times this amount over the next three years."
"...Ten times?"
"Yes."
Compared to the Ebenholtz fortune, it was, of course, a drop in the bucket. But there was no way Zebestian would just give it away.
Had Maximilian opened up a separate business on his own?
"With that much, I'm sure Lieutenant General Litruman will allow it."
With that, he handed over two boxes containing fountain pens. Dane recognized them immediately. They were items made of top-grade mana stones, likely worth about $500,000 on the market.
"It's really no big deal. I just want to propose a slight modification to the role of knights on the battlefields of the future."
"What if I, or many of the instructors, don't want to accept your proposal after reading it?"
"I doubt that will happen."
Dane thought about the scale of the donation.
If it was ten times this amount, it wasn't a joke—it was enough to overhaul the entire facilities of Empire Point.
"The manual... I'll at least take a look."
"Thank you."
Maximilian nodded and this time handed over a document.
"Please read this when you have time. It's still a rough draft, but I'm sure you'll be able to grasp it, Brigadier General Dane."
"What else? You seem to be writing a lot."
"Because the future is ultimately drawn with a pen."
[Knight Formula Theory: Aura Sphere]
"...Aura Sphere?"
"Yes. It's something called a 'Rigid Body' that develops Aura further... It's a reflection of my thoughts on how knights should move forward in modern, changing warfare, and how to utilize them. Once the thesis is completed as a theoretical text, I will donate it to Empire Point first."
"As a theoretical text? Hah, well. Fine. I'll read it when I have time."
"Thank you."
Maximilian stood up from his seat.
"I'll be going now."
"Go on."
Maximilian left the office after a polite bow. Dane toyed with the checks and wore a satisfied smile.
Belatedly, the thesis he had left behind caught his eye.
"Aura Sphere, huh."
He was curious. It sounded like a far-fetched delusion typical of someone in their early twenties. The way he talked about a theoretical text was almost cute in a way that suited his age.
Dane picked up the document.
Rustle. He opened the page.
After reading the introduction, formulas for mana followed.
"Hmm."
Even with just five pages, he could tell it was a fairly well-structured thesis.
After reading ten more pages, his eyes widened involuntarily.
As more time passed, he found himself completely absorbed.
The way the circuits of the formulas were constructed was superb, and the structure connecting the formulas was elegant. The conclusion reached by meticulously combining various mana equations—the imagination of emitting the entire Aura through a mana stone...
"This actually works?"
Theoretically, it seemed so plausible that it felt unrealistic. Although it came with the condition that expensive, ultra-high-purity mana stones were essential, it was still suspicious. He couldn't even verify it right now since he didn't have a mana stone.
...No, wait, he did.
Dane picked up the mana stone fountain pen that Maximilian had left as a gift for the superintendent.
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