LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 668
“Should I start getting the hang of magic slowly?”
After arriving in the village and dropping his baggage at the inn, Ghislaine looked into the mirror.
“Hmm…”
His under-eyes were pitch black. He looked utterly exhausted.
No wonder Astion looked like that in my dreams.
“Possession isn’t exactly a normal situation. Plus, I was using my power recklessly…”
This possession wasn’t just a tiredness level; it disrupted the balance between mind and body. For those who received possession, gaining knowledge came with a price.
At least the other possessed ones didn’t stick around too long, so the side effects probably weren’t too severe. But Ghislaine had settled in for the long haul.
Ghislaine’s consciousness was vast. Only a powerful body that grew alongside that consciousness could withstand it.
Astion’s still-growing body couldn’t handle the immense weight of Ghislaine’s consciousness.
If Ghislaine hadn’t exerted any power, things wouldn’t have deteriorated this quickly.
“It’s not like I went all out or anything. Tsk tsk.”
Ghislaine clicked his tongue. Still, the more energy he used, the weaker this already frail body would become.
There was only one way to stop that.
“I need to raise my body’s realm.”
Magic is a technique that deceives the rules of the world. So, if he mastered magic, he could cover up the mental and physical discrepancies for a while.
Moreover, if Astion’s realm increased, he’d be able to handle his own power and consciousness a bit better.
“I need to train the three people even faster before this body breaks down.”
Ghislaine couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious. The demon realm hadn’t gone on full rampage yet.
In the worst-case scenario, he’d get kicked out of his body. He needed to set up a foundation for the three before that happened.
Having trained the three people, Ghislaine promptly woke up Astion.
‘Hey, hey, wake up.’
— Ugh, give me my body back. The balance is breaking down… My body can’t handle your power…
Astion realized the situation unfolding in his body too. He couldn’t be unaware, as he existed in consciousness form.
Ghislaine spoke right away.
‘So why didn’t you do push-ups or something? How can your body be this weak? Anyway, there’s a way. Just raise the magic realm of this body. While I’m at it, I’ll learn a bit too.’
— You idiot! I need my body to keep learning magic!
‘I’ll do it for you. Just tell me the magic you know first.’
— But you said you wouldn’t learn magic!
‘I’m aiming for the 9th Circle.’
— Are you crazy!? Do you think magic is that easy? You’ve got to study the incantations and gain realization to use it!
At first, Astion had even encouraged Ghislaine to learn a few easy spells.
But once he realized his body was breaking down, it became less important whether Ghislaine was doing the mage’s job properly or not.
Still, Ghislaine shrugged as if it was no big deal.
‘There’s no need to complicate things. Just realize it with your body directly. You just need to implement the magic, and you’ll learn it.’
— What? Does that even make sense?
‘If the body is good, the head has an easier time.’
— …….
This isn’t usually how it goes, is it? Astion asked doubtfully.
— But… can I reclaim my body?
‘You just have to suppress my consciousness. Then you’ll be able to use it for a bit.’
— Then why haven’t you returned my body up until now?
‘Don’t be so stingy.’
— …….
Astion was left speechless in disbelief. This guy Ghislaine had the chance to give back the body but deliberately held back.
‘It’s tough living off someone else. Don’t look down on me. I have my own body too, you know? Well, this is my body right now.’
— …….
Astion wanted to tell Ghislaine to just leave in his own body, but he held back for now.
Now was the chance to reclaim his body.
— Alright then. Let’s do that. I’ll try casting magic in my own body.
Astion smiled internally. If he claimed his body this time, he would never let it go again.
With a resolute mindset, Astion accepted, and Ghislaine moved to the open space behind the inn.
Coincidentally, Deneb, who was training in the open space, asked.
“Ghislaine, is your body okay? Do you need treatment?”
“I’m fine. I’m about to train in magic.”
“Magic?”
“Yeah, it wouldn’t hurt to learn, right? It’s convenient for living too.”
And it was true. Magic wasn’t only used for fighting. It was incredibly convenient in everyday life.
That’s why mages tend to move less.
Ghislaine had considered the idea of learning magic. However, there were just so many things to study if he wanted to use magic.
He was too busy training his body to find the time for all that study. Honestly, it was a headache.
By using Astion’s body, he could directly feel the flow of mana while casting spells. For now, that was his plan.
‘Alright, I’m going to suppress my consciousness, so you come out.’
For Ghislaine, wielding the power of will wasn’t difficult at all.
As Ghislaine closed his eyes, the three trainees looked at him.
After a moment.
Ghislaine shook slightly and opened his eyes. His gaze had changed from before.
“I’m back! I’m back! My body!”
The three looked on in confusion, and Astion shouted loudly.
“Yulien! Deneb! Kyle! It’s me, it’s me! It’s Astion!”
Yulien stammered, questioning.
“Is it really you, Astion?”
“Yes! I’ve taken back my body!”
The three shot him doubtful looks. Ghislaine was such a trickster that they suspected this might be yet another form of deception.
Astion, sensing their gazes, shouted in frustration,
“I’m really Astion!”
At that moment, Kyle hurriedly glanced around and said.
“It looks real! The Dark is suddenly gone!”
Dark, who had always been there watching and offering advice, had suddenly vanished.
Only then did the three start to believe Astion’s words.
“Wow!”
The three instinctively shouted in joy, throwing their hands up in the air.
It wasn’t out of disdain for Ghislaine but due to the pure joy of knowing they could relax for a few days.
Kyle was the first to shout.
“Hey! Show me the money! Let’s stop training for today and just eat and have fun!”
Ghislaine had been managing the money. Kyle immediately grabbed the money pouch tied to Astion’s waist and opened it.
“Hey, Astion! Check this out. Do you know how much money we’ve made?”
Kyle bent down and started pulling out gold coins. In doing so, he didn’t notice Astion’s expression.
As he excitedly retrieved the coins, he noticed the suddenly tense atmosphere and looked up slightly. Astion was smiling softly.
Something felt off.
Kyle asked with trembling eyes.
“No, no way?”
Astion remained silent, still smiling.
“Ghislaine… No way?”
Astion raised his staff with a smile on his face.
Kyle jumped back in shock.
The three of them instantly pretended not to know Astion and refocused on their training. Witnessing this, Ghislaine clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk, seriously, all you think about is playing whenever there’s an opportunity. You might actually die like that.”
Though Ghislaine was talking about the battle with the demon realm, the three misinterpreted it as him meaning they’d die by his hand.
Feeling wronged, they thought it was simply too tough to only train without a break.
‘This is all for their sake after all.’
Not understanding the deep meaning behind Ghislaine’s intention to keep them from dying, he felt wronged.
Shooting a wary glance at the three, Ghislaine once more relinquished his body to demonstrate magic.
“Yulien! Deneb! Kyle! It’s me, it’s me! It’s Astion!”
Astion shouted again, but the three ignored him. No matter how many times he called out, they stubbornly pretended not to hear and continued training.
It was evident they were resolved not to be deceived again.
“Ugh! That bastard! Ghislaine Perdium!”
Filled with feelings of betrayal, Astion roared at the sky. Still, the three ignored him.
Astion realized the grim truth. Even if he reclaimed his body, he couldn’t defeat Ghislaine’s formidable consciousness.
“Ugh… I didn’t expect it to be this tough.”
He felt he could hold on once he regained the reins. His consciousness had grown that much.
But when Ghislaine set his mind to something, he swiftly reclaimed control over the body.
Reluctantly, Astion began casting the magic Ghislaine desired, one by one.
“This is the 1st Circle magic, Light.”
Paah!
He first demonstrated 1st Circle magic. Ghislaine absorbed the scene, observing through Astion’s body.
He could distinctly feel how the flow of magic unfolded. The more Astion cast spells, the clearer the knowledge engraved itself in Ghislaine’s mind.
Fwoosh!
Astion even demonstrated 2nd Circle’s Fireball multiple times. To outsiders, it merely looked like he was practicing magic in the air all alone.
After showing a few spells, Astion proudly said.
“How’s that? Can you understand it? If you don’t grasp the incantation, you can’t use magic at all. It requires significant study.”
Astion had learned magic through possessors from a young age.
Having put in that much effort, he boasted a certain pride. Magic was definitely not something you could learn just by watching a few times.
Ghislaine, having regained control of the body, quietly observed his own form.
“Hmm… So that’s how it is.”
Ghislaine had already achieved a realization that surpassed even that of a superhuman. He committed the subtle movements of magic to memory in an instant.
“Let’s… give it a try?”
Ghislaine slightly reached out his hand.
The process of casting magic is intricate. You first have to move the magic power according to the incantation, embedding your will in the desired location.
It didn’t end just by imbuing the will. You also had to rearrange the magic power according to that will.
It was a task requiring considerable focus and calculation. Depending on those calculations, the magic power splits and combines to bring about changes in the world.
As Ghislaine arranged the magic power in the air, he laughed.
“It’s like solving a puzzle.”
For him, calculation wasn’t necessary. He accurately rearranged the magic power based on what he saw and felt.
Then, as if the air trembled for a moment, the magic power emanating from Ghislaine took form.
Fwaaa!
A sizable fireball suddenly appeared in mid-air, blazing brightly.
This is magic.
A way to redefine the energy of the world, making phenomena that didn’t exist suddenly become a part of reality.
It can be said that both highly sophisticated manipulation of magic power and the practitioner’s will are required for this technique.
“This is easy.”
Ghislaine grinned at the fireball hovering in front of him.
Astonished, Astion couldn’t hide his shock.
— How? How did you do that?
A guy who didn’t know a single incantation was successfully casting magic just from observing the movements and arrangements of the magic power!
It didn’t make sense. Even if you mimicked the movement of magic, without knowing the correct incantation and its meaning, you couldn’t truly embed your intent.
That’s why mages valued realization so highly.
However, there was something Astion didn’t know. Ghislaine had achieved a level of realization that allowed him to coexist with the world through the power of will.
A slight error was something the world would ‘grant’ him. Especially when it came to magic requiring only a bit of will, it became all the easier.
The downside, however, was that since he hadn’t studied on his own, he still couldn’t use new spells.
“Well, I can always rely on Astion for that.”
All the spells Astion knew could be learned directly by observing them.
This meant troublesome studying would fall on Astion, and Ghislaine would neatly benefit from the results.
Learning magic without studying? Who could resist such a sweet deal?
Astion, flabbergasted, called out again.
— What on earth! How did you do that!?!
‘I’ll say it again, if the body is good, the head gets to rest.’
— That doesn’t even make sense! This is unfair!
Ignoring the rampaging Astion, Ghislaine diligently continued to use the new magic he learned.
Bang! Boom! Bang!
Dozens of fireballs appeared and disappeared in the air.
“This is more fun than I expected.”
Once he reached the 7th Circle, he’d be able to apply magic in combat, creating unpredictable attacks. It was clear his convenience in everyday life would rise dramatically as well.
Since he couldn’t occupy a mage’s body in reality, Ghislaine had to invest a long time into studying magic.
But by possessing Astion’s body, he got to learn magic this comfortably. He couldn’t help but feel he had made a great decision by following the saint’s guidance.
“There’s still a bit left of Arterion’s Dragon Heart fragment.”
Though the real Yulien had shattered it into pieces, a dragon heart is still a dragon heart. Each fragment contained considerable magic power.
Absorbing it would significantly increase his mana supply.
Of course, he needed to learn as much magic as possible before going back.
“Hey, where do you get magic books?”
Astion was just at the beginning of the 5th Circle. Even though he learned from possessors, he didn’t know all the magic in the world.
So, he needed to work hard collecting magic elsewhere to master it.
Astion replied in a downcast voice.
— Magic books are hard to find… Especially high circle magic is even worse. The mage tower is extremely reluctant to leak them out.
Ghislaine nodded. That was no different from his time.
No matter how talented someone was, without knowing the incantation, they couldn’t implement magic. That’s why everyone struggles so hard to learn just one spell.
If there’s an issue, solve it. And Ghislaine was a pro at problem-solving.
“I need to look for some jobs that involve taking down mages.”
If there weren’t any magic books roaming around, why not hunt for people who had them?