The struggle between divine authority and royal power had always been an eternal topic.
As a low-ranking noble heir, Leilin was part of the royal power structure. Tabulis couldn't directly target him—that would amount to a declaration of war against the entire nobility.
The consequences would be so severe that even the High Priest of the God of Knowledge would choose to sacrifice Tabulis to appease the nobles.
"And besides… Oghma isn't the only god on the continent. There are plenty of new divine churches clamoring for more followers. Of course, this is only the worst-case scenario, and things are unlikely to develop to that extent…"
Having confirmed both the other party's actions and the worst possible outcome, Leilin returned to the estate with peace of mind.
He first went to see his mentor
"Perhaps because of my progress, my teacher has gained even more motivation. Just a few days ago, he was telling me he was close to accessing the fifth layer of the magic network…"
Leilin's rapid advancement had clearly been a tremendous stimulus to Ernest, who had remained stuck at the ninth-level mage rank for so long.
In reality, Ernest was still quite far from truly accessing the fifth layer of the magic network.
And Leilin had prudently concealed part of his true strength; otherwise, Ernest might have been so ashamed he'd want to kill himself.
Leaning back against the sofa in his room, Leilin waved Claire over to massage his head while secretly communicating with the Chip.
"Chip, pull up the latest magic network analysis progress!"
Leilin closed his eyes and issued the command mentally.
[Ding! Current magic network analysis progress: Level 0 — 100%, Level 1 — 41.22%, Level 2 — 2.33%!]
Looking at these figures, Leilin sighed silently.
"Two full years have passed since the last update, and apart from the Level 0 magic network, the other two layers haven't made any progress at all. The analysis of the Level 2 network has completely stalled…"
Although Leilin knew this was the result of his own orders to the Chip—that all magic network research had to prioritize concealing his abilities—he still felt somewhat disheartened.
"Still, the analysis progress for the Level 0 magic network has finally reached 100%. What kind of surprise will this bring me?"
Leilin commanded: "Chip, pull up all content related to the Level 0 magic network!"
Almost instantly, Leilin felt his vision flood with dense, rule-laden text. The power of law represented within those rules was so captivating that he found himself momentarily mesmerized.
[Ding! Level 0 magic network analysis complete. Obtained all Level 0 spell templates!]
Resistance, Acid Splash, Auditory Hallucination Caltrops, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Daze, Dancing Lights, Flash, Light, Ray of Frost, Shocking Grasp, Sudden Burst, Ghost Sound, Silent Portal, Ray of Fatigue, Mage Hand, Arcane Mark, Prestidigitation…
Dense rows of Level 0 spell templates spanning numerous spell schools appeared on the Chip—everything Ernest had taught him, and everything he hadn't.
"According to my mentor, mages are divided into different schools: Abjuration, Conjuration, Enchantment, Transmutation, Divination, Evocation, Illusion, and Necromancy—eight categories in total. Plus universal spells… Each mage can only specialize in two or three schools before running out of energy. For example, Ernest himself specializes in Evocation and Transmutation spells, but can't even competently cast spells from the other schools…"
Leilin murmured: "But now, I've mastered all eight schools plus the universal Level 0 spell templates…"
[Ding! Host has obtained all Level 0 spell templates. Level 0 spell slot restrictions removed. Host has obtained Level 0 spellcasting without material components. Spell memory loss effect nullified!]
The benefits of breaking through one layer of the magic network were truly terrifying.
Though Leilin still couldn't compare to
"This notification means that in addition to mastering all Level 0 spells, I no longer need to prepare them in advance. I can cast them at any time on the same day…"
Leilin was somewhat excited. The flexibility this change brought would be enough to make other mages sick with envy.
"And casting without material components and immunity to spell memory loss…"
Leilin's eyes lit up. Many Level 0 spells required accompanying material components when cast, and those spell materials were a major expense for mages.
As for spell memory loss—that was an effect that made countless mages grind their teeth in frustration. After casting a spell, other mages would completely forget the original spell template and have to relearn and re-memorize it from scratch.
In Leilin's view, the magic network's controller was directly siphoning their spiritual and soul power related to this knowledge. Through layer upon layer of exploitation, the gods at the top of the magic network were essentially vampires.
But now, with these effects, Leilin had completely freed himself from Level 0 spell restrictions!
"Since I've only analyzed one layer of the magic network so far, these effects only apply to Level 0 spells… However, mages are by nature casters who rely on intelligence. Even Level 0 spells, when used in the right situation, can completely turn the tide of battle…"
Although this benefit currently only applied to Level 0 spells, Leilin was already very pleased.
In fact, after fully analyzing the Level 0 magic network, Leilin could even steal other mages' spell slots and use their memorized spells to cast for himself.
Unfortunately, Leilin wasn't the
If he did something like that, other mages who noticed something wrong would definitely investigate, and might even report it to the gods. It would be too easy to discover, so Leilin refrained.
"In the end, if the Chip can fully analyze the magic network, perhaps I can challenge the Weave goddess…"
A sharp gleam flashed through Leilin's eyes.
At the same time, a small point of white light flickered on his fingertip.
"Ah…" Claire, who was massaging Leilin, let out a startled cry.
"What? Haven't you seen the power of magic before?" Leilin looked at her, a playful expression on his face.
Before his coming-of-age ceremony, his two personal maids had very well fulfilled their duties, turning the young master into a real man—though this only applied to his current body.
"I… yes…" Claire's eyes held obvious envy.
The power of magic was clearly intoxicating to her. And because of this world's strict magic network, mages guarded their spell slots as fiercely as their own eyes, calculating every day. No one would ever be so profligate as Leilin, casually using spells just for fun—even Level 0 cantrips.
"I've got something even more fun!"
Leilin looked at Claire, and a mischievous smile suddenly crossed his face: "Mage Hand!"
A young woman's screams and giggles continued to emanate from the room, causing the faces of other servants passing by to flush slightly.
But sudden, hurried footsteps shattered the scene entirely.
"Young Master! Young Master! Something terrible has happened!" Clara, the younger of the twins, came running in, forgetting even to knock. She caught sight of her sister's flushed face and the young master's disheveled appearance.
"I… I'm sorry…" Though she had seen scenes like this before, Clara still blushed.
"No need for formalities. Tell me—what's happened?"
Leilin stood up calmly. He knew that if something was serious enough to make Clara panic like this, it must be very grave indeed. Compared to this, his own amusement had to be set aside. Claire, meanwhile, set aside her own embarrassment and carefully straightened Leilin's clothes.
"Miss
Clara finally managed to deliver the message in full after catching her breath.
"Cousin Isabel?" Leilin was somewhat confused. "Wasn't she undergoing training as a priestess of the Agricultural Goddess? She can't interrupt that for three years. Why would she suddenly come to Faolan Island? Surely not for a vacation…"
Leilin hurriedly grabbed a cloak and went straight to the other end of the estate. For the sake of magical practice and experimentation, his and Ernest's quarters were far from the baron and his wife—a necessary safety precaution.
Arriving outside the parlor, Leilin saw his butler—Lane—standing outside with a resolute expression, his face a mixture of grief and determination.
This butler was also the father of the Claire and Clara twins.
"What happened? Is it Isabel's family?" Leilin walked up to him and asked directly.
"Miss Isabel is inside. Please, my lord, try to comfort her! It would be best for the Lady to explain the specifics to you!"
Butler Lane bowed deeply.
"Damn it! I've got a bad feeling about this!"
Leilin had a strong sense that trouble was about to land on his doorstep, but he steeled himself and walked into the parlor.
"Mother! And… Cousin Isabel!"
After greeting his mother, Leilin turned to the other person in the parlor. The transformation was so dramatic it gave him the illusion of seeing someone else entirely.