Chapter 362 – Wizard’s Great Work #2

The place Lawrence had chosen for his lecture was an empty plain.
There are no desks, chairs, blackboards, or even textbooks to refer to.

I don’t know what kind of lectures are given in such a desolate place.

“It’s empty. Are you really giving classes in such a shabby place?”
“What a shabby place? This is a good place to explain the great work of wizards. Wizards like us don’t need a classroom. Why don’t we create a classroom with magic?”

Can you create a classroom on the fly with magic?
That’s definitely true. Blackboards and chairs can be created with magic.
Lawrence began to use rune magic to decorate this desolate space like a classroom.

“Inguz.”

The moment Lawrence recited the runes that signify the earth, various objects rose from the ground.

A polished marble chair, a stone desk, something like a flat, rough rock that could be used as a blackboard.
The classroom scenery was created on the fly with the continuity rune magic.

“Sit comfortably in your chair. Let’s begin the lecture.”
“Is there no need for chalk? It’s comfortable to lecture while writing.”
“You can put mana on the quarter staff and carve letters on the rock.”
“It wasn’t just a rock, it was a chalkboard.”

I sat down on a marble chair and opened the magic book Rumi.
If you have Rumi, you don’t need to take notes.
Because Rumi will write down the explanation Lawrence tells on the book.

[I will record Lawrence’s lecture, Mage. As soon as you hear the explanation, you can write it down in the book.]

‘I’m counting on you.’

Quick-witted Rumi understood her role as his handwritten notebook as soon as she opened the book.
When I was living on Earth, if I had only Remi, I would have been comfortable taking classes.
It was truly a magical notebook for students.

“Luke, what is that magic book?”
“This? It’s an artifact that automatically writes down what you hear. I brought it because I thought I’d need it for class.”
“Hmm… Is it a magic book that records your enlightenment? There must be a reason you always carry such a thick book.”

If it were the archmage, wouldn’t it be recognizing Odin’s artifact Rumi?

I was a little excited about that thought, but even Lawrence couldn’t really appreciate Rumi’s true worth.
It means that Reumi was thoroughly designed so that even the Archmage could not grasp the structure.

“Now, let’s start the lecture. First, read the words I wrote aloud.”

Soon Lawrence started teaching right away, using the quarter staff like chalk.
The quarter staff loaded with mana dug into the rock and left clear letters on it.
The letters Lawrence carved were not complicated formulas, but just one word.

Did I tell you to read it aloud?
I read the spelling.

“Ethel.”

Ether?
It was the first time I had heard of it while learning the science of magic.
Lawrence explained to me what ether was.

“You pronounced it correctly. Ether is the energy that existed before the creation of this world. It can be said to be the origin of mana.”
“Is it the origin? Are you saying that ether is the ancestor of Mana?”
“It could be described as the ancestor of mana, as you said. The mana energy that roams this world was not born out of thin air. Everything can be said to have started from ether. To explain ether, start with the story of the age of mythology. It’s the story of the moment when the continent of Midgard was born.”

Lawrence told me a story from long ago.
It was a creation myth related to the birth of another world.

“A long time ago, there was a primordial space called Kinnungagaf. The world of fire, Muspelheim, and the world of ice, Niflheim, also existed together. At that time, there was no such thing as the Midgard continent yet.”

As for the creation myth, I had heard about it from the teachers at the orphanage.
In the distant past, it is said that the realm of the world was divided into just three.

The empty space of the beginning, Kinnungagap.
World of Fire, Muspelheim.
The world of ice, Niflheim.

If it was Earth, I would have thought it was a really ridiculous story.
However, in another world, the creation myth really happened in the past.

“One day, the river flowing from Niflheim and the flames of Muspelheim caused a great collision and created a huge fog. This is the energy called ether.”
“Ah, the fog in that myth is ether?”
“Yes. Do you now know what ether is?”
“Yes.”

The world in the beginning did not stand still.
The fire of Muspelheim and the water of Niflheim met to create a great mist.
Archmages like Lawrence seem to call such supernatural mists ether.

“They say that ether has the power to create anything. The primordial giant Ymir and the primordial gods were born in ether. Ymir, the giant of the , was as huge as anyone else, and contained more ether than anyone else.”
“How massive is that?”
“Ymir had enough ether to create a world. I don’t know why, but Odin and other gods killed Ymir and threw him into Ginnungagaf. “

In mythology, Odin suddenly killed the primordial giant Ymir one day.
No one knows why Ymir was killed.
Like being afraid of Ymir’s power, or wanting to stop Ymir from producing giants.
Various theories have been raised, but only Odin knows the real reason.

Odin.
I’m talking about the old man who handed me the magic book.
After all, Odin was the creator of the Midgard continent.
Because Ymir’s corpse caused a great explosion, and a new continent was born in Ginnungagaf, which was nothing more than a void.

It was the continent of Midgard where my lovers and I lived.

Lawrence also gave an explanation similar to the creation myth I knew.
The difference was that it contained an explanation of the origin of mana.

“Ymir exploded and the ether contained in it was released freely. Odin and other gods used this etheric energy to create the continent of Midgard. The land, the sea, and many different races were created.”
“You mean the power that created the continent is ether. I heard at the orphanage that Odin made the continent out of Ymir’s corpse and blood?”
“It’s a wrong tradition to say that the continent was made with corpses and blood. To be precise, the ether that dwelled in Ymir’s body became the material for the creation of the universe.”

Could it be that it was Ether, not Ymir’s corpse, that created the continent?
It’s kind of surprising.

I was taught that Odin made the world out of Ymir’s corpse and blood.

I’ve always thought that this grotesque creation myth was terrible.

‘What a world made of corpses! It’s fucking awful!’

If the world was created with corpses and blood, isn’t it so gory that it’s a scene where vomit comes out?
It was the moment when the scene of the holy creation of the world turned into a B-grade horror movie in an instant!

Make a sea of ​​blood,
Bones are minerals, flesh is clay.
The brain water turns into a cloud!

This was the creation myth I learned at the orphanage, but in fact, the moment the world was born was very different from the story known to the world.
It must have been created with the fog-like energy of ether.

I’m glad it’s not Odin’s cruel giant dismantling show…
That would be enough to call it the holy creation of heaven and earth.

“In the process of creation, Ymir’s ether consumed most of the power of creation. Almost lost its power, the energy that remained like a residue roamed the world. We call that residue ‘mana’. .”
“M-mana is just the remnant of ether?”
“That’s right.”

Now I realized what Mana really is.
Ether, the primordial energy that created the world.

In other words, mana was the same as that etheric crumb.

Wizards like me were performing miracles, such as creating water out of thin air or sparking flames with only etheric crumbs.
Even mana can cause miracles, but I can’t even guess how much Ether’s natural power must have been.

It’s really good enough to cause a climax.

“Well, now you understand the concept of ether, right? In short, it can be said to be the source of mana. Let’s get to the main topic. The time has come to tell you what the ‘great work of wizards’ is.”

Lawrence opened her mouth with a solemn expression.

“The wizard’s great work is to embody and control the primordial energy ether.”

To embody and control ether?
By what means?

I don’t know how, but I finally realized what the great karma of a wizard is.
Doesn’t that mean that if I can handle ether, I can become an archmage too?
The standard for being recognized as a great wizard was quite clear.

But in case you don’t know, you should ask.
I asked Lawrence a question.

“Are you saying that a person who can handle ether perfectly is a great wizard?”
“You don’t have to handle it perfectly. No, it’s almost impossible to handle ether perfectly since you were born as a human in the first place. If there is someone who can perfectly control ether, it means that he is on the same level as the Creator. Because it means you can create a world.”

If you can handle ether perfectly, you are the Creator.
It is said to be on the same level as Odin.
Certainly, that transcends the realm of the Archmage.

“Then what is an archmage?”
“An archmage is a superman who can control, albeit imperfectly, ether, which is embodied in magic. They are wizards who continue to study ether and hope to one day obtain power equal to that of the creator. Of course, no archmage has reached the realm of the creator. .”
“If you can control it imperfectly, at what level, specifically?”
“If you can materialize and emit ether, it’s a success. From now on, remember the name of the magic I’m talking about.”

Embodiment and release of ether!
That was the condition to reach the realm of the Archmage.

Lawrence taught me what magic is to deal with ether.

“Origin, the magic of origin. That’s the ultimate magic you need to learn from now on. It’s the magic that enables you to realize and control ether. I guess you could say it’s magic that transcends magic.”
“If you learn the magic called Origin, will you become a great wizard?”
“That’s right.”

What is magic beyond magic?
Just hearing it makes my heart tremble.