Chapter 4

In the east of the Holy Kingdom, once the frontline bordering the Demon Kingdom, the surrounding towns and villages are now peaceful due to the recovered territory and the friendly neighboring country.

At the foot of a mountain, far off the main road leading to the neighboring country, there was a small village with about three hundred residents.

A little away from the village, in the middle of the forest, stood an old, secluded hut.

A young man with black hair, now twenty-two years old, immersed himself in a magic circle. Around his neck, peeking out from his crisp black robe, was the "warden's collar," a mark of a criminal.

Since the day his best friend died, he had abandoned the name and appearance of the strongest hero, Sieg Andreas. Using a special magical tool created by the Supreme Sage, he had taken on the form of Mathis Rutilius and continued to play the role.

He appeared in another place through a teleportation spell.

It was a spacious cave. The walls and floor emitted a faint light, creating a brightness akin to dusk.

Bookshelves towered so high that one would need a ladder to reach them. Various tables of different sizes were placed around, and magical tools were packed in boxes.

This was a secret magical research workshop built by the Supreme Sage on the outskirts of the Holy Capital.

Sieg walked, gazing at the bookshelves that lined the walls.

The floor was neatly cleaned, giving the spacious cave a tranquil impression. This was due to the diligent cleaning by the well-working servants.

"Let's review this today, shall we?"

To fully embody the gentle and polite "Mathis Rutilius," he always took care not to act like his former self. He pulled a book from the bookshelf, settled into a rocking chair, and began to turn the pages.

Suddenly, part of the floor glowed. A magic circle lit up, and a woman appeared from it.

"Excuse me, Master. I have brought your tea."

The woman was dressed as a maid, with silver hair tied up and ruby-red eyes that shimmered. She held a tray with a tea set and bowed respectfully.

On her head were animal ears, and a fluffy tail of the same color as her hair swayed from her waist.

"Thank you, Feli."

Feli brought a small table and started to brew tea.

Her graceful movements were beautiful to behold.

However, she was not an ordinary human.

She was one of the legacies of the Supreme Sage, the first to be transported to the hut. Mathis had nearly completed her, and Sieg had finished her—a self-sufficient artificial human.

Ordinary homunculi lack self-awareness and can only mimic human bodies through a highly complex and delicate process using ancient magical tools.

The Supreme Sage was probably the first to reach the level of soul creation.

For now, without a dedicated magical tool, she was likely the only one of her kind in the world.

"What are you reading so intently, Master?"

She was loyal to her master but also very curious.

"A guide to magic, I suppose. It's more like technical documentation."

He showed the open book to Feli.

"…Composite spells, you say. It says here that they involve deploying and executing multiple spells simultaneously, treating them as if they were a single spell… Is it actually possible? There's a risk that different spell formulas will conflict, reducing their effectiveness, and in the worst case, cause a magical backlash that could endanger the caster's life?"

"That's right. At the very least, interference between spell formulas is unavoidable, so even if they are deployed simultaneously, they are usually executed in quick succession. Most researchers don't even consider it seriously. But he had almost completed the theory before graduating from the academy."

Mathis had said, "It's just a formalization of what Sieg was doing unconsciously," but it required considerable knowledge and insight to systematize and compile it.

"Moreover, he discovered a mechanism to enhance the effects, not just avoid interference. His brain structure must be different from mine."

(You're not much better, Master, doing things unconsciously.)

Pointing to Feli, the unaware master said,

"Actually, that theory is applied to you as well."

"To me…?"

"Yes. Creating a soul is absurd, and I was curious about how it was achieved, but it's possible with composite spells. I think over a hundred spell formulas are deployed simultaneously."

"Is that so…?"

Feli, seemingly unaware, placed her hand on her ample chest, looking puzzled.

"But it's mysterious. You gave me life, Master. How could you activate it without knowing the details of the spell formulas?"

"You can create a separate activation formula. Even if you don't know what will happen, you can still activate it. Incidentally, the simplified magic core that allows you to function continuously is also a product of composite spells. Truly, his genius is boundless."

Sieg shrugged.

Feli nodded thoughtfully and also considered,

(But even after creating me, the "creator" couldn't activate me. To activate over a hundred spell formulas, it would take an extraordinary amount of magic power. That he managed to do it—)

"You're not much better, Master?"

"Cut it out. I can't even compare to him."

He had always found studying difficult and disliked it.

Even though he wanted to restore his fallen friend's honor and achieve the great deeds his friend was meant to accomplish, the more he followed his research, the more he felt the goal slipping away, causing him great anxiety.

(—Even so, as a researcher, you are already one of the best, not just in this country but in the world.)

But if she said that, he would just be modest, so Feli remained silent.

Instead, she offered advice.

"Have you been cooped up in the secret workshop lately? No, that's not good. Overworking yourself will harm your health. I suggest you go to the village and breathe some fresh air."

"Go out…? It's already evening?"

He had seen the sun tilting low in the sky just before entering the workshop.

"Still, there's time before sunset—!"

She stopped speaking, and Feli's expression turned serious.

The barrier around the hut had reacted.