C88
Anyone immersed in the world of magic would be able to recognize that Alpheas was a person chosen by the gods. The problem was that he showed off his talents regardless of time and place.
Once a debate began, he would see it through to the end, and if his opponent made even a trivial mistake, he would relentlessly pursue it until they conceded.
Ogent Klump was perhaps the only person who knew that Alpheas' actions were not malicious. Rather than being arrogant, Alpheas was pure, and his excessive enthusiasm simply tired people out.
In fact, Alpheas was the kind of person who would admit his mistakes without hesitation and congratulate his opponent on his victory.
The issue, however, was that such instances were rare.
Alpheas walked around the table and mingled with people, as if waiting for beer was boring. Klump watched him worriedly, fearing he might cause trouble again, but shook his head as if he had no energy left to intervene.
"Saroph! Are you here for a drink in broad daylight?"
Saroph, whom Alpheas welcomed with open arms, was a native of the capital and was one of Alpheas' few rivals. The general opinion was that, despite always losing to Alpheas in debates, Saroph would have been the most promising light mage if not for Alpheas. Naturally, Saroph had no reason to be fond of Alpheas, but Alpheas approached him without hesitation.
"Oh, right. Saroph, I heard you submitted a thesis to the royal academy recently? I had a brief look at it, and it was very interesting."
"What? Why would you read my thesis?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm a light mage as well, and the royal librarian is one of my avid followers. Anyway, I enjoyed reading it."
"Re- Really? Then what did you think?"
At the time, the highest achievement among young mages was to have their thesis acknowledged and work at the Royal Magic Department under the patronage of the king.
Once the thesis was accepted, they would be provided with a personal laboratory and all expenses for their research would be covered, making it the most prestigious position for a mage.
Having submitted his life's work just a week ago, Saroph couldn't help but be curious about the opinion of his rival, Alpheas.
"You pinpointed the characteristics of light very well. There was nothing to fault. To be honest, I felt like I learned something new from the section on energy accumulation."
Saroph's expression immediately brightened. However, Alpheas did not just let it pass this time.
"However, there was one mistake. It's about the wave nature of light. That's clearly a flawed theory."
"What are you talking about? It's a well-established fact that light is a wave, proven by numerous experiments."
“Yes, but my opinion differs. There are too many aspects that can't be explained by waves alone, based on recent experimental results. Perhaps light is more like a particle."
"Hmph! Alpheas, you're resorting to gossip now? Numerous critics have pointed out errors in the experiments proving the particle nature of light! If light is a particle, how would you explain the waves? Those are completely different concepts!"
The debate over whether light was a particle or a wave was the hottest issue in Alpheas' era. Although the wave theory was popular, a few scholars were constantly raising objections, and Alpheas was one of those people.
"Do you believe those critics? I also saw the data that found the error in the particulate experiment process. But it's not a scientific approach. Could that be the true error?”
Saroph, who was drunk, slam the table and stood up. He was already suffering from insomnia due to his thesis, and Alpheas was only adding fuel to the fire.
"Enough! Who asked you to evaluate my thesis? If you're so confident, why don't you write and submit your own? Let the world laugh at your ridiculous logic!"
“I am saying this out of concern. Even if it falls now, shouldn't it be improved later? Isn't the important thing to realize the truth, not the paper?"
Saroph could not stand it any longer. In the end, what Alpheas want to say isn’t 'You fell this time'?
"Get lost! I won't even speak to you anymore!"
Alpheas smakced his lips and returned to the table with a hint of displeasure. He didn't look particularly upset because he thought that arguing with a rival in the same major would be beneficial to both sides.
However, Klump was worried about Alpheas.
The first time we met was at Bashka's inn. Klump also came from Creas, so they formed a bond among overseas students and had been together for about a year.
To be honest, Alpheas had a streak of bad luck. Even Klump, a swordsman, could see it – so how would his rivals, a mage, feel?
"Alpheas, why are you so confrontational? If others can't do it, just let it go. Why do you always have to step in and correct them?"
"Where is there an 'other'? If something is wrong, it must be corrected. That's what intellect is all about."
"Do you know what people call you? The Arrogant Alpheas. That's your nickname these days."
"Hahaha! I like that! It's much better than the cheesy nickname 'Mirhi's Light'."
Magic was a realm of talent, and Alpheas was endowed with overflowing talent. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, he believed that talent would eventually shine, so humility was nothing but pretense to him.
“This, too, is the destiny of a genius. Now! Don't worry too much and let's have a drink. Hey Raphne. Pay close attention to the snacks. This fellow eats more than bears.”
“Hohoho! If Alpheas says so, I'll give it as much as you wants!”
There was plenty of love in the eyes of Raphne, the bar waiter. Judging from the way she behaved, it seemed that this woman was also infatuated with Alpheas. Klump was annoyed at Alpheus's attitude, treating every woman like a lover.
Yet, Alpheus wasn't involved in any serious relationships. He flirted with women superficially, which led to numerous disappointed men. Even if it wasn't limited to magic, Alpheas was a public enemy to the men here.
"Now, even Rapne? Just have a proper relationship. What are you thinking, living like this?"
“Haha, as you know, I am everyone’s lover. And it's not like I'm particularly trying to seduce them. They just melt in front of my killer smile."
Alpheas touched his chin and smiled slyly. Indeed, it was the kind of appearance that women would go crazy for.
Does smiling like that really work? Klump, who had no luck with women, tried to raise the corners of his mouth in an experiment.
"How about this? Do I have a killer smile too?"
"Oh, yeah! It's really a killer smile, you know? A murderer's smile. Fuhahaha!”
"Wanna die?"
"Hahaha! Just kidding. Actually, it was quite impressive. Be sure to use that smile at the party later. The women will be smitten."
"Party? Do I have to go to that? I'm not even a mage.”
Tonight, the Bastard Family is holding a party with the theme of Young Wizards' Night. Although the family had no special relationship with magic, at the time, holding a party under various pretext was one of the ways to establish the authority of the nobility.
"Is there a rule that only mages can attend? People from all walks of life will gather, so you should make some connections too. Skills are important, but so are connections."
"It's kind of funny that those words come out of your mouth."
"What can I do? First, I have to rise high to achieve my goals. Anyway, you have to follow me no matter what. Who knows, you might find your other half there?"
Klump, who was full of ambition for the sword, had no interest in connections. However, he couldn't help but be tempted by the last remark.
As Alpheas said, who could tell? A country bumpkin swordsman who came from the countryside might fall in love with a sophisticated city maiden.
Klump cleared his throat as if he had suddenly caught a cold.
"Ahem! Shall we go sightseeing?"
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The mansion of the Bastard family, one of the wealthiest families in the capital, was splendid and brilliant, as if it had crossed the borderline of the law that no nobleman's building should be more luxurious than the royal castle.
300 crystal chandeliers adorned the ceiling of the hall, and on the marble tables with gold leaf decorations were generously laid out delicacies from all over the world.
Nobles danced with their partners to the music played by the musicians, while elderly politicians sipped wine and chatted on the side.
"Hello? My name is Ogent Klump. Did you come alone?"
“Kyaaa!”
Upon seeing Klump, the woman screamed and ran away. How could she not be surprised when a man with a thief-like appearance smiled like a pervert? It was literally a murderer's smile. Klump froze in shock, and Alpheas approached, laughing and patting his back.
“Puhahaha! Did you really do it because I told you to? Oh my, my stomach."
"Damn it! I'm a fool for believing what you said. By the way, where were you before coming here?"
"Ah, so many charming ladies were talking to me. I was over there, making conversation."
Klump looked at the direction Alpheas pointed. Sophisticated city maiden were glancing at Alpheas and blushing.
"Shit. It seems your back is more handsome than my front. They're all looking at you."
"Haha! Don't worry about it. Isn't that just how it is? Since we're here, let's eat until we burst."
There were many delicacies that Klump couldn't experience in the countryside, so he had been looking forward to them. Since he was already an outcast, he thought he might as well fill his stomach without worrying about the women's attention and headed towards the table. Alpheas laughed at this. He liked his simple but positive friend.
While Klump gobbled up the food, Alpheas was breaking a sweat entertaining the nobles who visited him at 5-minute intervals. Especially when the head of the Bastard Family personally came and went, all the nobles were looking at Alpheas.
"Nice to meet you. You must be the rising star, Alpheas."
"It's an honor to be recognized. What a wonderful party. Thank you for inviting me to such an occasion."
“Haha! It is my pleasure to associate with young intellects. Let's meet more often in the future."
"Yes, I will gladly attend if you invite me."
"Good. Then enjoy yourself."
Although the conversation was brief, the fact that the head of the Bastard Family exchanged more than a few words with a magician who had just started his social life was a tremendous sign of favor.
Alpheas, who turned around in satisfaction, made an absurd expression when he saw Klump frantically stuffing meat into his mouth. It was clear that he was venting his uncontrollable energy through food.
"Don't your jaws get tired? Where does all that food you eat go?"
Klump munched the meat and pointed at his biceps. Alpheas shook his head and turned away. He could feel the gazes of numerous women, but it was just boring for him. Trembling his lips, he looked around for something interesting when a woman running between tables on the other side of the hall caught his eye.
"Huh?"
The first thought that came to his mind was that she was definitely not a mage. She was wearing a simple dress instead of gypsy-style clothing, and above all, she had long black hair down to her waist, rejecting the short hair that was a symbol of intelligence. Seeing her running around with a plate in one hand and a fork in the other, it didn't match the atmosphere of this place, which emphasizes formality and dignity.
"Hey? That person. She's the eldest daughter of the family head, right?"
Alpheas, who was intrigued by Klump's words, asked without taking his eyes off the woman and only slightly turned his head.
"The eldest daughter of the family head?"
“Did you come to the party without knowing that? Anyway, you're such an ill-mannered guy."
"I don't know. Just explain it to me."
“Her name is Bastard Erina. She's 19 years old this year. You could say she's the only headache for the Bastard Family."
"A headache? Haha, because she has a tomboyish personality?”
"No. She's a bit lacking in intelligence."
Only then did Alpheas look back at Klump. Perhaps it is true. His bear-like friend he met in Bashka wasn't the type to make malicious jokes.
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
