Born as the third son of the Duke of Vreio, people called him the ‘genius of the century’. Everyone’s eyes were on him, and he became a genius as they wished.
At the age of three, he spoke three languages.
When he was four years old, he memorized the famous Vreio Aura Technique, which is known for its difficulty.
At the age of five, he invented a 3-class magic formula.
It was a kind of Invisibility magic.
When he was eight years old, his nickname changed.
‘Theoretical Genius.’
The Duke of Vreio brought together not only his retainers but also the talents from outside.
Besides the king, the Duke of Vreio was the only one who could mobilize all these people.
However, rather than being happy, everyone looked sad and disappointed.
They patted the little boy’s body around and examined it in their own way.
None of them offered to take responsibility for the boy.
“He lacks talent? No magic? No Divine Power? No aura?”
The duke looked back at the High Priest that he invited.
He was considered the next pope.
The High Priest bowed.
“I’m sorry, Duke.”
“No, you don’t have to be sorry.”
The Duke’s sigh made the atmosphere heavier.
After a while, he opened his mouth.
“And what can he do?”
Everyone took notice.
As long as he was born human, he could do anything.
He could do some chores.
However, the son of the duke couldn’t be ordinary.
Louis Vreio, as the son of the Duke, had to choose a job recognized by the family and become the best in it.
The duke’s chief wizard, Pacus, spoke cautiously.
“…He can be a theoretical wizard.”
“Wasn’t it you who claimed that the magic theory from a theoretical wizard, who can’t even feel the mana, was just an illusion?”
“Well, yes. But maybe he’ll be able to overcome that limit someday.”
It was an unclear answer.
Pacus knew better than anyone how much the Duke hated such an answer.
Pacus bowed his head and could not even make eye contact with the Duke.
‘If there could be a true theoretical wizard in the world, it should be the third son of the Duke of Vreio.’
But Pacus didn’t say anything about this idea.
Because he was afraid he could offend the Duke.
The Sword Master, Duke of Vreio.
He is a great man called the continent’s No. 1 sword master.
He was a living god revered by knights of the continent.
“It just happens that the teaching of doctrines in our church…….”
“That’s a perfect spot for a baron’s kid. Go and make this suggestion to that grass-eating Baron Hebron. They’ll take it and maybe shed some tears of joy.”
The High Priest looked bitter after hearing the Duke’s response.
The basis of doctrines was memorization, which was consistent with the ‘talent’ of the duke’s third son.
Louis can memorize everything, almost immediately.
It was not just memorizing, but he can also formulate new theories.
The duke’s third son’s ability was superior to the High Priest who teaches doctrines in the church, however, those who could not even exercise divine power could not inherit the High Priest’s position.
“He can be an excellent Doctor.”
The one who just spoke was a man in his early 40s.
The Duke glared at him.
His eyes were glaring, but the man didn’t turn his head.
This man was the butler of the duke, he was in charge of the education of the Duke’s children.
“Doctor? Do you want my child to live by curing commoners?”
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die of all kinds of diseases and infectious diseases. They can’t be treated with divine magic. If he studied medicine in earnest, he can save people dying life. Vreio’s reputation will reach the sky.”
“Reputation? People? Is that more important than the duke’s prestige!”
The butler tried to answer back.
He was convinced that becoming a Doctor was the right choice for the Duke’s third son.
The butler could not open his mouth at the words of the Duke.
He may have to risk his life for the next answer.
The butler pondered for a moment, whether answering him was worth it.
The butler closed his eyes gently.
Recalling his days with the duke’s third son, he soon opened his eyes.
Looking at the butler’s rigid expression, he looked like he was ready for death.
It was then.
The child, who was the center of the topic, opened his mouth.
“……I’ll find it.”
It was a small but firm tone.
He was a small boy who looked, at most, only six or seven years old.
He raised his head and looked back at the adults and said clearly.
“I’ll find out for myself. I’ll make sure to look like someone who belongs to the family.”
The Duke raised his right hand.
His index finger has a ring that symbolizes the Duke’s power.
It meant giving an absolute order that no one could reverse.
The Dragon’s Breathe, was something that cannot be obtained even if someone has money. Eating it can raise Mana or Aura.
This takes about three years to digest.
However, it is known that if a healthy man were to take this, the chance of survival is low.
And if they survived, their potential will explode, and immediate improvement of the body can be seen immediately.
“An ordinary human being is not a member of the Vreio Family”
The duke said, looking down at the boy with indifferent eyes.
* * *
I’ll be dead in three years.
Everyone put it that way, but I lasted ten years.
I had a vague conviction that maybe I could survive more than that, but every day was torture.
It was because I was trapped in an underground small room without even getting a chance to showcase my ability.
For the past five years, I haven’t been able to get out of my room. It was my father’s will and my will.
Louis.
The ‘Vreio’ that followed my name has disappeared.
Since 10 years ago, rumors have been circulating that I have a terrible illness.
It was the Duke of Vreio’s ruse to prepare for a situation where I will die.
According to the Duke’s views, things that just lived and breathed were objects of contempt.
Every living had to prove its worth.
I studied constantly in my room.
I read all kinds of medical books and memorized the efficacy of all plants native to the continent.
By combining them, I also developed a new drug.
That extended my life expectancy from three years to ten years.
‘If I can get over one crisis now, I can live another five years. Maybe living more than that is also possible.’
The toxicity of the Dragon’s Breathe and the medicinal effects of all kinds of leaps have combined, and my body has reached its limit.
I had broken the common sense and escaped from my scheduled death.
This was an experiment that no human being had ever tried.
‘I did my best.’
I memorized magic and swordsmanship theories at random.
Four years wasted trying to invent new magic. It was because of the hope that even I, who was not talented, would be able to use magic
For the next three years, I learned all kinds of knowledge, but my body didn’t build up a single drop of energy.
I studied not only medicine and herbology but also spirits and divine power.
I made lavish use of the duke’s resources.
I even borrowed books from the royal library, and finally, I looked at old books that were not yet interpreted.
Although there were no cases of learning skills in unusual ways without possessing any magic, there were few records of such things during the harsh years that mankind has existed.
However, there were only dangerous ways such as using the soul as collateral, and none of the theories were immediately feasible.
***
Five years after swallowing the Dragon’s Breathe, the Duke of Vreio’s order fell.
“Lock his door.”
My brothers didn’t come to see me either.
My mother had abandoned me too
My little sister often visited me, but at some point, she stopped. It was probably because the Duke prohibited everyone from entering.
Being confined to a small room and exposed to all kinds of Books, I was able to reach the secret of the Vreio family.
I’m a genius who was made.
The Duke of Brayo bought talented slaves to create geniuses, and he even was willing to kidnap people.
It was also detected that the duke was trying to create a professional organization. Although no clear evidence has been found.
Unfortunately, there was a limit to the information I could access, trapped in the underground small room. It was just a guess based on the family’s record book, all kinds of accounting books, and documents available in my current situation.
Maybe this was a delusion of mine caused by staying in a small room.
Unlike the generous evaluation of the public, the internal evaluation of the Duke of Vreio was brutal.
For the brilliant future of the duke, a genius should be comparable to the his title ‘no. 1 Sword master’, and his three sons did not meet such conditions.
‘My father may have put too much hope on me, only to be disappointed.’
It was not logically explained that the Dragon’s Breathe, which could not be bought even with money, was fed to a person who had no talent.
“I’m the only one born genius, but I’ve woken up to a completely different ability. It was the kind of thing that didn’t do any good in the Vreio Family.
Even so, I have to survive. I have to survive and prove my ability, so I can be a member of the Vreio. I will survive and become the Duke of Vreio.”
The servant who was in charge of me didn’t talk to me either.
Dante, the butler who sometimes visited me, did not appear again since three years ago.
I became the underground ghost of the Duke of Vreio.
“I was revered as a genius when I was young, but now I’m the unwanted son of Vreio . No, my name must have already been erased from the world. They must have deleted it from all the records like I didn’t exist in the first place.”
That was the way of Vreio Family. Even the eldest son who had to succeed to the throne was no exception.
‘To the brilliant talent!’
It was the slogan of the Vreio Family. It was the phrase engraved on the signboard hanging in the middle of the Dining Room, and whenever I went to eat there, I felt a chilling feeling.
‘It’s all over.’
I tried everything, but I failed again and again.
Theoretical Magic, Theoretical Aura, and medicine could not cure me.
I also touched Spirits and Divine Power, but nothing was in my hands.
‘The last thing left is…….’
I have mastered the ancient language in my spare time.
The ancient language was essential to understanding a High level of magic theory.
Wizards may not want to admit it, but most of the modern high-ranking magic was based on ancient magic.
Stupid modern wizards were incapable of producing higher than 7- class magic.
Their limitation was to study and implement magic as ancient relics.
I learned the ancient language and memorized ancient magic books.
If I were given the ability, I was confident that I would someday create 9-class magic, not just a 7- class magic.
But the reality is… I couldn’t even perform the basic magic of 1-class, let alone 7-class.