When Fantasy Glitches

After his first successful attempt, Magnus couldn't contain his excitement and was eager to push the boundaries of his new weapon even further. With Celia’s assistance in placing the targeting point, he started a stress test. He tried a multitude of patterns and trajectories, from simple arcs to complex zig-zags and gravity-defying twisters.

Each time, the Command Console flawlessly executed his commands, leaving Celia's jotting to grow increasingly elaborate as she recorded everything she saw.

Magnus couldn't help but marvel at the potential of the ability. It was undeniably lethal, capable of transforming even a mundane metal ball into a deadly projectile. Not only that but if he controlled it the right way, it could be used not only for offensive purposes but for defense as well.

He named this powerful skill [Bullseye], a fitting name, considering it was more accurate and precise than any normal projectile.

Usually, to move an object, Magnus would have to consider its axes and maneuver it along x, y, or z. He could mix these to create less predictable movements. But now he was using the unpredictable and indeterminate nature of his own mind instead. In a person's mindscape, it was possible for an object to seem both infinitely far and incredibly close all at once.

That was because in the mindscape, laws such as physics were more suggestions than anything else. By leaving parts of his imagination undefined, such as the length of the trajectory the metal ball needed to fly, he was essentially telling the Command Console to ignore distance and just get the job done in three seconds, no matter what.

In fact, he could even use this in reverse.

When the metal ball and coin combined into one, he simply had to have Basker visualize an undefined trajectory of them coming back to one of his hands. Still, that was also a weakness.

He couldn't interrupt [Bullseye] as it was happening. If he fired off the metal ball, he would need to wait for it to rejoin with the coin before returning both to his hand, and only then could he use it again. It wasn't too much of a weakness considering he could control the speed of how fast it all moved with a thought, but it was something he felt was worth noting.

As Magnus finished testing his ability, Celia approached him.

"You know, when you mentioned you were going to show me some magic, I was expecting something super flashy," she remarked, drawing his attention as he emerged from his thoughts.

"Were you let down?" Magnus inquired, his smile tinged with curiosity.

Celia shook her head, her own smile broadening. "Not at all! It wasn’t flashy, but it was fascinating! The way that metal ball zeroed in on the coin, even without you knowing where it was—it seemed like some invisible hand knew exactly where to guide it. Oh, and..."

Her voice bubbled with excitement as she continued to discuss her observations, jotting them down eagerly. Most of what she mentioned was familiar to Magnus since he had developed the ability, but it was clear Celia simply enjoyed sharing her excitement with him.

However, one particular observation she made piqued Magnus’s interest.

"I also noticed there seems to be a bit of a delay effect on the metal ball once it starts flying, though that delay seems to go away once it hits the coin." Magnus wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by 'delay', so he asked her to elaborate.

"I'm not exactly sure how to put it. Before you use your ability to make the ball fly, you toss it into the air, right?" Magnus nodded. He did that in order to make sure it wasn’t too close to him when it started moving. It was unlikely, but there was a chance that he could get hit with his own ability.

"Well, I saw that after the metal ball reunites with the coin, they both shift slightly. It seems like the force from your initial throw still exists once your ability takes over, but it’s just postponed until after the flying ends." Listening to her, Magnus mulled over Celia’s words.

Essentially, she was saying that if Magnus threw the metal ball to his right with all his might and then activated [Bullseye] to reconnect it with the coin, the force of his initial throw would come back once the [Bullseye] was over, nudging the metal ball and coin to the right.

I see, so the Command Console doesn't just ignore outside forces that would interrupt it from performing a task; it even delays forces that were already present until it's reached its goal. Hmm, I wonder if that could be applied to anything else.

Magnus’s mind buzzed with all the potential applications, and it was definitely something he would think about trying to utilize in the future.

Snapping back to the present, he turned to Celia and said, "Nice job, noting something like that, Celia. You’ve got a sharp eye; I probably would have overlooked something like that until I did another experiment with the skill or something."

"It's a skill you pick up as a maid when you have to make sure things are spotless all the time," she explained with a hint of pride in her abilities.

As she said that, Magnus took a moment to reflect on his decision to ask Celia to be his assistant. Initially, he had sought her help because he needed someone who could venture outside the villa and fetch items for him. Her desire to explore the supernatural world made her a pretty easy pick in that regard.

But maybe having another perspective will actually help me develop my abilities.

He hadn't considered it before, but it was possible. Plus, during the moments when Celia let her guard down and dropped her serious maid demeanor, they actually managed to have some pretty fun conversations. After all, it wasn't like he had many people to talk to; their interactions were a welcome change of pace.

Although he did have Basker now, they were pretty one-note in terms of personality.

Still, I know someone is after me; after all, they sent Basker, and they're likely a woman. Until that’s taken care of, I should keep the specifics of my abilities under wraps. Hiding it entirely is impossible, but being slightly cautious is better than nothing. In the meantime, if hanging out with Celia can help me grow stronger, I guess there’s no harm in it.

•

Time passed since Magnus’s experiment, and since then he found himself delving even more into the usage of the Command Console, and with each new discovery, he imposed a strict regimen on himself.

From honing his skills in [Self Body Puppetry] and perfecting his throws with [Bullseye], to experimenting with new abilities and absorbing knowledge from the villa's library, Magnus pushed himself to do it all. During his spare time, he would occasionally hang out with Celia, but only in private—she still had to act normal around the other maids.

Though Magnus figured the Major General probably wouldn't mind, given his recent treatment, he preferred to avoid any complications with the Head Maid—a sentiment Celia shared.

Still, when they were together, they would end up delving into the copious number of notes they had taken, discussing everything from theories to fresh ideas. Over time, their relationship underwent a subtle transformation, at least in Celia's mind. She began to see herself less as a maid serving a host and more as a researcher and assistant, driven by her own curiosity.

And so, just like that, nearly two weeks had gone by.

A subtle knock echoed through the wooden door, leading into an office. In response, an older woman's voice called out, "Come in."

Celia entered the room with a respectful demeanor, standing before the large, organized wooden desk. The office was devoid of windows, bathed only in the warm glow of lanterns placed in each corner. Despite its tidy appearance, the atmosphere lacked any sense of comfort.

The walls, soundproofed, echoed the faint sound of writing.

This office belonged to the Head Maid, who rarely ventured out of it. She managed everything within the villa, from overseeing the staff to maintaining the rules and order. Unlike the other maids, she was older, possibly in her fifties, and her customized uniform reflected her administrative role.

Interrupting the continuous scratching of a quill against parchment, Celia addressed the Head Maid, "You called for me, mam?"

The Head Maid finished her task and put away the quill before responding.

"Yes, thank you, Celia. The Major General recently contacted me and entrusted me with this letter. It must be delivered directly to the guest you have been hosting, without delay." She reached into a drawer and handed Celia a letter signed unmistakably by the Major General.

Curiosity flickered in Celia's mind.

A letter directly from the Major General? I wonder what it’s about; it could-

Catching herself, Celia shook her head and dismissed her curiosity, reminding herself that it wasn't her business. She accepted the letter with a polite bow.

"If that's all, then I'll deliver it right away." Turning to leave, Celia caught the head maid's gaze, sensing a hint of complexity in her expression. Before Celia could inquire further, the Head Maid shook her head, as if she had realized that her expression had caused Celia to pause.

"Never mind. It's probably nothing." The Head Maid said before waving her hand dismissively, and Celia nodded, leaving the office with a sense of confusion. Still, she made her way to the library with haste; that’s where Magnus spent a lot of his time after all.

Making her way to the library, Celia walked into the room and spotted Magnus sitting in his favorite spot at the window. Three different books floated around him, seemingly frozen in mid-air.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing random objects floating like that," Celia remarked.

"You said this was some kind of practice, right?" Magnus didn't respond immediately; his focus was fixed on the book he had bookmarked earlier. Slowly placing the book aside, he turned his attention to Celia.

"That's right," he replied.

"I'm practicing my multitasking. I'm constantly moving these three books along their coordinates to three separate positions to keep them in the air. At the same time, I'm trying to see how much I can read and memorize while doing so." As she listened to him, Celia looked closely at the floating books. They appeared almost motionless, but upon closer inspection, she noticed they were ever so slightly shifting up and down but never falling, as if caught in a gentle dance.

Curiosity got the better of Celia, and she couldn't help but ask, "Wouldn't it be more effective to just freeze them in place entirely instead of constantly moving them?"

Magnus nodded in agreement. "Probably, but I don't know how to freeze something in space.” He had no doubt there were ways to do it with the Command Console, but as it stood now, even though he could move things, he couldn't freeze them.

The Command Console depended on precise visualizations to execute out tasks, and the only way to determine if something was moving was by comparing it to its surroundings. To freeze something in place, he would have to imagine it as motionless compared to everything around it. However, recreating the surroundings of an object accurately in his mind was beyond his current capabilities, at least when you considered the amount of precision the Command Console required.

Still, even though I can't achieve the exact effect I want, I can find alternative methods to get a similar result. It's all about finding workarounds and making the most of what I can do.

He likened his approach to scientific theory: identifying the problem, gathering information, forming hypotheses, and testing them out. If it worked, he celebrated the success, and if not, he tried again and again until he found the right solution.

On the other hand, Celia quickly noticed she had gotten off track.

"Oh wait! It completely slipped my mind, but the Major General sent you a letter!" she exclaimed, rushing over to hand the letter to Magnus.

He looked a bit surprised, as the Major General had never contacted him before, at least not directly. Taking the letter, Magnus's books dropped to the ground as he opened it. He carefully read its contents from top to bottom.

"Oh? I had wondered what was going on," Magnus mused, talking mostly to himself but noticing Celia's interest in the letter despite trying to hide it.

"Do you want to know what it said?" Magnus teased, and Celia shook her head.

"Of course not; it's a letter for you from the Major General. I have no interest in knowing its contents," she replied, but her curiosity betrayed her.

"Spoken like a true maid, but you're not that convincing with that look in your eye. Most of it was just a bunch of pleasantries since the Major General had never met me before," Magnus said with a smile, not entirely lying. Despite enjoying Celia's company, Magnus couldn't fully trust anyone, including her.

The person who had sent Basker after him might still be lurking in the shadows and the letter he received contained information that should probably be kept to himself.

Firstly, the letter mentioned that Mia, Gerald, and Marcos had embarked on a dangerous scouting mission and wouldn't be back for some time. The lack of specifics hinted to Magnus that it was probably a military-related matter, which explained the lack of details on what exactly they were doing. The Major General had a strong desire to have Magnus on their side, but revealing classified information was out of the question.

Still, the letter assured him that Mia, Gerald, and Marcos would likely be fine.

The visit to Takerth Academy had a profound impact on Magnus, as he witnessed the unranked novices engage in combat. Witnessing their skills and abilities, his impression of knights grew immensely. Even among the unranked novices, their capabilities bordered on the superhuman, and with Gerald being a seasoned veteran, he couldn't fathom any ordinary person posing a threat to that hulk of a man.

But as those thoughts swirled in Magnus's mind, a tinge of worry crept in.

Though now that I'm thinking about it, perhaps I'm just raising death flags… Dammit, well, I guess the only thing I can do is hope. It would really suck if the people who saved me ended up dying.

The second significant part of the letter came as a bit more of a surprise to Magnus. From what he had read, the Major General's request for him to join Takerth Academy had been accepted, and he could start attending as early as the coming week.

That was much faster than I expected. I thought it would take months to get accepted into the academy.

Although Magnus kept the information about Mia and the others to himself, he did share with Celia that he had been accepted into Takerth Academy.

Celia's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really? I mean, I knew it would happen eventually, but that was fast."

"Yeah, I thought so too. I thought it would at least take a few months." Magnus nodded, affirming Celia's surprise.

Celia shook her head, offering more insight.

"Oh no, for one of the Ten Great Magic Academies, I've heard even nobles send admission requests a year or two in advance."

Hearing such long waiting periods only deepened Magnus's astonishment.

"I guess that means the Major General really put in a word for me."

Magnus couldn't help but reflect on how much his life had changed. He used to wonder what it would be like to have friends in high places, and now he technically had one. However, this newfound connection also made him wonder just how much the Major General expected of him.

I know Mia told him I have some form of magic, but to go so far as to speed up my enrollment into a magic academy because of that? Maybe I underestimated just how much a potential mage is worth. Or is there something else going on?

•

"Do you really believe this is wise, letting the Major General's application request go through so easily?" The man asked, concern etched on his face. He was speaking to the Headmistress who was lounging lazily in her chair, gazing up at the ceiling.

She listened to his words with a glint in her eyes before chuckling softly to herself, her fingers rhythmically tapping against her armrest.

"Oh, Vlaslor, despite being the Vice-Headmaster for so long, you still worry about the littlest of things, don't you? Wisdom is but a veil that masks the allure of the unknown. If you let it interfere with your decisions too much, you'll like a truly boring life," she replied, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"There's something enticing about the sudden change of events. After all, who could have imagined one of my very own creations would be slain so easily, despite its unique nature?" She paused, her gaze seemingly lost in the swirling patterns of her intricate ceiling, before she continued.

"The hound's demise won’t change anything in our plans, so there’s no need to worry. Instead, don't you find this all interesting? I knew that the Major General would continue his struggle and try to do something, but I never thought it would be so intriguing." As he listened, Vlaslor shifted ever so slightly, clearly wary of her whimsical response.

No matter how long he had been with her, he still found the way she spoke during her occasional rants unsettling.

"In any case, maybe this... Magnus? Was it? Perhaps he'll spice things up before everything is set in motion," she mused, her smile widening.