I Reincarnated as a Cringeworthy Villainous Noble, but Got Obsessed With Magic

Episode 9: Stress Relief

“…Understood.”

With that one word, it was all over.

The previous private tutor, who had been providing swordsmanship instruction, was dismissed with a substantial severance pay, and the former bandit known as Ray was officially employed by the head of the household, at my request.

I had expected it wouldn’t go so smoothly, so it was quite a surprise.

We didn’t disclose Ray’s past as a bandit, but I didn’t think they would readily hire a mysterious, shady man.

Well, it’s convenient for me… but it leaves a mystery.

By the way, as for Ray’s sword skills…

…I got utterly thrashed.

The difference in skill level was overwhelming, to the point where there was no chance in a pure swordfight. It was beyond my imagination.

If I could use magic, it would be a different story, but that would defeat the purpose of swordsmanship instruction. Even so, I had underestimated the foundation that Xenon had built up, and the magic I used to enhance my physical abilities had made me a bit overconfident.

However, Ray’s skills exceeded my expectations, and if he had used a longsword instead of a shortsword during our earlier encounter, I believe I would have been killed.

He claimed he didn’t have the money to buy a longsword…

“…It hurts.”

…He’s merciless, that guy.

He said he’d only do it for the money, and he made sure to hurt me as much as possible. I thought he might hold a grudge, but his subsequent advice has been spot-on, and I have a sense of satisfaction in steadily growing stronger, which is probably why I can’t really resent him.

“A high-spec handsome, sharp-tongued swordsman… you’re too overpowered.”

While spewing venom, I looked down at my aching body.

I let out a sigh and drew a magic circle.

“【Heal】.”

I activated the healing magic that had also cured Ray.

As golden light overflowed, my wounds vanished in an instant.

I’ve improved my magic…

Nevertheless, I’ve only made existing magic more user-friendly.

I don’t understand the mechanics behind existing magic, but the names of these spells are in English. A light sphere would be called “Light,” and a fireball would be “Fire.”

The magic I demonstrated in the fight with Ray, written as “風爆” (Wind Blast) and read as “エアロブラスト” (Aeroblast), is no exception. It’s… long!!

The length of the spell’s name affects the complexity of the magic circle. If the magic circle becomes more complex, there is less space to incorporate magic formulas to enhance power and range.

In brief, let’s assume that the maximum character limit for a magic circle is 16 characters.

For an English magic spell name:

“Aeroblast” (7 characters) + “Power Enhancement” (4 characters) + “Range Enhancement” (5 characters).

For the Japanese version using Kanji:

Aero Blast [風爆] (2 characters) + Power Enhancement [威力向上] (4 characters) + Range Enhancement [飛距離向上] (5 characters) +Range Enhancement [飛距離向上] (5 characters).

This allows for enhancing the power and distance of the magic spell.

Well, this is a simplification, and the actual process is much more complex and time-consuming, but you can see that using Kanji frees up space in the magic circle.

“This is a little experiment… 【Multiple Construction】【Multiple Construction Multi-Create】.”

I used improved magic and existing magic to create multiple metal bullets, the same kind I used in the fight with Ray.

“As expected, the improved version has much better mana flow and the quality of the metal bullets is different…”

Comparing the two, the mass, shape, and overall quality of the metal bullets are significantly better with the improved magic. Plus, the improved magic consumes less mana.

“This method seems better for one-on-one combat than using elemental magic. Elemental magic can be troublesome, causing fires or flooding the area.”

That’s also why I couldn’t practice fire or water magic inside the mansion. I was afraid of any potential accidents.

I’m sorry, Father.

“…No, I don’t want to consider preparing for one-on-one combat. If you’re not a noble, you’re more likely to encounter monsters.”

The Lestinata family is a major noble family with vast lands and assets. There will be more people like the ones who attacked us, seeking our wealth. It’s a hassle when they bring trouble to the mansion.

“I’m getting stressed… Alright.”

The backyard is always empty, so they should allow me to blow off some steam with a bit of magic.

Without considering mana consumption at all, I started to create a high-powered magic spell that wouldn’t cause any damage to the surroundings.

“【Light】【Light】【Light】.”

I began by forming my hand into the shape of a gun and gathering a large amount of light on my index finger.

“【Compression】【Compression】【Compression】.”

I compressed the shining light more and more until it was the size of my fingertip.

“【Heat Infusion】.”

By adding heat to the light, which is non-aggressive by nature, I turned it into a pseudo-sun (laughs). This part is quite ambiguous in this otherworldly context. Even regular light can become highly destructive when shot, so I’ve accepted it for my convenience.

“【Rotation】【Rotation】【Acceleration】【Acceleration】.”

It started spinning rapidly.

“【Ejection】──【Beam】.”

The beam that shot out with tremendous force left small holes and scorch marks on the trees and pierced through everything in its path before vanishing.

“Phew… That’s refreshing. Truly a spell of romance. There’s no time to apply this during battle; the principles behind it are unknown when compared to reality.”

If a scientist from my previous life saw something like this, they’d probably go insane, wouldn’t they? In another world, I think readers of online novels are privileged to accept such things.

I gazed at the trace of the magic and was about to return to my room when…

…Suddenly, I heard applause behind me.

“…You’re using quite an interesting spell.”

I turned around abruptly and saw a young girl in a robe and pointed hat, wearing round glasses.