Author: Eica

Chapter 56

“Is a magic formula a language?”

“Yes, it is a language.”

Adrian watched the movement of the pen closely, his chin resting on his hand.

Carl listed the consonants and vowels that form the basis of Korean and placed 〈Burning Firewood〉 on the table.

“The formulas written here are ‘burning’ and ‘firewood’.”

Carl Lindbergh divided 〈burning〉 and 〈firewood〉 in his neat handwriting.

“No one doesn’t know that burning is hot. That’s why when using a warming spell, we attach a state of ‘burning’ or ‘hot’.”

Adrian nodded his head in agreement.

He had thought that formulas might be a language, but there were so many types that he couldn’t find any rules.

“This book is like a dictionary of ancient languages, but the problem is that it lacks a friendly explanation. So it’s difficult to apply it.”

People here believed that magic formulas were a gift from ancient goddesses.

That was the truth.

And the reason why the goddesses chose Korean as the language for the formulas was simply because this was the world depicted in the novel produced in Korea.

Admittedly, Carl Lindbergh acknowledged and accepted this place as reality, but he never forgot that the foundation of the background and characters was a novel.

Especially for formulas that are old magic like the royal seal and dimensional gates, they are written in long and difficult sentences.

In other words, formulas are Korean. To them, it is an ancient script and nothing less than the language used by the gods.

When creating formulas, they had to search through books and draw them analogically, so they had no choice but to reduce the time to confirm and study whether it was a language or not.

So they had to understand that the basis of all writing is related to the ‘language’ that people use.

Of course, after that, it was a feast of memorization.

Adrian’s instinct as a scholar, who had devoted himself to studying the art of jade carving and formulas since childhood, was triggered before he could even wonder where Carl had learned all this.

Carl Lindbergh combined consonants and vowels.

He then classified similar shapes separately.

Adding strokes or dots while writing was also the same when entering formulas, but once he understood that it was a language, it became much easier to read in a more natural way.

“This is a language made by combining two or up to three consonants.”

Carl combined the character ‘ㄱ’ and ‘아’ to make ‘가’ and pronounced it as ‘ga’.

“Even the continental lingua franca is an easy language to learn because it is written as it sounds. You just need to know the pronunciation.”

Adrian was watching carefully, but he had to concentrate even more to fully understand.

“You learn how to combine first, and then make sentences. It’s the same as learning the continental lingua franca.”

Carl wrote 〈아드리안〉 and pronounced it as “Adrian”.

Adrian was moved to tears that he could write his name in formulas and that Carl Lindbergh had written it for him. He took the paper, folded it carefully, and put it in his pocket.

Carl chuckled at Adrian’s reaction, but Adrian intended to keep the paper as a national treasure.

“After you learn how to write, I’ll help you distinguish adjectives and nouns within my knowledge. Basic words are already in this book, so there’s no need to teach them separately. However, um. Right. You can use ‘dry wood’ or ‘well-burning wood’ instead of 〈firewood〉 if you utilize it well. This will make the use of magic stones more diverse.”

Even for Carl Lindbergh, who could read and write the continental lingua franca from the beginning as if he were programmed, there were many difficult parts to explain.

So it would take a considerable amount of time for those who had to learn from scratch.

“While using 〈burning firewood〉, I felt like it was really burning. But that’s not the kind of warmth we want, is it? And the warming magic used in the palace is 〈double-layered blanket〉. There’s a big difference between burning firewood and a cozy double-layered blanket, don’t you think?”

“How did you know that?”

“I checked it as soon as I arrived.”

Carl said proudly.

Of course, it wasn’t just a Korean sentence that completed the formula. There was also a sentence that was like a signature of the magician who directly infused magic power, and geometric patterns that decorated the formula also had their own roles, so everything had to be included in one magic stone for the magic to be completed.

The magic stone is like the shell of a car, magic power is like oil, and patterns are like the engine.

The formula plays the role of the steering wheel. To go in the direction you want, you have to handle the steering wheel well.

Then what is a magician according to Carl Lindbergh? 

A manufacturing plant.

Companies that manufacture racing cars for events like Formula One [1]  and manufacturers who can make anything that rolls are naturally different.

“Let’s say the formula is one thing, but you grabbed the magic stone seller as soon as you arrived. That’s why you did it: to find out about this.”

Carl chuckled at Adrian’s words.

The magic stone seller.

In fact, he could have just ignored it. He was a merchant, and merchants did anything that made money.

The reason he could continue to sell magic stones in the village even while committing fraud was that he sold cheaper magic stones with similar effects at the same price as expensive magic stones.

Who cares if 〈burning firewood〉 or 〈double-layered blanket〉 are warm enough in the middle of winter when the temperature drops below zero? Besides, commoners don’t know how to read formulas.

Even if the temperature inside the room rises like a sauna, you can live by opening the window.

However, you had to endure the fact that thieves could come in through the open window.

Anyway, the magic stone seller was a villain.

The magic stone seller, in general, knows how to distinguish basic formulas, and is familiar with the price and usage methods.

The person who sold magic stones in Viscount Thomas’ territory only handled magic stones for a long time in that place.

So he could only have a learned method of distinguishing formulas.

Carl asked him how he distinguished and sold magic stones, and where the price difference came from, and the seller answered everything he knew, stuttering.

He probably didn’t know that the decisive reason why 〈double-layered blanket〉 was more expensive than 〈burning firewood〉 was because of the research fee paid to the person who studied the formula, but he could distinguish that one was moderately warm and the other was not.

Anyway, fraud is fraud, so he couldn’t avoid prison.

“In my opinion, the most important thing when crafting magic stones is to expect meticulous effects even in simple formulas.”

Adrian was always troubled by that.

“When I thought it was just a symbol, I had a hard time combining them. If you enter one wrong thing, a completely different effect can occur.”

Carl nodded.

Carving long sentences like 〈If you use this magic stone, headaches, toothaches, and backaches will be cured〉 on a fist-sized stone may have a good effect, but dozens of problems may have already occurred during the carving process.

Just changing the shape of one consonant can make the pain ‘better’ instead of ‘cured’.

Adrian took Carl’s paper and memorized the difference between ‘giyeok’ and ‘kieuk’.

Also the difference between ‘mieum’ and ‘bieup’.

It was really surprising.

“I’ll tell you everything I can, but…”

Carl hesitated for a moment.

Adrian didn’t urge him.

“The fact that formulas are a language can be understood by anyone with just a few clues.”

“That’s right. There are countries that study what kind of language it is, and Heineken is not the only one with magicians.”

When Adrian agreed, Carl blinked for a moment and spoke in a firm tone.

“I hope it remains a secret from other countries until we understand the principle in Heineken and can freely apply it.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

It was unexpected.

He knew the intention of Emperor Glenn, who wished that the benefits of magic stones would be fairly distributed to everyone, yet why?

He was generally generous, so it wouldn’t have been strange to gather magicians and publicly announce the existence of the language.

When Adrian stared at him blankly, Carl cautiously spoke.

“Emperor Glenn is a broad-minded person, but magic is also a matter of national power. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s true.”

The more people who use magic, the faster it develops.

That’s why many countries gave privileges to those with traits and gave them power.

“Even when Emperor Glenn promised full support to Lindbergh when I left and avoided responsibility, I couldn’t promise anything else. So if we’re going to study these formulas, I hope it will help Heineken prosper for as long as possible.”

Although Carl Lindbergh started it, the practical problems were being solved in Heineken.

“It seems like the only repayment I can offer.”

Carl’s eyes sparkled.

Adrian shook his head in disbelief.

“The Emperor promised that you would be my spouse. You don’t need to repay me in any other way.”

Adrian suddenly became worried if there was still any burden on Carl regarding the marriage proposal. He grabbed Carl’s hand tightly.

“Besides, you brought the magic stones from the Mochu Mountains as a dowry. What more repayment do you need?”

Carl noticed his anxiety and smiled slightly, intertwining his fingers with Adrian’s hand.

“You said it wasn’t enough with just the magic stones. Remember?”

“I shot myself in the foot by saying that.”

Adrian’s brow furrowed.

“You said you needed another repayment because mining the magic stones required a lot of effort. Don’t you remember?”

“I didn’t know then.”

Carl laughed heartily, feeling good.

“That was a joke. And having a well-raised son like you is already more than enough repayment for me, isn’t it?”

Ahh.

Adrian heard a thumping sound in his chest.

He closed his eyes tightly.

Carl Lindbergh always hit Adrian’s back, no, his heart like this.

  • 1. Formula One (F1) is a type of auto racing that is considered the pinnacle of motorsport. It is a highly competitive and prestigious racing series that involves teams and drivers from around the world.
Table of Contents
Reader Settings
Font Size
Line Height
Font
Donation
Amount
Eica

A lazy cat who wants her honied indolence back.

Ko-fi Ko-fi

Comments (1)