Chapter 11: Connect Resonance

Finding myself with time to kill, I headed for my father’s study.

I stood before the study’s heavy, imposing door. It was likely crafted from the finest wood, giving it a distinct presence even within this mansion.

I opened the door. In public, my father wears the mask of a flawless superman, but in truth, he’s quite the slob.

Worse, he doesn’t allow the maids to enter, so his study was a disaster zone, looking as if a storm had just passed through.

“H-How filthy…”

I couldn’t help but grimace. Piles of documents were stacked high on the floor, and dust had collected in the gaps on the bookshelves. A pair of lustrous handcuffs lay carelessly on the floor, and peeking out from between the mountains of books were a well-used mug and some half-eaten biscuits.

That man really is so strong, it’s like something’s wrong with him… I usually respect him, but this is the one thing I can never understand.

I sighed in exasperation. As my gaze swept across the room, it fell upon a familiar sword lying carelessly on the floor.

Its blade shone with a clear black luster, emitting a mystical light as if it had sealed the very stars of the night sky within it. The hilt was adorned with intricate carvings, possessing a beauty so profound it could inspire awe, as if it would draw in the very soul of anyone who touched it. I could feel an extraordinary amount of magical power emanating from the sword; it was no mere weapon, but a vessel for some sacred power.

“Oh, my… this is the sword he was granted for his heroics in the war with the Eleusian Kingdom, isn’t it?”

I remembered seeing an article about the ceremony where the king gave it to him directly.

“Honestly, leaving it lying on the floor like this is just so disrespectful. I should at least lean it against something over there.”

With that thought, I tried to lift the sword from the floor with both hands.

“So heavy! This is impossible.”

I couldn’t lift the blade due to its sheer, unyielding weight. Resigned, I used my foot to nudge it into a corner before approaching the bookshelves.

“I wonder if there’s a book here to kill some time…”

I began my search, running a finger along the spines of the books on the shelves. I picked up and put back a few interesting-looking storybooks and history tomes, then reached my hand deeper into the shelf.

That’s when my fingertips brushed against something. It was a grimoire with an ancient binding, clearly different from the other books.

Its cover was engraved with a complex, unfamiliar crest and had a coarse texture when I touched it. It felt like it was crafted from the processed skin of some creature.

“…I’ve never seen a grimoire like this before. Could it be a rare tome from the dawn of the age…?”

They say the sage “Christos,” who came from another land long ago, invented modern magic. In the process, he’s said to have created seven powerful grimoires that became the foundation of magic today.

I had heard that while the teachings have since been simplified and compiled into academy textbooks, many forgeries were also circulated at the time.

This looks like the perfect way to kill some time.

My interest piqued, I took the grimoire in hand. I found a few other interesting books, and then, muffling my footsteps, I returned to my room.

Once there, I closed the door and locked it to ensure I wouldn’t be discovered.

Back in my room, I sat down on the bed. The mattress sank, accepting my weight, and I let out a soft sigh of relief. I immediately opened the grimoire I had brought with me.

The title was unreadable. The letters were too faded from age. The book, smelling of dust, lay there quietly, almost as if it had been waiting for me.

“Let’s see, what have we here…”

As I turned the page, I found lines of old-fashioned, neatly written text. The first page read:

O inheritor of the Tios bloodline. The magic recorded in this tome is a lost wisdom.

“Hmph, well, isn’t this high and mighty.”

A smirk involuntarily twisted my lips. I scoffed at the sheer pomposity of a book addressed to who-knows-who.

I flipped idly through the pages and saw several spells, each accompanied by a diagram.

Aiserion Kresis

Seia Lamprotes

Morphe Pansophos

…………

Every spell in this grimoire was unlike anything I had ever heard of, each one seemingly capable of defying all common sense.

I read on, completely absorbed. Then, my finger stopped on a certain page.

“This is…”

The title on the page of the spell was Connect Resonance.

The moment I traced the letters with my finger and whispered the words aloud, something clicked in my mind, and the mechanics of the spell became crystal clear.

“Hngh…! This is a first for me!”

A look of excitement and elation spread across my face.

This might be an incredible grimoire… I’m so sorry for calling you high and mighty…!

I devoured the grimoire, losing myself in thought as I absorbed the spell’s acquisition methods and potential applications.

“This is incredible… If I can master this magic…”

I fell back onto my bed, stretched my arms above my head, and clenched my fists.

I will stand above the heavens…!

Staring at the ceiling, I began to formulate a plan. It was a plan focused on the dungeon crawl coming up in one week.

First, I would invite the four who defeated me to be in my party for the dungeon crawl. I would demonstrate my leadership during the expedition and use this magic to show them just how amazing I am. Then, the four of them will prostrate themselves before my power, and I will become Number One.

It’s perfect! With this, no one will be able to deny my greatness. Those four will kneel before me. Ufufu… my reign is at hand!

The instant I had this thought, I looked up, a triumphant grin spreading across my face.

“—Fufu, fufufu… Ahahahahaha!”

The sudden peal of laughter was like that of a villain in a story. The bright sound echoed through the room that had been silent for days, seeming utterly out of place.

But perhaps my excitement had gotten the better of me, or perhaps my throat was simply parched, because I suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing.

Cough! Cough-cough! Gahack…!

The cough, so boisterous and unladylike, echoed throughout the room.

But by the time it subsided, my eyes once again shone with their former confidence and ambition.

My life as a shut-in, it seemed, was about to be brought to an end by this single grimoire.