Advanced Magic[Super Acceleration] The magic taught directly by Diebl was a sublimation that combined two spells — [Body Reinforcement] and [Acceleration] — into one.
When used, the speed it granted far surpassed that of casting both spells in parallel, delivering a seamless, waste-free burst of velocity.
Of course, as befitting an advanced spell, it was extremely difficult to master. Its mana consumption exceeded that of a simple [Body Reinforcement] or [Acceleration] by more than tenfold.
Even Diebl, the one who had taught Rest the spell, could only sustain it for a few seconds.
"That's impossible! There's no way he can keep up that kind of acceleration!"
Nick shouted at Rest's retreating back as the boy blazed forward under the effects of Super Acceleration.
From this location to the mansion in the Marquisate of Rosemary was roughly fifty kilometers in a straight line.
If Rest burned through this much speed on his opening dash, there was no way his mana would last until the finish.
(Well, not that it matters for me, since my mana is infinite.)
Rest's mana, however, was truly bottomless.
With a limitless reservoir, maintaining [Super Acceleration] for the entire distance was far from impossible.
It was a brute-force approach that only Rest could pull off — but he had no intention of holding back. He wanted to demonstrate the sheer gap in their leagues.
(This is a contest to prove I'm worthy of Viola and Primula. How could I possibly ease up? I'll give it everything I have and win with everything I've got…!)
Losing this race wouldn't void his engagement to the two of them, but even so, the thought of them thinking "He really isn't good enough after all" was thoroughly unpleasant.
It wasn't enough to simply win. He needed an overwhelming, crushing victory.
(That said… even for me, Super Acceleration's speed is difficult to control. It's only usable in a straight line.)
"Tch… Am I going to lose!?"
"There's no way that speed can last!"
"We'll catch him the moment he runs out of mana!"
Behind him, Nick and the other young magicians were desperately giving chase.
Still, the gap only continued to widen — until an obstacle appeared right in front of him.
"That's... a forest."
A dense forest of trees had appeared in his path.
If he could cut straight through it, he'd shave off a considerable distance — but there were too many obstacles, and it would end up costing him more time.
"[Super Acceleration]... deactivate."
The time that had been compressed by the magic returned to normal.
Slowing down meant the gap with his pursuers would shrink — but it would only be for an instant. The gap would widen again soon enough.
"[Sky Drive]"
"Wha—...!"
Exclamations of shock rose from behind him.
Rest planted his feet firmly and launched himself into the air, using midair platforms to vault over the trees standing in his way.
What Rest had used was the high-level magic "Sky Drive."
A spell that creates footholds in midair, allowing the caster to run through the sky.
When people think of classic fantasy magic, the ability to fly through the sky is one of the first things that comes to mind — but in reality, flight magic is extremely high-difficulty.
Eliminating gravity, levitating objects, lifting oneself with wind, or creating footholds in midair like Rest was doing — these were all somehow possible. But almost no one could use magic to fly freely through the sky.
In this world, even mages couldn't traverse the sky at will.
(The [Sky Mount] consumes even more mana than [Super Acceleration]. You have to harden the air into a solid, keep it suspended in midair, and maintain it at a level that can support your body weight, after all.)
Frankly speaking... this magic was so fuel-inefficient that it was the kind of spell nobody ever used.
In fact, Diebl, his master of magic, told him that while he knew of this spell, he had hardly ever cast it.
Even so, he had taught Rest that it might be usable if anyone could manage it.
(Even for a court-magician-class mage, creating two or three footholds would be the best they could manage. But... with my infinite mana, I can generate footholds indefinitely and keep flying!)
It felt as though he had become a game character.
The sensation was like jumping between block platforms and advancing through a stage.
Falling would come with serious consequences... but if he missed a footing, he could simply create another one, so the thrill wasn't all that intense.
"All right, this should do."
Rest crossed the forest and landed on the highway.
If he followed this road, he would eventually reach the manor in the Marquisate of Rosemary.
He could no longer see any of the people who had been chasing behind him. He couldn't hear their voices either.
He didn't know how much of a gap he had opened... but it was unlikely they could close it from here.
(That said, I absolutely won't let my guard down. I'm not going to take a nap like the rabbit in those old fairy tales.)
"Super Acceleration."
Rest didn't have a single shred of carelessness.
To further widen his lead, he blazed down the paved highway at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.