The World's Strongest and Most Evil Noble Strives Humbly and Diligently ~ Using Knowledge of the Original Story and Unique Magic to Avoid a Destruction End ~ - Chapter 3: The Ceremony of Baptism

Chapter 3: The Ceremony of Baptism

After training under Orvin, I realized one thing.

Swordsmanship is so much fun!

The thrilling sense of handling a sword.

The clean sensation of slicing through something.

The tangible progress and growth I felt day by day.

Every bit of it was amazing.

But enjoyable times always pass too quickly, and before I knew it, a year had flown by.

(I’d love to dedicate myself even more to swordsmanship, but…)

I’d achieved the basic skills required as a swordsman. It was time to move on to the “next step.”

Oh, and by the way, I’m now 10 years old and have grown to 140 centimeters tall. Growing 5 centimeters in just one year—hooray for puberty!

(It’s almost time.)

The clock read 12:55.

Waiting in my room, I stood up from my chair and stretched out my body.

Today was the long-awaited “Ceremony of Baptism.”

In Ronzorkia, the ceremony was held in the year one turned 10. It assessed magical capacity, magical aptitude, and innate magic. Normally, the ritual was conducted in a temple, but in my case, things were a bit irregular.

(If the original storyline holds true, this body should possess that… innate magic.)

The original Hollow’s innate magic was among the most “peculiar powers” in the story.

After all, it was the same magic as “Xeno the Calamity,” the great sorcerer from a thousand years ago. Revealing such a thing in a public place like the temple would undoubtedly cause an uproar.

So, we arranged for “a certain adjudicator” to come to the mansion and perform the ceremony here instead.

Normally, such a selfish request would be unthinkable, but…

That’s the power of the Heisenberg family, one of the Four Great Noble Houses.

With a single word from my father, the stubborn Ministry of Magic happily complied, exclaiming, “Yes, right away!” The sheer influence he wields is terrifying.

As I pondered this, there came a knock at the door, followed by Orvin’s deep voice.

“Hollow-sama, the adjudicator has arrived.”

“Let them in.”

“Yes, sir.”

The door opened soundlessly, and a pale-skinned woman entered.

“Well then, I shall take my leave.”

Orvin bowed respectfully and closed the door after fulfilling his role as a guide.

The remaining woman, looking tense, gave a polite bow.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Fiona Seder.”

Fiona Seder, age 18, was a genius mage who had joined the Ministry of Magic at the youngest age in history.

She stood 160 centimeters tall, slender yet feminine, with a ponytail of long, glossy black hair that reached her back. Her striking violet eyes and snow-white skin marked her as a beauty.

She wore a simple white jacket over a black shirt and paired it with a black mini-skirt.

At first glance, she seemed like a refined young woman. However, her personality was… rather peculiar.

“I am Hollow von Heisenberg.”

I rudely introduced myself without using any honorifics.

After all, despite her position as an adjudicator for the Ministry of Magic, my status as a duke’s son was far superior.

(Besides, my lazy arrogance was widely recognized after my behavior at the evening party when I was five and the martial arts tournament when I was seven.)

Showing humility now would only make her suspicious. It was better to maintain the act of laziness and arrogance.

“We’ll begin by measuring your magical capacity, Hollow-sama.”

Fiona produced a small stone as she spoke.

“This is a Sensory Stone, a special magic crystal that absorbs surrounding magic and reacts uniquely. Based on this reaction, we can roughly determine the magical capacity. Please hold it between your fingers and—”

“—I already know how it works. Just give me the stone.”

“…Y-Yes, as you wish…”

Her delicate eyebrows twitched in irritation. It was clear she was annoyed at being interrupted and ordered around by a brat like me.

Her frustration was entirely reasonable.

Still, to stay true to Hollow’s character in the original story, I had no choice.

Silently apologizing in my heart, I pinched the Sensory Stone between my thumb and forefinger, applying light pressure until it shattered.

As silver fragments floated in the air, I felt magic being drawn from me, and the Sensory Stone reacted unusually.

“Hmm.”

“This… this is…!”

The reaction was ominous. A pitch-black aura, like foul sludge, began swirling around me.

It radiated an unmistakable sense of malice, perfectly reflecting the dark nature of Hollow von Heisenberg’s power.

“What’s the result?”

“The magical capacity is… immense…! (Of all the individuals I’ve measured, this is by far the largest. Not just the quantity, but this repulsive magic—it’s unlike anything I’ve seen…!)”

After measuring magical capacity, it was time to assess magical aptitude.

“Please place these rings on the fingers of your right hand.”

“Very well.”

I slid the five rings onto my fingers as instructed.

Each ring was embedded with magic stones corresponding to the five primary elements: fire, water, lightning, wood, and earth.
By channeling magic into them, the rings that glowed would reveal one’s elemental affinities—a method known as the “Five-Finger Appraisal.”

“Now, close your eyes and focus magic into your right hand.”

Following Fiona’s instructions, I closed my eyes and quietly concentrated magic into my hand.

After a few seconds passed, I opened my eyes to see—

“Oh?”

—all five rings glowing faintly.

Which meant—

“A-All-elemental affinity…! This can’t be real…!”

Fiona’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Well, for Hollow, this much was to be expected.
The real highlight was still to come.

“Why are you so surprised? Hurry up and begin the Baptism Ceremony.”

“Y-Yes…!”

Measuring magical capacity and aptitude was just a prelude. The main event of the Baptism Ceremony was identifying innate magic.

“—.”

Fiona cast a spell, conjuring a simple ceremonial platform in the center of the room.
Four pillars stood at the corners, with a large goddess statue seated at the center.

While modest compared to the temple’s authentic ceremonial platform, it was still grand enough.

“The identification of innate magic is sacred and traditionally conducted at the temple. However, at Lord Heisenberg’s request, we are making a special exception today. You’re already familiar with the process, correct?”

“Yes.”

I approached the center of the platform, placed my right hand against the goddess statue’s, and gently channeled magic into it.

In the next moment, cracks spread across the statue, and it shattered into countless fragments.

Silver shards danced in the air, disappearing as if devoured by another dimension.

“This reaction… No way, it can’t be…!”

Fiona hurriedly pulled out a tattered ancient manuscript, flipping through its pages at an incredible speed before looking up in shock.

Her eyes gleamed with a strange lust, drool dripped from the corner of her mouth, and her breathing was ragged—completely abnormal.

“I don’t want this, it’s scary.”

“Completely insane.”

“Did you find anything?”

“It’s the unique magic, Void!”

Bingo. As expected from the original story, this body was engraved with the ‘strongest unique magic.’

As I clenched my fist tightly, Fiona hugged an ancient tome and began twirling with excitement.

“Amazing! Amazing, amazing, absolutely amazing! The highest rank of unique magic—Origin-Class, ultra-rare magic! The same as ‘Disaster Xeno,’ the strongest and most terrifying unique magic! Oh, I’m so lucky! I thought I was doomed coming to a notorious noble’s house, but it was so worth it!”

Her unfiltered honesty was spilling out everywhere, but… whatever. That candidness is one of her virtues.

(At least, this brings some relief…)

Honestly, I felt quite reassured.

Having Void within Hollow, as it was in the original, was truly a blessing. The difficulty level of everything ahead would be vastly different with this power.

(Now, I just need to take care of ‘sealing some lips.’)

Void is a magic with a dark reputation.

About a thousand years ago, there was a mage named Xeno who went on a rampage using this power. For many reasons, it’s not something you flaunt openly.

“Fiona, I need to talk to you.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“No one must know that I manifested Void. Report to the Magic Ministry that ‘Hollow’s unique magic is Refraction.'”

“What? But why would you do that? Void is an Origin-Class rare unique magic. Revealing it would bring great honor to your family name. I don’t see why you should hide it…”

“It’s just a precaution. I only need it hidden for a while. About two years.”

The royal capital currently harbors a dangerous group— the ‘Grand Magic Order’—who make a living hunting rare magic factors.

They have informants in the Magic Ministry feeding them information from the Arcana Registry of Magic, allowing them to kidnap individuals with rare magic factors.

In one route of the original story, the Grand Magic Order discovered the existence of Void and eagerly abducted Hollow.

Hollow von Heisenberg, their ultimate test subject, was subjected to endless brain experiments, had his Void magic factor forcibly extracted, and was ultimately executed—ending in what was called the ‘Void Extraction End.’

(I refuse to meet such a fate.)

Of course, I wouldn’t say I’d definitely lose if I fought the Grand Magic Order now. After all, I have swordsmanship skills directly taught by Orvin.

But this Bad End can be avoided with a bit of caution. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks.

(I’ll tread carefully, and only cross bridges when I’m sure they’re safe.)

In this world, game over means literal death, so this level of caution is just right.

Thus, for about two years, until the Grand Magic Order leaves the royal capital, I’ll keep Void a secret.

During that time, I’ll hone my magical abilities and fully master Void. That’s my plan.

After pondering for a moment, Fiona gave a slight nod.

“Apologies, Hollow-sama, but I cannot comply with your request. Manifested unique magic must be registered truthfully in the Arcana Registry. This isn’t an unwritten rule but a constitutional mandate. As a judge serving God, I take pride in my duty and cannot commit any wrongdoing.”

“Then, let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“If you agree to keep my unique magic a secret… I’ll let you research Void.“

“I’ll keep it a secret. I swear I won’t tell anyone. You can even bind me with the magic of Contract Contra.“

Where did her God and pride go? Fiona’s sudden change of heart surprised me, but…

Well, it worked in my favor.

In the original, Fiona was famous as a ‘magic fanatic,’ someone who loved magic more than anything else—a true eccentric.

By dangling the ultimate bait, Void, I knew she’d come around.

It was worth specifically requesting her from my father.

“Then, let’s sign the contract.”

I opened a drawer and took out a pre-prepared contract.

Normally, for important agreements like this, the magic Contract Contra would be used, but since I can’t use magic yet, I had to resort to the old-fashioned method—parchment.

“You were… surprisingly prepared for this.”

Fiona, astonished, quickly read through the document, confirmed there were no issues, and signed her full name.

“The contract is complete.”

“Yes.”

Now, there was no risk of her revealing information about Void.

If she broke the contract, she’d face ‘the judgment of the Contract God’ and die instantly.

“As per your instructions, I’ll withhold information about Void and register it as Refraction with the Magic Ministry.”

“Good. Do that.”

“But… won’t it be discovered later?”

She glanced nervously around the room.

“No problem. Void is essentially a superior version of Refraction. When using Void in public, I’ll limit it to effects achievable by Refraction. This way, no one will find out.”

“I see… You’re very knowledgeable about unique magic.”

“Well, yes.”

Ronzorkia is home to over a thousand unique magics, and I remember nearly all of them.

As the conversation settled, Fiona cleared her throat.

“I still have unfinished work at the Magic Ministry, so I’ll excuse myself for today. Once my current tasks are complete, I’ll return immediately. At that time—”

“—as promised, you may research Void.“

“Thank you… so much!”

Her eyes sparkled with delight.

“Now, while you’re away, I’ll spend some time practicing magic.”

“Yes. To smoothly advance Void’s research, a fundamental understanding of magic is indispensable. I would greatly appreciate your assistance.”

“Understood.”

“Then, I’ll excuse myself now.”

After Fiona left the mansion, I immediately started studying magic.

With Father’s permission, I entered the study and pulled out a suitable textbook.

“Hmm, I see, I see…”

After beginning my training, I realized one thing.

Magic is absolutely fascinating!

“If I draw the magic circle like this… Wow, fire appeared!”

“If I circulate mana… Amazing, water came out!”

“Haha, that tingling sensation! So this is lightning magic!”

Just by skimming through the textbook and lightly understanding the theory, I was able to use magic right away.

As expected of Hollow von Heisenberg. His overwhelming talent is simply astonishing.

“But this… this is dangerous!”

The surreal feeling of being able to use magic.
The transcendent sensation of freely manipulating magic.

It’s absolutely irresistible!

The highlight of it all is mana control, which has incredible depth.

When mana is channeled into muscles, physical strength is enhanced.
When weapons are reinforced with mana, their hardness improves.
When mana flows into water, it can be manipulated freely.

Just mastering mana control alone feels like it could be a never-ending challenge.

“F-Fufufu… Fufufufufufufufufu…”

Holed up in the study, I spent sleepless nights devouring magic books and trying out everything I learned.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Fiona, having completed her tasks at the Ministry of Magic, returned to the Heisenberg mansion.

“My apologies for the delay. However, rest assured, I have finished all my tasks and secured a year-long vacation! Now we can dedicate ourselves fully to Void’s research!”

“Ah, I see… That’s reassuring.”

Though a little taken aback by her intense enthusiasm, I continued the conversation.

“So, what’s on the agenda for today? Are we starting with that research of yours?”

“Yes. First, we’ll have a brief lecture on unique magic, followed by beginning Void’s research.”

“What do I need to do? I can’t handle anything too demanding.”

“Hollow-sama need not worry about us. Simply continue your usual Void training. I will closely observe, collect various data, analyze it, and proceed with my research independently.”

“Understood.”

That sounded great—low effort and helpful.

“By the way, you’ve only been studying magic for about a month, right?”

“Yes.”

Typically, magic factors stabilize in a person around the age of ten.
At that age, the Rite of Baptism is performed, and magic education begins.
This is the standard magic education system in Ronzorkia.

“In that case, I’d like to start by evaluating your basic magical abilities. Void is a potentially world-ending power… Without at least ‘basic magical skills,’ there’s a risk of it going out of control. I hope you understand.”

“Very well.”

“Thank you.”

To demonstrate my progress over the past month, I showcased several spells I had just learned.

“Hmm, the basics seem solid… Wait, you’ve already mastered all five elemental attributes? Even utility magic… And your spell construction speed—it’s absurdly fast! Incredible mana control, too!?”

Fiona’s expression shifted from doubt to admiration and then to outright shock.

“What do you think? Do I meet the minimum magical skill requirements?”

“Y-Yes… But, is it really just one month? Have you been secretly training before this? (For most people, it takes at least five years to reach this level. Even I, a genius mage, needed three years!)”

“Spare me the empty flattery. This is child’s play.”

While each spell was functional, none exceeded a score of 70.
My magic skills might be slightly above average, but only when prefaced with “for a ten-year-old.”

“As expected of the next head of the Heisenberg family. Your talent is extraordinary…”

After murmuring something to herself, Fiona composedly began her lecture.

“First, let me briefly explain the unique characteristics of singular magic, focusing only on Void-related aspects. As a general premise, the strength of singular magic lies in its lack of a magic book, while its weakness is also the absence of a magic book. Do you understand this concept?”

“Possessors of singular magic are one in ten million. Unlike general magic, there is no standardized path for learning it. Without a magic book, countermeasures are difficult, but without a magic book, mastery is also challenging. Strength and weakness are two sides of the same coin.”

“That’s… exactly correct. You’re very knowledgeable.”

She looked slightly startled but carried on.

“Singular magic is classified into four levels based on destructive power, societal value, and rarity: Elite Class, Epic Class, Legendary Class, and Origin Class. Your Void is ranked as Origin Class, the highest level. Historically, only one person, the calamitous mage ‘Disaster’ Zeno, ever wielded it. Naturally, there are no magic books on Void, so mastering it will be an arduous journey.”

Indeed, mastering singular magic is extraordinarily difficult.
Among them, Origin Class magic—and especially Void—is of the highest difficulty.

(But I have ‘original knowledge’!)

I know how to refine Void.
I understand how to use Void.
I have experienced applications of Void.

(My top priority is to master ‘Void Possession.’ That must come first.)

While I focused on improving Void, Fiona quietly observed.

During these days of training, I made one delightful discovery.

Fiona’s teaching aptitude far exceeded my expectations.
She had extensive knowledge of general magic, could engage in high-level magical discussions, and answered my questions flawlessly and immediately.

Training with her was immensely fruitful.

(Could I somehow recruit Fiona into the Heisenberg family?)

As I idly mused on the idea, a brilliant plan came to mind.

(I have to admit, this is quite an outrageous idea…)

Hollow’s brain was truly excellent. I decided to wait for the right moment to execute the “Fiona Recruitment Grand Strategy.”

In no time, a year passed.

Today marked the last day of Fiona’s long vacation. For now, this was the final day we could train together.

Fiona had been immensely helpful.
Thanks to her dedication, I had approached the essence of Void.
As a token of my gratitude, I decided to show her something “interesting.”

“Hollow-sama, what is it you wanted to show me?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

We rode in a carriage to Mount Garan, owned by the Heisenberg family, where I had trained in swordsmanship with Orvin.

“Hmm, this spot will do.”

Standing at the base of the mountain, I extended my right hand forward.

“—Void Transfer.”

In the next instant—

“Well, I suppose this should suffice.”

“N-No way…”

The lush, green mountain vanished entirely.
To be precise, it was devoured by Void.

Void Transfer is a spell that transfers a designated space into the Void.

(The power seems fine, but the structure is a bit crude. The range designation is sloppy, too. There’s definitely room for improvement.)

While I reflected on my spell’s performance, Fiona collapsed onto the ground, sitting in stunned silence.

(With a single spell, the map changed… This is Void—the power that once destroyed the world, the ‘Calamity’ itself…)

Covering her mouth with her hands, she trembled slightly.

Could it be… she was so moved that her legs gave out?

Well, it’s great to see she’s happy.