The new semester at Elphon Academy was about two months away.
That was when the successor, myself, and Rigon would enter the Academy as freshmen.
Since I had to send my letter of recommendation, which was based on my authority as a Lord, earlier than the regular application period, I had already instructed the butler to prepare the documents and send the recommendation for Rigon.
The hero would take care of my recommendation, as well as that of the successor, so I didn’t have to worry about that.
In the meantime, Asher returned to the castle, and I explained my plans to her.
I also had occasional contact with the hero.
The hero said that she was currently traveling around the eastern part of Santea with the successor, showing her various cities.
Anyway, I had roughly looked into the things I needed to know and organized everything, so I had plenty of time.
Of course, I had no intention of wasting my free time just idling around.
No, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t do that.
There were still important tasks left to be done.
“I should learn how to manipulate magic.”
As far as I knew, the departments at Elphon Academy were primarily divided into the Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department.
Of course, there were other academic subjects such as politics and history.
However, all students were basically assigned to either the Swordsmanship or Magic Department, and they could choose additional subjects based on their aptitude.
In a world where a single individual could rival an entire nation, and there were no limits to the abilities one could possess, what was the greatest power?
Naturally, it was physical strength.
The foundation of noble families was also based on such power.
Of course, one had to be skilled in politics and have a sharp mind, but without strength, no matter how exceptional other abilities were, they would be useless.
Perhaps the educational structure of Elphon Academy was a natural product of that law of power.
Regardless of academia or anything else, it’s probably the most important thing for them to get you to build up your magic and learn how to use it.
That’s why I had to learn magic from now on.
What would someone who couldn’t even handle a trace of Mana do by entering the academy? I would already consider myself lucky if I didn’t get expelled.
After learning about the rules of Elphon Academy, I found out that if my grades dropped significantly, I could be expelled shortly after admission.
If such a disaster were to happen, I wouldn’t even have the face to look at the hero.
That’s why I had to somehow develop at least a minimum level of ability before admission.
“Are you referring to Mana training techniques?”
Asher asked with a slightly bewildered expression.
I nodded.
“As you may have guessed, I have no control over magic.”
“I see.”
“So, I want you to teach me directly, Asher. Considering the future, I think I should learn it.”
I chose Asher as my teacher for magic. The reason was simple. She was the most suitable candidate, and there was no reason for me to learn from someone else.
She was also the only person I felt comfortable around without the mask of a Lord, not to mention her skills.
“Teach me from the basics, as if you’re teaching a complete beginner.”
“Yes, I will do my best.”
Thus, I moved to the training ground with Asher and began receiving lessons from her.
“Everyone possesses a unique Mana, they just aren’t aware of it. The first step in learning magic is to become aware of this latent power, the seed of magic. That’s all there is to it.”
I listened attentively to Asher’s explanation.
So, her words meant to feel the dormant Mana within the body. It was simple, if you could call it that.
'This is a little different from what I thought.'
I had no detailed knowledge about cultivating Mana, so I didn’t know it would be like this.
I thought it would be something like breathing techniques in martial arts novels, but there were already seeds of Mana within my body?
As if she could read my puzzled expression, Asher spoke.
“While I mentioned latent Mana, it’s just a way of expressing it. It’s the potential of undeveloped Mana that hasn’t yet materialized. Even if you try to feel the Mana, it probably won’t feel the same as what you usually sense.”
“I see,” I nodded and heightened my senses as much as possible.
Of course, that didn’t mean I suddenly felt the presence of latent Mana.
It seemed that having keen senses alone wasn’t enough to perceive it.
“The methods of developing Mana vary from person to person, but in my case, I simply moved my body and trained it. Most warriors develop their Mana in this way. By providing physical stimulation and continually focusing on their body’s sensations, they eventually feel the flow of Mana.”
“What about the methods of mages?”
“I’m not entirely sure about mages... Many of them develop Mana through meditation. However, this is just a matter of individual aptitude. There’s no reason to separate warriors and mages when it comes to the development of Mana. Even someone walking the path of magic can develop Mana through physical stimulation, just as warriors can, and warriors can develop it through meditation, just like mages.”
In other words, regardless of the process, as long as one succeeded, it didn’t really matter.
As I was pondering which path would be more suitable for me, Asher spoke.
“For you, Sir Ron, I’m thinking of swordsmanship training to stimulate your Mana, as I did. What do you think?”
I nodded.
“That sounds good.”
Since I intended to learn swordsmanship from Asher anyway, it seemed like a good approach.
It seemed to have more benefits than meditation, since I was already physically strong enough to handle any amount of physical abuse thanks to my [Super Regeneration].
“Do you know how to use a sword?”
“No, I’ve never handled a weapon at all.”
I picked up a training wooden sword placed on one side of the practice area.
I had never even considered the possibility that I would learn swordsmanship someday.
Asher looked at me for a moment as if lost in thought and then picked up a wooden sword herself.
“In that case, it would be better to have a swordsmanship duel first.”
“A duel?”
“Yes. To improve efficiency, wouldn’t it be better for me to have a better understanding of Sir Ron?”
“I’m just a novice in swordsmanship... Well, fine.”
I stood facing Asher, awkwardly gripping the wooden sword.
Since Asher seemed a little tense, I felt uneasy and spoke.
“My physical abilities are pathetic, at an average person’s level. Can I even participate in a duel?”
“Oh, of course, it’s a duel without Mana. I won’t be using Mana either.”
Asher took a step back and swung her sword.
I easily lowered my head to dodge and swung my sword.
Even though my movements felt awkward and sloppy even to myself, the duel seemed quite plausible.
Thanks to my heightened senses, it was not difficult at all to block and evade Asher’s attacks without using Mana.
After a while, Asher stopped her sword, and nodding her head, spoke.
“You truly are a complete beginner.”
“Didn’t I just say that?”
“Sensory and cognitive abilities are much higher than mine, so I think if you learn swordsmanship, you would quickly grow.”
That’s how I started learning swordsmanship from Asher in earnest.
At first, posture correction was the focus. Starting with basic techniques such as horizontal and vertical cuts, diagonal cuts, I progressed to more advanced movements, constantly receiving corrections on my posture.
Since I wanted to learn properly, I diligently followed Asher’s instructions despite the inconvenience.
About three days later, I began to feel the presence of Mana.
While swinging the sword, I suddenly stopped as a faint energy started wriggling inside my body.
“It seems like Mana has awakened.”
“Is that so?”
Asher placed her hand on my chest and infused her Mana. Her eyes widened.
“Congratulations. I thought it would take at least ten days...”
After awakening the Mana, it was time to learn how to control it properly.
This was the point where the paths of warriors and mages diverged.
I could learn how to enhance the body using Mana or how to transform the nature of Mana to unleash spells.
“Mana is similar to the muscles of the body. The more you use it, the more it continues to be trained and strengthened, up to a certain extent, without any special techniques.”
The Mana currently present in my body was extremely weak, but there were various ways to increase it quickly.
I asked the butler to bring me the finest Mana potion. There were already several of them in the castle’s warehouse.
Ever since becoming a Lord, it seemed like I was finally starting to make meaningful use of the estate’s resources.
“I will guide you through the overall flow. Sir Ron, please focus on controlling the Mana so it doesn’t run wild.”
I sat in the center of the training ground and with Asher’s assistance, successfully absorbed the energy of the potion.
Receiving the assistance of elixirs had its limits, so it was naturally impossible to endlessly increase my Mana. However, as a beginner on the path of magic, I had accumulated a considerable amount of Mana.
After the awakening of my Mana, about a month had passed.
During that time, I learned and mastered the method of enhancing my physical body with magic from Asher.
Asher mentioned that my Mana affinity and my ability to control it were quite exceptional.
Come to think of it, the adventurer I had met on the Gaitan Lake before also remarked on my strong Mana affinity.
Kwoong!
I sheathed my sword and looked at the fallen tree on the ground.
In just a month’s time, I had reached a level where I could imbue magic into my sword and cut down a small tree.
The rapid growth I had achieved in such a short period was due to Asher’s excellent teachings and also thanks to the elixirs and mysteries I possessed.
My heightened senses, maximized through [Super Sensory], played a significant role in controlling Mana, while [Super Regeneration] allowed me to continue training without getting easily fatigued.
Starting from the basic ability values enhanced by [Super Regeneration], coupled with the assistance of elixirs, my growth speed exceeded imagination.
'Indeed, this world is all about power-ups.'
Of course, to the transcendent beings in this world, it was nothing remarkable, but it felt different experiencing it directly with my own body.
Excluding my [Instant Kill] ability and mysteries, I wondered what level I would be at now.
Although I was curious, my own eyes couldn’t see my level, making it an unknown matter.
“Asher, what would you say is my current level compared to Rigon?”
As I asked Asher, who had been watching by my side, she pondered for a moment and replied.
“Overall, I believe you are about three stages below Rigon.”
Three stages below.
Currently, Rigon had surpassed level 30 through his growth. So, I could estimate my level to be around the early 20s, give or take.
That level was definitely on par with the new students at the Academy, if not better. They’re just 15-year-old freshmen, after all.
I wondered if I should have a duel with Rigon, but I gave up on the idea.
Losing to Rigon would have been a bit embarrassing to say the least.
***
While continuing to learn swordsmanship from Asher, I decided to delve into magic as well.
Now that I knew how to manipulate Mana, it was only natural that I wanted to try casting spells at least once.
Since Asher was also a novice in magic, I couldn’t learn from her.
The castle was filled with exceptional mages, but for now, I decided to self-study using magic books.
And after a few days, I came to a realization.
I didn’t have much talent for magic.
“......”
I scratched my head and read the explanations with a puzzled expression on my face.
The manifestation of magic consisted of two processes: the release of Mana outward and the conversion of its properties.
Now that I was proficient in controlling Mana and releasing it, it wasn’t difficult at all. The problem was the conversion of properties.
'What is this even talking about?'
Simply put, the conversion of properties meant unfolding the formula that composed the specific magic.
If this formula were something as simple as a math equation, I wouldn’t have been so confused.
To my surprise, the magic book simply instructed me to “perceive” and “sense” the invisible formulas.
I was supposed to sense it rather than solve the formula? What kind of nonsense was this?
In the end, even consulting the most skilled mages in the castle didn’t make a difference.
The only thing that did happen was that I finally understood, in my own way, what it meant to feel the formula.
'So...'
It seemed that the formula composing magic was a kind of synesthesia.
It was like perceiving colors from specific numbers or characters.
If one could sense a specific pattern in Mana and express it through a formula, that was considered magic.
It was a purely magical quality that had nothing to do with how good you were at manipulating Mana, so it was a very difficult concept to grasp.
Even if they said to perceive patterns, there was nothing to be felt. What were they expecting me to do?
“Well, the only way is to concentrate until you can feel it. I apologize, but at this stage, there is nothing I can do to help, my Lord.”
As my expression hardened, the mage slightly paled and bowed his head.
He was the most outstanding mage in the Lord’s castle. There was no doubt about the words spoken by such a skilled mage.
In order to feel that so-called pattern, I invested all my time outside of sword training.
However, even after more than three days had passed, I still couldn’t grasp any sensation.
'Magic is truly difficult.'
I had been arrogant to think that if I could easily learn swordsmanship, magic would be a piece of cake.
Magic was a field that required a natural talent more than the mastery of one’s body.
In fact, there was no need to learn magic, but my determination wouldn’t let me give up.
Finally, after about ten more days had passed, I could feel the slightest hint of that pattern.
The next step was to learn the basic magic derived from it.
Since my ability to manipulate Mana was already at a sufficient level, I focused solely on the formula and delved into magic.
Fwoosh!
I proudly gazed at the flames flickering above my palm.
After nearly a month since I started learning magic, I was finally able to unfold basic spells.
Even though it only consisted of a few elemental spells, including fire, and some defensive barrier spells, I could still consider myself successfully initiated into magic.
***
Time continued to pass.
I was mindlessly manipulating the tiny orb in the palm of my hand when I looked up.
Words were slowly being engraved on the scroll on my desk.
- It’s the date of the Academy’s new student enrollment in three days. Is everything okay?
Finally, I received a message from the hero.
I also infused magic into my fingertips and replied in writing.
- Yeah. Where are you right now?
- I’m in Raphid City. Can you come here right away?
- Of course. Let’s meet at a designated location outside the city.
I put the paper back and stood up.
The time had come.
