Chapter 72
“Here….”
“If you tried learning magic in a place like this, the whole building would blow up.”
I looked at Vincente with surprise. He didn’t seem like the type to care about things like that at all.
When I stared at him with that odd look, Vincente frowned slightly, as if displeased, and then began explaining.
“To use magic, three steps are necessary. First is mana detection. Literally sensing the mana that flows inside your body. Humans without talent usually fail right at this stage.”
He folded down his next finger.
“Second is mana control. It means freely manipulating the mana you sensed. And the third and final step is release. If you release the controlled mana as it is, like this—”
Whoosh.
When Vincente stretched his hand toward the rock wall, an enormous blaze burst from his hand and engulfed the wall. Since there was nothing to hold him back, he released his mana without restraint.
“Wow….”
I knew Vincente was an incredible magician, but seeing it with my own eyes was on a whole other level.
One single thought crossed my mind as I watched his flames.
‘I really almost died, didn’t I.’
I had stood in his way, threatened him, and even tried to strike a bargain. If things had gone wrong, I might have ended up roasted in that fire.
After a moment, he stopped the release and turned back to me with a confident look.
“See?”
When I nodded in awe, Vincente grinned widely.
“Then now it’s your turn.”
“What?”
His words, spoken like it was the most natural thing in the world, left me dumbfounded. Telling me to just try it without even teaching me how?
I protested immediately.
“You only showed me—how am I supposed to do it?”
“I explained the theory and even showed you in practice, and you still say you can’t?”
Instead, Vincente looked at me like I was the strange one.
Watching him, I became convinced. This man had no talent for teaching.
“That’s why I’m saying—explain it more thoroughly. Step by step. How to sense mana, how to control it, how to release it.”
“You’re really stupid, huh.”
“……”
When he looked at me with pity, I was at a loss for words for a moment.
But at last, Vincente nodded and began explaining again.
“Teaching you is a pain. Fine. I’ll tell you step by step from the beginning. But if you still don’t get it, then admit you really are an idiot.”
“…Fine, just tell me already.”
“First, how to sense mana. Copy me.”
I fixed my eyes on him. But his next move left me a little flustered.
He sat down right there in a lotus position.
“Hurry up and copy me.”
“Oh, uh, right.”
At his words, I came to my senses and quickly sat the same way.
Vincente spoke in a languid voice.
“Close your eyes, breathe slowly. Empty yourself gradually. Until you can feel only the mana flowing inside your body. This is where talentless ones drop out. With no mana flowing, there’s nothing to feel.”
In short, it was like meditation.
“How do you check if mana is flowing or not?”
“You don’t. If you try for a while and feel nothing, you just assume you don’t have it and give up.”
It sounded irresponsible, but there was logic to it.
When I nodded, he stood back up. I looked up at him.
“That’s enough for today. Go back and practice whenever you get the chance. I’ll check on you later.”
I also rose to my feet. With a snap of his fingers, we were suddenly back in the headmaster’s office. His ability was impressive no matter how many times I saw it.
“Next time, I’ll tell you about the second Aeternum. I’m a bit tired today….”
Indeed, heavy shadows had fallen across Vincente’s face.
Tilting his head back, he looked at me and said,
“If you still can’t feel mana by the next time I come, I’ll take it that you have no talent. Give up then.”
“…Alright.”
It was a cruel thing to say, but also undeniable reality.
“Goodbye, Vincente.”
I thought he would leave now that our business was done. But instead, he suddenly came closer, leaning his face toward mine.
Startled by his unexpected action, I only blinked.
“You know, you keep calling me ‘Vincente, Vincente.’ Isn’t it unfair if only you get to call me by name?”
“You mean you don’t want me to call you Vincente?”
“That’s not it. I’m saying, to be fair, I should call you by your name too.”
“…So you’re asking me to tell you my name?”
What a roundabout way to say it. Annoyingly so.
Understanding, I parted my lips.
“Ciela. Ciela Feirunt.”
“…Ciela, huh. Not bad.”
He chuckled, seemingly pleased with my name, and stepped back.
“Then see you next time, Ciela.”
And just like when he arrived, he vanished in an instant.
One thing was certain: he was a man impossible to pin down.
‘Not nearly as scary as I expected, though.’
In the original story, he had been depicted as brutally cruel, so I had braced myself. But in person, he wasn’t nearly so vicious—it was honestly surprising.
‘Feeling the flow of mana, huh.’
It was still something difficult to grasp.
I closed my eyes and sat cross-legged on the chair. Then, just as he had taught me, I slowly breathed, trying to sense the mana within me.
And so the night passed.
“Master, you’ve been looking well lately.”
I tilted my head at Hoyeon’s comment as I sipped the tea she had brought.
“Really?”
She nodded firmly.
“Yes. Your expression seems more relaxed than before, and your complexion has improved a lot too.”
“Hm.”
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve been trying to feel the flow of mana whenever I get the chance.’
It had been five days since Vincente left. During that time, I had practiced sensing the flow of mana whenever possible. Since it was similar to meditation, it seemed to naturally calm both mind and body.
‘Though in the end, I still haven’t felt the flow of mana.’
But I couldn’t bring myself to admit that to Hoyeon. To her, Vincente was practically an enemy. I couldn’t possibly tell her that I was learning magic from him.
‘If Vincente hadn’t hidden his presence with magic, Hoyeon would’ve caught him ages ago.’
Even though I was only learning magic, I still felt guilty being close to him. So I brushed off her comment.
“Maybe it’s just because I’ve been resting well. Oh, it should be about time Jack’s lesson is ending. I should go see him.”
Leonard always reported to me after Jack’s lessons about the pace of study and his achievements, so I naturally went to meet him when lessons ended.
Thankfully, Hoyeon nodded without suspicion.
“Ah, just in time.”
As soon as I stepped out of the office, I ran into Leonard coming down the stairs. He greeted me warmly, as though he had something to say.
“Yes, has the lesson ended?”
“Yes, and I have something to report.”
For some reason, Leonard’s expression was bright. I guided him back into the office.
“First of all, Jack’s academic performance is excellent. In all my years teaching countless nobles, students as outstanding as Jack are rare.”
His reports always began with praise for Jack.
Even though I wasn’t one to obsess over academics, as his guardian, I couldn’t help but feel proud hearing my child was exceptional.
“I was worried at first since it was his first time with lessons, but I’m glad Jack seems to be following along well.”
“More than just following—there are times I can’t help but be amazed while teaching him.”
I smiled quietly.
Then Leonard lowered his voice and spoke carefully.
“So, I was thinking. To test Jack’s achievement, what if he participated in the Imperial academic competition that’s being held?”
“An academic competition?”
I blinked in surprise at his completely unexpected suggestion.
When I didn’t react much, Leonard quickly explained with enthusiasm.
“Yes. It’s the first time such a competition is being held. Students aged 13 to 16 will gather to take an exam, and the highest scorer will be awarded. Of course, it won’t be easy. The brightest prodigies from the Imperial Academy and elsewhere will participate. But it will be a good way to test Jack’s abilities and also motivate him in his studies.”
“Have you spoken to Jack about it?”
At my question, Leonard shook his head.
“I thought it best to hear the guardian’s opinion first, so I haven’t said anything yet.”
“In that case, I’ll leave the decision to Jack. He’s the one who would be competing, not me.”
Leonard’s eyes widened.
But it was true. The one attending the competition wouldn’t be me, but Jack. His will mattered most.
More than anything, I expected Jack would refuse to attend. If it was such a large-scale event, surely even the Emperor would be interested.
“You’re right. I was being short-sighted. Would you then speak to Jack about it, Headmaster?”
I nodded. It would be easier for Jack to refuse me than Leonard.
“Understood. Since the recommendation letter must be submitted by the end of this month, it would be good to decide before then.”
“Alright. Thank you for your hard work today as always.”
“Haha, there’s no hardship in teaching what I already know. Jack, learning new knowledge—that’s where the real effort lies. Then I’ll take my leave.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
I rose with him.
Even then, I hadn’t given the competition much thought.
