Chapter 29
Training with Vallen was brutal.
It was so intense that it was hard to tell whether this was training for a mage or for a mercenary.
First of all, Vallen made us run endlessly around the training grounds in front of the magic tower.
“Hey, Reagan! Aren’t your feet slowing down?! Standing still while chanting magic is the same as begging someone to cut your head off!”
“Yes. That’s something I know better than anyone.”
How could I not?
If there was anyone who had cut down the most mages standing still, it was me.
“Mages are all the same—refined bastards who lock themselves in towers and bury their noses in research. But we are battle mages. We open maps more often than books, and we spill more blood than ink!”
Vallen’s roar echoed across the training grounds.
“Stamina is mana, and it’s survival! If you can’t keep chanting when you’re on the verge of collapsing, then you’re as good as dead!”
The collateral members of the Benheim family were running alongside me. It seemed Vallen was not only the vice-captain of the Rune Watchers, but also the instructor for the collateral lineage.
“…Reagan… I heard you became the son-in-law… huff… then why are you here…?”
The one barely clinging to life in front of me—Brock Benheim—was a perfect example.
“Well… think of it as a qualification test to become a son-in-law.”
In truth, Stern had likely placed me in the Rune Watchers to test whether I was worthy of being Renia’s husband and a member of Benheim.
If that was the case, I had no choice but to give it everything I had.
“One more lap left!”
Fortunately, I had grown up as the lowest-ranked member of a mercenary band, so my body had already been somewhat trained.
And I had the mental strength and experience to endure harsh training.
Compared to the battlefields of my previous life, this was practically child’s play.
Though, since my current body wasn’t fully developed yet, it wasn’t exactly easy either.
“Break time!”
The moment Vallen gave the order, the collateral members, including Brock, collapsed to the ground with groans. I, too, sat down on a nearby stump, breathing heavily.
After catching my breath for a while, Vallen approached and tossed me a canteen.
“Unexpected. I thought you’d collapse like some pampered noble.”
“Did I look like one?”
“I figured you won over Lady Renia just with that pretty face of yours. But judging by how you move, you’ve got real combat muscle. Not bad.”
In my previous life, my body wasn’t particularly large. That was only natural, given the lack of nutrition during my growth years.
But things were different now. With elixirs and fine meals in abundance at Benheim, I would be able to build a far superior body than before my regression.
“Anyway, I’ve changed my opinion. The lord brought in something quite useful.”
Vallen looked genuinely satisfied.
His gaze felt like that of an officer who had found a promising soldier—or a father looking at a long-lost son.
It made me uncomfortable, so I turned my head slightly. Back in my mercenary days, that kind of look always meant I’d be worked even harder.
“By the way…”
I took a drink and steadied my breathing.
“I heard the operation is in a month.”
“That’s right. On the night of the lunar shift.”
“You said you’d turn me into a ‘useful’ mage. What exactly does ‘useful’ mean?”
“You’re only asking that now?”
“You started training me before I could ask. I prefer to do what I’m told first.”
Vallen grinned, clearly pleased with my attitude.
Then he raised four fingers in front of me.
“It’s simple. You need to reach the 4th Circle.”
“The 4th Circle…”
That made sense.
It had already been three months since I reached the 3rd Circle. My growth hadn’t stopped, but the wall of the 4th Circle was higher than expected.
Reaching the 3rd Circle had felt natural—but the 4th offered no clear path.
After all, even those who trained in magic their entire lives often failed to surpass that threshold. The true test of a mage’s talent began at the 4th Circle.
In other words, it required enlightenment.
“It doesn’t seem like something you can achieve just by accumulating mana. How does one reach the 4th Circle?”
“Everyone breaks through in their own way. You’ll have to figure it out yourself. But as a Benheim mage, I can at least give you some guidance.”
“I’d appreciate that, Vice-Captain.”
“You only call me that at times like this, huh?”
He clicked his tongue, though he didn’t seem displeased.
“Watch carefully. You too, collateral members.”
Vallen crouched down and began drawing something on the ground with a stick. Brock and the others gathered around.
“Reagan, what do you think rune magic is?”
“Magic that uses rune characters… isn’t it?”
“Correct.”
He drew the rune Kenaz (ᚲ) on the ground.
“Benheim revived the language of the ancient gods and turned it into a magical system. Using these 24 rune characters is the core of our magic. Now, Reagan—how have you been using rune magic so far?”
“I’ve been pouring mana into the characters.”
“Exactly. That’s how it works up to the 3rd Circle.”
With a snap of his fingers, the rune ignited into a small flame.
It was no different from how I usually used Kenaz.
“This is how you distort reality by imbuing mana into a single character. Kenaz means fire, Isa means ice, Hagalaz means destruction, and so on. Each rune manifests its inherent meaning. That’s the magic you’re using.”
“So that’s not all?”
“Of course not. If you thought you could reach the peak of magic by shouting a single word, you’re mistaken.”
Vallen tapped the ground.
“From the 4th Circle onward, it’s different. It’s no longer about how much mana you have—but how well you can ‘combine’ the 24 runes.”
“Combine…?”
“Think about it. When I talk to you, am I just throwing out single words?”
“No.”
“Right. Letters form words, and words form sentences. That’s language. Benheim is the golden lineage that wields the language of the gods. To reach the 4th Circle…”
I didn’t need to hear the rest.
“You need to form sentences with runes.”
Vallen grinned.
“Correct. You’re sharper than you look.”
He stood up and dusted off his hands.
“Seeing is believing. So I’ll show you rune magic beyond the 3rd Circle.”
He raised his hand and drew Kenaz in the air. That alone was something I could do.
But what came next was different.
He immediately added Isa after Kenaz.
Fire and ice—two opposing elements.
Normally, they would cancel each other out.
But instead, they coexisted.
A perfect balance. Even I couldn’t help but admire how seamlessly they overlapped.
“Kenaz means fire, but it also carries another meaning. At its root, it can mean ‘to illuminate’ or ‘to project.’”
As he spoke, Kenaz enveloped Isa. The red flames vanished, leaving only propulsion behind—like a drawn bowstring launching the blue ice forward.
“And Isa represents ice as an attribute. So what happens when you combine them into a sentence?”
Bang!
Crack!
With a sharp explosive sound, an ice projectile shot forward at an invisible speed, embedding itself deep into a target dozens of meters away.
“…!”
The collateral members gasped.
An ice projectile spell existed in common magic—but this was on an entirely different level.
Overwhelming speed, piercing power, and efficiency.
It was far more powerful than using a single rune, yet consumed less mana.
“Do you understand? Kenaz lost its ‘fire’ attribute and instead took on the concept of ‘launching.’ Isa retained its ‘ice’ attribute and complemented Kenaz.”
Vallen turned to me proudly.
“Trigger words, attribute words, and conceptual words. Benheim magic combines runes to create tens of thousands of phenomena. The 4th Circle is simply the stage where you gain basic ‘sentence construction.’”
“…I see.”
It felt like my mind had cleared.
Until now, I had been using magic in a crude, unsophisticated way.
“Then… if you use multiple runes…”
A thought crossed my mind.
“If you combine many runes… could you distort reality itself?”
“What do you mean?”
“For example… reversing time.”
Vallen blinked in surprise.
“…Time? Hah, quite the imagination. Acting all mature, but you’re still a kid after all.”
“Is it impossible?”
“No. Theoretically, it’s possible. The runes of Benheim originate from the language of the gods. It’s said that ancient mages could twist causality and control time itself.”
So it was possible.
Just as Stern had confirmed that the rune in the pendant was related to time.
As I absorbed that, Vallen pointed a finger at me.
“But realistically, it’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Reversing time is a grand spell even by ancient standards. To replicate such magic in this era, you’d need far more than a few sentences. Even using all of Benheim’s runes wouldn’t be enough. The mana required, the control needed—it’s beyond human capability.”
Vallen smirked.
“That’s the domain of gods. You’d need to be at least 8th Circle—no, even higher—to even attempt it. In Benheim’s history, only the founder ever reached that level.”
“8th Circle… or higher…”
In my previous life, Renia had reached the 8th Circle.
And she was the one who sent me back.
Even in that hopeless situation, she had performed a miracle rivaling ancient magic.
The weight of that realization settled heavily on my shoulders.
“…I really ended up with an incredible wife.”
I clenched my fist.
There was no way I would stop at something like the 4th Circle.
“Thank you. I think I’ve got the general idea now.”
As my eyes sharpened, Vallen smirked with interest.
“Oh? Confident, are you? You think you can reach the 4th Circle? You’ve barely been learning magic for half a year.”
“Yes. I learn fast.”
“Nonsense. Even the lord didn’t reach the 4th Circle before adulthood. Up to the 3rd Circle, you can rely on Benheim’s mana method and elixirs—but from the 4th onward, it’s all about personal ability and enlightenment.”
He snorted.
I smiled.
“Then how about a bet?”
“A bet?”
“If I reach the 4th Circle within a month, you grant me one wish.”
Vallen narrowed his eyes, then burst into laughter.
“Fine. If you reach the 4th Circle within a month, I’ll even give you my head.”
“I don’t need your head. Just keep your promise.”
One month.
More than enough.
A week would suffice.
