Chapter 114
“…Hmm.”
Time kept passing.
Before I knew it, it was already the end of May, and June—the month of final exams—was right around the corner.
“It’s been a while since I was alone.”
The last day of May, a weekday evening.
Normally, at this hour, I would’ve been with Lisa.
We would’ve handled the work in the Disciplinary Committee Room and prepared for night patrol together—just our usual routine.
But today, for the first time in a while, Lisa was absent.
‘She said she was going shopping with Nia.’
Nia said she had a magic tool she wanted to buy somewhere in downtown Lysquare.
But claiming she’d be bored and lonely if she went alone, she dragged Lisa along without hesitation.
Lisa seemed like she wanted to bring me too, but Nia begged her to make it a girls-only outing today.
So Lisa, giving me an apologetic glance, was half-dragged away by Nia.
‘I already finished today’s Disciplinary Committee tasks, and there’s still plenty of time before patrol.’
So as I wondered how to spend the free time, I headed to the training grounds.
I loosened up with some light sword practice.
‘Using Blood Energy… I think I’ve gotten used to it now.’
I nodded as I watched the red aura not only coat my sword and arm, but now flow throughout my entire body.
I had to drink blood, and its power was significantly weaker than the original.
On top of that, the efficiency was terrible—the duration was short compared to the amount of blood consumed.
Still, it was better than nothing.
‘It may be momentary, but I can unleash one powerful strike.’
It seemed like something I could use effectively at critical moments.
So I planned to keep practicing it.
Well, Blood Energy practice was enough for now……
Whoosh—
‘I should practice this too.’
I looked at the flame that rose above my palm.
It had grown much larger than when I first used it, burning far more intensely.
‘My internal mana capacity increased, and I’ve learned how to control the mana consumption.’
I had more or less grasped the basics of using fire magic.
But it still wasn’t good enough for combat.
‘Maintaining magic during battle isn’t easy.’
To maintain a spell, I had to constantly retain the form of the mana formula inside my body.
But maintaining that alone required significant concentration.
‘How does Sara actually fight while using magic?’
And not just Sara.
Everyone who used magic in real combat amazed me more and more the more I learned.
‘I should ask Kara about it later.’
Kara wasn’t the type to charge into battle herself, but she was still one of the Empire’s top geniuses.
She would surely know some tips on how to use spells during battle.
Anyway.
‘The basic fire spell is fine now, so I should start practicing the next one.’
I took out my notebook.
The basic fire spell formula was drawn inside it.
When I flipped past that page, I found another mana formula I had drawn before.
‘A spell that wraps flames around a weapon.’
More accurately, “Attribute Enchant: Fire.”
It was a mana formula that enchanted a weapon with flame.
“…Let’s try it.”
Kara said she would teach this spell starting next week.
So it would’ve been reasonable to wait, but… there should’ve been no harm in studying ahead.
‘Let’s see. A slight modification of the basic fire formula. Then add mana to the existing structure……’
I sat on the training ground floor and focused.
Sword in my right hand, flame summoned in my left.
At first, everything seemed to go well.
Since it was only a slight modification of the basic fire spell.
But the further I developed the formula, the more something felt off.
‘Why isn’t it working?’
I was sure I constructed the formula correctly.
I arranged my mana exactly the way Kara had taught me.
And yet, the spell wouldn’t activate at all.
‘Did I mess something up?’
I tried again from the beginning.
I activated the basic fire spell, then modified the formula, adding mana accordingly.
I reproduced the enchantment formula perfectly, but again, the spell didn’t activate.
‘Mm… I should just learn it directly from Kara.’
It seemed that self-studying magic was still too much for my current level.
So I was about to call it a day……
“Fire Enchant formula, huh? But what’s wrong? Something not working?”
“…Hm?”
A voice I didn’t recognize suddenly came from beside me.
I turned my head to see who it was……
“…Sir Roy?”
“Hello, Gideon.”
A completely unexpected person was standing next to me.
‘Why are you here?’
A small, fragile-looking boy radiating an almost sickly aura.
I tilted my head as I looked at him.
‘Roy Varbellos.’
The younger brother of Nia Varbellos—the one who dragged Lisa away today.
This was the first time I had ever heard him speak.
Meaning I had just heard his voice for the very first time.
Despite having been in the same class for an entire semester.
‘So he could talk.’
He didn’t even have a single line in the game.
So the fact that he approached me first and spoke threw my mind into chaos.
“You’re making a face that’s asking why I’m here.”
Roy’s voice suited his appearance perfectly—it was soft and beautiful.
And at his words, I couldn’t help but nod.
Roy was a boy whose delicate appearance made him easy to mistake for a girl.
Seeing someone like him inside a sweaty training ground… felt out of place.
“I was just passing by, but I felt mana flow from deeper inside the training grounds. I got curious and came to check.”
“Ah… I see.”
At first, I wasn’t sure what he meant, but then I remembered something I had forgotten.
‘Right. The Varbellos Family is a magician family, isn’t it?’
Was it because Nia always acted like a government official in her role as the student council president?
I had completely forgotten that her family was one of the Empire’s most prestigious magician lineages.
Come to think of it, Roy was definitely taking classes related to magic.
“But you… could use magic?”
“Yes, that’s right. I only found out recently myself, so I started learning and practicing magic just recently.”
“Really? For someone who only started recently, you’re progressing pretty fast. I saw you earlier—you nearly performed the basic fire spell perfectly.”
“Yes, somehow it turned out that way.”
“…That’s impressive.”
Roy looked at me closely.
Almost like Kara when she checked the flow of mana inside me.
That made me tense up for a moment, but Roy soon turned his head, seemingly uninterested.
“Anyway, that’s a very standard Fire Enchant formula.”
Roy glanced at the notebook placed beside me.
“You were practicing this, weren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s just that……”
“It didn’t seem to be working very well. Earlier, I could see your mana flow getting tangled up weirdly.”
Roy spoke softly—quiet and calm.
But… something about it felt strange.
Roy and I were classmates, but we had never really interacted.
Until now, we had never had a single conversation, and I never imagined he’d approach me first like this.
‘Maybe it’s because it’s his field of interest?’
As I mentioned before, the Varbellos Family was a famous magician family, and Roy himself was an excellent magician.
He also seemed to genuinely enjoy magic.
Every time we talked about anything related to it, his eyes would light up with excitement.
So it seemed that because it was magic-related, he was more open and talkative than usual.
“How were you trying to activate this, by the way?”
“Ah… I first activated the basic fire spell, then added mana to that formula……”
“If you do that, the spell won’t activate. For most spells, that might work, but enchantment magic is a little special. You can’t just add to an existing formula—you have to start from the beginning.”
Before I knew it, Roy had sat down beside me.
“First, gather all the mana inside you into one point, and from there, start building the formula from scratch like this……”
Then he briefly explained and demonstrated the enchantment spell to me.
It was a short explanation, but it contained the most essential parts—and as a result…
Whoosh—
Flames began to rise from my sword.
“Wow. You got it on the first try.”
“It’s thanks to your guidance, Sir Roy.”
“No, I think… you just have talent.”
Roy looked at me again with curiosity.
I avoided his gaze and instead looked down at my flaming sword.
It was definitely more difficult than the basic fire spell.
Even so, I was satisfied.
Seeing the blade wrapped in flame… it felt like I had taken another step closer to the swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family.
“Oh, right. By the way, you’re learning magic so you can use it in combat, right?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes. I’m practicing to use it together with my swordsmanship.”
“Then this formula won’t really suit you. Didn’t you feel it? That it’s too hard to maintain this spell during a fight?”
At Roy’s sharp question, I nodded.
“Yes, it takes too much concentration to sustain it. That’s why I was wondering how I could possibly use it in battle……”
“In real combat, people usually don’t use such standard formulas. The formal versions demand too much focus. But if you simplify the structure like this… the power drops a bit, but it becomes much easier to maintain during battle……”
While explaining, Roy drew a new mana formula in my notebook.
It was a much simpler version of the basic fire spell.
“Oh, so this way……”
Just as Roy said, the flame’s power was slightly weaker.
But maintaining the formula required far less concentration.
At this level, it would be usable enough in real combat.
“There’s also a simplified version of the Fire Enchant formula. I’ll draw it here. Try practicing it later on your own.”
“Thank you, Sir Roy. That was really helpful. If you ever need my help in return……”
“Don’t worry about it. I helped because… it reminded me of the past. I just thought of when I first started learning magic.”
At his words, I nodded.
Honestly, I didn’t know much about Roy as a person.
As I mentioned before, he didn’t even have a single line of dialogue in the game.
He was just one of those ordinary NPCs, so there was almost no information about his background or personality.
‘At least, he doesn’t seem like a bad person. Just very quiet, but when it comes to something he likes, he starts talking a lot… that kind of person.’
No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like Roy had approached me with any bad intentions.
He just seemed genuinely eager to help a beginner magician like me.
“Still, I owe you for this. If you ever need help from me in the future, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Ah, ah, okay… okay.”
Roy nodded quickly.
After that, he fell silent again.
Once the topic of magic ended, he returned to his usual quiet self—barely speaking at all.
It felt like an awkward silence would follow, so I was about to say something first.
But unexpectedly, Roy spoke again before I could.
“Gideon, you started learning magic because you’re interested in it, right?”
“Uh… yes, that’s right.”
“Then, would you like to hear about ancient magic? I can teach you.”
“Ancient magic?”
“Ancient magic, and the ancient beings. Ah, by that I mean the ancient gods and races. Lately, I’ve been interested in ancient dragons… do you, by any chance, have an interest in that?”
“Ancient dragons?”
Roy’s eyes sparkled so brightly that I couldn’t bring myself to turn him down.
And so, until Lisa and Nia returned… I was stuck listening to Roy the whole time.