I neither affirmed nor denied it, but I was certain my hunch was right. It was Lise herself who had just admitted to having knowledge of curses, demonic contracts, and necromancy.
On top of that, Assad had let something slip once.
" What I protect is the main house and the center of the forest. The manager of where you are now is someone else. "
"Who is it?"
"Lise Ladygoth."
"If I'm the guardian of the family out in the open, she's the guardian of its shadows. She's also the forest keeper and the librarian of the underground library," Assad had explained.
"Now that I think about it, that place had its fair share of oddities. Maybe you cast a spell over the entire rear garden," I mused.
Otherwise, no matter how late it was, there was no way undead could have wandered near the main house of the Badnikers. If Lise were one of the family's guardians, the undead would have been on our side all along. She must have noticed the church members' intrusion and sent her own support.
I spoke with a sense of victory. "You didn't use any large-scale magic beyond that."
Lise, who had remained silent until then, asked for the first time, "Magic beyond that?"
I looked past the curtain of her hair, toward her hidden eyes, and said carefully, "I mean you didn't cast a spell over the whole estate or the forest. That was Sir Assad's doing—he formed the barrier in the forest."
At that, she threw a thick book, grazing my ear.
I didn't dodge because I realized she had no intention of hurting me, but even so, it was incredibly fast. If I hadn't already been on edge, I wouldn't have reacted in time.
"Don't ever mention that repulsive man's name in my presence again. Understood?" Her voice was harsh.
"I'm sorry."
Did they not get along? I remembered hearing they weren't on good terms, but I hadn't realized it was this bad.
Assad had smiled bitterly. "Most people think the barrier in the forest controls the monsters, right? That's not the full story.
"It's to seal and monitor Lise Ladygoth."
Ah, that's how it is. Lise has been sealed here all along, I thought.
And the one who either sealed or monitored her was Assad. At this point, it seemed unlikely they'd get along.
"Child."
"It is Luan," I corrected.
I had aged past thirty during my years on Spirit Mountain. Being called a child no longer sat well with me.
"Right. Luan," she said. "Do you know anything about magic?"
"What do you mean?"
"That revolting man was only able to form the forest barrier because of the artifacts hidden throughout the forest. Do you really think I avoid the method you mentioned because I'm incapable? You're overlooking the most obvious flaw in your argument," she answered.
Naturally, I knew the flaw. "It's inefficient."
Lise responded, "Casting a spell over this entire cave isn't difficult for me, but for most mages, it would be a challenge. As long as that irritating hermit doesn't interfere, I could even cast a spell over the entire estate. But the entire Butterfly Forest? Do you know how vast it is?"
I waited for her to continue.
"Even a Seven-Colored Archmage couldn't manage like that."
"That makes sense," I commented.
"Are you toying with me?" Lise's voice dropped again, but I didn't flinch.
"With all due respect, are you suggesting that efficiency should take precedence over nature itself?" I asked seriously.
"What?"
"When torrential rain or heavy snow falls, nature doesn't discriminate between where it should and shouldn't land."
"Are you trying to debate reason and order with me, Lise Ladygoth?"
"How could I? Still, don't you think that integrating nature's flow into magic could free us from the confines of efficiency?" I asked.
Lise stared at me, her gaze distant, then muttered flatly, "You're not just talking about absorbing mana and refining it."
"The mana drawn from mountains and seas is virtually limitless. Even the greatest mages can't channel even one-thousandth of it. If you can fully harness that power, the scale of magic becomes irrelevant," I explained.
"Not even worth responding to," she replied. "Your theory is no different from claiming you could annihilate only your enemies with a naturally occurring storm or tidal wave."
"It's nothing like that," I countered. "I'm not talking about praying to the gods or leaving it to chance. This is a skill—something that can be trained. In fact, it's closer to an academic discipline."
Lise's voice wavered in disbelief. "Academic discipline? I thought you were teaching magic."
"Isn't magic also referred to as arcane studies?" I replied boldly. "The ignorant claim nature lacks order or laws, but the truth is, its laws are more absolute than any others. The systems in nature are simply so vast and intricate that they evade human understanding."
I paused for a moment. "What I'm talking about is interpreting the natural cycles and principles of all things, and then applying those laws."
I looked at Lise and added, "That is what Qi Men Dun Jia[1] is all about."
"The essence of Qi Men Dun Jia lies in defense," Second Senior Sister, a master of the art, had said, her fingers brushing against an iron wire. "The creators of this system sought to reach immortality through transcendence and ascension."
"I see."
"In other words, the starting point is to artificially control the terrain to create an environment that doesn't interfere with training."
What I was saying now wasn't profound, yet it would be astonishing to the mages of this world.
The shock came not from a lack of knowledge, but from the stark difference in environments.
Of course, the continent where magic originated and the world where Qi Men Dun Jia had been developed were utterly dissimilar.
These differences ran deep, beyond the mere fact that people inhabited both worlds.
The continent had been plagued by constant strife—dozens of races populated the vast lands, and with subspecies considered, that number multiplied. Each race had its own history and culture, fueling perpetual conflict.
Only when the Dark Church emerged as a common enemy and the empire became the sole nation did the continent experience any semblance of stability. Regardless of magic's origins, it eventually evolved into a force focused on destruction.
In contrast, Qi Men Dun Jia's foundation was built on the desire to avoid conflict.
I had learned the basics from Second Senior Sister. She would have been astounded if I had introduced her to the magic system of this world. I believed Lise would feel the same.
The silence lasted longer than I expected.
I couldn't see her eyes, let alone her face, hidden behind her repulsive hair. I wanted to guess her thoughts, but her obscured face gave me no clues.
Still, I took the silence as a good sign. The fact that she hadn't immediately thrown me out of the stone room spoke volumes.
A few moments later, Lise started speaking. "You're talking about subtly manipulating the flow of mana in nature to form a structure that works in my favor."
Formation was a more accurate term than manipulation , but given that Lise was a mage, her interpretation wasn't far off. Remarkably, in such a short exchange, she'd already grasped the concept from a mage's perspective.
"That's right," I said.
"Impossible." Lise hesitated, then repeated herself more firmly, as if trying to convince herself. "Yes. It's impossible."
"Which part are you referring to?"
"What's the reason for absorbing mana into the body? It's to control it. Mana that isn't stored in the body can't be refined, and unrefined mana can't be controlled. That's an absolute law," she explained.
"It's not about control. It's about taking advantage of it."
"Is there a difference?" Unexpectedly, her tone softened slightly.
I nodded. "What if you let mana flow through the body without refining it, treating the body as a channel for natural mana?"
"Just use it as a channel? And what would that accomplish? Unless you arrange the mana in a predetermined sequence, nothing happens. No spell will manifest," she answered.
"It wouldn't be refined, just arranged. It's not impossible. For example, if you limit the outlet to your finger and move it, wouldn't you be able to direct the flow of mana, almost as if you're painting with a brush?"
Even as I spoke, part of me was confused.
I had to explain concepts of Qi and formations, which I originally understood, but now I had to translate them into the terms of this world—mana and magic.
"Mana left hanging in the air disperses almost instantly," Lise countered.
"So the key to using magic lies in the environment. In a foggy area, the high density of mana keeps it from dispersing too quickly. The same applies to dense forests and oceans."
That was also why the ancestors built their dwellings deep within nature, untouched by human hands.
"If that's true, then destroying the environment itself would naturally nullify the spell," she pointed out.
"You're right," I said. "But if someone has the power to bring down a mountain, what's the point of trapping them in a maze to begin with?"
At some point, our conversation had turned into a debate. Lise relentlessly challenged my words, searching for flaws in Qi Men Dun Jia, while I parried most of her arguments, conceding only a few.
"It seems there are some drawbacks. For one, the magic you describe can't produce destructive effects. Even if it could, it would be much weaker. Mana must be refined to increase its purity, which enhances its power, but this method is inefficient," Lise noted.
To my surprise, she seemed to grasp the essence of Qi Men Dun Jia from this brief explanation.
I admired her insight but responded without hesitation, "A shield can sometimes be used as a weapon, but does that make it its true purpose? Qi Men Dun Jia's essence lies in defense."
Lise fell silent as if unable to counter. After a longer pause than before, she spoke again. "Yes. I have to admit that it's quite interesting."
It seemed she was acting, feigning indifference to maintain her composure.
"But now I'm curious," she said. "Who did you learn these things from?"
I matched her performance with a rehearsed excuse. "It is related to my blessing, so it is hard to say anything more."
Lise snorted, then sighed. "If it's a blessing, I suppose I can't argue. Now, show me this Qi Men Dun Jia."
" Huh? I'm afraid I can't do that."
"What? Why not?" Lise's voice edged with impatience.
I could only shake my head. "In the first place, I can't use Qi Men Dun Jia."
Everyone had their own aptitudes. I had no talent for magic. Sure, if the right conditions were met, I could imitate it to some extent. But unlike Second Senior Sister, I couldn't manipulate the air without preparation.
"If you can't use it, how are you going to prove any of this?" Lise pressed. "For all I know, you could've made it all up."
"You really think everything I told you is just a product of my imagination?" I shot back.
Lise should know better than anyone that this was impossible. It was far too detailed to be dismissed as a child's delusion.
I cleared my throat. "I've only studied the theory. I've never dared to try it myself. But you're a mage—unlike me."
I truly meant this.
Qi Men Dun Jia wasn't like the First Fire Technique that manipulated Qi inside the human body. To use it properly, I'd need a deeper understanding of the world I lived in.
That wasn't possible for me. I didn't have the time for it, and it wasn't my path.
On the other hand, Lise was a mage of considerable caliber. She had claimed so herself, and I had confirmed it firsthand. She would likely find her own way to use it here.
I locked eyes with her. "I said I'd teach you a new kind of magic. That doesn't mean I'll demonstrate it. I've told you everything I can."
Before long, Lise uttered, "The trade is completed."
A deep sigh of relief escaped me. I'd expected this outcome halfway through our conversation, but hearing it for real settled my nerves.
Still, the opponent was a mage. She could change her mind at any moment.
Of course, I had determined that she wasn't such a person. She was clearly eccentric, but I hadn't sensed madness in her. If anything, she carried herself with a strange kind of virtue.
Perhaps it was a bit much to say, considering she'd threatened to cut off my arm and tongue, but in retrospect, wasn't that just an exaggerated bluff?
Well, she is a mage, I groaned inwardly.
Had I been burned too many times by mages back when I was a mercenary? I had to admit, I carried a quiet grudge against them.
"I'll grant you permission to visit the underground library again," she declared. "In addition, I'll make a contract with you as the Black Serpent Dragon."
When someone suddenly became friendly, it was best to remain suspicious, especially when that person had just threatened to sever your arm or tongue.
I spoke cautiously. "There must be a condition..."
"Of course." Lise met my gaze with a smile, then dropped a bombshell. "Luan, be my disciple."
" Uh... I don't want to."
Her confident smile froze in place.
1. Qi Men Dun Jia = Ancient form of divination in China is. ☜