The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

8. City of Mages (3)

Contrary to its menacing exterior, the mansion’s interior was surprisingly pristine. Not a speck of dust existed, and all the furniture and rooms were polished clean as if brand new. Unlike outside, no lightning crackled within. Asel secretly found this disappointing. Evelyn contorted her face at her brother’s strange fascination with lightning.

Beyond the mansion’s entrance, a grand hall unfolded. It was a space large enough to host a party. Asel and Evelyn, who had never been in such a spacious and spotless place, felt a faint sense of unease creeping in. Ena, addressing them, spoke in a light tone.

“Get used to it. You’ll be living here from now on.”

They nodded, their eyes darting about, still clearly out of place.

It was a matter time would resolve. Ena left them there, turning her head towards someone descending the staircase located in the center of the hall. It was a woman who looked to be barely an adult. Having just emerged from a shower, she left her hair still dripping, her brown eyes wide.

“Oh, Ena-nim.”

“Hayley.”

Ena spoke her name. Hayley hurried down the stairs and stood before Ena. Being nearly two heads taller, Ena had to look up at her. Ena seemed bothered by this but Hayley, oblivious, tilted her head inquisitively.

“You’re back sooner than I thought? I figured it would take another half-year.”

“…I found the Corpse Lord faster than expected.”

“Did you kill it?”

“It escaped.”

“Ahahaha, what a joke.”

Hayley chirped with laughter as she received the hat and cloak Ena offered.

“Ena-nim letting someone escape? You who always casts lightning or uses binding words when you don’t like something. It’s not for nothing that you’re nicknamed the lightning-wielding crazy mage. “

“…Hayley.”

“Like that time when Lady Leticia came and started yelling, and you immediately cast ‘Silence’ and blasted her away with *ppyong ppyong* lightning. You, Ena-nim, let the Corpse Lord escape? I’d sooner believe the Devil became a repentant priest—”

[Shut it.]

“uuugh?! Ugh! Uhbeubeub!!”

Hayley’s mouth, which had been running a mile a minute, sealed shut as if stitched closed. Ena, ignoring Hayley’s frantic flapping about, turned towards Asel and Evelyn.

“Let’s go. I’ll show you the empty rooms, pick one you like and settle in.”

“Uhh?”

Only then did Hailey seem to register Axel and Evelyn’s presence, tilting her head, puzzled. She gestured at them, flitting in front of Ena, a silent inquiry as to their identities. Ena replied with a tired sigh.

“My apprentice and your replacement.”

“Uhhh!!!”

Hailey’s eyes widened at the matter-of-fact declaration. Before she could erupt, Ena ushered the two up to the second-floor corridor.

The corridor, like the hall below, was immaculately kept. Warmth emanated from the wooden floors, ceilings, and walls, and mana lamps placed at intervals bathed the hallway in a soft glow. Axel, recognizing the pervasive warmth as a type of magic, looked around with keen interest.

Meanwhile, Ena pointed to a row of empty rooms.

“From here to there. All vacant. Each of you, just pick one.”

“Anything’s fine?”

“Mhmm. Anything.”

Ena nodded in response to Evelyn’s question. Axel and Evelyn hesitated for a moment, then tentatively chose rooms and turned the doorknobs. The rooms that unfolded before them were spacious and pristine in a way they’d never seen or heard of. With simultaneous gasps of wonder, they stood before their respective rooms, glancing at each other.

“What are you doing?”

Ena chuckled at the sight, a sound born more of amusement than mockery.

Axel and Evelyn exchanged another glance, then nodded, each disappearing into their chosen room.

*She said to get used to it.*

*Let’s not be amazed by things like this anymore*. Axel thought, wandering into the room. Yet, with each step, his body twitched.

Good intentions did not a new man make. Having spent his entire life in slums and reclusive villages, he needed more time to adapt to a place like this. Ena would grant them that time.

“Hailey will be up soon with clothes for you to change into. Rest until then, then come to my room on the third floor. You can’t miss it.”

With that, Ena snapped her fingers. Her body dissolved into a streak of pure white lightning and vanished. Axel watched the lingering afterimage of lightning for a moment, then closed the door and began to explore the room further.

After about five minutes of exploration, Axel let out a long breath and slumped onto the bed.

The sensation of the mattress was not dissimilar to what he recalled from his previous life. Perhaps that was why it didn’t overwhelm him as the manor had. He admired it, but only briefly. He gazed at the brightly glowing mana lamps and sighed.

“…So it begins.”

He had accepted Ena’s declaration to become her apprentice but hadn’t yet received proper instruction. He had only been taught the basics of Mana, Magic and Aura during their carriage journey.

How to form a Magic Core, how to increase ranks, the types of magic and his aptitudes. The explanation of these things was simple. The details would be provided when they arrived in Weiheim, so he suppressed his curiosity as he waited for that time. And now, having arrived in Weiheim and received a room, it began to sink in that he was truly a mage’s apprentice.

*Can I really do this?*

Axel suddenly thought, and shook his head to dispel the thought.

Not if he could do it. He could. Axel recalled all the evaluations he had received along the way.

Zerville had called him an excellent test subject. His Mana sensitivity, control, and affinity were all exceptional, he had said. Ena had recognized his talent at once and offered to take him on as her apprentice, and Farnin, the strange bird he had met in Weiheim, had called him a freak like Ena.

There wasn’t a single negative opinion. Everyone was intrigued and amazed by his extreme talent.

That’s quite a handful of praise to receive in less than a month. No reason to feel small.

Of course, arrogance was not on the menu. Overwhelming talent, without humility, was but a jewel buried forever in stone. Asel stilled his gaze, exhaling a long breath.

“Knock, knock.”

Then, Hailey’s voice drifted from beyond the door. Asel, with a small “Ah,” bolted from his seat and pulled it open. Beyond the threshold, Hailey stood with a smile, change of clothes in hand. She glanced down at Asel and waved.

“Heeey?”

Hailey greeted him with a sweetly playful voice. Asel bowed his head in return.

“Hello…”

“Yup, yup. Can I come in?”

“Ah, yes. Please, come in.”

“Well, if you insist~”

Hailey said this and strode confidently into the room. Asel waited until she was perched on the edge of the bed, then closed the door and sat beside her. Hailey turned, eyes narrowed playfully, and looked him over.

“Sitting so close. Is this… flirting?”

“What is that?”

“Never you mind.”

Hailey chuckled, then gave Asel a sweeping appraisal. He accepted her gaze without a particular aversion. It wasn’t a negative assessment, after all.

“You’re Ena’s student, yeah?”

“Yes.”

“So that pretty little thing is my replacement?”

“…Probably?”

“Hehehehehe… My first replacement. My *first* replacement.”

Hailey wriggled her fingers with a sly smile.

“I’ve been tearing my hair out managing this manor by myself; it’s about time a newbie showed up.”

“You manage it by yourself?”

Asel asked with surprised tone.

Ena’s manor was by no means small. The ground floor alone was a labyrinth of facilities, and there were two more floors of similar size above it. Managing it solo seemed not just difficult, but impossible. But Hailey only chuckled and replied in a nonchalant tone.

“There are quite a few magical artifacts suited for manor management, you know. Plus, I’m pretty handy with household magic, so it wasn’t a problem!”

“Household magic?”

“Yeah. Haven’t you heard of it?”

Asel nodded. Hailey smiled and reached out a hand towards him.

Whoosh.

A faint magic coalesced at her fingertips. Hailey, with a hand now faintly luminous, poked at the dirtied portion of Assel’s clothes, muttering:

“[Clean].”

With the manifestation of the magic, a brilliant white light swelled, consuming the grime. The light did not stop there; it enveloped the entire garment, neatly incinerating the soiled patches. Only when there was no more filth to devour did it subside. Assel gazed down at his clothes, now as pristine as new save for the few tears, and let out a sound of wonder.

“Such magic exists.”

“Isn’t it amazing? Originally, it could only clean, like, *one* spot! But I personally modified the formula, and *this* is what it became!”

Assel was still largely ignorant of magic systems. But he knew that modifying a formula was no easy feat. Hailey, who had seemed so simply cheerful, now appeared different in his eyes.

“So, you are a mage, Lady Hailey?”

“A mage, yes, but one who can only use everyday magic. Still, in that field, I’m probably the best in Weiheim! I’m the only one researching this particular magic, you know!”

Hailey proclaimed with an air of triumphant pride. Assel uttered an impressed “Ooh,” and clapped. Perhaps it was due to Hailey’s friendly manner, but Assel, too, was beginning to feel more at ease around her.

“Does one need an aptitude to use even everyday magic?”

“No. Anyone who has learned magic can use it. It’s one of the easiest kinds, I think.”

“I see.”

Assel nodded. He clenched and unclenched his fist, recalling the path of the magic energy Hailey had just shown him.

*’Magic flowed from the heart to the fingertips. And there, the formula activated, and the magic manifested outwards.’*

Since coming to Weiheim, his sense for detecting mana and magic had become remarkably keen. He felt the magic permeating the city, communed with the mana of the forest, and his sensitivity had heightened naturally. Assel recalled Hailey’s magic once more, narrowing his eyes slightly.

He drew upon the basics of magic he’d read in a book. It had been a book tossed haphazardly in the carriage, but the contents of that once-popular magic primer emerged clearly in Assel’s mind.

*’External mana is converted into magic energy and stored in the mage’s magic core. Magic is performed by releasing this stored energy outwards through a formula.’*

Magic core. Ultimately, that meant you couldn’t use magic without it. If you couldn’t store magic energy in your body, you couldn’t release it outwards through a formula. In the first place, someone without a magic core usually had difficulty even sensing mana.

But Assel was sensing mana even now. The faint mana swirling around Hailey and the vast quantity swirling around him in particular. He realized, as he waved his hand, that it followed the movement.

*’I think I can do it.’*

He had a strange feeling.

So, he decided to try.

Assel closed his eyes and focused his mind on the mana around him. Hailey, puzzled by his sudden action, placed the clothes she had brought on the bed.

“Now, put these on and go see Lady Ena.”

“…….”

“Assel?”

Hailey’s words did not reach his ears. All of Assel’s senses and mind were solely focused on the mana.

In a typical case, one needed the help of a knight or mage who had awakened to mana in order to sense it. They would make skin contact with their disciple and show them the new sense needed to feel mana while simultaneously leaving behind a trace. Then the disciple would be able to construct a magic core or aura more easily than before.

Assel bypassed that process.

He had gained the ability to sense mana on his own while watching the battle between Jerbil and Ena. He had also understood mana through books he read on the way to Weiheim, and after arriving in Weiheim, he had faintly gained knowledge about the characteristics of magic by sensing the magic that permeated the place.

Magic, at its core, is mana refined into motive force. It’s the pure, stable power you get from cleanly distilling mana – which, fundamentally, always contains some degree of impurity.

‘But to refine it, you need a core.’

Transmuting mana floating free in the world into magic without a core is an impossibility. It’s akin to trying to eliminate all the pollution on a continent with a tiny purifier. No matter how advanced the purifier, it’s a pointless, futile endeavor.

Acel’s talent is the same. No matter how prodigious his gift, freely manipulating the mana swirling through the world is beyond reach. He might control mana with exceptional finesse, but transforming it into magic at will, without a core, is simply not possible.

So ultimately, constructing a core was the first step. Acel exhaled slowly, banishing stray thoughts, and focused solely on sensing the mana once more.

He’d learned what a core *was* from Ena, but not yet *how* to create one.

Yet instinctively, Acel understood what he needed to do.

It felt like blinking. An action performed naturally, without instruction. He hadn’t attempted it before, and so remained ignorant, but not anymore. He had tried, perceived, and understood.

A cognitive process. He snared the mana circling nearby. He pinned it down, altered its direction, and slowly guided it toward his body. There was no resistance in the process. Only the exhilaration and coolness of accepting what must be.

*Whoom.*

The formless mana passed through his skin, taking root in the blood vessels and nervous system of his entire body. It followed the currents of blood and electrical signals, coursing through his heart and brain.

Mana completed a circuit of his body. Impurities that had gnawed at him were purged as sweat. Dead blood surged up from his throat. But there was no pain. Acel spat the blood onto the floor, maintaining unwavering focus on the mana. He thus bypassed the most treacherous step in crafting a magic core with ease.

Two circuits. He discovered the optimal space for the mana to settle.

The heart. He focused all the mana into that organ, which pulsed and pumped blood throughout his body. Normally, such an influx would trigger a rejection response, but Acel’s body showed none. Like a pre-existing flow, the mana moved smoothly, not flailing wildly.

The redirected mana converged within his heart. Acel then shaped the gathered mana into the correct form. A hollow interior, a solid, spherical exterior. Obeying Acel’s will, the mana swiftly solidified into shape.

…Did I succeed?

The instant Acel breathed the thought, the constructed magic core sank its roots deep within Acel’s body and being. Not just constructed, but stabilized and anchored.

Then, the mana swirling around Acel surged toward his core in a frenzy. As if drawn in by a vortex.

In its rush toward Acel’s core, every trace of mana was transmuted into magic. Acel needed not concern himself. The mana changed its very nature on its own, transforming into pure magic and settling deep within the core.

After several minutes, Acel, sensing that the core was full of magic, exhaled slowly.

“Haaah…”

A faint trace of mana laced his breath. A portion of the mana, unable to fit within the core, escaped. His total magic capacity wasn’t yet high enough to contain all the surrounding mana. To be expected, after just creating it. No reason to be disheartened.

So thinking, Acel slowly opened his eyes.

“…Hrk.”

Three pairs of eyes met Acel’s gaze head-on. Acel gasped in surprise, and the three responded in their own way at the sight of him.

“…”

“…I’m beyond words.”

“Why, what’s wrong? Is my brother not well? Is he in pain?”

Ena was silent. Hailey scoffed with disbelief, and Evelyn fretted, her eyes darting about anxiously.

Acel stared at them, then, turning to Ena, who wore a grave expression, he spoke.

“…Did… Did I do something wrong?”

Ena, having remained silent for quite a while even after Asel’s question, finally crouched down, meeting his eyes before continuing.

“Hailey came rushing to me, asking what had happened… And in that short time, you went and committed such a reckless act.”

“…”

“Do you even realize how dangerous it is to synthesize a mana core on your own? One wrong move and you could end up bleeding to death from every orifice in your body. There are many cases of people becoming crippled because they couldn’t control the rejection. I don’t want to lose a disciple like that.”

“…I apologize.”

“Yes. From now on, until you become a proper mage, when you feel like doing something like this, even if you’re certain you can do it, ask me first. That’s the only way I can guarantee your safety.”

Ena raised a hand, placing it on Asel’s cheek.

“Still… I have to give credit where it’s due.”

“…”

“You made it well. Considering it’s the mana core of a mage who just attained a tier, there isn’t a single sign of instability.”

Ena grinned, lightly ruffling Asel’s hair.

“Good job.”

“…Thank you.”

“Mm.”

Asel offered an awkward smile, meeting Ena’s warm gaze.

“I’ll have to adjust the lesson plan a little.”

Her eyes were brimming with unconcealable favor and enjoyment.