Gael read the report on the desk in front of him with a slight smile. The sun shone on his back, but it was still colder than the embers of hope burning within him.
“We found him,” he said as he raised his head. In front of the desk was Nathan, standing with his head bowed.
Once the man heard Gael’s words, however, he snapped to attention and raised his gaze to stare into his father’s eyes.
“Do we have an exact location?” Nathan quickly asked.
Gael smiled.
“Oh, yes. He and his family, alongside their most trusted employees, were moved to a small town so ways into the Empire’s territory. In the end, I suppose he was never trusted by whoever his house had connections with.”
Nathan smiled back, but his eyes were tinged with worry.
“How should we handle this?”
Gael leaned back in his chair with a triumphant grin.
Finally, the opportunity is here.
Over ti, he’d tried getting closer to Rylan in a variety of ways. However, all of them had failed, without exception. Rylan’s growth had far outpaced his predictions, making most of the plans ring hollow. In a flash, Rylan went from soone he could still help to the strongest Mage in the kingdom.
No, maybe he was never soone who needed to be protected by us, to begin with.
Even his plan to use Elizabeth had failed, as the boy had chosen to put his complete faith in his mother’s words instead of considering the benefits the Astassier family could offer him. Nevertheless, with his report, they now had a chance. A chance to do sothing for Rylan that was only possible because of the Astassier house’s connections and information network.
“Even if we’ve found him, Jason is still in imperial territory. Reaching him won’t be easy, and it’ll be extrely risky to even try anything,” Nathan said, dragging Gael out of his thoughts. “How are we going to handle this?”
Gael looked into his eldest son’s eyes.
“We don’t need to.”
Nathan furrowed his brow in confusion.
“There’s very little we can do,” Gael continued his explanation. “Even if we try to kidnap Jason, we’d still need to get through his guards and family, all while within imperial territory. The Cousteau house has Fifth Circle Mages. They aren’t the kind of opponent we can overwhelm quickly and without consequences. As we are right now, we’re unable to offer Rylan Jason’s head on a platter.”
Nathan tilted his head.
“So, what exactly does this achieve?”
“We tell him where Jason is. Like it or not, Rylan is already Ceotha’s strongest fighter. If there’s anyone capable of fulfilling the conditions to kill Jason, it’s him. On top of that, he’s likely the one who wants Jason dead the most. After all, he made a promise.”
Nathan slowly nodded, but kept his frown.
“Will that be enough?”
Gael stood up and looked at his son.
“It might be, it might not. In the end, it’s our best shot at building up so rapport with Rylan, who has already transcended all of our expectations and planning. We’ll help him in this way. It’s our best shot.”
Nathan nodded, then bowed.
“As you say, Father.”
Gael turned to look through the window behind his chair.
Even if it doesn’t work as I want it to, it doesn’t matter.
He no longer expected Rylan to fully trust the Astassier house. In fact, he didn’t even expect this plan to work. However, Rylan was now the kingdom’s centerpiece. It would be to the entire family’s benefit if they managed to get closer to him, even if only slightly. No, it would be beneficial for the entire network that the Astassier house was part of.
If we beco able to receive Rylan’s help…
It was possible that they would be able to escape the Empire’s harshest treatnt. Even if they ended up needing to bow to it, it was his firm belief that the circumstances would be better. Of course, it was entirely possible that the result would be the opposite – because of their association with Rylan, the Empire could consider them enemies in the future, as the boy had already dealt significant damage to the nation.
It's a gamble.
It was even illogical, from a certain angle. Why was he choosing to bet on his grandson instead of the continent’s greatest nation? Was it only because of his belief in Rylan’s potential, even though the Empire could snuff out the boy’s life at any point by sending one of their powerhouses? Or was there another reason?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on . Report any occurrences elsewhere.
For a few seconds, Gael contemplated the questions running through his mind. Nathan didn’t make a sound. After so ti, he reached a single conclusion.
I don’t know.
He didn’t know why he was choosing to bet on Rylan. But he couldn’t get rid of the feeling that it was the right decision.
I suppose it’s the last soft spot remaining in .
He chuckled to himself at the thought. It sounded absurd even to himself. He’d chosen to throw away all emotions decades ago, when he’d decided to raise his family’s standing. Gael continued to stare through the window at the streets of Caer Rhelon, lost in his thoughts.
What mattered was that they were ready to offer Jason’s location to Rylan as a gift.
***
Rylan looked at the people in front of him.
“And that about sums up the basics,” he said with a grin. “From there, it’s just refining this concept and applying it effectively.”
Complete silence.
The student council mbers and the professors were staring at him like they were looking at a ghost. He tilted his head.
I know it’s shocking, but…
He probably should’ve expected this reaction based on how Damian and the others had taken it, but it was still a bit baffling. To him, Mana Cultivation had been completely intuitive and an ability he acquired early on, shortly after his mories of his past life returned.
Well, I can understand why they react like that.
Given the way this world worked, Mana Cultivation went against everything they knew.
More silence.
“…Did you co up with that yourself?” Alice finally said, staring straight at him. “Like, truly?”
Rylan nodded.
“Yeah,” he replied simply. “I’m sure you can tell where I went with it now that I’ve explained it to you. It was just an idea.”
Six people scoffed at the sa ti, including Alice herself, so professors, and Lucian and Ophelia. Lucian ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh as he looked at the ceiling.
“I can’t believe I never thought of it,” he said in a defeated tone.
Ophelia scoffed again.
“And how the fuck would you have thought of it?” she asked in a similar tone. “Others have tried to use mana like that, but they all failed. How were we supposed to know it could work?”
By their side, Oliver frowned.
“Are you sure changing the way your Mana Core works like that is safe?” he asked.
Rylan looked at him.
“There have been no negative consequences so far,” he replied. “My spells aren’t weaker, and neither are my Circles. Though they’re different from ordinary ones. I think it’s part of why I was able to form new ones so quickly.”
Oliver slowly nodded, looking deep in thought. Louise raised her hand.
“How did you even make it work?” she asked with a furrowed brow. “No matter how I think about it, it shouldn’t have been possible.”
Rylan shrugged.
“Just kept trying things until sothing worked.”
The room went silent again.
“I finally understand,” one of the professors said after a few seconds, making Rylan look at him. He was a tall, well-built man with dark green hair and hazel eyes. “How great a genius you are. Unbelievable, really.”
So of the other professors nodded. anwhile, Alice only stared at Rylan, making him turn to stare back at her.
“Fucking insane,” she finally said. “It shouldn’t work, but you’ve proven it does. Incredible, Rylan. It’s the most monuntal discovery in the history of this kingdom. Not even the Headmaster’s ascension to the Sixth Circle a decade ago shocked this much. How could it?”
“Ceotha’s greatest genius, ladies and gentlen,” Ophelia said. “Holy shit.”
So of the professors talked in hushed tones among themselves, but Rylan could hear every word. They were all words of praise and disbelief. He smiled awkwardly, still not used to receiving so many complints. For so ti, he let the people discuss among themselves.
“Now, let’s get started with the training to wrap up this first lesson,” he said, making everyone stop talking and look at him. “I’ll teach you guys how to use your Mana Core to circulate your mana throughout your body. That’s the first step.”
Everyone nodded with serious expressions.
The first lesson continued.
***
The days that followed were simple, in essence. Each day, Rylan woke up early and trained with the soldiers, honing their physical abilities and pushing them further. After that, he would gather them up and head to Damian’s study alongside them, where he would et his family, Hayden, Jasmine, and Damian himself to teach them Mana Cultivation, as well as answer whatever questions they had. Of course, without fail, he needed to answer dozens of questions about the Skill before the lesson ca to a close.
Once the lesson to those in the Mage Tower was over, Rylan would head to his own classroom to teach as many students as possible.
On the last day of the second week since he started teaching.
Rylan looked at the rows of students in front of him with a smile. He raised his fist, then punched the air. The impact resonated with the atmosphere with a crackle, ruffling the hair of the students in the first row.
“And the result is that your muscles beco stronger, and your bones beco able to bear the strain, as well as your joints. Overall, your entire body becos stronger,” he said.
The students’ eyes veritably shone as they leaned forward, clearly looking like they were holding back. Rylan’s smile beca wider.
“Alright, question ti. Raise your hand if you have sothing to ask,” he continued.
Almost imdiately, dozens of hands shot up, as if the students were in a contest to see who could do it faster. As expected, they had been waiting for this mont. Rylan pointed at the very first student from the left on the first row. She was a cute-looking, short girl with blond hair. She quickly lowered her hand.
“Is it possible that only so parts will be strengthened under special circumstances? Like, if I’m really exhausted or injured, can Mana Cultivation fail to strengthen my whole body, therefore resulting in further injuries if I try anything?” she asked rapidly.
Rylan raised an eyebrow.
Oh?
He smiled.
“Interesting question,” he replied. “And yes, it’s possible. It’s not an omnipotent Skill. Just like there are ways to disturb a Mage’s spellcasting without depleting their mana, it’s possible to affect your mana’s circulation. That said, with mastery, the problem is easily solved. I have no difficulties with strengthening my whole body whenever, even with little mana or when I’m injured.”
The girl nodded, but other hands were raised after he finished replying. Rylan kept his smile, then pointed at the student next to the girl. The boy asked a question, and he answered. In such a fashion, he answered question after question. It happened as he answered the fourteenth question.
[Your efforts have been recognized. A new possibility is realized.]
[You may choose a Profession.]
The System windows shone brightly in the corner of his vision.
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