Chapter 017
The contents of the book were easy to understand. I compared the characteristics of the power I possessed with the concept of “mana” described in the book.
And in the end, I concluded that the mysterious force I possessed was indeed mana.
“This power is going to be more useful than I thought.”
I felt the force twisting and surging within my heart. Like a powerful warhorse, it roiled as though it might burst out of my chest at any mont.
How was I going to use this from now on?
As I had done until now, I could infuse it into a sword or so other object and use it for reinforcent. And although I had not learned it yet, if I mastered a specific formula, I might even be able to use magic.
Just imagining it was enough to make my skin crawl.
Part of wanted to keep reading, but the Duty Butler was keeping watch, and I was far too hungry, so I decided I had to stop for today.
“Even Mount Geumgang should wait until after a al. First, I need to fill my stomach.”
There was one problem. At the Adeline mansion, al tis were fixed. Once the al hour passed, no food would be provided under any circumstances.
At least, that was true for Butler Apprentices.
But who was I?
Was I not the Butler Apprentice who had distinguished himself thoroughly while working at Rosetta these past few days? If I went to Rosetta, I could probably at least get a piece of bread.
This was why it was important to make a good impression in everyday life.
Suddenly, I rembered the terrible cookie Arwen had brought when I first opened my eyes in this world. Was it just coincidence? Hunger really did make you crave the strangest things.
“Chef, you are still here.”
“Oh! What brings you here?”
Luckily, Chef Ramsay was still in place. No one else was around. I stepped inside and approached him with a smile.
“I heard that you spoke well of to Lord Stewart. I ca to thank you. I truly appreciate it.”
“Is that all? I would gladly do that much any day. Thanks to you, the Young Lady’s banquet ended well, after all. But did you have to work late or sothing? It must have been tiring. You should get upstairs and rest.”
“There were a few books I wanted to read, and before I knew it, the ti had passed like this.”
“You were reading books?”
His eyes widened noticeably. That alone told how much butlers disliked studying. One only had to look at bastards like Beron to get the picture.
But then, who was I?
A forr graduate student forged through all manner of original-language texts. Reading books was not even enough to count as work.
“I have liked books since I was young. That is one reason I volunteered for library duty. I think I will be able to gain aningful experience there, especially with such a fine senior.”
“That is true. Stewart is a man of broad learning, so there is much to be gained simply by standing beside him. Have you had dinner?”
Good.
Caught the hook.
“Hahaha... not yet.”
I rubbed my stomach lightly and gave an embarrassed smile.
“Is that so? Hah, if you have worked hard, then you must never skip a al. Co here. I will make you sothing simple myself.”
“Really? Thank you so much!”
This ti, I truly ant it. Chef Ramsay went into the kitchen humming to himself, and I stood beside him, watching him cook.
His knife work was practiced, and so were his hands.
“You know, among all the Butler Apprentices, you are probably the first one I have ever cooked for personally. You should consider it an honor.”
“Hahaha. It is an honor. I suppose I will have to brag about it later.”
“Do not brag too much! If word gets above us, it will only beco troubleso.”
A smile tugged at my lips without my realizing it.
Was this what it felt like to have a father?
This may be a rather sudden confession, but in my previous life, I had been an orphan. I was raised in an orphanage, and thanks to the devoted help of the sisters there, I had been able to enter university.
I had grown up in rough circumstances, but I had not turned crooked. I was always grateful to them.
Perhaps from childhood, I had always thought that I was alone, and that I would have to make sothing of myself by my own strength. Because of that, there were tis when a sudden loneliness ca over .
Like now.
“Shall I help a little?”
“No. Stay where you are. You are my guest, so sit over there and wait. If there is anything for you to do, it is simply to eat what I make with gratitude.”
“Thank you, Chef.”
I paid him my respects and left the kitchen, then sat down at the table. Sitting alone in such a wide dining hall with no one else around gave a rather strange feeling.
If I succeeded in this place soday, would I be able to spend fine evenings like this every day?
***
Once I had eaten my fill, I left the mansion.
At first, the soldiers guarding the mansion gates looked at with suspicious eyes, but when they learned that I trained in martial arts at the Training Ground, they let pass quietly enough.
“Off to train again today?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You are diligent. It has been a long ti since I have seen an apprentice work this hard.”
The soldiers spoke in a tone that almost sounded mocking.
But I did not mind. They were acknowledging my effort.
At this hour, all the apprentices worn out from their work would already be asleep or resting.
“Please keep up the good work.”
“Do not push yourself too hard! If you get hurt, you are the only one who loses.”
I dipped my head slightly, turned, and made my way toward the Training Ground through the chilly wind.
Today was different from usual.
Because now I knew the true nature of the mysterious force surrounding my heart, and all that remained was to refine it.
I said this once before, but there were two reasons I chose to go to the library.
First, to learn the fundantals of swordsmanship. Second, to uncover the identity of the force surrounding my heart.
Now that the second goal had been achieved, only the first remained, but I judged this one to be more important for the mont.
The reason was simple. Swordsmanship could only be used within limits, but magical power was different. It had countless applications. If I could control that power at will, it would be of enormous help.
“Hoo.”
I took a deep breath and stood in the center of the Training Ground.
As expected, there was no one else out training at this hour. Thanks to that, I could focus completely without any interruption.
I sat down calmly in a cross-legged posture.
“I just have to follow what I read in the library.”
I recalled the contents of the book. Mana was usually located in the dantian, but in my peculiar case, it was housed in the heart. In other words, the source of my magical power was the heart.
Now I needed to create an environnt in which mana could move as freely as it pleased.
That ant the Mana Circuit.
According to the book I found in the library, The Basics of Magic and the Applications of Mana, mana fundantally moved through channels called Mana Circuits.
Even before this, I had, however faintly, caused mana to flow into the weapons I held.
That ant there were already dormant Mana Circuits inside my body.
If so, then I should try operating the mana and tracing those pathways more properly.
......
......
At the height of stillness, when even the wind had died down and I could no longer hear the sound of my own breathing, I finally began to move the mana in my heart.
It had no destination. I rely let it flow as freely as possible.
Hummm...
Slowly gaining speed, the mana began to move along a fixed path.
Before reading the book, I would never have known, but now it was different. Because I was consciously trying to feel it, I beca aware of a special path through which the mana traveled.
So this was a Mana Circuit?
How fascinating.
This is not the ti to be marveling. Focus harder.
I was certain that this special path was indeed the Mana Circuit. It had a structure similar to an electrical circuit, and as I regulated the flow of mana, I applied little by little stimulation to the Mana Circuit.
After all, all forms of training began with stimulation.
Tudududuk!
My whole body began to tense, as though cords were standing out beneath my skin.
A sense of unease rose within . What if sothing happened to my body like this? Perhaps because of that, the more my fear grew, the more sluggish the movent of mana beca.
Shuuuu...
The power was fading.
This would not do!
I felt the need to continue the risk.
More precisely, I had an instinct that I had to. Up until now, my intuition had almost never been wrong.
More than anything, if I had gone to the trouble of gaining this power, then I wanted to draw out not one hundred percent of it, but two hundred percent. The summit was right in front of . I only had to endure a little more.
This ti, I decided to send even more mana through the circuit.
Twitch!
The circuit reacted imdiately.
Using the principles of direct current and alternating current, I optimized the Mana Circuit.
What I an by optimization was this: I created a path along which mana could move with maximum efficiency. As I manipulated the mana delicately, I realized that I could alter the shape of the Mana Circuit, however slightly.
The way it needed to be altered arose naturally in my mind. It was no coincidence. I had arrived at it based on the fact that mana shared similar properties with electric current.
Still, everything ca at a price.
The process of altering the circuit was accompanied by terrible pain. It felt like having my nerves peeled apart and moved one by one with tweezers. Truly, it was an experience I never wanted to repeat.
Even so, I did not stop.
Tududududuk!
As more and more mana began to flow through the narrow circuit, my circuit produced a pain so intense it felt as though it would burst.
Damn it. It hurts too much.
“Guhk!”
THUD!
The mont the mana filled the circuit completely, I lost consciousness amid overwhelming pain.
***
“Hey! Get yourself together!”
Soone was shaking awake.
My mind snapped back instantly, and I threw my eyes open. The one who looked more startled was not , but the person who had woken .
Damn it, what happened?
First, I took stock of the situation.
A familiar soldier was looking down at . Now that I thought about it, he was the sa soldier who had spoken to earlier when I left the mansion.
“Why are you sleeping here? If you are tired, sleep inside! If your face ends up twisted from the cold, you are the only one who will suffer for it.”
“Ah, I am all right.”
Only then did I rember. I had collapsed while altering the Mana Circuit after overstraining my body.
The soldier looking down at clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk! Too much greed only invites trouble. Do not rely on your youth and push yourself too hard. Take better care of yourself. It has not even been that long since you recovered from falling off the balcony, has it?”
“I am fine. Thank you for your concern.”
“The sun will be up soon. Go back inside and get at least a little rest.”
With those words, the soldier returned to his patrol route.
Seeing one side of the sky burning red, I guessed the morning sun was beginning to rise. Judging by the ti, it was probably around six in the morning. It felt as though I had only fainted briefly, but a fair amount of ti had passed.
“Is there anything wrong with my body?”
As I gathered my dazed thoughts and focused on my body, I felt sothing had changed.
“What is this?”
My body felt astonishingly light.
As though I had set down a massive chunk of iron.
All the fatigue that had built up in was gone without a trace, and I felt as though I could breathe strength into every single muscle attached to my body.
“It feels like I have been reborn.”
I was a scientist. Since I was only just before receiving my master’s degree, perhaps it was a little awkward to call myself that, but I was still soone who explained and understood phenona.
So I could examine this situation objectively.
The chain of cause and effect was clear. I had trained the flow of mana, fainted for a short ti, and when I awoke, I experienced a change in my body.
That left only one variable.
“So the mana operation I practiced earlier had an effect on my body.”
I imdiately sat cross-legged and awakened the power in my heart.
And at that mont, I could feel it clearly.
The Mana Circuit stretching from my heart was now thicker and more distinct than before.
A triumphant smile spread across my lips.
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