Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 96 (Part 2)

Two months later, not long before the New Year, Bianca formed her first mana circle.

Considering that trainees in the special forces training center typically took more than three months to achieve this, it seemed quite fast.

But the conditions had been different this time.

Rodin had personally improved the mana training room, making its mana conversion efficiency at least twice as high as that of the special forces training ones. He had also set up a mana-gathering magic circle throughout the house.

Of course, repeating mana training ten times didn’t mean that the accumulated mana would be ten times greater. Even with the mana-gathering circle, the actual increase in mana was only by a few dozen percent.

Still, with everything considered, it should have been much faster than during the special forces training days.

Thus, it was difficult to say that Bianca’s two-month achievement of her first circle was exceptionally quick.

In any case, Bianca now possessed the power of a first-circle mage. From then on, she began her formal magic lessons.

Rodin took a slightly different approach from the special forces’ training.

He placed great emphasis on theory, believing that a poorly understood spell could harm the caster.

So, when teaching runes, he thoroughly explained their meanings and pronunciations. If Bianca’s coordinate calculations weren’t precise, he made her recast the spell from the beginning.

While Bianca studied magic, Larry also showed some progress. His body had become more robust, and his swordsmanship was shaping up.

In Rodin’s view, he still had a long way to go, but that was simply because Rodin’s standards were so high. Considering Larry was just turning thirteen, his progress wasn’t bad at all.

Three more months passed. At fifteen, Rodin was preparing for a significant milestone in the mana training room.

“Whew, sixth circle. It hasn’t taken that long, but it feels like ages.”

All five of his existing mana circles were filled to the brim with mana. Now it was time to create the sixth.

“I have to succeed in one go. Failure would complicate things.”

He needed to smoothly transition to the next stage. A single setback would make it much harder the next time.

He quickly drew in the surrounding mana. As a temporary mana vacuum formed nearby, distant mana began to flow in.

‘More, more.’

Rodin continued to gather mana, concentrating his will. He repeated the process of creating a mana vacuum and refilling it several times.

‘Now.’

With the gathered mana at its limit, he swiftly channeled it.

As the mana coursed through his body, its nature changed at a specific point, transforming into magic power.

Rodin gathered the transformed energy around the area of his heart where the circles were and willed it into a dense cluster.

‘It’s behaving nicely.’

Magic Power, by its nature, did not like to stay gathered. It retained some of its mana-like tendency to disperse and remain at a balanced distance.

This was one of the reasons creating new mana circles was challenging. The magic power in the existing circles did not welcome the arrival of new energy.

‘Magic power has a will of its own.’

Rodin had spent the past month teaching his Magic Power. He convinced it that new energy was necessary, that it would not harm them.

As he tried to create the new energy band, some of the existing energy resisted. It was a small rebellion against the greater current.

‘There’s always some stubborn bunch.’

Rodin carefully selected the rebellious Magic power and cast a fifth-circle impact barrier using only that energy.

With the rebellious energy temporarily occupied, Rodin seized the opportunity.

‘Now.’

He quickly spun the gathered energy into a circle. The energy twisted and wound until it formed a clear new circle. The remaining energy filled the gaps left by the displaced energy.

‘Goodbye, stubborn energy.’

The existing circles no longer resisted the newly formed one. Instead, they adjusted their distances, almost welcoming it.

Six circles spun smoothly. The speed was fast, yet stable. There was no sign of conflict between the circles.

“Ah, it’s done neatly.”

By the time he checked the hour, it was already evening.

Although he had skipped a meal, he didn’t feel hungry. The sense of accomplishment from completing the sixth circle filled him with satisfaction.

“But I should still eat something.”

He exited the training room and ascended to the first floor. Just then, Larry, who had finished his training at the Cardos Sword hall, came in.

“Oh, hey, brother.”

“Larry, how’s your training?”

“It’s good. Everyone’s nice. The training is tough, but it’s fulfilling.”

Despite Larry’s words, his expression seemed less than enthusiastic. Rodin wondered if there was a problem.

“That’s good. Keep working hard.”

“Let’s go inside. I’m starving.”

Rodin entered the house with Larry. Bianca, who had been studying alone, ran out to greet them with a smile.

“Brother!”

“Did you study hard?”

“Yeah. It was tough at first, but now I find it fun.”

As they sat in the dining room, Margaret brought out dinner. Rodin paused for a moment before speaking.

“Margaret, you’re planning to eat in the annex again, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir. That’s my plan.”

“Then I should mention this now. I’m going to increase your salary. Matthew has been working hard too, after all.”

Matthew had consistently exercised and had nearly returned to his original form. He woke up every morning to sweep the yard, and whenever he had free time, he meticulously inspected the house and its surroundings.

If he saw weeds, he pulled them out. If he spotted dirt, he cleaned it immediately.

He accompanied Margaret to the market, carrying the bags for her, and played with Bianca when she was bored.

In some ways, he might even be doing more work around the household than Margaret.

“You don’t need to do that, sir. I’m already grateful just to be able to stay here.”

“That’s a separate matter. Good work should be rewarded appropriately. I’ll raise your salary to 40 gold, and Matthew’s to 30 gold. What do you think?”

Previously, Margaret received 25 gold, and Matthew 15 gold. It was a substantial raise, especially for Matthew, who had spent time rehabilitating.

But now, Rodin felt it was worth the money.

Matthew was diligent and kind. He entertained Bianca’s whims and always maintained a cheerful demeanor that uplifted those around him.

“That’s too much, sir. You’re doubling Matthew’s salary.”

“He’s been doing that much work. Please continue as you have been.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Oh, right! I’ll be going out tomorrow. I’ll be away for quite a while.”

“I’ll prepare some jerky and simple provisions for the trip.”

“Thank you, Margaret.”

After sending Margaret off, they began their meal. Larry and Bianca exchanged grins as they looked at Rodin.

“Why are you two smiling?”

“We’re just glad. It’s nice to have a wealthy brother.”

“Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

No one in the house ate quickly. Initially, Bianca and Larry had been the type to eat in a rush, but they gradually matched Rodin’s slower, more deliberate pace.

Dinner concluded at a leisurely pace. After clearing the dishes, Rodin called Larry and Bianca over.

“You heard what I told Margaret earlier, right? I have to leave tomorrow for a while.”

“For how long?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll try to return as quickly as I can, but it could take over a month.”

Rodin intended to head to the Moord Wastelands the next day. Previously, as a fifth-circle mage, he hadn’t been able to open the passage, but now, with his new level, it was possible.

“That long?”

“Yeah. Larry, after training, try to come back home and stay with Bianca.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

“Bianca, keep up with your usual practice. Don’t slack off on your studies, either.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t need to nag, do I? I trust you two will handle things well.”

With his instructions given, Rodin continued with his usual routine for the evening.

In his room, he listened to a lesson from the watch. The second level of instruction was nearing completion, and if things progressed smoothly, he would begin the third level in about ten days.

Meanwhile, Larry and Bianca headed down to the basement for their evening mana and aura training. Both had bodies that optimized mana and aura absorption after sunset, so they always trained together during this time.