“Huff... huff....”
Just as Saul felt himself reaching the limits of both his stamina and mana from the grueling training, his body suddenly returned to normal.
“Hmm....”
Whenever he sensed the changes in his body and mana and turned his head, Kastel was always there, watching him with an indifferent expression.
Several times a day, Saul was pushed to the limits of his stamina and mana. Each time, Kastel restored him with magic, and the lesson began again.
‘It’s incredibly difficult, but... I can’t deny that it’s an effective teaching method.’
It was particularly effective for someone like Saul.
By sheer coincidence, Saul possessed extensive knowledge of magical theory thanks to his previous life but was still inexperienced in practical application. It would not be an exaggeration to call Kastel’s method the most effective way to teach someone in his peculiar circumstances.
It was truly a remarkable coincidence.
Kastel was simply teaching according to her own common sense and methods, yet Saul’s unique circumstances allowed him to keep pace with her.
It was almost an absurdly perfect combination of coincidences.
“Whew....”
After safely making it through another day of lessons, Saul collapsed onto the floor.
He had been pushed so hard that even magic could barely restore him, leaving him in no condition to concern himself with a prince’s dignity.
Kastel spoke to Saul as he lay there.
“Your Highness, do you remember how long it has been since you began studying magic with me?”
Saul answered with the false smile that had already become second nature.
“Hmm... about two weeks?”
“Exactly sixteen days have passed.”
“It’s already been that long.”
“Yes. What does Your Highness think of what you have learned so far?”
Any mage would probably give a similar answer.
They would say that his progress had been extraordinarily fast.
Of course, Saul had heard of geniuses who could manipulate the elements only a few days after beginning their study of magic.
Someone capable of that was either a prodigy remarkable enough to be recorded in books or an exceptionally precocious individual.
Even so, Saul’s current progress was quite fast.
If he could maintain this pace, a bright future awaited him.
Of course, if he failed to keep up with that pace, he might simply end up remembered as ‘a precocious mage who was clever only as a child.’
That was probably why Kastel had asked the question.
“You’re telling me that just because I’m learning quickly, this isn’t the time to become complacent, right?”
Saul had given the correct answer.
“That is correct. Your Highness is the first person who has ever properly kept up with my lessons. So please continue applying yourself.”
By Kastel’s standards, that could be considered praise.
Her praise left Saul feeling strangely conflicted.
The woman who had killed him in his previous life was now his teacher and was praising him.
But for now, he needed to maintain a good relationship with her.
“Yes. Thank you very much, Teacher.”
At the young prince’s praise, Kastel’s lips twitched.
It was only the faintest smile, but it was genuine.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“You’ll continue teaching me from now on, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
***
One month after Saul began learning magic from Kastel.
Having been summoned by Father, Saul headed to the Golden Palace early in the morning with Kastel.
Instead of the comfortable clothing he wore during his magic lessons, Saul visited the Golden Palace dressed appropriately for a prince.
Unlike Saul, who had dressed formally, Kastel wore only her cloak, her face uncovered.
Worried that his former enemy might behave disrespectfully toward Father and somehow drag him into the consequences as well, Saul asked,
“Is that outfit really all right?”
Kastel answered his concern without a hint of worry.
“Do not worry, Your Highness. I have always met His Majesty dressed this way.”
When they arrived at the Golden Palace, the guards treated both Saul and Kastel with respect.
“Welcome, Your Highness, Lady Kastel. Please wait a moment.”
A short while later, the two were summoned inside.
“Welcome.”
“It has been some time, Father.”
Following the etiquette drilled into him since childhood, Saul bent deeply at the waist.
Because of his posture, he could not properly see Kastel standing behind him.
‘I hope she doesn’t do anything disrespectful in front of Father.’
As though he had read Saul’s thoughts, Maren said,
“Do not worry so much. Unless Kastel attempts to take my life, I will tolerate any discourtesy from her.”
“F-Father.”
“Hoho.”
It sounded like a joke with a pointed edge to it, but it was still a joke.
After exchanging a few light remarks, Maren suddenly adopted a serious expression.
“Kastel. I wish to speak with my son alone. Leave us for a while.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Kastel immediately rose and left.
Only Maren and Saul remained in the office.
“Saul.”
“Yes, Father.”
“How much do you know about Kastel?”
“Well... I read about her in books before meeting her.”
“Then you know only Kastel the hero of our kingdom and the Black Witch.”
“That’s right. And....”
Saul wondered whether he should say what had come to mind.
In the end, he decided to speak.
“For someone of her age and reputation, she seems rather... awkward.”
“Hoho.”
Maren’s smile deepened.
Had he been an ordinary man rather than a dignified king, he might have burst into loud laughter.
“Not bad, Saul. You seem to have changed considerably since that accident.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“As for Kastel, you are right. She is older than she looks, yet even to me, she sometimes seems like a child. Do you know why I chose someone like her to become your teacher?”
“Because... she is an exceptional mage?”
“That is half the reason. There was another half. Kastel has tried several times to take on disciples in the past, but every attempt ended in failure. She possesses extraordinary ability, but in certain respects, she is as clumsy as a child. I wondered what would happen if someone like her met you, who suddenly seemed to mature overnight. Apparently, the result has been favorable.”
In the end, both Saul and Kastel had been subjected to one of Maren’s tests.
And they had passed it successfully.
“Then Father, may I continue keeping Teacher by my side?”
“Of course. But remember this.”
“……?”
“Keeping someone of Kastel’s stature by your side will draw the attention of many people. Even at your age, you should understand what that means.”
With the memories of his previous life, Saul understood perfectly.
The Black Witch, Kastel.
She might not hold a noble title, but she was an enormously influential figure whom no one in the kingdom could afford to disregard.
What would happen if someone of that stature suddenly became close to Prince Saul, who until now had been treated as little more than an insignificant branch of the royal family?
Regardless of Saul’s intentions, others could interpret their relationship politically.
Politics.
As long as he intended to live and act as a prince, it was not something he could simply keep at a distance forever.
In that sense, Maren’s warning could not have come at a better time.
Saul bowed his head to Father once more.
“I will keep your words firmly in mind, Father.”
***
While living through the present, one rarely noticed it.
Only after the present had passed and become the past did one realize the truth.
Time flew faster than an arrow.
Saul was no exception.
Before he knew it, more than five years had passed since he recovered the memories of his previous life.
Tomorrow would be Saul’s sixteenth birthday.
It would also be the day of his coming-of-age ceremony.
Like all humans on the Sardon Continent, once Saul completed his coming-of-age ceremony, he would literally be treated as an adult.
On the morning before the ceremony, Saul found himself in a strangely reflective mood.
He had undergone a coming-of-age ceremony in his previous life as well, but it had been an extremely modest affair.
His family had not been wealthy enough to hold a proper ceremony.
He remembered undergoing a simple coming-of-age ceremony alongside several other low-ranking nobles in similar circumstances.
This life was different.
Tomorrow, even a grand ball would be held to celebrate Saul’s coming of age.
He might be the son of a deceased concubine, but this was still a prince’s coming-of-age ceremony.
“A coming-of-age ceremony.”
Muttering to himself, Saul studied his reflection in the mirror.
His pale blond hair was tied behind his head, and his youthful face still looked more like that of a ‘boy’ than a ‘young man.’
He had grown considerably over the past five years, but perhaps because he so closely resembled his mother, who had been renowned as a peerless beauty, his features remained delicate.
His body had grown considerably as well.
He was now as tall as others his age, and his once small and frail body had become fairly sturdy.
Of course, it was only sturdy compared with how weak he had once been. His physique was nothing extraordinary.
Still, it was not a bad body for Saul, who aspired to become a ‘battle mage.’
He sometimes wished he were a little stronger physically, but as someone who fundamentally sought to become a mage, he had devoted far more time and effort to learning magic than to building his body.
It was not a poor physique for a battle mage.
For now, Saul was satisfied with it.
After examining his reflection, Saul extended both hands.
Bluish energy swirled around the fingertips of his hands, held about a handspan apart.
It was the flow of pure mana.
After spending the past several years devoted to magical training, creating a mana vortex of this degree was easy for Saul.
After forming the mana vortex, Saul created the Four Great Elements.
Fire, water, wind, and earth.
Each of the four elements condensed distinctly, floating above his hands in four separate forms.
Compared with the first time he had relearned magic in this body and attempted to create the elements, he succeeded with incomparably greater ease.
He had grown tremendously as a mage since then.
Although he still could not manifest through his body all the magical knowledge remaining in his mind.
Saul then turned his gaze toward the wall.
A sword had been placed prominently against one side of it.
Gemstones were embedded throughout its sheath, while a blue crystal the size of an egg was set into the end of its hilt.
It was a weapon commonly known as a ‘Magic Sword.’
It was a versatile weapon frequently used by battle mages like Saul, capable of serving as both a sword and a magic staff.
When drawn from its sheath, it became a slender rapier.
With the blade still sheathed, it could be held upside down and used like a magic staff by channeling magic through the blue crystal at the end of the hilt. The same could also be done after drawing the sword.
Generally, a magic staff helped its wielder cast spells more quickly and accurately, and Saul’s Magic Sword served the same purpose.
In truth, Magic Staffs and Magic Swords were sometimes regarded as tools used only by mediocre mages.
Although they allowed spells to be cast faster and more accurately, they also reduced casting efficiency.
If a mage could normally produce 100 units of power from 100 units of mana without the assistance of a Magic Staff or Magic Sword, using one might reduce the result to only 80 units of power from the same 100 units of mana.
Saul’s Magic Sword maintained a magical efficiency of roughly eighty percent.
An efficiency of eighty percent placed it firmly among high-quality weapons.
Poorly made Magic Staffs or Magic Swords often failed to achieve even fifty percent efficiency.
Because of this issue, particularly accomplished mages sometimes avoided using Magic Staffs or Magic Swords altogether.
Someone like ‘Teacher,’ for example.
“Your Highness.”
Speak of the dragon, and it appears. No sooner had Saul thought of Kastel than her familiar voice reached his ears.
The mirror reflected Kastel approaching from behind.
“Teacher.”
“Have you finished preparing for today’s lesson?”
“Yes.”
Nearly five years had passed since Kastel began residing at the Ivory Palace.
The ‘Black Witch’ Kastel’s five-year stay at the Ivory Palace had naturally given rise to all manner of rumors.
Some claimed that Kastel had become one of Prince Saul’s closest retainers, while stranger rumors suggested that there was something unusual about the relationship between the prince and Kastel.
Kastel herself, however, had hardly changed at all from five years ago.
That applied not only to her personality, but even to her appearance.
They said great mages could resist even the passage of time, and apparently Kastel was one of them.
Her face did not bear so much as a fine wrinkle, leaving her looking no older than someone in her twenties.
The way Saul and Kastel treated each other had not changed greatly either.
Saul treated Kastel respectfully as his teacher, while Kastel treated Saul as both her disciple and a prince.
And Saul had not forgotten his grudge.
For now, he would continue playing the role of a good disciple.
Someday, however, he would drive a blade into her back.
But that was a matter for the future.
He still had much to learn from her, so he could not stop playing the obedient disciple just yet.