A day had passed since Aiman’s family arrived in Silverian County.
The following morning, they ate breakfast at Silverian Manor. Aiman said that he felt more comfortable with Hansen, whom he had already spent some time with, and asked to appoint him as their butler.
At that moment, Aiman studied the expression of Karib, the Chief Butler of Silverian Manor.
He could see a trace of disappointment in the man’s eyes.
‘He was planning to keep Hansen beneath him.’
Aiman had encountered countless people during his career in sales, so he was exceptionally good at reading both people and their reactions.
He was glad that he had offered Hansen the position first.
Once breakfast was over, Hansen returned with Aiman’s parents to the manor he would now be managing.
Naturally, Aiman remained behind to spend time discussing magic with Keiras.
Their destination was Keiras’s private Magic Training Ground behind Silverian Manor.
As soon as they arrived, Keiras spoke to Aiman, his eyes shining like those of a child who had received a new toy.
“Now, hurry and cut out some Mana with Mana Cutter.”
Cutting out Mana with Mana Cutter.
The moment he heard Keiras’s instruction, Aiman focused.
He needed to locate the Mana Circle drifting through his body so that he could use it.
Once Aiman found the Mana Circle, he drew out all the Mana contained within it.
HUMMMM.
Aiman confirmed that the Mana had gathered between his hands.
He then imagined folding it.
‘Into the shape of a utility knife.’
The Mana gathered between his hands began folding like Origami.
Ordinary mages referred to this stage as Spell Calculation.
The Mana rapidly folded into the shape of a utility knife.
Once it passed through the Manifestation stage—
FLASH!
A utility knife made from blue Mana appeared in Aiman’s hand.
Keiras stared at it in fascination.
‘It is still amazing, even after seeing it again. A spell even I have never heard of.’
Mana Cutter.
There was a 4th-Class spell called Wind Cutter that created a blade of wind, but no one had ever considered creating an actual knife out of Mana.
After all, everyone had only ever learned the spells that had already been established.
Even if someone had discovered that such a spell was possible, they would have had no reason to use it.
‘A Mana blade of that size would not be particularly powerful, and it would be terribly inefficient.’
That was why there was no reason to use Mana Cutter, even if a mage knew that the spell was possible.
For Aiman, however, it was different.
After creating Mana Cutter, Aiman swung it through the empty air.
No—more precisely, he cut through the Mana visible before his eyes.
He cut it into a square.
Once he had cut out an appropriately sized square of Mana, the Mana Cutter in his hand disappeared.
In exchange, Aiman obtained a square piece of Mana.
It was four times larger than the amount he had used to create Mana Cutter.
Holding it in his hands, Aiman asked Keiras a question.
“Which spell should I try?”
“Hmm. You already attempted 2nd-Class spells during our journey, so let us move on to the 3rd Class.”
“Very well.”
“This is the spell that best represents the 3rd Class.”
Keiras cast a spell.
Aiman focused his gaze upon him.
Three round clusters of Mana flowed out from Keiras’s body.
Since it was a 3rd-Class spell, it required the use of three Mana Circles.
The three clusters of Mana merged, becoming a single, much larger mass.
The Mana then began to fold.
Ordinary mages had to perform Spell Calculations for every part of this process.
Calculations were necessary to draw out and combine the Mana contained within three Mana Circles. Numerous additional calculations were then required to shape the Mana into a spell.
Keiras could complete those calculations almost instantly because he was a 5th-Class Mage.
However, a mage who had only recently entered the 3rd Class would struggle with the process and require a considerable amount of time.
As Keiras swiftly completed his calculations, the Mana transformed into the shape of a massive sphere enveloped in flames.
The spell manifested above Keiras’s hand.
“Fireball.”
FWOOSH!
It was a sphere surrounded by fierce flames that appeared capable of incinerating anything they touched.
Keiras held it above one hand and looked at Aiman.
“Try it.”
“Yes.”
After answering, Aiman began manually folding the square piece of Mana he was holding.
‘It was shaped like this…….’
Unlike ordinary mages, who performed calculations within their minds before reaching the Manifestation stage, Aiman simply folded the Mana.
In this manner, Aiman completed a shape identical to the Fireball Keiras had shown him.
FWOOSH!
It was only one-quarter of the size.
That could not be helped.
Aiman possessed nowhere near enough Mana to reproduce the full-sized shape Keiras had made.
The best he could do was fold the Mana more intricately, creating the same shape on a smaller scale.
In any case, although it was smaller, its form was identical to that of a Fireball.
Aiman showed the completed Fireball to Keiras.
“It is done.”
“Hmm. It is rather small…….”
Aiman had reproduced 2nd-Class spells using only the Mana of a single Mana Circle without reducing their size. However, the size of this 3rd-Class spell had been greatly diminished.
Nevertheless, its form was identical.
Keiras pointed toward a distant target with his index finger, signalling for Aiman to throw the Fireball he had just created.
“Yes. Hah!”
Aiman hurled the small Fireball floating above his hand.
The tiny Fireball tore through the air and surged toward the target.
FWOOSH!
Leaving a trail of flames behind it, the Fireball flew forward.
A moment later, it struck the target.
BOOM!
The Fireball exploded, scattering flames across the target and its surroundings.
After successfully hitting it, Aiman looked at Keiras.
“How was that?”
“Hmm. Not bad.”
Keiras’s response was remarkably indifferent.
However, he was merely concealing his true reaction.
‘Ha. He created that Fireball with only one Mana Circle’s worth of Mana, yet its power rivals a proper 3rd-Class spell.’
Keiras had felt the same way when Aiman attempted 2nd-Class magic, but the boy’s ability was truly absurd.
It was remarkable enough that he could reproduce higher-Class spells with the Mana of only one Mana Circle.
What was even more astonishing was that the spells did not suffer any meaningful loss of power.
Since the Fireball was smaller, its effective range and area of impact were somewhat inferior to those of the original spell.
Nevertheless, its destructive power was comparable.
Keiras mixed a reasonable amount of praise with criticism, concerned that his first disciple might become arrogant if he revealed just how extraordinary the achievement was.
It reminded him of his own past.
After being taken in by his master, Lucia Silverian, Keiras had become a mage and enrolled at Spellif Academy, where he was hailed as a genius.
At the time, there had been another magical prodigy who was considered his rival.
‘Napaz…….’
Napaz had been an exceedingly unpleasant young man.
He had claimed that because he was a genius, he attended Spellif Academy merely because it was required of him. He had boasted that he would remain at the top of his year even without making any effort and had even gathered his own faction around himself.
However, Keiras had placed first in the final examination of the first semester, while Napaz had placed second.
Keiras had understood something clearly at that moment.
‘Had he studied seriously, taking first place would probably not have been easy for me.’
Had Napaz truly applied himself, Keiras did not believe that he would have secured first place so easily.
Keiras worried that Aiman might become conceited and develop misguided ideas about magic.
‘Although it is probably an unnecessary concern.’
Based on what Keiras had seen of Aiman thus far, the boy did not appear likely to become someone like Napaz, even if he was told how exceptional he was.
Aiman was remarkably diligent in his studies.
‘Still, there is no harm in being cautious.’
Keiras had been deeply impressed by Aiman’s Fireball, but Aiman suddenly said something significant.
“However, I think the 3rd Class may be my limit.”
“Hmm?”
Keiras wondered what he meant by his limit.
Aiman made a request of the puzzled Keiras.
“Master, could you show me a 4th-Class spell?”
“A 4th-Class spell?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. Wait a moment.”
Keiras performed the Spell Calculations for a 4th-Class spell.
When he manifested it, flames erupted.
FWOOSH!
The spell Keiras used this time was Fire Spear, one of the 4th-Class fire-attribute attack spells.
It took the form of a long spearhead made from flames.
Seeing it, Aiman thought—
‘I do not think I have enough…….’
After observing the calculations Keiras used to create Fire Spear, Aiman realised how difficult it would be.
Nevertheless, deciding that he should at least attempt it, Aiman used the Mana within his body to create Mana Cutter.
With Mana Cutter, he cut out a piece of the Mana that blanketed the world.
Aiman then attempted to fold the piece of Mana in the same manner Keiras had when creating Fire Spear.
However, he had reproduced only one-quarter of the shape when the Mana reached a state in which it could no longer be folded.
Even in Origami, a larger sheet of paper was necessary to create something more complex and difficult.
Magic was the same.
With the amount of Mana Aiman could currently cut out using Mana Cutter, the 3rd Class was the highest level he could reproduce.
Keiras also felt the Mana gather before dispersing and immediately understood the problem.
“The amount of Mana you can currently cut out limits you to the 3rd Class.”
“Yes, that seems to be the case.”
“To manifest a spell of a higher Class, you will require a Mana Cutter capable of cutting out a larger quantity of Mana.”
Keiras now understood the process Aiman used to cast magic.
“Probably?”
“Hmm. Let us think about it.”
Let us think about it.
That was something Keiras often said whenever they discussed magic.
Ordinarily, the role of a master was to teach his disciple.
However, Aiman existed outside the boundaries of an ordinary mage, so Keiras treated him as a fellow mage and an equal.
In certain respects, Aiman possessed even greater aptitude and insight than Keiras himself, despite Keiras having reached the 5th Class.
Aiman understood what Keiras wanted and nodded.
“Understood.”
@
“Whew. Let us end our discussion here for today. We can continue with the rest tomorrow.”
Only when the sky had turned red with the evening glow did Keiras finally bring their discussion to an end.
They had not discovered a particular solution, but numerous new ideas had arisen as they exchanged their thoughts.
Keiras would have preferred to continue, but they still had plenty of time.
The fact that Aiman, who was only ten years old, had managed to keep up with the conversation was already remarkable.
Aiman, on the other hand, had not found it particularly difficult.
Compared to the nights in his previous life when he had stayed awake drinking and talking until dawn, this was nothing.
Drinking tea while discussing a subject that interested him was hardly exhausting.
Nevertheless, there was no reason to continue when Keiras had suggested ending the discussion.
Aiman also believed that they had plenty of time.
Furthermore, there were other matters besides magic that required his immediate attention.
Aiman answered Keiras’s suggestion to stop discussing magic for the day.
“Yes.”
“By the way, do you like the manor?”
After spending the entire day discussing nothing but magic, Keiras had only now thought to ask about the manor.
Aiman gave him a satisfied smile.
“It is more than sufficient.”
In truth, compared to a modern house, the manor possessed little beyond its enormous size and was terribly inefficient.
However, Aiman had been living in a crude serf’s hut until recently, so a manor of this quality was a tremendous luxury.
Now that they were discussing the manor, Aiman remembered something he had already been considering.
He spoke to Keiras about it.
“Ah, Master.”
“Hmm?”
“There is a rather large plot of land beside the manor. Would it be all right if I hired workers and constructed a few things there?”
“What are you planning to build?”
Keiras wondered what Aiman suddenly wished to construct.
Rather than answering directly, Aiman shrugged as though the answer should have been obvious.
“Is that not obvious?”
What Aiman intended to build was indeed obvious.
Keiras naturally realised the answer.
“A papermaking workshop?”