"The Tower Master?"
Maxim nodded much more readily than Oscar expected.
"It's not a difficult request. You may not remember, but you often discussed magic with the Tower Master."
"I see."
Oscar Crucian had left behind only material related to magic and the White Tower.
He had recorded almost nothing about his personal life, so Oscar had no way of knowing details like this.
"I'll arrange a meeting later."
"Thank you. Would it be possible to meet her right now?"
"Hmm, unfortunately, you won't be able to meet her for at least half a year."
"Pardon?"
Not half a day, but half a year?
Oscar asked again in surprise.
"Why?"
"She is away on business at present. She personally handles the major commissions that come to the magic tower."
"But why would the Tower Master personally handle that kind of work......?"
Oscar realized the reason mid-sentence, and his voice trailed off.
"Because we lack high-level mages."
"......It's shameful."
The situation was so dire that the Tower Master had to work in the field personally.
Oscar knew the White Tower had fallen, but this single fact struck him harder than the hundred sentences in those documents.
"If you don't mind me asking, what level is the Tower Master?"
"She is a Level 7 high-level mage."
"Level 7......"
Oscar bit his lip.
He had been on the verge of Level 9 at that age, yet she was only Level 7?
She probably had so many other matters to oversee that she could not help neglecting her magical training by comparison.
At that moment, Maxim reread the report and asked in passing.
"It says the cuts on the wounds were exceptionally clean. Have you started practicing offensive magic again?"
"Well, only whenever the thought occurs to me."
"......Only occasionally?"
Maxim smiled faintly.
There was no way occasional practice with the basic spell Wind Cutter could produce this level of effect.
That was especially true for Oscar, who suffered from mana loss syndrome.
'He's being deliberately modest because he doesn't want to inspire false hope.'
He might be young, but his thoughts were as deep as any adult's.
When Oscar felt the time was right, he would speak first on his own.
Understanding that intention, Maxim returned his gaze to the pile of documents and dismissed him.
"We're finished here, so you may leave."
***
After returning to his room, Oscar locked the door, drew the curtains, and even removed the speaker from the ceiling.
There was one reason he so obsessively blocked any outside interference.
'First, I'll repair these damaged physical circuits.'
It was a task that demanded tremendous concentration.
Even one unforeseen variable could send his mana out of control, so meticulous preparation was essential.
"Whew."
Once every preparation was complete, Oscar took a gentle, deep breath and sat upright in the armchair.
Then he slowly closed his eyes and cast his entire mind into the universe that was himself.
'......'
He could clearly sense the twenty physical circuits every human possessed.
In Yeon, a nation in the continent's east, these circuits were called the Twelve Primary Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians respectively.
'What a pitiful universe.'
Unlike his previous body, whose every circuit had shone like a star, this universe was as dim as candlelight.
After examining each circuit, Oscar nodded.
'I shouldn't overdo it.'
His original plan had been to untangle all twenty bound physical circuits.
But even a brief examination made it clear.
This body would not withstand such an act.
'Today, I'll open only the first twelve circuits.'
They were the important physical circuits known in the east as the Twelve Primary Meridians.
Because those circuits were tangled, mana had been unable to circulate or accumulate properly.
He needed to restore those first so that mana could begin flowing smoothly.
"......"
Oscar slowly drew up his mana.
The mana moved painfully slowly through circuits as parched as a desert.
'This isn't enough.'
He needed more mana and a stronger impact to force open the tightly bound circuits.
Fortunately, he had enough mana available right now.
'The mana gained from the illegal elixir.'
Pure mana he had not yet fully absorbed drifted idly through his body.
Oscar gathered every last trace and thrust it into the circuits all at once.
"......Ghk!"
Pain intense enough to make his mind go blank swept over him.
It felt as though every muscle in his body were being wrung out like wet laundry.
But now that he had begun, there was no turning back.
'From here on, it's a race against time.'
The mana he had forced inside was far too immense for the twisted physical circuits to bear.
If he maintained this state for too long, the physical circuits would eventually snap under the strain.
He had to open the bound circuits as quickly as possible and give the mana room to breathe.
'Faster. Faster.'
The mana that had flowed as gently as a shallow stream instantly grew fierce as a flooding river.
At the same time, blood ran between Oscar's lips, and beads of sweat formed on his brow.
'Here it comes, the first one.'
He clenched his fists and braced for the approaching impact.
BOOM—!
An explosion rang through his mind, and his body jerked violently.
"......!"
Having passed through the first of the Twelve Primary Meridians, Oscar steeled his wavering resolve and headed for the next barrier.
BANG—! BOOM—! BANG—!
Each time he encountered a new barrier, thunder roared through his mind.
The pain kept growing, while the mana racing along the newly opened physical circuits accelerated.
'Just a little. A little more.'
The ninth, the tenth, the eleventh......
Oscar reached the final barrier in an instant and bit down hard on his lip to hold on to his fading consciousness.
'One last one!'
BOOOOM—!
The overwhelming pain that surged in with a blast like a celebratory salvo swallowed the consciousness he had barely held on to.
***
Chirp, chirp!
Oscar slowly opened his eyes to the sound of small birds singing.
He quickly surveyed his surroundings and realized that he was walking through the garden on the White Tower's tenth floor.
'......'
The fortunate part was that he was not a sleepwalker.
The unfortunate part was that being a sleepwalker would have been preferable.
This was that vile a curse.
'That damned dream curse.'
This was why he tried almost obsessively to avoid sleep.
Because of the curse that the Nightmare Baron, that rat bastard, had carved into him, he dreamed of the past every time he fell asleep.
They said forgetfulness was one of the blessings granted to humanity, but that did not apply to him.
'Even when I was Level 9, I couldn't do anything about this curse. Honestly, I'd hoped it might disappear naturally when I entered this body......'
Apparently, the curse had been carved into his soul rather than his flesh.
Oscar forced himself to cast off his disappointment and watched the memory of the past as though viewing a play.
He could not move so much as a finger anyway.
"All right, let's hold today's lesson here. Is that fine?"
"Yes!"
When Oscar reached the wide clearing and turned to ask, his disciples, cute as rabbits, answered in unison.
"What were we going to learn today?"
"You said you would teach us about mana systems."
Lloyd, his dignified eldest disciple, answered clearly.
"You explained that the mana systems of mages and knights are broadly divided into four kinds, called the 'Four Mana Systems.'"
"That's right. Though all mana may look the same, it's actually divided into the Acceleration System, Enhancement System, Harmony System, and Unique System."
"The White Tower pursues the Harmony System, correct?"
"Yes. The Harmony System is the most compatible with wind magic."
The Yellow Tower, obsessed with speed, represented the Acceleration System.
Just as the Red Tower, which emphasized firepower, represented the Enhancement System, the Blue and White Towers represented the Harmony System.
At that moment, Gilly, his second disciple, thrust up a hand and made a request.
"Master, I want the Acceleration System! Slow things are frustrating!"
"Unfortunately, Gilly, a person doesn't get to choose their mana system. You're born with it."
"Then how do you know which one you were born with?"
When Shasha asked with a furrowed brow, Oscar pressed a finger against the spot between her eyebrows and answered.
"Smooth out your face, or you'll get wrinkles. And discovering your mana system is easier than you think."
Scratch, scratch.
Oscar picked up a twig and wrote a spell formula in the dirt.
"Shasha, would you hold out your index finger and try casting this spell?"
"I've never seen this formula before, so I need a little time......"
"Take all the time you need."
"Okay."
Shasha answered bravely, crouched in front of the formula, and finally cast the spell after a long while.
A stream of mana then rose above her finger like a candle flame.
"Hmm. It isn't fast like the Acceleration System or especially powerful like the Enhancement System, so you're in the Harmony System."
"The same as you, Master?"
"That's right."
"Hehe, then I like it."
Gilly was next after Shasha, who was beaming.
The instant he cast the spell, a candle flame of mana rose.
"......Gilly is in the Acceleration System."
"Yes! Long live speed!"
Should he say it suited Gilly's playful, impatient personality?
Oscar smirked and turned his head.
"Now, Lloyd, you're last."
"Like this?"
When Lloyd leisurely completed the formula, a flower astonishingly bloomed above his index finger.
Shasha clapped in delight at the sight.
"Wow! A flower! So pretty! It's like magish!"
"You mean magic, stupid."
"Lloyd is in the Unique System."
"......Master, can't someone change the mana system they're born with?"
When Lloyd's expression visibly fell, Oscar patted him on the head.
"According to an Imperial Ministry of Magic survey, the Unique System is a rare mana system found in only 0.2 percent of all mages. Why would you want to change something so precious? You can't change it in the first place."
"I prefer the Harmony System. The same one as you, Master......"
"Hmmm, do you? Then what should I do?"
Oscar put on an extremely troubled expression.
He knew better than anyone how to handle this young disciple.
"I was going to give Lloyd the most private lessons from now on. Should I look for a way to change your system instead?"
At that, Lloyd's ears perked up like a rabbit's.
"......I'll get the most private lessons?"
"Of course. It's difficult for someone in the Unique System to grow alone without a proper teacher."
At those words, Lloyd raised his head as though he had never been discouraged.
"Well, now that I think about it, the Unique System isn't bad. But promise you'll give me the most lessons."
Oscar looked at the tiny pinky the boy held out and linked it with his own.
'Come to think of it, wasn't this boy nicknamed the Promise Ghost?'
No matter how mature he pretended to be, he was still a child.
After taking in his disciples' faces one last time, Oscar slowly surrendered himself to the buoyant sensation washing over him.
It was time to wake from the dream.
***
"......"
He had been lucky.
Dreams involving his disciples usually did not progress to the 'corruption' stage.
The clock showed that about five hours had passed.
Perhaps because he'd had a good sleep for the first time in a long while, his body and mind felt refreshed.
'No, perhaps it isn't only that?'
His mana circulated incomparably more smoothly than before.
Not only had twelve of his twenty bound physical circuits been released, his mana circuits had increased to two.
Even more, having thoroughly absorbed the pure mana, he could sense an immense amount of mana beyond what was normal for his level.
Oscar laughed in disbelief.
"I never imagined I'd live to see the day I rejoiced at becoming a Level 2 mage."
Some concepts in this world do not change with the passage of time.
The moon rises when the sun sets, and spring follows winter.
The same is true of Levels, the measure used to distinguish the abilities of mages and knights.
'A person's Level is determined by the number of mana circuits installed in the body.'
One circuit means Level 1.
Two mean Level 2.
Three mean Level 3.
Four mean Level 4......
Each time someone installs a new mana circuit, they are acknowledged as having reached the next level.
'In my previous life, I was a Level 9 mage.'
An absolute being with no fewer than nine mana circuits installed in his body.
The road to that position could never be called easy.
'......It wasn't easy, but that doesn't mean I can't do it again.'
Hadn't he already climbed that road once?
His memories might be hazy enough that he wandered for a while at a crossroads, but he would never take the wrong path.
'One step at a time, let's climb it again.'
With a more positive outlook, Oscar sat up.
'Come to think of it, which mana system does this man have?'
Oscar raised his index finger, cast the system-identification spell, and smiled.
Mana of modest size bloomed, neither slowly nor quickly.
'You were in the Harmony System too.'
It had no distinct strengths, but conversely, no distinct weaknesses either. It was an all-purpose system suited for both offense and defense.
Its sole weakness was that it accumulated mana more slowly than any other system.
But Oscar did not think he needed to worry about that.
'I'll just do what I did before.'
A mana breathing method that could be maintained twenty-four hours a day.
Creating it and erasing the Harmony System's sole weakness had been one of his accomplishments.