After catching his breath and resting, Arthur decided to visit his mother. Arriving at her chambers, he found she was absent, and a maid inford him that she was in the Lord's office. Curiosity piqued, Arthur made his way there.
Entering the room, he was surprised to find not only his mother, Iliyana, but also his stepmother, Elona, and his sister-in-law, Alia. They were deep in conversation about estate matters, but the mont they noticed him, Iliyana's face lit up with a mischievous grin.
"Well, well, if it isn't the young lord himself," Clara teased. "Your feats from last night have beco quite the gossip among the maids."
Elona joined in, her smirk widening. "Quite the stamina you've got, Arthur. I'm guessing last night was… eventful?"
Arthur cleared his throat, trying to stay composed. "Just, uh, making use of my energy," he replied, earning a round of knowing chuckles.
Attempting to steer the topic away from himself, he asked, "Why are you all here? And where's Father?"
Iliyana's expression softened. "Your father has left for the borders. He took the warning you brought seriously. So we are managing the estate in his stead. As for your sister, Emily, she returned to the academy. She'd only taken a leave for your awakening, so with that done, she went back."
Arthur's shoulders slumped. "So… you won't be teaching
magic then?"
But Iliyana chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Don't look so disappointed, Arthur! I still have ti to teach my son. Elona and Alia can manage the estate matters in my stead."
Without further ado, Iliyana left the work to Elona and Alia and led Arthur to her personal training room. The place resembled more of a grand library than a re training room, lined with shelves overflowing with books and scrolls on the magical arts.
With a knowing smile, she pulled a slim, well-worn book from one of the shelves. "Let's start with the basics," she said, holding the book up. "Are you ready?"
"Yep! I'm excited!" Arthur grinned.
"Good! Just rember, it's perfectly fine if you don't get it imdiately. You have years to practice."
He nodded confidently. "I can do it!"
Iliyana's eyes softened, her expression filled with pride. "Let's start with a bit of theory. You already know mana is the energy required for magic, right?"
Arthur nodded.
"Then let's go over the two main ways to use magic. The first is through incantations—reciting specific words to cast a spell. The second is through magic circles, which involve inscribing patterns using mana-infused ink and pouring energy into it to trigger the spell. This thod allows even non-mages to use magic, provided they have the appropriate mana."
She demonstrated by creating a small orb of water with an incantation and then drew a complex pattern on a sheet of parchnt. She instructed Arthur to channel his mana into the pattern, and with a surge of energy, a similar water orb appeared above the paper, which promptly crumbled from the energy.
"Whoa!" Arthur exclaid, impressed.
"Cool, right? For non-mages, magic circles can be incredibly useful. But since you're a mage, we'll focus on direct mana manipulation." She then explained that magic could be divided into three main types: attack magic, healing magic, and summoning magic.
"Attack magic is elental: fire, water, wind, and earth. Healing magic branches into healing wounds, detoxifying poisons, divine strikes, and protection barriers. Summoning magic, as the na implies, allows mages to call forth beings or objects," she summarized.
"There are ranks, to mages: Novice, Elentary, Interdiate, Master Mage, Great Mage, Archmage, Sorcerer, Grand Sorcerer, and finally, Sorcerer Supre."
"But no one has reached Sorcerer Supre yet. It has beco a myth now. We only know about it because of its ntions in ancient literature".
Arthur's eyes widened. "No one has reached Sorcerer Supre?"
Iliyana shook her head. "Not for centuries. But enough history—let's move on to casting."
"Let's start with sothing basic and practical," Iliyana suggested. "Healing magic is useful and relatively simple to learn."
Arthur bead as Iliyana guided him through a basic healing spell. She pricked her finger with a small knife, showing a tiny bead of blood. "Pay attention to the chant: 'Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishnt, giving one who has lost strength the strength to rise again—Healing.'"
A soft green glow radiated from her hand, and the cut on her finger healed instantly. Arthur watched in awe, excitent evident in his wide eyes.
"See that? Think you can try?" she asked, passing the knife to him with a grin.
Arthur nodded enthusiastically, though he flinched slightly as the blade pricked her finger again.
He focused, repeating the chant aloud. As he spoke, Arthur felt an energy stirring deep within him, concentrated in his core, flowing like blood through his veins until it reached his arm. It was warm and comforting—almost like the sensation of a hot cup of tea on a chilly morning.
"-giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again - Healing."
Finishing the chant, he felt the warmth surge into his hand, radiating outward. To his delight, his hand glowed with the sa soft green light as Iliyana's, and just like before, the small cut on her finger vanished.
Iliyana's face lit up with pride. "Arthur, you did it on your first try! You're a natural!" She pulled him into a warm hug, beaming down at him.
'That was amazing, but… do I have to say these cringy lines every ti I use magic?' he wondered. Suddenly, Sol's voice echoed in his mind.
[Of course not. With enough practice, repeating a spell will register it as a skill, and you'll be able to use it instantly.]
'But that sounds like it'll take forever… isn't there another way?' Arthur asked.
[There is, but it's tricky. You'd need high mana control.]
'Tell . I'll give it a try,' he replied, eager to learn more.
[It's simple in theory. Rember how your mana flowed from your core when you chanted?]
'Yeah.'
[Then guide your mana in the sa way, just without chanting. It should work.]
Excited, Arthur wriggled free from his mother's embrace. "Mom, could I… try again? This ti on myself?"
She looked at him with slight hesitation. "I'm not sure, Arthur…"
"But it'll help
understand better," he insisted, his determination shining in his eyes.
After a pause, she relented. "Alright, but I'll make the cut."
A quick sting later, Arthur focused on the small wound. He closed his eyes, recalling the warm flow from his chest, channeling it to his hand. This ti, he willed the mana to heal the cut without the chant—and it worked.
A sudden prompt appeared in his mind.
[Congratulations! You have unlocked a new skill.]
[Skill Unlocked: Chantless Magic (B) – You can cast spells without incantations.]
'Unexpected bonus!' Arthur thought gleefully. His mother's exclamation pulled him back to the present.
Iliyana gasped, watching in shock as the wound closed seamlessly. "Arthur! How did you do that?"
"Oh, I just tried to guide the mana like when I chanted," he replied casually.
"That's easy to say, but it's extrely difficult," she said, clearly impressed.
"Maybe I'm a genius," Arthur said, grinning with pride.
Iliyana chuckled, patting his shoulder. "Of course, my son is a genius."
"So, what's next? I want to learn an attack spell now!" he asked, practically bouncing with excitent.
"Not so fast. It's already getting dark. You should have co sooner if you wanted to learn more," she teased, her voice gentle.
Arthur grinned, looking a little sheepish. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Now, off to your room," she said, playfully shooing him out.
With a nod, Arthur headed back to his room, filled with newfound confidence.
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