It took Reynard a week—not counting the ti he was attending actual lessons—to finish reading "Thoughts on Advanced Magecraft".
The book was as thick and dense as Reynard imagined it, and also a true wealth of knowledge. If he wasn’t over twice as old as his body, Reynard doubted he would be able to understand so much of it even in a week.
The author went into great detail explaining his theories on what made a spell, well, a spell.
"It’s widely known that the higher a magus’ refinent advances, the easier it is for them to use spells. On the Mortal Refinent, magi are shackled by motions of mana they morize like their multiplication tables. For Hertic Refinent magi, motions of mana beco intuitive, but only Mythic Refinent magi can truly create new magic instead of changing what has been done before them. Only they are called Loremasters. But what in the nature of our auras affects this understanding?" the book went, casually dipping into powers that Reynard could barely imagine.
Mortal Refinent, Hertic Refinent, Mythic Refinent...
In theory, if a Rubedo-stage magus finished his Final Cycle of Operations, he would beco a Nigredo-stage magus again, but on the higher Refinent stage. Those were called "major stages", with Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinito, and Rubedo being "minor stages".
But there wasn’t a single magus above Mortal Refinent in Reynard’s town, and nobody even bothered ntioning other stages.
The book’s author didn’t disclose his own refinent stage, but in many passages, he spoke as if he knew these Hertic and Mythic magi personally!
After Reynard finished reading the book, he had a new understanding of how spells worked and how to adapt them to his aura.
’This stuff is taught to Albedo students in lectures, but much more slowly than I can read it in a book... Thanks to Marien’s help, I might be able to succeed this ti.’
Before Reynard asked Marien for the book, he had ti to think through his plan of action more thoroughly.
He had to improve his strength as much as he could because he didn’t know the dangers outside of Blue Bismuth School’s territory.
But the engineering of his guns or the refinent of his aura both required much more ti than he had.
Reynard had to focus on studying magic, but black-class spells like Molten Bow were di a dozen. He was convinced he could easily find them in other cities.
That left him with only one option to pursue...
The flower-spell of the defeated traveling magus. The only summoning spell that Reynard had even heard of, and one that could definitely be used better than just as a at shield.
Earlier, Reynard failed at learning it because of his lack of understanding. But now he had more practice with Albedo spells and extra theory from the "Thoughts on Advanced Magecraft".
Reynard stood in his empty garden, feeling confident in his abilities. He closed his eyes for a mont, rembering again every motion and gesture that he had copied.
Chili watched him curiously from its pen as Reynard raised his hands and made the first magic pass.
His understanding of the spell was full of holes, but the learned theory let him fill them. Word by word, gesture by gesture, mana in his hands transford...
Then shuddered violently and exploded outward.
"Oink!"
"Gah!" Reynard stepped back, covering his eyes.
When he opened them again, he gasped.
The empty garden plots were rapidly becoming green again. Weeds were rapidly growing over them, stopping a couple of seconds later. By then, the tallest of them reached Reynard’s ankle.
He whistled.
"Amazing... This was a miscast, but... I have successfully transford my mana into whatever plant energy that was powering this spell! This is nothing like the miscasts I’m used to."
All spells ca from Lores, which were created by Loremasters. If Reynard had to call this Lore, he’d call it Lore of Plants; but for all he knew, it could’ve been Lore of Life or Lore of Growth or whatever else that ca to the Loremaster’s head.
There was nothing like it in Blue Bismuth School.
With renewed confidence, Reynard returned to practice.
Ti passed.
***
"Artemy, hello. You shouldn’t have co to the lecture today."
"What? Why, teacher?"
"The day of the Four-Moon Realm opening is only three days away. The Magister asked to give you a break so you could prepare. I know you were preparing already, but so rest would probably do you good." The teacher looked down on Reynard with a hint of pity in her eyes, which quickly went away.
His stomach churned.
’She KNOWS. Knows and still speaks so softly. What a cold-blooded bitch.’
anwhile, Reynard’s clueless classmates sighed and glared with envy.
He bowed his head.
"I see. Thank you, teacher! Then I will leave now."
That day, he went to his and Marien’s clearing in the forest.
As he waited for her, Reynard was practicing again.
His hands slowly went through magical passes, refining mana into a spell.
Then he released it, and the magic burrowed into the ground under his feet to reappear again a step forward in the form of a long stem with a giant rose blooming on top.
A black-class Albedo spell, which Reynard called Thornshooter. Like a Molten Bow or Spirit Armor, the plant was just materialized magic and only acted on Reynard’s wishes.
It also took a part of his mana circulation to sustain, but much less than a Spirit Armor. At the mont, he still couldn’t hold both of them at once, but that was going to change when Reynard had ti to refine his aura.
Reynard cast the spell again, focusing on doing that faster. And again... And again, until he heard approaching footsteps.
He turned around and smiled at approaching Marien.
"My princess! Roses are red, bismuth is blue, but no magic is more beautiful than you!"
She gasped, blushing and covering her mouth.
"Reynard!.. This is amazing... How?"
He winked and smiled at her, utterly pleased with himself.
"I told you that I have a surprise, Mari. Thank you again for that book! Now, are you ready for more good news?"
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