Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 5

5. Ah, I’m a Baby! (4)

Titania’s cold gaze was fixed on me, and I was utterly taken aback.

‘…….’

It wasn’t just that the smile that always graced her face had vanished, nor was it because of the sudden magic lesson.

‘Did she have this much power?’

Around Titania, who I had only thought of as delicate,

Kuuuu……!

a massive surge of mana, the likes of which I had rarely seen even in my past life, was swirling.

[At least a 9-star mage?]

A 9-star mage. A tremendous power wielded by grand mages.

‘Titania……?’

Even a thousand years ago, those called grand mages were few and far between. Of course, the Five Stars were beyond the pale, so they were excluded.

The situation wasn’t any different now, a thousand years later. According to Titania, there were only nine publicly known grand mages.

[So, Titania secretly reached 9-star?]

‘That can’t be.’

She had clearly stated that she was an 8-star. Given her nature, she wouldn’t lie to me.

“I guess I can’t give you a harsh lesson, Ian.”

Titania chuckled as she saw my jaw drop. With that, the mana fluctuations gradually subsided. The field, which had seemed on the verge of disaster, became calm once more.

“How was that? Was Mom cool just now?”

“……Yes.”

Titania regained her usual warm smile and shook her head.

“Unfortunately, that wasn’t my mana. I just drew out the mana that’s here.”

“The mana here?”

Titania pointed to the field and continued.

“Yes. I don’t know why, but the mana is particularly dense around here. That’s why Juan Delémah, who discovered this place a thousand years ago, decided to settle here.”

My brow furrowed. It wasn’t just because I heard Juan’s name again.

[No wonder I felt so unlucky.]

‘A place with dense mana…….’

I had never heard of such a place in my previous life.

“Here, I can instantly draw not only the mana within my body but also the surrounding mana. Because the mana is so dense.”

Only then did I understand the mana that had surged around Titania.

[Hooh. Does that mean reaching the state of nature is easier here?]

State of nature.

A state beyond using the aura or mana within the body, drawing in the energies around you. It was a legendary state where nature and the body become one.

‘How overflowing with mana must this place be for that to be possible?’

Thanks to the abundant mana here, it seemed possible to experience that distant state, even if only faintly.

“Juan Delémah called this place Origin. It’s only allowed for those who share the blood of Delémah, so it’s strictly forbidden to disclose it to the outside.”

Origin. A mana ley line [a concentration of magical energy] that makes even imagined states possible. It seemed it hadn’t been revealed to the world because of Delémah’s strict control.

“Then, can I grow faster if I train mana here?”

“Half right and half wrong.”

A pleased smile appeared on Titania’s lips.

“There’s no better place than Origin when you’re first practicing to feel mana. Because mana is overflowing here. However, the downside is that you can’t accumulate Origin’s mana in your body. Everyone has tried, but it’s been impossible. The appearance I showed you earlier is only possible within Origin.”

In other words, you can’t take the mana from here to another place.

[So, you can only practice feeling mana here.]

‘Too bad.’

To not be able to accumulate mana in such a dense ley line was disappointing.

“Now, you’re going to feel mana yourself.”

Titania continued the lesson seamlessly.

“A quiet dawn like now is the best time to hear the whispers of mana. Close your eyes and concentrate.”

She closed her eyes as if to demonstrate. I immediately followed suit.

‘……Should I feel it similarly to aura?’

Feeling energies like aura or mana is by no means easy. If it were, the world would be overflowing with knights and mages.

Moreover, it was impossible to know how long it would take for someone doing it for the first time.

[I’ll probably have to live here for months.]

However, I was confident in my concentration. I wasn’t a child in mind, and I didn’t become a 9-star knight for nothing.

‘She told me to listen to the whispers. Let’s give it a try.’

Soil, grass, wind.

I listened to everything around me.

As if I were a grain of sand in this field. As if I were a blade of grass. And as if I had become the wind that roams here.

I didn’t think about time. I fell into a state of complete absorption.

* * *

How much time had passed?

It was around the time when stray thoughts started to creep into my mind.

Wooo…….

The moment I heard a sound that stimulated my mind. It wasn’t a sound that came through my ears. Something that revealed its presence through my fingertips, through my skin.

‘Mana!’

I could be sure. It was different from aura, but it was definitely a flow of energy.

[What? Already?]

‘Yeah. I didn’t feel aura like this. This is easy?’

Whether it was because I was a Delémah with a natural talent for magic, or because of the space called Origin, I couldn’t be sure.

Clearly, I felt a slightly different sense of energy than aura.

However, it was too early to be happy.

‘……What?’

I couldn’t help but focus on the change that occurred in my body.

Thump! Thump! My heart began to beat wildly. The mana I had felt began to gather around it. It wasn’t that I had controlled it separately, but it flowed in naturally.

[What’s wrong?]

‘Mana is accumulating.’

[Huh? You said you can’t accumulate the mana here.]

‘Yeah. But it’s gathering around my heart now.’

[Could it be because of the card you drew during the appraisal?]

The black magic card. The energy that had settled around my heart at that time was generating an attractive force towards the mana.

‘Could it be that the mana here…… can be collected?’

Oberon and I locked eyes in the air.

‘I think we hit the jackpot?’

[It’s a jackpot?]

The powerful and dense mana that swirled around Titania. The mana that no one in Delémah had been able to accumulate in their body was allowing itself to stay in mine.

My eyes widened with joy. The first thing that came into view was Oberon’s surprised expression.

The second thing that came into view was Titania, who was smiling warmly.

‘Has it already been this long…….’

That was because the sky was already dawning. It must have been admirable for a mere seven-year-old child to show such deep concentration.

‘I should tell her that I can collect mana here, right?’

[She’ll figure it out anyway.]

Someone with Titania’s skill would be able to sense the mana accumulating in my body. Rather than telling a clumsy lie, it was better to be honest with her.

“Ian. You have tremendous concentration. Let’s stop here for today.”

Titania smiled brightly and helped me up.

“Mom.”

“What is it?”

I decided to tell the truth to her, who had always been on my side.

“I just heard the whispers of mana.”

“Really? Even in Origin, it takes weeks to feel mana…… Could you have mistaken the sound of the wind?”

“No. What I felt was definitely mana. Because it’s staying near my heart right now.”

Only then did Titania’s eyes widen.

“What? You not only felt mana but also absorbed it into your body?”

Her surprised fingertips reached out to me.

Woooong!

Then, she emitted mana and scanned my body. A gasp escaped her astonished voice along with a gust of air.

“……You really, really gathered mana.”

* * *

After that day, it was only natural that I spent most of my day in Origin.

‘It’s gathering on its own.’

The mana of Origin, which no one could gather, was steadily accumulating in my body. Even if I didn’t try to gather mana separately, the energy in my heart absorbed mana on its own.

About a month passed like that.

“Huh! Is that true?”

“Mana is accumulating in that child’s body.”

The Delémah gathered around me, whispering. The members of the family had come because of the rumor that I was gathering the mana of Origin.

“I, is it now possible to accumulate the mana of Origin?”

Someone’s shout spread like wildfire.

“I’ll give it a try!”

“I’ll try too!”

“Yes! Even that cursed child can do it!”

For a while, Origin became a hot topic among the Delémah. People flocked to the field, regardless of who they were.

However, the craze didn’t last for weeks.

“No matter how much I try, it doesn’t gather. It’s no different than before?”

“How did that child do it?”

“Huh……. What is that cursed brat doing!”

No one could gather mana in their body like me.

‘I guess only I can do it?’

[The energy from that card must be related. Are you going to keep gathering mana here?]

‘Of course. How can I miss out on this honey?’

There was no need to give up the opportunity to easily accumulate mana.

‘It didn’t accumulate this easily outside.’

In Origin, I could accumulate mana several times faster than when I was outside. I might not be able to encounter such a lucky chance again.

“He’s there again today.”

Just as I was diligently accumulating mana, a voice echoed in Origin.

“It’s been a year already, right? A cursed kid is gathering the mana of Origin? Tsk!”

The owner of the voice was Helena. Next to her was her child, Macduff.

“Titania! Are you really going to teach magic to such a cursed child?”

Helena sneered, and Macduff stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes. They were an unpleasant mother and son, but I held back for now.

‘I have to endure here as much as possible until I go to the academy.’

I had to draw in as much mana as possible that I could absorb from Origin.

“…….”

Titania also ignored them consistently. Being the wise woman she was, she probably thought it was better not to mix words.

She didn’t push me, nor did she push Helena. She just silently stayed by my side. She must have been worried that someone would harm me, calling me a cursed child.

‘She’s really an amazing woman.’

Thanks to Titania, I could focus solely on collecting mana.

[You’re a tough one too. It’s like you’re doing some kind of secluded training. How long have you been doing this?]

The time caused the seasons to change as many as twelve times.

‘I think it’s about time to stop coming here anyway. I have to learn magic more seriously starting next week.’

The scenery of Origin, which I had become accustomed to. Turning my head, I could see a wide square and a lecture hall building far away.

[Ah, next week is the academy entrance day, right?]

It was the academy facility inside Delémah.

‘Yeah. I’ve gathered quite a bit of mana now, so it’s time to learn magic.’

[Finally, you’re getting one step closer to those Five Stars bastards.]

The year I turned ten.

It was the time to start magic lessons in earnest at Delémah.

“Mom.”

As I quietly opened my mouth, Titania still sent me a warm gaze.

“What is it?”

“Thank you for waiting for me all this time.”

Already, three mana circles were rotating in my heart.

* * *

Titania smiled broadly.

“Ian! Do well!”

I headed to the academy, receiving the send-off from the nanny and Titania, who had prepared a feast from the morning. It was a course that every member of Delémah had to go through.

“Okay, freshmen, this way!”

As I was moving my steps following the instructor’s command.

Thud-.

Someone bumped into my shoulder and passed by.

“Ah, look where you’re going. Cursed brat.”

The guy who bumped into me and spat out irritable words. It was Helena’s son, Macduff. The guy who received a terrible home education resembled his mother’s temper.

‘What am I supposed to do with that little punk.’

If I had a sword, I would have cut off all the ligaments in his limbs and fried him in the toilet [a figure of speech for extreme anger and violence].

[Hold it. We decided to stay quiet until we get out of the family.]

I took a deep breath and headed forward. I wasn’t the only one entering the academy.

Delémah was one of the most prestigious magical families on the continent. It was only natural that talents from various kingdoms would gather to enter the Delémah family’s academy.

Of course, it was not comparable to the magic tower of the Empire, but to enter there, you had to achieve at least 3 stars.

In other words, it was a kind of early education to visit before going to the magic tower.

“Oh. There are a lot of freshmen this year?”

A man standing on the altar at the very front of the auditorium looks around at the children lined up in a row.

A young man who looks a little over twenty years old. He was the instructor in charge of this class.

‘He looks young, but his achievements must be quite high.’

He looked down at the freshmen and raised one side of his mouth. It was an ominous smile.

‘What is it?’

After taking a breath, he opened his mouth again.

“Okay! From now on, we will conduct the entrance test!”

The auditorium was instantly in an uproar.