Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: An Unusual Dracain
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"No, it's best not to try it right away."
"Pardon...?"
I cut her off mid-sentence, and Shimo stared back with a blank expression. She was my second disciple, after all the effort I'd put in. I couldn't teach her magic when safety wasn't guaranteed yet.
What if she tried forming a circle in her heart and it triggered a rejection reaction that made it explode? I didn't want Shimo to end up as the 'former Shimo.'
"For now, draw some blood."
"M-My blood, you say?"
"Who else around here do you think I could draw blood from?"
"Ah... Yes, sir..."
Shimo nodded at my words and raised her hand. Watching her, I suddenly recalled what I'd heard earlier that day.
'She mentioned having anemia...'
She was the type who drew her own blood to use as a medium for magic. Crossing that harsh desert must have meant shedding a lot of blood. I belatedly added,
"...Not too much. A few drops should do it."
The blood Shimo drew out was collected in a small bowl and handed to me. Durel, ever quick on the uptake, had been standing by and caught it the moment she extracted it.
'Hmm...'
I shook the small bowl this way and that, watching the droplets move inside. Aside from the fact that it held mana, it looked no different from ordinary blood on the surface.
Of course, inside it was another story. Mana flowed ceaselessly. Even without Shimo—the caster—the blood itself was manifesting magic on its own. Since it couldn't absorb mana independently, it seemed Shimo had been steadily infusing it.
'Memories contained in the blood...'
Was this some kind of innate ability tied to her bloodline? It was quite peculiar. But that wasn't the important thing right now. I needed to check if Shimo could use magic or not.
What would happen if I infused it with mana? The moment the thought crossed my mind, my mana was already moving.
Mana spinning in my heart flowed out through my hand toward the blood. The droplet rippled dramatically for an instant but absorbed my mana without issue.
'So mana itself is fine.'
Mana without the mystery of magic woven into it can't exert physical force. That's why the blood droplet couldn't move on its own. But magic was different. It was mana under my control, meaning I could cast spells on it from outside.
I needed to form a ring not in the heart, but within the blood. It didn't need to be large-scale or overly powerful. This was just to check for rejection reactions. A simplified mana circle began taking shape, with most functions omitted.
As the mana circle formed, the blood droplet started changing too. It maintained a round shape as if following the mana’s rotation, then began spinning itself.
Was it because this magic didn't rely on the inner world? There were no obvious rejection reactions visible. So what about standard spells? Shimo had said that every Dracain who tried learning human magic had died.
'Reaping Wind.'
I tried casting a Golden Wind School spell using the mana dissolved in the blood. A book from my inner world unfurled, and razor-sharp wind blades were on the verge of forming—
Tchick-!
With a small explosive sound, the blood droplet burst. It meant magic requiring the inner world—the core spells—couldn't coexist with blood magic.
The scattered blood created an eerie silence. I wiped the blood from my cheek and turned to Shimo, seeing her pale face.
"No problem."
"N-No problem...? That blood just exploded, didn't it?"
"It burst because it was magic from outside the Infinite Archive School. What I'll teach you will be fine."
"I-It doesn't seem fine at all."
"Shimo. You're the one who said you wanted to learn."
"B-But I just saw my own blood explode right in front of me...!"
"I said it's fine. If you really don't want to, we can pretend it never happened."
Shimo couldn't answer easily. It was a perfectly understandable reaction. How could she casually agree to learn magic after watching her own blood explode? There was a world of difference between hearing about it and seeing it happen.
Having witnessed firsthand how dangerous human magic was for Dracains, it was natural for her earlier resolve to waver.
"I'll learn it."
The answer came much sooner than expected. I'd thought she might approach me tomorrow at the earliest, but something had changed in her mindset. I nodded and spoke.
"You can relax. I just confirmed it with your blood. Infinite Archive magic should blend perfectly with it."
"Yes, sir..."
"What you'll learn is the foundation of the Infinite Archive School: the mana circle. It's a semi-permanent engine that absorbs natural mana on its own, conceals your level as a mage, and amplifies your spells' power."
"Absorbs mana on its own...? You mean without conscious effort?"
"That's right?"
"That's... That's possible...?"
"I'll recite the Erkamon for the mana circle. Feel free to memorize it or write it down. Of course, once you've committed it all to memory, burn whatever notes you made."
"I'm ready."
"Focus your mana and wrap a band around your heart. Imagine a blue ring spinning infinitely."
Was she smart, or just intuitive? Shimo didn't pull out any writing tools. She knelt down right away and nodded.
"Breath of nature... Circulation of the heart..."
"Don't abbreviate it. The mana circle's Erkamon is perfect as is. You need to memorize it in full to get its full performance."
"Yes, sir...!"
I was in the middle of reciting the mana circle's Erkamon when my eyes flashed open. I'd suddenly remembered something. Even so, my mouth kept moving without pause.
'I never created the Erkamon for the second and third circles...'
What I'd just recited was only the first mana circle's Erkamon. No wonder Durel was struggling with the second one. He couldn't form it because the second Erkamon didn't exist.
Durel hadn't known. He'd probably just kept reciting the first Erkamon endlessly, blaming his own shortcomings. This was clearly my mistake.
'I took it too much for granted...'
I'd momentarily forgotten that not everyone was like me. If the first was needed, so were the second and third.
I felt terrible for Durel. Unaware of this, I'd kept pressuring him about when he'd finish the second mana circle.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at Shimo. She sat comfortably with her eyes closed, concentrating to sense the mana more keenly.
'And Durel...'
Durel was sitting comfortably with his eyes closed too. Through the Mystic Sight of Arcana, I could see exactly what was happening inside him. He was still working hard to form his second mana circle.
'This is going to drive me crazy...'
After a moment's hesitation, I called out to Durel.
"Durel."
"Yes?"
"Once Shimo finishes her mana circle, tell her quietly to go to sleep with you. I've got work to do, so don't disturb me."
"Ah, yes... More training?"
"Something like that..."
"Understood."
Sleep was off the table tonight. I glanced outside, sighed, and closed my eyes. Soon, my mind sank deep, and all my senses faded away.
Inside the vast library. Standing alone at its center, I quietly watched the books flying around me. Every one flashing past was a fragment of my memory.
Time felt nebulous in the inner world. I had no idea how many hours had passed. All the while, countless words had combined into sentences, only to break apart and reform repeatedly.
'Light slumbers in shadow, and truth is buried in silence.'
Not a bad start. Intuitive and flowing smoothly, yet an Erkamon must compensate for a mage's limited imagination.
'As I cease to be seen, my breath scatters into the void, my presence lighter than a falling leaf. Thus, no trace of me remains even in the wind...'
The second mana circle's power was concealment. It had to completely hide one's level and deceive opponents.
'As long as I reveal myself not, the world cannot measure me.'
Even after placing the final period, the ideas kept coming. This Erkamon would be used by everyone joining the Infinite Archive School from now on. Had I missed anything? Could I add more to shore up weaknesses? I kept reviewing it obsessively.
That was why progress was so slow.
'This is exhausting...'
No, 'exhausting' didn't cover it. My head throbbed like it might split after hours of abuse. If this had been a spell just for me, it wouldn't have taken this long.
I couldn't skip parts I didn't need personally, and that disconnect was immense. But having established a school and taken disciples, this was something I had to endure.
'One more time...'