The Roots of Benheim
The air in the annex was heavy and still.
I looked out the window.
In the garden, servants with brooms were busy scrubbing away the traces of the duel.
Most of it consisted of the bloodstains from Arno's nosebleed.
Perhaps that was why the glances they threw my way as they passed were far from warm.
Well, even if I won the duel, I'm still an outsider.
An interloper had gone and chipped an established pillar of the house. The fact that said pillar was Arno von Benheim, the heir to the family, only made things more awkward.
The wariness and hostility the Benheim mages felt toward me had clearly grown more pronounced.
Right around the time those thoughts crossed my mind, the rhythmic click of footsteps ascending the stairs echoed.
“Lord Raygan, the Patriarch has arrived,” the maid, Sheryl, announced.
“Hmm…”
The Patriarch, Stern von Benheim.
I had been wondering when he would show up.
I had clocked his son right in the jaw, so it was only natural for him to be furious.
Entering the room, Stern hung his fedora on the coat rack and took a seat.
I had plenty of excuses lined up. Above all, it had been a fair duel, so my conscience was clear.
However, I was a man who knew how to play my cards.
I decided to put on the face of a guilty child who had just broken a window.
“…Patriarch, I am deeply reflecting on my actions.”
“And what exactly are you reflecting on?”
“…Well.”
“See? You do not actually think you did anything wrong.”
Whether I simply lacked a talent for acting or the Archmage's insight was just that formidable, Stern saw right through my facade in an instant.
“Raygan, just to be clear, I did not come here to blame you.”
A broad smile played on Stern's lips.
“I heard my son, Arno, wagered an elixir on the duel.”
“…Yes. That is correct.”
“An elixir is a treasure strictly managed by Benheim. It is not something just anyone can obtain, nor is it something we can easily hand over to an outsider.”
“Yes, I understand. It was just a passing remark. You do not need to worry about it.”
It was absurd to expect a high-grade elixir from a single duel anyway. Even low-grade elixirs on the market had people lining up to buy them at a premium, so who in their right mind would hand over a legendary elixir to an outsider?
“Raygan, let me repeat: I did not come here to blame you.”
However, Stern's next words caught me completely off guard.
“Benheim never breaks its promises. Furthermore, since the one who made the promise is my son, the heir, it is only right for me, as both Patriarch and father, to deliver the elixir.”
“……?”
“However, taking an elixir out of the treasury requires the elders' approval. Raygan, in that light, let me make another offer. I will give you something even better than an elixir. Are you interested?”
“What could be better than an elixir?”
At my question, the corners of Stern's mouth curved upward gently.
“I heard from Sheryl. You have not formed a mana core yet, have you?”
“…Don't tell me.”
“Indeed. Originally, once you became a proper mage, I intended to give you the finest mana cultivation method available on the market. But by defeating my son, you have proven your talent.”
Stern declared with a hearty laugh.
“I shall pass down Benheim's proprietary mana cultivation method to you.”
Those words shocked even me, a battle-hardened veteran.
A mana cultivation method is the deepest root of secret magic—the very foundation of a family.
“Patriarch, are you serious?”
“Have I ever lied? Benheim is a family of honor.”
“But I do not carry Benheim blood. I've only been here a week. Above all, I am not officially part of Benheim.”
“Indeed. Do you think that will be a problem?”
“…Is it not?”
“No, you are right. It is a problem. A very big one, in fact. The elders will be furious if they find out, and if other families hear of this, they will try to recruit you by any means necessary.”
Stern continued playfully.
“But who can stop the Patriarch from fully supporting a promising prospect? As I said, there will be backlash, but not enough to bend my will.”
As a commoner, I didn't know much about noble society. But I had heard stories during my mercenary days. Nobles were generally arrogant and proud.
Yet, what about Stern? He was offering a secret technique without hesitation to a random guy who had beaten up his own son just a few hours ago.
The Patriarch of Benheim was a better man than Lunia had described, and far better than I had expected.
“Ah, Raygan. Before I am a Patriarch, I must speak as a mage. A mana cultivation method is a mage's source. If you learn Benheim's proprietary method, you will share our roots.”
“……”
“This is not a matter to be taken lightly. If you choose to accept it, you will not be able to easily leave Benheim. Are you fine with that?”
I smiled inwardly at Stern's question.
I was already in the same boat as Lunia.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“…It is exactly what I want.”
Stern stroked his mustache, looking satisfied.
“Good. Follow me. Let us go to the mana vein.”
The Benheim estate was massive.
There was the main house, which resembled a castle, a towering magic tower, four annexes, and a semi-circular garden wrapping around them all.
As expected of a prestigious magic family, the garden was no ordinary garden. Following the path behind the main house, a cascading waterfall came into view, with a small altar nestled beneath it.
“This is the mana vein. Some call it the ley line,” said Stern, who had led me here.
“In Benheim's thousand-year history, this place has never been unimportant. What do you feel, Raygan?”
As expected of a ley line belonging to one of the Five Great Magic Families, the density of the mana lingering in the air was immediately apparent.
It felt as though the fine hairs all over my body were standing on end.
“I could probably cast a 3rd-tier spell here.”
“Haha. Yes. Excellent mana sensitivity. As you said, the mana here is superior in both quantity and quality to the outside. It is the perfect environment to form a mana core.”
Stern spotted a reasonably sized rock in front of the waterfall and led me to it.
“Now, sit.”
Following Stern's instruction, I sat cross-legged. He gestured to Chief Seneschal Allet, who had accompanied us. Allet approached me with a somewhat displeased expression and handed me a book.
It was an old, worn book bound with purple twine.
“What is this?”
“The book containing Benheim's mana cultivation method. It has been centuries since we showed this secret technique to an outsider.”
“May I read it?”
“That is why I brought it out.”
I took the book and read it. The magic book was written in an archaic language no longer in use, but helpful annotations had been added, making it easy to read.
How long did I read? An exclamation of awe escaped me inwardly.
This is insane.
I had wandered the world as a mercenary for nearly ten years. In the process, I had devoured countless mana cultivation methods, extracting only the best parts to weave into my own dantian.
But this Benheim secret technique before my eyes was so magnificent that all the third-rate methods I had seen combined couldn't even begin to compare.
As expected of Benheim, which used Rune Magic as its unique magic system, the structure of the mana cultivation method was also specialized for Rune Magic. A secret technique containing hundreds of years of wisdom. I had never seen a mana cultivation method so systematic and clear.
“Can you understand it?”
“I understand some of it.”
In truth, I had understood everything from the moment I first read it. But to avoid suspicion, I put on the awkward smile of a child. This time, Stern fell for my act.
“Yes, you cannot digest it all at once. I was the same. Forming a mana core takes time. Come to this mana vein whenever you need, read the manual, and make it yours. If you have questions, ask Sheryl or the family mages.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“Since it is your first day, I will guide you. Straighten your back.”
Stern stepped behind me and placed his hand on my spine. A ticklish sensation gathered at my lower back and flowed along my spine.
“Forming a mana core means creating a pocket in your body to gather mana. Right here, do you feel it?”
Stern's pure mana precisely targeted my dantian.
“Draw in the vast mana flowing from the vein and guide it here. You must make absorbing mana as natural as breathing. The cultivation method helps with that. Follow the manual slowly.”
“Yes.”
It wasn't difficult.
I had already done it countless times.
I sat cross-legged, closed my eyes, and focused on the flow of mana.
Benheim had systematized the language of the gods, Rune characters, into magic. Therefore, their mana cultivation method also followed the unique properties of Rune Magic.
However...
I should tweak this a bit.
Why should I blindly copy Benheim's mana cultivation method like a toddler babbling?
I had already seen the limits.
Even Lunia, who had mastered this exact method, was no match for the Archduke of Demonic Magic.
What I needed now was a mana cultivation method that could surpass the realm of the Archduke of Demonic Magic.
A supreme mana cultivation method that could encompass both aura and magic.
And I just happened to have the perfect raw materials.
Don't take it personally.
I intended to create an entirely new mana cultivation method based on Benheim's.
Yes, starting right now.
“……”
I slowly calmed my breathing.
And with practiced ease, I began to circulate the mana.
“Phew—”
A regular breath.
The inhaled mana turned gray, filtering out with his slow exhale.
“My word…”
Stern, who was watching quietly, shook his head in disbelief.
Raygan was sitting cross-legged, breathing deeply. The breath was clearly laced with mana.
“Seneschal, do you see this?”
“Yes.”
“That boy has grasped the way of breathing mana in less than half a day. What do you think?”
“…It is genius.”
Even Chief Seneschal Allet, who had brought the secret book with a displeased look, had no choice but to admit it this time.
Knowing how to manipulate mana and knowing how to absorb it were two completely different matters.
Even if someone was talented enough to perfectly replicate magic formulas just by reading a book, absorbing mana into the body was an entirely different realm.
In that sense, the talent of the boy named Raygan was terrifying. If he hadn't been chosen by the Archmage of Benheim, Allet would have suspected him of being a spy from another family. Such a coincidence made no sense otherwise.
“A person with high mana sensitivity might feel mana and circulate it within a day. But I did not expect him to be this proficient. I don't even need to help him.”
Stern let out a dry laugh.
He had intended to guide Raygan until evening, but he changed his mind.
“He will figure it out on his own. Seneschal, let us leave so we do not disturb him.”
“Yes.”
Stern and Allet left the mana vein. Raygan remained focused on his meditation, not even sparing them a glance. Even then, his breathing did not falter in the slightest. It was truly remarkable concentration.
On the way back to the main house, Allet spoke cautiously.
“Patriarch, there is one thing I must report.”
“What is it?”
“It is regarding the boy learning the family's mana cultivation method.”
Stern nodded. He had revealed Benheim's proprietary mana cultivation method, which only direct descendants inherited, to an outsider. The family elders would surely be furious if they found out.
And that wasn't the only problem.
“I cannot deny that the boy's talent is extraordinary. However, if this news spreads outside, the other families will not sit idly by.”
Benheim's secret technique was a treasure coveted by every mage on the continent. If word got out that Raygan had learned it, he would find himself walking on the edge of a blade.
“It is not just an external issue. The branch families will also protest fiercely on the grounds of fairness.”
Benheim was a massive family. In addition to direct descendants like Arno, numerous branch family members trained in magic on Benheim's estate.
The branch families were barred from learning Benheim's core magic formulas. If rumors spread that a lowborn boy had learned the family's secret technique, the sharp glares and pressure directed at Raygan would be immense.
“Allet, do not worry. Raygan is clever. He already knows his situation well.”
“Are you testing the boy, Patriarch?”
“A test. Yes, you could look at it that way. If he overcomes all of this, he will truly deserve to be called a mage of Benheim. When that time comes, he can live among the branch families as an external mage.”
“We do not even know the boy's background. Even if Raygan overcomes everyone's wariness and grows into an excellent mage, his background will eventually hold him back.”
“Allet, I am not blind.”
“Then what do you plan to do?”
“What else can we do? We must bring the boy into the family.”
“Are you saying you will give him the family name? No external mage has ever received the Benheim name. He has been here for less than a month. The elders will never allow it.”
“There is a way.”
Stern smiled faintly. Just then, his eyes fell on Lunia, who was walking in the garden. Allet, following his gaze, gasped in shock.
“Are you serious? Lady Lunia…?”
“Allet, let us leave it at that. This is merely one of many ways. Most importantly, it depends on my daughter's wishes. I will not force her into anything she does not want.”
Stern watched Lunia through the garden fence. She was clutching a basket of food tightly to her chest, and her destination was the very mana vein Stern and Allet had just left.
“Well, I do not think it will take very long.”
Stern sighed. The heavy weight in his chest right now was not that of a patriarch, but of a father.