An Unexpected Visitor
"So, how is he?"
"...To speak frankly..."
At Patriarch Stern's inquiry, Sheryl reported what she had witnessed in detail.
The actions of Raygan, the outsider mage she had monitored over the past few days, were bizarre to say the least.
Sheryl was no mere maid. Nor was she an ordinary mage. She was a 5th-tier shadow mage belonging to the Empire's Shadow Mage Guild.
Disguised as a servant, she had been dispatched to keep an eye on Raygan while simultaneously acting as his magic instructor. However, she had not yet found a single opportunity to offer him any meaningful advice.
"He cast magic? On his own?"
"Yes, my lord."
On his very first day in the annex, the outsider mage Raygan had successfully cast rune magic entirely on his own.
By the second day, he had already begun modifying the spell to suit his own style.
The Rune of Flame, Kenaz.
It was a simple spell that any 2nd-tier mage could easily master and cast.
Yet, what had astounded the shadow mage Sheryl was not the mere fact that Raygan had cast a 2nd-tier spell.
"He cast it solely from reading a grimoire? A boy who has just taken his first steps into magic, who doesn't even possess a mana core, cast a 2nd-tier signature spell instead of a common one?"
Magic possessed a grand, fundamental principle.
The trinity of casting: perception, construction, and manifestation.
If one was exceptionally gifted, they might quickly grasp construction and manifestation.
But perception was an entirely different matter. It required a fundamental understanding of the essence itself.
And comprehending the essence of magic was not something that could be achieved in a day or two, no matter how talented one might be.
"...Well, this is quite something."
Stern placed a hand on his chin, a look of genuine surprise crossing his face. He turned his gaze to Chief Seneschal Allet and spoke.
"If that is true, then the boy possesses a heaven-sent talent. Seneschal, how many years into your training were you when you first mastered Kenaz?"
"...I believe it was my second year, my lord."
"Indeed. Yet this boy grasped the subtle principles of rune magic in less than a single day."
"He may lack a mana core, but there is no guarantee he has never studied magic before. Furthermore, being able to cast a spell does not necessarily mean he has grasped its deeper principles."
"That is also true. However, mimicking a 2nd-tier spell—especially a signature Benheim spell, notorious for its complexity—without a mana core, and solely by reading the text in a book, is still a magnificent display of talent."
Stern's words were entirely correct.
Even the archmages hailed as geniuses throughout history had required a considerable amount of time to show their brilliance after their first contact with magic.
Magic was a discipline that could only truly take off when supported by systematic study and resources. A novice who had just entered the field could not possibly cast spells proficiently just by looking at a single grimoire.
In particular, Benheim's magic was famous for its notoriously difficult perception phase, as it integrated ancient runes into its magical system.
'As expected of the talent chosen by the family's ancestor.'
Stern was genuinely impressed.
For a greenhorn who hadn't even begun accumulating mana to cast a spell just by reading a grimoire...
Perhaps it would be best to monitor his progress a bit longer and then bestow upon him the family's signature mana cultivation technique.
It was just as he was lost in these thoughts.
"Father."
Someone raised their hand.
When Stern turned his head, he saw the clean-cut eldest son of the Benheim family, Arno von Benheim, frowning deeply.
"Surely you haven't allowed that thief we recently brought in to learn our family's magic?"
"A thief? Arno, are you referring to Raygan?"
"Yes. That thief didn't just steal our family heirloom; he is now wasting our family's resources. No matter how great his talent may be, I believe it is wrong to shield a criminal."
"A criminal? The boy is our family's benefactor. Have you already forgotten that Raygan saved Lunia just the other day?"
"I heard we still haven't uncovered the mastermind behind that attack. For all we know, that fellow Raygan might have orchestrated the entire thing. Hasn't the background check on him not even finished yet? We cannot rule out the possibility that he is a spy infiltrated by the black mages."
Stern frowned at his eldest son's words.
This was not Arno's opinion alone. The majority of the Benheim mages, including Allet, deeply distrusted the boy named Raygan who had newly entered the estate.
It was only because Stern had imposed a gag order that the issue had not surfaced publicly.
"Enough. You know well how foolish it is to suspect someone based on mere speculation. Treat him with the respect he deserves."
In House Benheim, the Patriarch's word was absolute.
Yet, absolute authority could not sway one's heart.
Arno reluctantly held his tongue, but his face was tight with dissatisfaction. Knowing nothing of the deeper circumstances, he could not comprehend why an outsider who shared none of their blood was receiving his father's favor.
Stern saw right through his son's thoughts, but rather than admonishing him, he chose to leave him be. A competitive spirit would serve as a catalyst to sharpen his skills.
Arno, having no way of knowing his father's intentions, aggressively stabbed his meat with a fork and thought:
'I'll have to pay that bastard a visit soon and pry the truth out of him.'
Meanwhile, at the far end of the dining table, a young girl was listening to the father-son conversation with intrigued eyes.
The youngest daughter, who possessed the purest concentration of Benheim blood among Stern's three children.
"...Mmm."
Lunia von Benheim, the second daughter of the family with golden hair, blinked her iris-colored eyes.
Deep within those eyes lay an immense curiosity toward the boy named Raygan who had saved her.
Seven days and nights had already passed since I began my life at the Benheim estate.
During that time, all I had done was read the grimoire and experiment with the magic in various ways.
Whoosh!
Crimson flames spilled from the rune Kenaz as it hovered in midair.
By now, I had reached a level where I could cast Kenaz without much focus.
While it couldn't be called a grand achievement, it was certainly not something an ordinary person without a mana core could easily pull off.
"...I think I can modify it a bit more."
Staring at the floating Kenaz rune, I gathered the ambient mana in the air and infused it into the symbol.
Instead of controlling the flames erupting from the rune, I clenched my left hand tightly around it.
Flames created by rune magic were made of highly pure mana. They would never harm the caster.
Pop!
I scattered the rune in my hand outward in a fan shape. The flames dispersed like bursting fireworks.
In truth, this was a slight modification of how Lunia had utilized Kenaz in my past life.
Since the Kenaz rune alone didn't possess exceptional destructive power, it was usually combined with other runes. However, the method I employed was an application that strictly prioritized efficiency.
It was a way to fully exploit the advantage of creating a flame far superior to common spells of the same tier with just a single step.
The power wasn't great, but it was excellent for blinding an enemy.
"Not bad."
Above all, I had other means besides magic.
I clenched and unclenched my left hand, which had just held Kenaz. Meanwhile, my right hand was resting firmly against my waist, as if gripping an invisible sword hilt.
Unconsciously, I was operating under the assumption that my right hand held a sword.
"...I wonder if I can use this alongside aura."
This was the sole reason I had repeatedly practiced Kenaz instead of trying new spells over the past few days.
A sword in my right hand, magic in my left.
It was to master this simple yet unorthodox new style of combat.
My progress was still lacking. Having swung nothing but a sword for nearly twenty years, it seemed it would take some time to get used to a mage's mana control.
"If I'd known things would turn out like this, I should have learned some magic in my past life."
Clicking my tongue, I recalled my life before regression.
Being a swordsman to the bone, I had never really sought to learn magic from Lunia. Since I never actively asked, she hadn't offered to teach me either.
Only when the Imperial Court collapsed and the war took a turn for the absolute worst did I finally ask her to teach me even a simple spell. But back then, she had given me a peculiar answer.
"Not yet."
"Not yet? Are you telling me to wait for next time when we're on the brink of the final battle?"
"Exactly. Don't worry. An opportunity will naturally present itself to you, Raygan."
I let out a bitter laugh.
Could that "next opportunity" she spoke of have been this very moment?
I still couldn't fully fathom her intentions.
But one thing was certain: to stand against the Archduke of Demonic Magic, I had to reach a realm far beyond ordinary excellence.
And to reach that realm, it was far better to build my strength under the protection of the prestigious magic family, Benheim.
It was just as I was organizing my thoughts.
Thud.
A small pebble flew over the wall.
As I stared at it, another pebble flew over.
Someone was playing a silly prank.
I pushed off the ground and scaled the wall. On the other side stood a girl with golden hair.
"Hi."
Lunia von Benheim.
She was looking up at me from beneath the wall with a beaming smile.
"Uh..."
To be honest, bewilderment preceded any sense of gladness.
I had kept our eventual reunion in mind, but I never expected to meet her while hanging off a wall like this.
"I want to talk to you."
Regardless of whatever I might say, Lunia spoke with utter nonchalance. Thanks to that, I was able to respond in a relatively flat tone.
"You could just come inside and talk. Why are you calling me from over the wall?"
"There's a reason. Father told me not to go near you."
"Ah."
My father-in-law had resorted to a rather petty tactic.
It was likely because my remarks during our last meeting had sent his paternal alarm bells ringing.
"Anyway, I don't have much time. I snuck out."
"Snuck out?"
"Yeah. I've been practically under house arrest as punishment for leaving the estate without permission last time. I slipped out just now while my maid was away on an errand. Well, I left a doll in my bed, so they won't find out until dinner anyway."
It seemed the surveillance on Lunia had grown much stricter after the recent attack.
It was only natural. It had been an unprecedented crisis where the precious daughter of the Benheim family had wandered outside their protective walls and nearly been kidnapped.
"So, did you come to offer a belated thank you?"
"No? Not really. I heard you received a separate reward from Father. Since you got what you wanted, there's no need for me to thank you, right?"
"……."
She kept business and personal matters strictly separate.
Even at this young age, Lunia was remarkably sharp in that regard.
"Then what is your business?"
"I came to warn you."
"A warning?"
"Yeah. My brother is gunning for you."
Lunia nodded as she spoke.
Her brother.
Meaning Lunia's sibling—the eldest son of Benheim.
"He doesn't like you very much. He seems convinced that you're the thief who stole the pendant."
"You could just tell him I didn't."
"My brother is incredibly stubborn. Once he gets a weird idea in his head, he won't listen to a word anyone says."
"Hmm."
"So, if he comes looking for you, pretend you're not here. Go hide in the basement or something. He isn't very patient, so he'll give up and leave soon enough."
Lunia was giving me earnest advice, but...
'As if I'd be afraid of a mere greenhorn.'
To me, it didn't matter in the slightest.
There was absolutely no reason for me, who had fought a battle of life and death against the Archduke of Demonic Magic, to avoid a fight out of fear of a kid who hadn't even reached adulthood.
If Lunia's brother hated me for no good reason, I was fully prepared to give him one.
But there was no need to voice these thoughts to Lunia, who had gone out of her way to warn me out of concern.
"Alright. I'll keep that in mind."
"Good."
Once I agreed, Lunia finally smiled brightly in relief.
"More importantly, are you practicing magic?"
"How did you know?"
"The mana density around here is thinner than in other places. It means someone has cast spells multiple times."
I suppose talent really was talent.
Even the Lunia of ten years ago possessed such a razor-sharp magical sensitivity.
I gave a quiet nod. At that, Lunia smirked.
"Perfect. Want me to teach you some magic?"
"I thought you said you didn't have time."
"I have time until dinner. If I go back now, I'll just be locked up and forced to study."
"Can't you go play with your brother?"
"He's no fun right now. He's acting like some champion of justice, plotting how to tear you apart."
"How ridiculous."
"Hehe. It'd be so funny if I told him you said that."
"Go ahead and tell him, then."
"No way. I'm staying here. I think watching you practice will be much more entertaining."
"……."
I caught my breath at her casual words.
It was something from a long time ago.
In the dead of night, whenever I swung my sword beneath the moonlight, Lunia would crawl out of her tent to watch my sword dance. No matter how many times I told her to go back to sleep because she must be tired, she never listened. Instead, she would say:
"Watching your training here is much more fun, Raygan."
"……."
Even as a young child, Lunia was still Lunia.
I let out a sigh and spoke.
"...Do whatever you want, then."
"Okay!"
Lunia nodded with a brilliant smile.
Every single gesture and expression of hers brought back memories of our past.
"Tsk."
As expected, regression was not entirely sweet.