The hot springs really were miraculous. Combined with the soothing aura of Elisa's "Tranquil Body," which rivaled the finest calming potions, they had done wonders. When Leon woke the next day in the soft bed in his room, he was surprised to find that most of his pain had eased. Moving still hurt a little, but at least he no longer felt as though he might fall apart at any moment, as he had the day before. The stagnant fighting spirit within him also seemed to flow a little more smoothly.
More importantly, his mind felt clearer than ever before. The confusion and panic he had felt since arriving in this world, along with the lingering tension from yesterday's duel to the death, had all been quietly eased by the warm spring water and Elisa's final remark the night before: "You didn't make me want to avoid you."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he watched the Imperial Capital gradually wake beyond the window. The thought that had first come to him before the duel and grown clearer in the hot springs now felt more certain than ever.
Strength. He needed strength to survive in this world. The knightly path the original Leon had left behind rested on a poor foundation, and his fighting spirit was weak and unsteady. Improving enough to defend himself in the short term would be as hard as reaching the sky. Besides, the knightly path focused more on the body and close-quarters combat, which didn't entirely suit the way he thought as someone from the modern world.
Then what about another path? Magic.
Mages held a position of great respect, relying on knowledge, wisdom, and Spiritual Power. That seemed more suited to his potential advantages as someone from another world—perhaps he had a different perspective and the ability to understand things in a different way? Besides, Elisa was a mage of extraordinary talent, and Aunt Margaret was one of the Empire's foremost Grand Archmages. Having such resources close at hand was a golden opportunity the original Leon had never considered taking advantage of—or perhaps had never been qualified to use.
If he could learn magic, even just the basics, he would gain a new source of power. It would also give him a reasonable excuse to spend more time with Elisa and break through the icy barrier between them. It was a win-win!
The thought made his heart race. He quickly got up, washed and tidied himself, changed into neat, clean clothes, and took a deep breath before heading to the dining room. He would make the request over breakfast.
The scene in the dining room was much the same as ever. Aunt Margaret sat at the head of the table, reading a "newspaper" made of magical energy. Elisa sat quietly nearby, taking small bites of bread spread with jam. The Magic Puppet served them in silence.
When Leon entered, Aunt Margaret glanced up at him. Her gaze lingered for a moment, as if she were surprised by how quickly he had recovered, but she said nothing and lowered her eyes again. Elisa merely gave him a brief, indifferent glance with her violet eyes before returning her attention to breakfast, as though their conversation by the hot springs the night before had never happened.
Leon suppressed his nerves and took his seat. The Magic Puppet brought him breakfast.
The table was quiet, save for the faint clink of cutlery. Leon ate a few bites without tasting them, then finally mustered his courage, cleared his throat, and broke the silence.
"Aunt Margaret, Elisa." He set down his knife and fork, looking first at Aunt Margaret and then at Elisa. His voice carried a deliberate seriousness unlike his usual tone. "I... have something I'd like to ask you."
Aunt Margaret didn't look up. She simply murmured, "Hmm?" to show she was listening. Elisa stopped eating and raised her eyes, watching him calmly as she waited for him to continue.
Leon took a deep breath. "After what happened yesterday, I... realized just how inadequate my strength is. Relying only on knightly training probably won't get me much stronger anytime soon, and besides... it doesn't seem to suit me very well." He paused to gauge their reactions. Aunt Margaret remained expressionless, while a trace of surprise flickered through Elisa's eyes.
He continued, "So, I'd like to... try learning magic. Do you think there's any chance I could? If possible, I hope... I could learn some of the basics from Elisa."
He had finally said it. His heart pounded. It was a bold request. The bar for becoming a mage was extremely high; magic wasn't something just anyone could learn. The original Leon had grown up in the Imperial Capital, with Aunt Margaret—one of the finest mages—right there, yet she had never encouraged him to try magic. That alone said a lot. Most likely, the original Leon had no magical talent at all.
At last, Aunt Margaret set down the "newspaper" in her hands. Her icy blue eyes, which seemed able to see into the soul, fixed on Leon with a probing gaze. "Learn magic? Leon, you should know that the path of magic is no game. It requires extremely high Elemental Affinity, strong Spiritual Power, and unwavering focus. Which of those do you think you have?"
Her tone was even, without a hint of mockery. It was just an objective question, yet Leon felt immense pressure. It was true: the original Leon had been restless and pleasure-seeking. What about him suggested he could sit still and study magic?
Leon answered, bracing himself. "Aunt Margaret, I know I was... awful before. But people can change. After yesterday, I've thought a lot of things through. I want to get stronger. I don't want to be... at other people's mercy anymore. As for talent, I... I don't know. But I'm willing to try, and I'm willing to work hard. Even if it turns out I have no talent, at least I'll have tried, and I won't regret it."
His words held an unusual sincerity and resolve, qualities the old Leon would never have shown.
Aunt Margaret watched him in silence, as if weighing the truth of his words. After a long moment, she turned to Elisa. "Elisa, what do you think? You're his fiancée, and also my only student for now. If you want to guide him through the basics, I won't object. But understand that teaching someone with no foundation—especially someone whose character is still unsettled—will take a great deal of your time and energy."
Now the pressure was on Elisa.
Elisa set down her bread and dabbed the corner of her mouth with her napkin, her movements as graceful and composed as ever. She looked at Leon, her violet eyes deep as a pool, revealing nothing.
"The foundations of magic are meditation and the gathering of Spiritual Power," she said, her cool voice going straight to the point. "If you can't even sit still for half an hour and clear your mind, then there's no point discussing anything else."
Leon immediately spoke up. "I can try! I'll do my best!"
Elisa ignored his promise and continued. "Next, we need to test your Elemental Affinity. The most common elements are earth, water, fire, wind, light, and darkness. The strength of your affinity determines your potential and your direction on the path of magic. If you have no affinity at all, learning magic will take twice the effort for half the result—or may even be impossible."
"How do we test it?" Leon asked eagerly.
"The Magic Tower has a special crystal ball for that," Elisa replied, then changed tack. "But there's a simpler—and more cruel—way to get an initial sense of it."
"What way?"
"Close your eyes and focus on 'sensing' the world around you," Elisa instructed. "Don't use your eyes or ears. Try to use your 'heart'—or your Spiritual Power—to touch the air and sense whether there are any 'ripples' or 'colors' you feel naturally drawn to. If you can't sense anything at all, if there's only confusion and darkness, then..."
She left the rest unsaid, but her meaning was clear.
Leon's heart leaped. This was the crucial step! He might soon find out whether he had any talent at all. Could his soul from another world bring about some unexpected change?
"Can I try now?" he asked, hardly able to wait.
Elisa glanced at Aunt Margaret. When the older woman showed no objection, she nodded. "Go ahead."
Leon immediately took a deep breath and closed his eyes, following Elisa's instructions. He tried to clear his mind of distractions—the duel the day before, his worries about the future, his hopes concerning Elisa... He tried to empty his thoughts and focus all his attention on "sensing."
The dining room fell silent. Aunt Margaret and Elisa watched him quietly.
At first, there was only darkness before Leon's eyes. In his ears, he could hear his slightly quickened breathing and the thud of his heartbeat. He tried to "sense" something, but there was nothing but darkness. As time passed, he began to grow anxious. Did he really have no magical talent at all?
Just as he was about to give up, disappointment filling his heart, something changed!
The deep darkness seemed to... ripple. It was like a pebble falling into a still, ancient well. Then he "saw" them—not with his eyes, but with some indescribable inner vision—tiny points of light, so faint they were almost impossible to notice!
The points of light came in different colors, scattered sparsely across the endless darkness like distant fireflies in a summer field. There were fiery red points, gentle blue ones, heavy yellow ones, and light green ones... They seemed to exist in the air around him, everywhere at once, yet indistinct and hard to grasp.
What shocked him even more was that, among the scattered, faintly glowing points of color, he sensed something... deeper and more hidden. It wasn't a point of light, but something like a "vein" or a "shadow": dark and cold, yet carrying an indescribable allure, as if it came from the depths of his soul. The sensation was extremely vague and vanished in an instant. When he tried to examine it more closely, it disappeared without a trace, as though it had been an illusion.
But the stirring it had left behind was real.
Leon's eyes flew open. A fine sheen of cold sweat had appeared on his forehead. It wasn't from fatigue, but from the shock of that strange sensation—and a hint of inexplicable fear. What were those points of light? Were they Magic Elements? And what was that dark "vein" he had sensed at the end?
"How was it?" Elisa's cool voice pulled him back to reality.
Leon took a breath and tried to calm his turbulent thoughts. He described what he had felt. "I... I think I saw some points of light. They were very faint—red, blue, yellow... all sorts of colors. But I couldn't see them clearly, and I didn't feel particularly drawn to any of them." He hesitated, but ultimately said nothing about the strange "dark vein." The sensation had been too unusual. Instinct told him it was better not to mention it yet.
When Elisa heard him out, genuine surprise flickered in her violet eyes, though it quickly disappeared. She looked at Aunt Margaret. "Teacher, he... seems to have Elemental Affinity, and it's... affinity for every element."
"Every element?" Aunt Margaret finally showed a hint of interest. "It's weak, but being able to sense the presence of several elements during your first meditation at least proves your Spiritual Power isn't especially dull. Better than I expected..."
Leon's heart filled with joy! He had talent! It was weak, but at least there was hope!
"Then... Elisa, will you teach me?" Leon asked, looking at her expectantly.
Elisa was silent for a moment, her gaze lingering on Leon's face, flushed with excitement and anticipation. She thought of how differently he had apologized and questioned her in the hot springs the previous night, and of the rare seriousness in his eyes today.
"I can teach you the most basic meditation method and techniques for training your Spiritual Power," Elisa finally said. Her tone was still flat, as if she were assigning him a task. "But that's all. Whether you can get started and how far you can go are entirely up to you. I won't waste too much time on someone who lacks perseverance."
"That's enough! More than enough!" Leon exclaimed, overjoyed. He quickly promised, "I'll study seriously! I won't slack off!"
Watching them, Aunt Margaret's lips seemed to twitch ever so slightly, as if the faintest smile had crossed them. But the look was gone almost at once, replaced by her usual stern expression. "Since Elisa has agreed, give it a try. But remember, Leon, the path of magic tests your character far more than the path of knighthood. I hope this isn't just a passing whim."
Breakfast came to an end in a subtle atmosphere. As usual, Aunt Margaret went to the Magic Tower. Only Leon and Elisa remained in the dining room.
Elisa rose and said to Leon, "Come to my Magic Laboratory at three this afternoon. Don't be late." With that, she turned and left, leaving Leon alone with his overwhelming joy and anticipation.
He'd done it! He'd taken his first step toward learning magic! It was only the most basic instruction, but it meant an entirely new world was opening its doors to him.
Yet even amid his excitement, he couldn't help thinking again of the dark "vein" that had flickered into his awareness during the meditation. What was it? Why had it made his soul stir with a feeling that was both strange and familiar?
The question was like a mysterious seed, quietly taking root in his heart. From the very beginning, his path into magic seemed destined to be anything but ordinary.
Before you continue