Mental Aptitude and the Corona Breathing Technique

Ron was not surprised by the news.

Among the few people from the same hometown, Trish had come from the poorest background, but she also possessed the best mental aptitude.

He still remembered when he had first met that frail girl. Her long brown hair had been casually tied into a bundle with hemp rope, and her clothes were covered in patches.

According to the well-informed Andre, she was merely the daughter of an ordinary hunter from the wilderness.

That White-Robed Wizard had found her in some unknown mountain ravine and, incredibly, she had tested as having Third-Rank Star mental aptitude.

The so-called star ranks were standards for mental aptitude established by wizards based on astronomical concepts. First-Rank Star was the highest, and Sixth-Rank Star the lowest.

Ron had tested as a Sixth-Rank Star, barely passing the threshold. Andre was slightly better than him, a Fifth-Rank Star.

The gap between each star rank was a full 2.5 times, and the figures multiplied cumulatively. There was a full hundredfold difference between First-Rank and Sixth-Rank Stars.

Third-Rank Star marked the dividing line between mediocrity and genius. It was believed that, so long as one did not die young, one had a chance of smoothly advancing to become a formal wizard.

As for Sixth-Rank Star... even becoming a High-level Apprentice would probably be immensely difficult. It was only a little better than being a muggle—basically a useless lump, perhaps?

Mocking himself inwardly, Ron put what little Black Nettle Leaf he had into a cup, then took out a thermos and brewed Andre a drink.

"Well, well. You're surprisingly generous today."

Andre examined the clay cup offered to him. Amid the rising steam, tiny black particles could vaguely be seen floating in the tea.

"These days, it isn't easy to get even a sip of bitter water brewed from Black Nettle Leaf."

His large, callused fingers gently rubbed the rim of the cup, and a faint smile hung at the corner of his mouth.

"Still, I never expected the young master of the Ralph family to be willing to bring out such a treasure for a guest."

Indeed, this tea, which could invigorate the mind, was a rare commodity in the Black Mist Forest.

It was far from delicious—one might even call it dreadful.

—First came a prickling, spicy pain on the tongue, followed by a nausea-inducing bitterness, and finally an unpleasant numbness in the throat.

All of it came courtesy of the trace toxins within.

Yet it was precisely because it could keep people awake when they were drowsy that it had become a prized item eagerly sought after by Candidate Apprentices desperately studying to advance.

Watching Andre put on that deliberately elegant air, Ron secretly laughed to himself.

This prince's current circumstances were not actually much better than his own.

"If Your Highness likes it, I can bring more another day—"

"Stop."

Andre raised one hand. The smile on his face remained unchanged, but his tone gained a trace of wariness.

"Your unusual behavior only makes me more concerned. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

Ron chuckled at that. He had known the Thirteenth Prince was skilled at this sort of thing.

Back in the Royal Capital, Andre had been famous for this unobtrusive sharpness. It was also why his older brothers had been particularly wary of this outwardly modest brother, to the point of finding an excuse to send him here.

"Fine. Since Your Highness is being so direct, I won't beat around the bush."

Ron straightened up, and his tone turned serious. "I want to buy the Corona Breathing Technique from you."

"Pfft—"

Andre nearly spat out the tea he had just swallowed. A crack finally appeared in that face which had maintained such elegance all along.

He hurriedly set down his cup, disbelief flashing across his face. "What did you say?"

"The Corona Breathing Technique." Ron repeated, his gaze exceptionally firm. "I know it is one of the Farouk Royal Family's core inheritances, and also the finest breathing technique in the kingdom."

Andre's expression instantly turned grave. The gentle, courteous air he had displayed moments ago vanished, replaced by a sharpness utterly disproportionate to his age.

"I never expected you to make such a request. This is the foundation of our royal family..."

"I understand." Ron calmly interrupted him. "It is precisely because I understand its value that I am offering this price."

As he spoke, he pulled a cloth pouch from inside his clothes.

When he poured its contents onto the table, Andre's pupils contracted slightly.

They were a pile of clear, gleaming fragments, faintly shining beneath the dim candlelight—Magic Stone Fragments.

Within the Black Mist Forest, Magic Stone Fragments were the only hard currency among apprentices.

A hundred Magic Stone Fragments could be exchanged for one complete Magic Stone, though few were willing to make that exchange.

One Magic Stone Fragment was enough to live extravagantly in some of the nearby markets, while ten could buy a strong slave of another race.

As for the Basic Meditation Method distributed by the White-Robed Wizards, it was priced at only one complete Magic Stone.

"Thirty Magic Stone Fragments." Ron said each word slowly and clearly.

Andre merely sneered, not even glancing at the Magic Stone Fragments on the table. "That little? Are you trying to fob off a beggar?"

"You're right." A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Ron's mouth. His gaze lingered briefly on the pile of Magic Stone Fragments. "Thirty is indeed too little."

He took several more fragments from his pocket to round out the sum and gently placed them on the table. "How about forty?"

Andre still wore that indifferent expression, though his eyes narrowed slightly, as if considering something.

Ron knew it was time to reveal his trump card.

"You know, with my mental aptitude..."

He paused, his tone self-mocking. "With that pitiful Sixth-Rank Star, advancing within three months is practically impossible."

"When the time comes, I'll either become experimental material or be exiled into the wilderness. And I..."

Ron's voice softened, carrying a barely perceptible tremor. "I don't want to die. At least, I don't want to die without any dignity."

Andre's expression softened slightly, but he quickly resumed his cold demeanor. "So?"

"So I need the Corona Breathing Technique."

Ron looked straight into Andre's eyes. "Of all the breathing techniques I know of, it has the strongest effects and the greatest potential."

As he spoke, he added another ten Magic Stone Fragments to the table. "Fifty. This is everything I can offer."

Andre stared at the small pile of faintly glowing crystals on the table and fell silent.

Ron knew what the other man was hesitating over. In the end, people like them, secular nobles, were not much different from commoners in the eyes of those lofty wizards.

But the extraordinary inheritance those wizards disdained was the foundation that allowed the Farouk Royal Family to rule over ordinary people and the other noble knights. It was also the capital that allowed them to survive in this world.

"You know," Andre finally said, his voice carrying a trace of weariness, "this isn't just a matter of money..."

"I give you my word." Ron said solemnly. "This breathing technique will never reach the hands of a third person. And besides..."

His gaze rested on Andre for a moment, as though choosing his words carefully.

"I've noticed that you have recently been studying other wizarding arts. I imagine you need some additional resources as well."

That clearly struck home. Andre's eyes flickered, and he immediately showed a helpless smile. "You really know how to seize someone's weakness."

He sighed softly. "I have to admit, you are far... more cunning than I imagined."

Thinking back to the silent, reticent son of a count from a week ago, then looking at the eloquent negotiator before him, Andre could not help feeling somewhat moved.

This change was not necessarily a bad thing.

"However." He straightened up, and his tone returned to its usual elegance. "Since I am going to teach you the Corona Breathing Technique, I must begin with the very basics..."