A Cake Split Between Two People

Manus's crystallized core, without a doubt, had been born from his pursuit of knowledge and magic. It had been so both before and after his transmigration.

Though the method Manus used appeared to be the first conventional method, strictly speaking, he had actually used the second method to transform his spiritual power.

Compared with the first method, which had clear and standardized procedures, the second was clearly a technique developed by individual schools and great mages.

The transformation method of Manus's school was not like those unorthodox paths that chased extreme specialized benefits and forgot that the essence of spiritual power transformation was merely the Condensation of one's spiritual will.

Thus, Manus's transformation method was identical to the conventional version in every other respect. Once the requirements for the conventional transformation had been met, it added one extra step—waiting for an opportunity.

That was a certain moment.

Regardless of the reason, at that moment, there could be nothing in your heart except the single thought that served as your crystallized core, while all your will and emotions were stirred by that thought.

Under such circumstances, the Mental Core formed after the transformation would be especially pure and powerful. Moreover, beyond the conventional version's foundation, it would gain a subtle and wondrous trait depending on that thought and the individual's personal style.

Before his transmigration, the Mental Core Manus had formed through Condensation had been a black round bead. Its traits were inward exploration, the core self, and an eternal pursuit of knowledge.

The effect of that Mental Core had been to make Manus's spiritual power extraordinarily vast and pure, allowing him to learn magic more easily and possess more spell slots than mages of the same level.

And now...

Although Manus had not previously focused on turning his Spirit Sea into a Mental Core, the automatic transformation had been slow, and only a rough outline could be seen.

Yet judging from its present shape, it closely resembled a sphere. Faint edges and corners could be seen on its surface, but they were so densely packed that it still retained the overall tendency of a sphere.

A polyhedron with an enormous number of faces? It was rather like his teacher.

Because she was most accomplished in Enchantment School magic and second-best at Transfiguration School magic, Manus's teacher had been affectionately called the Thousand-Faced Witch. Her Mental Core was precisely a thousand-faceted diamond.

It was simply that their school's defining trait was defying their teacher and overturning the natural order.

First, there was his senior sister, who had used Condensation to form a mirror. Her spiritual power possessed exceptional resistance to and amplification of Enchantment School magic, and she could even reflect Enchantment School spells below the fifth circle without any cost.

Then there was his senior brother, who had used Condensation to form a skull. He specialized in Necromancy School magic, the field their teacher was worst at, and was almost immune to Enchantment School spells below the seventh circle.

And finally there was Manus. Although he had used Condensation to form a sphere, Enchantment School was the one he was worst at among the eight foundational schools. The only part he excelled in was, of all things, resisting Enchantment School magic.

Though this was partly because their teacher always used Enchantment School magic when training their spiritual power, it truly counted as one of their school's unconventional traditions.

Now that his Mental Core looked so similar to his teacher's, he somehow felt a subtle sensation, as though he had betrayed the organization.

Still, Manus knew perfectly well why this change had happened. After all, it was a projection of the deepest thought in his heart.

"Still greedy, huh..."

When Manus had performed Condensation on his Mental Core in the past, all he could see had been the vast sea of magic before him. He had only needed to keep learning and improving. He had not even known how long it would take to finish walking that clearly visible road before him, so naturally, he had not thought much beyond it.

But Manus's current understanding and knowledge of magic were far beyond what that young man, still far from even reaching the mountainside, could have compared with. Through the panel, he could see hundreds of new magical systems.

Under such circumstances, even if he could control his emotions, his desire to pursue every magical system would inevitably be reflected in his Mental Core.

Manus accepted this situation readily, because it was what he truly wanted in his heart.

"I wonder what kind of help such a heart will give me when reflected in my Mental Core?"

Whatever kind of help it was, it would certainly suit him. That was also the advantage of the spiritual transformation method passed down through his school.

Filled with anticipation, Manus calmed himself and meditated, actively accelerating the transformation of his spiritual power. With nothing else interfering, the process did not take much time.

By the time the carriage stopped in the outskirts of Cokeworth, Manus had completed the entire transformation process. He had also almost completely assimilated the surge in spiritual power brought about by the transformation.

Other than his eyes appearing slightly brighter and more lively than before, there was no visible difference in his appearance. Only when his eyes became deep and tranquil once more had he fully brought that additional spiritual power under control.

Not in any hurry over the matter, Manus got out of the carriage carrying the boxed cake.

"Wait for me a moment, okay?"

"Okay~"

Griffin and Aivina smiled as they watched Manus carry the cake toward the Snape residence.

Manus raised his hand and knocked gently twice before lowering it again.

When it was knocked, the somewhat rough wooden door did not merely produce a "knock knock." It also let out a creak suggesting that the wooden structure could barely support itself, along with the metallic clatter of loosened rusty hinges.

It really felt as if knocking any harder would send this door straight to the end of its life.

"Coming!"

As expected, Severus answered. Before long, footsteps approached from afar, and as the door opened a crack, half of Severus's face appeared behind it.

"Manus!"

The wary confusion vanished into thin air the moment he saw the face outside, leaving only the delight of seeing a friend. Severus carefully pulled the door open and looked at Manus, who had supposedly gone back to his old home for a birthday banquet today.

"Happy birthday! Has your birthday dinner already ended?"

"Thanks~ As for the birthday dinner, it was just as boring as I guessed when I told you about it before. They were all boring adults. No one actually cared about my birthday."

Not even Dumbledore had remembered to wish Manus a happy birthday while talking with him, apart from when he had first entered.

Manus sighed, then opened the box in his arms and looked at the person who, besides his family, was probably the only one genuinely happy that it was his birthday today.

"But luckily, the birthday cake was delicious, so I brought you a big piece."

"Wow—thank you!"

Looking at the beautifully frosted cake that filled half the box, Severus was first surprised, then somewhat puzzled.

"There must have been a lot of people at the dinner, right? Did all of you only eat half a cake?"

"The cake originally had three layers. It was displayed there as a decoration, and after everyone divided it up when the gathering ended, the entire top layer was left—just like with our previous cakes, we'll split it half and half."

Manus sighed as he said this.

"You could tell at a glance that the people who took cake did not really want to eat it. They had not come to wish me a happy birthday anyway. It was such a waste to give it to them."