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Chapter: 285

What would happen if the voice that only you could hear stopped working?

If the voice that always whispered only the right answers was no longer there?

What if the voice that informed you of knowledge that others didn’t know, the voice that told you what was right and wrong, which was a friend, a sister, and also family, went silent?

What if that voice, which you depended on so much, suddenly vanished?

“Tia….”

The answer would be that you could do nothing.

For Encia, Tia’s voice was the answer to everything.

It was a voice that answered any question, containing all the knowledge of the world, as if it knew what others did not.

That was Tia.

But now, that voice of Tia had gone silent.

Encia was left alone.

Without knowing what to do, she had become like a clueless child, merely curled up in the dark room.

If time had continued like this, she would have gradually weakened, not eating or drinking anything, slowly fading away in that dark room.

Thanks to her immense magical power, that time would stretch out for quite a while… but even so, she hadn’t exceeded human limits.

Then, something caught Encia’s eye.

A massive pile of papyrus bound together with strings, along with black ink and pens.

These were items that Tia had told her to buy. When Encia had asked if she needed that much, Tia had said it would turn out that way.

Had Tia always expected it to come to this from the start? Did she think she would leave Encia behind?

Encia felt something swell up in her chest.

‘Okay. If that’s what Tia wants. I must do it.’

Raising her curled-up body, Encia slowly sat in front of the desk and grabbed a pen.

The things Tia had taught her. The knowledge left etched inside her.

She would write all of it down and create a book.

As Tia wished. As the world desired.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“The first step… is feeling the magical power inside your body?”

“Hmm. This is considered the most basic part in other magical theories too.”

The glasses girl pondered deeply.

“I already know this.”

“True, but usually, people don’t feel the magic inside their bodies, right?”

The sleepy girl murmured softly.

“Aiming to be a mage or a knight, or feeling magic from external factors—otherwise, people generally don’t.”

“Well… hmm. I guess it’s because my dad trained me?”

“That makes sense. Your uncle wanted you to become a knight.”

“But I want to be a mage!”

At the glasses girl’s words, the sleepy girl shook her head gently.

“It’s not easy when what you have talent for and what you desire are so different.”

“Whatever! No matter what anyone says, I’m going to be a mage!!”

“Well, the beauty of dreams is that you can aspire to them regardless of where they may lead. Whether they come true or not.”

“Cut the bad vibes! So, can we skip this for now?”

“Seeing as you know about magic… but still, the magic operation methods between knights and mages are completely different. Just read it through.”

Upon hearing this, the glasses girl nodded slightly and began reading the book.

“To feel magic, cut off the five senses and meditate… settle into a comfortable pose and maintain focus… hmm… I’ll zoom past this since I can feel the magic inside my body…”

“Once you’ve recognized the magic, next comes the methods of handling it.”

“Training to move the magic inside your body, huh? Isn’t that similar to the knight’s way?”

“Well, the basics of a knight’s magic method likely originated from this book.”

The sleepy girl’s words made the glasses girl’s eyes widen.

“There’s probably nothing more advanced than this book when it comes to handling magic. The difference is… knights mainly activate magic in their bodies and weapons. Ah, and the difference in where they store magic too.”

“Knights store it in their lower abdomen, right?”

“Mages store it near the heart.”

“What’s the reason for these differences?”

At the glasses girl’s question, the sleepy girl nodded slightly and replied.

“Well, there are minor differences, but honestly, they’re not super important. It’s more about efficiency, I guess?”

“Efficiency?”

“Mages use blood vessels to operate magic. The magic flows alongside the blood and is stored in the heart. In contrast, knights concentrate magic in their lower abdomen… and frankly, there’s nothing related to magic in that area aside from some internal organs.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Still, knights gather magic there, creating pathways for magic to flow throughout their bodies, as if digging out nonexistent paths.”

The sleepy girl looked puzzled at the glasses girl’s explanation.

“Why’s that? Couldn’t they just flow magic like mages with blood?”

“Well, I’m not really sure why. It’s probably a difference stemming from mages choosing efficient methods and knights favoring an inefficient yet steadfast approach?”

“Hmm… so knights are somewhat stubborn, huh?”

“That might be true. But once a knight has fully mastered the pathway for magic, their magic operation speeds up compared to mages. At least within their bodies.”

“Whoa… so knights have advantages too.”

“If they didn’t, they would have been eliminated long ago. Anyway, let’s move on.”

After that, it turned out that the glasses girl wasted quite a bit of time without truly understanding how to pull magic out of her body, but that was a minor issue.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Encia confirmed once more what she had written down.

Despite thinking she included everything she learned from Tia… was this enough?

“Tia… is this okay?”

Speaking her worries aloud, the answering voice was nowhere to be heard.

Tia didn’t respond.

That was making Encia extremely anxious.

Tia had always taught her things.

The direction to live. The strength to live. The knowledge to live.

Tia had answered everything for her.

That’s why Encia felt like a mere puppet incapable of moving by herself.

“Tia….”

But she couldn’t just do nothing. She had to do what Tia said. She had to write the book.

Encia reread what she wrote. Would this be alright? Could others understand it? Could she teach someone else, like Tia did?

She didn’t know. She had no clue. There was no Tia to provide the answers.

So…

“I have no choice but to try…”

Encia began to force out the courage that had settled deep within her heart.

To verify this writing… she would have to teach it to someone else.

Someone else… just like she once was, a child. A child with significant magical power.

Thus Encia staggered out of her house.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The weather-controlling mage. Encia’s return to activity after a long seclusion became a significant topic among the mages of Procyon.

There were various opinions about her hiatus, but since Encia didn’t say a word… the mages could only guess.

The first thing Encia did upon revealing herself was look for a disciple.

A disciple. A mage’s disciple. Someone worthy of inheriting the mage’s magic.

The news that the weather-controlling mage was looking for a disciple sent shockwaves, spreading across not just Procyon, but everywhere news could reach.

Countless mages came to Encia asking to be accepted as her disciple, but…

Not a single one met the criteria to become Encia’s disciple.

Some wanted her magic, while others genuinely admired her and sought to be her disciples, but none could fulfill her conditions.

None. None could pass the conditions Encia set.

“Why?! I pride myself on being top-tier in magical talent here in Procyon!”

“You’re too old. No.”

“Age?! Are you seriously rejecting me just for that?! How young do you intend to make your disciples?!”

Encia shook her head slightly at the young man’s words. Age. The same age she was when Tia taught her magic.

Around 10 years old, a child bursting with magical power.

There was no one who fit that requirement.

“Anyway, no. You’re too old.”

“I can’t believe this…”

Leaving behind the despairing applicants, Encia sighed softly.

She needed to test if she had indeed written the book correctly… but only these bothersome individuals appeared.

If Tia were here, she would have given a straightforward answer. Encia sighed again, feeling endlessly frustrated.

“Excuse me.”

Then someone approached Encia.

“I’m a messenger from the Romanian royal family. I’ve come with a request for the weather mage.”

“From the Romanian royal family?”

Seeing the elegantly dressed man, Encia could only tilt her head in confusion.

 

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