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Encia tilted her head as she looked at the envoy from the Romania Empire who had come to find her.

‘What could the Romania Empire want?’

Given the relationship between the Romania Empire and Procyon, it was unusual for an envoy to approach a wizard from a foreign land directly.

Moreover, since the Romania Empire employed a certain number of wizards themselves, it was highly unlikely for them to make a request of someone like her, who lived in Procyon.

If that were the case…

“Do you need magic to change the weather?”

“Yes. Our Emperor, Julius, is preparing a celebration for his 100th birthday, and we would like to request the weather for that day.”

At those words, Encia nodded. Surely they wouldn’t have sought her out for no reason.

For many, the land of Romania was a blessed place, fertile enough for any crop to thrive.

With such land, there would be no need for her magic.

“If you would lend your strength, I will pay a fitting price, even if the weather turns out to be clear that day.”

Encia paused at that. Was it really the right thing to accept this proposal?

With Tia, who always gave the correct answer, gone, she had to think and make the decision herself.

She needed to judge for herself.

Determining such things on her own felt as frightening as walking down a treacherous path shrouded in thick fog, but she couldn’t avoid it.

There was no Tia to choose for her now.

So…

“Alright. I’ll go.”

Encia took a step forward.

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

“Do you know what kind of magical power is used by wizards when they cast spells?”

“Magic stored in their heart, right?”

“Exactly. The form and the structure of stored magical power vary by school or magic tower, but one thing is the same: they expend the power stored near their hearts to cast spells.”

A sleepy girl began to draw something on clean paper with a pencil.

A drawing of a heart that looked quite realistic. It was a bit grotesque for a young girl to draw.

“Why draw such a gross thing?”

“I can’t learn by just looking at the real thing.”

The sleepy-eyed girl spoke nonchalantly, then began adding more to the heart drawing.

A ring shape encasing the heart, layer upon layer.

“This is a typical method of storing magical power. Circle. You’ve heard of Circle Mages, right?”

“Yeah. They store magical power in rings.”

“Right. Wizards are categorized by the number of rings encircling their hearts, and they can be considered the representatives of wizards.”

The girl with glasses nodded at the sleepy girl’s words.

Wizards that appear in stories or novels are usually the Circle Mages.

“Since they clearly distinguish between stages, it’s quite straightforward. There are ways to make magical power count by creating a decision or forming lengths, but this is the most famous and typical.”

The sleepy girl spoke, and the girl with glasses nodded again.

“But this book says that they control external magical power with their own magic…”

“I told you. They use external magical power. In return, they can cast spells that rival ceremonial magic.”

“Oh, right.”

“Considering that it isn’t easy to store and handle one’s own magic, think about how much harder it would be to manipulate external magic.”

The girl with glasses nodded. When she trained as a knight, she felt the magic move through her body without consciously touching it. She had no idea moving magic outside her body would be this difficult.

“The methods of knights and mages are completely different. That’s why there are so few magic knights.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, to control external magical power, you have to use your own magical power as a seed to exert control over the external magic. It requires immense willpower. It’s not easy unless you’ve devoted yourself to mastering magical control from a young age.”

“Hmm… So it’s so difficult that this book is virtually buried?”

“I suppose so. You can rise infinitely, but the chances are miraculous. If there’s a more practical way, usually people would choose the latter.”

The sleepy girl’s words made the girl with glasses nod. Aiming for a realistic goal is definitely a wiser choice than chasing a delusional dream.

“Anyway, the method you’ll choose is using your own magic, not external power. If you were using external magical power, the power would be stronger and require less expenditure, but… that’s only something possible for those capable of it.”

The girl with glasses nodded at this remark.

“First, let’s start by gathering your magic inside yourself and forming a shape. After creating the rough shape, you’ll breathe in external magical power and turn it into your own.”

“Breathe?”

“Just think of it as similar to the breathing methods of knights. The breathing method of knights also comes from mages.”

The girl with glasses nodded along, then, as if very familiar, sat in lotus position and closed her eyes.

“First, making the circle is the start. Continue to store magic near your heart until your cells change due to the magic.”

“Okay… it sounds a bit odd to say it changes.”

“Even if it changes, it just means it gains the ability to store magical power. Nothing else will change. Now, let’s focus.”

With that, the girl with glasses closed her eyes and began to gather her magic.

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

The journey to Sirius, the capital of the Romania Empire, was neither smooth nor perilous.

It was a rather uneventful trip. If monsters appeared, just a few knights accompanying the envoy would handle them, and even when camping, attendants were quick to prepare everything.

Encia merely enjoyed a leisurely journey.

Along the way, something caught her attention… a gigantic force flowing beneath the earth.

Though she couldn’t feel it near Procyon, as she got closer to Sirius, she could sense the massive power flowing underground.

A force resembling magical power. But it felt incredibly gentle. A force that embraced the very earth itself.

As a wizard, one couldn’t ignore such curiosity, but… since the journey was her priority, Encia only explored the magic during brief camping breaks.

Fortunately, as she got closer to Sirius, the magical power only grew stronger.

After what felt like a considerable journey, Encia finally arrived at Sirius.

“It’s huge…”

She gazed up in amazement at the towering walls of Sirius.

“The pride of Sirius. The triple walls.”

“Triple?”

“Yes. When the former emperor reclaimed the throne, they say that the earth itself rose to assist him.”

“You mean… the Sword Emperor?”

“Yes. Known as Emperor Lucius.”

Encia nodded at that name.

The tale of her younger sister, the Dragon Priestess, and a mentor reclaiming the lost throne was certainly an astounding story.

“Though he has now vanished, leaving behind words that he will return whenever his strength is needed… I believe that if this land needs his power, he will return. All the people of Romania believe this.”

“That’s amazing…”

“Yes. He is a legend.”

The envoy smiled and approached the gates of Sirius.

And so, Encia entered Sirius.

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

As time passed, on the birthday of Emperor Julius, the preparations went smoothly, and the weather was only slightly cloudy.

Encia cleared away the clouds a bit to let the sky shine blue, and the celebration for Emperor Julius’s centenary began in the plaza of the central district in Sirius.

Of course, as someone not from the Romania Empire, Encia merely observed the event from a distance.

It was a grand spectacle.

Emperor Julius, looking utterly unbelievable at 100 years old, boarded a colossal carriage and set off from the palace, parading around the grand streets of Sirius.

Surrounding this procession were countless commoners praising the Emperor’s name.

As someone from Procyon, Encia found it to be quite a remarkable sight, but her interest piqued only slightly. She felt no need to continue watching.

Thus, Encia moved on.

Her destination… the source of the immense power flowing beneath the ground of Sirius.

She began to search for the source of that power, which connected somewhere within the royal palace.

Fortunately, Encia had received special permission to wander most of Sirius’s castle, so she moved forward without hesitation.

With that, Encia’s steps led her toward the garden in the back of the castle.

 

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