[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 16

    The Second Mana Circle.

    It took far more mana than Kaylen had anticipated. This was because the mana already built into his Mana Body needed to be filled further. Additionally, the new Mana Stones didn’t contain the traces of Infinity as before, so absorbing them took more time.

    “Phew.”

    After absorbing the Mana Stones, Kaylen reached his goal—creating a second Mana Circle—only after taking in one high-grade Mana Stone and four medium-grade Mana Stones.

    “Only one Mana Stone remains.”

    The remaining stone was a medium-grade Mana Stone. Now, for Kaylen, who had already built two Mana Circles and expanded his Mana Body, a single Mana Stone wouldn''t have much effect.

    ‘It’s better to sell this for gold.’

    A medium-grade Mana Stone was worth about 5,000 gold. Kaylen was curious about its value and asked Alkas.

    “Can I buy a house in the capital with 5,000 gold?”

    “It depends on the area, but...”

    “I’d prefer somewhere near the academy.”

    “The Academy is located in the South River District. Land prices are so high there that you won’t be able to buy a good house for a noble with that much gold.”

    “Not even with 5,000 gold?”

    “Correct. It’s a seller’s market. I know recently, mansions in that area are going for at least 20,000 gold. You might be able to buy a house where commoners live, but it’ll be far worse than a dormitory.”

    Alkas explained that 5,000 gold would not even cover a mansion. It was better to stay in a dormitory than to live in a commoner’s house.

    “That’s more expensive than I thought.”

    “The rise of dungeons has caused the collapse of regional economies and skyrocketed land prices in the capital. I’m sure elite forces equipped with Mana Suits are concentrated there.”

    “Right...”

    “Plus, many of the major magic towers are located there as well. Hmm... are you planning to continue attending the academy, my lord?”

    “I have to. I need to earn the Meister qualification.”

    “I’ve heard that tuition in the third year of the Magic Academy is outrageous. Some say it costs the equivalent of one Mana Stone... Perhaps it would be better to use your Mana Stones for that?”

    “Really? But there are plenty of commoners in my academy who attend with me. How do they afford the tuition?”

    “When you reach the third year, you’ll be recognized as a 3rd circle mage, so many magic towers pay the tuition fees in exchange for recruiting you.”

    “I see.”

    A 3rd circle mage at the age of 19 was a remarkable talent. Magic towers eagerly recruited such individuals and often covered their tuition fees, making it a win-win for both the mages and the towers.

    However, Kaylen had no intention of becoming bound to a magic tower. He would leave the decision for further education open for now.

    Once that was sorted, he realized that he had no money left in hand.

    But Kaylen wasn’t worried.

    ‘Money isn’t as important as the second Mana Circle.’

    The more he achieved, the less concerned he was with money. The magic towers would surely bring in the funds when needed.

    For now, it was important to focus on building his strength.

    ***

    Kaylen''s Current State...

    Kaylen checked his mana level with a thoughtful expression.

    ‘In terms of mana...’

    He could still use the Aura Sword, but unlike during his days as a Sword Master, he could no longer produce it indefinitely.

    Although he had upgraded his Mana Body by combining the attributes of the Mana Heart, he still had a long way to go.

    ‘If I properly manifest the Aura Sword, it’ll last for 20 minutes.’

    This wasn’t a demonstration for Alkas; when using the Aura Sword in battle, 20 minutes was the limit. If he triggered Infinity and recharged the mana inside, he might be able to extend it by 10 more minutes.

    ‘The Mana Circles should also consume quite a bit of mana.’

    Despite absorbing several Mana Stones, a significant portion had already been used to build his Mana Body and inscribe the circles. The total amount of mana still wasn’t sufficient.

    ‘But if I gather more mana, my level will increase significantly.’

    When he was Ernstine, he could store 100 mana and use 10 to 20 at a time. Now, after constructing his Mana Body, he could store 100 mana and use more than 50 of it.

    ‘Right now, I’m a half-hearted Sword Master, but if I expand Infinity and gather more mana, I should be able to regain the power of my former Sword Master self.’

    The solution seemed clear: gather more mana.

    But that wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

    ‘Even though my body now is completely different from before, mana isn’t gathering fast enough.’

    Unlike 1,000 years ago, the rate at which mana was accumulating in his body was far too slow. After creating his Mana Body, it sped up a little, but it still wasn’t at a satisfactory level.

    Bormian, the spear-wielding king. For him, Kaylen had created a Sword of Training tailored specifically to him, but when the second one came, Bormian had collapsed, crying out, “My lord, please save me!” rolling on the ground in agony.

    In comparison, Alkas—whose Mana Heart and Mana Path were still undeveloped—was enduring this pain remarkably well.

    Alkas’s condition looked horrific. His veins were bursting, leaving bruises across his entire body, and his arms began to bulge in a similar way to Kaylen''s.

    “Should I take it out?”

    “No. I can endure it!”

    Alkas responded swiftly, his determination unwavering despite the intense pain. He gritted his teeth, slowly getting used to the agony.

    Just as he was beginning to acclimate to the pain, a knock sounded at the door.

    Knock, knock.

    “Kaylen, may I come in for a moment?”

    Hearing the familiar voice, Kaylen furrowed his brows. It was the worst possible time—Alkas was going through an important training phase, and now someone was interrupting.

    “Yes, come in, teacher.”

    The door opened, and a middle-aged mage entered the room.

    It was O''Connell, Kaylen’s magic professor, who, under the guise of checking on his students, had been frequently visiting the infirmary.

    Of course, his true intentions weren’t so innocent.

    “Kaylen.”

    O''Connell grinned as he entered. After briefly glancing at Alkas, whose face was flushed and swollen from the pain, he turned to Kaylen.

    “Your new bodyguard doesn’t look so good.”

    “There’s been an incident.”

    “Hmm... What kind of experiment are you doing? If you tell me roughly what it is, I might be able to help.”

    Kaylen, eyeing O''Connell’s gaze as he looked at both him and Alkas, thought that his eyes resembled those of a rat. Kaylen wasn’t sure if O''Connell had been approached by the first prince''s faction, but since the incident, O''Connell had been coming to him daily, eagerly trying to gather information.

    Despite claiming to be worried as a teacher, O''Connell was clearly trying to get free information, without offering anything in return.

    Kaylen had no intention of giving out free information, so he lightly dismissed O''Connell’s suggestion.

    “It’s fine. It’s a joint project with the Florence family.”

    As soon as Kaylen mentioned the Florence family, O''Connell’s expression shifted slightly. Mentioning the Florence family was like using a shield, and Kaylen wasn’t giving him any openings.

    In the past, Kaylen had been a naive student, doing whatever he was told without questioning it. But now, he was a completely different person.

    “...Then, I guess I have no choice but to let it go.”

    O''Connell seemed to relent, but then his eyes shifted as he looked at Alkas, and he began talking about something else.

    “By the way, your body seems to be recovering. Shouldn’t you be heading to class soon?”

    “Of course.”

    “But... what about magic? Can you keep using it?”

    O''Connell’s mention of Alkas was just a probing attempt, as he quickly shifted to his real objective.

    “What do you mean by that?”

    O''Connell then cut to the point.

    “After this unfortunate incident, we need to test if you can still carry out your duties as a mage.”

    “...What kind of test are you talking about?”

    “We need to measure whether you can still use 2nd-circle magic, whether the flow of mana is stable, and if there’s any risk involved. All of that should be checked.”

    “I can still use 2nd-circle magic, though.”

    “Even so, we need to conduct a precise measurement to make sure you can make up for the classes you missed due to this unfortunate accident.”

    “Classes...”

    “You’ve missed several weeks already. At this rate, even if you do reach 3rd-circle, you won’t meet the promotion requirements.”

    O''Connell’s smile was insidious, almost as if he relished the power of using class attendance as leverage. Rather than genuinely worrying about Kaylen’s well-being, he was pushing for a test under the guise of making up missed classes.

    Through this test, O''Connell was likely hoping to figure out the abnormal strength of Kaylen’s magic that had been experienced by the maid, no doubt wanting to understand it for himself. His motives were clear, and the smile on his face only grew more smug.

    “The test is simple.”

    “Sounds like you want an immediate answer. Should I give you a response by tomorrow?”

    With that, O''Connell exited the room, his smile still intact as he left. Kaylen calmly watched him go.

    “Master, are you okay?”

    Alkas’s voice held concern, but Kaylen’s reply was light.

    “The first prince’s side must not have much money. They''re trying to milk us dry.”

    Kaylen answered Alkas’s worry with a casual response.

    “If they keep pushing like this, we’ll have a way to handle it on our end.”

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]