[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 6

    Lina de Florence.

    In the memories of the original body, she was a blonde, fantastically beautiful girl, but...

    Kaylen''s first impression of her was different.

    ‘She’s ordinary.’

    She had an average height and a slightly slim build.

    Objectively speaking, she was on the cute side.

    But for Ernstine, who had seen countless beauties as the emperor who unified the continent, she was far from being considered a beauty.

    ‘But she knows how to dress up.’

    Mages are usually drowning in magic research and training, typical students didn''t pay attention to their appearance.

    Most students would wear shabby robes and hoods over their heads when going to class...

    But Lina was different.

    She wore a spotless white robe with make-up.

    Her bright, shining blonde hair was well-groomed and sparkling, making her stand out among the students.

    Though perhaps not elsewhere, she would certainly be considered a beauty in the Magic Academy.

    “Kaylen, right? Wow. You lost weight? I can barely recognize you. You’ve gotten handsome!”

    As soon as Lina saw him, she approached with a smile, touching his arm casually and admiring him.

    “Wow. Are you working out these days? Your arms have gotten so firm.”

    She showered him with compliments.

    “See? I told you that if I took care of you, you’d get handsome.”

    She gave him a thumbs-up.

    A faint perfume smell pleasantly drifted over.

    It was a scent rare to find at the Magic Academy.

    Kaylen now understood why he liked it.

    At this point, she just seemed like a friendly and lively classmate.

    “Kaylen, can I ask you for a ‘favor’ today?”

    However, her true intention was something else.

    “I’ve been working hard alone during the break, but I couldn’t do it... I need to charge a mana stone.”

    Charging a mana stone.

    Mana stones that contain mana are valuable, but those depleted of mana are worthless.

    In Ernstine’s time, mana stones that had been used up were discarded as mere stones.

    ‘It’s amazing that they can be recharged now.’

    According to Kaylen''s memory, the charging of mana stones used a unique magic from the Florence family.

    ‘Thanks to this magic, they say he, a commoner rose to the rank of count. Impressive.’

    “Can you help me again today? Please?” Lina asked with a pleading look.

    At her expression, Kaylen’s head was about to nod on its own.

    It was the instinct of a fool, blindly following Lina''s words.

    When a mage starts charging a mana stone, a whole day is wasted, and they struggle with a mana shortage for a week...

    But Kaylen’s body was ready to obey Lina''s request.

    ‘I can see right through you.’

    But Kaylen was now Ernstine.

    Having experienced countless romantic affairs with concubines who were all peerless beauties, Kaylen was completely unmoved by Lina''s facial expressions.

    “Today, I...”

    Kaylen waved his hand, attempting to lightly refuse Lina''s request, but his movement suddenly halted.

    It was because of the memories that began to flood his mind.

    How to recharge a mana stone using the Mana Heart.

    The process was starting to come back to him one by one.

    ‘It never came to me until now.’

    The method of using the Mana Heart only now appeared in his mind, triggered by a request from a girl he liked.

    Though most of it was about recharging, Kaylen could not afford to let this clue slip away.

    “No. I’ll do it.”

    “Really?”

    That’s why most students were burning with determination to reach the 3rd circle.

    Yet Kaylen, lost in his infatuation, helped recharge her mana, only to be too exhausted and lacking mana to train himself.

    ‘Even that girl is working hard.’

    Lina shined like a phoenix among the dull mages.

    She, too, was rolling up her sleeves, focusing intently on taking notes in the non-mage class.

    Despite being the daughter of a count, she worked hard to succeed as a mage.

    That was the attitude every student at the Magic Academy should have.

    ‘No wonder they treat Kaylen like he’s invisible.’

    Even after entering the class, everyone ignored him, treating him like a transparent person, except for Lina.

    The Magic Academy’s experimental area.

    It was a space created to encourage students’ free magical experiments, located in the basement of the academy’s main building.

    “Look at that pig. He came here right after school started?”

    “I heard he’s charging a mana stone for the daughter of the Florence family again.”

    “Mana recharge? Guess he’s given up on advancing.”

    The mages whispered, mocking Kaylen.

    When they saw him, they quickly cleared their throats and pretended to focus on their work.

    ‘This kind of neglect and coldness is just the norm.’

    It was a look Kaylen had never experienced in his past life.

    However, perhaps because he had never been through it, Kaylen found it rather refreshing.

    As he walked under those gazes, the inner part of the experimental area was revealed.

    "This is it."

    It was a space granted only to powerful noble families, a privileged area.

    Soon, a man approached, bowed, and greeted him.

    "You''ve arrived, Sir Kaylen."

    He was a knight from the Florence family, assigned to guard the academy’s experimental area.

    "Oh, you''ve become quite the handsome gentleman."

    "It’s nothing. I still have a long way to go."

    Kaylen still had flesh wobbling with each step he took.

    The knight from the count''s family seemed to have been given instructions, continuously praising Kaylen.

    "Lady Florence also mentioned that you’ve become much more handsome. She praised you a lot."

    "She’s expecting that you’ll handle the mana recharge well."

    At those words, Kaylen shrugged his shoulders, following the knight''s guidance into the Florence family’s territory.

    "Kaylen, you’re here?"

    Lina, dressed in a one-piece dress, was waiting for him.

    Her skin looked better than in the morning, and her fresh beauty was shining through.

    Seeing her like this made Kaylen’s heart race.

    He was still caught off guard by her wearing a dress for the first time, unable to collect himself.

    In his memories, she had always worn a robe, even in the experimental area.

    Did she sense his change in attitude?

    Her intuition was on point, but Kaylen, in contrast, remained indifferent.

    ‘When did she change clothes and fix her makeup? It’s still just ordinary.’

    Ernstine, who had been courted by the most extraordinary women of his time, couldn’t be easily swayed. No matter how exquistily Lina dressed, she couldn’t rise beyond ‘ordinary.’

    "Come here and sit."

    Lina gestured to him as she set up a tea table.

    Normally, she would have immediately put Kaylen to work on the mana recharge, but today she planned to put in more effort.

    After all, she couldn’t afford to let the easy catch slip away.

    But, contrary to what should have been his happy reaction, Kaylen...

    Whoosh.

    "Delicious."

    Without even sitting down, he quickly drank the tea.

    "Tea time is a waste of time. Let’s get straight to the recharge."

    He jumped straight to the point.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]