[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 7

    "Re... really?"

    Lina was taken aback. Kaylen''s behavior was completely unexpected.

    Up until the vacation, it had been easy to control him, but now it felt like he was slipping out of her grasp.

    ‘It’s fortunate that he’s going to do the mana recharge, though.’

    The primary goal had been achieved, but she didn’t feel at ease.

    If Kaylen decided not to help anymore, she had no way of making him comply.

    "Hurry up, let''s go."

    "Uh, yeah..."

    In fact, it was Kaylen’s urging that made Lina scramble to get up.

    Her face maintained a cheerful smile, but inside, she was uneasy.

    ‘I can’t afford to lose Kaylen...’

    The mana stone was already 80% recharged.

    Only a little more was needed, and if Kaylen backed out now, the progress would come to a halt.

    The remaining 20% could technically be done by her.

    ‘Charging the mana stone would take a week—am I crazy enough to do it myself?’ That wasn’t even an option.

    ‘The other guys won’t help now that it’s the second semester.’ The Royal Academy of Magic, home to the kingdom’s best talents.

    No matter how beautiful Lina was, no one would be foolish enough to help with the mana stone recharge when their promotion to third year depended on the second semester.

    Graduating from the academy was worlds apart from finishing the second year.

    ‘Somehow, I need to gaslight him into keep recharging it.’

    With just 20% left, it would only take 5 to 7 more times.

    She needed to keep Kaylen around until then.

    With that resolution, Lina guided him toward the magic circle.

    "This is it."

    "Oh?"

    A large magic circle filled the room.

    It was obviously complex, with intricate runes and symbols all over.

    Lina smirked, proud of the setup.

    "Heh, this is the magic spell I mentioned in today’s class. Our family’s magic spell."

    The charging magic spell, It was created by the Florence family.

    Now it had eventually been made public and was now even used in classes.

    Though the magic spell was well-known, it didn’t affect the Florence family much.No?v(el)B\\jnn

    The reason was easy to understand. Lina walked briskly toward the circle.

    She pulled out a hairpin and pricked her finger with it.

    "Ow!"

    A few drops of blood fell from her finger, immediately being absorbed by the magic circle.

    As this happened, the magic circle, which had been glowing blue, began to shift to a deep red.

    Kaylen, watching the spectacle, nodded.

    ‘It seems the magic circle is optimized for the family’s blood.’

    A long-standing magical family would often have a few signature magic circles.

    While it was possible for outsiders to use them, the efficiency greatly depended on whose blood served as the catalyst. The Florence family’s magic circle was notably more effective with their blood.

    That’s why, even after the circle became publicly known, the Florence family was still given preferential treatment.

    "That''s enough."

    As the magic circle completely turned red, Lina quickly stepped back, moving with agility, almost as if avoiding a fiery pit.

    Kaylen, watching this, let out a quiet chuckle.

    ‘She really doesn’t want to waste any of her mana.’

    Once a magic circle is activated, simply stepping into it causes the mana recharge to begin. However, since the process takes hours, staying inside for a brief moment doesn’t result in immediate mana loss.

    But Lina seemed unwilling to let go of even a little bit of it.

    "Let’s go."

    “Alright, then...”

    She wanted to watch Kaylen charging the mana stone, but being late for her lessons was a bigger issue.

    "Don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure to keep the Young Master safe," the guard said, though his words were meant to reassure her that he would keep a close watch on Kaylen.

    ‘He’ll be fine...’

    Lina tried to calm her uneasy feelings.

    In fact, now that she thought about it, even if something went wrong, it wouldn’t be a major issue. The mana stone charging magic spell was highly stable.

    Even in the worst case, the mana charging speed would just slow down.

    ‘Right. I should go for now.’

    After giving Kaylen a last, lingering look, Lina turned around and exited the magic circle area.

    Her bodyguard, Alkas, took over in her place.

    ‘He’s definitely changed a lot.’

    Alkas, who had only briefly glanced at Kaylen when he first arrived, now looked at him with a more focused gaze.

    Earlier, he hadn’t paid much attention to Kaylen, but seeing him now, he was completely different from before.

    ‘His posture is different. His energy has changed.’

    In the past, Kaylen had been a massive, sagging figure who could barely handle his own body weight.

    Now, Kaylen stood tall like a towering mountain.

    ‘If he trains a bit more here, he’d be more suited for being a knight than a mage.’

    His large frame and long limbs made him the ideal candidate for a knight.

    Of course, the condition was that he had to lose some weight first.

    ‘But he’s already a mage. Would he even consider becoming a knight? Even if things went well, he’d probably end up like my old self.’

    Alkas gave a small, powerless smile.

    If it were in the past, maybe Kaylen could have considered it, but in the present era, there was a clear distinction in status between knights and mages.

    Mages were highly favored in today’s world, and no mage in their right mind would choose to become a knight.

    ‘I was the top of the Knight Academy, but now I’m stuck guarding nobles...’

    Being a bodyguard to the young lady of the Count’s family was an insignificant position for someone who had ranked first in the kingdom’s prestigious Knight Academy, which was filled with only the kingdom’s brightest talents.

    However, for knights from commoner backgrounds, such positions were the only stable employment available.

    ‘How did it come to this...’

    Alkas stared at Kaylen and sighed as his thoughts drifted into lamentation.

    He quickly shook off his dark thoughts and focused on his duty.

    Two hours passed, and then, suddenly, a change occurred in the magic spell.

    ‘Huh?’

    To be precise, it came from the mana charge percentage located in the left corner of the complex magic spell.

    The bar indicator for the mana charge had originally been at 80%.

    ‘But... something’s off.’ Normally, the mana charge should rise slowly and steadily, but the percentage seemed to be fluctuating, slightly going up and down.

    ‘What’s going on?’

    Alkas had never received any instructions from Lina regarding how to handle such an event.

    He hesitated for a moment, but as he continued to watch, the fluctuations in the percentage grew larger and larger.

    ‘This isn’t good. I need to stop this!’

    He made up his mind to intervene, thinking that something bad would happen if he didn’t.

    At that moment, Kaylen let out a deep breath, and the charging process suddenly stabilized.

    Afterward, as Alkas had seen before, the mana charge percentage slowly started to rise.

    “Oh, it’s okay now...?”

    Alkas, who had been about to enter the magic circle, stopped in his tracks.

    ‘I don’t know what just happened... I’ll have to report this to the young lady when she returns.’

    ‘It seems I’ll need to adjust my plans.’ Kaylen had never intended to quietly charge mana.

    Normally, after finishing his training with the mana stone, he would have left immediately, but now the situation had changed.

    ‘This mana stone... I can use it.’

    A faint smile appeared on Kaylen’s lips.

    ‘I’ll take this mana for myself.’

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]