Traveling from the Imperial Capital all the way to Duberro Village in the south was no easy task.
Even riding a carriage wasn’t enough; moving while avoiding people’s eyes demanded immense stamina.
Still, there was no worry about the silver hair being spotted by Princess Sylvia.
That was thanks to the artifact mask covering her eyes, distorting her appearance.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
Only one knight remained by Sylvia’s side.
Knight Theodore.
Sylvia’s guardian knight, a hidden powerhouse who refused the title of Royal Knight to remain solely her protector.
“Call me ‘Miss’ for now, Theodore.”
“…Yes, Miss.”
“We’re almost there. We’ll be at Duberro Village soon, right?”
“Yes, we will arrive shortly.”
Princess Sylvia Verden.
In the world inside the Ventair, she was the tragic princess who was murdered the moment the succession war began—killed by the Crown Prince himself.
Her death was the signal that ignited the war for the throne.
Yet here she was, alive and well.
Because Sirbert had resolved to save the princess, and so it was.
“To be honest… I can’t trust that professor.”
‘Who could?’
Escaping the palace so easily as if it were planned from long ago.
The plans spilling effortlessly from his lips.
“It sounds too plausible; it makes me suspicious. Doesn’t much of it coincide with your thoughts, Miss?”
Caught between the two princes, Sylvia had no intention of being a fool.
But since the two princes’ powers had already grown too large, she had to quietly prepare from the shadows.
As if she had no interest in the throne at all.
As if she knew nothing about expanding her power.
But the emperor’s death had come so suddenly, and the Crown Prince and Second Prince’s swift moves to seize the palace seemed almost premeditated.
Sylvia, who was cautiously maneuvering behind the scenes, had no time to act before the two massive forces rose up.
Her future, caught between them, was pitch-black.
Until Sirbert appeared, opening a sliver of hope.
He spoke of a plan similar to the one Sylvia had been quietly preparing.
“I feel the same way. But it’s true I accepted his help, and that the plan is workable. Whatever his ulterior motives, it’s best we join hands for now.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Though Theodore’s expression remained stoic, Sylvia who had known him for a long time could see the worry and faint unease beneath.
Theodore simply couldn’t understand.
If they needed to move quickly as the plan demanded, why come all the way to a small southern village just to find one person?
Especially with two princes burning with fury searching for Sylvia.
Reading Theodore’s concern, Sylvia smiled lightly.
Even though her eyes were hidden behind the mask, a fresh smile shone through.
“Don’t worry, Theodore. When I meet this person, I’ll see with my own eyes and judge.”
Theodore looked at her briefly.
“May I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“What did you think of that professor? From your perspective?”
“Professor… professor, huh.”
Sylvia recalled the first day she met Sirbert.
To her unique eyes, Sirbert had seemed…
“Empty.”
Empty.
Like a doll without a soul.
“Is that so… What on earth are those empty people…?”
“One day, I’ll find out.”
“If the professor was like that, then isn’t the person we’re going to see now similar?”
“Who knows…”
Sylvia shook her head lightly.
Her silver hair gently flowing.
And eyes the same shimmering silver.
“I’ll see for myself when we meet.”
Those eyes pierced the essence of life.
The eyes of one who peers into souls.
“There’s Duberro Village ahead, Miss.”
A flicker of ash-gray passed through Sylvia’s silver eyes as she gazed at the village.
***
“By what kind of steel is your heart made? Did you really think it could hold out forever?”
After being scolded by Furnel, I felt my energy returning.
Of course, engraving on the heart is the fastest and most effective method… but you should have thought something was wrong when it hurt so much.
Especially since you said you did everything for the 1st Circle in just one day? Hey…
Furnel furrowed his brow sharply as if his temples were pounding.
Even though there are no temples to pound…
And besides, you need something to compare it to in order to understand.
I only did it because it worked, so why am I getting scolded…?
I muttered timidly, but it didn’t help at all.
“First, you have to understand the inscriptions before raising your Circle. You have to clearly know what role each inscription plays. Not just recklessly engraving on your heart like you did.”
Furnel’s lecture on inscriptions sank deeply into my mind.
“When you use mana, your Circle becomes empty, right? These inscriptions replenish the Circle by that empty mana amount. They draw in mana, compress it, and lead it into the Circle.”
Of course, it’s not as effective as doing it directly, but the reason your Circle fills even when idle is thanks to these inscriptions.
That’s why the 2nd Circle requires so many inscriptions.
Each Circle increase exponentially raises mana capacity.
To keep replenishing the much larger mana compared to the previous Circle, you need the power of that many inscriptions.
“And that’s not all. As the Circle increases, your spells become more diverse and stronger, with high-level spells requiring dozens of inscriptions to work simultaneously.”
From the 3rd Circle onward, the number of inscriptions to carve exceeds a hundred.
If I had challenged the 3rd Circle without meeting Furnel… my heart might have exploded.
To surpass the 5th Circle and reach the Mage level at 6th Circle, or the Archmage at 7th Circle, simply engraving inscriptions isn’t enough. You need enlightenment.
So you must know the meaning of each inscription.
“How many Circles were you in your lifetime?”
“That’s a secret.”
“…Isn’t it about the same as me?”
Furnel puffed himself up indignantly at my plausible guess.
“Nonsense! And the Circle isn’t as important for Necromancers anyway. What matters most is how many strong undead you control.”
“…Really?”
“Of course! Circles are important too! Ahem. Enough small talk; now let’s quickly form the 2nd Circle.”
“You need to grow strong soon so I can explore the Tower of Mages a bit more.”
“Can ghosts really enter every room?”
“Most rooms are locked. Though the other floors are worth researching, so it’s fine.”
For important rooms, we’ll have to portal there together.
You can’t freely roam every floor just because you can pass through walls.
Well, it’s good our goals have aligned.
“Anyway, listen carefully. Inscriptions aren’t engraved on the heart, but on the Circle. You can’t help the ones already engraved on your heart.”
“Engraved on the Circle?”
“Exactly. That’s why you need a teacher’s help to ascend to the 1st Circle from nothing… but you solved that difficulty by blindly engraving on your heart?”
“How do you engrave them on the Circle?”
“You have to bind inscriptions together. First, bind the basic inscriptions that form the Circle. These gather mana to prevent it from scattering and maintain the Circle’s shape.”
Then carve this just above the first Circle.
That forms the basic frame of the 2nd Circle, where you engrave the remaining inscriptions.
“It’s far more difficult than engraving on the heart, but the safety is incomparable. Don’t be impatient. It’s not something you can just whip up overnight like engraving on your heart…”
“What are you staring at? Don’t you get it at all?”
Furnel’s words made me stare blankly into space with a troubled expression.
He nodded as if he understood.
“It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? Making just one inscription… no, finely controlling mana isn’t easy. Making multiple inscriptions at once and engraving them, I completely get how you feel.”
Now, I’ll help you step by step.
“No, it’s not that…”
I opened my mouth with a dazed expression.
“Never mind.”
“…Hmm? Never mind what?”
“The 2nd Circle.”
What I had been staring at was the message:
[Circle creation succeeded]
“‘Mana’ stat increased by +25”
Making inscriptions with mana.
Binding and engraving them—too easy for a Genius of Mana Resonance.
That’s why it felt strange.
Compared to engraving on my heart with agonizing pain, tears, snot, and even nosebleeds, this was far too simple.
That’s why I felt so uneasy.
“This is f*cking easy.”
And Furnel…
“…What are you saying?”
I couldn’t believe this reality.
[Confirmed mana is 2nd Circle]
[There are four accessible areas]
***
[Magician’s Tower Floor 101 – Novice Magic Training Room (Temporary)]
[Magician’s Tower Floor 102 – Apprentice Magic Training Room (Temporary)]
[Imenia Southern Region Independent Base (3) – Mage’s House]
[Imenia Southern Region Necromancer Branch (2) – Mage’s House]
Having reached the 2nd Circle, I could now enter the Apprentice Magic Training Room.
A spacious area where I needn’t worry about food, clothing, or shelter.
A 2nd Circle magic tome and a separate room prepared for practicing it.
Furnel entered and muttered as he looked around.
“Was there such a space in the Tower of Mages? It’s like it was prepared knowing a successor like you would come.”
“Well, maybe it was made just in case.”
“Could be. Anyway, I’ll learn 2nd Circle magic here, though I regret not being able to go to the Necromancer branch floor.”
To be recognized as a Necromancer, you need death energy—‘sgi’—the energy of death.
We’re not exactly black magicians… we don’t handle that energy much.
I’ll teach you how to handle it slowly, so for now, let’s engrave other inscriptions.
After engraving about a dozen inscriptions needed for Necromancer magic, preparations were finally complete.
Ready to learn the basic magic of the 2nd Circle and Necromancer spells.
“Starting at the 2nd Circle, Apprentice Mage level, there are offensive and defensive spells.”
Just reading the titles of the magic tomes on the table proved it true.
“Shield, Mana Web, Fire Arrow, Grease, Heal… Ah, memories flooding back. What do you want to learn first?”
“First…”
The answer had already been decided.
Without hesitation, I walked over and picked up one book.
“Oh? Shield. Good choice. It’s only 2nd Circle, so it’s not an amazing defense, but better than nothing.”
My offense was more than enough.
What I lacked were evasion and defense skills.
I decided to learn Shield first, then slowly pick up the rest.
“Alright. Then I’ll teach you one more 2nd Circle spell of our school along with Shield.”
Furnel’s mouth curled upward slowly.
His mouth stretched nearly to his eyes.
It was truly…
“Vampiric Touch. A very Necromancer-like spell that drains the opponent’s life force.”
He looked like a wicked ghost.