The hall of the mansion remained silent after Aurelius' laughter.
The pouch of gold coins still lay on the table, exactly where I had placed it before. Even so, the archmage seemed to have no interest in it whatsoever.
His eyes were fixed on me.
It wasn't a look of suspicion or judgment. It was different. A calm curiosity, as if he were analyzing a rare phenomenon.
He began to walk slowly across the hall.
The sound of his staff touching the floor echoed softly with each step.
Lyannis watched the scene with her arms crossed.
Rai'kanna remained leaning against the wall, attentive to every movement of the archmage.
Liriel and Elara were completely focused on the conversation.
Vespera remained silent, as always.
Aurelius stopped again in front of me.
For a few seconds, he simply observed me.
Then he spoke.
"Takumi."
I nodded.
"Yes."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Before deciding anything, I need to confirm something."
I held the sword firmly.
"Ask."
The archmage raised one hand.
A small amount of mana appeared in his palm.
It wasn't an aggressive spell.
It was just pure energy.
A sphere of soft blue light began to form.
Lyannis watched it with curiosity.
Elara seemed more interested in the way the mana was being manipulated.
Aurelius brought his hand slowly closer.
When the sphere of energy approached me, I felt something strange.
The mana reacted.
Not as an attack.
But as a response.
The energy around my body vibrated for a moment.
The archmage observed it carefully.
The small mana sphere disappeared.
He stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he took a deep breath.
"As I suspected."
Lyannis raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly did you suspect?"
Aurelius turned his gaze to her.
"That he doesn't possess only sword talent."
He looked back at me.
"The people who sent the report were correct."
Liriel tilted her head.
"Report?"
The archmage nodded.
"The guild of Vailor sent a detailed description of the battle against the demon general."
Rai'kanna smiled slightly.
"So you already knew a little about us."
Aurelius agreed.
"Yes."
He took a few more steps across the hall.
"But hearing a story and observing the phenomenon directly are different things."
Elara seemed intrigued.
"What did you perceive?"
The archmage stopped again.
This time, he stood directly in front of me.
His expression was calm, but there was something more serious in his gaze now.
"Takumi possesses two extremely rare talents."
The hall fell silent.
Lyannis was the first to speak.
"Two?"
Aurelius nodded.
"Yes."
He raised one finger.
"The first is obvious."
He looked at the sword in my hands.
"Warrior talent."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"We already knew that."
The archmage smiled lightly.
"Not just an ordinary warrior."
He continued.
"Your control of posture, reflexes, and adaptation during combat indicates something more advanced."
Liriel seemed curious.
"What exactly?"
Aurelius answered without hesitation.
"Legendary warrior talent."
Lyannis let out a small whistle.
Rai'kanna tilted her head.
Elara remained silent, absorbing the information.
I myself was a little surprised.
I had always fought since I was young.
But I had never thought of it as something rare.
The archmage raised a second finger.
"The second talent is even more unusual."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"Natural talent for magic."
For a moment, no one said anything.
Lyannis blinked slowly.
"Wait."
She pointed at me.
"You're saying he also has talent for magic?"
Aurelius answered calmly.
"Yes."
Elara frowned slightly.
"But Takumi has never formally studied magic."
The archmage nodded.
"Exactly."
He walked a few steps toward the window.
The sunlight partially illuminated the hall.
"Most warriors have raw mana flow."
He continued.
"And most mages have refined control."
Liriel understood quickly.
"But rarely does someone possess both."
Aurelius looked back at her.
"Correct."
Rai'kanna let out a small laugh.
"So he's a strange case."
Lyannis added.
"That explains half of the absurd things we've already seen."
Vespera just watched silently.
I continued holding the sword.
That information was still processing in my mind.
Legendary warrior talent.
Natural talent for magic.
Aurelius walked back toward me.
The crystal staff reflected the light from the windows as he approached.
"This combination is extremely rare."
He continued.
"In fact, I've only seen something similar a few times in over four centuries."
The weight of that statement hung in the air.
Four centuries.
Lyannis looked at him.
"So… what does that mean?"
The archmage answered simply.
"It means that Takumi possesses unusual potential."
He rested the staff on the ground again.
"If this potential is properly trained."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"He can reach a level of mana mastery that few warriors achieve."
Elara seemed impressed.
Liriel too.
Rai'kanna crossed her arms again.
Lyannis simply observed the archmage's reaction.
I took a deep breath.
Then I asked the question that really mattered.
"Will you teach me?"
The archmage remained silent for a few seconds.
He seemed to be thinking carefully.
Finally, he smiled again.
"Yes."
The answer was simple.
Direct.
"I accept to train you."
Lyannis gave a small smile.
Rai'kanna seemed satisfied.
Liriel and Elara exchanged a quick glance.
Aurelius raised his hand again.
"But there is a condition."
The hall fell silent again.
I waited.
He looked at all of us.
"If I am going to teach Takumi, you will train as well."
Lyannis tilted her head.
"All of us?"
The archmage nodded.
"All of you."
He rested the staff on the ground one last time.
"The training begins tomorrow."
And at that moment, I realized that our true journey within the Arcane City was only beginning.