Pulling up to the Marquis's mansion, I still couldn't wrap my head around its sheer size. Even after seeing it the scale was mind-boggling. As the carriage stopped, a maid stepped forward and guided us inside with a polite bow. The moment I entered the grand hallway, I spotted a familiar young girl standing proudly with her arms crossed, a faint spark of excitement flickering in her eyes.
"It's only been a day and you already couldn't wait to come see me, huh, commoner?" she said with that usual arrogant smile.
Damn, this kid was so cocky it almost made her cute.
"What are you talking about kid?" I shot back. "You were the one crying to see me."
Her face instantly turned beet red. Anger flashed across her eyes as she stomped forward.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me a kid? My name is Oriane Evermore, and I did NOT cry wanting to see you!"
I chuckled softly. "Alright, alright. So what did you want to do today?"
Her irritation evaporated, replaced with a bright smile. Without answering, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the garden. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the flowers, playing simple games, and talking about everything and nothing. Time slipped by quickly until a maid approached us as the sun dipped low.
"Sir Lurthar, the master asks if you would like to join him for dinner," she said politely.
I was honestly starting to feel surprisingly at ease with these people. "Please tell Lord Roland that I must decline. I need to cook for my master tonight."
The maid nodded and left. Oriane's face drooped immediately.
"Do you really have to leave?"
"Yes," I said, patting her head. "But we can play again next time. Just… not every day. I've got classes too."
She pouted, cheeks puffed out. "F-fine. If you want to see me that badly, then I guess I can't help it."
Hot or cold — she needed to pick one. Still, her attempt at pride made me grin.
After getting a ride back home, I put together a simple meal: soup and some bread I'd baked that morning. When the old man came out, we ate together in silence again.
Man… these quiet meals are so awkward.
But as I gathered the dishes afterward, he suddenly spoke.
"The meal today was good. And… thank you for cleaning up the place. I haven't seen it this tidy in years."
"It's no problem, Master," I said with a small nod before heading to bed.
The next two weeks passed quicker than I expected. I finally learned the local language, picked up their math system, and got familiar with their coinage. Ten copper equaled one silver, ten silver equaled one gold, and a single platinum coin was worth a hundred gold. A simple, tidy system.
During those two weeks, I also spent more time than I expected playing with Oriane at her mansion. I could tell she was lonely after the kidnapping incident — her parents kept her under strict watch now. Not that I minded; being close with such a powerful family could prove useful in the future.
My relationship with the old man, my teacher, also improved. He began asking about my day, and even the food I'd been making. For someone who acted like a shut-in hermit at first, that was a huge improvement.
But the most important change was this: my mana veins and mana core had finally stabilized. Today, I would learn how to properly guide mana from my veins into my core.
I sat in my chair, listening as the old man began the lesson.
"Do you know what mana is?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"It is the energy within everything in this world," he explained. "Some beings can use it directly. The atmosphere is filled with mana particles — the smallest, purest form of mana. They are the building blocks of spells."
He paused to let me absorb that before continuing.
"Next are mana elements. There are two types: natural and conjured. Natural elements include fire, water, earth, and air. Their derivatives include lightning, lava, metal, sound, and ice."
"The conjured elements," he said, "are far rarer. They include light, darkness, dimension, time, gravity, illusion, and mind."
My jaw nearly dropped. Gravity magic? Time magic? That sounded ridiculously overpowered. And dimension magic… if it actually existed, it could be the key to returning home.
"Most spells of those types are only recorded in legends," the old man warned. "Even high-level mages struggle to use them. Only light and darkness magic are commonly learned."
Still — hearing they existed at all filled me with excitement. If there was even a faint chance to learn time or dimension magic someday, I had to pursue it.
After giving me a moment, he continued. "Now, do you know what a mana core is, Lurthar?"
"Uhh… is it how mages use mana?"
"Half correct," he said. "The core is where you store mana. It regenerates mana after you use it. There are levels to mana cores."
He raised a finger and conjured a tiny flame above it — the same trick Iskar had shown me.
"This is a Tier 0 spell called Candle Breath. But using more mana than necessary will create a wild reaction."
The flame swelled suddenly, wobbling violently as if about to explode.
"The more mana you channel into a spell, the harder it is to control," he said calmly.
I raised my hand. "So… the rings around the core determine how much mana a mage can store, and how strong the spell can be, right?"
"That is correct. A one-ring mage can cast four-tier spells, just like a five-ring mage can. But the output will be vastly different. Greater rings allow for stronger, more stable mana and stronger spells."
Hearing this made my head spin with ideas. If I could grow my rings fast enough, maybe I could one day control enough mana to use those legendary spells. Maybe even dimension magic… maybe even find a way home.
For now, though, I needed to take the first step: forging my veins and learning to pull mana properly.