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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: My First Magic
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A gloomy cave where not a single ray of light seeped in.
The space was filled only with the stench of blood and screams echoing from all directions.
"Really hard to get a glimpse of your face."
In the center of the horrific scene where flesh was torn and veins burst, a robed woman flashed her red eyes.
The gaze fell on a man standing there in black priestly robes. Clear terror was etched on his face, revealed beneath the shadow of his hood.
"I've already heard the rumors about you... They say you hide your face and hunt us down."
Strange tentacles sprouted from behind the man in multiple branches. The sharp-tipped tentacles all shot toward Roselia at once.
"Did you think you could touch our altar and walk away unscathed?"
Snap—. Roselia flicked her fingers. With that single small motion, the tentacles burst like popping balloons and scattered in all directions.
"Argh!"
Unlike the man, who screamed and staggered backward, Roselia drew in a deep breath of the blood-scented air and flashed a sinister smile.
"Tell me everything you know about the Archbishop. Then, there won't be any pain."
A soft voice that didn't suit the gruesome scene at all. But lurking at the end of those words was a murderous intent sharp enough to send chills down the spine.
"Heh heh... Just kill me."
The man didn't so much as blink at Roselia's threat. Instead, he twisted his lips into a strange laugh.
But unfortunately for him, that smile only stoked Roselia's anticipation further.
"Hearing you say that, it looks like you do know something after all."
A cold smile spread beneath her red eyes.
"I'll leave it to you, daughter."
As Roselia finished speaking, a small girl emerged from behind her.
The girl had long hair as dark as the night sky cascading down her back. Her eyes held no trace of light whatsoever. Only emptiness swirled within those pupils.
The priest, meeting her gaze, instinctively realized it.
That girl would never let him live.
The bustling streets of the empire's marketplace, filled with people hurrying to and fro.
I sat at my little street stall, staring blankly at the road before letting out a deep sigh.
"I almost turned into a total lost cause..."
I'd come that close to disaster.
Who would've thought a bed could harbor such dangerous power?
Hidden beneath the pristine white blankets were the black clutches of a demon.
Like being caught in an invisible net, I'd somehow merged with the bed without realizing it.
If the confinement spirit had lasted just a little longer, I might've crossed the river of no return.
"At least you seem to have gotten some good rest, so that's a relief."
Sierra, who had been watching over me, spoke up carefully. I felt a bit embarrassed, having shown such a childish side.
"It was... because of the confinement spirit, you know..."
Either way, just as Sierra said, I'd rested well, so now it was time to charge toward my goals again.
With the money from Camilla in hand as well, after wrapping up the day's business, Sierra and I headed to the magic tool shop we frequented.
"Back again today!"
It was the place I'd visited nearly every year to buy purified mana. The now-familiar shopkeeper greeted me with a bright smile.
He carefully placed a glass bottle filled with blue-tinged mana in front of me.
"I've got your share ready in advance, miss."
"Ah, I don't need mana anymore."
Confusion spread across the shopkeeper's face at my words.
"You don't need mana?"
"Yes. Instead, I'm here to buy something else today."
I had mana herb extract far purer than purified mana. And I'd confirmed its power firsthand on my body just a week ago.
Refined mana was no longer necessary for me.
"What are you looking for?"
The shopkeeper eyed me with keen interest. I placed the heavy pouch of coins I'd been holding right in front of him.
As the pouch opened, golden coins spilled out with a jingle. His eyes widened at the generous amount.
"I'm here to buy scrolls and nodes."
Having graduated from basic circuits, it was time to seriously tackle magic scroll creation.
I shelled out a hefty thousand runes for the special paper needed for scrolls and several lower-grade nodes.
Holding all the materials close, a swell of pride filled my chest for some reason.
I returned straight to the mansion and headed to my room. Perhaps still worried about my previous mistake, Sierra watched me with concern.
"Don't worry. That kind of thing won't happen again."
The last mishap had been because I couldn't properly gauge the power of the mana herb infused with divine power. I had no intention of repeating it.
It took a while to reassure Sierra before I finally gained my freedom.
Grabbing the mana herb mana I'd hidden in my room and the basket I'd prepared from the kitchen ahead of time, I headed to a place I hadn't visited in ages.
The Rahel Tani mansion's training grounds. Fitting for a count's family, we had our own knight order, complete with a dedicated training field for them.
"Whoa! It's the miss!"
As I stepped into the training grounds, the knights—bulging with muscle—welcomed me warmly. Having lived more years as a man, a knight order full of guys wasn't uncomfortable for me at all.
Honestly, it was several times more comfortable than Roselia's bedroom.
"Hello!"
I bowed at a perfect ninety degrees in polite greeting. The knights told me I didn't need to be so formal with them, but it actually made me uncomfortable if I didn't.
At first, even the knights couldn't hide their unease, but after a year, they'd grown accustomed to it naturally.
"What brings you to the training grounds?"
A tall, blond knight with a handsome face approached and asked.
"Ah, first, this..."
I handed him the basket I was carrying. Inside were several bottles of refreshing orange juice.
"I picked it up on the way. Thank you always for your hard work on behalf of our family."
The knights' eyes glistened with emotion as they took the basket.
"Miss...!"
Not missing that heartfelt moment, I carefully broached the subject.
"Could I possibly borrow Camilla's training field for a bit?"
Besides the general training grounds for the knight order, the Rahel Tani mansion had a private one just for Camilla.
Designed for her specialty in magic, it was built from special materials that could withstand intense magical collisions. It was the perfect spot to test my improved circuits.
Plus, with Roselia and Camilla often heading out lately, there shouldn't be any issues. I could reimburse Camilla for the usage fee later.
"Of course! You can use anywhere you like, miss!"
The response was an enthusiastic approval. After thanking them politely, I headed straight to Camilla's training field.
It was a large circular space, completely empty without a soul in sight, which gave it an almost solemn tension.
I carefully sat down on the dirt floor and took out the new scroll material and a node one by one.
"Finally, time to try using a node."
Node.
A component made of special materials that amplified or altered mana.
Nodes enabled the design of circuits in various forms using mana as an energy source.
If I had to compare, it was like mana being electricity and nodes akin to transistors. Of course, nodes were far more complex and profound, but theoretically, there were similarities.
I picked up my pen and began slowly drawing the circuit on the scroll.
The pen nib left traces as it passed over the scroll. It felt entirely different from the sensation of regular parchment... Even the scratching sound tickled my ears pleasantly.
For the past year, I'd steadily delved into node theory. Now was the time to put it into practice.
I drew the circuit, adjusting the line thickness and placing the nodes appropriately. Finally, I carefully dripped a few drops of mana extracted from the mana herb—the core energy source to activate the circuit—onto the diagram.
And with that, the completed scroll.
A scroll imbued with mana from the rare mana herb, enhanced by my divine power. In terms of price alone, it would easily exceed a thousand runes.
A thousand runes for a single spell. In terms of efficiency, there was no worse investment. That was the fundamental reason scrolls weren't popular with the masses.
But for me, who could grow mana herbs right from my hand, it was an exception.
'Let's do this.'
There were no theoretical errors. I'd meticulously adjusted the mana to prevent any recurrence of the previous circuit overload.
I held the finished scroll out in front of me.
Taking a short breath, I carefully tore the end at the circuit's starting point.
A small spark jumped briefly. The circuit began to burn slowly. Soon, the scroll emitted a short flash and burst into intense light.
A fireball rose from the circuit and shot fiercely straight ahead.
Boom—!
The fireball slammed into the massive wall, exploding with a roar and splintering into countless fragments that scattered everywhere. I stared blankly at the embers dispersing across the floor.
A slow smile crept onto my lips.
"I did it...!"
The first magic I'd manifested with this cursed body that couldn't expel mana outside.
A so-called fireball.
Yes, the famous one.
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