🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 25
“Ha… really, the stars…”
Adrian, holding Nathan’s hand, let out a sigh of exasperation as he stood up. He then brushed off his messy clothes roughly and spoke.
“This time, I’ll do it for real.”
Jaelin and Nathan nodded in agreement.
Adrian flicked the dirt from his hair carelessly and signaled toward Jaelin with his eyes.
At Adrian’s signal, Jaelin infused the pre-drawn schematic with magic.
The magic circle, glowing with a pale green light, began to activate.
The circle formed under Adrian’s feet was just large enough for one person to stand in.
Jaelin gave a hand signal to Adrian, letting him know it was safe to move.
Confirming Jaelin’s signal, Adrian started walking with a casual swing.
At first, the magic circle flickered in place without moving, but after completing synchronization, it immediately followed Adrian, moving in tandem with him.
Adrian increased his speed, stopped abruptly, and even changed directions suddenly, moving more erratically as time went on.
Yet despite this, the magic circle followed him flawlessly, as if it were an extension of his own body.
“Oh, perfect.”
Nathan, observing the circle’s movement, grinned and lightly waved his open hand toward Jaelin.
Not understanding Nathan’s gesture, Jaelin blinked and looked up at him. Dirt still clung stubbornly to her.
Nathan couldn’t help laughing at the sight of Jaelin, looking like a scruffy little puppy, awkward and uneasy.
“What… what’s so funny?”
Suppressing a laugh, Nathan gestured toward his own hand, signaling Jaelin to give him a high-five.
Ah.
Finally understanding Nathan’s intention, Jaelin slapped her hand against his.
While Jaelin and Nathan conversed, Adrian, trapped inside the magic circle, yelled at them.
However, the circle had a soundproofing spell, so none of Adrian’s shouts reached Jaelin or Nathan.
They continued their conversation, forgetting entirely that Adrian was inside the circle.
“By the way, are you a mana wielder? You seemed to activate the schematic without any mana stones earlier.”
Nathan asked, having witnessed Jaelin using magic to operate the schematic.
“Uh… yeah. Not much, though.”
“Then why do magic schematics?”
Nathan asked, puzzled. Usually, those capable of controlling their own mana aspired to become mages.
Magic schematics could produce intricate and delicate spells, but the cost of mana stones was prohibitively high, making them impractical for everyday use.
Moreover, learning magic schematics was expensive due to the cost of acquiring mana stones.
For this reason, magic schematics had long become a scholarly pursuit for the children of wealthy families who couldn’t personally wield magic.
In real battle scenarios, their use was still limited, so mages held higher social status and better treatment.
“My mana control isn’t delicate enough to be a mage… and the amount I have is too small to be impressive as a mage.”
“But if you can activate a schematic this complex without mana stones, that’s not bad. You might not instantly defeat monsters, but handling minor royal duties should be manageable.”
Jaelin immediately shook her head at Nathan’s words.
“I… I find magic schematics more fun. And I think magic schematics can help people more directly.”
Biting her lip slightly, Jaelin lowered her gaze.
“And… this isn’t enough. I want more power.”
“But…”
Nathan paused, scratching the back of his head.
“Well, yeah. Everyone thinks differently. And the reason you were able to find the best solution this time was probably because you challenged the uncertain path instead of avoiding it.”
“Y-yeah. Thanks. Also…”
Jaelin fidgeted for a moment, then spoke with determination.
“If I need a bigger schematic in real combat, I might have to borrow mana… I can’t afford to buy mana stones to supplement my power…”
She hesitated, glancing at Nathan.
Borrowing mana was considered extremely rude, as each person’s mana had limits, and in combat, available mana directly affected strength.
“Hmm. Is that so? I see…”
Before Nathan could respond, Adrian interjected.
“What are you worrying about? Forget it. I’ll lend it to you.”
Having neutralized part of the schematic with his own mana, Adrian walked up to Jaelin and Nathan.
Jaelin was naturally surprised that Adrian offered to lend his mana so willingly.
Adrian was usually prickly and seemed far from someone who would help or show kindness.
“R-really?”
Without a word, Adrian raised one eyebrow at Jaelin, who shyly expressed her thanks.
“Th-thanks…”
“But did the magic circle work properly? Couldn’t hear my voice? You didn’t even turn your head despite me shouting, so I guess it worked fine.”
Nathan spoke up.
“I couldn’t hear a thing. The soundproofing seems effective.”
Jaelin then asked Adrian,
“D-did you hear outside sounds properly? To monitor the situation, I need to hear what comes in from outside.”
“Yeah. I could hear that guy screaming as if he was right in front of me.”
Adrian gestured toward a corner of the training ground where Stefan, dragged by Sasha, was jumping and thrashing around.
“Good. The schematic seems fine. So, we follow the strategy I planned?”
Jaelin asked Adrian eagerly.
“Yes. Well done.”
With Adrian’s terse praise, his large hand landed on the top of Jaelin’s head.
Her brown hair ruffled slightly, and the hand quickly withdrew.
Jaelin bowed her head slightly, brushing her hair back, feeling relieved to have done her part as a team member.
Nathan agreed to proceed with the task following Jaelin’s strategy.
Afterward, they coordinated details and practiced working together.
Adrian, having checked the movement paths and monster behavior in the arena, declared a break.
While resting in a corner of the arena, Stefan approached Jaelin, rubbing his forearm and pouting.
“Woof… ow, that guy’s strength is insane! I thought my arm would break when he dragged me earlier.”
“D-did it hurt a lot?”
“Yeah! Look!”
Stefan rolled up his sleeve, showing his slightly reddened forearm.
“Geez, stop whining. It’s nothing.”
Adrian, leaning against the wall, frowned at Stefan’s fuss.
Stefan thrust his arm toward Adrian.
“Check it! It’s red! Waaah!”
“Are you crazy?”
Adrian sternly pushed Stefan’s arm away.
“Adrian’s cold as usual. Waaah.”
Stefan pretended to cry, wiping his eyes, while Nathan, smirking, offered a suggestion.
“Uh-oh. Should I do it then?”
“No! Why would you? Not in a million years!”
Spotting Nathan’s lazy smile, Stefan jumped and refused outright.
At that moment, Lionel’s team entered the arena. Stefan, jumping around and shouting at Nathan, spotted them and gasped.
“Wow. Look at that lineup. Perfect.”
“Yeah. That’s a perfect trio for the match.”
Nathan whistled, agreeing with Stefan.
“With that team, they’ll definitely rank first in the midterm monster training, right?”
“Hmm, who knows?”
Nathan winked at Jaelin with a meaningful smile.
“Oh? So you’re here?”
At that moment, Sasha suddenly appeared, grabbing Stefan’s ear.
Stefan screamed in sudden pain.
“Ah!”
“Daring to run off during training?”
Sasha’s teeth clicked menacingly, echoing ominously.
