ITHTJ 13

Chapter : 13

I’ll Sign a Lifetime Contract (9)

“Today, we’ll start by measuring the total amount of mana you possess, Saintess. I’ll teach you how to control and use mana after that.”

I pointed to the transparent crystal ball placed on the desk.

I’d checked its functions last night and polished it thoroughly while I was at it, and perhaps because of that, the crystal ball was gleaming beautifully.

“This is the device used to measure mana. The number of people who’ve used this thing… hmm, even estimating roughly, it has to be in the hundreds. No, maybe well over a thousand?”

“Really? That many?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

At my words, Lynette’s eyes widened in surprise.

This crystal ball had been my main product from the beginning to the end of my street-vendor days.

‘Let’s see, the people I successfully measured with this were Jimmy, Sophia, Bernard… who else was there? I can’t remember clearly.’

Wendelton’s 7th Street, where I lived, was a residential district where poor commoners gathered.

Barely managing to survive day by day, they thirsted for the possibility that they might possess some kind of extraordinary ability.

Because that was the only way sunlight could reach their shadowed lives.

‘Of course, I was no different.’

When I was very young, I sold flowers on the street to learn magic.

With the money I earned, I bought books related to magic and taught myself.

‘Now that I think about it, I struggled a lot at first because I couldn’t even read.’

To read that single book, I even went to work under a notoriously ill-tempered old man.

I was only ten years old at the time.

‘Thanks to all that hardship and learning magic, I barely managed to put food in my mouth. If not for that, I’d have starved to death long ago.’

It was truly fortunate that I realized I had reincarnated only later.

Because I didn’t know my fate, I struggled desperately to survive; had I known early on, I might have given up on life and lived like a wreck.

“How do you use it?”

I kindly explained the method to Lynette, who asked about using the crystal ball.

“It’s simple. Just place both hands on top and focus.”

The measurement process itself was straightforward.

When mana is infused into the crystal ball, smoke that visualizes the subject’s mana rises inside it.

The greater the total amount of mana, the more smoke appears; when the crystal ball becomes completely opaque, that’s the maximum measurable value.

For reference, the standard for the maximum measurement was me.

‘So anyone with more mana than me can’t really be measured properly.’

Even so, I had never seen anyone fill this crystal ball completely.

But since Lynette was the protagonist, maybe she could?

With eyes full of anticipation, I looked at her.

“Like this?”

“Yes! Just wait like that.”

Both her gaze and mine were fixed on the crystal ball.

After a moment, pale smoke formed inside, filling about half of the sphere.

‘Huh?’

I was momentarily flustered. Lynette’s mana was only half of mine?

I stared blankly at the crystal ball that had produced such an unbelievable result.

‘Is it broken? No, that can’t be.’

She was the original story’s female lead, and Lynette possessed such powerful divine power—yet her mana was only half of mine? I couldn’t believe it.

The fact that the divine power I felt from her was faint—I could understand that.

Her abilities hadn’t fully awakened yet.

‘But her mana too? That’s strange. The thing that hadn’t awakened was clearly just her divine power…’

What on earth was going on?

I struggled desperately to make sense of the situation.

“That’s amazing. It’s half full.”

Gasp—“half full,” she said. I thought it was only half…

Trying to match Lynette’s unexpectedly positive outlook, I raised my voice enthusiastically.

“Wow, as expected of the Saintess! This is the highest reading I’ve ever seen among everyone I’ve measured.”

That was an undeniable fact.

Among all those who had used this crystal ball, she had shown the highest reading.

“Everyone else I’ve seen had less than half of yours. Some people barely produced a mirage-like wisp—it was honestly awkward.”

“I see. This is the first time I’ve known my mana amount specifically, but I didn’t realize it was this much.”

Judging by the faint blush spreading across her cheeks, Lynette seemed genuinely happy.

I quickly picked up the crystal ball, intending to put it away.

But then—

“Huh?”

The expression on Lynette’s face as she looked at me gradually filled with surprise.

Following her gaze, I looked down.

‘Gasp.’

What she was staring at was the crystal ball in my hands.

More precisely, the crystal ball that was so full of pale smoke that its interior was completely obscured.

“Teacher… that can’t be—”

With her eyes wide open, Lynette pointed at the crystal ball. I panicked, not knowing what to do.

‘What if she asks why she’s only half of me? Should I have pretended to explain earlier and slipped some of my mana in?’

As I was blaming myself for being too honest, Lynette spoke again.

“Is that… really your mana, Teacher?”

“Uh…”

After hesitating, I eventually confessed.

Ah, whatever—let it be what it is! Yes, it’s all mine! It’s unnecessarily large, right?

“Yes… that’s right.”

But that was strange. Was it just my imagination, or did Lynette’s eyes seem to light up as she looked at me?

She even covered her mouth with both hands, as if deeply moved…

“My goodness, Teacher, you’re really an incredible person!”

…Huh? She really was moved?

The moment Lynette saw the crystal ball turned opaque by Elsie’s mana, she was overwhelmed with emotion.

‘I knew it. Teacher is my hope.’

Lynette became certain that she must never let Elsie go.

Because she was—

‘The person who appeared in my revelation.’

Lynette d’Rudair. The female protagonist of the original story and the Saintess.

Though she didn’t want to become a Saintess, her innate divine power was unparalleled.

And not long ago, she had received a divine revelation for the first time in her life.

Among many familiar faces, there had been a single unfamiliar one.

That face was Elsie’s.

‘I won’t let her go. No matter what happens, I’ll keep her by my side.’

Filled with conviction, Lynette smiled brightly at Elsie, who was looking at her in bewilderment.

“As expected of you, Teacher. To think you have twice as much mana as I do! That’s amazing, isn’t it?”

“I-Is it…?”

“Of course! That just proves how exceptional your skills are.”

“Hehe…”

After being showered with praise repeatedly, Elsie smiled shyly.

Lynette barely restrained the urge to poke Elsie’s cheeks.

“Ahem. Just in case there was an error in the results, let’s try one more time.”

Elsie infused mana once more, but the result was the same.

“That’s strange.”

Elsie looked bewildered, as if she couldn’t quite believe the outcome. She even seemed rather troubled.

“Ugh, could it be broken? That shouldn’t be possible.”

As she said that, Elsie fiddled with the crystal ball, her face clearly full of concern.

‘Why is she so flustered?’

For Elsie, it might not be the case, but for Lynette, this was actually good news.

Wasn’t a crystal ball filled with smoke proof that Elsie’s abilities were that outstanding?

The more guaranteed Elsie’s mana was, the more solid the revelation would become.

“What’s so strange about it? It just means my mana is exactly half of yours. Right, Teacher?”

“…!”

She had merely stated a fact, but Elsie looked at Lynette in shock.

‘She must be bothered by the fact that her mana is greater than mine.’

To be honest, Lynette herself was just as surprised.

To think that someone possessed more mana than her, who had inherited the bloodline of a mother called the Great Saintess.

Such people could be counted on one hand.

‘Other than that sly Mage Tower Master, there was no one.’

Well, he was the Tower Master, so that made sense.

But Elsie was just an ordinary witch.

Just a few days ago, she’d been depressed over losing a year’s worth of earnings—and now she had more mana than Lynette herself?

‘That’s impossible.’

Lynette couldn’t understand it. How had she never known about such a powerful person until now?

‘How did someone this incredible manage to stay hidden in such a small town?’

No matter how small Wendelton’s 7th Street was, it was still territory of the Grand Duchy.

With this level of mana, she should have caught someone’s attention long ago.

‘Maybe she’s a hidden master? Yes—she probably chose a simple life on purpose because she didn’t want fame.’