"I went to the southern part of the castle with the old mage, Marta. She had brown hair, black eyes, and seemed to be around eighty years old. Her S-shaped spine left no room for doubt.

At the heart of the southern part of the castle stood the imposing Southern Tower, the base for training and studying magic. The tower, with its slender and almost menacing structure, was a vertical, robust construction with multiple floors and staircases.

The main structure of the tower was made of polished black stone, which reflected a faint bluish glow under the moonlight. The windows were narrow, strategically positioned as slits that looked more like watchtowers. However, instead of being used to observe the outside, they served to focus light into the vast study and training halls.

At the top, a large translucent crystal dome shimmered, acting as a magical beacon emanating a greenish aura, marking the territory of the mages. It was said that the glow's intensity varied depending on the concentration of mana in the area.

The interior of the tower was a maze of spiral staircases and narrow hallways. On the lower levels were the mages’ quarters. I lived in one of the rooms near the entrance, while the study and practice halls were located from the third floor onwards, featuring large dark wooden tables worn from constant use, and walls filled with papers and brushes we used to transcribe spells. Light was provided by floating crystals that hovered in the air, softly illuminating the environment in shades of blue and purple.

Higher up, the rooms became quieter and emptier, reserved for advanced-level mages. These floors contained private chambers for meditation and intense training, with walls inscribed with runes that absorbed excess mana during practice. It was said that the top of the tower was restricted to captains and experienced mages like Marta and Dayanne. Invokers were not allowed up there, especially because of a barrier that prevented us from ascending.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The gardens around the tower were peculiar, with plants that looked exotic, almost supernatural, with leaves that glowed faintly at night and flowers that exuded a scent that stimulated concentration. Each garden connected to one or more libraries crammed with tedious grimoires on all types of magic.

Since I was at a beginner level, I could only enter the library of basic magic. Foundations of Magic, Introduction to Magic, and Latin were what I studied during my first months there.

There were very few beginner mages, so Marta did not hold group lessons for us. She thought it wasn’t worth wasting her precious time on three or four beginner mages. For her, basic guidance was enough. Because of this, that old hag wanted me to spend the entire day memorizing grimoires in Latin, which were overly complicated and enormous.

She believed everyone was a self-learner. Honestly, what an annoying woman.

One of the first important things I learned was that magic in this world had to be recited to work. However, there was the option of writing spells on the body, which made casting them faster and more practical.

The problem was that it wasn’t feasible to cover the entire body with writings during a battle, as it would create more surface area for opponents to target. For this reason, only a few spells could be written on the body.

Essential spells such as healing, barriers, and attribute enhancement were written on the body by almost all mages. To activate them, one had to concentrate mana at their fingertips and pass them over the area where the spell was inscribed.

More complex and powerful spells, however, demanded more mana—this magical energy bestowed upon us when blessed by the gods. Since they were larger, they took a few seconds to recite—seconds that could prove fatal in a war. This is why mages stay in the rear.

The better the mana concentration, the stronger the spell becomes. However, more mana is consumed to activate it.

As I mentioned before, the rear—where mages stay during wars—is divided into three fundamental levels: support mages in the front, whose function is to assist soldiers, tanks, and other attack mages; attack mages in the middle, whose main role is to break through the defenses of other armies; and finally, healing mages in the back. The number of high-level healing mages is extremely low, and they are tasked with healing all allies returning from the front lines.

— Seriously, I’m appalled by you all! I don’t see anyone taking notes on the important information. It’s like you’re idiots. That’s why it was so easy to decimate your army.

— Claude, the Messenger of the Beyond, do you wish to continue your story or die now? — said Lívia’s voice serenely in his mind.

— No, no, sweetheart. I’ll talk right away.

— No jokes, mage, — Lívia focused more mana, and the glow intensified once again."