The following morning, Vincent began his daily routine, feeling refreshed. He had his high endurance to thank for his speedy recovery. Unlike last time, he felt his blood pumping as he jogged early in the morning. It was also in the mornings that he had time to think. He had been examining the details of Origin Magic ever since he had woken up.

  “Brother…” A young voice called out to him.

  “Gerald? What are you doing here?” He stopped as Gerald walked out from under the shade. Gerald looked uneasy and nervous, unlike his usual look.

  “Um, I heard Brother returned from the Evergreen estate the previous day.” Gerald began to say. “Also Brother brought home some gifts for Isabel and…”

  “Oh so that’s what’s going on,” thought Vincent as he was feeling a little guilty. “I didn’t think Gerald would be jealous of Bell.” He jokingly said as he watched his quiet brother fluster.

  “I-it’s not that, it’s just… Never mind.” He was about to walk away before Vincent grabbed his hand.

  “Why don’t you stay? I’ll show you what I’ve learned at the training camp.” Vincent pointed at the training dummy on the practice field.

  Gerald eyed Vincent quizzically but his long face began to widen out into a bright smile.

“Okay!” yipped Gerald as he rebounded from his depressing mood.

  Vincent began teaching the basics of Evergreen Swordsmanship to the highly impressionable boy. The servants were also gossiping about the change in their troublesome young master and many were impressed with the positive change that had happened in the past year, though they were still frightened of him.

  That morning, Juno had also been strolling around the estate and happened to peek in on the two siblings practicing. She didn’t interrupt them and only silently watched them for a short while before leaving.

  After practice, Vincent was still pondering over the Origin Magic. Ever since he received that notification he felt like something inside him had changed. It could be said that he felt like a covering that had always been over his eyes had been lifted and he could ‘see’ more than in the past.

  The way magic worked in this world was that the magician had to draw in mana from the world around him and convert it into a usable form. Magicians have a natural affinity for a different element and the mana that they naturally absorb slowly converts into that type of mana. The reason why training magic was so hard was the process of using magic.

  Wild mana takes a while to convert into stable mana within the human body. In order to speed this process up, recovery medicines must be used. Since magic required precise control and concentration, spells must be practiced until they have been perfected. Some people associate a type of spell with a word or phrase in order to help them memorize how the spell is released.

  There are also various ways to strengthen a spell such as using a medium or catalysts. That was why becoming a mage required a lot of resources and why every kingdom categorized mages as a strategic resource when it came to wars.

  “I’ve received the talent for origin magic, but no matter where I look, there’s no mention of this type of magic.” Vincent said as he browsed through the library in the Redwall estate. While he was thinking about it, a sudden thought struck him. “Wait, why did I forget? Status!”

===

* Status

[Strength] (22)

[Endurance] (25)

[Agility] (25)

[Perception] (36)

[Magic] (6.5)

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

* Talents

[Flexible Body] (null)

[Origin Magic] (Beginner – Rank 10)(EXP 0%)

* Titles

[Inheritor of the Aion Ring]

===

  After pulling up his status, he tapped on the Origin Magic talent. Suddenly another text box popped up.

===

Origin Magic is the ability to control magic itself. Stolen from Midgurd.

===

  “Wait isn’t this a broken talent?” Vincent exasperatedly gasped. “But who is Midgurd?” He didn’t remember reading about any ‘Midgurd’ in the novel so he put it to the back of his mind. The box also went into further detail on just how to use the magic.

  Origin Magic functioned differently as compared to contemporary magic. Unlike the current system of magic, the user of origin magic doesn’t use the mana stored within his body, but shape it out of wild magic in his surroundings. That’s where the difficulty comes in. Since Vincent is using wild magic it would require even more concentration and willpower in order to control the wild mana around him.

  “For now, it’s best to take it slow.” He said to himself. He could already feel the mana around him. Every time he drew in a breath he could feel the mana pass through his body it felt like his body had become a filter and whenever mana passed through his body a little bit of it was left behind. He had a hunch that from now on his magic stat will slowly increase, he wasn’t in such a hurry so he wanted to take it slow.

  Instead of focusing on Origin Magic, he had a more pressing matter. Money. Until now, Vincent had relied on the allowance he received from his father. However, he was technically an adult now and it was embarrassing to continue receiving welfare from his father. However, Vincent wasn’t really savvy when it came to economics and how to make money; he was a terminal patient his whole previous life.

  He could take advantage of knowing the future to make some easy money, but the problem is they were in the future and he would need some capital in order to invest in them. While he was wondering about this, Juno walked into the lounge.

  “Vincent?” She called out.

  “Yes, Mother?” Vincent stood up.

  “Please come see me in my office.” Juno didn’t wait for a reply and left as Vincent followed behind.

  “That’s right! Juno is the head of a merchant guild!” Vincent remembered his step-mother’s identity.

  “Vincent as you know, you’re no longer a child.” Juno began to say after they arrived. “I think it’s time that you consider for yourself how you’ll be able to support yourself in the future.”

  Vincent’s eyes shined with understanding. “It seems Mother also has the same idea.” Since Gerald would be inheriting the title of Viscount, naturally, Vincent would have to walk down a different path. Juno was probably considering him for a position in her guild. However…

  “Mother, business isn’t my strong point. Managing finances and investments isn’t in my interests. However, I do plan on making a few investments…” Vincent answered the unspoken question Juno was about to ask.

  “Vincent, you are smarter than you seem to let on, so I won’t ask why you turned down my offer. But please, if I may ask, what investments do you have in mind?” Her eyes sharpened like a predator after hearing her favorite word.

  Vincent flashed an evil smile reminiscent of the devil as he lowered his voice. “During my time at the training camp, monster activity has increased drastically. There are rumors that an outbreak deeper within the forest was the cause. So something big might happen in the future and with it…”

  “The price of Emerald Wood would explode…” Juno finished the rest of his words. Juno could smell an opportunity when she saw one, but, “You are telling me this because you want my help?” There was no free meal in the merchant world.

  “Exactly. I have first-hand experience and I can guarantee that something big will happen in the Emerald Forest. All I ask is that I receive 20% of the profits.” This was Vincent’s first money-making opportunity. He knew that the Emerald Forest would become a danger zone in the future and also the civil war that happened right after would require lots of Emerald Wood to build war machines.

  “Only 20% of the profits? You could ask for more, Vincent.” Juno eyed her step-son, he had changed too much within a year that it left her suspicious.

  “20% is more than enough for me. I only gave you this information and I have no evidence to back this up, so it’s a risk that you will have to take, Mother.” Vincent shrugged.

  Juno studied her changed son for a bit longer before deciding to trust him. His confidence in this matter was what finally convinced her. “Do you have a time frame?”

  “Within the next year.” Vincent announced.

  “I must hurry then.” Juno said as she shooed him away. “Does your father know about this?”

  “He should be preparing mercenaries along the forest border.” Vincent recalled his last conversation with his father. The incident devastated 100km of the forest border it was a huge incident that left the norther border in shambles and it was only through the efforts of the MC and the Evergreen Rangers that the incident was resolves. Naturally Redwall territory wasn’t left scot-free either. It was best if he had his family moved to the royal capital.

  “Alright, I’ll do as much as I can in this short time.” With this information, she had to work even harder. If the incident was going to be as exaggerated as her son had described it won’t be good if her guild’s headquarter was stationed in Redwall.