The royal escort was advancing among the plains under the setting sun. Erivia was far away, barely visible on the horizon.

Isaac and Zachary were alone in their coach, both chatting animatedly.

- "So, you don't need to expand your mana circuits to manipulate elements?" Zachary asked.

- "No! I use my aura to manipulate the mana particles around me to manipulate the elementary particles," Isaac replied.

Zachary placed his hand under his chin and began to think.

- "The method seems ineffective. You have to gather mana to gather the elements—no human on this planet below the rank of Archmage would be able to do that. I think this is a peculiarity of the Administrator…"

- "Really?"

- "Yes, I think your aura is an area of influence. Have you ever extended or retracted it?"

- "Oh yes, many times. Why so?"

- "An administrator is a person that administrates. The word ‘administrate’ has several synonyms: to direct, to manage. But in your case, the most suitable word in this context would be: to lead, control, or to manipulate." Zachary began.

Isaac nodded and waited patiently for more.

- "In all my life here, I have never read any mentions of a person who can manipulate mana around him, but if my theory is correct, then it could be possible that your aura is just an extension of you as Administrator "

- "You mean that ..."

Zachary nodded.

- "Your aura is actually an area your Administration powers apply to. You can 'rule' the area of your aura, control it and change its properties. Like your flotation spell."

- "What do you mean?"

- "The magic that we do is based on very scientific concepts. Most of the time it allows us to change the behavior of objects," he said, pressing the word 'behavior'. "But your flotation spell doesn't just seem to manipulate the behavior of the air around it, it also changes its properties."

Isaac understood immediately. The difference was subtle but drastic. The behavior of an object could be compared to its reaction to an action, a set of rules that govern its interaction with the world. A rubber ball will bounce when it is thrown on the ground, the glass will shatter, a sheet of paper will drop slowly and land.

Changing the properties of an object is more unique. It is everything that defines the object in itself. Its color, mass, or composition, for example.

Of course, behavior and property are closely related, but this relation is only one-sided. Properties affect the behavior of an object, but not the other way around.

And it is here that this small difference becomes big.

Where modifying the behavior of an object can only be done over a given period after which the effects disappear, being able to modify the properties of this object would make it possible to modify its behavior in detail and permanently.

After all, if a Mage changed an object's behavior, once his spell was lifted, the object's properties would take over again and resume its initial behavior. But in the event that the properties of the object were changed, the changes made would remain indefinitely.

Of course, the Mages of the world had probably already succeeded in finding ways to modify the properties of an object. The enchantment on a sword was a kind of spell that changed an object’s properties, although not entirely, it was still something.

The Philosopher's Stone was another example told to the Alchemists, a stone capable of turning metal into gold. Although it was a simple story told to children, it was a good basis for learning the difference between Behavior and Properties.

- "Usually, it takes a lot of preparation to modify the properties of an object. I, myself, tried to change iron into gold, I almost died because of it but I succeeded" declared Zachary while laughing.

Isaac laughed in turn as he thought of the Golden Ray incident. He too had also almost died while experimenting.

- "What's more, you are able to transpose this principle into a rune! Perhaps another peculiarity of the Administrator?" resumed Zachary.

- "I confess that I have not explored the hypothesis," Isaac answered, thinking. "We can test that!"

- "Later, I would like to avoid blowing up the coaches, they are very expensive." Zachary continued with a smile.

Isaac nodded. They were surely anything but affordable for the regular class people. Even on Earth, these coaches would probably be worth a few hundred thousand euros. The level of detail, but above all, the quality of the gold, was extremely high. Isaac was even starting to doubt that the carriage had been made on Falanx.

- "Anyway, it shouldn't be long before we set camp. Traveling at night is dangerous, and I'm sure you're tired, you should go to bed," Zachary continued.

- "Oh, I don't need to sleep… nor to eat for that matter," Isaac answered with a smile.

Zachary arched an eyebrow in incomprehension and looked at Isaac seriously as if he had just told him a funny joke.

- "Another advantage of being an Administrator. I don't know how, but the mana that emanates from me is automatically transformed into matter and replenishes my body. I am never tired, hungry, or sleepy" he explained.

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- "A programmer's dream come true," Zachary said.

Isaac then burst out laughing. It had been a long time since anyone told him a joke about Computer Science. After a while, Isaac calmed down.

- "But that does not mean that I cannot eat. I love the dishes prepared by Artiel, they are delicious," he said immediately after.

- "Oh, the peasant? Really?" Zachary asked seriously.

They did not have a cook in their escort. They had enough to eat but nothing to cook, no tools or ingredients. They only had rations. What's more, no soldier really knew how to cook good food.

They had been trained all their lives in the art of combat, they had no time to hone other skills. They were the elite of the royal guard, trained from an early age to serve the royal family.

Their every need was met by the kingdom. Housing or provisions were provided, all they had to do was fight. Zachary hated to eat with them, their rations were atrocious. Also, the fact that the young man could cook made him extremely happy.

A few moments later, the coach began to slow down before coming to a complete stop. Then a soldier came to open the door.

- "Excellency, we are going to camp here for the night. We are going to set the tents, there is a stream of water not far away if you wish," the soldier announced.

- "Very well" answered Zachary before looking at Isaac. "A walk? We can test some spells…" he said with a smile.

The soldier immediately shuddered.

- "Forgive me my boldness, but your spells might attract monsters and wild beasts," he said quickly.

Isaac didn't really care, they were just monsters after all. They didn't stand a chance against two Archmages, but Zachary's gaze didn't reassure him.

- "Is something wrong?" he hastened to say.

Zachary turned his gaze to Isaac.

- "You haven't met any monsters yet, have you?"

Isaac just nodded in response before Zachary took a deep breath. He decided to go downstairs and told Isaac to follow him. Then, together, they began to walk quietly.

All around, the men hurried to put up the tents, prepare a fire, and patrols were organized to verify that the place was safe.

- "Forget your notion of monsters, the monsters here are real monsters. They are fast, agile, strong, and unpredictable," he said, looking at Isaac seriously.

Isaac shuddered suddenly. From books, movies, or animated films he had seen, monsters like goblins only served as a stepping stone for adventurers to begin their journeys.

He swallowed lightly and waited for more.

- "When we talk about monsters, we are not talking about wild beasts or things like goblins," he said before pausing. "When we talk about monsters, we are talking about beings who were born out of miasma ..."

Isaac arched an eyebrow slightly. Miasma? What is it? Zachary quickly noticed Isaac's incomprehension and resumed his explanation.

- "You must have noticed, all life forms are part of a mana cycle. They absorb and continuously produce mana. The process behind this remains complex, but over time, the more mana a place has, the more life thrives there and the more life thrives, the more mana is produced."

Isaac understood so far. This was a conclusion he had already obtained by observing the mana emanations of the plants in the garden.

- "Monsters were born in a time when mana was so plentiful it was stifling. The world was full of life. From snow-capped mountains to barren deserts, life thrived despite everything in every possible form. There was not a single lifeless parcel of land. Until the day a mutation appeared."

Zachary paused slightly before resuming, continuing to walk. Isaac followed quietly and listened intently.

- "Miasma is kinda like anti-mana. When the two meet, they cancel out and annihilate each other. And where life created by mana thrives, the creatures that miasma creates hunt and feed on mana to create more miasma,” he said at last before stopping.

Isaac also stopped and then looked at Zachary.

- "So monsters are creatures that hunt mana. And also life forms created by mana," says Isaac.

Zachary nodded his head.

- "Yes but not entirely, they cannot feed on the surrounding mana. They must feed on the mana produced by living beings. For this, they must take control of a mana circuit and use it as a host. In doing so, they alter their bodies and change their shape, giving them a distorted and often monstrous appearance. "

Zachary paused again before continuing.

- "There is not really a model on how or when they spawn. It is a bit random. Of course, for us, they are not a big threat, but for them" Zachary continued before looking at the soldiers and the three apprentices, "it's a whole different story."

Isaac turned to his apprentices and looked at them for a long time before turning to Zachary again.

- "Most man-eating beasts are beings that have been possessed by monsters. Goblins for example. Over time, they have adapted and became a race in their own right, but their instincts remain the same." he continued.

- "Devour the mana of others" finished Isaac.

- "Exactly. On top of that, the weakest among them are as strong as a Promising One or even a Beginner Mage in physical terms. They also emit a thin layer of miasma around them which in the long term damages the surrounding environment and decreases the effectiveness of magic on them. Some can even create and manipulate miasma."

Isaac understood better why Zachary was worried. He was not worried about his own safety, but rather that of others.

If there were enough of them, the monsters could probably get past his defenses and he couldn't defend multiple fronts at once.

- "Why don't you exterminate them?"

- "Twice a year the Order of Knights sends out cleaning expeditions, but even if they manage to clear all the nests, every year they constantly reappear."

It was problematic. It looked very much like an anomaly, but so far there was nothing to indicate that the system had taken action against the miasma.

After centuries of history, the Administrator hadn't done anything about it. It could never have gone unnoticed. Something that can eat up mana was bound to draw the attention of the system.

But why hadn't they done anything? The reason was clear to Isaac: they wanted the miasma to exist.

The only and most logical explanation Isaac could find was that it was probably the work of the Administrator.

Zachary had described that miasma had arisen in a time when mana was abundant absolutely everywhere. At first glance, this seemed ideal since mana seems to bring life wherever it is.

But as the saying goes: "You should never abuse good things." Too much mana could cause many problems, Isaac had witnessed it.

Miasma and monsters were probably a solution to this problem. All Isaac could think of was that this was a feature built directly into the manicles. A sort of mutation like spiritual energy would be.

When an area's mana amount would reach a certain threshold for a period of time, the manicles would turn into miasma and begin to expand. Then, the animals around would probably be possessed by the monsters creating a regulatory cycle.

Isaac had already formulated a theory that the more a civilization grew, the greater the mana produced and the more recurring magical catastrophes would appear.

But obviously, the former Administrator had already thought about it. Isaac was pretty sure he had done this just because he was bored. He probably wanted some action.

What other monstrosities awaited Isaac in this world?

- "Isaac, Rebecca warmed up the meal. It’s ready," Artiel announced suddenly behind Isaac.

Immediately, Isaac turned and came over to smile before motioning for Zachary to follow him.

- "Come, try it. You won't regret it!" he said with a smile.