The next day, Leo attended his warrior class which even after a year, remained grueling under Faleria’s tutelage. Their "training" was more about sparring than anything else, and every session left him drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. After enduring another intense bout he took a quick shower, ate his lunch and headed toward the Grand Cathedral.
The walk between the two locations made more challenging by his weight bracelets, felt like a separate training session in itself. By the time he reached the enchanting class, he was ten minutes early.
Leo chose his usual seat, noticing that the same man who had sat near him the previous day was already there.
They sat in silence for a moment before the man to his right spoke up.
“Are you an E+ rank or higher?”
Leo turned to look at him. The man’s expression was kind, his smile friendly but curious.
“Yes,” Leo replied casually. “How did you know?”
“Yesterday, you wrote those words remarkably fast. It showed a level of experience not typical for beginners.”
‘Sharp eyes,’ Leo thought, smiling inwardly.
The man leaned forward slightly, his tone polite and respectful. “I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.” He extended his hand with a friendly smile. “I’m Jimmie—Jimmie Hurst.”
Leo accepted the handshake. “Leo Mantine.”
Jimmie’s expression brightened. “May I ask for your guidance if I encounter any difficulties, Mr. Mantine?”
Leo returned the smile, his tone casual yet reassuring. “Of course. We’re both students here—I’ll help however I can.”
Jimmie bowed his head slightly in gratitude. “Thank you very much.”
Before Leo could respond, their teacher, Cristina Loup, entered the room. As usual she carried her suitcase setting it down on her desk with a practiced ease. She lit a cigarette, the faint scent of smoke filling the room.
“Last time we talked about circles,” Cristina began, her voice carrying a casual authority. “Today, we’re going to draw them.”
She turned to the board and started sketching a complex diagram. The circle she drew immediately caught Leo’s attention—it was one he had come across in a book before.
The enchanting symbol was intricate, a masterpiece of geometric precision. A hexagon nestled within a larger circle, its sharp edges perfectly aligned. At its center was an inverted triangle cradling a smaller circle, with lines radiating outward to connect the triangle's three vertices to the hexagon's inner corners.
“This is one of the most complex magic circles across all fields,” Cristina said, exhaling a thin wisp of smoke that curled into the air. “Draw it three hundred times. Begin now.”
Leo picked up his pen and began drawing. Even with his experience this symbol pushed his limits—it was deceptively intricate. The hexagon, the circle, the intersecting lines and the precise placement of the inverted triangle demanded complete focus. One slip could ruin the symmetry. Still, as he glanced around and saw Jimmie and the other students furrowing their brows in frustration, his confidence grew.
The room remained silent except for the faint scratch of pens against paper. By the time everyone finished, an hour and a half had passed and Leo’s fingers felt stiff.
Cristina stubbed out her cigarette with her fingers, the end hissing faintly before she flicked it into the trash can. Without missing a beat, she lit another one the faint glow of the lighter briefly illuminating her sharp expression. “You’re going to practice this at home too. Every spare moment you have, you’ll draw it again,” she instructed her voice firm. “If you can’t do it perfectly in your sleep, you aren’t practicing enough.”
She turned back to the board and began drawing again with a steady hand. “Now we’re moving on to your first enchantment. To create a spell, we combine words of power with the magic circles.”
Cristina redrew the symbol, this time carefully writing the word light in clean, deliberate strokes inside the central triangle. “Once the word of power is in place, you add your mana to activate the spell. Watch.”
She held her hand just above the completed symbol. For a moment, nothing happened—then a soft glow bloomed at the center of the triangle slowly radiating outward until the entire board pulsed with steady light.
Cristina turned back to the class, the faint light still glowing behind her. “This enchantment is called Light Enchantment, it causes objects to glow with light,” she explained. “Typically we carve spells like this onto objects. Carving makes it permanent, but it’s slower. Drawing works too, but there’s always the risk of the symbol getting erased, ruining the effect. Without a crystal the spell will pull mana directly from you to activate. With a crystal, you can store mana and avoid wasting your energy. But that’s a lesson for another day.”
Cristina scanned the room, her gaze sharp and unyielding. “For now, focus on your drawings and practice activating the symbol. Inject your mana into it slowly and learn to control the flow. Too much and the spell won’t hold. Too little and it won’t activate at all. You’ve all had basic mana training—this is where you’ll start refining that control.”
She took another drag of her cigarette before pointing at their desks. “Start practicing now.”
The students hesitated for only a second before picking up their papers. Leo took a deep breath, placed his hand above the freshly drawn symbol and began channeling his mana.
Leo had already practiced enough. With the first paper burned with mana, he understood the exact amount of mana needed to activate it. Picking up a fresh sheet of paper, he closed his eyes and focused. When he opened them again the symbol glowed steadily in his hands.
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The room fell silent. Students turned their heads, their gazes filled with surprise and curiosity. However after a moment, they shifted back to their own work determination on their faces.
Cristina approached Leo’s seat, her cigarette smoldering between her fingers. “As expected from a D rank,” she said with a faint approving smirk. “Do you have any questions?”
Leo thought for a moment, then spoke. “Yes. Can we transfer the enchantment’s effect to an object by drawing the symbol on our hand and then grabbing it?”
Cristina paused, her gaze sharp as she exhaled a slow stream of smoke that curled around him like a lazy serpent. “That’s a good question,” she said voice laced with curiosity. “Why don’t you try it? Draw the symbol on your hand.”
The smoke didn’t bother Leo; he’d endured far worse in his past world. Without hesitation, he picked up his pencil and carefully drew the symbol on the back of his hand. Once finished he activated the spell while holding the pencil. Nothing happened.
He frowned, glancing at Cristina who watched him impassively. “You’re a D rank. Figure this out,” she said simply, her tone making it clear this was a test. With that she turned and walked away, leaving him to puzzle through it.
Leo studied the symbol on his hand and the unresponsive pencil. “Maybe it has to be drawn directly on the object?” He shook his head. “No… if that were the answer, she wouldn’t have told me to figure it out.”
He leaned back focusing intently. “What if the object touches the back of my hand?” He placed the pencil against the symbol. Instantly, the pencil started to glow faintly.
“As I thought—but this can’t be all.”
Leo narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. In this world everything seemed to revolve around mana. The activation of a spell wasn’t just about the symbol—it was about connecting it with mana. What if he could channel the spell’s current directly into the pencil?
He placed the pencil on the desk, closed his eyes and let his mana flow. He visualized it pouring from his hand, through the symbol and reaching toward the pencil. He felt the current stir—a subtle, wavering energy searching for a link. Leo gritted his teeth, trying to envelop the current and guide it toward the pencil, but it resisted pulling against his control like a stubborn thread slipping through his fingers.
His eyes snapped open, and a bead of sweat slid down his forehead. “Controlling mana is hard enough as it is… Now I need it to be strong enough to envelop the spell and guide it into the object.” He clenched his fist. “I need more control.”
Determined, Leo closed his eyes again. He steadied his breathing blocking out the sounds of pens scratching and faint murmurs in the background. Slowly, he began practicing, channeling mana with increasing precision. Bit by bit he sought to tame the elusive energy and mold it to his will.
After what felt like an eternity Leo finally managed to guide the current, but a new problem surfaced—the current wasn’t powerful enough. If he increased the mana in the spell, the paper would burn.
‘What if I increase the mana in the spell but at the same time, pull the current out with more force?’
With barely a moment’s hesitation he decided to try.
He poured more mana into the spell and attempted to pull the current. A sharp burning sensation spread across the back of his hand—a clear reaction to the spell taking in too much mana. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, trying again and again, only to fail repeatedly.
In the midst of his focus a hand gently touched his shoulder. Leo’s eyes shot open to see Cristina standing beside him.
“The class is over,” she said her gaze shifting to the pencil on the desk.
Leo followed her line of sight and froze. The pencil was glowing. Did I succeed?
The thought barely registered before a searing pain yanked his attention to his hand. He glanced down and his eyes widened. The back of his hand was red, scorched like it had been set on fire just moments ago.
“Congratulations,” Cristina said her tone serious. “You just passed the first step of casting a spell in midair. It’s a skill most students don’t touch until B rank.”
Leo didn’t know what to say. He blinked and looked around. The classroom was empty. He glanced at his clock—4:30.
“Don’t worry about your patrol,” Cristina continued. “I’ve already contacted Captain Edmond. He’ll assign someone else in your place. You need to come with me to the infirmary.”
Leo hesitated, his gaze flickering toward his bag where the Sword of Light rested. His fingers twitched slightly, tempted to reach for it.
"Don't even think about using that sword," Cristina's voice cut through his thoughts. "Did you already forget its negative effects? And besides, this is a mana injury—it needs to be treated by a professional."
Leo stiffened. His mind raced, not just at her warning but at something more unsettling.
‘How does she know about my sword?’
Leo didn’t argue. He simply stood and followed her. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the infirmary. Cristina gestured to a chair for Leo to sit in before approaching a petite nurse. After a brief exchange the nurse returned with her, carrying a small medical kit. Without a word she began dressing Leo’s burned hand.
Once the bandaging was complete the nurse handed him a potion. “Drink this; it will help you heal faster.”
Leo took the potion and drank it, grimacing at its bitter muddy taste. His face twitched involuntarily, but he swallowed it in one go. As the nurse left Leo finally spoke up.
“Ms. Loup, what did you mean earlier when you said I’d passed the first step of casting a spell in midair?”
Cristina’s expression remained serious. “Exactly what I said. The first step of casting a spell in midair is learning how to guide the spell’s current.” She sighed, exhaling smoke from her cigarette. “However it will be impossible for you to master it with your current mana capacity. You simply don’t have enough. That said, what you’ve achieved is still impressive.”
Her words were encouraging, but her tone lacked warmth and her face betrayed no sign of pride.
“Come on,” she said straightening up. “Let’s head back to your headquarters.”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “You’re coming with me?”
“I have to make sure no creatures attack you and corrupt your soul. Plus I need to speak with Captain Edmond.”
Leo nodded, deciding not to press further. Together, they left the grand cathedral. Outside a carriage awaited them. The ride to the association was quiet, and upon arrival Cristina led him to Edmond’s office.
She stopped outside the door. “You stay here. I need to speak with your captain alone.”
Leo watched as she entered the room, leaving him standing alone in the hallway. The main hall was empty and he waited in silence for about fifteen minutes before Cristina reappeared.
“You can go in now,” she said simply.
Leo nodded. “Ms. Loup... thank you.”
Cristina waved a hand dismissively, her expression unreadable.
Entering the office. Captain Edmond glanced up from his desk.
“Close the door,” Edmond instructed.
Leo closed the door behind him and stepping forward and placing his fist—now bandaged—against his chest. “Captain.”
“At ease,” Edmond said, waiting for Leo to relax before continuing. “So, how did you manage it?”
Leo took a moment to gather his thoughts before explaining. For the next ten minutes, he recounted everything that had happened. When he finished he stood silently, waiting as Edmond pondered his words.
“You have a bright mind, Leo. That’s a gift but it can also be dangerous,” Edmond finally said. “Don’t continue training in this area until your mana reserves are at least ten times greater. You’re already aware of the risk of corruption, aren’t you?”
Leo nodded. “Yes.”
“Then you know that this practice could also corrupt you.”
“I won’t continue it,” Leo assured him.
“Good. You’re dismissed. Go home and rest.”
“Captain,” Leo hesitated, “what happened to my patrol?”
“Frank volunteered to cover your shift.”
Leo smiled. Mr. Frank was always kindhearted. Placing his fist to his chest once more in salute, Leo turned to leave. After changing in an empty storage room, he finally headed home feeling both relieved and drained.