"……What did you just say?"Ishtal Academy. Jeremy’s office.From his office—lofty and tidy, just like his temperament—a sharp voice rang out.At a report too hard to believe, Jeremy, most unlike his usual self, asked back in a cutting tone.As a pressure heavy enough to make breathing difficult filled the office, the Disciplinary Committee member stammered out his words."By—by President Freya’s order, we were patrolling the designated sector when we found second-year Handol collapsed in an alleyway and transported him to the infirmary. We don’t yet know the culprit, but in Handol’s rambling he said it was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Loen de Valis’s doing…"Tap-.Jeremy closed the book he’d been holding and spoke crisply."Regrettable as it is, it seems Junior Handol is not yet in a sound state of mind.""I—I think so as well. The infirmary head’s opinion is that, due to successive impacts to the jawbone and skull, he may be experiencing a slight memory disorder.""……."Jeremy let out a long sigh with his eyes closed.There had been a Territorial War between certain academies over the weekend. There were rumors Loen had gotten involved.And then, following that, this bizarre news that Handol had been done in by Loen.His head could only get more complicated.Reclining against the chair, Jeremy thought.'……If the information isn’t wrong, this is a phenomenon that has indeed occurred.'Denying a phenomenon that has already happened is of no help whatsoever.What matters is to analyze that phenomenon and devise how to respond to it.'First, verify whether the information is true or false.'The rest could be judged afterward.Just as Jeremy, having organized his thoughts, was about to speak to the Disciplinary Committee member—Knock knock-."Senior Jeremy, President Freya has come to see you."Along with the sound of knocking came the report that Freya had arrived at the office."Please show the President in, and you, wait outside.""Y-yes."Since he had a guess about the topic Freya would raise, Jeremy sent the committee member out in advance.A short while later.When Freya entered the office, Jeremy rose to greet her."It’s a pleasure. This is the first time the President has come calling."Freya—ever beautiful and lofty, like a single flower blooming atop a cliff.She bowed her head politely to Jeremy."I apologize for coming on such short notice, Senior. There is something I urgently wish to ask.""Please sit for now."Jeremy offered a seat, brewed tea, and handed it to Freya.Sitting with her knees together, she took a small sip and set the cup down."What brings you here?"At Jeremy’s question, Freya parted her heavy lips and asked bluntly:"……Senior Jeremy, might you know anything of the dispute between Loen and Handol?""Ah, I just received word as well. I hear Junior Handol was taken to the infirmary. And I heard Loen is connected to the matter.""Then this will be quick. Please don’t take this the wrong way—did you perhaps foresee this?"At Freya’s question, Jeremy tilted his head."What do you mean by that…?""The other day, didn’t you drop me a hint? That there might be good news soon. Since you gave that cue right after a conversation about Loen, I judged you might be connected to this incident and came to see you."With a sober expression Freya asked, and Jeremy let out a small laugh, waving it off."Haha, so that stuck with you. President, I believe there was a bit of misunderstanding in the course of our talk.""A misunderstanding… you say?""Yes, I said it because it seemed you were troubled over the upcoming Sports Festival preparations. I’ve acquired routes to obtain several of the short-supplied sponsorship items. The actual contracts haven’t progressed yet, so I couldn’t say anything for certain—only that something good would happen soon.""…….""You looked worried because of the matter with Loen, so I wanted to pass along at least one piece of good news. I ended up causing trouble instead.""Is that so… It seems I made a baseless assumption. I’m sorry to have taken your precious time."Freya dipped her head in apology, then, without hesitation, rose to her feet.Jeremy rose as well to see her out."Think nothing of it. Come by anytime. You’re always welcome."Freya gave Jeremy a respectful nod and left the office.Click-.The door closed, and the office was empty."……."Jeremy stared for a moment at the sofa where Freya had been sitting, then closed his eyes.***Deep in thought, Freya walked the corridors of Headquarters.'……Was it really just a misunderstanding?'There was nothing in Jeremy’s words that was strictly wrong.There were a few questions, but it could truly be a misunderstanding arising from simple miscommunication, just as he said.It was just that something nagged at her a little.'Hoo.'Freya exhaled deeply and shook her head side to side.'If he says no, then it’s no.'Senior Jeremy isn’t someone who would lie.Freya’s family had held ties with him at a family level since childhood.He is an heir to the legacy of the King of Knights’ will—to defend justice and protect the weak.And personally, he was someone exemplary to others, kind and courteous to all.Not only upright character and outstanding talent in swordsmanship, but even the social grace to be loved by everyone.He was, in a word, close to superhuman.Her own goal was to draw closer to him. In a sense, Jeremy could be seen as the very figure Freya wished to emulate."……."At any rate.If even Jeremy—who knows most of the big and small affairs of Ishtal—doesn’t know, then just who did it?Freya’s worries only deepened.***The next day.The abnormality called a Territorial War faded beyond the memories of the past, and I set foot again into the same daily life as ever."Hoo."After finishing my dawn routine of meditation and physical training, I headed to the Union Main Building’s underground magic training room.When I reached the basement, rows of doors along a long, white corridor greeted me.Unlike the physical training room, which is open wide like a gym, the magic training rooms are divided into individual private rooms.It’s an architectural layout tailored to the dispositions of mages, who are specialized in extremely secretive and personal research.I opened one of the doors lining the corridor and began proper magic training.A magic training room enclosed on all sides by white walls.Because the walls have been refined with magic, completely isolating outside from inside, I can unleash magic here to my heart’s content.As I looked around the snow-white room, I fell into thought.'Loen is a half-baked mage who specializes in Alchemy but is hopeless at general magic.'Loen can’t so much as kindle a tiny flame on his own with magic.Even the chains of mana that subdued Chepesh yesterday were nothing more than a memorized spell embedded in a crystal orb.Strictly speaking, it’s no different from magic-ignorant mercenaries buying and using magic scrolls.'But just because Loen can’t use magic doesn’t guarantee I can’t either.'I’m treated as a kind of player, so I can receive help from the system.Just as I used Alchemy despite being a layman in magic, and awakened a power in spirit arts I knew nothing about.I might be able to break through Loen’s blocked magical talent somehow.'Let’s try it once.'"Hoo."I took a deep breath, fixed my gaze quietly on the refined white wall of the training room, and drew up mana.Inside the silent magic training room.In the quiet, as I closed my eyes and focused my mind, I began to feel a strange energy pulsing near my heart.Thump- Thump-.As I focused my awareness on that faint current flowing along the bloodstream pumped from the heart, with rising elation I began to feel a certain power.It was the same power I’d felt during meditation and mana breathing.As I gathered my intent into that power, the energy slowly began to move according to my will.Ssshhh-.Keeping my focus, I sent this wave-like, surging energy toward my right hand.Then, quietly, I intoned the spell name ahead.The most basic offensive magic that can be used upon changing class to Mage."Fire Bolt."Vmmm-.In that instant, a hot sensation rose in my hand and mana was about to erupt—Fssht-.Like a fuse being cut, the mana gathered in my hand scattered away in all directions."Kh."At the same time, a stabbing pain flared in my heart.Clutching my chest, I collapsed on the spot."Hoo, hoo."Prone on the floor, I lay there, gasping for breath until the pain subsided.Once the pain roughly settled, I slowly leaned my back against the wall and opened the system window.Ping-.Sure enough.Due to mana backlash, Life decreases.A log had popped up regarding what had just occurred.'So this is what they call mana backlash.'Even with the Sense Sync function set to reduce pain, the pain was still like this.It’s no wonder mages die from mana reflux.Anyway.'A constitution is still a constitution, I suppose.'Frowning, I checked the status window.No matter that a player’s soul is lodged within me, it seems I can’t change Loen’s constitution right away.After some time passed, the pain fully ceased, and once I’d caught my breath, I checked Loen’s stats."Stat window."Ping-.[Life : 28(-22)][Agility : 20(-10)][Strength : 18(-9)][Mana : 37][Intelligence : 33][Charm : 90(-63)]Aside from Life being heavily consumed due to mana backlash, the stats had risen slightly compared to the start.Meager though it is, it’s the fruit of steady meditation and physical training.Scanning the stat window, I recalled information about the stat system.'……In principle, the base stats of Mir-Elin Saga run from 1 to 20.'They are determined randomly at character creation; the stats of an ordinary person with no abilities are close to 10, and those of a hero-in-the-making close to 20.After that, it’s up to growth.It depends on one’s innate talent and traits, but if a single stat reaches 30, you can make a living in that field—say, as a house guard or magic potion merchant.For ordinary people without talent, that’s the growth limit.By contrast, those with talent who keep training and get a given stat to around 50 can change class to something like knight or mage and perform well.And if a stat is 80 or higher, you’re talent at the master or archmage level—the kind of person whom various records and histories would mention in a few lines for having fought in certain battles or served as a strategist.Near 100, you’re truly at the level called a Hero.From that standpoint, Loen’s current stats still have a long way to go.To perform alongside the other named figures on the main storyline, I have to grow even more from here.'Still, that’s something that will improve gradually.'I quietly clenched my fist.For now, thanks to my class change to Martial Artist, I have growth bonuses to the physical stats, and with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians trait I also have growth bonuses to Mana and Intelligence.If I continue to train diligently, the stats will naturally sort themselves out.The real problem is the traits."Traits."I opened the trait window and reexamined the two problematic traits.[Gu-eum Jeolmaek]Due to a large amount of yin energy accumulated within the body, the body and mana circuits are overloaded, and the Mana Heart exhibits abnormal symptoms.Growth efficiency of Mana and Intelligence stats increases by 100 percent.Life, Stamina, and Strength are reduced by half.Yin energy grows stronger. Lifespan is greatly reduced.[Half-Human, Half-Demon]You are a being born of demonic blood; mana and magi circulate in your body at the same time. You inherit portions of both demonic and human racial traits.Magic resistance and magi resistance increase.Resistance to holy magic and spirit magic decreases.When Resonance reaches 0 or 100, an event occurs.Current Resonance : [52/100]"……."[Gu-eum Jeolmaek] and [Half-Human, Half-Demon].By my estimation, it’s due to the interaction of these two traits that Loen can’t use ordinary magic, but no suitable solution comes to mind.'Leave Gu-eum Jeolmaek aside.'This trait halves the physical stats and shortens lifespan; I can take the early pumping to Mana and Intelligence growth and then cure it later.The treatment is quite complicated, but I know a method.What remains is Half-Human, Half-Demon, and that, being an inherited bloodline, has no cure.What’s more, it’s a trait with very high risk if my true nature is exposed.You could say dealing with this somehow is the highest priority.'Unless I’m born again, it’s impossible.'With a bitter smile, I shook my head.Temporary racial changes aside, completely deleting this inherited bloodline trait is, so far as I know, impossible.'I’ll look for a method, but it’s not very hopeful.'Letting out a long sigh, I closed the trait window and stood up.To use magic properly, I have to do something about these two traits.If I were to resolve it by the orthodox approach, it would take a considerable amount of time and effort.But in this Mir-Elin Saga, orthodox methods aren’t the only ones—if I use a bit of a trick… it isn’t that there’s no method at all.'I should have a meal with Bell today.'Among those tricks is Bell, the commoner student I met in the Intermediate Introduction to Magic lecture.I’ll need her help.

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