Carmelo placed his staff down with trembling hands and asked me, “How are you feeling?”
His voice was thick with tension. It was understandable, given that we had just completed the final procedure.
“I don’t feel much different from usual. Hold on a moment.”
I clenched and unclenched my fist, delving into the sensations throughout my body. It felt like the blood coursing through my veins reached even the fine hairs on my skin. My whole body seemed to become an antenna, and my eyes widened.
“…This is a strange sensation.”
The difference between the 69th line and the 70th line was stark, like completing the last piece of a puzzle to reveal the whole picture.
“Was the room always this cool?”
My skin felt cold, as if touched by rain. It seemed that my sense of touch had awakened first.
As I proudly showed off my bristling fine hairs, Carmelo approached the window.
“Oh, the window was open. How do you feel now?”“…Hold on again.”
I closed my eyes and heightened my senses once more. Surprisingly…
“Huh?”
“Do you feel the mana?”
“No… I don’t feel anything.”
Carmelo looked shocked and stared blankly. Then, as if in denial of reality, he asked desperately.
“What about your hearing? Do you hear anything?”
“Only your voice…”
“Is your vision blurry?”
“Just the messy room.”
“What about your sense of smell?”
“It smells like a stuffy old man’s room.”
With each honest answer, Carmelo’s expectant gaze dimmed. He finally slumped his shoulders and asked one last question.
“…How about your sense of taste?”
“Hmm…?”
I opened my mouth and licked the air with my tongue. The taste was peculiar, like a mix of grapes and bananas, causing my eyes to widen.
“…I can taste something.”
I couldn’t be happy. Having the sense of taste awaken first was like winning the worst lottery.
“It tastes like some strange fruit…”
Carmelo blinked in surprise, seemingly astonished.
“To think I’d witness someone awakening their sense of taste first.”
My talent was in the peculiar category. Among curses, elements, breaking, and formation, I would learn any magic slower and with less power than anyone else. The only benefit was the use of a few unusual spells. A memory of being praised as an average talent suddenly came to mind, and I muttered quietly.
“…You called me an average talent.”
An average talent should at least awaken the sense of touch first. That was the standard, the middle ground. But seeing Carmelo’s actions, I couldn’t help but keep my mouth shut.
“Damn these primitive idiots! What’s the point of awakening the sixth sense!”
Carmelo tore the papers in his bag while screaming like a madman.
“These stupid chicken-brained bastards wasted my precious time with their false hopes! I’ll curse their graves! I’ll erase all their names engraved in the Magic Tower, those bastards!”
“Why, why are you like this? Calm down.”
Seeing his bloodshot eyes gave me chills. I stepped back and spoke in a soothing tone.
“Still, you succeeded, right? The hypothesis wasn’t a failure. So put those papers back in your bag. You might regret it later. You can still read them if you glue them back together.”
Carmelo stopped and approached me with hollow eyes.
“Success? Do you think this experiment was merely about awakening a single sense?”
Didn’t he say it was? He must have hidden something from me.
“…You told me it was just an experiment to awaken one sense.”
“Hmph, the purpose of this experiment was to awaken the sixth sense. But now, it’s proven that this theory is pointless.”
I furrowed my brow in anger. This crazy magician… I asked for an appendectomy, and he gave me circumcision?
“You damn bastard… You should have explained that from the beginning!”
“Oh, really? Then let me explain now! Awakening the five senses is secondary; the true goal is to transcend the boundary of mana! And that requires the sixth sense! Are you satisfied now?”
His outburst left me speechless. There was no point in arguing with a madman obsessed with magic. I decided to be content with meeting the admission requirements.
Sighing, I sat in a chair and waited for Carmelo to calm down.
“Huff. Huff…”
After turning all the papers into ashes, he caught his breath.
I calmly waited and then asked the questions I had been formulating.
“So, it failed, right? There won’t be any side effects, will there? Like blocking the path to becoming a high-level magician?”
Carmelo, exhausted, answered with his temper cooled.
“I can’t give a definitive answer since there are no successful cases, but it shouldn’t hinder your growth. The spells etched into your body are just drawings unless they function.”
“Are you sure?”
“I swear by mana.”
So, all the lines of spells that only awakened my sense of taste were just doodles.
“Okay, then that’s fine. I’ll hold you responsible if something goes wrong.”
As long as there were no side effects, I had achieved my goal. Despite the lingering unease, I was somewhat satisfied with the result. After all, I had accomplished in three months what normally took four years.
***
Carmelo left after finishing the remaining two weeks of lessons. During that time, I learned how to grip a staff, control my wrist movements, and coordinate my strength. I also picked up tips on how to use my senses and draw precise spells.
In short, it was practical training for magic implementation.
Those days passed quickly, and on the last day, Carmelo and I had this conversation.
“Before I leave, let me be honest. Your understanding and calculation skills are decent, but your innate talent is at best average.”
“Are you saying that now because you’re leaving?”
“That wasn’t my intention. I was just pondering. I’ve never seen an average talent achieve such rapid growth in what should take seven years, regardless of the process.”
Carmelo’s sharp gaze seemed slightly gentler. Despite the ups and downs, it seemed he had developed some affection.
“By the way, since proving that the theory was wrong, I’m not leaving empty-handed.”
Carmelo’s face looked somewhat relieved as he said this. That was the last I saw of him.
Three months later.
The renovation of the mansion was nearly complete. The main mansion, prioritized for work, was perfectly restored, and Aol and the mistress had moved back in with the twins.
I thought these peaceful days would continue, but they came to an end.
Deisel returned.
“What’s your plan?”
“Are you deaf? I said you don’t need to frown since I’ve given up the position of the family head.”
I felt it was necessary to inform him, so I called him to the backyard and explained my deal with the mistress. But he didn’t believe me.
“Do you expect me to believe that?”
“It’s already settled with the mistress. We’ll explain to Father slowly, and you can just boast and laugh.”
Deisel glared at me murderously. I calmly looked down at his hostile eyes and spoke.
“Why the face? Isn’t this the position you wanted so badly that you were willing to trade the lives of the people here? Then you should smile. It’s hard to keep up with my little brother’s whims, no matter what I do.”
He clenched his fists tightly and ground his teeth.
“How dare a worm like you keep talking. You still don’t get it. I want not only the position of the family head but also your neck.”
This confirmed that Deisel’s hatred was not just about jealousy over the family head position. He simply hated me and wanted to kill me. If given the chance, he might repeat the same actions.
I felt the need to suppress him so he couldn’t try anything like this again. I took a step forward.
“Is that so? Then go ahead and try.”
Donatan showed signs of bewilderment.
-Hersel, what are you doing? Even with magic, you can’t win against him. Step back now.
‘…Fight? Am I crazy?’
-Then why are you doing something so reckless?
‘Watch carefully. I have a plan.’
As Deisel watched my eyes, I subtly drew a simple spell with my right index finger. It wasn’t as precise as with a staff, but it was enough.
“Are you pretending not to know? No, it’s more accurate to say you’re deceiving yourself. Deisel.”
I called his name and approached slowly. When I got close, I ignited the ‘Embers of Noble Blood’ to its maximum and lowered my voice.
“You cannot kill me.”
At the same time, I activated the telekinesis spell I had drawn with my finger. Using all my strength, I pulled down all the leaves from the surrounding trees.
Rustle.
As the leaves fell and turned into a pile, sweat dripped from Deisel’s forehead. I passed by his frozen figure, as if I had no more business with him. Then I stopped and spoke in a calm voice.
“I went a bit too far. I didn’t intend to show killing intent.”
“…”
I lightly patted his shoulder and walked away leisurely. I knew this would work.
Unlike before, my body now had a decent amount of muscle. Moreover, I had survived the breath of the giant bird. Given a little performance, it was only natural for my opponent to be scared.
-…Did you learn magic just to show off like this?
‘Of course not. I learned magic because I had no choice.’
It wasn’t as if I had a choice.
Magic was something I was forced to learn. However, I always thought that magic was more impressive than a sword.
‘Though I can’t say there wasn’t a bit of that sentiment.’
Aside from ‘1-second invincibility,’ I also had the ‘Embers of Noble Blood.’ I had long known this could serve as a shield if used well. Even if I didn’t have many talents, I planned to make the most of them.
***
White frost formed on the window. Absent-mindedly, I drew the number 6 with my index finger. It was likely because I realized how quickly time had passed.
I had been so immersed in magic for the past six months that I hadn’t noticed time flying by. It felt like the festival period, where I walked on thin ice, had just happened yesterday.
Of course, it was all in the past now.
They were memories I could consider nostalgic.
“I’ve grown a bit, haven’t I?”
I was reminiscing about the past when the door suddenly opened.
“Young Master! A letter from the academy has arrived!”
Selly rushed in with a stack of letters.
Come to think of it, today was the day the acceptance letters were due.
I quickly grabbed the letters from Selly and opened them one by one.
“…Why are there so many letters?”
“Well, I applied to four places. Now be quiet, I’m going to read.”
I nervously searched for the word ‘accepted.’ But all I saw were formal lines.
[The admissions committee recognizes your academic achievements and various experiences, but the competition for admission is very fierce. We regret to inform you that we cannot accept your application.]
It was the same for the others.
[It is always difficult to deliver the news of rejection.]
[Thank you for your interest.]
[After careful consideration, we regret to inform you…]
“Damn…”
I had been rejected by all the places I applied to.
I knew it would be challenging to get in. The academies I applied to were top-notch, guaranteeing prestigious positions in the Empire or Kingdom upon graduation. They were selective.
They wouldn’t accept an arrogant brat who spent his time drinking and harassing women.
Despite this, I applied to all of them, hoping at least one would accept me. After all, I was the eldest son of the prestigious Tenest family.
Damn.
I thought at least one place would accept me based on my family name.
“How did it go? You must have gotten into at least one.”
“…I was rejected.”
“What?”
“I was rejected from all of them.”
Selly’s face turned pale. She pointed to the one unopened letter with a hopeful look.
“Aren’t you going to open that one? There’s still one left.”
“Oh, this?”
It was also a letter from an academy. But I hadn’t applied there for one reason.
“I don’t even need to look. It’s an invitation.”
The name of this place was Frost Heart. It was close to a demonic region in a snowy mountain, frequently attacked by monsters and bone-chilling cold. They built the school on a dungeon, leading to constant unrealistic events and no peaceful days.
But what could I do? If this was the only place that accepted me, I had no choice but to accept it.
Hiding my true feelings, I smiled at Selly.
“Well, it’s a good thing. Getting into the best place.”
“Really? Then the living conditions must be nice. I heard the academy treats servants well too.”
Cool private rooms and winter clothes provided.
“I’m worried about making friends there.”
You’ll quickly make friends huddling together for warmth.
“Should I start buying makeup and taking care of my skin?”
No need. The cold will keep you fresh like mackerel in a freezer.
“Are you that happy?”
“Of course. Following a master to the academy means being recognized by the family. It’s great for my career.”
Seeing Selly happy made me happy too.
“Oh, but Young Master, aren’t you going to read the other papers attached?”
“Hmm?”
There were two more papers attached behind the invitation. One was an application for the magic department, and the other for the knight department.
I crumpled up the knight department paper and checked the magic department form. At the bottom was a large box for a guardian’s signature.
One person came to mind, and my expression darkened.
“Magic department?”
“Yes.”
“Young Master in the magic department… But the Duke wouldn’t allow it.”
Noble students needed their family’s seal for admission. But it wasn’t a big concern.
“Don’t worry. There’s another person besides Father who can sign.”
I headed off to see the mistress.
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