It had been a month since the Knight Competition ended and I returned to Akkad, in the Duchy of Axus.
“Congratulations on winning, Ike.”
My father had a calm expression when he heard the news of my victory. But somehow, I could sense that he was genuinely happy.
“Congratulations, Ike.”
My mother smiled so widely that I could tell she was truly delighted.
It felt like the kind of harmonious family I’d only seen in books or on TV.
It had also been a month since I’d last seen Reina in person. We kept in touch through letters.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I sent a letter.
Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, she replied.
There was never anything particularly special in them—just our usual conversations.
Still, it was a little disappointing. Because the letters could be seen by others, we couldn’t speak as freely or as comfortably as we wanted.
I focused on circulating mana through my body, taking a slow and deliberate stance.
“Whew…”
I emptied my thoughts and swung my sword—slowly, but with weight behind it.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of something being cut.
I opened my eyes.
A thick iron plate had been cleanly sliced in half and collapsed to the floor.
“…Done.”
It had been a month since I picked up a sword, but fortunately, it didn’t feel awkward in my hands.
Originally, I had planned to train on the very day I returned to Akkad.
But my physical condition wouldn’t allow it. Just spreading mana through my body caused intense pain—especially in the area where I was scarred.
After a medical examination, I was told that my magic circuit—the path through which mana flows—had become completely twisted.
In particular, the flow of mana around my scar had almost been torn apart.
After hearing this, my father forbade any training until I was fully healed.
Thankfully, last night, I was finally cured.
Now, I swung my sword without rest.
To make up for the month of inactivity, I pushed my body harder than usual.
Even though the major incidents would happen after entering Arcana, I couldn’t afford to relax.
I still hadn’t fully caught up with the level of movement required.
The reason I defeated Helen was because of my knowledge of the original story.
The reason I beat the crown prince was due to his penalty—and his carelessness.
Even acquiring Neia and Diana had been a stroke of luck.
There was nothing I could point to and confidently call my own skill.
Cutting through an iron plate—that was merely the most basic requirement to join the Knights.
I had no plans to join them, but I still needed to possess strength equal to that of a knight.
“…Should I tell my father now?”
That was the only thing lingering on my mind.
***
“You want me to get you several B-class magic stones?”
“Yes. Please, Father.”
At my request, my father rubbed his eyes with one hand—a habit of his when he was troubled.
“Ike. I assume you understand what magic stones are, right?”
“I do.”
Magic stones are rare materials. They sometimes drop from demons when they die, or they are jewels infused to the limit with a wizard’s pure magic.
They’re typically used to create magical tools or serve as mediums for magical experiments.
In other words…
“You also know that one D-class magic stone is worth three platinum coins, correct?”
“I know.”
Disgustingly expensive.
As my father said, a D-class stone—roughly the size of a pebble—costs three platinum coins.
But I was asking for B-class magic stones.
And that meant the price would jump by at least ten times.
Thirty platinum coins.
And I needed five of them—150 platinum coins in total.
“I plan to use the 30 platinum coins I received for winning the Knight Competition.”
“That’s only enough for one B-class stone. Isn’t that sufficient?”
“No. I believe I need at least five.”
“…Ha.”
My father let out a long sigh.
It was a natural response.
Even for a duke, 150 platinum coins was no small amount.
“You’re a knight, not a mage. I don’t understand why someone like you needs magic stones.”
“They’re absolutely necessary.”
“…I see. Just don’t make me regret this.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed and left his office.
***
In this world, there are several talents required to use magic—
The total amount of mana.
The attribute conversion rate.
The implementation technique.
But the most important of all is the width of the mana circuit—the internal path mana travels through.
***
“Alex, Noel. As I said yesterday, no matter what happens this week, don’t let anyone open the door. I won’t need meals either. Got it?”
“Yes, young master.”
After securing their promise, I closed the door tightly.
The room was soundproof, so nothing would leak out.
“Whew…”
At the center of the room lay a black-glowing magic stone.
“Let’s begin.”
I placed my right hand on the closest magic stone.
I could feel the pure, dense magic sleeping inside.
I closed my eyes and slowly drew mana from my heart.
I guided it through my arm, into my hand, and then into the stone.
My refined mana began to mix with the stone’s raw magic.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
A sound like burning flames echoed from within the stone.
It began to heat up, as though it might explode at any moment.
My palm felt like it was on fire.
But I couldn’t stop.
I had to keep channeling magic.
I grit my teeth and endured the pain.
How much time passed?
Suddenly, I felt a connection.
“Now.”
I forcibly drew the mixed mana from the stone and pushed it back into my heart.
My heart, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of mana, began to forcibly eject it.
But I blocked every route—sealed all the mana paths in my body.
No mana could escape.
“…Next.”
I pushed aside the now-empty stone and placed my hand on the next one.
My body felt like it was burning.
The more mana is forced into the heart, the wider the magic circuit becomes.
And the wider it is, the greater the amount of mana that can be instantly released—A key factor in the speed and power of magic casting.
This applied to everything, even body reinforcement magic.