By Zephyria 
Thursday.
As previously arranged, I went to Douglas’s office.
Seeing Mage Boulder sitting on the familiar sofa with a gaunt face, I was dumbfounded. He was already a thin person, but his cheeks were sunken.
As I stared at him without further ado, Boulder hastily began to make excuses before he could even offer a proper greeting.
“As Young Master Ernhardt saw, Golem No. 4 has begun to properly generate a Dantian, right? The reason for the flow from his shoulder blades to his tailbone along the spine is still vague, but it’s functioning correctly, so I absolutely had to find out how it applies and works in actual people.”
“…Ah, yes.”
“There are moments in life that are worth risking one’s life for, aren’t there? This is one of those moments for me. Therefore, I had no choice, it was inevitable, I was led by the truth.”
“Are you going to do that again?”
“It was truly unavoidable.”
“I asked if you were going to do that again.”
“…No…”
“…Then that’s fine.”
I did not want anyone to sacrifice their life for me. Even if Mage Boulder’s intention was not for me, but for his own research.
I was sensitive to the death of those close to me. And I absolutely did not want to die by interpreting and using Namgung’s martial arts, of all things.
Douglas, who had been watching me scold Boulder, handed me a few sheets of paper with a smile.
“Still, thanks to that, I did learn something.”
“…”
“The part that Young Master Ernhardt calls will, or intention. I think it has something to do with the purity of Mana.”
“Purity?”
“Yes. Sierren’s knights use Mana from the atmosphere by transforming it externally and using it directly, and Sierren’s mages use Mana from the atmosphere by coiling it in a Circle, so they are not greatly affected by the purity of the Mana they handle. However, Young Master Ernhardt accepts that Mana into his body, purifies it once, stores it internally, and then uses it immediately when needed without going through the transformation stage.”
“…Yes.”
“More pure and pristine Mana shows a phenomenon of pushing out and rejecting ordinary, unpurified Mana. That’s why Mage Boulder’s Qi and blood became distorted this time.”
I closed my mouth. It reminded me of how the internal energy in my body had pushed out my aura. However.
“…But I have unfolded a Circle before.”
“Yes, you unfolded a Circle that only stayed within the ‘Middle Dantian’.”
“…”
“That’s why the Mana became strangely distorted as it went down below your shoulder blades, towards your tailbone. The range affected by the pure ‘Dantian’ is only up to here.”
“Ah…”
As I showed signs of full understanding, Douglas, in a gentle voice, pointed to the anatomical diagram again and explained the acupoints I knew and the conceptual map he envisioned. I listened intently.
“So, a process of neutralization will be needed from here… As far as I can think, the most pristine energy that does not reject aura is…”
“…Divine Power?”
“Yes, that’s right. You knew?”
“This semester, I was lucky… I happened to encounter it once.”
“Yes, that’s right. I am also considering Divine Power. But there’s a bit of a problem.”
“…What problem?”
Douglas Mustang smiled wryly and looked at Mage Boulder. Boulder bowed his head deeply. If you thought he would look pathetic and pitiable for hunching his shoulders at his age, you would be mistaken. I suppressed the urge to click my tongue.
“The professors within the Academy who can use Divine Power… all have a somewhat strained relationship with Wizards. Wizards are people who are engrossed in physically interpreting gods…”
“…Ah.”
“So, I will think of a way during this vacation. You will be able to know more about matters related to Young Master Ernhardt next semester.”
“I’ll ask you to do that.”
I bowed politely. Indeed, there was no more reliable professor than Douglas Mustang. Douglas continued kindly,
“And, Professor Sanson mentioned he would tell you in advance, but… could you spare me some time next semester as well? Ideally, I’d like to aim to upgrade the internal energy cultivation method before Young Master Ernhardt graduates.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you.”
“It is I who am more honored to be able to share such a great discovery. Thank you always, Young Master Ernhardt.”
Boulder, who had been watching, quickly added,
“Let’s all work hard together.”
“…Just don’t do anything reckless.”
A chuckle escaped me.
I had grown fond of this eccentric wizard too, and seeing him sickly and groaning made me concerned. Boulder boasted that he was fine, but it was clear he wasn’t. His breathing alone indicated he had barely survived a cultivation deviation.
After finishing our conversation, I bowed respectfully to the two of them as they wished me a good vacation and left the office. This meant I had finished everything I needed to do at the Academy for the year.
I felt more restless than ever.
❖ ❖ ❖
It was the last Friday of November.
I arrived at the Valentia family’s townhouse three days before the rest of the family. The familiar butler greeted me, so there was no awkwardness. I was shown to the room I had used before.
Until the family arrived in the capital, I spent my restless feelings by practicing swordsmanship.
Thanks to practicing the Siren Sword Pattern throughout this semester, I had become more familiar with the subtleties of Flowing Sword, but this was still someone else’s. I couldn’t fully immerse myself in creating my own sword.
Occasionally, I would glance at the invitation pressed down by a paperweight on my study desk.
When would be a good time to contact him? Every time I thought of Rubel’s pale face, I remembered the sensation of my hands trembling slightly, and my grip felt itchy for no reason.
Marianne’s sly words kept echoing in my ears. Her clear voice saying, “That senior likes Michael, you know.”
However, Rubel had never said he liked me, or anything like that. He had only said, “I’ll stop”… That was last semester.
And then, this time, hadn’t he said to just get along well like now before graduation? “Let’s get along well like now.” I was curious about what he was thinking now.
My thoughts stretched endlessly. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted. I placed the invitation back under the paperweight.
Since my Mother had been a high-ranking noble who swept through high society, I thought it would be right to seek answers from her.
This was the first time I had waited for my family during vacation.
When the promised day arrived, the sound of a servant running down the corridor was clear. However, I had already seen the grand gate of the Valentia family’s townhouse opening through the window I had opened.
I met the servant who was just leaving and smiled at him.
The family who alighted from the familiar carriage were all adorned with splendid and delicate decorations.
“Mika!”
“Brother!”
It was a pleasant call. I opened my arms as usual and, lifting the charging Michael, I hugged him tightly.
Holding Father’s hand, Asdel, who had just stepped out of the carriage, was also scooped up with my other arm as I kissed my Mother on the cheek.
The servants who had come to greet us smiled with satisfaction at the sight of the harmonious family.
“We tried to come as quickly as possible, but it’s already December. Did you wait long?”
“No, Father. I know it’s a long journey.”
“Everyone dressed up to come see you.”
As I set down the children wriggling in my arms and greeted my Father, Mother quickly lifted the hem of her skirt with her fingertips and showed off her dress. To my eyes, the greatly puffed skirt and the elaborate decorations shone and were fascinating, so I immediately complimented her.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you dressed up like this. It suits you very well.”
“I put in some effort since it’s been a while since we came to the capital. The fashion is a bit dated, but I like bustle dresses.”
As Mother spun around to show off, Asdel, seeing her, his eyes lit up and he spun around in place as well.
Michael, who had already extended his arms in case the child fell, caught my eye. Seeing him, a boy and an older brother, taking care of his younger sibling, was so cute and heartwarming that I couldn’t help but smile.
We entered the townhouse together with the family.
When Mother suggested we look at the jewels that my maternal cousin, Aizen Valentia, had lent me for my Debutante, I readily nodded.
Since the family arrived near evening, food was immediately laid out in the banquet hall. My Mother, after removing only her heavy accessories, began to talk about the tasks that needed to be done soon.
“We need to make five dresses for the Debutante. We can start preparing tomorrow.”
“Five dresses?”
“Yes, the Debutante is a fifteen-day event. Usually, people make anywhere from five to fifteen dresses. However, if you wear a different dress every day, it can lead to gossip about extravagance, so for a modest Count’s daughter, five is appropriate.”
“Hmm.”
“Usually, five dresses are made so that the top and bottom can be worn separately and still match, and then they are mixed and matched each day.”
“…I’ll leave it all to you, Mother.”
“Alright. I’ll show you my old skills.”
I couldn’t trust Father, who only nodded with an indifferent expression while Mother spoke. He said he hadn’t attended a party since being grabbed by the collar on his first day in the capital’s social circles.
Father merely smiled occasionally at Mother’s excited face.
“While we’re at it, shall we get clothes for our little ones too?”
“Are we having a Debutante too?”
“Yes, let’s have a Debutante among ourselves. And get a new chandelier.”
“Great!”
As Asdel’s eyes sparkled, Father quickly started lecturing him that he needed to eat beans to grow up. Seeing Asdel quickly pick up and eat beans, a silly laugh escaped me.
He gave me various advice on Debutante and tea time etiquette, which I gratefully accepted. When I mentioned that I had learned to dance from Rubel, Mother was very pleased and smiled with wide eyes.
“Oh, really? I knew it. No one in our family dislikes dancing.”
“…Uncle too?”
“Of course. He likes anything that involves physical activity.”
This was also new information. I paused for a moment and then smiled.
“I think I was being unnecessarily stubborn.”
“A little? No, our Mika was quite stubborn. But that was cute.”
My younger siblings burst into laughter. Such teasing didn’t sting, so I laughed along.
I had laughed so much throughout the meal that I was still hungry after finishing. The whole family sat around and devoured a large pound cake and several pots of black tea with oranges.