By Zephyria 
It was time for those who still had afternoon classes left, or if they had nothing to do, to return to the dormitory, so the Maze Garden was very deserted without a single person in sight.
We sat down in a row on a bench next to the bridge installed over the small stream, which was set up to allow people to rest.
“It’s a shame. I wanted to go to Ifrit Cafe together today because they said a new menu was coming out…. Something like, cheesecake baked with the flames of a Fire Spirit?”
“What’s the difference between that and cheesecake baked over a regular fire? It’s just that the manager uses Spirit Magic, so he’s putting a plausible name on it. Then, he’s raising the price a little.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
As soon as I sat down on the bench, I immediately started storing Mana, but Tom and Herman continued the conversation for a while after that.
Then, at some point, it became quiet. When I glanced back, everyone was already concentrating and diligently storing Mana.
After about an hour of doing that.
At the moment I passed the milestone, a unique reaction occurred within my body. It was a sign that the stored Mana had completely become mine. I took a quiet deep breath and opened my closed eyes.
“I passed it.”
“…Huh? What?”
Perhaps my mumbling had disrupted his concentration, Tom was staring at me with wide eyes. I stood up abruptly and looked back at my servants. Only Zeon, who could penetrate my Mana Concealment, seemed to have noticed my change and was moved.
“It means I’ve achieved 3 stars.”
“Oh, really?! Wow! That’s amazing!”
“Congratulations, Raymond.”
STM
“No way…. Already 3 stars.”
Amidst the chorus of praise, Herman, his face contorted in astonishment, furrowed his brow and muttered. Tom and Zeon, seemingly finding his reaction odd, stared at Herman with puzzled expressions. Herman, after briefly glancing at me, fell silent, creating an awkward silence.
It seems there are things he won’t say with Tom and Zeon around…
Herman knew that this body, until recently, hadn’t even managed to open a Mana Circuit, let alone achieve any significant progress.
On the other hand, while he knows the Black Mana Heart is a singularity, he wouldn’t know how much better its Mana storage efficiency is compared to others.
Of course. From what I heard, there hasn’t been a Black Mana user in over 500 years, so even if he wanted to research it, there would be a lack of data.
Considering his position, his reaction wasn’t strange.
I let out a soft snort.
“Alright, Herman. Be my sparring partner.”
“What?”
“I happen to have something I want to test.”
Herman probably has a similar level of achievement as me right now, so he’s the perfect opponent for my current level. While Herman stared at me with a dumbfounded expression, I distanced myself from him.
“Since we’re sparring, give it your all.”
To get a feel for real combat, it’s better if the opponent moves just as earnestly. As I waited, Herman, after hesitating, finally sighed and stood opposite me.
“You really do whatever you want, you know that?”
I chuckled at his grumbling.
I was someone who could do that.
I bit my thumb to draw blood and extended my arm to the side. As my cloak fluttered open, a massive Magic Circle formed.
Using the splattered blood as a medium, I summoned a Netherworld Spirit and created Extant Remains for the Netherworld Spirit to inhabit, and amidst an eerie aura, a skeleton rose to its feet.
Clatter…
At that moment, I gained some knowledge about Necromancy. I felt a chunk of Mana drain away, and then the skeleton was maintained without continuous Mana consumption.
Until now, continuous Mana consumption was essential to maintain a skeleton, but from now on, having reached 3 stars, it seems the summoned skeleton can be maintained without it.
However, the amount that drained away at the initial summoning was quite significant. Right now… creating one entity at a time seems to be my limit, but if I increase my Mana reserves further, I might be able to create dozens of them at once.
Not bad.
It was a particularly threatening advantage in large-scale battles.
I heard Tom, who was sitting on the bench with Zeon, gasp in horror at the sight of the moving skeleton. Herman, startled, took a half-step back and surrounded himself with Mana, changing its properties to electricity. He looked like he was about to die from embarrassment.
“Entertain me.”
Immediately, the skeleton, perfectly understanding my command, kicked off the ground. Herman began to engage in combat with the skeleton, as if it were a real battle.
‘The level of the skeleton itself isn’t very high.’
I made a judgment while watching the exchange. It was a conclusion I reached after assessing the skeleton’s speed and power.
Is this also a part that changes depending on my achievement?
I want to research it a bit more…
That’s when it happened. The skeleton, having taken a hit from Herman, staggered backward. There was even a thin crack in its skull.
‘Too weak.’
Since the skeleton’s individual level isn’t high, its durability isn’t very good either.
Then should I give it a weapon?
Hmm. ‘That’ would be good.
I gestured in the air, and a Magic Circle was created. From it appeared a long, hard stick made of Ice Silver. A kind of sword. I’m not going to kill Herman, so I made the blade dull, making it closer to a stick.
I threw it to the skeleton, and it snatched it up. Herman, who was panting shallowly, widened his eyes in surprise.
“Ice Silver? How did you….”
But the skeleton doesn’t seem to want to give him time to chat. The skeleton, rushing in without a break, showed more diverse movements than before and drove Herman back. After a while.
“……!”
Herman raised his arm to block the descending trajectory.
Sparks flew momentarily.
Since he had Mana with electric Affinity surrounding his entire body, he was able to block that much impact without difficulty, but the problem was what came after.
The skeleton, rotating its body smoothly and lowering itself, forcefully spun its leg and succeeded in knocking Herman over. Once that happened, the match was decided. It was when the stick was aimed at Herman’s chin, who was groaning from landing on his butt.
“That’s enough. Stop.”
At my command, the skeleton immediately withdrew the stick and bowed its head, showing a loyal demeanor towards me. It was like a swordsman.
‘Hmm.’
Giving it a weapon significantly improved its movements. Perhaps each Netherworld Spirit I summon has things it’s good at and things it’s bad at? I should be able to research this soon.
I reached out my hand to help Herman up. While Herman, looking dazed, leaned on my hand to stand, Tom, who had rushed over, exclaimed excitedly.
“As expected, you’re amazing, Raymond! Come to think of it, Raymond casts all Magic with Instant Cast…. You’re incredibly skilled! It must be thanks to practicing Magic for a long time, right?”
Tom, his eyes sparkling with admiration, was simply cheerful. On the other hand, Herman, as if something was bothering him, frowned and muttered quietly with a darkened face.
“No. That can’t be….”
But I thought it was a similar reaction to before, so I didn’t pay much attention and turned my body towards the dormitory.
“I’m going back to the dormitory now.”
“Huu… I’m just going to rest today too. I’m tired.”
Tom, who had been exclaiming wildly just a moment ago, yawned widely, as if he had exhausted all his energy.
We headed straight to the dormitory, and Zeon and Tom, who had different rooms, parted ways in the lobby on the first floor.
Then, as I went up to the room with Herman, it was strangely quiet. At first, I didn’t pay much attention to Herman’s silence, but when he brought up a story related to my memories on the way up to the third-floor hallway, I realized it wasn’t something I could just brush off.
“Ray. You said you didn’t have any past memories last time, right.”
“Yeah.”
“Still don’t remember anything? Not even a little?”
“No.”
“…Where did you learn all those Magic spells?”
A persistent question. It seemed the war of nerves with him would be a bit longer.
I quietly stopped in front of the room. When I turned around, Herman was frozen with a thoughtful expression.
“I learned by seeing with my eyes and hearing with my ears.”
“…….”
Herman touched his forehead. He had an expression that said he had heard utter nonsense. But he also showed signs of trying to understand my answer somehow.
Perhaps that’s why.
In my eyes, he looked as unstable as if he would collapse at any moment.
“Okay… Let’s say you learned by seeing with your eyes and hearing with your ears, as you said. Then, how do you explain your ‘abnormal’ proficiency in Magic, using all Magic with Instant Cast?”
“Innate talent.”
“You never learned it in class, and no one has ever used it, but you used Eight-sided Command and Ice Silver flawlessly with Instant Cast. How are you going to explain where and how you learned those Magic spells?”
“I went to the Longcrew Library, and there were many Magical Grimoires.”
“…Haha.”
Herman laughed gloomily.
He looked like he couldn’t believe my words anymore.
Certainly, the last excuse was a bit much. A student without a White Class Certification couldn’t have read Magical Grimoires corresponding to 3 stars.
But if he kept digging so persistently, I couldn’t help it. As someone with many secrets, holes were bound to appear.
“Ray, you know? It keeps going wrong. Every time I want to believe you, contradictions keep appearing and tripping me up.”
Herman’s eyes flickered as he slowly turned around.
“You… are you really ‘the Ray I knew’? Right?”
As if he wanted me to say yes. With a face fearing denial, he was looking at me so desperately.
It was a situation where I just had to say “Yes.”
Just play along with the lie, and it would be over.
Strangely, I couldn’t respond to that game.
“If you want to doubt me that much, then doubt me.”
“Ray….”
“’I’ have nothing more to say.”
My chest felt tight, and I felt subtly disgusted.
Strange.
When he asked the same question before, it wasn’t like this.
What kind of emotion would be good to define this as?
I somehow hated seeing his face, so I went into the room and slammed the door shut.
Herman, who disappeared that way….
He didn’t return even after I finished talking with my family, who contacted me to ask how I was doing, and lay down to sleep.