Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Chapter 6 - As Expected, He Didn’t Die
"How astonishing."
Those were the words Luri uttered as she prepared breakfast while looking at Ferda.
True to being Valdrova’s sole Attendant among the Dragon Spawn, she possessed remarkably sharp insight.
"Did you really open your Circle?"
Over the course of a single night?
Ferda nodded.
"I did."
"An ordinary human shouldn’t be able to open one in a single day."
"That’s because I’m not ordinary. More importantly, I’d like you to answer my question."
"What do you mean?"
"Have I now proven that I’m qualified to become her fiancé?"
"......"
Instead of answering, Luri simply pressed her lips together and looked up at Ferda.
By the standard of potential she had in mind, he had unquestionably passed.
’No... he’s actually exceeded my expectations.’
When she had first made the proposal to Ferda two weeks ago, this was what she had believed.
If he could force out even a single drop at the very end of the fourth week, it would already be nothing short of a miracle.
Yet in only two weeks, Ferda had fulfilled the requirement with apparent ease.
’No... I can’t even call it two weeks.’
There had been no signs whatsoever before this.
He had accomplished it in a single day.
’The cause of this awakening... it must have been Master’s battle after all.’
What kind of change could anyone possibly experience from witnessing something like that?
All a human could feel was overwhelming fear and awe.
She herself had carried his broken body back to bed, so she knew exactly what condition he had been in.
That was precisely why she disliked the way he acted so relaxed, as though all of this were perfectly natural.
"Why aren’t you answering?"
"......It’s enough."
"What is?"
"The requirement."
Clearing her throat, Luri changed the subject.
"You’ve met the requirement, so you may rest comfortably until the Engagement ceremony. You’ve worked hard."
"Resting is fine, but haven’t I still got a long road ahead of me?"
After finishing breakfast, Ferda wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.
"Is there somewhere I can practice?"
"What exactly are you planning to practice?"
"Magic."
Luri shook her head.
"Unfortunately, we don’t have equipment intended for Mages. I can procure some, but it will take about three days."
"It won’t take that long. That’s not what I need."
The training Ferda intended to begin required none of those expensive, sophisticated tools.
"A few targets will be enough."
"Targets?"
"I’m saying a few scarecrows will do."
Luri wore a puzzled expression.
What kind of training could a novice who had only just stepped into the First Circle possibly accomplish with scarecrows?
But for Ferda, they were the finest—and most effective—tools available.
His magical training required a level of precision that no equipment could ever measure or correct.
And that level of precision was already something Ferda could control entirely on his own.
***
The place Luri led Ferda to was the clearing where Valdrova had spread her wings before flying toward the mountain summit.
It had now become a training ground.
Not for Mages, but for ordinary soldiers.
Straw dummies, distance markers, obstacles, and various training equipment filled the area.
’I can understand now how she manages this enormous castle by herself.’
In only thirty minutes, she had transformed an empty clearing into a fully functional training ground.
With craftsmanship and speed like this, there was little she couldn’t accomplish.
Looking at Luri standing quietly beside him, Ferda spoke.
"Thank you for preparing this."
"What exactly are you planning to practice?"
"Controlling Mana."
Luri tilted her head.
"Why control it?"
"So I can use magic efficiently. Otherwise, I might waste Mana by using too much, or fail to cast a spell by using too little."
This time, she tilted her head the other way.
"Does that really happen?"
"Not for dragons? I’ve heard all dragons can use magic, even if only to a limited extent."
Luri nodded.
"That’s correct. We can all use magic. The types of spells we can cast depend on which ruler’s bloodline we inherit, but nearly all Dragon Spawn are capable of it."
"Then why can’t you understand?"
"To put it simply... what you’re saying sounds like worrying that you might forget how to breathe. If other Dragon Spawn heard you, they’d simply call it ’primitive’."
Ferda gazed steadily at Luri.
"So, what I’m doing looks primitive to you?"
"I am a Dragon Spawn as well."
Primitive, she said.
"Well... you’re not wrong."
What could he expect from beings whose arrogance was simply part of their nature?
The Dragon Spawn, born with the innate ability to wield magic.
Humans, who could only wield magic through effort and understanding.
It was only natural that those born with talent and those who achieved greatness through hard work could never truly understand each other.
Ferda turned toward the scarecrows.
"May I watch your training?"
"If watching someone practice breathing sounds entertaining."
"It does."
Luri stepped back several paces and quietly observed him.
Ferda slowly closed his eyes.
To control magic, one normally sought stillness, gradually approaching the calm flow of Mana.
That was the conventional method of controlling Mana.
’But that’s only for the Blue Circle.’
Nearly every established magical theory had been created for the Blue Circle.
Ferda’s Circle was a Red Circle.
A Red Circle, born from turbulent emotions, could never be controlled using Blue Circle techniques.
Even if one somehow managed it, the resulting power would weaken so drastically that one would become what people mockingly called a "half-human."
’You must control what should never be controlled.’
The Red Circle was a contradiction itself, filled with paradoxes that defied all logic.
Yet anyone who understood the secret to breaking that contradiction could truly dominate its power.
And Ferda had accomplished exactly that.
Keeping his eyes closed, he slowly sank his awareness deep within himself.
His consciousness descended like a stone sinking beneath the surface of a lake until it reached his Dantian.
There, he clearly perceived the perfectly rotating Circle, vivid even through his closed eyes.
Ferda silently observed it.
The rapidly flowing Mana resembled a raging river during the monsoon season.
It felt as though one careless approach would sweep him away completely.
Carefully, Ferda reached toward it.
What he was attempting was no different from shaping pottery.
Maintaining the shape of the rapidly spinning Circle while gently touching its edge and drawing out Mana.
’Scooping it up.’
Even with the relatively gentle Blue Circle, reaching this stage required over a year of training.
With a Red Circle, it demanded several times more.
’I bled for this.’
The sensation remained vividly etched into Ferda’s memory.
Focusing entirely on the Circle, he extended a finger toward it.
The raging torrent of Mana gently brushed against his fingertip.
The Mana within it accepted his finger as a new current and began flowing along it.
’I can feel it.’
The magical power rising from his Dantian through his blood vessels.
Flowing through his veins into his heart.
Then from his heart into his arteries.
Using his bloodstream as a pathway, his magical power began to move.
’This alone normally takes a year.’
Yet Ferda skillfully found the path and, before long, reached the tip of his right index finger.
’One minute.’
A process that normally required an entire year had been completed in a single minute.
Now that he had drawn out the Mana, he moved on to the next step—
’Forming the sphere.’
Wooooom—
The Mana gathered at his fingertip spread outward into the air.
He could feel strands of blue light dispersing from his fingertip.
’Condense.’
The scattered Mana gathered just above his finger and condensed into one place.
As it compressed further, its color grew deeper and more vivid.
Once it became concentrated enough for even someone incapable of using magic to see it clearly, the stage was complete.
The sphere Ferda created was perfectly smooth and flawlessly round.
Normally, some of the Mana would escape as blue mist because no one could control it completely.
But Ferda’s sphere wasted nothing.
’Another year to reach this point.’
The entire sequence that had originally taken him two years was now completed in only two minutes.
He felt no overwhelming joy.
Just as Luri had said, this was as natural to him as breathing.
No one celebrated discovering how to breathe.
To Ferda, this was just as ordinary.
’The final stage.’
A task that required six years for every Mage.
Even Ferda, despite his extraordinary talent, had needed three full years to finally master it.
The stage known as the Three Beats.
Ferda looked down at the condensed mass of Mana resting above his fingertip.
A pure crystal capable of becoming anything according to its user’s will.
The very first spell created from that crystal was the simple throwing technique known as Mana Shot.
As the name implied, it was nothing more than launching a lump of Mana.
Yet this training also determined whether a Mage was truly capable of fulfilling their role.
’Condensation, speed, and accuracy must all align perfectly.’
That was the Three Beats.
Known as the Wall of Despair, countless Mages had reached the Third Circle only to fail at this stage.
Even Ferda himself had only succeeded after reaching the Second Circle.
Still looking at the sphere of Mana, Ferda slowly raised his head.
Exactly fifty meters away stood a scarecrow beside a sign marking the distance.
"Hmm..."
Ferda narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a quiet murmur.
"I suppose this won’t do."
Muttering to himself, he focused on his fingertip once more.
This time, three spheres formed and floated above his finger.
Looking at them, Ferda murmured,
"Yes... this is it."
At the very least, it had to be this much before it was worth using.
Ferda swept his finger broadly through the air.
At the same instant, the three Mana bullets traced graceful arcs through the sky and flew simultaneously.
Their destination was precisely the scarecrow’s forehead.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The high-density Mana bullets exploded upon impact.
The scarecrow’s head vanished completely, leaving not even a trace behind.
Watching the result, Ferda quietly muttered,
"As expected... it didn’t die."
Although firing three shots at the First Circle had consumed half of his total Mana, it didn’t matter.
After all, the amount of Mana naturally increased as one’s Circle advanced.
Now that he had completed a practical combat test, Ferda no longer had any reason to doubt his own abilities.
His practice ended there.
From beginning to end, the entire session had taken no more than ten minutes.
***
That night, Luri descended into the Lair.
In her hands were the documents she had personally organized.
"I will now give my weekly report."
"Proceed."
Although she lived in seclusion, Valdrova still needed to know how the outside world was changing.
That responsibility belonged to her one and only Attendant, Luri, and she carried it out willingly.
Valdrova listened quietly as Luri summarized everything.
After thirty minutes, the report finally came to an end.
Luri closed the documents.
"That concludes my report."
"Very good. You’ve worked hard."
"It was hardly difficult. Is there anything you wish to ask?"
Normally, the answer would simply be:
"No. You may leave."
But this time, Luri heard something entirely different.
"Something I wish to ask..."
Valdrova lightly scratched her chin with one of her claws.
Having served her for so many years, Luri understood immediately.
Her mistress was curious about something.
’Has she finally taken an interest in the outside world?’
Luri’s eyes sparkled.
Valdrova’s lips moved slightly before she quickly shook her head.
"No... it’s nothing."
"Please tell me. What is it you wish to know? This unworthy Luri is fully prepared to answer any question you may have, Master."
Luri’s eyes shone brightly.
Looking down at her, Valdrova reluctantly opened her mouth.
"How... is the one who is to become my fiancé doing?"
"Ah..."
What settled in Luri’s heart was betrayal.
It felt as though her dreams had shattered into pieces.
So that was all her mistress had been curious about?
That man’s condition?
Still, since she had urged her to ask, it was only proper to answer.
"The one who is to become your fiancé is doing quite well."
"He hasn’t seemed uncomfortable in any way?"
"No. There’s nothing for you to worry about. At first, I expected he would struggle since he chose not to bring any attendants, but contrary to my expectations, he’s adapting very well. He’s nothing like the nobles of today."
"I see."
"So..."
Contrary to her expectation that the conversation would end there, Luri hesitated.
Her lips moved uncertainly as she debated whether she should say it.
Finally, she spoke.
"That’s exactly why I can’t figure him out."
"You can’t figure him out? Does that mean he failed to meet your expectations?"
Luri shook her head.
"No. His abilities are exceptional. In fact, they’re beyond anything I expected."
"A human you’ve acknowledged... that’s rather unusual."
Valdrova was genuinely surprised.
She already knew better than anyone how deeply Luri despised humans.
"Then what is the problem? Is his talent unstable?"
"No."
"He was too perfect."
"Isn’t that a good thing?"
"Perfection itself is good."
"But not for a human."
Luri recalled everything she had observed while watching Ferda.
More than anything, today’s training had convinced her how dangerous he truly was.
"Humans are a race that learns through mistakes."
"That’s why no human can ever be perfect from the very beginning."
Not once had he failed.
Nor had it been limited to today alone.
That had been the impression she had formed over the past several days while observing him.
Even Luri, who despised humans, had been forced to acknowledge him.
There was something fundamentally different about the way he carried himself.
Which was why her feelings had gone beyond merely recognizing his competence.
"All I can think is that he is dangerous."
A feeling of awe had quietly settled in Luri’s heart.
It was as though she had overlooked something.
As though he concealed something she herself could not comprehend.
As a loyal servant, she couldn’t simply allow such a man to stand beside her master.
"For you to think such things... he truly must be an extraordinary man."
"I hate to admit it... but yes."
After hearing her answer, Valdrova fell into deep thought.
"Even so, it’s fine."
"Didn’t you say that he came to meet me with completely sincere intentions?"
"......"
"Then I shall choose to trust him."
It was an incredibly optimistic thing to say.
Luri was worried sick, yet the person at the center of it all sounded perfectly unconcerned.
’This is my master.’
Luri understood that well.
She always planned ahead for every possibility.
’That’s why I have to do everything I possibly can.’
If she couldn’t expose his true nature directly...
Then she at least needed a situation where she could probe his true intentions.
’Perhaps... it wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.’
Luri decided she would deliberately set the stage herself.
Even if he didn’t reveal his true colors outright, she was certain it would at least allow her to glimpse what lay beneath the surface.
As she began forming the details of her plan, one particular phrase echoed through her mind.
"An extraordinary hidden side..."
Repeating those words to herself, something suddenly came to mind.
Ferda’s face.
Even while writhing in agony, he had smiled... and admired what he saw.
A look of utter disgust crossed Luri’s face, as though she had stepped in filth.
"Master... if I may ask..."
"What is it?"
"......It’s nothing."
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