Chapter 07
A week passed, and I had grown used to the dull life in prison.
Having lived as a wandering mercenary and camped in all sorts of harsh environments, even a leaking cell felt as comfortable as home.
“Phew—.”
I didn’t have the luxury of wasting time.
Inside the cell, I trained my mana.
By breathing, I absorbed the faint mana drifting in the air into my body, then used it as fuel to interfere with the magic engraved on the iron bars.
Even a small drop of water can pierce stone if it falls continuously.
As I steadily poured mana into it, I began to see results. I had managed to distort about a tenth of the entire spell. Considering my current feeble body, it was an impressive achievement.
“Not enough.”
But I wasn’t satisfied.
No matter how much I trained my mana, without a mana core there was a limit to how much I could use.
The mana core was an essential organ that both mages and swordsmen had to form within their bodies—the very first step.
I needed to create one.
And for that, I needed a mage’s mana cultivation method.
“I don’t have time for this.”
Time was running short.
Just as I was thinking it was about time to get out, a woman approached from beyond the bars.
She had jet-black hair and equally dark eyes. Judging by her appearance, she wasn’t of Benheim blood.
“From today onward, I will be serving you, Sir Reagan. My name is Cheryl.”
She stopped in front of the cell and bowed politely.
“A servant?”
“Yes. I will attend to you while you stay in the annex. Please feel free to call me Cheryl.”
She must be the attendant the steward had assigned to me.
I narrowed my eyes and examined her.
She introduced herself as a servant, but I could sense something unusual from her.
‘…An assassin mage?’
Just as not all sword users are swordsmen, among mages there were those who took on covert assignments like assassins.
They were called shadow mages—individuals trained in secretive magic.
There had been many of them under the Demon King of Magic. They infiltrated the imperial army and Renia’s resistance forces, carrying out sabotage.
I had dealt with them so often in my previous life that I could recognize them just by the “scent” of their mana.
And this woman was exactly like that.
‘She’s only scratched the surface, but she’s definitely trained in shadow magic. Looks like the lord still doesn’t trust me.’
Assigning a shadow mage as my attendant meant Stern hadn’t completely let go of his suspicion.
He must still consider the possibility that I was a spy.
In that case, I needed to be careful with my actions.
“Uh, well… then you—”
“You may speak casually to me. I am only a servant.”
“Alright. Cheryl.”
“….”
Cheryl blinked.
“What’s with that look?”
“Nothing… it’s just that you didn’t hesitate.”
“You told me to speak casually. I’m just following your lead. Anyway, are you going to get me out of this damn cell and show me to the annex now?”
“Yes.”
“What’s in the annex?”
“It is fully equipped. If anything is lacking, please let me know and I will prepare it as quickly as possible.”
“Does it have magic books?”
“There is a library.”
That was enough.
I stood up. After meditating for a week, I felt stiff all over.
Cheryl reached into her pocket for the key, but I ignored her and placed my hand on the bars.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“Aren’t you going to guide me?”
I pushed the bars with force.
Though I had only distorted about ten percent of the spell, I had worn down a critical part of its structure. Its durability had weakened significantly.
Crack.
“……”
Cheryl stared wide-eyed at the bent bars and the now-open cell door.
In my previous life, Renia had been an extremely optimistic woman.
Aside from her burning desire for revenge against the Demon King of Magic, she had a forgiving personality that brushed off most incidents.
But there was one thing she absolutely couldn’t tolerate—the outdated tents used by the resistance army.
—Reagan, I wasn’t going to say anything, but this tent is the worst for sleeping! When I close my eyes, I hear frogs croaking and streams trickling… at this rate, I might wet myself in my sleep!
—Hmm. That bad?
—That bad! I believe the most important factor in human life is a comfortable sleeping environment.
—And this tent? Even with soundproofing and anti-shaking magic, it fails as a proper living space.
No matter how great a mage she was, she refused to sleep in uncomfortable conditions—that was Renia’s philosophy.
Back then, I couldn’t understand her at all.
Compared to the lodgings I had as a mercenary, those tents were far superior. With her magic added, they were more comfortable than most inns.
But now, having returned to the past, I finally understood why she hated those tents.
“Sir Reagan, you will be staying in this annex.”
“Ha.”
I let out a dry laugh.
White walls with golden accents, luxurious furniture, and spotless hallways—it was so pristine it almost felt like a palace.
Having grown up in such luxury, it made sense that Renia found those tents unbearable.
What shocked me more was that this was only the annex.
If this was the annex, the main building must be even grander.
“The ground floor is the library, and the upper floor is the bedroom. Meals will be brought here. If you need anything, ring this bell.”
Cheryl handed me a small, magically enchanted bell.
As soon as I took it, I headed downstairs.
As she said, the entire lower floor was a library, filled with rare magic books. Even the most common one here would fetch a high price on the black market.
“Can I read all of these?”
“Yes. All books in the annex are permitted for outer mages.”
“And the restricted ones are in the main library?”
“That is correct.”
Even as a Benheim mage, I was still an outsider.
The family’s core secrets would be reserved for direct blood members.
The high-level magic Renia used in my previous life wouldn’t be here.
“That’s a shame… but at least there are basic texts, right?”
“Yes. Rune magic up to the 3rd Circle is available.”
“Not bad.”
“However… if I may advise, when first learning magic, it’s better to start with common textbooks rather than Benheim’s—”
I raised my hand and cut her off.
The steward must have assigned her as an advisor, but I didn’t need help—especially not from a shadow mage.
I rang the bell deliberately.
“That’s enough. Cheryl, bring me some food.”
“Food?”
“Yeah. You’re my attendant, aren’t you? Preferably meat-heavy.”
“Meat…?”
“Growing boys need protein.”
As I made full use of her, I sat down.
‘It’s about time… to form my mana core.’
The week in prison made it clear.
To truly grow stronger, I needed a mana core.
But I couldn’t just use some mediocre method.
That would never let me surpass my previous life.
I needed something greater than Renia—greater than the Demon King of Magic.
“…Hmm.”
It was too vague.
Better to start reading something.
I grabbed a thick book and flipped it open, skipping the unnecessary preface.
I found a section explaining the structure of magic.
“…Kenaz.”
The first rune introduced: Kenaz (ᚲ).
I knew it.
‘It creates fire.’
Renia used it often.
A simple one-process spell, yet surprisingly powerful.
—Reagan, can you bring some firewood?
—I didn’t expect your great family magic to be used for lighting fires.
—This rune means “torch.” Magic is about application, not meaning.
“Application over meaning…”
Very much like her.
I raised my hand.
Even without a mana core, I could gather ambient mana.
—All magic follows the same principle: recognition, construction, and manifestation.
Recognition came first—understanding the essence.
As I saw the rune, a memory surfaced.
—Most mages imitate fire. But mine is different. It’s not imitation—it’s translation.
“Translation…”
That must be the essence.
Recognition was easy.
Next was construction.
The most critical step—but I ignored the book entirely.
“I’ve already seen the best textbook.”
I had witnessed the greatest rune mage in the world.
I didn’t understand magic theory—but I remembered her structure.
“…Something like this.”
I wove mana threads into the shape I remembered.
Then came manifestation.
—Just release it like aura.
Whoosh—
The rune ignited in midair, flames wrapping around my hand.
It wasn’t hot. It didn’t burn.
It simply existed.
“Interesting.”
Magic was different from aura.
Aura relied on instinct—magic relied on logic.
“…At this rate, I can use both.”
Normally impossible.
But not for me.
I had once reached Sword Master.
And now, I had a second chance.
“Can I create it?”
“…I have to.”
I shook my head.
“Goal… reach 3rd Circle by next month.”
Normally it took years.
But I was already at 2nd Circle.
Once I had a mana core, a month was enough.
“…Let’s keep it modest.”
Then—
I sensed someone.
“How long have you been there?”
Cheryl stood at the door with a tray full of food.
“…H-how…?”
Her eyes were fixed on the rune magic.
“How are you using rune magic…?”
“How? The book told me to. I just followed it.”
I shut the book with a thud.
“Anyway, give me the food. I’m starving. You brought plenty of meat, right?”
Cheryl nodded blankly.
