Some time had passed since our visit to the hot springs city.
Peace still remained, something I still hadn't completely gotten used to. After so many battles, wars, and confrontations against powerful enemies, waking up without having to rush to a battlefield still felt strange.
That morning, the weather was pleasant.
Sunlight streamed through the mansion's windows as I sat in one of the reading rooms on the upper floor.
On the table rested a relatively old book.
Its pages bore clear signs of age. The cover showed small marks of wear, and some of the edges had become slightly yellowed. Even so, the contents appeared to be remarkably well preserved.
I ran my fingers across the cover before opening it once again.
It was the book I had bought in the hot springs city.
I immediately remembered the old bookseller.
At the time, I had found the price unusual.
The man had practically insisted that I take that copy.
When I asked why, he simply replied that the book was special.
At that moment, I thought it was merely a sales tactic.
Now I was beginning to believe that perhaps he had been telling the truth.
I turned a few more pages.
The more I read, the more impressed I became.
The author was no ordinary mage.
According to the information presented at the beginning of the book, he had lived approximately eight hundred years ago.
His name was mentioned many times in historical records.
He was described as one of the greatest scholars of magic who had ever lived.
Normally, I would ignore such exaggerated titles.
Many people like to turn historical figures into legends.
But this book was different.
Its contents truly possessed something special.
These weren't merely ordinary theories.
The explanations were detailed.
Organized.
Straightforward.
Easy to understand.
Even someone without extensive magical knowledge could follow much of the reasoning.
I continued reading carefully.
One of the first sections discussed something I had never really considered before.
The author claimed that most mages understood magic only incompletely.
According to him, many believed that the words used in spells were the true source of their power.
However, that wasn't true.
Words were merely tools.
Guides.
Methods for organizing mana.
I partially closed the book.
That caught my attention.
"Interesting..."
I resumed reading.
The author explained that mana responded to the user's intent.
The words merely served as a way to direct that intent more precisely.
The more experienced a mage became, the less dependent they should be on traditional incantations.
That contradicted much of what I had learned since arriving in that world.
I had always seen mages using long sequences of words before casting attacks.
It was so common that no one questioned it.
But the reasoning presented there made sense.
If mana responded to the user's will, then perhaps there truly were more efficient methods.
I continued turning the pages.
Each chapter presented observations made by the author himself over decades of research.
What impressed me most was that he didn't write like someone trying to appear superior.
Quite the opposite.
Many times, he admitted his own mistakes.
Failures.
Unsuccessful experiments.
Attempts that didn't work.
That made everything even more trustworthy.
It was like speaking directly with someone who had devoted his entire life to the study of magic.
As I continued reading, I heard a gentle knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Elara appeared first.
Liriel followed close behind.
Both of them looked curious.
"You've been reading that book since early this morning," Elara commented.
I smiled.
"I didn't even realize how much time had passed."
Liriel walked over to the table.
"What's so interesting about it?"
I slid the book toward them.
"Read a few passages."
The two of them leaned over to take a look.
For several minutes, the room remained silent.
Elara was the first to react.
"This is very different."
"I thought so too."
Liriel turned a few pages.
Her expression showed growing interest.
"This author has an extremely advanced understanding of mana."
"You think so?"
She nodded.
"Yes. Some of these theories are remarkably sophisticated."
That caught my attention even more.
Liriel was literally a goddess.
If even she was impressed, then this book truly had value.
"Which part caught your attention the most?" I asked.
Liriel partially closed the book.
"The way he describes the circulation of mana."
"Is it really that different?"
"It is."
She pointed to a specific passage.
"The author understands that mana isn't simply something stored inside the body."
I looked at the passage.
Indeed, that was exactly what it said.
Elara crossed her arms.
"So there's mana in places other than the body?"
Liriel smiled.
"Of course there is."
"I know that."
"Then why are you surprised?"
Elara made a face.
"Because he explains it in a way I've never seen before."
I laughed.
That was true.
The way the mage organized his thoughts was remarkably clear.
Even complex concepts seemed simple.
We continued talking for some time.
Several theories presented in the book became topics of discussion.
Some of them I understood easily.
Others required more attention.
Even so, the reading remained enjoyable.
At one point, I began flipping through some later pages.
That was when I found a section that seemed different from the previous ones.
The title immediately caught my attention.
Methods for Simplifying Incantations.
I frowned.
"This looks interesting."
Elara stepped closer.
"What did you find?"
I began reading.
As my eyes moved across the lines, my curiosity grew more and more.
The author claimed that many mages wasted time during battles.
According to him, excessively long incantations were a habit developed over generations.
Not an absolute necessity.
That was an extremely bold claim.
I continued reading.
The explanations that followed were even more surprising.
The author argued that a spell did not necessarily have to be activated through complete phrases.
Depending on the user's skill, it would be possible to significantly shorten the incantation.
My heart began beating a little faster.
That had enormous potential.
Especially in combat.
A battle could be decided in just a few seconds.
Any advantage was important.
I continued reading without taking my eyes off the page.
The old mage then presented a simple example.
A traditional fire spell normally required a complete phrase to organize the mana.
However, according to him, an experienced mage could use much shorter versions.
The intent would still remain.
The mana would still respond.
The result would be practically the same.
I remained silent for a few seconds.
Then I read the passage again.
And once more.
Elara noticed my reaction.
"What is it?"
I looked up.
"I think I found something very interesting."
Liriel tilted her head.
"What is it?"
I lowered my eyes back to the book.
The theory presented on that page seemed simple.
But if it was correct, it could completely change the way many mages fought.
I took a deep breath.
Then I began reading every word even more carefully.
For the first time since opening that book, I felt that I was looking at something truly revolutionary.
And the more I read this new theory, the more certain I became that I needed to understand it completely.