The morning began peacefully at the mansion.
After the tests I had conducted the previous day, I spent much of the night thinking about the contents of that book. The more I read, the more I felt that I had come across something special. It wasn't just a book teaching spells or explaining ordinary theories about magic. The author seemed to perceive mana in a completely different way from everything I had learned so far.
After breakfast, I took the book to the main hall.
Elara was the first to notice.
"You're carrying that book everywhere."
"Because it's really interesting."
She pulled out a chair and sat beside me.
"Then show me what you found."
I opened a few pages and began explaining everything I had discovered so far. As I spoke, Lyannis also appeared and joined the conversation. Shortly afterward, Liriel entered the room carrying a cup of tea.
"Are you studying?" she asked.
"More or less."
I showed her the book.
"The author presents some very different theories."
Liriel looked curious.
She sat beside me and began examining a few pages.
Silence filled the room for several minutes.
The only sound was the turning of pages.
I watched the expressions of the three of them as they read.
Elara looked focused.
Lyannis analyzed every detail carefully.
Liriel maintained a calm expression, but I could tell that even she was interested.
After a while, Elara closed a page and crossed her arms.
"This really is unusual."
"You think so too?"
She nodded.
"The way he describes the formation of spells is different from modern theory."
Lyannis agreed.
"Most mages are taught that the chant is an essential part of magic."
"Exactly."
I pointed to one of the pages.
"But he claims that the chant is only a tool."
Liriel smiled.
"Actually, that makes sense."
I looked at her.
"You think so?"
"Yes. Mortals created methods to make mana control easier. Over the centuries, many came to believe those methods were mandatory."
"But they aren't?"
"Not always."
That caught my attention even more.
Liriel rested her hand on the table.
"Mana responds to intention. The chant helps organize that intention, but it isn't the only possible method."
I looked back at the book.
The more we discussed it, the more plausible the theories seemed.
Perhaps that mage had truly been far ahead of his time.
We continued talking for most of the morning.
At one point, we decided to test some of the ideas presented by the author.
We went to the mansion's garden.
The weather was pleasant.
A gentle breeze drifted through the trees as we took our places in an open area.
I opened the book once more.
"Let's start with the basics."
Elara nodded.
"That's probably for the best."
We began with simple spells.
Nothing too complicated.
Just small manifestations of fire, water, and wind.
Following the book's instructions, we gradually shortened the chants.
Some attempts failed.
Others worked only partially.
But the results gradually began to appear.
Lyannis was one of the first to succeed.
A small sphere of water appeared in front of her hand.
She looked surprised.
"It worked."
"It really worked."
Liriel observed the sphere.
"Your control was very good."
Lyannis smiled faintly.
Soon after, Elara also managed to reproduce the method.
The fire appeared almost instantly.
"Interesting."
She looked at her own hands.
"It was faster."
I also began repeating the exercises.
With every attempt, I felt the mana responding more easily.
Perhaps the book was truly right.
While we practiced, I heard laughter coming from the training area.
I looked toward the other side of the garden.
Scarlett and Rai'kanna were training as usual.
The two of them stopped when they noticed what we were doing.
Scarlett walked over to us.
"What are you doing?"
"Studying magic."
She made a face.
"How exciting."
Her tone clearly showed that she was being sarcastic.
Rai'kanna arrived shortly afterward.
"Spending the whole day reading sounds exhausting."
"Not everyone solves everything with brute force."
Scarlett placed a hand over her chest.
"I've been offended."
"You deserved it."
She started laughing.
So did Rai'kanna.
The two exchanged amused glances.
"While you're reading old books, we're actually training."
"Magic is training too."
"But it's more boring."
Elara sighed.
"You two are impossible."
They simply smiled.
Despite all the teasing, they stayed nearby watching our tests.
It was amusing.
Even though they claimed they weren't interested, they were obviously curious.
After a few minutes, Scarlett pointed at the book.
"So, does that thing really work?"
"It does."
"Hmm..."
She crossed her arms.
"Maybe I'll read it later."
Rai'kanna's eyes widened.
"You?"
"Don't look at me like that."
The two of them started arguing.
That drew laughter from everyone.
The rest of the afternoon passed peacefully.
We returned to the main hall and continued analyzing the book's contents.
As we progressed through the pages, we found increasingly detailed explanations.
The author wrote about mana flow.
Mental control.
Visualization.
Spell structure.
Many of the ideas seemed absurd at first glance.
But once we understood the logic behind them, everything began to make sense.
I could understand why that man had been considered a great mage.
He didn't just master magic.
He understood how it worked.
That was a tremendous difference.
Toward the end of the afternoon, Liriel's assistant appeared.
She had spent much of the day walking through the gardens.
"You're still studying?"
"We are."
She looked at the stack of books on the table.
"You all have a lot of patience."
"It's worth it."
She smiled.
"If you're saying that, then it probably is."
We continued talking for a while.
The atmosphere inside the mansion remained light.
No wars.
No battles.
No crises.
It was strange to think that only a few weeks earlier we had been facing enemies capable of destroying entire kingdoms.
Now we were simply studying magic and enjoying peaceful days.
When night fell, everyone gathered for dinner.
The conversation revolved around the book for much of the meal.
Even Scarlett and Rai'kanna ended up joining in.
The two of them still pretended to be uninterested, but they asked questions from time to time.
After dinner, I remained alone in the library.
The mansion was silent.
I looked at the open book before me.
I ran my fingers across its yellowed pages.
The author had lived centuries ago.
Even so, his ideas continued to challenge modern concepts.
That was remarkable.
I slowly closed the book.
Then I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.
The more I reflected on everything I had learned, the more one conclusion became obvious.
That book was not merely a collection of ancient theories.
If its contents were truly spread throughout the world, the way mages fought could change completely.
I smiled to myself.
Perhaps I had found something far more valuable than I had imagined when I bought that old book in the hot springs city.