Both Alec and Reina got swept up in the atmosphere and were ready to get started at once. However, during their conversation, they had forgotten one teensy-tiny detail.
Alec, while without affinities, had yet to condense any Aether into Formless Mana. Until he did that, there was nothing they could do regarding the research of formless mana and the development of formless magic as a discipline.
"It's just another hurdle for the child hell-bent on running into and cutting down all the hurdles the world has to offer," Reina remarked, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed over her stomach. She spun around a turn before leaning forward and putting her elbows on the desk as seriousness draped over her face.
"There is just one problem, though."
Alec's brow furrowed as he waited for Reina to continue.
"Overcoming all these obstacles is going to take a lot of energy."
'Right. No cafeteria.'
"I guess we won't be able to apply for me to become your research assistant before I condense my first circle?"
"That depends. Do you have an attribute-less condensation method?"
'I should. The System said it assessed my affinities before giving me the Hollow Gale. Unless something's gone awry, it should be a method without elemental attributes, even if it sounds wind-attributed. System?'
[Appraisal Successful: Hollow Gale Magic Circle Condensation Method.]
[Low-grade magic circle condensation method suitable for circles one through three. No elemental attribute.]
"I do." Alec nodded.
"Huh? You do? Where did you get it?"
'Damn. That's the question I was hoping to avoid. System, is there some kind of restraint that prevents me from or punishes me if I try to tell another about my circumstances?'
[Not that I know of.]
Just like how the System hadn't been aware of any potential drawbacks in his [Seed of ???].
'Reliable.'
"I…can't tell you. Or, I could tell you at the risk of sounding like a nutjob, you probably wouldn't want to work with."
Reina frowned as she looked at Alec's serious expression.
She had already noticed that Alec wasn't an ordinary kid. That much wasn't a secret just from his long-winded answer to the entrance exam. But it had become even more apparent while talking to him.
He had a past.
Reina raised her hands in acceptance.
"I won't pry. I'm sure there are at least a few in the library anyway. Otherwise, our first step would have been to devise a condensation method without an elemental attribute. That would have made it possible to start our research cooperation at once."
"Is that…done easily? Devising a condensation method, I mean."
Reina tilted her head back and forth.
"Not really, but it's doable, especially a low-grade one."
"Low-grade meaning for the first three circles, right?"
"Yeah. You'll need a mid-grade one after that, and a high-grade one past the sixth circle. Of course, you can probably use a high-grade one from the start if your heart is made of diamond." Reina shrugged.
It wasn't worth entertaining, but it was worth mentioning just to give Alec a clearer picture of the difference between the different grades of condensation methods. High-grade ones weren't necessarily 'better'. They were just more powerful. Without other magic circles and a heart trained by previous, weaker circles, they would pop the heart like a water balloon.
Reina leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling for a moment, deep in thought.
"Of course, that's from my perspective. I'm a fourth-circle mage. I've already gone through the first three circles. I know what needs to be done, so I can somewhat figure out what the condensation method needs to work. It might take me some time, especially for an attribute-less method or a method of another element, but I can do it. I have actually made a method for shadow.
"I wasn't satisfied with the one I used, so I prepared it in case I ever found a student with my attribute."
"No luck so far?"
Reina shook her head.
Alec pursed his lips.
"C-can I look at them and compare?"
Reina raised an eyebrow.
"That won't do you any good as you are now."
"Wilcox said that learning more could be both beneficial and detrimental. I'm willing to bet that learning more about other elements and condensation methods is beneficial to me. The more I know what other elements are, the more I know what formless mana isn't."
"..." Reina looked at him in silence.
There were better elements than shadow out there. If Alec was going to go back on his word and choose an element to practice, he shouldn't choose shadow. But she could tell that wasn't why Alec was asking.
It was pure curiosity. It was the only childlike thing she had seen from him so far. It made it hard to say no.
She sighed and opened a drawer of her desk to pull out two manuals.
"I'll have them back to you as soon as possible."
"Don't bother. I have no need for them, so you can keep them as long as you want."
Alec was tempted to tell her about his perfect memory, but decided against it in a heartbeat. Reina was kind and helpful.
She was from a world written by Alex.
Alec held off on divulging secrets that were important to his future growth. Caution didn't hurt, especially after how careless he had been earlier.
"Thank you." He accepted the manuals with a bubbling feeling of excitement he hadn't expected from himself.
'Darkness Silhouette' and 'Shadow Marsh'.
'Decent names. I wonder which one Reina created.'
"Try to guess which one I made after comparing them."
Alec nodded. That was the plan.
"Before you skip off and do that, though, we still need to solve your food problem."
"That we do. The Academy doesn't happen to have a second cafeteria that isn't sponsored by the Mason Family?"
"No, unfortunately not. But I know someone who might be able to help." Reina flashed a smile that made her eyes sparkle like dark amethysts in the afternoon sun.
Alec couldn't help but lose himself in it.