Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1802
Ricardo was now 7 years old.
For the past two years, he had been able to use an abnormal amount of aura compared to his peers.
He was at a level where he could defeat someone a few years older than him in a one-on-one duel.
His master, Richard, normally, according to the Kislavein training system, was only obliged to give aura training for two years.
However, Ricardo had generated in about a month the aura he was supposed to create over those two years.
Because of this, Richard had also given Ricardo sword-fighting lessons alongside aura training.
Ricardo had surprised his master once more during his training.
Ricardo had learned the Kislavein style of sword arts very quickly.
In his previous life, he had already fought in countless battles for 50 years with larger, heavier, and sharper swords.
Aura is something that always exists in the human body; every human has it, but only a certain group of people possess a dense amount of aura and can manifest it.
These people train for decades to be able to use all the aura in their bodies,
But a select few among them can reach their full potential in just ten years.
Ricardo was a chosen individual even among these selected people.
According to Ricardo's calculations, by the time he reached 10 years old,
That is, within five years from the start of his initial training, he would reach his full potential.
However, because his body couldn't withstand all that aura emission, he would only be able to use a certain portion of his aura.
By the time he turned 18, he would be able to use all of his aura.
According to the tradition of the Kislavein Dynasty, from the age of 7, Ricardo would have a mage to teach him magic.
However, his mother, Seliarnevre, was a mage of Mid-Level High-Tier standing.
She would soon receive her High-Level Low-Tier Certification from the Mages' Union.
Before her marriage, Seliarnevre was a Mid-Level Low-Tier mage.
If she hadn't been forced to deal with the intrigues of the Kislavein Palace, she might now be on par with even Dynasty Lord Orsman, a High-Level High-Tier mage.
Who knows, perhaps Orsman didn't want Seliarnevre to surpass him, or perhaps he thought the child born from their union would be a very powerful mage.
Seliarnevre was appointed as Ricardo's magic master; she could now spend time with her son again and pass on her knowledge to him.
The palace intrigues had not ceased over the past two years.
Four more children had died in the palace.
Four assassination attempts against Ricardo had been thwarted by Seliarnevre and Richard.
Seliarnevre took Ricardo to the Garden for magic training.
It was a garden as large as the palace itself.
Seven-year-old Kislavein children took their first steps into magic here.
To perform magic, one needs mana; mana is found in the air, in the oxygen we breathe.
So, just like with aura, everyone has mana, but not everyone can transform mana into magic.
You needed the right body, mind, talent, and lineage, and Ricardo had them all.
In his previous life, Ricardo had never used magic; he had the talent but preferred hand-to-hand combat.
In his view, real men didn't use magic and fought to the death with their swords.
Of course, that thought was now in the past.
Perhaps if he had continued his magic practice and used magic in battles to develop his magical skills, he wouldn't have been killed by King Frank II of Fresfurt in his last battle.
Frank II was not as skilled a swordsman as Harloumen VIII.
He didn't have Harloumen VIII's life and combat experience, but he had a unique talent in magic and had practically applied that talent to dueling.
This enabled him to defeat the last Ancient Emperor of the Ancient Empire, the era's greatest warrior and duelist.
Now, Ricardo did not want to make the same mistake.
If he had a talent for magic, he would use it to its fullest extent.
His maternal relatives, the Payrist Dynasty, were known for their affinity for magic.
Seliarnevre was the most powerful ice mage of her generation.
Seliarnevre took Ricardo to the Palace Garden, looked at her son, and smiled.
"I've been waiting for this day for 7 years; I'm so happy I get to teach you magic, Ricardo."
Ricardo looked at his mother and smiled; his expression was sweet.
"I'm very excited too, Mother. Let's begin right away."
Seliarnevre bent down and stroked Ricardo's head with her hand; she was as excited as her son.
"Don't rush, Ricardo; the path of a mage is a long one.
On the other hand, considering your immense aura amount, you can probably store a great deal of mana.
The amount of mana is balanced with a person's aura level, so both your master and I have high expectations."
When his mother finished speaking, Ricardo said with a serious expression:
"Don't worry, Mother. I will exceed your expectations."
Seliarnevre didn't want to waste any more time and began the magic training.
"First, sit in a comfortable position, Ricardo.
You will consciously breathe in mana for the first time.
Relax, close your eyes, clear your mind, and breathe in and out.
Use your aura to feel the mana in the air, then separate it and move it towards your heart, condense it there."
Ricardo followed his mother's instructions to the letter.
Mana began to condense in Ricardo's heart, and soon a very dense amount of mana had accumulated there.
Seliarnevre was now aware they were at a very critical moment.
One wrong move could cause the mana to rupture the heart and lead to Ricardo's death.
"Ricardo, don't get excited; stay calm.
Compress your mana tightly and encircle it with your aura, then compress your mana further with your aura.
Calm your mana and fix it in place, disperse your aura, and thus you will have created a Mana Heart within your heart."
Seliarnevre had finished speaking.
Ricardo had created his Mana Heart in a very short time, within seconds.
Seliarnevre was proud of her son.
Her son had unique potential in both aura and mana, and what she was most curious about was what kind of power he would possess once he reached his full potential.