At the break of dawn, someone was running.
Panting, breath ragged, yet his legs never slowed. If anyone were to look closely, they'd see how exhausted he was—how every step screamed that he should stop. But he didn't.
As if something was chasing him from the ends of the world.
As if stopping meant death.
That person had a small build. Short, black, slightly spiky hair, damp with sweat. A height of about one hundred sixty centimeters. An ordinary face, the kind you'd pass on the street without a second glance.
A face that felt copied and pasted among countless others.
That person was me.
Sylvan.
Ever since I started practicing magic, I'd made it a habit to run every dawn. Even though I planned to become a mage, I refused to neglect my physical body. If there ever came a situation where I couldn't defeat an enemy
At least I could run.
I called that a strategic retreat.
When the sun finally crept above the horizon, I stopped my run and shifted to magic training.
I'd discovered something over the past few days. Training magic every day did increase my mana capacity, but only slightly. The growth was slow, almost negligible, yet unmistakably there.
Progress was still progress.
And it wasn't just magic.
I suspected my daily exercise played a role as well.
I thought of my body as a vessel. Or maybe a battery. If the vessel itself was weak, it wouldn't matter how much mana I tried to pour into it—it would crack under the pressure.
But if both the mana capacity and the body improved together…
Then the vessel could expand further than magic training alone ever would.
It was just a theory, born from trial and error. The books didn't mention anything like this. Still, warriors used mana to reinforce their bodies, didn't they?
That alone suggested physical fitness affected how much mana a body could handle.
The books didn't explain how to increase mana capacity either. I could probably find another one if I searched harder, but that was a problem for later.
It had been five days since I started serious magic training.
And I'd decided it was time to return the book.
I had already memorized the incantations and engraved them into my mind. Silent casting, however, still eluded me. No matter how many times I tried, the spell simply wouldn't activate without chanting.
I needed to understand mana itself, not rely on words to guide it.
As far as I understood, incantations were nothing more than guides. Like training wheels on a bicycle. Most people needed them to learn.
Some didn't.
But those people were monsters.
For someone with average talent like me, the training wheels were necessary.
At the very least, I could now cast thirty basic spells before reaching exhaustion. That alone was something I was proud of.
Wind magic, however, remained a mystery.
I still couldn't use it properly.
After magic practice, I added another step to my routine: bathing in the river. Cold, refreshing, and painful in the early morning. Then it was off to school.
Speaking of school…
I'd started asking Miss Erica about common knowledge about the kingdom, the world, and things everyone else seemed to know naturally. Over the past few days, we'd grown closer. The awkwardness between us had mostly faded.
At least, that's what I liked to believe.
She'd become livelier too. More expressive. More vibrant.
Miss Erica was beautiful.
Any bastard who married her could say they'd won the lottery of life.
Classes ended, along with our usual study session. On my way to the library, I noticed a group of mage adventurers walking in the same direction. I slowed my pace and listened in.
They were discussing specialization.
Mastering multiple elements took too much time and resources, they said. Better to focus on one.
One of them planned to specialize in fire, because fire magic had the greatest destructive power.
…That made sense.
Mana was limited. You couldn't cast endlessly. I might manage thirty basic spells, but even one intermediate spell would drain me completely.
I learned more just by listening than I expected.
Learning was everywhere if you were willing to listen. Even children could teach you something, as long as you kept an open mind.
Inside the library, the adventurers immediately bought books and scattered toward the shelves.
Rich people.
I briefly considered copying the book I'd borrowed, but the price of paper and ink stopped me cold.
Who in their right mind would pay that much for paper?
I approached the counter.
"Hello. We meet again."
The librarian smiled.
"Y-You remembered me?" I asked, startled.
I hadn't expected that.
Suppressing a laugh, he replied, "Your question last time left quite an impression on me. I doubt I'll forget it anytime soon."
Ah.
That explained it.
He raised a hand and placed it over his chest before bowing slightly.
"I am Elric. Caretaker of this library, and apprentice to Baron Eldritch."
His movements were refined. Elegant.
"I'm Sylvan. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I copied his bow awkwardly.
…Better remember that. It might be useful someday.
"I'd like to return the book," I said, placing it on the counter.
"Thank you. Would you like to rent another?"
I hesitated, then asked, "Do you have any books on mana manipulation?"
Elric shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. We only carry books up to intermediate elemental magic."
"How is that?" I pressed. "Do you know where I could find one?"
He sighed softly. "Those texts are restricted to nobles. Each noble family guards their own methods of mana manipulation as trade secrets."
Of course they did.
"If you wish to learn such things, becoming a noble's apprentice would be your best option."
…And say goodbye to my freedom.
"I see. Thank you for the information."
I left the library with a heavy mind. "Time to practice once again."
Intermediate spells wouldn't help me much right now. If nobles allowed commoners access to them, they were probably nothing special.
If I became a noble's apprentice, I'd be trapped.
The City of Magic was another option, but reaching it now was impossible.
For now, experimentation was my only path.
I still had knowledge from my previous world.
I'd use it.
When my mana was completely drained, I headed home and ended the day.
Tomorrow…
I'd try again.