It had already been over two weeks since I became a trainee at Pasadian.
As the days passed, Anakin’s magic skills improved steadily.
This was because, following Hilde’s advice to rest, my physical condition had miraculously improved and my vitality had returned.
Even before that, my skills were rising, but it felt like they improved much faster after taking a sufficient break.
With my condition being good, the efficiency of my training also increased.
After finishing the afternoon classes, Anakin sat on a bench in the corridor, her favorite spot in Pasadian.
She looked up at the sky for a moment, then quietly closed her eyes and thought to herself.
‘I shouldn’t just train blindly.’
Being with everyone was fun, but I also needed time alone.
The leisurely and quiet environment of being left alone for once wasn’t bad at all.
A fresh breeze blew by, and the scent of grass brushed the tip of her nose.
Closing her eyes like that suddenly brought back the memory of Harca’s scent.
A cool, fragrant smell.
Ever since their conversation in the corridor, she hadn’t run into Harca lately.
‘Is he busy?’
Since he was the one who sought her out before, it was her turn to go to him this time.
“Harca…”
She had thought seriously about him several times.
In the original story, there wasn’t much information or plot regarding him, so she wondered if it was okay to get this close to him.
‘After all, he’s the one who kills all the male leads in the final act… is it really right to stay close? It’s not like I can stop what happens…’
When they were in the Imperial Palace, she had looked after the pitiful Harca, but that was purely out of sympathy.
She never dreamed of gaining any advantage by becoming friends with him. It was also true that she cared for him to prevent the final tragedy.
And yet, despite her efforts, she hadn’t been much help to Harca, and the story was flowing exactly as it had been.
At this rate, there was a high probability that Harca would start a rebellion before long.
Harca didn’t seem to have such intentions right now, but because things were moving so identically to the original story, she couldn’t rule out the possibility.
“Phew…”
The Harca that Anakin had seen so far was not someone who could be controlled by anyone—not even the nameless person who brought him to Pasadian.
It was lucky that Harca’s purpose aligned with the person who brought him; if Harca had refused, the rebellion would have been a failed plan from the start.
‘Was he just letting himself be used…?’
After finishing her short train of thought, Anakin headed toward the laboratory where she had first talked with Harca at Pasadian.
It was a path far from the annex.
Anakin walked slowly along that trail.
As she approached, a weathered building revealed itself through the mist.
“It’s here.”
The surrounding area was still poorly maintained.
Passing by the withered flowers and overgrown grass, Anakin took a deep breath and stood before the door.
‘Knock, knock.’
When she knocked twice, she felt an unknown transparent barrier every time her skin made contact.
Finding it fascinating, she tapped it with her finger, and a flickering pink energy pushed her finger back with force.
“Whoa…”
‘Is this a protective barrier?’
It seemed to be a barrier cast by Harca.
There was a tightly locked padlock on the doorknob.
Anakin tilted her head and tried to open the door, but the firmly shut door wouldn’t budge.
‘Since I touched the barrier, won’t Harca come soon?’
She decided that if he didn’t come within ten minutes, she would leave. Just as a final attempt, she applied force to the lock while infusing it with mana, and with a click, the lock opened.
“Huh?”
‘It actually worked.’
For some reason, the barrier only had a pushing force; it wasn’t impenetrable.
‘What should I do? Should I go in?’
Anakin agonized for a long time before pushing the door with a face full of curiosity.
The door opened with a chilling creak.
Anakin carefully stepped inside.
It was a laboratory that still smelled strongly of chemicals.
Since it was dark, she turned on the light, and the lab instantly brightened.
A fairly cozy sofa and a candle that had burned down to ashes caught her eye.
There were also bookshelves filled with research records and a table.
Anakin began to look around carefully.
‘The Origin of Spirit Summoning’
‘Classification of Spirits’
‘The Spirit Realm’
Interested by the various research achievements regarding spirits, Anakin picked up a book.
“Spirit summoning?”
Upon opening the book, research recorded by date was listed in scribbled handwriting.
Author: Verdin
Day 1:
Discovered spirit summoning in ancient Scandal books. Drew a magic circle using a medium with pure and refreshing energy to attract spirits. Attempted to summon the low-level spirit ‘Flare,’ but failed.
Day 2:
Refined the magic circle and performed the summoning incantation, but failed again…
Day 3:
Determined that the summoning method connecting to the spirit realm is inaccurate. Implemented the magic circle as a polygon and tried three times.
Mana consumption rate…
From Day 1 onwards, it was nothing but failures.
Anakin couldn’t help but be shocked when she saw the author’s name.
‘Verdin?’
Why did Verdin study spirit summoning? It didn’t suit him at all.
He was a frontline offensive mage who led battles himself rather than using spirits.
In contrast, spirit summoners usually stayed in the back, dealing heavy damage from a distance or supporting the battle.
“Verdin… then is this Verdin’s laboratory?”
Anyway, since the completely unexpected name of Verdin appeared, Anakin’s heart suddenly began to throb. Perhaps it was because he was the person she wanted to meet most from the original story.
He was one of the empire’s greatest mages and part of the reason Anakin came to Pasadian.
Urias, the first female elder of Pasadian, had even designated him as her successor to take over her position without a word of complaint.
He was a storm-like human who manifested his genius at an early age and rose to the rank of high-level disciple in one breath.
His personality was a bit rough and self-centered, but that was also part of the charm of Verdin’s character.
Verdin was the kind of person who would frown and show his dissatisfaction even to the Crown Prince.
Anakin smiled and began to read the remaining records.
Day 28:
The shape of a spirit began to appear but quickly dissipated and disappeared. Judged that the connection between the spirit realm and the human world is weak.
Unfortunately, the connection records ended there.
‘Why didn’t he continue the research?’
She flipped through the pages afterward, but only blank white space remained.
After reading the book and looking around the lab again, she saw a faint magic circle in the center. Around it were magical devices that assisted it.
The massive yet very detailed and sophisticated magic circle made her realize the difficulty of this summoning technique.
‘Did he stop trying because he failed so badly…?’
Anakin closed the book and stepped toward the magic circle.
“Hmm…”
‘What was the summoning incantation again?’
“Ex Corde Flam.”
Anakin, who quickly recalled the spell, placed her palm on the ground as written in the book and poured in her mana.
As expected, there was no reaction.
“Of course.”
It was just as she was about to stand up without any lingering regrets, feeling embarrassed.
‘Crackle.’
“Huh?”
Anakin looked at the shape drawn in the center of the summoning circle with startled eyes.
“…”
Anakin was horrified, as if she couldn’t believe it.
A refreshing blue energy began to flow out from that shape, filling the entire laboratory.
The surroundings were instantly dyed in green light.
And within it, a very powerful energy wave was felt.
“Uh…?”
Gulping, Anakin slowly approached the shape.
[Kharas thal’rak vorta ekthra, flammor ikran…]
The shape made a sound in an unknown language.
The voice was small, but the vast energy felt was as great as that of an elder.
“I can’t understand you…”
The shape continued to speak meaningless words and then stopped.
Then it gradually turned white and began to emit a light so intense it was blinding.
Anakin shielded her eyes with her arm and stepped back.
After she kept her eyes shut and didn’t move for a while, the surroundings gradually became quiet.
[O noble guest.]
Then, a warm and soft voice reached her ears.
She gently lowered her arm and opened her eyes to stare blankly at the figure floating in front of her.
“Uh…”
Red eyes reminiscent of a burning flame and short bobbed hair.
An alien appearance so mysterious and beautiful that it couldn’t be considered human.
Around it, a small flame sparked with a snapping sound.
[Nice to meet you. I am Infernon. The spirit of fire.]
…Infernon?
Infernon. A fire spirit classified as the highest of high-level spirits even in history books.
It was a rare spirit that was only recorded in legends because it rarely appeared in the human world.
It was of a rank that would reign like a king even in the spirit realm…
Why did it respond to the summoning of a mere human?
It was clearly a tiny spirit, only the size of a palm, but the energy and presence it emitted transcended most of the powerhouses on the continent.
