"Well, I'll be damned."
It was the remark Ruri let out upon seeing Ferda as she came in to prepare breakfast.
True to form as a Dragon Spawn and Valdrova's Sole Attendant, her eye for detail was exceptional.
"Did you really pierce through the Circuit?"
In a single night?
Ferda nodded.
"That's right."
"It should be impossible for an ordinary human to pierce through in a single day, though?"
"Precisely because I'm not ordinary. More importantly, I'd appreciate an answer."
"To what, exactly?"
"Has this much proven I'm qualified to become a spouse?"
"....."
Instead of answering, Ruri pressed her lips together and looked up at Ferda.
The standard of potential she had in mind was a pass.
'No, rather... he's exceeding my expectations.'
Just two weeks ago, when she proposed it to Ferda, this is what she thought.
That squeezing out a single drop by force on the last day of the fourth week would be a miracle.
But in two weeks, Ferda satisfied the conditions with ridiculous ease.
'No, you can't even call it two weeks.'
There hadn't been any signs or omens, so he achieved it in a single day.
'The cause of that Awakening... as expected, it must be Milady's battle.'
What other change could he have felt?
All a human can feel is being overwhelmed by fear and awe.
In reality, she was the one who carried his broken body to the bed, so she knew what state he was in.
That he was acting leisurely as if it were the most natural thing in the world displeased her.
"Why no answer?"
"...It's fine."
"What is?"
"The standard, I mean."
Ruri cleared her throat and changed the subject.
"The standard's been met, so you can rest easy until the engagement ceremony. Good work."
"Resting easy is all well and good, but isn't there still a long way to go?"
Having finished breakfast, Ferda wiped his mouth with a napkin and rose from his seat.
"By any chance, is there a place suitable for practice?"
"What do you plan to practice?"
"Magic."
At that, Ruri shook her head.
"Unfortunately, we don't have any equipment for mages. We could procure some, but it would take about three days."
"It won't take that long. That's not what I need."
But the training Ferda was about to do didn't require such expensive, precise tools anyway.
"A few targets will be plenty."
"Targets?"
"I'm saying just set up a few things like scarecrows."
Ruri made a puzzled face.
What kind of training does a rookie who just stepped into 1st Circle intend to do with scarecrows?
But for Ferda, that was the best and finest tool.
His magic training was a delicate task that couldn't be measured or corrected with mere equipment.
And that level of delicacy was already something Ferda could control on his own.
The place Ruri guided Ferda to was the clearing where she had spread her wings to fly to the mountain summit.
That place had become a training ground now.
It was the sort of place for ordinary soldiers, not mages.
Straw scarecrows with distance markers, obstacles, tools.
'No wonder she can manage this huge castle alone.'
The speed of turning a clearing into a training ground in 30 minutes.
With hands and speed capable of creating a space like this, what couldn't she do?
Ferda looked at Ruri standing demurely beside him and said.
"Thanks for setting this up."
"What exactly do you intend to practice?"
"How to control Magical Power."
Ruri tilted her head.
"Why control it?"
"To use magic efficiently. There are many cases where you waste mana by overusing it, or the magic misfires from using too little."
This time she tilted her head to the right.
"Does that happen?"
"Don't Dragons have that issue? I heard all Dragons can use magic to some degree?"
Ruri nodded.
"As you say, we can handle magic. Depending on which Dominator's blood we inherit, the magic we can wield differs, but almost all Dragon Spawns can do it."
"Then why don't you understand?"
"Yes. To put it simply, what you're saying feels like worrying that you might stop breathing. If other Dragon Spawns heard, they'd call it 'primitive'."
Ferda stared at Ruri quietly.
"So what I do looks primitive to you?"
"I'm a Dragon Spawn too, after all."
She says it looks primitive.
"Well, she's not wrong."
When being brazen is your basic personality, what can you do?
Dragon Spawns who can wield magic innately.
And humans who wield magic through effort and understanding.
It's only natural that those with innate talent and those who achieved through effort can't understand each other.
Ferda turned his head to look at the scarecrows.
"Would it be alright if I watched you train?"
"If watching breathing practice is entertaining."
"Then I will."
Ruri stood far back and began committing the sight to memory.
Ferda closed his eyes just like that.
To control magic, you feel the stillness and slowly approach the calm flow.
That was the standard way to control mana.
'But that's a control method limited to Blue Circle, after all.'
Most established magic was for Blue Circle.
Ferda's Circle was Red Circle.
Red Circle, composed of emotional turbulence, cannot be controlled with Blue Circle's control methods.
Even if you force control with that method, your ability deteriorates beyond effectiveness, making you what's vulgarly called a 'Half-Baked' mage.
'You must not control what shouldn't be controlled.'
Illogical, full of contradictionsâthat is Red Circle.
If you only know the knack to break those contradictions, you can dominate the power.
And Ferda made it possible.
With eyes closed, he slowly lowered his senses to the floor.
Consciousness sinking like into a lake reached his Danjeon.
The Circle spinning taut in a circle pierced through his closed eyes, vivid and clear.
Ferda observed it quietly.
The rapidly flowing mana was like a torrential current in the rainy season.
A feeling that if you approach carelessly, you'll be swept away.
Ferda carefully reached out his hand there.
What he was doing was like shaping pottery.
Carefully touching the edge of the rapidly spinning Circle while maintaining its form, scooping up the mana.
'Scooping up.'
Even the relatively slow-flowing Blue Circle takes over a year of training to reach this stage.
Red Circle requires several times that duration.
'I put in blood-sweating effort.'
That sensation remained vivid in Ferda.
Ferda focused on the Circle and brought his finger to it.
The torrential mana lightly touched his finger, and the mana within rode his finger as a new current, flowing out.
'I feel it.'
The Magical Power in his Danjeon rising through his blood vessels.
Through vessels to the heart, from heart to arteries.
Using blood vessels as roads, Magical Power began to move.
'The time this takes is 1 year.'
But Ferda skillfully found the path, and finally reached his right index fingertip.
'Took 1 minute.'
Completed a 1-year process in 1 minute.
Having scooped up the mana, he entered the next stage: 'Sphere Formation'.
Woo-woongâ.
The mana gathered at his fingertips radiated outward, scattering.
He felt blue threads spreading out at his fingertips.
'Cohesion.'
The scattering mana gathered about a span above and coalesced.
The coalesced, compressed mana took on a deep hue.
When it coalesces enough to be clearly seen by one who hasn't awakened to magic, that stage is complete.
Ferda's sphere formed a smooth, hard, perfect sphere.
Usually you can't control it all and it radiates as blue steam.
But Ferda's sphere had no such waste.
'To reach here took another 1 year.'
The series of processes that took a total of 2 years were done in 2 minutes.
He didn't rejoice or anything.
As Ruri said, this is as natural as breathing.
Just as no one rejoices at discovering how to breathe, it was that obvious to Ferda.
'Final stage.'
The task that takes every mage 6 years.
And the task that even the talented Ferda barely mastered over 3 years.
He enters the 'Three Beats' stage.
Ferda looked down at the mana lump coalesced on his finger.
A pure crystal that can become anything according to the user's will.
The first thing you do with that crystal is throw it: 'Mana Shot'.
Literally, it simply means throwing a mana lump.
But that training also measures whether a mage can fulfill their role.
'Cohesion, speed, accuracyâall three must align perfectly.'
That is the Three Beats.
The stage called the Wall of Lamentationâcountless mages reached 3rd Circle but couldn't pass this stage.
Ferda only managed to make it possible when he reached 2nd Circle.
Ferda, who had been looking down at the mana lump, raised his head.
A signpost and scarecrow marked exactly 50M away came into view.
"Hmm...."
Ferda narrowed his eyes and let out a stifled groan.
"Won't work."
Muttering that, he focused on his finger once more.
Then three spheres formed and floated above his finger.
Ferda looked at them and muttered.
"Right. This is it."
It has to be at least this much to be worth doing, no?
Ferda's finger drew a large arc through the air.
Simultaneously, three mana bullets drew parabolas and flew at once.
The point was precisely above the scarecrow's forehead.
Puh-puh-pung-!
High-density mana bullets exploded as they burst.
The scarecrow's head vanished without a trace.
Ferda watched and muttered.
"As expected, he didn't die."
Though firing 3 shots at 1st Circle cost half his mana, it was fine.
Mana increases as Circles increase, after all.
Having completed even a live-fire test, Ferda no longer doubted his abilities.
His practice ended there.
The time from practice start to finish was a mere 10 minutes.
That night, Ruri went down to the Lair.
In her hand she held documents she had organized herself.
"I'll give the Weekly Report."
-Go ahead.
Even though she was secluded, she had to know how the world was turning.
That role was carried out by Ruri, the Sole Attendant, and Ruri gladly accepted the task.
Valdrova listened to her summary calmly.
Thus the 30-minute situation report ended, and Ruri closed the documents.
"That is all."
-Good, you've worked hard.
"It's nothing to call hard work. Is there anything you're curious about?"
None. You may go.
Ruri's ears, which had heard those words before, caught a distinctly different phrase.
-Curious, hmm....
Valdrova's claw scratched her chin.
Having served her for so long, Ruri knew immediately.
That she was curious about something.
'Is Milady finally taking an interest in the outside world?'
Ruri's eyes momentarily sparkled.
Valdrova's mouth moved, then she shook her head side to side.
-No, it's nothing.
"Please, do speak. Whatever you're curious aboutâthis unworthy Ruri is prepared to answer all of Milady's questions."
Ruri's eyes sparkled.
Valdrova looked down at them and reluctantly opened her mouth.
-How is the one who will become My spouse... doing?
"Ah."
What settled in Ruri's heart was betrayal.
She felt like her dream was shattering.
All she's curious about is that bastard's well-being?
But since she'd pressed her, it was proper to answer.
"The one who will be your fiancé is doing well."
-He doesn't seem to have any inconveniences?
"Yes, no need to worry. Contrary to my expectation that it would be inconvenient since he didn't take a separate retinue, he's doing fine. He's very different from the nobles these days."
-I see.
"So...."
Unlike what she thought would be the end of it, Ruri's lips moved.
As if agonizing over whether she should say this, she spoke after internal struggle.
"So I can't figure him out."
-Can't figure him out? You mean he's below expectations?
Ruri shook her head.
"No. His abilities are outstanding. Rather, it's because he exceeds what I imagined."
-A human you acknowledge... how unusual.
Valdrova was surprised.
She already knew how much Ruri despised humans.
-So what's the problem? Is he unstable?
"No. He was too perfect."
-Isn't that a good thing?
"Of course perfection is good. But not for a human."
Ruri recalled what she'd observed watching Ferda.
Especially what made her think he was this dangerous was this training.
"Humans learn through mistakes. So they can never be perfect from the start."
He never failed once.
Not just today.
For the past few days, the feeling she got observing him was exactly that.
Even Ruri, who disliked humans, had no choice but to acknowledge Ferdaâthe attitude with which he approached things was different.
Thus transcending acknowledgment from incompetence.
"So the only thought that comes to mind is that he's dangerous."
A feeling of awe took root in Ruri's chest.
Because it felt like she was missing something.
Because it felt like he harbored something she didn't know.
She couldn't let him stand by her master's side as a loyal servant.
-For you to harbor such thoughts... he truly must be a remarkable man.
"I hate to admit it... but yes."
Valdrova thought deeply at those words.
-Still, it's fine. Didn't that man come to meet Me with pure intentions?
"....."
-So I'll try believing.
It was a remarkably optimistic thing to say.
Here she was anxious to death, while the person herself was saying something so carefree.
'This is my Milady.'
Ruri knew this, and had factored calculations into everything.
'So I must do everything I can.'
If she couldn't, she needed a situation where she could at least probe his true feelings.
'As expected... trying that might not be bad either.'
Ruri decided to set the stage entirely.
Even if she couldn't reveal his true colors, she was certain it would become a means to confirm his inner thoughts to some degree.
As she concretized that plan, a word she'd said kept lingering in her mind.
"A remarkable reverse side...."
As she chewed over those words, Ruri recalled something.
Ferda's faceâsmiling in admiration even while in pain.
She made a disgusted expression as if she'd stepped in filth on the road.
"Milady. By any chance...."
-Why?
"...It's nothing."