‘What’s going on?’
Irina turned her head and saw a faint light flickering in Sylvie’s eyes, surrounded by a faint magical aura.
Did this timid healer succeed on her first try?
Irina couldn't help but widen her eyes.
‘She succeeded right away?’
This scene surprised her; even Irina herself, as one of the most talented mages in the world, had only mastered it after many attempts.
‘How could someone like this be overlooked?’
Although this discovery slightly stung her ego, what truly piqued Irina's curiosity wasn't Sylvie's talent, but why someone so talented had gone unnoticed for so long.
Someone with such talent should have stood out, but Sylvie hadn't.
‘Was she lying just now?’
Irina narrowed her eyes, her mind filled with doubts.
This situation was highly suspicious; the Phoenix family's intelligence network could never have missed such a genius.
This meant Sylvie was likely lying, trying to get her attention.
‘Does she think she can get my attention by doing this?’
As Irina secretly scrutinized her, Sylvie began to get nervous.
She felt Irina's gaze, her hands fidgeting anxiously, and her eyes avoiding Irina's.
“I... I’m sorry,” Sylvie stammered.
“Did... did I do something wrong?”
Sylvie's self-esteem was already fragile, and now it was even more battered; she thought Irina didn't approve of her.
However, her fragile appearance awakened something strange in Irina's heart.
‘She doesn't seem to be lying; how could such an innocent girl lie?’
Looking at the uneasy Sylvie, Irina's heart melted, and she dismissed her previous assumptions.
Irina reached out and gently patted Sylvie's shoulder.
“No, Sylvie, you did very well.
In fact, you surprised me; it's amazing that you could use mana observation on your first try.”
However, as they spoke, a pair of mana-filled purple eyes noticed something different.
‘As expected, Sylvie's power is very strong.’
In this world full of various powers, each person who will occupy a special position in the future has extraordinary abilities.
Especially the protagonists in the game.
If Ethan is the hero who saves the world, then Sylvie is the one who makes him shine.
The future Saintess.
Such a position cannot be held by just anyone.
[Authority of the First Lord]
This powerful trait makes Sylvie's life easier and presents her with greater challenges.
The challenge is that she is now one of the contenders for the greatest power in the world, and other power holders will surely be aware of this and try to seize this power.
The ease lies in that, as one of the contenders, her very uniqueness makes her superior to others.
And she can now sense mana at will and let her [Will Become Reality].
This is what [Authority] means.
It can even influence other people's emotions and thoughts.
Just like what I see before me now.
‘That tiny, shimmering halo is her trait.’
My eyes have been enhanced by mana, allowing me to see a different world.
That's why I can see Sylvie's halo.
If I hadn't known this was her power beforehand, I might have been influenced by her halo.
Her halo allows others to naturally trust her, as if they instinctively know she is a pure person.
‘But she doesn't know how to control her power yet.’
Even in the game, it took her a long time to master her power.
Considering Sylvie has only awakened for a week, it's normal for her to be unaware of the power she possesses.
“What about you?”
Just as I was thinking about this, I suddenly heard Irina calling my name.
I turned my attention to her and saw her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“Have you mastered mana observation?”
She looked at me, her eyes full of expectation.
“No, not yet,” I replied casually.
How could I tell her that I succeeded on my first try?
I still need to keep a low profile as much as possible to avoid attracting too much attention.
[Insight Perception] also works on concepts and skills.
By observing, I can learn a lot, especially skills like mana observation.
When Irina used mana observation, she concentrated mana around her eyes, and I quickly understood this through observation.
Combined with what she said before, I easily mastered this skill.
‘I just need to inject mana into my eyes.’
I also know that it's easier said than done, but at this time, I want to thank Senior Maya.
She taught me how to naturally control mana, laying the foundation for me.
I occasionally review those memories to ensure that my body forms muscle memory.
Therefore, concentrating mana to a specific location has become easy for me; thinking about this, I should be even more grateful for her teachings.
‘I didn't expect to be delayed in this area for so long.’
Since Ethan is not a mage, he lacked knowledge about magic in the game, so there weren't many explanations about skills, and mana observation was basically a forgotten skill; the academy didn't teach much about it either.
So, I am quite ignorant in this regard, which limits my creativity.
‘I need to study it carefully when I get back.’
Broadening my horizons is important to me so that I can make full use of every power.
“Oh dear, Morse.
Can't you see the invisible power around you?
It seems you need to practice more.”
‘Hmm?’
Hearing her words, I felt a little embarrassed.
Her tone reminded me that she came from a noble family, a family with a long tradition.
‘What does she mean?’
Seeing Irina's smug smile, I wanted to retort, but I held back.
‘Forget it, this is a price to pay.’
“Yeah.”
I shrugged and answered in my usual indifferent tone.
“……”
Looking at Irina's expression, I noticed that she seemed to expect me to retort, but she didn't expect me to accept the fact so easily; her plan failed.
“Ahem... it's good that you understand.”
“Yes, yes, Miss Mage, so what's our plan?”
Now that Sylvie could also use mana observation, Irina didn't want to waste any more time.
She should have realized the purpose of this training and why she was assigned to a group with students like us.
Irina rolled her eyes but had a hint of a smile on her lips.
“Then we won't waste time; now focus on finding mana formulas in the forest.
Since Sylvie has already mastered it, she will search for the surrounding mana formulas with me.”
“I'll do my best.”
Sylvie seemed very sensitive to recognition.
Irina spoke to her in a trusting tone, and her attitude immediately changed.
‘Should I observe in secret?’
This was a hypothetical, after all, words spoken cannot be taken back.
“As for this useless guy, since he still can't use mana observation, let him scout; we also need to pay attention to other students.”
‘Tch, nerve.’
Hearing her words, I couldn't help but curse inwardly.
‘But there's one thing that's undeniable, she's changed.’
Although the change is slow, there is indeed progress.
Irina has gone from hardly understanding teamwork and situation analysis at the beginning, but now she is able to make rational decisions and lead the team.
‘At least she meets the minimum requirements of a leader.’
And leadership is not easy; a good leader needs to have many qualities.
But now, she has taken the first step.
“Is there a problem?”
‘……Maybe I should take back what I just said?’
Looking at her with her arms crossed, this thought flashed through my mind.
I really want to see her proud expression collapse, but let's save that for later.
“No.”
“Good, then we can start moving.”
Just like that, our group began to move forward in the forest.
......
After walking for a while, the forest began to reveal its secrets.
Irina and Sylvie used mana observation to observe the forest from the perspective of mana and mages.
“Is this what mana observation feels like?” Sylvie whispered, looking at the forest in awe.
Everything was completely different from what she had seen in the past.
Even the trees possessed unique mana, making the forest more vibrant and colorful than ever before.
“How does it feel?” Irina asked, with a proud smile on her face.
Although it was Sylvie's talent that allowed her to learn so quickly, at least she could be regarded as her teacher, right?
Sylvie was still amazed by the newly discovered perspective, nodding excitedly.
“It's amazing, Irina.
I never imagined that the mana in the forest would be so vibrant and diverse.
It's like seeing the world with completely different eyes.”
Irina chuckled, enjoying the genuine excitement in Sylvie's eyes.
“That's the charm of mana for mages.
It allows you to see the world in ways that others cannot perceive.
You'll find that it's a very valuable skill, especially in our lives.”
Sylvie's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Irina, have you always been able to see mana like this?”
“Well, you could say that.
I was taught how to use mana observation after I awakened.”
“Ah... right.” Sylvie remembered that Irina came from a famous mage family, and she understood that this was normal for Irina.
“It must be great to learn something like this at such a young age.”
This was an innocent remark from a girl who knew little about the world.
However, Irina's expression dimmed in that moment, and a shadow flashed across her face.
‘……’
Mentioning her childhood evoked memories she had been trying to avoid.
Those endless expectations, relentless training, and the pressure to excel were all etched in her past.
“Yeah, it's great,” Irina replied, but her tone carried a hint of bitterness.
She immediately covered it up with a forced smile.
“But not everyone has such a start, so it's normal for you to be learning it now; I might even say you're very talented in this area.”
Sylvie noticed the subtle change in Irina's attitude, realizing that she had inadvertently touched on a sensitive topic.
After all, her eyes could see the emotions of others, and Irina's emotions at the moment were clearly not pleasant.
“Irina, I didn't mean to...” She wanted to express her concern, but stopped after seeing Irina shake her head.
“No, it's okay, you don't need to apologize for it.”
After saying that, a brief silence made the atmosphere awkward.
“Have you finished your chat?”
Until the guy in the back spoke.
“What's wrong?”
Irina turned her head to look at Morse and saw that his purple eyes were flashing with mana.
‘Hmm?’
“If you're done chatting, shouldn't we catch up to the target ahead?”
It seems that even if he's not a monster like Sylvie, this guy isn't so bad either.
