UNAWARE - 40
A smaller figure waddled toward him.
A baby horlenses gently bumped its head against his leg.
Marc's heart practically melted.
He immediately crouched down and began gently petting the little creature.
"Aw..."
NYERH!
The baby horlenses let out a cheerful cry before happily rubbing its head against Marc's hand, already seeming to have taken a liking to him.
..
Noria walked over to Marc with a smile.
"Looks like the baby horlenses has taken a liking to you."
Marc simply smiled as he continued gently patting its head.
Meanwhile, Brea walked over to a small basket hanging on the nearby fence and picked up a fruit.
It shimmered with a bright glow.
Marc's eyes immediately lit up.
"Whoa... it's so pretty! Is that a mana fruit?"
Brea nodded.
"Mhm. Horlenses can eat ordinary fruits, but they mainly rely on mana fruits to replenish the mana they use for magic."
She held the fruit out to him.
"Here. Why don't you try feeding the little one?"
Marc carefully accepted the apple-like mana fruit before slowly lowering it toward the baby horlenses.
The little creature sniffed it curiously.
Then...
Crunch.
It happily took a bite.
Marc couldn't help smiling.
But before either of them could enjoy the moment..
An adult horlenses casually wandered over.
Without hesitation...
Crunch.
It finished the rest of the mana fruit in a single bite before calmly walking away as if nothing had happened.
The baby horlenses stared after it.
"..."
Marc...
Noria...
Brea...
"( • ᴗ • ) ..."
A moment of silence passed.
Then all three burst into laughter.
"Pfft..Hahaha!"
Noria wiped a tear from the corner of her eye before grabbing another mana fruit.
"This time..."
She handed it to Marc with a grin.
"Keep it away from the bigger ones."
Marc nodded enthusiastically.
"You got it!"
This time he carefully held the fruit close to the baby horlenses, making sure none of the adults could sneak another bite.
Nearby...
Bell was having a completely different experience.
"H-Hey... what's wrong with these horlenses?!"
One horlenses leaned forward.
Bell dodged.
Another immediately took its place.
He sidestepped again.
Then a third stretched its neck toward his face.
"They keep trying to lick me!"
…
Marc, meanwhile, gently ran a hand across one of the adult horlenses' wings.
"Whoa..."
"The feathers are kind of rough."
"That's because they are."
Marc quickly turned toward the familiar voice.
"Teacher Juro!"
Walking toward them was Juro.
Behind him followed Queen Heler and Queen Bray.
Noria and Brea immediately greeted them with polite bows.
Marc smiled brightly.
"Teacher Juro, are you here to see the horlenses too?"
Juro chuckled before pulling something from inside his jacket.
"I think you forgot this."
Marc looked down.
"My book!"
He quickly accepted it.
"So that's why my arms felt a little lighter!" he laughed.
"Thanks for bringing it, Teacher Juro!"
Juro smiled and gently patted Marc's head.
Nearby, Noria and Brea walked over to their mothers.
Bray smiled at the children.
"Bell and Marc will be temporarily joining the academy with you two."
Marc, Noria, and Brea all blinked.
"...Really?"
Noria looked toward her mother.
"Is that true, Mother?"
Heler smiled and nodded.
"It is."
"They'll be serving as your temporary assistants while attending classes alongside you. This will also give them a chance to experience the academy."
Marc's face instantly brightened.
He looked toward Juro.
Juro simply smiled and gave him a small nod.
Marc couldn't contain his excitement.
"Bell!"
He turned around.
"...Bell?"
Instead of finding Bell...
He found him completely surrounded by horlenses.
Several of them were enthusiastically trying to lick his face while Bell expertly leaned, ducked, and sidestepped every incoming tongue.
"W-Wait! One at a time!"
"No..seriously, stop aiming for my face!"
Juro stared for a second before bursting into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Bray covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
"Oh my..."
She motioned toward one of the horlenses' caretakers nearby.
"Could you help him, please?"
"Right away, your Majesty."
The caretaker hurried over, gently guiding the affectionate horlenses away from Bell.
Finally freed from his relentless admirers, Bell let out a long sigh of relief.
"...augh..(ᵕ—_—)."
The group shared one last laugh before moving to another area, where they could finally continue their conversation in peace.
Juro was still quietly chuckling as he sat beside Marc, while Bell took a seat on Marc's other side. Across from them, Noria and Brea stood together with their mothers.
Once everyone had settled down, Heler smiled at the two girls. "Now that it's a little quieter, I'd like to officially announce that Bell and Marc will be temporarily appointed as your assistants at the academy."
Marc couldn't help grinning as soon as he heard the announcement. He quickly turned to Bell. "Hey, Bell! Can you believe it? We're actually going to an academy!"
Bell smiled back. "Yeah, but don't get too nervous."
"I'm not," Marc replied immediately. "I'm excited!"
Bell simply let out a small sigh, though the smile never left his face.
Brea clasped her hands together, clearly pleased by the announcement. "Ooh, that's wonderful, Mother! Bell is really talented when it comes to magic, so Sister Noria and I can learn alongside them."
Noria nodded with a smile before Brea continued, "He even taught us a traditional way of gathering mana much more quickly."
"Oh?"
Both Heler and Bray looked at Bell with interest.
Bell respectfully lowered his head. "My apologies if it was rude of me to teach them a technique without asking for permission first."
"It's alright, Bell," Noria quickly reassured him. "It was actually very helpful for both Brea and me."
Brea nodded in agreement.
Heler and Bray smiled reassuringly, letting Bell know he had done nothing wrong. If anything, they were curious about where he had learned such an unusual technique. Even Juro found himself wondering the same thing, as he certainly didn't remember ever teaching Bell that old method of gathering mana.
Bell smiled modestly. "I learned it back in Lonan Village. I found an old book that talked about a traditional technique, and when I tried it... it actually worked. So I've been using it ever since to gather mana."
Bray nodded thoughtfully. "I see...but is the prevailing method of gathering mana not more convenient and efficient?"
Before Bell could answer, Juro spoke up.
"That's right, it is. The modern method is definitely more convenient since you can recover mana while walking, standing, or even during battle." He glanced toward the four children before continuing, "But the old method has its own strengths."
"For children especially, learning the current method takes time. It can be difficult for beginners to naturally sense and control mana. The traditional technique, while slower, allows them to steadily become familiar with the feeling of mana itself. That stronger foundation gives them a small advantage later on when they eventually learn the current way of gathering mana."
He then looked toward Noria and Brea.
"When you were practicing earlier, what did it feel like?"
The sisters exchanged a glance before smiling.
"It felt like we became much closer to our own mana," Noria answered.
"And it was... calming," Brea added. "Gathering mana felt much more natural than before."
Their answer surprised both Bray and Heler. Neither of them had expected such an old, nearly forgotten technique to still provide practical benefits.
Heler folded her arms thoughtfully. "If it's truly that beneficial for children, then shouldn't the academy teach this method before introducing students to the current way of gathering mana?"
Juro considered the question for a few moments before giving a small nod.
"Well... there's actually a reason why that technique isn't commonly taught anymore."
"Oh?"
Bray and Heler spoke in unison, their curiosity immediately piqued.
"Well..." Juro began, folding his arms as he thought about how to explain it. "The traditional method is indeed excellent for helping young children become familiar with mana. In fact, I'd even say it's a better starting point than the modern method."
He paused.
"But that's only during the early stages."
Everyone quietly listened.
"The problem begins when someone becomes too comfortable relying on it."
Juro rested an elbow on his knee.
"If children spend too much time using only the traditional method, some of them become psychologically dependent on it. They grow so accustomed to gathering mana while remaining perfectly still that learning the modern method becomes much more difficult."
He smiled faintly.
"At first, that doesn't sound like much of an issue."
His expression soon turned more serious.
"But imagine you're in the middle of a battle."
"You've exhausted your mana."
"You desperately need to recover it."
He looked toward the children.
"If the only method you're truly comfortable with requires you to sit still and meditate..."
"...then you've already placed yourself in danger."
The four children listened without interrupting.
Juro continued.
"There's another problem."
"The traditional method requires complete concentration and stillness. Even the slightest unnecessary movement can interrupt the process."
He glanced toward the window loooking outside.
"That's fine if you're somewhere safe."
"But in unfamiliar places... forests, dungeons, battlefields, or anywhere danger may appear without warning..."
"...it's simply impractical."
Then his expression became noticeably heavier.
"And finally..."
"The greatest danger."
Everyone instinctively became more attentive.
"Physical disturbances."
"If someone is meditating using the traditional method, noise isn't much of a problem. At worst, they'll simply lose focus and fail to gather mana."
He paused again.
"But physical contact is a different matter entirely."
"If someone unknowingly—or intentionally—touches a person while they're synchronizing their mana..."
"The mana frequencies of both individuals can collide."
His voice remained calm, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.
"That collision disrupts the flow of mana entering the body."
"The mana can become unstable..."
"...and in severe cases..."
"...it can explode from within the person's own mana pathways."
The atmosphere suddenly grew much quieter.
"They usually survive."
"But the injuries can be extremely serious."
Silence settled over the group.
Bray and Heler now understood why such an effective technique had gradually disappeared from common teaching despite its advantages.
Even Noria and Brea looked noticeably uneasy after hearing the risks involved.
Bell quietly watched their expressions.
His face remained unreadable.
"...Excuse me for a moment."
He gave a small nod before calmly walking away.
Noria and Brea instinctively watched him leave.
Marc did too.
Unlike the others, however...
There was a hint of concern in his expression.
..
…
Bell quietly entered the restroom.
The moment he reached the sink...
His calm expression disappeared.
"...Damn it."
His hands gripped the edge of the counter.
"How could I forget...?"
He froze.
"No..."
His breathing slowed.
"I didn't forget."
"I've always known."
His eyes narrowed.
"I even remember seeing people get injured because of that traditional method."
His hand slowly rose to his forehead.
"It's just..."
"My awareness still isn't complete."
Frustration flashed across his face.
"I knew it..."
"That knowledge inside the system..."
"...it's still keeping parts of my own awareness locked away."
He gripped his head as memories, fragmented thoughts, and countless possibilities rushed through his mind.
Each realization sent another dull ache through his head.
"Back in the room..."
"I knew something bad could happen if the girls were disturbed while gathering mana."
His breathing became uneven.
"But I couldn't fully grasp what."
"I still taught them..."
"I made an immature decision."
"...How could The Greatest Mage make a mistake like this?"
At that exact moment...
The system quietly responded.
The value beside one particular stat began increasing in real time.
Knowledge: 550+
Knowledge: 551+
Knowledge: 552+
Knowledge: 555+
Knowledge: 558+
Knowledge: 560+
More memories surfaced.
More pieces connected.
His awareness steadily sharpened.
Then...
After only a few seconds...
Bell slowly lowered his hands onto the counter.
He closed his eyes.
And let out a long breath.
The frustration faded.
He turned on the faucet, calmly washing his hands before looking back at his reflection.
The panic was gone.
In its place...
Was quiet resolve.
Bell reached for the doorknob.
He took one final deep breath.
Then opened the door and stepped back outside.
Knowledge: 570+