Chapter 57: An Unexpected Clue

Creak.

The firmly closed door of the training hall slowly opened.

Yuria peeked her head through the gap and scanned the inside.

“No one’s here.”

Clicking her tongue in mild disappointment, she stepped inside.

Judging from the fact that she was the first visitor, it seemed everyone else was still attending their lectures.

“……”

The quiet training hall felt unfamiliar.

Every day it had been filled with shouts and battle cries.

At first, she had found it hard to adapt, but with time, she had grown used to it.

Just as some people went to cafés to study because they liked the background noise, this place had become her own kind of white noise.

Until recently, she had spent all her time shut away in her research lab, but being around others was actually quite enjoyable.

She had even begun talking a little with other cadets.

First was the fellow magician Pozers, then Amy and Lien—who had kindly started talking to her first (though it was still a bit awkward, they had agreed to go shopping together after practice). There was also the slightly silly but cheerful Maximilian, and the large-framed Gail.

All of these connections had formed around Carl.

…Ironically, Carl himself seemed too busy these days for them to have a proper conversation.

He was being summoned here and there so often that it was hard to even see his face.

“Not that I care.”

Yuria made a prim expression as she muttered, then plopped herself down in a corner of the training hall.

Before training, she always calmed her mind and observed her inner self through meditation.

The mana that stirred around her heart circled through her upper body, bringing a cool clarity to her head.

“Hoo…”

Normally, she would have started with a light mock battle using magic, but unfortunately, there was no partner today.

In her group, the only ones capable of using magic were Pozers, a fellow magician, and Carl, a magic swordsman.

Of course, their skill levels were far apart, so she usually just warmed up with basic spells.

‘Pozers aside, the way Carl handled magic was kind of strange.’

It was as if he made mana behave like something that wasn’t mana at all.

She couldn’t quite explain it—it wasn’t anything like the orthodox methods she had seen at the Magic Tower.

“Could he actually be a real genius?”

The thought occurred to her more than once.

Magic existed at the intersection of intellect and ideals.

Even among geniuses, only a chosen few stood at the top.

If Carl had truly invented that method himself…

“Then it might be better for him to focus solely on magic rather than half-heartedly being a magic swordsman.”

But that was Carl’s decision to make.

As an outsider, it wasn’t her place to interfere, so she pushed the thought away.

“Uuugh.”

Once she finished meditating, she did some light stretching.

It was something she had learned from Senior Darius, and it worked wonders in loosening stiff joints and tight muscles.

Then she began jogging around the inside of the training hall.

“Huff, huff.”

From the moment she had entered Bayern Academy, Yuria had begun physical training.

In high school, she had been exempted from all fieldwork and practicals thanks to the privileges of the Magic Tower, but in the university division, there were no exceptions.

Moreover, during the entrance exam, she had been painfully aware of her shortcomings, so she trained her stamina whenever she had free time.

…Still, she found running in front of others embarrassing, so she took advantage of times when she was alone like this.

Creak.

Just then, the door to the training hall opened.

The current lecture session still had quite a while before it ended.

Slowing her pace slightly, she turned her head—and spotted a familiar face stepping inside.

“Ah, Miss Yuria. You came early.”

“Your lecture ended already?”

“My classes ended with the morning session today. Normally I’d stop by another club before coming here, but Brother Darius scolded me to focus on practice.”

Carl scratched his head with a wry smile.

Everyone else was training hard, so how could his younger brother skip out?

He really had been busy lately, but after being scolded, he at least wanted to make an appearance here.

‘Not sweaty, right?’

Meanwhile, Yuria discreetly checked her own condition.

She had only just started running, so her training clothes were still dry.

Thanks to the artifact she wore, her body temperature was automatically regulated and her scent was filtered.

Even if she had been sweating, none of it would show on the outside.

“Were you doing physical training, Miss Yuria?”

“Senior Darius gave me some advice. He said building stamina is never a waste.”

“That’s a very him-like thing to say.”

“Carl, how do you usually train?”

She figured she might as well get some tips from him too.

Surely he was more experienced with physical conditioning than she was.

Stretching alongside her, Carl rolled his neck before replying.

“I train in stages. I wasn’t very healthy as a child, so I’d overstrain myself easily, and that’s why I always check my condition step by step.”

“Ah.”

Yuria had already heard from Senior Darius how Carl had nearly died from a plague in the past.

His step-by-step training must have been a precaution against its aftereffects.

“If I had to choose what I consider most important, it would be mana circulation.”

“Mana circulation?”

“Yes. Magicians observe their inner selves through meditation, right? Swordsmen and martial artists are the same—they spread mana throughout their bodies to build strength.”

“I know that much.”

Yuria nodded.

It was the most well-known difference between magic and martial arts.

“But my method is a little different from the norm. Usually, mana circulation is for calming and settling the mind, but mine stimulates the body instead.”

“Stimulates it?”

“Yes. Physical training is ultimately about stimulation. External stimuli are good, but internal ones are even more efficient. To put it simply—it tricks the body into thinking, ‘I’m training hard right now.’”

“Oh…”

Yuria let out a small exclamation at the reasonable-sounding logic.

“If you’d like, I can teach you.”

“Really? But that’s your own secret method, isn’t it?”

“It’s not grand enough to be called a secret technique.”

Carl smiled wryly.

In truth, it was a Killing Veil training method that used breathing and mana control techniques.

“Well, I’d be grateful if you did teach me.”

“Then please, sit in a meditation posture first.”

"Mm."

Yuria obediently sat down.

She placed both hands together in front of her chest, exhaled, and calmed her mind and body.

Facing her, Carl pointed his thumb at the area near his heart.

"When you observe your inner self through meditation, Miss Yuria, where do you direct your mana first?"

"Obviously upward."

"For upper-body circulation?"

"Yeah. That’s the orthodox method of mana cultivation."

Even if the concept of circles had faded in modern times and methods of operation had changed, the heart still held deep significance in magic.

Naturally, it was the center of cultivation.

Carl wasn’t asking because he didn’t know that.

"A magician’s cultivation method focuses on the upper body. There are three key points: the heart at the center, the mouth that utters incantations, and the head where magical thought circuits form."

"Mm-hm."

"A swordsman’s mana cultivation is the opposite. It begins the same as a magician’s, but instead of focusing on the head, it surges into the limbs—arms and legs."

"Right."

"In contrast, my cultivation method flows along the body’s outer edges. It moves through channels slightly different from the usual paths of mana."

He was referring to the meridians.

Neither magic nor martial arts—something else entirely.

It would be faster to show rather than explain.

Carl sat cross-legged and began operating the Bright Heaven Divine Art.

Someone as quick-witted as Yuria would easily grasp that this was truly a beneficial training method.

"…Wow."

As expected, Yuria let out a short gasp of amazement.

It was a way of manipulating mana she had never seen before.

If it were presented to the Magic Tower or an academic society, it might cause quite a stir.

"How! How do you do that?!"

"First, you have to go against the usual method. Instead of drawing an upward current from the heart, send it down below your navel—to what’s called…"

"Ah, I know. The danjeon, right?"

"…You know about the danjeon?"

Carl widened his eyes.

Artenia did have old martial arts similar to the martial skills of the Central Plains.

Some descriptions in old records even mirrored martial arts techniques exactly.

But those were the kind of things found only in obscure, fringe texts.

Normally, the place was called the center field, so hearing Yuria use the exact term caught him off guard.

"I’m a magician, remember? Studying literature is a basic skill. Old martial arts—what you call martial skills—there were some records on those too. I can’t say I know everything, but I know the basics."

Seeing Carl’s surprised expression, Yuria spoke with a self-satisfied air.

But while listening to her, Carl caught something he couldn’t ignore.

So, without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed her hand.

"By any chance, are those texts related to ancient heroes?"

"…Huh? Huh?"

Yuria’s body froze at Carl’s sudden action.

"Uh, ah, uh…"

The words wouldn’t connect.

Her mind went blank, her body stiff, and she could only let out meaningless sounds.

But Carl didn’t let go of her hand.

He had stumbled upon a completely unexpected clue and was determined to get an answer.

‘If it describes martial skills, it’s likely a text I’ve never seen.’

If it was a document kept in the Gray Magic Tower, its accuracy was probably quite high.

"Uh, uhh, um, what, that…"

Yuria still stammered, unable to answer.

Carl tilted his head at her sudden breakdown, then looked down—realizing—and quickly let go.

"Ah, my apologies. It’s just, I’ve been desperately looking for that kind of material. I didn’t expect to find a lead here, so I got carried away."

"…It’s fine."

Finally freed, Yuria withdrew her hand and cleared her throat.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but her hand still felt warm.

And faintly—there was that familiar citrus scent.

"Ahem, hem."

She cleared her throat several more times to steady herself.

Carl’s steady gaze still felt a little overwhelming.

"It’s a text we have in the Magic Tower. It contains records on martial skills, one of the old martial arts."

"Would I be able to read it?"

"It’s internal Magic Tower material, so it can’t be taken outside."

"I see."

Carl’s face showed disappointment.

Noticing it, Yuria hesitated before adding,

"…Unless you came to the Magic Tower yourself."

"Would that be alright?"

"There’s no real problem. Bringing a… friend isn’t against the rules."

At the word friend, Carl smiled faintly.

"Then please invite me sometime. I really want to read it."

"Suit yourself."

Yuria replied with a prim expression, as if it didn’t matter to her.

Holding back the twitch of her lips was the best she could do.

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