The next day.
[Daily task: Meditate for 1 hour]
[Time limit: 24 hours]
The notification hovered above Francis's head as he opened his eyes. He groaned and rubbed away his eye mucus before sitting up and letting out a loud yawn.
"What time is it?" he mumbled to himself.
Glancing at the closed curtains, he shuffled off the bed and drew them apart only to be met with darkness.
"Eh? Is it really early?"
He glanced at the clock on his wall and realized it was only four in the morning. Good grief!
"This bloody system woke me up so early!"
Emily usually came to wake him up at around six-thirty which meant he was awoken two hours and a half earlier than his usual time. This was preposterous!
It was ironic considering the guy was an ex-gamer who easily spent hours awake at night and still woke up in time for school.
Now in a cranky mood and unable to go back to sleep, Francis slumped on the carpet of his bedroom and decided to get this meditation task over with. He closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and forcefully buried his grumpy emotions to focus on his core.
Breathing in and out in even breaths, he slowly expanded the warmth in his stomach across his body till every inch felt evenly warm.
An hour passed and he opened his eyes again with his back drenched with sweat.
[Daily task completed!]
[Reward: 5 SP]
Letting out a yawn, he stretched his limbs and stood up before heading back to his bed and throwing himself on it. He closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep. Meditation was a lot more sleep-inducing than he thought.
****
At the breakfast table, Francis happily stuffed his face with bread topped with strawberry jam and cream.
After he woke up for a second time this morning, he felt refreshed and spirited. Memories of the day prior and his new golden finger definitely improved his mood and for once, he felt excited to take his lessons.
Now that he was blessed with a core, he couldn't wait to suck up all the knowledge the tutor had to offer about mana which was not available in books. Francis wanted to know from first-hand users rather than records.
Naturally, his tutor was shocked when he asked about mana.
It was common knowledge that the young master of the Taron household possessed no mana core.
The tutor had been cautioned by the workers in this place not to mention anything to do with mana and aura in front of the young master.
However, the young master had asked him first.
As an educator, he saw no reason to withhold information regarding the subject even if the boy in question could not practice magic.
"What would you like to know, Young master?" he asked.
"The basics. The foundation of mana and aura but not the history" answered Francis. He already knew the history of mana.
"I see…" The tutor tapped his chin before picking up a chalk and walking over to the blackboard. He reached out and drew a circle with lines in the middle.
"This is just a reference to a mana core. Mana cores don't actually have a solid shape but we picture them to be similar to a ball of light. Most mana cores are felt around one's stomach and in very rare cases, they are felt near one's heart."
He drew the lines spreading out from the circle.
"The first lesson when it comes to controlling mana is to spread it evenly across the human body. However, this is very difficult as mana is, in other terms, unstable energy. Some would refer to it as a dam on the verge of bursting. Meditation is the key to getting one's mana under control…"
Francis already knew all of this but he said nothing and let his tutor continue.
"However-!"
'Hmm?'
In a solemn voice, his tutor said, "Meditation, for children who have just come of age, must always be done under the direct supervision of an experienced mana user. The reason is that unstable mana is very dangerous if not controlled properly. Like a dam on the verge of breaking, a tiny crack that may appear will cause the entire dam to burst open."
Francis did well in keeping a poker face.
Internally, his heart was beating erratically and his inner soul sent multiple curses to the system that 'failed' to inform him of such a danger.
'I could've died if something went wrong?!'
Francis hadn't ever heard of this before. None of the books he had read in the past contained such information and he never bothered to question his servants since he had no reason to in the past.
Thinking about yesterday, he suddenly broke out in cold sweat.
'This damn system!'
"...Young master?"
"Hmm?"
Francis glanced up to see the tutor looking at him with a worried expression.
'As I suspected, this might be too difficult for the young master to hear' was written across the older gentleman's face.
Francis rubbed his head and quickly laughed awkwardly, "Ah, I was just lost in thought for a moment. Please continue sir. It's very interesting."
"V-Very well," the tutor dabbed away a drop of sweat that rolled down his temple. He seemed hesitant but continued his lecture regardless. If the Young Master was this insistent, he couldn't let him down.
"There are two ways of using mana. The first is through elemental manipulation and conjuring, which is referred to as 'magic', and the other is through the use of 'aura' on weapons. How strong a user is regarding the use of mana depends on the rank of their mana core."
All things that Francis already knew. Perhaps he shouldn't have asked about the basics and instead asked for intermediate knowledge.
The boy let out a sigh.
This was going to be a long day.
****
"How was class today Young Master?"
"Urgh~"
Francis hobbled out of the room looking lifeless. So much information had been handed to him in such a short amount of time that he was still processing it in his mind.
Emily greeted him outside the door and escorted him to the terrace for lunch.
"It was very…informative," he muttered.
He wasn't lying. Everything his tutor told him definitely improved his understanding of mana, magic, and aura. He also got a glimpse of his tutor's power who demonstrated the use of Earth magic. His tutor created pebbles out of thin air and used an attack skill to launch them at the blackboard.
"Skills for using mana are taught at the Kingdom's Academy. Before you enter the academy, you must take a test at the temple to see which type of mana they possess an affinity for. I had an affinity for earth magic and sword aura."
"Hehh, then what rank is your mana core sir?" Francis had asked.
"Ah, Young master, I should probably tell you this in case you make a mistake one day but it is considered very rude to ask of someone's mana core rank. Unless someone willingly tells you, it is best not to ask. But for your information, I have a silver-rank core."
That was a vital piece of information. Who knew that asking for one's rank was considered rude? It was a good thing Francis learned it now before he entered the academy in two years' time. He might've accidentally made a mistake and offended some high-ranking noble.
'Haa, formalities are such a pain' he thought to himself.
Francis arrived at the terrace and took a seat at the table prepared for him. Looking down at the thick piece of juicy steak, his mouth watered. He resisted the temptation of shoving the whole thing in his mouth and exercised perfect table manners using his utensils to delicately slice the meat and fork a tiny piece into his mouth.
'This is…amazing!'
As expected of John. No other chef could possibly cook something as delicious as this!
He quickly cut another piece and placed it in his mouth, savoring the taste.
'It's great to be a noble!' he thought.
As he was in the middle of his delicious lunch, a sudden message arrived from the main house. Emily handed over the letter to Francis who frowned and cleaned his mouth with his napkin before taking the letter and opening it.
He read the letter in silence before handing it back to Emily who looked at him with worry.
"Did something happen Young Master?" she inquired.
Closing his eyes, Francis pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "It seems…I've been summoned. That was a letter from father asking me to return to the main estate for a brief discussion."
Opening his eyes, Francis leaned forward and rested his chin on his crossed fingers with his elbows planted on the table.
'After so many years, he decides to make contact with me after essentially neglecting me. Am I finally going to see the face of the man who contributed to my birth?'
Though he spoke ill of the man, Francis couldn't bring himself to hate the Prime Minister.
The first reason is that he was a different soul from the original Francis and therefore, bore no feelings of a bond between the two, nor did he consider the man his father. The second reason was that while his family neglected him, he was still given a place to live, food to eat, clothing to wear, money to spend, and an education.
In other words, he may not have received love and care but he still received support.
As for how long the support will last, it is uncertain. His father definitely has a use for him which is why he was permitted to be raised like a noble even if it wasn't at the main estate.
'Tomorrow's meeting is definitely going to do with my 'usefulness' to the family. My guess is that he going to arrange a marriage for me to form connections somehow.'
They say intuition is a skill in itself.
"You're going to be engaged."
The words that greeted him when he entered the doors of his father's office were cold and detached.
'I knew it' Francis thought.