The next day in the storeroom, I was engrossed in the book I'd been reading before Thorus interrupted me yesterday. The house was bustling with noise; Thorus seemed to be preparing for a trip, shouting instructions back and forth with Anne.
"Honey? Did you keep the undergarments in the back?" he called out.
"Yes! Don't forget your extra shoes!" she yelled back.
I sighed. This storeroom was far from the quiet sanctuary I needed for reading. Why was it right next to the living room instead of being tucked away in a basement? I bet the neighbors could hear everything—especially about Thorus's undergarments. Trying to block out the noise with my arms, I refocused on the book.
Magicules Presence According to Altitude
- High Altitude: Magicules are highly abundant at higher altitudes, which is why dragons prefer to live in mountains.
- Low Altitude: Magicules are less available at lower altitudes, so creatures like slimes and goblins inhabit plains and lower forests.
"Oh, dragons? I don't know if I should be surprised or not," I muttered.
Magicule Distribution Among Places
The world is unevenly distributed with Magicules, resulting in various species having vastly different levels of mana. For example, ogres have little mana due to the scarcity of Magicules in their habitats, while elves have high mana because they live in enchanted forests. Some places, even at lower altitudes, are rich in Magicules due to enchantments or holy rivers.
"Elves, huh? My wife used to cosplay as an elf during Christmas before she got into politics," I thought, smirking at the memory.
Suddenly, Thorus barged in, slamming the door. "Ales! Your dad is going on an adventure!" he shouted as he scooped me up. I tried pushing him away, thinking, "Not again!" But he just swung me around, grinning. "Ahh, I wish you were older so I could take you too. You'd see how strong I am."
"Thorus!" Anne called out, concerned. "He might get hurt." But before the situation could escalate, a sudden bell rang.
A girl appeared at the door, her gold-plated armor glimmering in the early morning sunshine. Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders, contrasting sharply with the bright sheen of her armor. She was stunning, not just because of her armor, but her face radiated femininity and power.
"Mrs. Anne," she greeted with a smile as her eyes fell on me.
"Why are you here?" Thorus demanded, glaring at her.
"I came on behalf of the chief because our head teacher in the Awakening Program got sick. He's requesting Mrs. Anne to help at Ura Magician Academia," she explained.
Silence fell as I stared at the three of them, trying to process the sudden turn of events.
"Phew, I thought it was something serious," Thorus said, laughing. "Mrs. Velvet always brings bad news." He then added, "Anyway, Anne, we owe Thomas a lot, so please go."
Anne hesitated, glancing at me. "But what about Ales?"
Thorus gently handed me over. "You can take him," he suggested, and she reluctantly agreed. "Okay, sure."
"Ahh, yes, where's my opinion on this?" I thought as Thorus hurriedly left in his chariot.
With that, my day of quiet reading was over before it even began.
So I thought.
Then we waited for our ride to arrive. A carriage pulled by three white horses, with black leather shading the interior, finally came into view. As I sat there, I couldn't help but think, "People don't realize it, but black absorbs most of the light, making it hotter." Mrs. Velvet gently placed me on her lap.
"Are you sure?" my mother asked. "Yes, I've been a lonely woman for a few years now," Mrs. Velvet replied with a soft smile, which seemed to ease my mother's concerns. For me, her thighs felt as hard as a rock—pretty muscular. I couldn't resist poking at them, just a kid enjoying the perks of curiosity.
The ride was long, and I must have dozed off because I awoke to the sound of the carriage stopping. Mrs. Shandra appeared, bowing down to my mother. "Oh my, what do we have here?" she cooed.
"Are you heading to academia as well?" my mother asked. Mrs. Shandra nodded, and my mother invited her in. But as soon as she entered, she tried to take me from Mrs. Velvet, who wasn't having any of it. A tug-of-war over me began, leaving me caught in the middle. I called out for my mother, but she just smiled, seemingly amused by the situation, as if her son had won the lottery of attention from women. Though, secretly, I wished I could sit on Mrs. Shandra's lap. It seemed softer.
Despite the chaos, I survived the ride as we finally reached our destination: a massive castle. We were greeted at the entrance, and Mrs. Shandra carried me inside, her firm hands holding me securely.
The hall was vast, adorned with portraits of important-looking people. Some staff members wandered about, but soon we found ourselves standing near the entrance to a classroom. The students, who looked to be about eight or nine years old, had little interest in what was happening around them.
My mother moved to the podium and coughed to get their attention. "So, you're all here to learn magic," she began. "Can anyone tell me the difference between Magicules, Aura, and Mana?"
I perked up at the question, thinking, "Hmm, I thought Mana and Magicules were the same thing."
But no one answered.
"Very well then," she continued. "You're not ready to be magicians yet, but as an S-grade adventurer, it's my duty to explain." Her voice was stern, demanding attention.
She explained that Magicules are unrefined energy, found everywhere such as in the atmosphere, within rocks, or in untouched mountains.
Mana, on the other hand, is refined magic produced within biological beings that emit Aura.
Aura, she said, is a Life force generated by all living beings, an invisible energy field that surrounds and penetrates everything with heat. Even the Earth has Aura due to solar particles interacting with gas like nitrogen and oxygen, creating their own Aura.
However, only living beings produce Mana, which relies on Aura to maintain body heat. She mentioned that, according to the first book, Magicules are more abundant at higher altitudes, breaking down into Mana due to Unknown reasons, resulting in natural Aura.
"I think, it's in the thermosphere where this Aura reaction takes place," I thought. "That's because of the ultraviolet rays and X-ray breaks down Molecules ."
"Now that you know the basics," she suddenly shouted, "how do you do magic?"
The room instantly buzzed with the sound of scribbling as everyone started taking notes.
"To control your body heat," she instructed, "you need to exercise, meditate, and practice using a candle. Learn to ignite a flame, extinguish it, and even shape it. If you can't do it, then meditate, exercise, and repeat. Do this for the next seven years you must be Burning, extinguishing, and shaping flames. This will enhance your control over the entropy of your Mana."
With that, she dismissed the class, and we headed home in our carriage. This time, I sat on Mrs. Shandra's lap, of course. Mrs. Velvet and the chief came to thank us as we departed.
As we rode home, I couldn't help but wonder, "If practicing flames for seven years gives all those kids mastery in fire magic, what if someone wants to learn levitation, super strength, or lasers like Superman?" The thought stayed with me for days, puzzling over the possibilities.
Although the most important thing that stayed in my mind was, how can someone ignite, extinguish and shape flames?