For a year and a half I consumed every piece of mana beast I could get my hands on.
Being two years old now, my body's refinement efficiency had improved immensely, but I still lacked a mana core to properly store the refined mana in, so the excess my body couldn't contain in my channels leaked out into the ambient mana of the world. I focused on refining my channels, and had made good progress in increasing the amount they could hold and the durability of them in preparation for my first spell.
I decided that the first spell I cast would be a Tier 1 spell called Wind Blade. It was a weak spell that even a mage with the lowest affinity with Wind could cast to an extent, and it would be relatively invisible unlike a fireball for example.
Another achievement of mine was I could talk now! I was forced to simplify my speech as a one year old speaking like an adult was sure to raise eyebrows. I could communicate with my parents, but could also now speak the chants for spells! My theory was still that the chants were a mechanism to allow the mage to visualize the spell easier, and that still needed to be tested personally to know for sure.
My walking skills had stabilized well above the average toddler for sure. Fine motor skills were difficult to train, and it took longer than I expected. Walking around the area of my house to be less noticeable was much easier now and would be easier to hide when I casted magic. My plan is to wait until I can get away from my parents and go out back to test the Wind Bla-
"Lucian! Will you come with me to pick up some ingredients for dinner tonight? Your dad was asked to accompany a merchant to a nearby town since bandits have been more active lately, and you would get into trouble if I left you alone."
She was right, and I knew that this was not really a request. Ever since I started speaking, she has been speaking to me like an adult in hopes it will "socialize" me better for the world. It is honestly nice of her to do, because it means I can stop the simple infant act quicker.
"Yes mom! Where are bandits?" Bandit activity has started to become a problem recently, and it was even more problematic when they were known to be working with slave traders. Slavery was a foul practice, and obedience was enforced through a "slave crest" which was essentially a magic circle that would harm you if you disobeyed your slave master.
"Your father and the local guard have been tracking them down, they have been very slippery and always seem to know when to move camp." She said to me as she tousled my hair with a smile.
"A traitor?" I asked, making sure to watch her eyes for her reaction. She looked surprised I had thought of it, yet the look in her eyes showed she agreed.
"Potentially. That is something your father has been investigating between patrols."
"By himself? That's dangerous!"
"You don't need to worry. Your father may act silly and we are both retired, but he is still a B-rank adventurer and a 3rd Tier Mage. It would be difficult for him to find a dangerous challenge easily out here in Seastrand unless a Mana Beast Tide happened."
I wanted to continue and ask more questions, but I could tell that she was being honest as it was, and did not wish for me to push further. Perhaps she had concerns about the situation as well.
"I will protect you Mom. The only way you will come to harm is over my dead body."
Shit. I spoke without thinking and was beyond what a child would say.
Mom looked at me sharply and I thought she would get mad, instead all she did was hug me and say "Thank you, Lucian. You're a brave boy. If something bad happens, it is my responsibility to make sure you are safe, not the other way around."
Even after spending two years with my parents, the feeling of warmth and love was jarring and I had a hard time processing it. I was the leader of armies and the most elite warrior order in my previous world, and could confidently best challengers in duels, and yet I was thrown off balance by a parent's love for their child.
I hugged her back and after that sweet moment we were on our way to the market. The guilt of the increased food expenses due to my mana beast eating weighed on me, but my parents always ensured me it was okay, as it was refining my body's potential for the future.
My dad jokingly said I could repay them back in the future with a high class meal of luxury mana beasts, and I agreed. They've done everything they could to give me a good life so far, and that wouldn't even be close to paying them back in my eyes.
The market of Seastrand was larger than other port towns, with stalls filled with water type mana beast items and other general goods and weaponry. Being a barrier against the mana beasts in the sea and constant source of conflict, there are plenty of them available for lower prices than further inland. I tried to keep my diet filled with them since it was cheaper, but my father insisted on hunting for variety in the nearby woods because "a growing boy needs to taste the world to grow big and strong".
I consistently looked around as best as I could, trying to observe every little detail around us as I had a feeling of dread that could not be explained and needed to be ready at any moment to defend my mother somehow. It may look like paranoia to most, but this habit has saved many lives, including my own more than once in the past.
There was still so much about this world to learn, and so many new experiences. The level of human progress in this world was similar, yet different to my old world. When I first saw a common magic crystal that stored mana being used for lighting everywhere, it was shocking. Luxuries like that were something reserved for nobility or other high statuses in my old world, and are definitely not something you would see in every household or as street lights.
"Did you want to look at the bookstore again, Lucian?" My mother asked me and I quickly agreed before she could change her mind. She was observant like me and noticed quickly that I liked to read after catching me looking in the "Field Guide to Magic" and encouraged me instead of taking me away from it.
My mother purchased the necessities from the market and used water magic to keep the food at a safe temperature as I followed her deep in thought regarding the books I would look at today. There was still so much to learn about this world, and while Seastrand had a variety of options, there was not much depth in any one subject.
A lot of the information regarding magic was purely from the "Field Guide to Magic", and it was exactly that, a quick read regarding magic. Ideally I wanted to acquire some books on the history and origin of magic in this world.
As Sir Callum, I could raise a hand and libraries would fight each other to be the one to assist me. As Lucian, I was stuck with the options available at this port city, not known for catering to scholars like cities with academies like the human royal city of Solara.
Maybe one day I will have the chance to visit the libraries in Solara?