When Aetherinra heard Ian asking about Veronica, her eyes darkened instinctively.
“Why are you asking about Veronica?”
“Are you planning to take revenge on her?”
Recalling the previous argument between Veronica and Ian, Aetherinra felt certain that Ian had developed a grudge.
She was sure he would look for an opportunity to strike back at Veronica in the future.
“If you want revenge, come at me instead.”
Hearing Aetherinra’s words, Ian was somewhat dazed.
He had only asked what Veronica was doing.
Was it really necessary to act as if he were about to hunt her down?
“I have no intention of attacking either of you,” Ian said righteously.
‘I can’t even get away from them fast enough. How could I possibly take revenge?’
“I hope you can stand by your words.”
Aetherinra clearly did not believe Ian’s promise.
Based on her understanding of him, Ian was exactly the kind of person who would do such a thing.
She had briefly thought he might have changed, but now it seemed he was still the same piece of trash.
There was no further conversation.
After that brief farce, the two of them went to different areas of the training ground to continue their respective exercises.
Because Ian practiced Sword Magic Power, he needed to constantly swing his greatsword to stimulate his physical body, thereby tempering the Sword Magic Power within his flesh.
Aetherinra was different.
She practiced Spell Magic Power, which required her to continuously cast spells to stimulate her Mental Realm until her magic was exhausted, achieving the effect of training her magic capacity.
And so it continued until the sun rose high in the sky.
Holding her magic wand, Aetherinra fired one last orb of light at a target on the training ground, concluding her practice for the day.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she looked toward the other side of the training ground and subconsciously frowned.
‘Why is he still here?’
‘Logically, he shouldn’t have been able to last this long.’
Watching Ian, who was still tirelessly swinging his sword, she felt confused and couldn’t help but speak up.
“Why are you working so hard at your swordsmanship? What is it for?”
“Huh?”
Ian was surprised that Aetherinra would actually start a conversation with him.
“There must be a goal for such effort. What is yours?”
Aetherinra repeated, clarifying her question.
‘What for? To stay alive, obviously!’
If it weren’t for the fact that he had to enter Adelan Magic Academy or face a death sentence, would he really be working this hard?
Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to lie in bed and enjoy the fine food of the Duke’s Mansion?
Was it that he didn’t want to just slack off?
Of course, these were just Ian’s inner thoughts; he would never say them to Aetherinra.
Hearing her question, Ian paused.
He lowered his head and thought for a moment before answering.
“Everything I’m doing is to become stronger.”
“To become stronger?”
Aetherinra shook her head and continued, “Becoming stronger is just a simple idea, not a goal. I’m asking what is the objective that drives you to get stronger?”
Ian thought about it for a bit.
“If I have to name a goal, my current one is to pass the Adelan Magic Academy entrance test.”
“Is that so?”
Aetherinra nodded thoughtfully, then added, “However, you won’t be able to get into Adelan Magic Academy through your efforts alone.”
Upon hearing Ian’s goal, Aetherinra shook her head at him.
“Why?”
Ian asked, confused.
While his current strength was a bit lacking, he had the resources of the Duke’s Mansion.
He believed that if he trained hard for this one month, he would have a chance to pass the entrance test.
“Don’t you know that the Adelan Magic Academy test is conducted in pairs?”
Aetherinra’s words felt like an arrow piercing through Ian’s heart.
In the game, Ian had skipped the entire sequence regarding the Adelan Magic Academy entrance test, so he didn’t know the specific procedures.
“What? In pairs?”
Seeing Ian’s shocked expression, Aetherinra realized the guy truly had no idea how the test worked.
“Good luck then. I hope you can pass the entrance test.”
Without another word, Aetherinra left him behind, leaving Ian standing alone, dazed in the wind.
—
At noon, in the grand hall of the St. Yola Duke’s Mansion.
After a morning of training, Ian sat at the dining table, ready to enjoy lunch.
However, facing the delicacies before him, he had no appetite at all.
‘Two people are required to take the entrance test?’
Recalling Aetherinra’s words, Ian felt a sense of despair.
With his current reputation, would anyone be willing to team up with him?
He couldn’t just grab a random person and go, could he?
Adelan Magic Academy had age restrictions for participants, so Ian couldn’t think of anyone he could team up with on such short notice.
“Young Master, is there something bothering you?”
Standing to the side, the Head Maid, Annie, seemed to notice Ian’s distress and asked.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Ian steadied his nerves.
Now was not the time to give up.
When the carriage reaches the mountain, there will surely be a path. He decided to enjoy the moment first.
With that thought, Ian used his fork to pick up a piece of steak and put it in his mouth.
After finishing his lunch, he wiped the corners of his mouth with a cloth.
“Young Master, I shall take my leave and clear the dishes.”
Seeing that Ian was finished, Annie instinctively moved to tidy the table.
“No rush, no rush,” Ian said, waving her off. He flashed a smile at her.
“Annie, could you tell me about the methods for increasing magic power?”
Since he couldn’t think of a suitable partner, he figured it was better to focus on increasing his own strength first.
“Ah?”
Annie’s expression turned to one of pure shock.
Although she had heard that the Young Master had changed this morning, seeing it with her own eyes made her feel like she was in a dream.
“Is that not allowed?”
“No, no! Of course you can.”
Annie looked at Ian with a gratified gaze and began to explain.
“There are many ways to increase magic power. For example, through diligent daily training, or by drinking potions designed to boost magic.”
Ian naturally knew these methods, but both training and potions were too slow for his current needs.
They weren’t his primary choice.
“Are there any other ways?”
After hearing Ian’s question, Annie bowed her head in thought for a moment before continuing.
“Aside from the two methods I just mentioned, the only other way is to improve your Divine Blessing.”
“Divine Blessing?”
“Divine Blessing is the full name. It is a power bestowed by the gods upon every person when they awaken their magic. If one can improve their Divine Blessing, it is equivalent to being granted power by the gods, which significantly enhances the recipient’s magic. However, improving a Divine Blessing is extremely difficult and depends entirely on the god one worships. I’m not entirely sure how to specifically improve it.”
Divine Blessing…
What was that?
Why had he never heard of it in the game?
Also, did gods actually exist in this world?
Were these details in the original game?
Ian was deeply shocked.
“Young Master, do you have any other questions?”
“No, that’s all.”
Having obtained the information he wanted, Ian walked straight back to his room.
Watching him walk away, a look of relief appeared on Annie’s face.
‘It seems the Young Master has finally grown up.’
About one hour later, inside Ian’s room in the Duke’s Mansion, Ian sat at his desk.
Before him lay a magic book with a vibrant green cover.
“By gathering magic power in the Mental Realm, one can see their own Divine Blessing.”
Ian flipped through the magic book and, following the instructions, gathered his magic in his Mental Realm.
[Blessing of the Goddess of Night — Affinity for Dark Magic increased]
“Dark Magic?”
Seeing this blessing, even Ian couldn’t help but gasp.
In the game, Dark Magic was a high-level magic that corresponded to Light Magic.
If trained well, one could practically be invincible within the same rank.
He hadn’t expected that he, a cannon fodder villain who was supposed to exit the stage early, would have such a powerful Divine Blessing.
He closed the magic book and began to consider his next steps.
‘The next goal is to find an opportunity to improve my Divine Blessing.’
However, as for how to improve it, Ian still had no clue.
But regarding finding a teammate, he had some ideas.
Since he couldn’t find a suitable existing character to team up with, why not cultivate one himself?
Since there were so many geniuses in this world, there had to be talented individuals who never appeared in the game.
Ian remembered that the new maids who had just arrived at the mansion had not yet undergone talent testing.
If a genius like the heroine Veronica appeared among them, he might actually be able to pass the Adelan Magic Academy entrance test within one month.
As he reached this conclusion, a plan surfaced in Ian’s mind.
He would search for a genius like Veronica right by his side.
Although the idea seemed far-fetched, it was a spark of hope.