CHAPTER 28: A GLASS REMINDER

With the new day rising, he went along his normal routine—bathing, getting dressed, discussing trade with Frederick, seeing the labors of his workers. It was a busy morning, finally leading him to the chamber dedicated to the study of magecraft.

There he found the witch, as invested in her grimoires as always.

"Oh, good morning, Lord Schoeller. I wasn’t expecting you this early," Beatrice greeted, looking up from her book.

Like a lax librarian, the darkly-dressed witch sat on a stool in front of the chalkboard, surrounded by a mess of books and concoctions sat on tables. While Beatrice was hired as a magic tutor, the truth was, she practically called the Schoeller Estate her home, staying there most days of the year.

"Morning," Leon returned, approaching as he stood in front of the desks.

There was no need to bring up his glass hand, as the witch’s eyes immediately fixated on it. Beatrice rose from her stool without a word, stepping over as she forcibly grabbed his wrist.

"Hey—" Leon protested, though letting it happen.

The scholar of magic held the student’s hand up, inspecting it with her discerning eyes, "You used it, didn’t you? The Forbidden Element...I told you not to use it. Honestly, I didn’t even believe you could."

"I didn’t have much of a choice—" Leon reasoned, pulling away.

Beatrice glared at him before sighing, folding her arms over her chest as she paced throughout the room, "You did. If you were even a bit more off, you could’ve turned entirely to glass."

"About that...Is this permanent?" Leon asked, looking at his crystalline fingers.

The witch sat back at her stool with a slight huff, "In some cases, no, in some cases, yes. There’s been very few users of the Forgotten Element, Young Schoeller."

"That’s...worryingly vague," he wryly said, leaning against the desk.

"Very few records exist of its usage. Both due to its low number of users and the fact that its existence has been deemed forbidden—" Beatrice explained, picking up a bottle of emerald liquid, swirling it.

"By the Arbiters of Magic," Leon finished.

"Yes, the Arbiters," Beatrice looked at him curiously.

Leon looked around, scratching his head, "That brings me to the other problem...I got confronted by one of those Arbiters."

While there was a slight twitch from the witch, she didn’t seem all that surprised.

Beatrice focused her gaze on him, "You did use the Forgotten Element, so that’s to be expected...What did they say?"

"As I’m sure you expected, they didn’t take kindly to me using the Forgotten Element. In one year, I’ll be summoned to the "World’s Precipice" for my judgment–wherever that is," Leon explained, recalling the encounter. "Until then, they’ve forbidden me from using magic."

"That appears true...I can sense a foreign mana intertwined with your own, restricting yours like a binding serpent," Beatrice said, watching him closely.

"I was wondering if you would be able to help with that, actually," Leon suggested, brushing his hand against the flat surface of the wooden desk.

The witch was quiet for a moment as if considering it before lightly shaking her head, "The magecraft used by the Arbiters to restrict your usage of magic is on a level completely different from the rest of the world. It’s like an infinite series of webs, intertwined and bound."

"I figured it would be like that," Leon said with disappointment, breathing out.

"Even if I could dispel it, the Arbiters would surely realize their magic was disturbed and immediately prosecute me in turn," Beatrice explained with a wave of her hand. "This is a real handful you’ve gotten yourself into. Though I’m sure you understand that."

"Yeah," he said.

The disappointment he felt must’ve been tangible in the air as the experienced witch stood up, turning towards the chalkboard.

With her wand acting as a catalyst for chalk, she wore while speaking, "In the case of not being able to use magic for a year, it doesn’t completely limit you."

"What do you mean?" Leon asked.

On the chalkboard, the witch wrote the first word—"Enhancement." It was a concept he was familiar with, though he wasn’t sure what she was getting at.

"You know of it, yes?" Beatrice asked.

"Of course. It’s the most fundamental aspect of combat for mages, and even warriors," Leon answered with his arms folded.

"The most basic usage is simply using raw mana to reinforce one’s body, increasing strength, toughness, and speed. It’s incredibly simple; even hard-headed warriors can do it," Beatrice reiterated, tapping her wand against the chalkboard.

While he was following along with the novice lesson that he felt a bit too learned for, he was trying to figure out the point.

He sat in the desk, looking towards the witch, "I get it...I can still reinforce my body, but that’s it—"

"Then there’s Advanced Enhancement. Such as Haste," Beatrice invoked as she tossed a bundle of papers in the air.

Like a human set to ten-times speed as if viewing a recorded video, the witch caught each of the fluttering documents within a second.

Leon playfully clapped his hands, "Nice, Teach. What’s the point in this though? If I can’t use magic, I can’t use Advanced Enhancements."

"Ah, contrary...There lies the possibility that the seal placed on you only affects the output of spells outside of your body," Beatrice theorized.

It wasn’t a factor he considered, though it felt like an oversight that wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Arbiters.

Beatrice casually flicked her wand, spurring the bundles of paper to be folded into the shape of blades, "—Let’s test that theory, shall we?"

"Huh—?"

He rose from his desk just as he realized what the eccentric wielder of magic was up to. Each of the paper blades was pointed at him, one moment from being launched towards him.

There was no choice but to manipulate the mana in his body, letting it course through his limbs with swiftness, "Haste!"

As the sharp pieces of paper shot across the room, his perception was altered, witnessing the projectiles move in the air at a snail’s pace. He maneuvered out of the way, sliding across the room while grabbing ahold of the weaponized documents.

With the dispelling of the advanced enhancement of speed, he stood in front of the witch, holding the papers, "Well, guess your theory was right. Don’t know if it was really necessary to try cutting me up to test it, though."

"Trial by Fire, as they say," the black-hatted witch said with a sly smile. "So, your focus for the near future will be in advanced enhancements."

"Not like I have any other choice if I want to use magic."

—

In the verdant fields that served as the oversized backyard of the estate, the winds blew with a promising cool. A few meters ahead, the paladin in golden armor stood with a slight smile, seeming somewhat pleased with the situation that Leon informed him of.

"Why do you look so happy?" Leon asked, wrapping his fingers around the handle of the wooden training sword.

Glancing back, he could see a few of the maids in the back garden, tending to the hedges.

"I was just thinking now that your magic is restricted, you’ll be highly invested in swordplay now," Charlemagne claimed with a prideful look.

"I’m not too happy about it, but I’ll admit it’s nice being able to focus on this," Leon answered.

Beside him, Phoenix stood, wearing nothing but bandages around his chest, swinging his own wooden sword for some practice.

"I’m feeling a bit forgotten here," Phoenix laughed, smiling excitedly. "A fight against the legendary Charlemagne...Man, I never thought this would happen!"

The paladin laughed with a certain bashfulness, yet pride as if such reverence was no different than a gust of wind in spring, "Don’t get too excited now. Even if we’re just sparring, I’m not kind enough to let my own students get one over on me."

"Wouldn’t have it any other way!" Phoenix responded excitedly, dashing towards the paladin.