The office of the Mage Tower Master, Alberto.

-Bang!

"What!? Who appeared!?"

Alberto, in an agitated voice, slammed the desk as if to break it.

"Professor Aman has appeared."

"Why is he there!"

"It seems he stopped by Citata on his way back to his home country."

"Ha! The Rodrigo family is so lucky. That's why I told you to experiment with a few goblins instead of werewolves!"

The man standing in front of Alberto could not even answer properly and was just fidgeting.

"..."

"Never mind. I don't know how long that Aman will stay there, but he won't be there forever..."

"Then..."

"This time, experiment on the monsters that stay in the deeper parts. Werewolves have a wide range of action and... they're tricky to deal with."

"Yes. I understand."

"Right, the Rodrigo County is a family with no money or anything, isn't it? They must have had some expectations because their son is a mage... but that son is also nothing special."

The corner of Alberto's mouth, who was fiddling with his beard, curled up slyly.

"Hoho... a family that's already falling apart... right, it's only a matter of time before the county falls, so when the time comes, I should ask the emperor to give me Citata!"

"That's a good idea."

"Khukuk... he'll surely give me a territory with nothing in it. Work carefully. Because there's plenty of time until the promised day..."

"Yes, Alberto-nim."

Alberto, who waved his hand at the man who was bowing in front of him, turned his head and looked out the window.

"Get out."

"Yes, then..."

As the man left the room, Alberto smiled from ear to ear.

"Khaha! Right, I just have to ask him to give me Citata!"

***

The children gathered in the back garden were all sitting quietly in a cross-legged position and began to concentrate on Lucas's words.

"Now, you remember what we did then, right?"

The children quietly nodded their heads.

"We're going to do it like then. Slowly breathe in..."

"Sigh..."

"And out..."

"Haaa..."

At Lucas's words, the small mouths repeated inhaling and exhaling air.

As Lucas let out a little mana, the children began to handle the mana faster than last time.

Mana began to gather in the children's stomachs, and that mana began to move quickly towards their hearts.

'Hoho, not bad, are they?'

Lucas, who was watching them, let out a small exclamation without realizing it.

"Now. You're all doing well. Slowly feel the mana."

"Ugh..."

"Ugh..."

Sounds that were hard to tell whether they were exclamations or groans began to come out of the children's mouths.

But the most surprising thing was Nella's ability to handle mana.

She seemed to have a talent for spirit magic, but her skill in handling mana was also top-notch.

'Hmm... should I raise her as a mage instead of a spirit summoner?'

Of course, there were sometimes geniuses who could handle both spirits and magic.

But if you handled both, the limit would come quickly, and if you did it wrong, you might not be able to get out of the lower level in both abilities.

"Ooh! Our students are working hard even during the vacation!"

Aman, who had approached at some point, stood next to Lucas and exclaimed in a small voice.

"Excellent."

"Please be quiet."

As Aman appeared and made a fuss next to them when the children were concentrating, Lucas, who was annoyed, finally glared at him.

"Ah, sorry!"

He, who covered his mouth and quickly apologized, began to watch the children carefully.

'Oh... pretty fast, aren't they?'

Aman, who was watching the children, also couldn't help but be impressed in his heart.

A smile naturally formed on his lips as he saw the children eating the magic that Lucas was injecting little by little, like baby birds.

"Now. Now think of trapping that mana. Slowly trap the mana near your heart and try not to let it escape."

Aman began to feel a sense of awe for Lucas, who was explaining how to handle mana in an easy-to-understand way.

"Ugh...! It keeps trying to get out."

"Don't run away... you are in my great body... ugh...!"

Lucas and Aman were once again surprised by Nella. Unlike Pola or Skir, who were groaning and saying a word each, Nella just kept her mouth shut and frowned.

"Now, stop."

As soon as Lucas's words fell, Pola and Skir let go of all the strength in their bodies.

"Gaaah~ I thought I was going to die!"

"But I endured a little longer today. Didn't I?"

"...?"

But only one person. Nella was not stopping her mana handling.

"Nella? Nella!"

"Shh."

Small beads of sweat had already formed on Nella's forehead and were flowing down her cheeks, and the small child's body was trembling slightly.

Pola, who saw that, urgently called Nella's name, but Lucas quickly restrained her.

'Almost there. Almost...'

The mana that was gathering in Nella's body was drawing a circle. Aman, who was watching it, was cheering enthusiastically in his heart.

'A little more... just a little more...'

"Guuuh..."

A groan finally began to leak from Nella's mouth.

But Lucas controlled the mana slightly in time with that groan and helped Nella.

'Just a little... just a little more, little brat!'

"Guuuh... guuuh...!"

As the small groan turned into a groaning sound, the children looked at Lucas and Nella alternately with worried eyes.

"Aaaah!!!"

Nella's ear-splitting scream burst out.

"It's done...!"

She had drawn it. That small child had succeeded not only in the movement of mana, but also in drawing a circle.

-Thump.

"Nella!! Nella!!!"

"Hahaha, that's really amazing."

Aman, who was watching it, finally burst out laughing.

"Professor! Nella has collapsed!"

Pola, who was holding Nella's shoulder and shaking her, glared at Aman and shouted.

"Don't worry. Her body is just surprised."

As Aman bent his knees and placed his hand on Nella's forehead, the child's complexion was quickly returning.

The face that had been frowning as if in pain soon became comfortable, and the rough breathing quickly stabilized, and the children's expressions also gradually returned.

"Rookie... let's not let our Nella do it. Huh?"

"Right. That would be good. Nella is still too young, so she keeps..."

"No. Nella will be a great mage."

A satisfied smile spread across Lucas's face, who had dismissed the children's worries with a single word.

'What an amazing human little brat.'

Aman was the same.

***

After the discovery of the mine with mana stones, the county estate was in a festive mood.

He had tried to give Aman the first mana stone he had found, but he had refused it at all costs.

"Not at all. I can't accept this."

"If you refuse even this, my face will not be saved!"

"No. I also can't save my face if I accept this!"

This was like a battle between a spear and a shield. The one who wanted to give and the one who didn't want to receive.

"Then how about this?"

"What..."

"Let's share the ownership of this mine with our county."

The Count had made the proposal with this in mind from the beginning.

"That's even more unacceptable!"

"I also can't compromise on this."

"I can't accept the ownership of this mine."

"I also can't monopolize the ownership of this mine alone!"

The battle began again.

"Ha... I didn't want to go this far..."

"..."

The Count clenched his fist as if he had made up his mind.

"If you don't accept it, I won't send Lucas back to the academy."

"W-what do you mean by that!"

"It seems we're short on hands at our county..."

It was absurd. To think of using his son, who was just turning twelve, for work!

"Anyway, if you don't accept the ownership, Lucas will never go back to the academy. I swear on the name of this Cibie Rodrigo!"

Aman's head ached at the Count's firm attitude.

"I understand. Then..."

"Fifty percent!"

The Count, who had anticipated what Aman was about to say, quickly made a deal.

"No!"

Aman had been about to say three percent. With the size of the mine he had given him, the Count's wealth would grow like a snowball in no time.

"Let's make it ten percent."

"Forty percent!"

"Ten percent!"

"Thirty percent! No more than this!"

"Ah, I understand! Twenty percent! Let's end it here."

"Good."

It was not a satisfactory result for the Count, but it was a sufficient figure to save his face.

The Count, who had sealed the deal, got up from his seat and held out one hand for a handshake, and Aman reluctantly took his hand.

"Then, as they say, strike while the iron is hot..."

The Count, who had finished the handshake, went to his desk and brought a bundle of documents.

'This cunning human...'

The Count had already made the contract and had pushed him into a corner to seal this deal.

Seeing that the share of ownership was blank, it seemed that he had not been able to predict the exact figure.

The Count, who had filled in all the blanks with the number 20, held out the bundle of documents and began to point out the signature lines one by one.

"Sign here, here, and here."

"Do you really have to go this far?"

"Of course! The Rodrigo County is a family that values promises. I'm fine, but what would become of my face if the professor later claimed that he had no ownership of this mine?"

This human's psychology was strange. The Count, who was afraid that he would claim to have no ownership instead of claiming all of it, was strangely different from other humans.

"Haha... since you've come this far... I understand."

Aman reluctantly picked up a quill and began to sign, and a small light appeared wherever he signed.

The Count had even engraved magic on the contract in case he might back out of this contract.

"You're really thorough, Count."

Aman, who was staring blankly at the shining signature line, raised both hands lightly as if he had lost.

"Please sign quickly. If it weren't for the professor, my family and I... would not have been able to obtain such great fortune."

"It's just the luck that followed the Count. I just gave a little help."

Aman, who had finished signing, smiled slightly.

"I offer you my infinite gratitude. I don't know how many minerals are buried in that mine, but whether it's big or small, I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life, no, even after I die and become a skeleton, I will engrave it in my bones."

"Please forget it after you die... it's a little scary."

"Hahaha! Yes, I understand."

The Count laughed heartily as Aman joked.

"Now, then, shall we go and eat?"

***

The mana stone that Aman had strongly refused was sold at a high price.

In fact, it was Aman who had secretly bought that mana stone.

Since he had paid enough to help with the cost of developing the mine, the county would be able to accelerate the development of the mine.

A place close by, clearly visible from the back garden of the county. There, the work of the miners and workers who had gathered to develop the mine was in full swing.

"Hey! Put that over here!"

"Heave-ho!!"

"There, that's the entrance, so let's start working from there!"

The shouts of the workers also echoed loudly in the mine, which had begun to be dug out from the hole Aman had dug.

"Count?"

"Oh! Professor Aman."

The Count, who was watching the work process, had a wide smile on his face when he saw Aman who had come to visit.

"Look! What a windfall this is! Did you hear? That mana stone then was worth..."

"Yes, I heard. It was sold for nearly 200,000 gold, right?"

"Haha! As expected, Professor Aman is very quick with the news. So I've written it down in the ledger."

"As expected, the Count is a very precise person."

He couldn't not know the price of the mana stone he had personally purchased.

"More importantly, I have a proposal to make."

"Yes, please say anything!"

"How about sending Nella to the academy?"

"...Pardon?"

"Yes. I mean Nella."

"Why that child again..."

To send Nella, who was just starting to get attached, to the academy...!

The Count's eyes quickly became teary.

"She was born with the aptitude of a mage."

But Aman's expression was brighter than anyone else's.

"Haa..."

Worry began to fill the face of the Count, who let out a deep sigh.

(End of Chapter)