Holding a wooden sword slowly, I fixed my gaze on the target in front of me.

At the same time, I began to release the magic flowing through my body.

Since the end of the Baeksan battle, the basic magic lessons taught by Dust were over.

However, the training that followed was something I had to do alone, just like other mages usually do.

Once you learn how to swim, you need to work on increasing your lung capacity and muscle mass on your own; it was that kind of principle.

Regarding this, my mentor could provide guidance, but it wasn’t necessary for me at my current level, so I decided not to receive further teachings from Dust.

Honestly, Dust was quite disappointed about it, but my father agreed with me, and realistically, it wasn’t very helpful either.

Since then, I had concentrated on training every single day without fail, unless there was a special schedule.

There were many things that required my attention, both ongoing tasks and ones I needed to undertake in the future.

But no matter how busy I was, I couldn’t neglect the training to enhance my personal combat ability.

Power, military, and resources — a battlefield where all these intertwined.

In a place where one could never predict what might happen, the only thing I could trust in the end was my own strength.

The final bastion that would allow me to protect my loved ones in emergencies.

For that reason, I had been dedicated to training as a first-grade mage, but I had only been going around in circles, unable to surpass a certain limit.

To reach the level of a second-grade mage, I needed to have some degree of mastery in controlling magic.

The standard was to simultaneously use at least two of the three basic magic types…

In combat, one should be able to use both condensation and physical enhancement at all times, but for me, exceeding that level was quite challenging.

There was also the influence of the aura deep inside my body, but essentially, the limited time was a major factor too.

Magic training generally takes years to gradually grow, and even to increase one level, a period of six months to a year or more is required.

With that in mind, my feelings of impatience were quite valid from the start.

However, over the past few days, my impatience was being resolved in an unexpected way.

*

Magic flowed through my entire body.

I began to gradually let it seep into every corner of my being.

The energy coursed through my muscles.

Some of it focused on the wooden sword I held, and soon, the magic cautiously started to circulate along its surface.

Maintaining that state, I straightened my posture while looking at the scarecrow in front of me.

And then…

“Haah!”

In the next instant, I closed the distance to the scarecrow in an instant.

With explosive speed, I swung the wooden sword and struck it.

-Bam!

Right after, the scarecrow broke with a sharp sound.

Along with that, I sighed deeply as the magic dissipated and I felt a sense of weariness.

-Clap clap clap!

Then came the sound of applause in my ears.

There stood Polena, who had been watching the whole time.

“Wonderful! With this, I’d say you’ve achieved a certain level of mastery in both condensation and physical enhancement.”

Polena spoke with a voice full of joy.

Seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but smile and replied, “Yeah, honestly, I felt like I was hitting a wall for a while. Thanks to your advice, I’ve been able to grasp the essence of it. I really appreciate it.”

“I’ve only thrown a few words your way; it’s all thanks to your exceptional talent.”

Polena responded with a bright smile directed at me, who was expressing my gratitude.

Then, she handed me a handkerchief and spoke in her characteristic cheerful tone.

For the past few days, she had been by my side, attending to me in her usual bright manner, sharing bits of advice here and there that seemed casual.

However, amidst my overwhelming feelings, I strangely felt as if the things that had been stuck for so long were now being untangled with ease just by following her guidance.

“When handling magic, think of it like water flowing. When focusing, try to imagine creating a point and enveloping the area around it. This is roughly what I’ve gathered. I have a few mage friends who echo similar thoughts.”

Although she had never seen someone using magic, it seemed she had picked up bits and pieces through acquaintances.

Honestly, while her description felt somewhat detailed yet vague, I had to concede since my understanding of this field was limited.

“Anyway, with this, you’ve surpassed the second stage, so I think it would be best to wrap things up for today. Overtraining in magic can be detrimental to your body.”

“Yes, understood well, Teacher.”

“Hohoho.”

I responded to Polena’s words with a hint of jest, and she too let out a small laugh, showing her amusement at my reaction.

Familiar yet always beautiful, her face.

Seeing her like this made my heart flutter for a moment.

‘Really… I feel this every time, but our Polena is disturbingly beautiful…’

If it weren’t for Cazerose, she held enough charm to make anyone fall in love.

While her features differed from Cazerose’s, her fundamental traits were outstanding, and her light yet somehow profound aura was not off-putting.

Her personality, despite being demanding and tough in these times, managed to bring a smile to my face.

Moreover, whenever I saw how she cared for me as a maid, her seemingly careless demeanor belied a level of thoroughness and perfection in her duties.

It was as if…she was quite experienced in handling such matters.

“In other words, a maid… you could say she’s the best secretary in modern terms. From my perspective, it feels excessive…”

However, no matter how much I admired her, with a beloved woman already in my life, I couldn’t afford to stray.

Cazerose and I had shared our hearts; the dangerous game of a contractual engagement I’d entered into was all to protect that bond. Thus, the number one spot in my heart was always reserved for Cazerose.

Yet… now that some time had passed since Cazerose left, the person constantly by my side was indeed Polena. Even if it wasn’t love, I couldn’t deny that my feelings for her were growing.

‘Thinking about it, it’s a bit funny… Despite being engaged, I have someone I like aside from my one true love…’

With a slight bittersweet feeling, I began to walk into the lord’s castle right after finishing my training.

From this moment on, I would put into action all the thoughts I had been nurturing.

‘Then first… let’s start organizing communications among our allies who are rising up everywhere. If left unchecked, we’ll collapse like in the original work, accomplishing nothing.’

No matter how many allies we gained, without a clear structure, they would be nothing but reeds blowing in the wind.

To utilize this, we had to set rules and bind them firmly together.

Considering this, I made my way to seek my father, who must be troubled by this very issue.