At first, when he heard news about Aster, he didnât think much of it.
Young Demian, the young master of the Blando family, was said to be born with the greatest talent, but his personality was rather clumsy compared to his peers.
âIâm not sure if heâs really clumsy or just pretending to beâŚâ
But it probably doesnât matter to the young master.
With the immense background of the Blando family and that incredible talent, thereâs no reason for him to be clumsy.
So when he first heard the name Aster, he thought it was just another friend the young master brought along in a fit of youthful exuberance. After all, why not? Just a toy to play with during childhood.
But when he heard that Aster had caught the eye of Kamo, even he couldnât help but feel intrigued.
Thatâs why he wanted to see Asterâs face.
âWhat a pleasant surprise.â
At first, he was just curious.
He thought he might use Aster to deliver papers, and if Aster wasnât useful, heâd just discard him.
- Or kill him.
âHaha!â
Thinking of that look in his eyes, he couldnât suppress his laughter.
âKill him?â
He really intended to kill him.
The threat was to reveal Asterâs nature, which couldnât be drawn out by mere questions, but there was no reason not to kill him either.
He could easily come up with an excuse.
Of course, he would fall out with the young master Demian, but in the end, the head of the family and Kamo would need him more than a dead street urchin from the Black and White Zone.
But the moment he saw that look in Asterâs eyesâŚ
âItâs fascinating.â
Talking about death as if itâs nothing is easy in words.
But itâs only easy in words.
Would a knight who sacrifices his life for his beliefs really be unafraid of death? No, he wouldnât. He just values the purity of his beliefs more than life itself.
Many people talk about death as if itâs nothing, but how many truly feel that way?
None.
Or so he thought.
Even he didnât know how he would react when faced with death. How much more so for others?
But there was someone.
âWhat a lot of secrets you seem to be hidingâŚâ
But isnât that a good thing?
Just finding someone on the same level, looking in the same direction as himself.
That must be the reason.
Thatâs why he readily handed over the healing light grimoire with his unique number and offered to provide the results of his research papers, which he risked his life to write.
If someone else had asked for the same conditions, he would have deeply regretted even suggesting it.
âNot bad. In fact, itâs good.â
That someone on the same level wanted his results.
Recognition from fools means nothing, but recognition from a peer is a different feeling.
The only worry isâŚ
âHmm, can he really not read?â
Considering he knows magic, itâs unlikely, but thinking about his background in the Black and White Zone, itâs possible.
Most importantly, while he showed remarkable intelligence in conversation, he lacked the appropriate manners in his behavior.
âIndeed, itâs fascinating.â
How long has it been since he engaged in such unproductive introspection?
âWell, itâs probably a pointless worry.â
Heng shook his head gently.
But why?
A lingering unease wouldnât go away.
âWhat if⌠he really canât read?â
Before sending Aster off, Heng packed a few books into his subspace pocket.
He provided the subspace pocket so Aster could carry the papers without being noticed, and it was also a gift for an interesting young friendâŚ
âDoes all of this turn out to be useless?â
He had carefully selected the books that he would need to study in the future, hoping Aster would study them deeply to understand his papers and perhaps one day discuss them.
He even provided books with a learning sequence and magical perspectives, adding annotations himself!
âSurely notâŚâ
He hoped it wasnât the case.
Hengâs eyes flickered with unease.
But if it were true, it would be like giving a fine sword to a goblin.
Even if Aster was a peer, as a scholar on the path of magic, this would be an unbearable tragedy.
âIt canât be, it canât be. Aster, if you can see this, give me the right answer. Tell me itâs not true!â
Of course, there was no response.
* * *
When I returned to my room, I sat on the bed.
âI was there for quite a while.â
The sun outside the window was about to set.
In fact, the conversation itself didnât take long. Heng just spent a considerable amount of time packing things.
âWhat did he pack so much?â
I took out the subspace pocket I had hidden in my clothes.
Heng, moving around the spacious office, gathered various books from the bookshelves. By a rough estimate, there were over a hundred books.
ââŚâŚâ
I opened the subspace pocket slightly, and sure enough, over a hundred books were piled up.
Next to them were two volumes of papers, one by Professor Falun of Jenyon Academy and the other by me.
But something caught my eye.
A single envelope placed alone in the subspace pocket.
To my dear Aster.
âI wondered what he was writingâŚâ
I read the letter, which started with an unfriendly tone, but the content was surprisingly substantial.
Heng introduced a total of 132 magical books, ranging from basic to advanced magic, in a structured manner.
Not only that, but he also provided the order in which to read the 132 books.
ââŚâŚHmm.â
When I finished reading the letter, I felt a complex and subtle emotion.
I hope you strive diligently to possess the wisdom befitting your status.
Your friend, Heng von Blando.
The ending was as unfriendly as the beginning, but somehowâŚ
âWhat a good gift.â
Magic is a broad field that deals with the theory and principles of magic.
Itâs incredibly difficult to form a perspective in this broad field, but Heng provided a framework for that perspective with 132 magical books.
Just 132 books.
ââŚJust 132 books?â
I thought about it for a moment, but the term âjustâ was indeed incorrect.
Except for the so-called geniuses, itâs impossible to form a perspective with just 132 books.
After thinking about it, I looked at Hengâs few-page letter.
To my dearâŚ
I donât really want to be dear to anyone.
âŚPossess the wisdomâŚ
I felt a bit uncomfortable, as if I had become a bit ignorant, and the phrase âyour friendâ was particularly awkward.
But it was definitely an unexpected good gift.
ââŚâŚâ
A night breeze seeped through the open window.
In the dark night sky, the stars shone brightly, and I was lost in thought in the silent room.
How long had it been?
âGood.â
I got up and took out parchment and a pen from the room.
The pen, which was well-maintained, was dipped in ink without a single stain.
As I gently placed the pen on the parchment, the high-quality fibers absorbed the black ink. I began to write.
List of Book Sponsors
The handwriting was sloppy, but it didnât matter.
After all, this was for my own reference, not to show anyone else.
The first name on the list.
1. Heng von Blando (132 books)
I left out the two volumes of papers and the âHealing Lightâ grimoire.
I planned to discuss the âHealing Lightâ with Demian later.
While I could learn it myself, making it public was a different matter.
If I hadnât formed a connection with Demian in this life, it would be different, but now we were friends.
A so-called friendâs special privilege.
âHowever, waitâŚâ
Something felt empty.
Of course, for Heng, this was already a great honor. He was listed as the first donor in the history of the tower.
This emptiness was just a matter of my own heart.
The 132 books Heng provided were not just individual books.
Although it was a joint research project, it was a guide to improving the Thousand Circle Technique, something even Deculan couldnât achieve in history.
âItâs worth a thousand gold.â
If I just listed 132 books, they might be scattered and lost in the future.
Would the framework of magic Heng provided be properly passed on?
No, it would just be a collection of magic books.
Swooshâ
I took out a new piece of parchment and unfolded Hengâs letter.
I copied the reading order Heng suggested onto it.
I also revised the notation of the list of book sponsors.
The result was:
1. Heng von Blando (Hengâs Magic Guide / 132 books)
âLearning guide included
This is not just 132 books.
Itâs a category.
If this category exists, anyone who wants to learn magic can form a solid foundation.
Of course, it would be a more challenging study without a teacher, but that was fine. It was prepared for those without a teacher.
Moreover, what I gained from Heng was not just this.
âThe direction of the tower.â
Before, I only thought about filling the tower with books, but now itâs different.
I plan to ask people like Heng to provide curricula that can form the backbone of their fields.
The number of books is important, but this will be the identity of the tower.
A place to provide learning to those who seek it.
A few days passed.
âAster-sama, itâs almost time to leave.â
The same blunt and clueless servant announced the departure time.
âWhen you arrive at the academy, youâll need to fill out some simple forms. By the way, the young master and Aster-sama are exempt from the entrance exam.â
I had heard this explanation many times, but the servant felt obligated to explain it.
âWell, thatâs the way of noble families.â
Special admission, you could say.
Most noble heirs donât take the entrance exam to enter the academy.
There are various reasons, but the main one is that they are already vetted within their noble families, so thereâs no need for an exam.
Of course, some exceptional noble heirs do take the entrance exam, but they are a minority.
In any case, being exempt from the entrance exam was not a bad thing for me.
âIâm leaving.â
After putting most of my belongings in the subspace, I stepped into the hallway.
ââŚâŚâ
Perhaps because it was the day the young master was leaving the family.
The usually quiet mansion felt unusually noisy today. Or rather, it was actually noisy.
âKamo-sama, congratulationsâŚâ
âKamo-sama, I am from the Helren familyâŚâ
It was due to the people under the influence of the Blando family, who had gathered to leave their mark.
Bianca, representing the head of the family, greeted them, and Demian was by her side.
âFriend! Come quickly! Hurry!â
Demian was already in his academy uniform, and despite his earlier reluctance to go to the academy, he waved at me with a bright smile as soon as he saw me.
After a series of formalities, we finally made it to the carriage.
âDemian, take care of yourself⌠Aster-kun?â
âYes.â
âThis is a good opportunity, I hope you achieve the results you desire.â
âThank you.â
With Biancaâs farewell, the carriage door closed.
âThe results I desire.â
Of course, that was the plan.
The top academy in the eastern continent, Jenyon, and the countless sponsors waiting there.
I intended to win them over.
âWait for me, black bulls⌠no, fellow students.â