"How did you do it? You couldn’t have done it alone…"

Leon couldn’t understand the intent behind those red eyes.

Not knowing made it even more terrifying.

This woman, who Leah called her master, was undoubtedly a magician.

She was someone who could kill Leon with just a flick of her finger if she wished.

Leon’s mind was spinning rapidly.

The atmosphere grew more tense as he hesitated to answer.

It was Leah who broke the silence.

"Master."

Leah looked at the woman with the red eyes with a firm expression.

The woman sighed lightly as she met Leah’s gaze.

"Alright. Since you’re from the orphanage, it’s clear you’re not from another tower… You."

She shook her head slightly and pointed at Leon with her finger.

"What did you get in your elemental affinity test?"

Her tone had changed to a more straightforward one.

Leon felt this was better than the curiosity-filled tone she had used earlier.

"…I don’t know. They just left without much interest."

Although he had originally been tested as a single-affinity user, his affinity had since changed to a tri-elemental one, making it difficult for Leon to answer.

The woman glanced at Leah and then nodded slightly.

"It makes sense if they weren’t interested since Leah has a Celestial Affinity."

Just as Leon thought he might have gotten away with it, the woman returned to her desk and pulled out a crystal orb from a drawer.

It looked identical to the one used to test elemental affinity on his first day.

She silently handed the crystal orb to Leon.

With no other choice, Leon placed his hand on the orb.

A brief flash of light, and then letters appeared on the surface.

[Tri-Elemental Affinity (Water, Wind, Earth)]

"Tri-elemental?"

She looked at Leon with surprise.

Leon knew that having a tri-elemental affinity was unusual enough that he shouldn’t have been relegated to being an entrance resident.

Even if his reaction wasn’t as extreme as Leah’s, it was enough to warrant taking him in to further test his potential as a magician.

Would she think he had lied?

Leon met her gaze nervously for a moment.

Then she laughed lightly.

"A while ago, I would have been intrigued, but after seeing Leah, I’m not as interested anymore."

She stared at Leon, as if debating what to do, then glanced at the serious expression on Leah's face before looking away from Leon.

It was unusual to see a master so conscious of her student’s feelings.

"Be careful."

"Careful… of what?"

"At your current level of 1st Rank, no one would notice unless they specifically checked, but from 2nd Rank onward, other magicians will know immediately."

She dismissed Leon, telling him to return the next day.

Leon left the room with a bewildered expression.

Leah followed him out, looking downcast.

"Sorry… It’s my fault."

"No, it’s my carelessness. I should have told you I became a magician. Sorry about that."

"It’s okay… I’m fine."

Leah said she was fine, but her expression suggested otherwise.

But Leon was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to pay much attention to her face.

"I was really careless… to be discovered so easily."

He had thought there was no way to be caught unless he used magic blatantly in front of another magician.

For an ordinary person to awaken mana on their own was already something magicians would find suspicious.

Moreover, if it were discovered that he had changed from a single-elemental to a tri-elemental affinity, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were taken somewhere to be experimented on.

Elemental affinity was supposed to be an unchangeable trait determined at birth.

It was a miracle that Leah’s master hadn’t taken an interest in him.

Leon’s mind was swirling with concerns.

And another worry flashed through his mind.

"Could the old man in the magic library know too?"

Leon knew that the old man in the library was also a magician.

His level didn’t seem that high, though.

"I need to be even more cautious."

Having awakened his mana, Leon was now on the path to becoming a magician.

While he wasn’t entirely familiar with the world of this novel he had been transported into, having followed the author’s works to their conclusion three times, he had a rough idea of what to expect.

A world where new, formidable powers emerged frequently.

Leon had every reason to tread carefully.

The next day—

Leon arrived alone at the place he had come to with Leah the day before.

He knocked on the door, and Leah’s master appeared.

As soon as she saw Leon, she bluntly said:

"Follow me."

She led him further into the heart of the city.

Soon, a towering spire came into view. The building, made of gleaming white marble, exuded an imposing presence even from a distance.

Upon entering, Leon was greeted by a clean and serene interior.

There were several rooms on each floor, and the people passing by were all magicians.

"Professor Arpina! Good day."

A man holding a thick book greeted Arpina, who casually acknowledged him.

"I really want to take your Four Elements Magic class next semester."

"Alright, take it."

After passing by the student, they climbed several flights of spiral stairs before arriving at Arpina’s private research room.

"Your job is to wait here and fetch the books I ask for. Just bring them to me as they are."

"Are you working on a new magic research?"

Arpina’s lips curled into a slight smile.

"You ask questions just like my students."

"This is the first time I’ve had a conversation with a magician like this."

Leon knew that some magicians might be irritated by such trivial questions.

But he didn’t think Arpina was one of them.

Although their interaction had been brief, Leon had gauged that she was rather indifferent in nature.

"Hmph, well, alright. You’ll figure it out once you see the books I write down anyway."

She sat down at her desk, wrote something on a piece of paper, and handed it to Leon.

"I’m indeed working on new magic research. It’s a spell inspired by Leah."

The paper she handed to Leon was filled with the names of magic books.

She then gave him her personal emblem.

"You can find these at the Central Magic Library. Some of them might be in the old magic library too. When you bring them, leave them outside the door. I’ll retrieve them myself."

Leon nodded and immediately set off.

He exited the magic tower and headed straight to the Central Magic Library.

After showing the emblem to gain entry, he diligently searched for the books listed on the paper.

Even though he had always wanted to visit the Central Library, he resisted the urge to search for books he personally desired.

Doing so could easily annoy Arpina.

He didn’t use his basic strength magic and struggled to move all the books by himself.

Since it was located deep within the Central Library, he was cautious about using magic.

"Should I have declined this task?"

For a moment, he regretted taking it on, but in the end, it wasn’t so bad.

He had learned that it was easy for magicians to detect his level, and he had also earned merit points necessary for securing a private room, which was now more important than ever.

There had been no real downside.

Leon stacked the books outside Arpina’s research room door and sat nearby, skimming through them while waiting for her to come out and retrieve them.

"Illumina Codex: Advanced Light Magic Techniques."

He quickly skipped over books that were obviously too advanced for him.

"Studies in Radiance: Light Element Magic Theory and Practice."

"Is this something I could read?"

After flipping through a few pages, Leon quickly put the book down again.

"It doesn’t resonate with me."

Even though these books were from the Central Magic Library, it was hard for him to absorb anything from them since they weren’t related to his affinities.

In the end, Leon resumed reading the lower-level magic books he had brought with him.

Lately, he had been fascinated by the unique magic books in the old magic library.

Although he practiced spells that matched his elemental affinities, he had been reading a variety of magic books since it had become difficult to progress his quests in the real world.

"Lower-Level Swift Magic."

Since Arpina already knew he was a magician, there was no need to hide his interest in these books.

At some point, the door opened, and Arpina emerged.

She glanced at the book Leon was reading and let out a chuckle.

"Why are you reading such worthless magic books?"

"I thought they might be useful."

"You don’t seem to know basic common magic."

She sighed and shook her head, then disappeared back into the room with the books.

"You could at least teach me."

Leon stared at the closed door with a look of dissatisfaction before turning away.

The end of his workday was entirely at Arpina’s discretion.

Once she told him he was done for the day, he could leave.

His work hours were shorter than when he worked at the old magic library.

He finished just after lunchtime.

As he left the magic tower, he noticed Leah waiting outside.

When she spotted Leon, she quickly approached him.

"Are you done? Did my master give you a hard time?"

"No, I just did the work and left."

Leon, intending to return to the dormitory to focus on training, answered casually and began walking in that direction.

Thinking they had run into each other by chance, Leon was surprised when Leah continued to follow him.

"Uh… I’m heading back to the dormitory now."

"Yes, I know. I wanted to give you this before you go."

Leon now noticed that Leah was holding something in her hand.

It was a small pouch, just the right size to fit in one hand.

She handed it to Leon.

"It’s a spatial pocket. I actually wanted to give you magic robes or a staff, but I figured you didn’t want to reveal your status just yet."

Leon took the pouch and gave Leah a slightly guilty look.

To be honest, he felt burdened.

The mere mention of a spatial pocket suggested it was an expensive item.

"Thanks, but… are you sure it’s okay to give this to me?"

"Magicians all carry these! It’s not even that expensive. The really expensive ones can only be opened by the registered user’s unique mana. This isn’t one of those, so don’t make that face."

Even so, it was probably not something common enough for everyone to carry around.

It was likely a gift from someone impressed by Leah’s talent.

"Don’t you need it?"

"I can just ask my master for another one."

"…."

Arpina’s first impression had been so sharp it was almost frightening, but it seemed she might be the type of master who often relented to her student’s requests.

"Thank you. I mean… I even hid the fact that I became a magician."

"Then don’t hide it from now on, okay?"

As Leah spoke, staring intently at him, Leon felt she was genuinely sincere.

Just as he was thinking this, someone approached Leah.

"What’s this, your boyfriend?"

Leon turned to see a girl with long red hair, about the same age as Leah, with a cute appearance.

"Ha, so you have time to hang out with a boy?"

But her words were the complete opposite of the impression she gave.

Her green eyes fell on Leon.

As soon as she saw him, she frowned.

"An entrance resident?"