"Are you suggesting a duel?"
"A duel? A duel, really? You’re insulting me! How can you even call it a duel when I’m up against a half-wit like her?"
"Anything can be called a duel when something’s on the line. If you win, I won’t touch the paperwork again. But if Sylvia wins, you and everyone who signed this will have to leave the estate."
"Are you serious?"

Leon’s lips twisted into a smirk as he let out a derisive laugh.
He looked like he was trying to process whether he’d heard me right.
Yes, it’s a duel—a duel between a Sword Expert and an old knight who can’t even use mana.

"Seems like we’ll need to make it official."
"I can draw up the paperwork right here. The conditions of the duel and its results will be legally binding under imperial law."
"Wonderful! Absolutely splendid!"

Leon’s face lit up, and he hurriedly signed the document.
He inspected it with exaggerated care, as if he was wary of hidden conditions or fine print that might trip him up.
There were no tricks in the paperwork. There didn’t need to be.
The duel itself was the trap for Leon.

"The duel will take place tomorrow morning at eight in the Vermont Estate training grounds. No armor allowed, and weapons will be limited to wooden swords."
"Are you sure? Without mana, she’d at least have a chance with something sharper."
"We’ll see how it goes."
"Very well! I’ll be back tomorrow. I wouldn’t want to sleep here tonight—I might wake up with a knife in my back!"

Laughing heartily, Leon strode off.
Only then did Sylvia emerge from the shadows, her face pale and her lips trembling.

"What... What...?"
"Speak clearly. I can’t understand you."
"Why... did you decide on this duel without even consulting me?!"
"If you don’t fight, you’ll be condemned as an embezzler and sentenced to death. You’d have had to fight anyway."
"But if I fight him, I’ll die! Leon won’t miss this chance to ‘accidentally’ kill me!"

She’s worried about dying?
She should be worried about killing him instead.
Honestly, I’d prefer if she just took him out so there’d be no loose ends.

"Oh! Oh! Maybe you have some kind of legendary wooden sword for me?"
"That doesn’t exist."
"Then what am I supposed to do...?"

Sylvia looked at me with wide, uncertain eyes. She must think I have some secret plan.
Well, at least she seems to trust me a bit now.

"You can’t create mana because of your damaged heart, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it, right?"
"That’s true."
"So if you had mana, you could win?"
"Of course! Leon may be a Sword Expert, but he’s got no real combat experience compared to me!"

She puffed up with pride, indignant.
Yes, Sylvia would win easily if she had mana.
The issue is finding a way to give her that mana, as transferring it between people is impossible.

"Where would I get mana, though...? Wait, are you suggesting you’ll give me a mana stone?"
"Am I crazy? Using a strategic resource like a mana stone for this is illegal."

Mana stones—rare gems that emit mana—are heavily regulated by the Empire.
They’re considered a strategic resource, so you need imperial permission to use them.
And of course, there’s no way they’d grant permission for a duel. Besides, I can’t afford to waste such a valuable resource.

"Then how on earth am I supposed to get mana?"
"There is one source of mana that we can tap into."
"You mean a spirit? But to draw mana from a spirit, we’d need a spirit user, and they’re incredibly rare. How are we supposed to find one?"
"I know someone."
"...?"

Sylvia’s face twisted in confusion.
But yes, there’s someone I know—someone quite close.

"A spirit user? Me?"
"..."

Julia slammed her book shut, frowning in confusion.
She didn’t seem to understand what I was saying.

"You spent most of the day in the library, didn’t you?"
"‘Spent’ is a bit harsh. I was studying! You gave me so many books, I didn’t have much choice."
"Then how come you still haven’t learned how to use mana?"
"Sorry! I didn’t realize I was a slow learner!"

She snapped, turning away in frustration.

[Julia’s Affection Level has decreased by 1.]

An added bonus of pushing her too hard, I guess.
I didn’t mean to be so harsh, but...
Right, I needed Julia to manifest as a spirit user by tomorrow morning.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

Julia’s awakening comes fairly early in Chapter 1 of the game.
Even given her harsh conditions in the game, she still reached it quickly.
With all the books she needs, I’d expected it to go even faster, but I guess not.

The plan was flawless.

I was going to have her command spirits to generate mana for Sylvia to use in the duel.
But the whole scheme is falling apart.

"Tell me what’s stopping you."
"Why should I? Why do you even care?"
"Because it benefits me for you to master magic sooner. Now, out with it."
"Fine. I’ve managed to feel the mana in my body, but every time I try to control it, it explodes!"

Julia looked embarrassed, her lips pursed.
If her mana is exploding, it sounds like she’s experiencing mana overload.
Her mana core is probably overpowered, causing an excess buildup.

It’s a challenge often faced by prodigies with too much mana.
But it’s not something that can be overcome just by teaching her a technique.
It’s a problem that requires time and patience to master.
Even for a genius like Julia, it’s not something that can be resolved overnight.

"Eat well, sleep well. That’s all I can tell you."
"What? That’s no help at all!"
"It’s perfectly helpful. I’m telling you to stop being stubborn and go to bed."
"I managed just fine without you last night!"
"Tell that to the dark circles under your eyes. Children should get plenty of rest so they can grow and be useful."
"..."

Julia’s face fell, and I could feel Sylvia’s glare boring into my back.
Did I say something wrong?

After a moment, Julia hesitated before looking up at me with a mischievous smile.
"Then... how about a nap right now?"
"Why are you asking for my permission?"
"Because I can only sleep when you’re around. Come on, give me your hand."
"...?"
"Hurry!"

Julia took my hand and placed it on her forehead.
What a bold little brat.
I sighed and activated my skill, “Death’s Touch.”
Immediately, the air around us cooled, and Julia fell asleep almost instantly.

"Huh?"
"What is it?"
"Young Master, just now, I felt my mana core respond. It’s as if mana is flowing again. But my core was damaged..."

Sylvia emerged from the shadows, confused.
Mana... recharging?
Why? Then I glanced down at my hand resting on Julia’s forehead and realized the answer.

Spirits are made of mana, so when I kill them, their bodies decompose into pure mana.

An epiphany struck me.
Forget complicated spirit commands—I could just destroy them and let the mana flow freely.
Why bother with complicated rituals when I could just kill spirits and harvest the mana?

"Sylvia, come closer. Do you feel it?"
"I feel... the Young Master being unsettlingly creepy with his hand on a child’s forehead."
"That’s not what I meant."
"Oh? Yes... I can feel mana gathering...!"

Julia naturally attracts spirits, and my skill kills them.
Julia draws them in, I eliminate them, and Sylvia absorbs the released mana.
This might just be the perfect setup for infinite mana.

"How much mana do you have now?"
"About a quarter of my core is full."
"Do you need more?"
"No, this should be more than enough to handle Leon. But Young Master, are you sure about this?"
"What about it?"
"Are you sure you want to give me mana?"

Sylvia looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
Why the sudden concern?
It’s not like this is the first time I’ve done something unexpected.

"We need you to win the duel, don’t we? For your sake, and the family’s."
"For... the family?"
"Is there a problem?"
"No, it was just a slip of the tongue. Please forget it."

[Sylvia's Affection Level has increased by 1.]

Hmm?
I think that’s the first time her Affection Level has gone up without any previous decrease.
What exactly made her warm up to me just now?

"Mom..."
"...?"

Julia’s tiny hand tightened around my arm.

"Mom... I’m sorry... Please don’t be disappointed in me... I’ll do better, I promise..."
"..."

She was clutching my arm, mumbling in her sleep.
It seemed she was having a nightmare.
She couldn’t even find peace while sleeping.
I gently brushed back her hair, trying to calm her trembling form.

"You’re doing fine. I’m not disappointed. Just keep doing your best."
"Mmm..."

Gradually, she stopped trembling, and her breathing steadied.
The problem was, she’d developed a new habit—if I stopped stroking her hair, she’d start whimpering.
I couldn’t help but sigh as I continued to smooth back her hair.

"Such a troublesome child."

It was annoying, but I also felt a deep fondness for her.
When she slept, she looked like an angel.
It made me wonder what kind of person would want to harm her.