Before his subordinates entered, Ghislain reflected on the past two years.

“Quite a lot has happened.”

The most significant change was undoubtedly Ghislain reaching the 6th Circle as a mage. However, the goal of becoming a 7th Circle Mage remained elusive. Even with Astion's partial enlightenment, mastering advanced magic from grimoires would not be possible anytime soon.

Still, he was just a step away from transcendence. At Ghislain’s level, his magical abilities alone could rival those of a superhuman.

At first, Astion had felt extremely wronged.

— What is this?! I’m the one studying, but you’re the one reaping all the benefits! How can you learn magic so easily?!

The same scenario played out repeatedly. Astion, despite pouring over studies until he was on the verge of collapsing, could barely master a single spell. Yet Ghislain needed only to observe Astion cast a spell once to replicate it perfectly—no matter how complex.