Priest Joshua returned to the temple after completing the last rites for the deceased.
As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted enthusiastically by Ron, Olivia, and Julian.
“Teacher, good morning!” Ron greeted him.
“Teacher, welcome back,” Olivia added.
Joshua was surprised to find them there so early, but he greeted them with his usual kind smile.
“Good morning. What brings you three here so early?”
“Teacher, we've come to learn magic!” Ron announced eagerly.
“You've only just returned from your journey. Didn't I tell you that we would begin your lessons after a few days? You should be resting in the meantime.”
“But, Teacher, we couldn't wait any longer! We want to learn to use magic just like Teacher Kevin!” Ron replied.
Olivia nodded enthusiastically, bobbing her head like a chicken pecking at rice.
Julian remained silent, standing with his hands folded.
Joshua chuckled.
“So, you simply couldn't contain your excitement to learn magic, could you?”
After a moment, he looked at them thoughtfully.
“Magic like Teacher Kevin, you say?”
He shook his head slightly.
“It's not as easy as you make it sound. You shouldn't take Teacher Kevin as your standard. He's an exception among exceptions.”
The three children exchanged confused glances.
Joshua continued.
“Magic might seem wonderful and amazing to those who witness it. But you must understand that mastering it is anything but easy. It takes years of training, talent, lots of resources and even a little luck to become a capable mage.”
He paused, letting his words sink in.
“And the training required to learn magic can be so tedious, never-ending and boring that you'll probably wish you'd never started!”
Joshua's tone had grown stern, remembering his own experiences.
Ron gulped at the priest's serious expression. But then he clenched his fist with determination.
“Yes! My mother said the same thing. She told me that becoming a mage isn't easy and that I'll have to work very hard!”
Joshua regarded him for a moment before asking,
“Tell me, then. Why do the three of you want to learn magic?”
Ron was the first to answer.
“The great priest we met at the citadel told us that magic is a gift bestowed upon humanity by the gods. He also said that the bonded artifacts were specially given to those especially blessed by the gods.”
His expression grew resolute.
“And it's our duty to defend the world from monsters and demons. I want to become a hero and help people in need!”
‘If only becoming a hero were as easy as you make it sound’,
Joshua thought. ‘
Still, it's a good ambition to have.’
He then turned towards Olivia.
“And what about you, Olivia?”
“I-I...” Olivia stuttered, lowering her gaze in embarrassment. “My mother said that if I become a good mage, I can earn lots of money and live happily.”
She continued staring at the floor, too shy to meet his eyes.
‘Well, that's certainly a practical reason’,
Joshua thought.
Finally, he turned to Julian.
“And you, Julian?”
“Mother said that being able to use magic is proof of noble blood. As descendants of nobles, learning magic is only natural for us,” Julian replied proudly.
‘Well, it's not as though everyone who can use magic is descended from nobility. I guess that lady still did not learn her lesson. His parents really are a piece of work.’
Joshua sighed inwardly, feeling a headache coming on.
“Well, it's good to have dreams for your future,” he said with a smile.
“I'm glad to see all three of you are so enthusiastic about learning magic. Very well, we'll begin your lessons today.”
“Yes!” all three children exclaimed, jumping with excitement.
Joshua smiled at their enthusiasm.
“But I've only just returned from performing the last rites. Let me cleanse myself first. After that, we'll begin.”
“Okay!” the three children replied in unison.
Joshua gave them a smile before heading further inside the temple.
*******
Copyright © [Nov] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
Inside Sera's office in the castle, stacks of account books covered the large mahogany table.
The honorary viscount sat on a sofa behind it, his legs crossed as he idly played with his coin between his fingers.
He had already dispatched a group of his assistants to survey and inspect the other villages in the barony, while also collecting information about the baroness and the Ravenscrest castle.
The remaining members of his team were spread throughout the room, going through Ravencrest's account books under the direction of the crooked-nosed assistant.
The priest, the magic knight, and Alaric stood aside, silently observing the proceedings.
Emma, meanwhile, was overseeing the entire operation and providing whatever assistance was needed on Sera's behalf.
As for Sera herself, she sat leisurely in her chair, seemingly unconcerned with the inspection. She was engrossed in a book that Cerci had brought her.
Watching her carefree attitude, the crooked-nosed assistant felt his anger steadily rising.
He gritted his teeth as he glared at her.
‘Usually, even viscounts and counts governing prosperous territories near the royal capital show some signs of panic when we inspect their accounts.
‘At the very least, they would sit beside us, trying to conceal their anxiety while keeping a close eye on everything we do.
‘But this woman... A mere commoner, a baroness of some backwater barony, treats us as though we're not even worth her attention!'
He clenched his fists.
‘Just you wait, you damn bitch. We'll find every single mistake in your accounts. Then I'll see whether you and this arrogant assistant of yours can still maintain your attitudes!
Suppressing his anger, he turned back to his subordinates and continued issuing instructions, all the while enduring Emma's disdainful gaze.
Meanwhile, the honorary viscount continued to play with his coin, occasionally glancing towards Sera.
‘Based on my impression of her yesterday, I thought she would behave much like me. Pretending to be uninterested while quietly keeping an eye on everything happening around her.
‘But she seems genuinely engrossed in that book.
‘Does she really not consider us a threat?’
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
‘Have I misjudged her? Or has something unexpected happened that made her stop caring about this inspection altogether?’
His thoughts drifted to the maid who had appeared that morning.
‘Could it have something to do with her?’
After making a few inquiries among the castle staff, his men had reported that the maid had only arrived that morning.
‘And apparently, she's a guest.’
He tapped his fingers against the armrest of the sofa.
‘Should I really assume that the baroness has some powerful backing?’
His gaze returned to Sera. Then it shifted towards an object wrapped in cloth, resting on the table near her.
He studied it for a moment before looking back at her.
‘And why does her expression twitch from time to time?’
A faint smile appeared on his face.
‘I wonder what she's reading.’
****************
Sera let out a long, quiet sigh before steeling herself to plunge once again into the hell that was reading books.
The title alone was enough to irritate her.
General Theory of Mana Cultivation for Dummies.
‘Just looking at this title makes me want to throw the book away.’
She sighed again and finally began reading the book written by the Matriarchs.
********************
Introduction
[Magic is the ability that rules the world as we know it.
Those who master magic, or those who command mages, are the ones who command this world.
But here's something interesting: magic did not exist before
the Great War of the Solitary Night
.
Our Goddess Lilith is the most powerful entity ever to exist.
None could match her in the past. None can match her in the present. And none will ever match her in the future.
No deity or demon, no spirit or human, no beast or ghost could stand against her.
Yet, during the Great War, the gods created magic to fight against her.
And, surprisingly, she lost.
That is the significance of magic.
An ability capable of bringing even the gods to their knees.
As such, we too must not fall behind. We must actively learn magic if we wish to survive in this world.
Only an idiot would pass up an opportunity to obtain power capable of rivaling the gods.
We hope you aren't such an idiot.
However, not everyone is capable of learning or using magic.
And so, we have compiled some basic information in this book, so that our kind may at least acquire some foundational knowledge. We have even made an effort to explain things in a way that even brainless fools can understand.
We repeat: we are writing this for you so that your dumb head might become a little more intelligent.
If you still can't understand it, then you are even less than an idiot.]
As she read the introduction, Sera's face twitched. An unfamiliar anger welled up inside her, though she managed to keep it under control.
‘These damn crones! Can't they speak human language for once? Would it kill them to explain something without being sarcastic? Fucking &%&*%&^%*&*(*&%^$...
She cursed the Matriarchs and their ancestors for raising them like that in her mind, letting out every insult she could think of.
Only after exhausting her patience—and her vocabulary—did she take another deep breath and continue reading.
[A person capable of using magic is generally called a mage.
There are many types of mages, classified according to the kinds of magic they specialize in.
Furthermore, mages are classified into different ranks based on their strength.
It is generally accepted that the strongest type of magic is Holy Magic.
Thus, priests possess the greatest potential to become the most powerful mages in the world.
To counter such priests and their Holy Magic, it is necessary for us to possess magic of our own.
And so, Black Magic was created.
Mages who wield this demonic form of magic are generally known as Dark Mages.
Think about it.
The gods defeated Lilith using the magic they had created.
But what would have happened if Lilith herself had learned to use magic?
Would the world have stood a chance?
What might the outcome have been?
If we wish to resist and survive, learning to use magic is a necessity.
And, more importantly, we must learn Demonic Magic.]
******.*
Inside the temple, Joshua returned after cleansing himself.
The three children were seated on the pew, waiting eagerly for him. He stood before them, ready to begin their very first lesson in magic.
“Magic.”
He paused, looking at the three expectant faces.
“Magic is a miracle bestowed upon us by the gods.
“A long time ago, the Queen of the Abyss, Lilith, plunged this world into chaos, bringing countless disasters upon the land.
“She was so powerful and wicked that no one could stand against her.
“She is the source of all the suffering and sorrow in this world.
“Even the Twelve Primordial Gods, despite joining forces against her, could not defeat her.
“To fight against her, the gods created magic.
“Gods, humans, spirits, beasts... everyone in this world came together to fight against her.”
Joshua paused for a moment.
“The entire world against a single demon. That is who Lilith was.
“That is why this war came to be known in the myths as the war of the solitary night.”
Ron, Julian, and Olivia listened in fascination and awe.
“With the power of magic, Lilith was finally defeated, and the demons were sealed away in the Abyss.
“But the threat of demons and their descendants has not disappeared. They still remain a danger to this world, lurking around us, hiding in shadows.
“Magic is the greatest weapon we possess to defend ourselves against them.”
Joshua paused, allowing the children to absorb his words before continuing.
“Of course, becoming a mage also opens up many opportunities and possible career paths. There is a very high demand for mages throughout the kingdoms.”
“A mage can become an adventurer or a knight, an alchemist or an artificer, a healer, and many other things.”
“But regardless of what kind of mage you wish to become, learning and using magic can broadly be divided into two stages.”
Joshua raised two fingers.
“First,
Inversion
.”
“Second,
Manifestation
.”
“In simple terms, Inversion is the process of gathering mana, while Manifestation is the process of using that gathered mana to cast magic.
“The different types of magic are classified according to how magic is manifested.”
Ron, Olivia, and Julian exchanged confused glances.
Noticing their expressions, Joshua decided to leave the finer details for another time and focus on the fundamentals.
“Let me explain it more simply.”
“There is a form of energy that permeates the entire world. It exists everywhere around us. We call this energy,
MaNa
.”
“In one of the ancient tongues,
Ma
means miraculous,
Na
means energy. Combined, miraculous energy or miracle manifesting energy.”
“A mage absorbs mana from their surroundings and uses it as fuel to cast magic.”
He looked at the three children.
“So, if you wish to become a mage, your very first task is to learn how to sense the mana around you and within you.”
***
Copyright © [Nov] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
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].