Preparing for an expedition to the Ashen Forest meant getting ready for a mountain of things.
Recruiting more members to make up for the manpower shortage was actually a lower priority.
Even if we had people, we still needed supplies and food.
Before the expedition, we had to buy up huge quantities of iron ore, mana stones, and high-quality preserved food.
The problem was what would happen once we started buying in earnest.
Would Rosenthal, which had a firm grip on South's trade, willingly hand over the goods?
They were already pressuring us by blocking trade routes.
If Kardenos started buying up all those supplies in this situation—
'Kardenos is preparing for a territorial war!'
—there was no doubt they'd jump to that conclusion.
They'd almost certainly block the distribution network and cut off our supplies.
Then they could ask the central authorities to mediate, or prepare for war themselves.
Of course, that could be handled by making the Ashen Forest Expedition official through the Imperial Capital Daily.
If the Ashen Forest Expedition were presented as a cause for all humanity, Rosenthal might have to give up its economic pressure.
That was just wishful thinking.
The real question was whether we could even get started.
I couldn't count on the family's support for the Ashen Forest Expedition. I'd be lucky if they didn't try to stop me.
I had to earn a fortune to lay the groundwork for the expedition myself, somehow break through the supply lines for food and materials, recruit people, and develop the Ashen Forest.
Realistically, it was impossible.
'If I weren't a regressor.'
There was nothing to worry about.
I had a plan.
***
A corner of the First Training Ground.
I tossed a red leaf to Julian, who was sitting cross-legged.
"Here. Eat this."
"What is it?"
"Flame Thistle."
What we needed to focus on right now was strengthening our forces.
Hendrickson was already complete, so Julian's growth was key.
"Ugh!"
The pungent, smoky scent made Julian's brow furrow.
"You want me to chew this?"
"You can chew it and swallow, or just swallow it whole. Just get it into your stomach somehow. It'll be the spark that ignites in your Dantian."
This territory was overflowing with top-grade elixirs.
If I gave him one, he could probably weave his Ring much more easily.
But I had a different idea.
The first Solar Ring had to be forged through hardship and pain.
That was how his bones would mature and become a stronger Martial Bone.
Power gained too easily was always the first to crumble in a crisis.
"Not swallowing it? Want me to feed it to you?"
"...I'll eat it."
Julian squeezed his eyes shut and gulped down the thistle.
His body stiffened at once.
"Urgh...! H-haaagh...!"
It felt as if a blazing red fire were surging from his throat to his Core.
Julian's skin turned bright red in an instant, and the veins throughout his body swelled as if they would burst. His lips split, and blood seeped out.
I placed a hand on his back in case he suffered a Mental Demon or burned himself.
If even a little of the heat tried to escape, I intended to calm it immediately.
His focus was crucial to weaving the Ring, so the protector's skill was just as important.
I sharpened all my senses and felt everything happening to Julian.
"Uaaaaagh...!"
Julian writhed and let out a beastlike scream. He struggled to hold on to his focus.
He suppressed the flames thrashing in every direction and began drawing them toward his heart.
But that was as far as he got.
"Ugh...! You crazy young master..."
Julian's eyes rolled back as he reached his limit, and he collapsed.
I pretended not to hear his last words.
"Good grief."
I nudged Julian with my toe. He was breathing but completely motionless. He'd passed out.
Hendrickson, who'd been watching with his arms crossed, clicked his tongue.
"I knew this would happen. Enthusiasm alone won't cut it."
"Still, he's shaped more than half of it. He was the one who stood a coin upright in a single day, so he'll succeed within four days. He might even finish by tomorrow if he's quick."
I placed my hand over Julian's Heart Core.
Not all Rings were the same.
Their density depended on how much heat was compressed, and that density determined their grade.
There were signs of compromise in Julian's Ring. He'd tried to weave it at a level he could handle.
Thanks to that, he'd avoided the worst-case scenario of falling into a Mental Demon, but...
'The complete opposite of me.'
I'd filled mine to nearly 100% purity and suffered a Mental Demon and delirium.
Julian's instinctive choice wasn't wrong, but by my standards, it was a little disappointing.
"Bleeeeegh!!!!"
"Oh, shit."
Julian spewed a waterfall of vomit.
I'd managed to move out of the way in time, but my eyes had been assaulted.
Getting the impurities out of his body was a good sign, but damn. He could've spared a thought for the people watching.
"Sir. When this idiot wakes up, teach him some Swordsmanship. Let him rest for about 10 minutes since he passed out. That should be enough for him to recover. And make him clean up the vomit himself."
"Um..."
I sensed a faint presence behind me.
When I turned around, Celine was peeking out from behind a pillar.
She wasn't wearing her usual flowing dress, but clothes that were easier to move in.
"Brother."
Celine approached with small, quick steps.
She clasped her hands together and looked up at me with shining eyes.
"I want to learn Magic now too."
***
"Aaaargh!"
"Quit whining! We haven't even started yet!"
"Urk..."
A shrill scream rang out from a distance.
Looks like Hendrickson's training had begun.
This wasn't just anyone's instruction. It was training under a Swordmaster. Anyone without a strong resolve and willpower wouldn't last a day.
I sincerely hoped I'd hear Julian screaming again tomorrow.
"Brother. Do I have to learn the hard way like he is...?"
I turned my attention back to what I'd been doing.
Celine glanced toward Julian and swallowed. She looked a little scared.
I smiled warmly and ruffled her hair.
"No, you don't have to suffer like that. Your Path is Magic, not knighthood."
Celine's talent lay in Magic, not Kardenos Swordsmanship.
The coming destruction couldn't be stopped by my strength alone.
Helping 'my people' grow and draw out their potential.
That mattered more than my own growth.
Celine's talent was sure to be extraordinary.
If I raised her well, she could become a huge asset to all of humanity.
"First, sit down comfortably."
Celine sat demurely on the ground. It looked uncomfortable, but she said she liked sitting that way.
I crouched across from her to meet her eyes.
"First, I'll explain the basics. Solar is the Ring. Luna is the Mana Circuit. Mana is represented by stars."
Mages' ranks were generally called circles, but they were also referred to as stars.
They described their achievements as etching stars into their inner world and embroidering constellations with them.
"As you know, Seven-Circle is the highest realm. The stars etched in the inner world can also manifest in the mage's body."
"In the body?"
She really didn't know anything at all.
It was ironic that she was interested in Magic and had such overwhelming talent despite that.
"Take a Seven-Circle Mage, for example. The seven stars they've formed manifest in the brain, palms, crown point, both eyes, the space between the brows, the vocal cords, and the heart. Those seven stars come together to form a constellation."
"How do you know all that, Brother?"
I thought for a moment before answering.
"I studied so I could teach you."
In fact, there was a rank above Seven-Circle: Eight-Circle.
The eighth star was a halo that followed behind the mage. Lucia always had a halo around her.
"Forming the first star is the hardest. So it might be tough to do today. No, it will be tough."
Rings, Mana Circuits, and stars were all the same. The beginning was half the battle.
If I had to rank them by difficulty, the Ring was the hardest, then the star, then the Mana Circuit.
Bastards who got to take the easiest Path.
"First, let's get a feel for it. The Ring and Mana Circuit of a knight are different from this. The basics of Magic aren't about storing Mana inside your body. Before that, you have to empty your inner world completely."
I knew a Mana cultivation technique despite not being a mage because of my memories from my first life.
The Imperial Secret Mana Breathing Technique that Lucia had personally taught me in the past.
It was the best breathing technique, one that had let even me, a complete novice when it came to Mana, sense energy to some degree.
Since this was her first time, I planned to give her a brief explanation of the principles.
"Don't force the Mana outside you into your body. Imagine the inside of your body as a pitch-black night sky without a single glimmer of light. First, clear your mind and create complete darkness."
"I'll try."
"While you're in that state, imagine the energy of the world entering your body as you breathe in. When you breathe out, imagine the impurities inside you leaving. Then you'll naturally sense the brightest light within you. You have to hold on to that first light."
It was a somewhat vague explanation. The method relied on the mage's senses rather than instruction.
I knew that, but I'd explained it this way to gauge how much of a genius Celine was.
Before Regression, she'd fallen into ruin as a Six-Circle Witch and stood a coin upright on her first try.
'If I'd left her alone, she might've even reached Seven-Circle.'
Celine squeezed her eyes shut and began regulating her breathing. Her soft, shallow breaths gradually grew steady.
If Celine really was a 'genius,' she'd show results even with an incomplete explanation.
I stood and moved behind her.
In case of Mana Reversal, I placed my palm on her small back.
She wouldn't have to worry about dying like she would with a Ring, but it was still dangerous.
"Forming your first star won't be easy. It usually takes anywhere from a month to half a year just to sense the energy."
I hadn't given her an elixir or even taught her the basic knowledge.
She was turning the Mana in the air into her own star through nothing but her senses, intuition, and natural talent.
She couldn't expect to succeed on her first try.
Today, the priority was gauging Celine's potential. She also needed to grow familiar with the concept of Mana.
"Um... Brother?"
Less than 3 minutes after she'd closed her eyes, Celine slowly opened them.
"What is it? Is it not working? Don't get too impatient, even if it isn't. It's like that for everyone at first."
"No, it's just... I think I did it."
"You did... what?"
"I really did. You explained it so well, Brother."
She thought she'd done it? In 3 minutes? And she didn't even look like she was joking.
I focused my senses on the palm resting on her little back.
A distinct, unfamiliar sensation traveled through my palm.
Vrrrm—!
Mana flowed in a steady pulse.
It wasn't merely a current of Mana flowing through her. It circulated through her body's circuits once, then gathered in her heart.
"...Huh."
I could only let out a dumbfounded laugh.
Celine had become a One-Circle Mage in 3 minutes.
In just 3 minutes, she'd not only sensed Mana but formed a star.
This was far beyond anything the word talent could describe.
If I raised her properly, she'd undoubtedly become a reliable force against the destruction.
"Remarkable."
A deep voice came from behind me.
Hendrickson had approached without me noticing. Julian was sprawled out in the distance, panting.
Hendrickson studied Celine with sharp eyes.
"I expected you to have some talent, but I didn't realize it was this great. You formed a star after only a few breaths."
His eyes held pure awe, along with a hint of doubt.
"But there's something I find puzzling."
"What is it?"
"Magic is 90% bloodline. Kardenos has dealt only in swords and martial prowess for hundreds of years. How could someone from a family of Martial Bones have such magical talent? I could understand if it were just a moderate amount of talent, but..."
I knew that well enough myself.
Unlike a knight's Martial Bone, Magic was especially tied to bloodline.
As generations passed and inherited the legacy of their predecessors, magical talent advanced and rose.
But that wasn't always the case.
"There are exceptions everywhere, aren't there? It's about time our family had a mutant."
"A mutant. Hmm..."
Still, it didn't make sense.
Hendrickson muttered to himself, but I didn't pay him any mind.
You never knew what could happen in this world. Nothing was certain.
"Brother, I did well, right?"
Celine looked up at me without changing her seated position.
She had no idea what she'd just done.
She just smiled brightly, like a puppy hoping for praise.
That aside...
Celine's face, seen from above, was irresistibly cute.
"Good grief, you did great. You little rice cake, you little dumpling, you little marshmallow-cheeked cutie."
"Uee... That huhts..."
She was even cuter because she didn't resemble me at all.
If she looked like me, it'd be creepy.