Chapter 16

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the continuous news about Young Master Nesferos overshadowed much of the talk about Iberia, the runner-up, at the academy.  

Even though a negative article about Young Master Nesferos had surfaced, it did not evoke the same alarm as before. It was truly strange.  

Instead, her heart fluttered slightly, just as it had when she received his apology last time. Thinking back, wasn’t the subject of the previous article also those who spoke ill of Iberia? Remembering this fact, for some reason, heat rose to her eyes. Pressing her cold fingertips against her heated eyelids, Iberia walked calmly.  

She was on her way back from submitting her application for the Department of Magic’s student competition.  

Perhaps because she had received an enthusiastic welcome from her supervising professor and wary glances from other students, she felt completely drained.  

Considering the results achieved by the academy’s valedictorians in past competitions, it was understandable.  

But now, wasn’t the pressure somewhat lessened? She was no longer the top-ranked, and with most of the attention focused on Young Master Nesferos, there was a high chance she would be overlooked.  

How things would actually turn out remained to be seen, but that was what she hoped for.  

Iberia’s expression turned complex. With mixed emotions, she absentmindedly braided her hair, unbraided it, and twirled it into a bun as she walked. Then, she spotted a familiar head of silver hair in the distance.  

Iberia’s and Young Master Nesferos’s eyes met. A breeze brushed past Iberia’s hair.  

She froze momentarily. He was looking directly at her. His gaze seemed to ask, “What are you going to do?”  

She didn’t necessarily have to pass this way, so if she decided, she could avoid him. Likewise, if Young Master Nesferos intended to stop her, he could.  

But he simply watched her.  

Fine. I couldn’t avoid him forever. 

Iberia bit her lip.  

Slowly, she began to walk. Young Master Nesferos widened his eyes slightly before quickening his pace toward her.  

“Hello.”  

“Hello. Are you doing better now?”  

He was referring to the time immediately after the rankings were announced. Iberia’s ears turned slightly red. She wished she could turn back time or erase her memory.  

Lowering her gaze slightly, she replied, 

“Yes.”  

“That’s good to hear.”  

Although it was impossible to know what Young Master Nesferos was truly thinking, outwardly, he was smiling. For some reason, that alone was reassuring.  

Iberia bit her lip before managing to speak.  

“Young Master, I’m sorry.”  

Her apology carried various meanings.  

On the surface, it was an apology for breaking their dinner promises. On a deeper level, it was an apology for reacting too emotionally toward him.  

Of course, he had said things that provoked her temper, but he had apologized to her. Moreover, it wasn’t Young Master Nesferos’s fault that she was the runner-up, yet she had placed too much weight on her emotions.  

Not to mention her prejudices against his life and efforts. Iberia tightly shut her eyes. Thinking about it now, her actions had been utterly shameful.  

Young Master Nesferos, who was observing her every move, responded in a voice slightly lower than usual.  

“I think I’ve told you several times not to apologize for things that aren’t your fault.”  

“But breaking our promise…”  

“Hmm, yeah, that was wrong.”  

When Iberia hesitated, Young Master Nesferos nodded in agreement. His serious tone quickly shifted to a playful one.  

He laughed once before asking Iberia, 

“In that case, would you like to have lunch with me from now on?”  

“What?”  

Naturally, Iberia was shocked.  

Young Master Nesferos had become slightly less intimidating than before. He probably wouldn’t kill her easily. But still, scary things were scary.  

Noticing her expression, he softened his gaze to reassure her.  

“Just kidding.”  

Though she felt slightly guilty, Iberia couldn’t help but feel relieved.  

Young Master Nesferos subtly followed in the direction she was heading. Although they were walking side by side, Iberia led the way.  

She couldn’t say anything, and more importantly, she wasn’t sure if he was intentionally following her. Awkwardly, she continued walking, her legs stiffening.  

He leisurely followed her before casually asking, 

“Where are you headed now?”  

“Oh, to the magic training grounds.”  

Iberia stopped to bow slightly toward him before resuming her steps.  

At that moment, Young Master Nesferos’s question halted her in her tracks.  

“Are you participating in the competition this time?”  

“Yes.”  

“Hmm…”  

He seemed to be deep in thought. Iberia cautiously observed him before trying to slip away.  

Young Master Nesferos shifted his gaze from the air to her and smiled brightly.  

“Alright, practice hard.”  

“Yes.”  

“You don’t have to worry; I’m not participating in the competition for the Department of Magic.”  

Whether or not Young Master Nesferos participated, Iberia already knew she wouldn’t win anyway.  

A bitter smile naturally formed on her lips. Iberia bowed to him once more before turning away.  

For Iberia, magic beyond a certain level was purely a matter of talent.  

She had encountered that wall far too early.  

***  

Iberia confined herself to the training grounds.  

Except for occasional conversations with Cynthia about their booth or related explanations, she spent all her remaining time in the magic training grounds.  

Upon entering the training grounds, Iberia gathered a towel and water from a corner.  

“Before lunch, I’ll practice control and calculations…”  

Reviewing her plan for the day, she nodded slightly and moved to a corner.  

On the opposite side, several students were engaged in practice duels. To avoid any unnecessary trouble during her personal training, she kept her distance.  

Iberia primarily practiced controlling the magical energy floating in the training grounds.  

While other students typically trained with their own magical energy, Iberia couldn’t do the same due to her limited reserves.  

Once depleted, her magical energy took longer to replenish compared to others.  

Soon, a transparent light gathered at Iberia’s fingertips. It didn’t take long before it scattered.  

“Ah…”  

Watching the dispersing light, Iberia furrowed her brows.  

It hadn’t been like this before, but ever since she resumed training after the exams, the duration had become far too short. It had been like this for days.  

Even when she used her carefully conserved magical energy, the density was lower, but at least it stayed concentrated.  

While this wouldn’t directly affect her performance in the competition, where only her own magical energy would be used, it was bound to hinder her training.  

With her already limited magical energy, practicing under these conditions meant she’d likely enter the competition unprepared.  

What might be a minor issue for others was something Iberia absolutely needed to address.  

***  

Iberia visited the library again.  

Her method for finding answers was straightforward.  

First, she thought about it alone or made an effort.  

If that didn’t work, she searched for books and resources. Most problems were resolved by this point.  

This was why Iberia couldn’t help but love books and libraries.  

In rare cases, when a problem remained unsolved even after all this, she sought help from others. 

Solving almost all her problems alone was a habit Iberia had cultivated.  

Squatting down near the bottom of a bookshelf, she scanned for books on her topic.  

‘Magical energy scattering… surrounding magical energy…’ 

Fortunately, there were a few books with promising titles.  

Some were papers published by the Mage Tower, while others were authored by scholars affiliated with the Imperial Family, giving Iberia a faint glimmer of hope.  

Having selected a few, Iberia returned to her seat and began reading, starting with the topmost book.  

Much of the content was material she had briefly learned during her magic classes at the academy, but there were also new insights.  

The first potential cause was the leakage of magical energy by the caster, even without their awareness. This could scatter the surrounding magical energy.  

The better the compatibility between the caster’s magical energy and the surrounding energy, and the more magical energy leaked, the more severe the scattering.  

Iberia tilted her head.  

‘Suddenly, my magical energy’s properties changed?’  

She had practiced the same way in the magic training grounds before. The scattering issue had only arisen recently.  

A person’s innate magical energy properties rarely changed. From what Iberia could sense, the magical energy in the training grounds hadn’t changed either.  

While her already limited magical reserves seemed to have diminished further, she wasn’t confident in her perception. Even if it had decreased, it wouldn’t be a significant factor.  

Quickly, she turned to the next page.  

The second potential cause was a drastic decline in magical control.  

This sentence felt like a direct critique of her lack of training, causing Iberia to frown. She didn’t believe her control was the issue.  

Would more practice make things clearer?  

Despite her frown, Iberia jotted down the potential causes on paper. She planned to address every possible issue within her control.  

The next cause was the weakness of the central medium.  

To conserve magical energy, Iberia used her body as the central medium when casting spells.  

Lowering her gaze with a bit of hope, Iberia couldn’t believe what she saw.  

The final solution suggested strengthening the body through proper rest and nutrition, written in a playful tone.  

Iberia sighed and pressed her forehead. Then, she flipped to the front of the book to check the author.  

‘What…?’ 

Ruanes Histeron.  

It was the name of the Mage Tower’s master. Iberia blinked in disbelief, letting out a faint laugh of astonishment.