My lower body stood erect as the surrounding mana wildly fluctuated and was absorbed into me.
And I felt the presence around me.
Even if I was unconscious, it was an event significant enough for the other talented female magicians to notice and wake up.
However, although they woke up, they didn’t show any particular reaction. They must have been considerate, knowing I needed to concentrate.
With a grateful heart, I focused on consolidating my enlightenment.
What comes abruptly can also leave abruptly. So, I must fully embrace it while it was still in my grasp.
How long was I immersed in it? At some point, a satisfying sigh escaped me unknowingly.
“Huuu…”
With this, I’d somehow managed to conclude it.The mana had become even purer. My awareness had expanded beyond my body to my surroundings. At this very moment, I had taken the first step into the realm of a high mage.
Was the world always this vivid when seen from my perspective?
And the first clarity I encountered was… Iris, who was staring blankly at me right in front.
Once Iris confirmed that I had managed my enlightenment, she burst into mad laughter, covering her mouth.
“AHAHAHAHAHA! Master, you got… a-an erection during your enlightenmen—pffffft! And right during your post-nut clarity… BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”
“Teacher, please don’t laugh so much. M-Master, you’ve ascended to a high mage… a high mage—pfffthahahaha!”
“B-but I held back well because I th-thought it might disrupt Master’s enlightenment until now. It’s okay to laugh this m-much—pfffthahahaha! It should be fine.”
“…No, even if it’s me, I find it a bit much when you laugh like that. And Elisha, if you’re going to laugh along, at least stop pretending to help!”
While grumbling at the two, who were laughing heartily, Helena tilted her head and asked Iona.
“I’m ignorant about magic, but has Brother really gained enlightenment, Professor? From the outside, it doesn’t look like much has changed…”
“Yep. It’s certain. I remember clearly when I ascended to a high mage back in the day. Normally, the amount of mana increases exponentially following the strengthened will, but with Yandel, there’s so much existing mana that it’s not very noticeable… Oh, just to clarify, I didn’t get an erection when I ascended!”
Even as Iona said this, a certain part of her was still hard, but I kept my mouth shut, fearing she might join in teasing if I spoke.
I sighed deeply and turned my head. There, Faye was waiting with an expression that seemed to say she understood everything.
“I-It’s okay, Junior… You’re one of those, too, right? The type who gets excited while researching. There are quite a few alchemists like that, you know? Like pitching a tent while looking at formulas, or getting wet while making potions with expensive materials…”
“…That’s absolutely not the case for me.”
Probably not. I hope not.
Scratching the back of my head, I checked my physical condition. As expected, absorbing the surrounding mana when ascending to a high mage had brought my condition close to perfect.
Could it be that the energy in my lower body was just a natural result of my body recovering from exhaustion?
No, it must be so…
However, not everyone was giggling at my lower body. Only one person, Carla, purely celebrated my achievement.
“Master, that’s amazing!”
“Huh?”
“You’ve become a high mage in such a short time since you started learning magic! I bet even dragons wouldn’t grow this fast!”
“Oh, come on. It’s only possible because of the arrangements from the dungeon and Fafnir.”
“Still! Becoming a high mage means you’re beginning to walk your own path by restructuring what you’ve learned so far! That’s not something anyone can help with, right?”
Carla, with her ruby eyes sparkling, sent me a look, saying, ‘Master is the best! The best!’
Staring blankly at her, I suddenly felt a surge of emotion and tightly grasped Carla’s hands.
“Carla.”
“Yes? What’s wrong, Master?”
“You’re the only one for me…”
“???”
Carla tilted her head, puzzled by the sudden remark, but soon caught on and replied with a broad smile.
“I only have you too, Master!”
Yes… this is enough…
After all the commotion, as time passed and we got dressed with the laughter subsiding, Iris finally approached me cautiously.
“Master, what kind of magic is the enlightenment you’ve gained this time?”
Perhaps because she was a high mage who had walked the same path as me, Iris asked directly to the point.
Upon reaching the realm of a high mage, I realized this was a realm one could only ascend by setting one’s own standards.
So, Iris must be asking about my enlightenment because everyone sets different standards.
“Although Elisha and Lady Lindelheit know well about this part, Master has only recently started learning magic, regardless of your actual skill. I’ve kept silent to avoid planting any unnecessary preconceptions, but now it should be fine.”
“Yes. I’ve already become a high mage.”
“Then, will you tell me about your magic—?!”
“Hold on a moment.”
With a light wave of my hand, Iris, although tilting her head, came running over.
She seemed to ponder what this gesture meant, blinking her eyes, but soon guessed something and offered her head with a look of resignation.
“Huh…? Is that so?”
“???”
“Didn’t you want to stroke this considerate body of mine? I know everything! Of course, I’m not at an age to be stroked, but if the Master wishes, a slave like me has no right to refuse!”
“……”
“Come on! Stroke me! And once you’re satisfied, tell me!”
Iris was convinced I would shower her with affection, but…
“Did you think I’d let you off when you laughed like that?”
Bonk!
I lightly tapped Iris’s head with a knuckle. It was just a light tap, so it shouldn’t have hurt much.
“…Eh?”
But Iris looked as shocked as if her world had collapsed, holding her head.
“Master… hit me…”
“Did it hurt?”
No way. I was sure I controlled my strength perfectly.
Yet, Iris, with tears welling up, enunciated each syllable clearly.
“Master! Hit! Me!”
As if her heart, rather than her head, was hurt, her voice was full of grievance.
Finally, I picked Iris up and sat her on my lap, stroking her head vigorously, especially where I had hit her.
“Iris, because you were laughing so much…”
“Master—hic! Hit! Me!”
“No, why are you crying again? I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. Okay? So, stop crying now.”
“……”
Maybe my earnest consolation worked. Iris then stopped shouting and quietly accepted the petting.
Slowly, she raised her head, looking up at me as if rubbing the back of her head against my chest.
But her expression was slightly different from what I expected—not one of someone about to cry.
Her eyes were quivering, her lips were firmly pressed together, and her nose was twitching.
It was a typical look of someone trying to hold something back… but the problem was, she was holding back laughter, not tears.
“Pfffft. Master is weak against tears… I’ll remember this.”
“Ow!”
Feeling a surge of emotion, I grabbed Iris’s cheeks and pulled them.
Stretch stretch.
Her skin, being so young, stretched out easily, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
“Ow! This really hurts! Spare me, Master!”
“You’ve earned yourself a spanking, Iris! Is this mouth the cheeky one? Huh? It is!”
“I was wrong! I won’t play pranks anymore, so please forgive me!”
“But I don’t want to! No, no, no!”
“Don’t be childish!”
“Who was the one acting childish first?!”
Was this how adults and 500-year-old elves fight? Truly, it made my heart swell with awe…
Of course, neither Iris nor I had anything to swell in the chest, though.
After pulling her cheeks for a good while to reestablish our master-slave relationship, I finally let go.
Iris touched her now-red, swollen cheeks, pouting her lips. She looked oddly like a carp, huffing as she asked again.
“So? What was your enlightenment? Let me tell you mine first; it was return to the origin.”
“Origin?”
“If elements are the basic units that make up the world, wouldn’t combining all elements return to the state before the world was divided? Creating a single mass from the beginning by combining all elements. That’s my magic, and that’s why I’m so obsessed with elemental combination.”
“Hmmm…”
Such a concept could exist.
Iris, responding to my admiration, shook her head with a wry smile but said,
“It’s not because of some grand reason. It’s just that for an elf who’s lost her spirits, elemental magic is essential to regain past power, but as you know, elemental magic branches into too many types.”
“So, you wanted an origin that could change into any element?”
“Precisely.”
Elf society had developed alongside spirits for thousands of years.
Not only social infrastructure but also the techniques, martial arts, and magic passed down were deeply imbued with spiritism.
But what would happen if you suddenly lost your spirits?
The social system would collapse, and over time, rather than progress, there would only be regression.
To abandon everything built up and start from scratch… the lifespan of elves was too long for that.
Those who remembered past glory couldn’t easily let go of even the smallest remnants.
That was where Iris stepped in, but… well, even Iris, belonging to the generation that remembered past glory, in her impatience, resorted back to relying on spirits.
Perhaps, after centuries of research and training, she might have also given up on reaching the realm of an archmage.
However, Iris’s original goal was to provide her kin with a power that could replace spirits, a more fundamental power that could be used anywhere.
The image of Iris, who had just ascended to a high mage, inexperienced yet pure, came to mind, making me smile bitterly.
“Eh? Master? Why are you suddenly patting my head?”
“Just because. Anyway, you were curious about my enlightenment, right?”
“Right! I can’t walk another’s path, but there’s definitely something to learn by observing others’ paths. This will surely be beneficial for both of us!”
With a broad smile to the excited Iris, I pointed my finger into the air.
“Look closely.”
It would consume a bit more mana, but there was no simpler way to demonstrate.
I visualized it vividly with strong will. Then, I encapsulated all of this into words and spoke.
“『Burn.』“
No incantation, no trigger words. The mana simply turned into flame.
Iris’s mouth dropped open, but it wasn’t over yet.
“『Freeze.』“
The flame froze in the shape it was burning.
“『Rush.』“
The ice instantly vaporized into a gust of wind, playing with Iris’s hair.
With Iris now staring wide-eyed and making incoherent sounds, I gave her a sly grin.
“Ah… This is what they call ‘word magic’.”
Well, it wasn’t as impressive as one might think.
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