Chapter 260: First Circle Mage
Leonard got out of the large tub in less than a second.
Nothing he could do.
The bathwater had been polluted terribly. He wasn't going to continue.
As for having the servants make a new batch, his skin couldn't handle it any longer.
He nearly bathed for more than an hour.
Leonard bet he might be the only person to be forming their very first magic circle while bathing.
As he covered his lower part with a towel, Leonard returned to his bedroom.
"These servants are really something else. How could they forget to bring me clothes?"
Despite complaining about their inefficiency, he didn't actually call anyone out to scold.
After all, the truth was that the clothes brought to him were submerged in the dirty bathwater.
How could he possibly admit the mistake was his fault?
Moreover, forming a magic circle when everyone else was at least in the 3rd magic circle put his pride to shame.
Just when he approached his closet to search for clothes, someone entered the room. Since he was in a rush to dress up, he didn't close the door properly.
And no guards were going to act clever enough to close them without instruction. Not to mention, the newcomer wasn't someone new, but Mirelle.
Mirelle's position and status within the palace had long been noted by the guards.
She was the magic tutor personally found by the Crown Prince and approved by Spencer.
Who would stop her from entering the Crown Prince's room?
It might be time for another tutoring session.
Yet it was precisely because of such thinking that Mirelle was able to enter the room and see Leonard's bare upper chest.
As if that wasn't enough, Mirelle noticed a woman sleeping on the bed.
'Isn't that the Princess?' Mirelle swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She could obviously recognize Eleanor at a glance.
However, she couldn't imagine what kind of situation had happened for her to be sleeping on Leonard's bed. Moreover, Leonard was wrapped in a towel.
Even if one didn't have a dirty mind, this series of clues made it hard to not imagine that the two might have done the deed.
'Am I going to be silenced?' For the first time, Mirelle was worried about her safety. Such a secret was actually stumbled upon by her.
A Crown Prince from the Valdoria Continent and the princess from the Xundraeth Continent.
Both of these two getting together would have numerous implications.
While Mirelle was letting her imagination run wild, Leonard was quick to stop it. "Eleanor assisted me in the blockade, so I've succeeded in forming a magic circle. But still, as my tutor in name, you should help me check it."
He then sat on the carpet in a lotus position, exposing his back to her.
Mirelle's mouth had an "O" shape as she realized her imagination was incorrect.
However, her shock didn't lessen. Instead, it had heightened when she finally comprehended Leonard's words.
"W-Wait a second. You've formed a magic circle?" She was dumbfounded and alarmed. Those unaware of his condition wouldn't find anything amiss.
After all, at his age, he should have long formed a magic circle. Unless one couldn't sense or control mana at all, then that would be a different story.
However, Leonard clearly could sense and control it to a certain degree.
"Alright, if you acted shocked enough, then can you check now? Or do I still need to wait a few minutes for you to act out the play?"
"I've seen many things, but you are the first to repeatedly make me lose my composure." She sat down and placed her palm behind his back with her eyes closed.
She traced around the mana link and detected the appearance of a magic circle.
'Just how did she do it?' She was confused by Eleanor's method. Something she had struggled to find a solution to, and a breakthrough was actually resolved by Eleanor.
It was difficult to say her pride as a magic tutor wasn't dampened by this result.
Of course, that didn't nullify the fact that she was happy for Leonard for officially becoming a Mage.
As long as one formed a magic circle, they would no longer be addressed as a Mana Initiate or Unranked.
Instead, they were bona fide First Circle Mages, with the common titles being Novice or First Circle.
She retracted her hands and congratulated him sincerely. "With your dense mana, I'm certain you will continue to soar now. But don't be complacent just because you formed a magic circle now. Oftentimes, what determines a powerful mage isn't by magic circle or mana, but by experience."
What made a mage terrifying wasn't their talent or mana control.
But what truly made them terrifying was those with vast combat experience and the ability to manipulate mana to do the unthinkable.
Many young nobles who had high magic circles or great mana control still paled in comparison to those lowborn with a magic circle because of the circumstances.
Young nobles would naturally be sheltered and rarely required to be placed in combat or risk their life as opposed to the lowborn, who had to fight their way up to the top.
The term "underdog" also stems from this origin.
Underdogs referred to those who lacked resources but worked their way to the top and were on par with or even superior to those who received resources with ease simply because of their background.
To summarize, Mirelle's advice was technically a warning to not act conceited or arrogant in underestimating others, even if you were strong.
Ants, no matter how small they were, would still become deadly when an opportunity arose.
"Thanks for the advice," Leonard smiled and nodded his head. He had underestimated people before and learned from the mistake very well.
"Anyway, I've encountered an instructor outside. Do you have any idea why they were here?" Mirelle changed the topic.
"Oh, you mean Norman? Nothing much, he simply became a slave of my butler."
"A-A slave??!"
"Mhmm, you've heard right. Just an insignificant ant who underestimated his ability and ended up being a slave now."