"――Young master. Young master."
Upon waking up, my eyes met those of a bck-haired maid.
The second most adorable face in this world was peering down at me with concern.
Seeing her expression, I remembered the excruciating pain that had assaulted me right after practicing magic.
The symptoms of mana depletion—something I had only known about through game knowledge.
I had read about the intense fatigue, nausea, and dizziness, but the reality was beyond imagination.
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
The bck-haired maid gazed at me worriedly as I remained silent so soon after waking.
"Unwell?"
"Yes. I’m not sure if you recall, but you fainted and colpsed, young master. If there’s anything unusual, we should call a doctor—"
"That won’t be necessary."
Unwell? True, the lingering discomfort was still there, but at the same time, I could feel energy coursing through my entire body.
Right now, I was undoubtedly in better condition than before I bcked out.
And I knew exactly why.
――Growth in mana.
Just like muscles, the more you use mana, the greater your reserves become.
"But, just in case, and the baron would surely be worried—"
"It’s really not a big deal."
Not like I’m sad about it or anything. But deep down, I missed my family. I answered with that kind of expression, and the bck-haired maid lowered her eyes apologetically.
Bingo. So I really *am* being neglected here.
"So, if you don’t mind, could you leave me alone for a while longer? Call me if anything comes up."
After that, the bck-haired maid stubbornly pressed further, but well, she was ultimately just Norwin’s personal maid. Bound by orders, she reluctantly withdrew from the room in the end.
"Alright."
Once I confirmed I was alone again, I immediately got out of bed and resumed my magic practice.
First, I tried reciting the incantation for the spell I had attempted earlier.
"Spirit of fme, heed my—"
Last time, my mana had run dry here, triggering a rejection.
But what about now? The heat circuting through my body still had some leeway.
"—command and reveal the primordial light here."
Focusing the mana burning at my core into my fingertips, I somehow managed to finish the chant. Then, a tiny fme—about the size of a lighter’s—flickered to life.
I did it.
I activated magic!
"Hell yeah!"
Magic—the stuff of my dreams.
A fme this small wouldn’t be of any use in the main story, but the fact that I could do it at all was amazing.
A chuunibyou fantasy I could never have realized in Japan.
Overcome with joy, I repeatedly cast the same spell.
Once, twice.
The feeble fme fred and vanished each time.
The moment I tried for a third cast, the symptoms of mana depletion hit me again.
"Ugh—"
??
When I came to, I was sprawled on the floor.
I must’ve passed out from mana depletion. The back of my head throbbed—probably from hitting something.
Next time, I should train on the bed.
Still, my head hurt. Maybe I should’ve thought this through a little more.
To save Clesencia beyond the game’s script, I’d need an absurd amount of wit and power.
I had to get used to using my head now.
I wasn’t just a shut-in NEET anymore.
"Alright."
Steeling myself, I decided to start exercising my brain right away.
What I needed now was a summary of my training so far.
First, when I first possessed this body—Norwin’s—his mana reserves couldn’t even handle a single cast of *Fre*, the first-tier fire-attribute spell.
This was clear from the fact that I’d triggered mana depletion *before* successfully casting *Fre* during my first training session.
If we consider *Fre* as 1 unit, my mana pool was less than 1.
But in my second session, I managed to cast *Fre* twice before running out during the third attempt.
Meaning my mana reserves were now between 2 and just under 3.
In other words, my total mana had multiplied several times over in just one training session.
If it kept increasing like this, I’d become an absurdly powerful mage in no time—but what then?
Was mana growth truly limitless, or was there a cap—something determined by talent?
What influenced the rate of increase?
The intensity of training? Should I push myself to depletion every time?
Or was it the spells I cast?
I had to consider all possibilities—time of day, frequency, everything—to find the most efficient training method.
If this body had no talent, then following the same training as others would be pointless.
I’d have to push harder, longer, with better methods to catch up.
Still, figuring out the optimal training would take time.
This wasn’t knowledge from the game—I was groping in the dark.
Well, no choice. For now, I’d test water-attribute magic while gathering data.
??
Over the next few days, I alternated between magic training and passing out, collecting data on mana growth.
The results revealed three things:
1. Mana reserves increased even if you didn’t push yourself to the limit. 2. However, depleting it entirely yielded greater growth. 3. The type of spell used didn’t affect the growth rate.
In other words: *Go through hell daily—something dozens of times worse than the flu.*
If that’s what it took to save Clesencia, it was a small price.
Honestly, I was already putting myself through near-death experiences multiple times a day.
But soon, I began seeing the limits of this method.
Apparently, the time it took to wake up after mana depletion depended on total mana reserves.
At first, I’d recover in tens of minutes to an hour—but now, it took over two.
Wasting that much time every session would mean neglecting other skills.
So, I decided to train magic daily but only push myself to depletion right before bed.
The question was—what should I do in between?
Study. Physical training. The possibilities were endless.
That said, as a seven-year-old, I couldn’t exactly prepare that environment alone.
I’d need help.
And there was only one person I could ask.
??
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
One morning, I decided to ask the bck-haired maid—who came to wake me—for assistance.
This adorable maid would become the first member of my future allies.
