"It's been a long day. I'm already tired."
When night finally came, Lionel returned to his tent. He stretched his arms and yawned before dropping onto his bed. He was so tired from socializing that he just wanted to be alone for the whole night.
All throughout the afternoon, he spent his time with his fellow young nobles. It was something he hadn't done as frequently as he wished before.
The nobles his age turned out to be more mature than he expected. Their conversations weren't just about pride or wealth.
Lionel listened closely to the topic. He found their thoughts surprisingly insightful. Some spoke about trade routes, or their families' businesses. Others shared what might be a good venture to invest in now too.
It was the topic that intrigued Lionel the most.
But among all of them, Cassian was the one who led the conversation the most. Whenever the talk began to stray toward something he didn't like, he would smoothly change the topic to something else.
He would bring up lighter matters or stories that often highlighted his own achievements or those that painted him in a good light.
Lionel had to admit that his cousin was good at talking. Cassian could charm a room with just a few words. His cousin was a natural at socializing.
Still, the day had been long, and he was already exhausted. His eyelids grew heavy as the faint sounds of laughter from nearby tents faded into the night.
Before he knew it, Lionel had fallen asleep in his bed.
When he opened his eyes again, the camp was already silent. The lively conversation from earlier had now disappeared. It was replaced by the sound of crickets and the sound of the campfire outside.
Lionel blinked at it. He was momentarily confused. When he realized that it must be deep in the night, he sighed.
"Is Diana sleeping already?" he murmured to himself. He was feeling a little hungry, but he didn't want to wake up the woman.
"Well, I guess she is…"
Lionel sat up in his bed. He rubbed his eyes, still feeling a little bit drowsy. His feet started walking towards the entrance of his own tent. He opened it slightly and peeked outside.
Sure enough, everything was indeed quiet. The servants were also gone. They were probably sleeping now in their smaller tents. The only ones who were still awake were the knights patrolling the perimeter to make sure everyone was safe.
Lionel stepped out and sighed. The air was already cold. But most importantly, he appreciated the silence.
After a moment of hesitation, he returned inside his tent and reached for a dark coat. He put it on and stepped out again. He made sure his boots didn't make too much noise as he secretly walked away.
He was careful not to draw attention. He moved with ease as he followed a narrow path away from the main camp. He had familiarized himself with the layout of the forest earlier, so it wasn't difficult for him to avoid the patrolling knights.
Soon, he reached the edge of the forest. It was a more secluded area that was far enough that no one could disturb him.
"This is a good chance to train. I need to recall where the monster would appear, too, so I can look at the area." Lionel exhaled softly, letting his hand rest over his chest.
The memory was already blurry in his mind because it happened more than a decade ago so he had to be more careful. That's why he decided to train his magic again just for an extra step.
He looked around once more to make sure he was alone before stepping deeper into the forest.
"It's a good thing that I woke up early… or maybe late," he muttered quietly.
Lionel walked a little farther until he found a small clearing surrounded by tall trees. The ground there was dry and covered with fallen leaves. It was a perfect spot for him to train his magic.
"This should do," he whispered to himself.
He looked around one more time to make sure there was no one nearby. When he was certain he was alone, Lionel slipped off the ring on his hand. The moment it left his finger, he felt the sudden pulse of energy stir inside him.
They were like sleeping little living things inside him that were waiting to move freely again.
With it, Lionel raised his palm slowly. A soft glow began to form above it instantly. It started as a small speck of light before gradually becoming a small orb of light.
The gentle glow illuminated his face. The orb floated above his hand. It was stable and calm.
Compared to weeks ago, his use of magic has been progressing at a good speed.
In the past, even forming this much light would have taken him a few minutes of focusing and effort. But now, it came naturally. The mana flowed through him smoothly now.
"Alright, let's see…" The small light ball moved as he guided it with the direction of his fingers. He moved it to the left, right, up, and down. It was so easy.
"I guess I made the right choice last time."
When he completed his last mission yesterday, he chose to use his bonus reward to upgrade his magic once again, so his magic level was now D-.
It wasn't that high yet, but to Lionel, it was a huge leap. Before his regression, he didn't even know how to use magic.
"Alright," Lionel muttered, taking a deep breath as he stared at the small orb of light hovering above his palm. "Now, I just need to see if I can form that sphere of light again and maybe try to control it this time."
He let the first orb fade out, then slowly gathered his mana once more. The air around him grew faintly warmer as soft light began to form in his hand. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, but he stayed focused, letting the glow expand little by little.
The light sphere formed again. Compared to yesterday, this time it was brighter and steadier.
Lionel smiled faintly. Upgrading magic was really a nice choice.
"Good… now, let's move it."
The orb floated higher, following the subtle motion of his fingers. It spun in the air smoothly.
Lionel was so focused on what he was doing that he didn't notice the faint footstep coming from the trees behind him.
In there, a shadow of a man moved between the branches. The man was mindlessly walking when he saw a soft, glowing light shining through the darkness.