Chapter 212: 212: Anima

"Has dad come home yet?" I asked George, our ever efficient butler.

His handlebar mustache is looking neat today as well. 

"No, milady. The marquis is still at the palace," he replied.

That's given, it's still early anyway. The sun was just about to set to the horizon. If he's busy, he will probably be home after dinner.

"How about my brother? And Kai?" 

Erin had already removed my coat for me and Mari took it to get it washed.

"The young master and sir Kai still aren't back too, milady."

Figures… Those two are also busy with their duties. Lost is another case because he just lurks around Kai. Invisible, of course.

"Hmm, is that so?" I muttered as I cling onto the book.

I'll just wait for them later. 

I was really looking forward to relaying the news… 

I'm pretty sure Nathan would come straight home because the hidden guards would always notify him of my whereabouts. That was the main reason why he goes and fetches me at the tower all the time.

For now, I'll just go to my room and immerse myself in this book that Janus gave me. Fufufufufu~

I had been reading since earlier and now I'm planning to read again, you say? Are you asking if I'm not tired? Not really. I'm actually enjoying it! Plus this is for my personal gain anyway so it is fun. And I have nothing to do so there is that too.

I looked at George, "Inform me when either of my father or brother gets home."

George then slightly tipped his head.

"As you wish, milady."

"Shall I run the bath, milady?" Erin asked as soon as I started walking up the stairs. She and the other two, Lily and Amy were tailing me behind.

"It's fine. Let's do that later in the evening," I told her.

It's not like I ran around outside anyway. I was merely holed up in the tower. 

"As you wish…"

The three of them then followed me to my room and helped me change out of my dress. Afterward, I sat there on the edge of the bed with the book in my hand, ready to dive in. The maids retreated to the side to give me privacy and remained silent so that they wouldn't disturb my peace.

'Alright, let's see what this is all about…'

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I sat there and had read the first paragraph of the book, only to get confused the further I read on. 

I was like, what? 

I have to read the same passage over and over just to understand it. But for the life of me, I still can not look at it in the full picture. I don't understand what it was about.

The book is really out here saying these confusing lines: To cast magic, they should learn how to grasp what it is first. To use magic is to know magic. 

???

Huh?? What kind of philosophical quote is this?

To use magic is to know what magic is? What? 

I don't get it.

As I contemplated there, with my brows strung together in an attempt to piece the said information into one coherent thought, chewing my lower lip as I did so, the gears in my mind whirred and worked overtime.

"To use magic is to know magic… Magic is… Huh?" I grumbled, frowning real hard. "What is magic again?"

All that I have learned these past few days about magic seemed to disappear like bubbles. All the hours spent reading were rendered useless at that moment.

Why can't the book just say it in a not-so abstract way? Like maybe lay it out like it's telling you how to bake cookies or something. Make it simple and easy! Straightforward if you must!

They always want to make you think deeply about it. It's always a riddle, isn't it? 

But of course, I kept bitching over it when the next paragraph literally did the same thing as I was saying. Proof that I'm just impatient, is all.

Basically, magic needs chants. It also said that one could do without it as long as their will is strong and their affinity stronger. But that only applies to the extremely gifted ones. 

A powerful magician can cast spells without chants or with little time in casting. Sometimes, they can even cast multiple spells at the same time and in a blink of an eye too. Normal mages won't be able to do that. The book cited a certain king, -- ahem, Solomon-- deploying a total of sixty-seven spells at the same time with only a nine seconds preparation. And those were all high-level, mind you. 

The author didn't specify where and why he used that but it's fine… let us not be curious…

It just shows how proficient and how knowledgeable they are in magic. But in that case, Solomon is just monstrous. Apparently, he can summon more than sixty-seven in an instant.

So, there are two popular forms of casting. These are magic circles, broken down into four levels; basic, intermediate, advanced, and master level. And then there are the so-called runes.

In order to cast a spell, one should use either of those two. Magic circles are the most common type and are widely used. Only a few can use runes because runes are an ancient language of magic, which is not that common nowadays and it needs precision when being cast. Also, it evidently uses a huge amount of mana and can easily deplete one's reserve if one is not careful.

A slight mistake can cause a big consequence against the caster or those around him. Thus the reason why runes are almost forgotten now, except for those who know them by heart and the scholars who are still studying them.

When I read about that part, it made me immediately think of Janus. He can cast runes like they are nothing to him. Breezily. And so many at once. That night of the founding ball where he covered the whole palace with runes was still fresh in my mind like it only just happened yesterday.

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