action

Neron woke up very early in the morning, just as his schedule told him to.

The two maids responsible for him swiftly removed into his luxurious room, their steps as light as their movements were graceful.

They were both dressed in maid outfits, and despite being the least important members of the Kaelid Household, they were both prettier than any of the people Neron had ever seen in the slums.

According to protocol, they both took him to the bathroom and stripped him of his pajamas.

Neron naturally accepted all of this without even flinching.

The first week had been challenging, but now that he was already used to this treatment, he behaved.

Once they were done freshening him up, they would dress him up in a fine robe.

The quality of his clothing was completely different from what he had known in the past. Not only did they not itch and smell, but the material was soft on his skin and comfortable to move in.

His unruly black hair had already been trimmed and thoroughly washed, so he appeared noble.

Neron smelled good and looked even better.

He had a handsomely cute face, and nothing about his constantly bored demeanor changed that.

“You look great, Young Master.”

“Lord Mordred will be so pleased with you, Young Master.”

His two maids were both beaming as they stared at him intently.

Neron stared at his reflection in the mirror and couldn’t help but agree with them.

‘I look like a completely different person.’

He could only imagine what his friends would say if they saw him now.

‘Just watch over me from wherever you are, everyone!’

*******

Neron was escorted to what was referred to as the ‘Sanctuary’; a place that was off-limits to everyone except the Head of the Kaelid Household himself.

No one but Lord Mordred Kaelid could enter this sacred place.

At least, until now.

“You must be excited to see Lord Mordred after being apart for so long.” The butler, Aldred, said with a smile as he walked in front of Neron.

No one else was accompanying him.

“It’s only been a week, Aldred…” Neron responded with a calm tone.

After their conversation in the room, Neron hadn’t laid eyes on Mordred again.

He did send letters, but other than that, there had been no communication between them.

“But you’re right. I am excited to see Father.”

Aldred’s grin grew broader upon hearing his Master’s only child say such words.

Adopted or not, he was now part of the family.

As they continued their journey down the empty passage, only their footsteps made sounds.

Until finally, they arrived at the entrance of the sanctuary.

“I shall take my leave now, Young Master.”

Aldred took a bow and soon departed from Neron, who simply watched the massive double door before him.

It was black in color, lined in glowing gold. Neron could not sense anything beyond if, and even when he touched it, he was met with a cold and hard resistance.

‘This is… amazing.’

Never before had he met something he could not quite comprehend. Whatever metal was being used here, it was beyond his knowledge.

~VWUUM~

Suddenly, a deep hum resonated from within the door, and Neron took a few steps back in surprise and caution.

The double doors were opening, as if sensing his presence, but Neron refused to take a step forward.

That is, until he heard a familiar voice.

“Come in, Neron.”

“Father…” As he muttered this, Neron discarded his hesitation and walked forward.

The Double Doors had opened wide enough for him to pass through, and he did so with ease.

A bright light welcomed him, and he squinted his eyes so he wouldn’t be blinded by its intensity.

A few more steps, and he was fully inside the ‘Sanctuary.’

The doors behind him closed, leaving Neron alone in the room.

“What… is this…?”

Despite being inside, Neron could not quite understand it.

The entire room was blank.

Like a pure white canvas rendered into a three-dimensional structure; so was the inner sanctum of the Kaelid’s most holy place.

Nothing and no one could be seen for miles, and as far as Neron could see… the boundaries of this room seemed to be nonexistent.

Even the door that Neron had passed through could no longer be seen.

This place, wherever it was, was pure white.

“It’s good to see you again, Neron.” The voice of his father suddenly echoed from behind him.

Mordred’s hand fell on Neron’s shoulder, causing him to swiftly turn to face the sudden apparition of his father.

“Look at you, being all sharp.” Mordred chuckled at his son’s rapid movement.

“You look different. Better. Everyone must have taken care of you well, huh?”

Neron, who had finally gotten over his earlier shock, stared hard at his father’s face as he smiled.

“What’s the matter? Not going to greet your father? Seems you aren’t very happy to see me.”

Mordred burst out into more laughter, though this was soon interrupted by a loud cough.

“Sorry… haaa… guess I laughed too hard.”

Neron remained silent.

However, this didn’t last for very long.

“It’s nice to see you again, father. You look good as well.” While his tone was monotonous, his facial reaction was not.

His lips slightly curled upward, and a small smile formed on his face.

The sight even surprised Mordred.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you smile. Guess you must have missed me that much”

“I guess I did.”

Mordred chuckled, and Neron settled for a slightly broader smile.

As the both of them stared at each other in silence, Neron broke it with a question.

“What is this place? It’s overflowing with so much Mana.”

“Oho? So you can see it? The Mana?” Mordred asked, a sparkle of amazement in his eyes.

“Yes.”

“For how long now?”

“As long as I can remember.”

For a moment, Mordred only stared at Neron in silence, unable to utter a single word in response.

Neron didn’t understand it yet, but what he had just described was impossible.

Even for Mages, they could only detect the Mana around them by actively utilizing their Mana and concentrating it in their eyes or other senses.

Yet, Neron had been able to do that without any effort.

“Interesting…” Mordred whispered with a wide grin.

“You look creepy, Father. Hope all is well.”

“A-ah! Don’t mind me… haha!”

lightsnοvεl Mordred chuckled a little more, but at this point, Neron’s smile had long faded.

“Well, this is a special place that I made with my Magic.”

“Y-your Magic made this…?”

The blank space around seemed to stretch forever, yet Mordred was claiming all of this was achieved with his power alone.

Neron had never seen or heard of that kind of Magic before.

“This entire room was constructed using a special Mineral Compound called Adachalcum—a mix of Adamantite and Orichalcum.”

Adamantite was known to be the strongest mineral to exist, and Orichalcum was known for its incredible Mana Repulsion and Non-Conductivity.

“It surrounds this area like a box, preventing my Magic from escaping to the outside world. After brewing and expanding here for a while, it has created a vast space within such a small container.”

Neron’s brow was raised, showing how little he understood of what he was being told.

“I know this might be a bit confusing for you to understand right now, but I promise you, it’ll make sense the more you understand Magic.”

Neron nodded slowly as he grasped at his father’s assurance.

‘I was the one who asked, to begin with. I can’t complain about my inability to understand…’ His thoughts trailed.

“In conclusion, though, this entire space is a canvas that is controlled by me. Since it was made by my Magic, and my Mana is basically filling the entire expanse, I can control it however I wish. In essence…”

With a snap of Mordred’s fingers, the white all around them disappeared, and solid ground appeared underneath their feet.

Grass covered the landscape, and a clear blue sky painted the space above them.

Even a sun was shining down on them.

“I can create whatever I want inside this place since I control it all.”

Neron was astounded—too astounded to form coherent words for a while.

“What… what kind of Magic is this” He asked in sheer wonder.

Mordred saw this question as an opportunity to enlighten Neron.

“It is the highest level a Mage can achieve in the study and practice of Magic.”

Neron paid rapt attention as his father, and soon to be master, divulged the truth to him.

“Original Magic.”

*

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A

/N

Thanks for reading!

I appreciate you sticking around this far!

I know there hasn’t been much action yet, but a lot of it is coming.

Just stick around and you’ll see.