I'm the Only Magus in This Witch World

’So sound is still necessary for spellcasting, for controlling mana. But the real key is the source of the mana itself. As long as I can find a neutral source of mana, one that isn’t directly tied to any of the five Matriarchs, I should be able to cast spells without needing to chant their names at all.’

That brought him right back to the same problem as before. His lack of mana.

Still, this time he had gained a new insight, a genuinely good one, and a fresh spark of hope began to grow inside him.

’Shadows are technically just using someone else’s mana. That means there has to be another way for me to do the same thing.’

He just needed to find that way, without ever having to accept a Shadow and Witch contract that would tie him to anyone else.

It was still an unproven theory, one Magna had pieced together himself after reading through all the others. Before anything else, he needed to find more evidence to back it up, through observation and testing.

The first method that came to mind, the one that could give him the most knowledge and experience about it, wasn’t exactly something he liked.

Still, thinking ahead to a future where he could imagine himself throwing fireballs while flying through the sky in a Magus’ robe, he steeled his resolve, got up from his bed, and left his room.

—

"So he agreed to stay in the mansion on his own, huh? Isn’t that a good thing?" Titus asked, sitting on the sofa in the study, a confused look on his face.

Celeste, who would normally have been happy about it, sat across from him looking troubled and clearly annoyed instead. "Weren’t you listening to what I said? He wanted to cover every expense we would ever offer him, now and in the future, just by giving me that scale for free."

She was starting to wonder if Titus was actually a bit dumb.

She let out a sigh. "It proves he’s not the type to easily let himself get tied down to someone else. Which means there’s a real chance he’ll refuse to become a Shadow altogether."

Titus shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, his brows furrowing deeply. "Someone? Faye is someone? If that kid dares not to like her, I’ll rip his heart out and hand it to her myself."

Celeste was now fully convinced her husband was an idiot, but even an idiot could say something useful sometimes, since his words had just given her an idea.

"You’re right. No matter how gifted he is, or that he comes from an ancient family, he’s still just a boy. If he starts developing feelings for her, he might just accept the contract on his own, just to stay close to her."

While Celeste was busy congratulating herself on such a clever plan, Titus was already regretting ever giving her the idea.

Celeste and Titus’s relationship was quite unique in its own way, since not every couple needed to be bound by romantic love. Most of the time, it worked more like a master and pet type of bond instead.

Titus wanted the same kind of relationship for his daughter and her future Shadow.

Even though he wanted to object right now, he knew that if he said anything, Celeste would just turn him into an ice statue again.

He could still remember the last time he annoyed her, when he ended up spending an entire week trapped inside a block of ice.

While he was reliving that miserable week in his memory, the door suddenly burst open, and Magna walked in.

"Oh... sorry, should I have knocked first?" Magna felt a wave of discomfort under all the eyes suddenly on him.

Titus’s stare in particular felt different from usual. There was the same familiar hostility, displeasure, and killing intent as always, but this time it all felt several times stronger.

"Magna, no need to feel like a stranger here. Come in." Celeste said with a smile.

She watched the boy walk in slowly, realizing that he was careful not to close the door behind him, clearly keeping it open as an escape route in case he needed to run.

Celeste shot Titus a sharp look, since he was the reason the boy was acting this cautious and guarded, then spoke to Magna in a warm voice. "Did you already finish the book? Do you need another one?"

It hadn’t been long since Magna had borrowed the book, yet here he was returning already. Still, Celeste no longer found it strange, having slowly gotten used to just how fast the boy read.

"Yes..." Magna kept his eyes locked on Titus, ready for an attack at any moment, since the man was staring at him like he wanted him dead. "And no. I actually came here for a different reason."

"You need something else? Just tell me." Celeste grew genuinely curious about what he could possibly want.

Magna stayed quiet for a few seconds, hesitating over whether he should really bring up what was on his mind. But with no other direct way to make his plan work, he finally spoke.

"I want to spar with him a little. Just some training," he said, pointing to the sitting bear, making sure to stress the word "training."

The moment Titus heard him, his expression flipped a full 180 degrees, from all that intimidating tension straight into surprise. "You want me to teach you how to fight?"

That wasn’t exactly what Magna had asked for, but seeing the psychotic father seem to soften up a little, he nodded quickly. "Yeah. Teach me how to fight."

Titus suddenly burst out laughing, loud enough to shake the whole room, as he got to his feet and walked over. "Kid, I knew you had it in you. Just leave yourself to me, and I’ll turn you into the finest killing machine there is."

Magna wasn’t sure this world even had machines, but the man sounded pretty convincing while saying it.

What Magna actually wanted was to observe Titus while he cast spells. Using this training as an excuse gave him the perfect chance to do exactly that, so he had no problem going along with it.

"Okay then..." The second Magna agreed, Titus didn’t wait for another word.

In one sudden motion, he grabbed him by the collar with one hand, lifted him up, and turned to walk straight out of the study.

Celeste, left behind at her desk, let out a sigh and got up to follow them.

She simply couldn’t sit still and trust the boy to an idiot gorilla like her husband.

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