Chapter 17: The Blessing of the Five-pointed Star (1/2)

When she was younger, Elizabeth often got piggyback rides from Leo, but once puberty began, that stopped.

‘…Sofia.’

What is your deal?

Annoyance surged within her.

Her father’s broad back.

That back used to belong to her.

A place that was reserved only for her.

What made her even angrier was that her father’s attention was entirely focused on Sofia.

He was being so gentle, supporting Sofia’s thighs securely.

People were staring, and Elizabeth hid her face in embarrassment.

Anyone watching might think this was a scene out of a romance novel.

Elizabeth had been pushed a few steps behind.

Her father’s mind was fully occupied with Sofia.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand.

Sofia had been attacked by thugs and couldn’t move properly.

Her kind-hearted father couldn’t just ignore someone like that.

And that’s exactly why it was frustrating.

This whole situation felt too predictable, like it was meant to happen.

Elizabeth glared at Sofia as they headed to the hospital.

Sofia received treatment there.

Leo sat beside her and waited until she was stable.

‘Why was he even waiting?’

‘Wasn’t it the doctor who treated her?’

‘Then our job here is done, isn’t it?’

Sofia poured out her resentment to Leo.

Why did something like this have to happen to her?

How unfair it was… how sad…

She just kept going on like that.

“I borrowed money because of my grandmother….”

“Hic, they said it was 5% monthly, but then suddenly claimed it was 5% daily… hic.”

It was a common trick among loan sharks.

Even if you checked the document thoroughly and signed it, they could forge and alter the contents later.

This was the result of signing a contract without a third-party witness.

“…I’m sorry. Oppa.”

“Oppa?”

Leo was a Swordmaster.

Swordmasters maintained youthful bodies thanks to their mana.

Leo, who was already thirty, had smooth skin like someone in their early twenties.

No one would imagine he was Elizabeth’s father—though he wasn’t her biological father anyway.

“Haha, sorry, but I’m a lot older than you think. I’m that kid’s father.”

“What?!”

Sofia looked back and forth between Leo and Elizabeth, as if she couldn’t believe it.

Elizabeth was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, checking her watch.

8:40 PM.

She gave up.

It was too late.

Too late to have dinner.

She had missed her chance.

The good mood she’d been in after placing second in the swordsmanship competition had completely vanished.

Maybe she should’ve lost earlier and left sooner.

Then she wouldn’t have run into Sofia.

“You looked so young, I had no idea.”

“I hear that a lot.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“You got involved in something bad because of me. Those guys… If they find you, they won’t let you off easy.”

“It’s fine.”

“Hic… thank you. And I’m really grateful. I’m sorry, but… can I get a hug?”

“Of course.”

Leo hugged Sofia.

His breath stirred her brown hair.

Just like that, it was 9 PM.

Leo secretly left behind a check for 1 million Harts.

It was the check Felix had given him.

He had held onto it just in case—and now it was needed.

“…Dad?”

“Shh. That girl’s grandmother is sick. She borrowed money for the hospital bills… but she got caught up with the wrong people. Poor kid.”

“Hey.”

As Leo said this, he even covered the medical expenses.

Elizabeth was speechless.

They had only just met today.

Paying her treatment costs was one thing, but why leave a check for 1 million Harts?

Seeing Elizabeth’s stiff expression, Leo apologized.

“Sorry. We didn’t get to have dinner.”

“…It’s okay. We can eat next time.”

But her face said otherwise.

Leo hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I went through something similar once… I really wanted to help.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. I used to get beaten by my parents when I was a kid.”

Talking about a troubled past was shameful and embarrassing—especially to one’s own daughter.

Leo still occasionally dreamed about his childhood, and they were always nightmares.

Even though he now had power far beyond what he did then, in his dreams he was still a weak child.

Helpless in the face of powerful, abusive adults.

He saw his younger self in Sofia—that was why he spent so much time helping her.

“When I see someone like that, it reminds me of my past. I just want to help. Maybe I’m meddling too much?”

“No.”

Elizabeth shook her head with a complicated expression.

Her father’s eyes looked so sad.

After hearing all this, she didn’t hate the girl lying in the hospital bed quite so much anymore.

***

The reason Lentz Academy was such a prestigious institution was because it taught magic.

Depending on how it was used, magic could bring either prosperity or disaster.

Therefore, every country’s government kept strict control over their mages.

In Aihenvalt, becoming a mage required graduating from Lentz Academy’s Department of Magic.

If you didn’t, you were considered a criminal—facing life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

A mage’s circle was the vessel for storing mana.

That vessel was located in the heart.

Anyone aiming to become a mage had to start forming their circle by the age of fifteen.

That was the minimum requirement.

If someone attempted it earlier, their heart could rupture from the strain.

The opposite was also true.

Once past the age of eighteen, the fully developed heart struggled to absorb mana, making it nearly impossible to form a circle.

In short, fifteen was the ideal age to become a mage.

And the optimal timing was the beginning of the second semester of the second year.

***

“Nice to meet you all. I am Royal Mage Climental Duschbartalt.”

Royal Mage.

In terms of civil service rank, it was equivalent to a level-three official—a high-ranking position.

Such an appointment was only possible because Lentz was a national academy.

Climental was a relatively famous sixth-circle mage.

The students looked at Climental with eyes full of admiration.

“It’s an honor to be teaching you all from now on.”

Climental appeared to be in his middle years.

Considering that, like Swordmasters, mages retained youthful bodies due to mana, he was probably around fifty.

‘He looks capable.’

Parents were allowed to attend the first magic class as it was a special occasion.

Leo visited the academy to see the mage who would be teaching Elizabeth.

Except for a few, most of the parents were present.

Climental scanned the students and their parents.

And then, his gaze lingered on Leo a moment longer.

‘Hmm?’

Climental sensed something strange coming from Leo.

There was something… some atmosphere that couldn’t be described in words.

‘Maybe I imagined it.’

He dismissed it without much concern.

A mage can recognize another mage.

However, they can’t detect one stronger than themselves.

Even among those at the 6th Circle, their specialties can differ.

Clemental focuses on research, while Leo is a battle mage.

Leo was a master at concealing the mana within his body.

Even an 8th Circle mage like Chevalier wouldn’t be able to sense his mana if Leo seriously tried to hide it.

And he had the body of a Sword Master. His dense muscles and bones helped conceal his mana.

Fwoosh!

When Clemental waved a small wand, letters appeared in the air.

“This is the magical knowledge you’ll be studying for the next year.”

“…”

“That’s way too much…”

“It looks really hard.”

The curriculum Clemental showed was clearly vast.

It was material that required at least a 2nd Circle mage to understand.

“If that already seems difficult to you, then give up on the path of magic. At your age, I had already fully grasped 1st Circle theory.

If you’re smart, it won’t be too hard.”

The students’ spirits were thoroughly crushed.

‘He’s doing that on purpose.’

He’d deliberately chosen overwhelming material to intimidate them.

Leo watched silently.

A little arrogant and self-important, sure—but that was to be expected.

A 6th Circle high mage was practically a count-level noble.

In fact, compared to other mages, Clemental was rather kind.

“That concludes orientation. These are the materials you’ll need for the next class. Make sure to bring them.”

At the end, Clemental displayed the list of materials and left the room.

Parents busily wrote down the list and left with their children.

“Dad.”

Elizabeth ran up and wrapped her arms around Leo’s arm.

Leo smiled and patted her head with his free hand.

“Think you can handle it? How was it?”

“It didn’t seem that hard.”

Elizabeth smiled innocently.

“It was a bit messy, but I think I’ll understand it once I study.”

As expected from the top student.

She was smart.

“Want me to help you a little? At least with the theory.”

“You, Dad? You know magic?”

“Only the theory. I heard a lot from a mage a long time ago.”

She could manage on her own, but this was my area of expertise.

If I helped her, it would be a big advantage.

Students often admired careers like law, medicine, or the military.

But a mage was considered even higher.

Even at the lowest, they made at least 5 million won a month and were treated as quasi-nobility due to their status as nationally certified honorary officials.

Of course, getting there was extremely difficult and came with many restrictions.

They were classified as strategic weapons, so they couldn’t travel abroad freely.

Even traveling within the country required government approval.

Still, those limitations were trivial compared to the benefits.