Surviving As the 5th Prince of the Ruined Kingdom

009

I manipulated mana to activate my brain.

Click, with a feeling like a switch turning on, my third eye for observing mana opened.

‘This is the world that mages see…….’

The world I had seen until now felt unfamiliar.

It was hard to explain in words. It felt like witnessing a full-color flower in a black-and-white world. For a moment, I was dazed, but soon regained my senses and focused my gaze on the phantom hands.

“Ah!”

I finally understood the true nature of the phantom hands that had followed me all my life. My eyes automatically turned toward the status windows I had fixed in the corners of my vision. Those, too, were like the phantom hands.

Mana.

Why couldn’t the other mages sense the existence of the phantom hands? With my meager magical knowledge, I still had no way to know.

I decided to put it aside for now and investigate it properly after formally starting my magical studies.

More importantly:

‘My mana sensitivity wasn’t low.’

Rather, I had been outstanding enough to see the phantom hands, which were like lumps of mana, from the time I was a newborn baby. So much so that I could sense mana and temper my core as soon as I began cultivation.

The sphere I had chosen during the sensitivity test—it wasn’t just something that had caught my eye for no reason. I had chosen the right answer.

Grr.

I ground my teeth toward that bastard who had bluntly declared that magic would be difficult for me.

‘That guy, whose orders was he following?’

The 1st Queen? The 2nd Queen? Too many figures flashed through my mind. There are few places as rife with those who want to trample on budding talents as the royal court.

It would have been easy for them too, since they didn’t directly harm me, just gaslighted me by saying, “You have no talent.”

‘Still, I was able to sense mana as soon as I began cultivating.’

Many claim that the records of figures from myths and legends sensing mana instantly are mere fiction.

Going forward, I would be able to listen to such claims with a relaxed mind, and the thought made me chuckle wryly.

If I had made the safe choice and learned the Lionel Mana Cultivation Method……

‘I don’t even want to imagine it.’

Because of that bastard mage’s gaslighting, I almost buried the talent I hadn’t realized I had.

If I had known my mana sensitivity was this high, I probably would have learned the beginner mana cultivation method of the Four Great Magic Towers in a straightforward manner.

But I quickly brushed aside such regrets as meaningless.

At least by choosing [Extreme Mana Cultivation Technique], he was able to avoid losing his magic. Deciding to think positively like that, he carefully examined his status window to see if anything had changed.

[Mana: ★] caught his eye.

Instead of using letters, they were evaluating his achievement with a star symbol. Would it be two stars if he reached the second stage? It felt strange to be a game character.

Other than that, not much had changed.

‘Remaining RP is 9,287.’

Thanks to learning the [Extreme Mana Cultivation Technique] at a low price, his wallet was still well-lined.

Even after setting aside some for information fees, it was a considerable amount. Just as he was about to start his pleasant dilemma of which skill to learn next,

Knock, knock.

The ominous fellow had returned.

“Your Highness! I’ve finished cleaning and returned!”

“Ah, I might need the training hall later, so clean that area too.”

“I’m drenched from the rain.”

“Yeah. Good work.”

“……..”

Before shopping for skills, it seemed like a good idea to check how Alfonso’s status window had changed since their relationship had improved to ‘friendly’.

***

The servants of the Emerald Palace had been busy gossiping about Evan whenever they gathered these days. The two maids cleaning the bathroom were no exception.

“Did you hear that story?”

“What story?”

“Remember when Prince Evan recently told the junior kitchen staff to hurry home?”

“Of course. They said he kicked him out, saying it was urgent? Why did he do that?”

Alfonso, who was walking down the hallway carrying a mountain of books, paused for a moment when he heard their conversation leaking through the bathroom door crack.

“Yesterday, that junior kitchen staff returned and said thanks to the Prince, he was able to attend his grandmother’s deathbed.”

“Oh my! How did he know about that?”

“That’s why I’m saying. Isn’t it like he received the Sight of Patulacit?”

Alfonso shook his head vigorously.

The miracles used by those who received the Sight couldn’t be freely used like magic whenever they wanted.

Moreover, Alfonso knew the reason why the rumor could never be true.

‘Don’t those women know that those who gain the Sight of Patulacit are also cursed with blindness?’

Well, all the priests of the Patulacit Order wore blindfolds. Only a few knew the fact that those with the Sight were truly blind. Such rumors could circulate among the ignorant. He nodded in understanding.

“Ah, right. Where did you go last night? Tell me quickly.”

“Well, um……. Roni asked to meet for a bit………”

Alfonso, who was about to take a step, stopped again.

“Oh my, oh my, so! What? What? Don’t tell me you were confessed to?”

“……. Yes.”

“Wow, wow! You liked Roni too, didn’t you.”

Roni, Roni.

Come to think of it, the other day when he came to clean the study, Evan casually said to him:

– Roni. You haven’t had any big worries lately, have you? To the point where you can’t sleep at night.

– Me? How did you know!

– That’s not important. What’s important is that you have to be brave. Then you’ll definitely get rewarded.

– R, Really?

– Have I ever lied to you?

– Ah, no! I’ll try to be brave, as you say. Thank you!

– Yes, if you’ve made up your mind, put it into practice quickly.

I didn’t know what he was talking about, but it turned out to be some silly love story.

‘But he really is like a psychic.’

The day I asked what his purpose was for coming to the palace.

– The person I’m asking is you, Alfonso Einberg. Not the third son of the Count of Haimdel.

It started from then.

Every casual remark Evan made began to cause ripples in the quiet lives of the servants at Emerald Palace.

In the meantime, there were already 5 couples formed.

“So, are you going to start dating Roni? Tell me quickly.”

“Y, Yes.”

‘No, is it 6 couples now…….?’

Alfonso smiled wryly and started walking again.

After a while, when he arrived at his destination, the study, he noticed three maids loitering around for no reason.

Looking at their faces, they seemed to be lonely souls trying to run into Evan by chance and hear a word of encouragement from him.

“Excuse me~ Coming through!”

Thump!

He set down a mountain-like pile of books in front of the door, cleared his throat loudly, and knocked.

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness, I’ve brought the books you requested.”

“Enter.”

“Oof! Ugh.”

Alfonso entered the study after opening the door. Evan was seated at the desk, an open magic tome before him as he swiftly moved his pen.

“Shelve the books you’ve brought.”

“Yes! I’ll sort them right away.”

Alfonso began placing the books one by one on the shelves.

『Understanding Fluidity』

『Thirty-Six Methods of Manipulating Currents』

『Dancing with the Waves』

. . .

All basic magic books from the Azure Tower.

‘Last time it was books from the Crimson Tower.’

No matter how basic, there’s a reason he can easily obtain books from the Azure and Crimson Towers.

A kind of bait.

Magic is a discipline nearly impossible to self-study.

There are rumors that self-taught geniuses who master the theories in the basic magic books available can see a hidden message.

Like a mage’s home address.

– Greetings. If you’ve discovered my address in a magic book, you’ve proven yourself worthy of studying magic. Have you taken the mana attunement test? You haven’t? Then hurry inside. I’ll administer it for free. What? What if your attunement is below standard? Don’t worry about that, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just come in. I won’t ask for payment.

The rumor claims that those who find this address may receive an enthusiastic welcome from the mage.

The mana attunement test is the first barrier to becoming a mage. For those living hand-to-mouth, the examination fee is a burdensome expense bordering on impossible.

Yet brilliant talents can exist even in the slums. This is each Tower’s arrangement to find those diamonds in the rough.

Alfonso knows the stories circulating among people aren’t mere rumors.

In his view, Evan’s learning ability is quite remarkable. Especially with languages. He’s frequently seen Evan read ancient texts in their original forms, foreign languages notwithstanding.

So is Evan a genius… …?

Alfonso shook his head.

‘It doesn’t seem to be that.’

He had seen a few people called geniuses before. Their unique madness, perhaps? Evan didn’t show any signs of that.

Alfonso knew that he might be committing the error of generalization since the sample size was small.

‘As far as I know, he failed the mana sensitivity test, so what’s with the sudden magic?’

Come to think of it, Evan, who had never moved his body, recently started practicing [Lionel’s Swordsmanship] as well. Was there a textbook in the study?

Alfonso couldn’t get used to Evan’s changed appearance after his head was shattered by the 4th Prince.

But one thing was certain – being in the same space now was much better than before when they both seemed to become powerless.

***

Alfonso’s piercing gaze felt scorching.

I could guess what he was thinking. Something like, “What’s with the sudden magic?” I didn’t care and focused on the magic book I was reading.

After learning the mana cultivation method, I used the [Library] to improve my relationship with the staff of the Emerald Palace. Many of them were in their prime, so they often gave advice related to romance.

As expected, the rewards I received varied depending on the other person’s status and abilities.

The RP I gained from improving relationships with them, after deducting the information usage fee paid to Genie, was just pocket money level.

‘So far, the most RP I’ve earned was from improving my relationship with Alfonso.’

Distracted by my wandering thoughts, I took my eyes off the magic book I was reading and looked at him organizing the bookshelves.

Alfonso Einberg.

With our relationship improved to ‘Friendly’, I could see some of his stats that were [?] before. As a result, I saw the letter B in Alfonso’s Flexibility stat for the first time.

How flexible is he exactly?

‘Can his neck rotate 360 degrees or something?’

Anyway, he used to make a fuss calling me a slob for stretching, so how disgusting.

I also confirmed some of his hidden skills. As someone from the knightly Einberg family, he had mastered not only basic swordsmanship but also skills with spears, axes, daggers, and various other weapons.

But that was it.

There were still many [?] in his skill window.

Looking at the skills of other staff members, the higher the skill level, and… this is just a guess, but the more they want to hide something, the harder it is to confirm.

‘Well, whatever.’

Since Alfonso doesn’t seem to be doing anything silly lately, just observing me, I decided to watch him a little longer.

Relationships with people can drift further apart the more you try to get closer. I shifted my gaze back to the magic book I was reading.

『The Source of Fire』.

It was a magic book dealing with [Ignition], which could be considered the foundation of fire-attribute magic.

After learning the [Unparalleled Mana Cultivation Method], I used the remaining RP to learn basic magic spells. I needed to check the difference between the theories imprinted by learning skills and the theories contained in the magic books circulating in the market.

No significant differences could be found yet.

Rustle, rustle.

Flipping through the pages rapidly, I soon reached the last chapter.

+ + +

Charles, the apprentice wizard of the Red Tower, cast an ignition spell to light the fireplace. However, nothing happened. Here is the spell formula that Charles had written. Please correct it properly.

The fireplace is centered around Charles······.

.

.

.

+ + +

‘Shall I solve it?’

I started solving the problem with a serious expression. It was a bit confusing since I had to forcibly transfer what should have been three-dimensional onto paper.

I utilized mana to open my third eye, designed the spell formula depicted in the magic book in my mind, and constructed it on my palm.

It was a handball-sized spell formula, tightly packed with mana circuits on the outside and inside.

I glanced at Alphonso.

He had finished organizing the books and was standing there blankly. Due to his characteristic sleepy eyes, he looked like he was dozing off.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter if he can’t see it.’

One magical common sense ingrained while learning basic magic skills: except in special cases, a spell formula constructed by a wizard can only be seen by the wizard themselves.

To explain the reason in a way that anyone can easily understand, once mana is refined, it possesses the wizard’s unique mana wavelength. Perhaps the ghost hand was also unnoticed by other wizards for a similar reason.

I shifted my gaze from Alphonso and looked back at the spell formula in question.

‘The spatial coordinates are a mess? Even if it had been activated properly, the ignition would have occurred somewhere else instead of the fireplace.’

‘Parallel connection here? It’s a relief that nothing happened. The mana could have backflowed.’

‘Here, instead of connecting three points······.’

.

.

.

After a while, I couldn’t help but look at the spell formula I had reworked with a puzzled expression.

What had been a handball-sized spherical shape had transformed into a heart, and the mana circuits drawn on the outside of the spell formula were forming words.

‘Loudly shout “Beautiful lady wizard, please accept me as your disciple” while performing nine bows in front of the door at 34-231 Queen’s Crossroad, Royal Road?’

······ What is this?