Hmm, I feel like I could "borrow" these books and take them back to the Dynasty. It would be good for my people to learn a bit of sorcery...
Mohg thought to himself as he scanned the various magical tomes scattered throughout the schoolhouse.
He flipped through a few of them and found that most were personal notes and summaries written by past sorcerers. The original texts regarding the most fundamental glintstone magics had long since vanished—either misplaced or taken by others.
Mohg surmised that the books currently on the shelves were likely hand-copied, meaning their numbers were extremely limited.
It wasn't surprising, then, why the Academy recruited students every so often, even if their talent was lackluster. On one hand, it was for prestige; on the other, it was for labor. They needed people to copy books and expand the Academy's collection.
After wandering the stacks for a while, Mohg selected a few books he deemed useful and prepared to head back to his quarters, planning to find an opportunity to "requisition" them permanently.
The titles were: The Idiot's Guide to Learning Glintstone Pebble, On Easy Methods for Introductory Spell Sigil Construction, and Simple Meditation for Sorcerers.
Compared to the violent, raw mana he had previously erupted by attracting the gaze of the Blood Star through his staff, the meditation techniques here were the proper way for a normal sorcerer to increase their internal mana pool. His previous method was pure cheating—or rather, pure heresy.
As for the Blood Star... after that one instance of being "noticed," Mohg had ignored it entirely. The conditions for obtaining its power and sorceries were far too demanding. He had absolutely no desire to learn its blood sorceries right now.
The Blood Star's path of devotion was similar to that of the Formless Mother, yet distinctly different.
For instance, the Formless Mother craved pain and blood—which could come from anyone or anything. But the Blood Star was far more... niche. It only craved the pain and blood of the practitioner. Furthermore, its demands for suffering were much harsher than the Formless Mother's. It demanded the pain of "eternal darkness" from losing one's eyes, the "silent pain" of losing one's tongue, and so on.
The Star actually looked down upon a simple heart sacrifice; aside from the momentary flash of agony at death, there was no lasting "entertainment" to be gained. To such an entity, that was the most useless form of sacrifice.
In short, if you wanted the power of the Blood Star, you had to sacrifice your own organs or limbs and ensure the resulting pain was something that wouldn't easily fade.
Given those conditions, Mohg had immediately scrubbed any interest in obtaining that being's blessing. At most, he would observe it to see if he could reverse-engineer other types of magic. If it required him to self-mutilate, it wasn't happening in this lifetime.
"Oh? Are you a new apprentice? I don't believe I've seen you before."
Suddenly, a voice—indifferent yet hauntingly familiar—rang out from behind Mohg, causing him to turn around.
He saw a woman of somewhat petite stature leaning against the doorframe. She wore a Karolos Glintstone Crown and was watching him intently.
Mohg felt a slight twinge of disappointment at not seeing the specific stone mask from his memories.
"I don't know what you're thinking about, but it feels quite rude. Come here; I need an apprentice to assist me with my research."
"I understand."
Mohg nodded. He didn't refuse—not that he really had the right to anyway—and followed after her.
"May I ask your name?"
"Oh? Is this an attempt at a pick-up line? I have no interest in such things."
"Uh, no, you've misunderstood. I simply wish to know your name to make our working relationship easier."
Mohg looked at her, slightly dazed by the response, before explaining.
"Hmph. My name is Sellen. If you truly have talent, it won't be long before you become a formal sorcerer. Regardless, Apprentice, please refrain from asking irrelevant questions."
With that, Sellen clutched her books to her chest and headed toward a nearby laboratory.
Mohg's eyes widened. He truly hadn't expected to run into "Teacher" Sellen so easily.
Looking at her now, it seemed she hadn't yet obtained her "Witch" glintstone crown...
Hiss... wait, does that mean that old snake Seluvis is also part of this current generation of students?!
Then again, could he try to "abduct" his teacher?
Mohg began to weigh the feasibility of this. He realized the prerequisite for her "abduction" was usually her becoming a sorceress of the Primeval Current. To be honest, if possible, he didn't want her to join the Primeval Current. He had zero desire to see a giant, "Graven-Mass" version of his petite teacher...
So the question was: was the current Sellen already a member of the Primeval Current?
In his memory, Sellen had said her first teacher was the master sorcerer Azur. Therefore, it was highly likely she was already part of the Primeval faction. The exile and imprisonment of Azur and Lusat within the Academy had likely already occurred.
Sellen was probably hiding her identity as a Primeval sorceress for now, quietly researching and studying within the Academy's walls.
But it was still early; he felt he might have a chance to change her perspective.
"Alright, this is my laboratory. Do not touch those areas. If you trigger the magical wards, don't blame me for not warning you."
Sellen pointed out several specific spots in the room as a stern warning, then signaled for Mohg to help her move glintstones and equipment.
Once that was done, she had Mohg assist her in the construction, calculation, and drawing of spell sigils.
In an instant, "dead memories" began to assault Mohg. The trauma of being dominated by mathematics in his previous life suddenly manifested in physical form!
Fortunately, he had studied some magical theory to master glintstone sorcery, otherwise, he truly wouldn't have been able to handle this.
Even so... Sellen began to frown.
"Your foundational knowledge of magic is absolutely atrocious. I dare say a newborn infant just touching magic for the first time knows more than you. Are you some kind of demi-human wearing a human skin?"
Mohg felt as though an arrow had pierced his chest. That stung.
"I have traveled abroad for a long time. The magic I learned was primarily for combat, so I never encountered much theoretical knowledge. That is one of the main reasons I came to the Academy."
"I see. In that case, go back. Master the knowledge in these few books, and I will call for your help again once you have."
Sellen nodded and tossed several books at Mohg. Then, with a look of blatant disdain, she waved him away.
Mohg shrugged and left the room.
"Hmm... I think I forgot to ask his name? Whatever, it doesn't matter. He's just an ordinary apprentice..."
Sellen shook her head and put Mohg out of her mind. She had only helped him on a whim because they met; she had far more important things to do. She had to prepare to earn the title of "Witch."
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