"It'll be fine."
Gojo Satoru flashed a confident smile. "I'll have a way by then, don't you worry."
Seeing him so self-assured, Puck didn't say anything more. Regardless, whether Gojo could return to the Forbidden Library in the future didn't have much to do with him anyway.
While the two were talking, Betty returned. Not only that, but an extra magic book had appeared in her hands.
"You may only read it here; you cannot take the book away, I suppose."
"Betty does not wish to see you again after this."
Beatrice held the magic book, looking at Gojo with a cold, detached expression.
"Got it, I won't take it away," Gojo said beamingly. As for the part about not wanting to see him again, it went completely in one ear and out the other. Whether she wanted to see him or not wasn't exactly up to her.
"Humph."
Betty let out a cold snort. She tossed the book toward Gojo, clearly unwilling to even step closer. Gojo didn't mind; he caught the book and sat right down on the floor to start reading.
Just as he had requested, this book contained records of Yin-affinity magic.
As Gojo flipped through the pages, he began to form a general understanding of magic. To cast a spell, there were two primary hurdles.
First was the manipulation of mana—the quality of the "Gate." The Gate was the channel connecting the body to the outside Mana (atmospheric mana), responsible for absorbing, storing, and outputing magical energy. The size and stability of a Gate were fixed from birth, determining the rate of absorption, the storage cap, and the output efficiency. If the specifications were too low to meet the mana requirements of basic spells, one was naturally out of luck.
Someone like Natsuki Subaru definitely wouldn't make the cut. He simply couldn't achieve a high enough level of fine control. He couldn't even master Shamak—which was the simplest, most basic release of mana—let alone higher-level spells.
And beyond that condition, there was a second: Mana itself.
The total amount of mana was also a limiting factor. High-level magic possessed greater power and stronger effects, so the mana consumption was naturally higher. For instance, if a high-level spell required sixty units of mana and your total capacity was only fifty, then barring some miracle, you would be unable to cast that spell alone for your entire life.
In other words, to become a powerful mage like Roswaal, the most important factor wasn't hard work, but talent.
In this regard, it was remarkably similar to being a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
As Gojo flipped through the book, he subconsciously began to ponder the fundamental difference between Mana and Cursed Energy. Cursed Energy was an energy extracted from emotions. Mana, however, was contained within the atmosphere. One was "artificial," the other was "purely natural."
But based on the Yin-affinity mana he currently possessed, it was strikingly similar to Cursed Energy in both property and composition. Yet, trying to cast magic using Cursed Energy was entirely impossible.
Is it really because of those minute differences?
According to the records of high-level Yin magic in his hands, while they gained significant offensive capabilities at higher tiers, they still leaned more toward utility and support roles. Compared to Cursed Energy, even if trained to the absolute limit, they couldn't quite compete. However, if used in tandem, they could complement each other for excellent results.
There were several spells recorded in the magic book. After a focused reading, Gojo quickly memorized them all. He stood up, patted the dust off his trousers, and walked over to Betty, who was still playing with Puck.
"Quite impatient, aren't you, human?"
"No—rather than human, 'monkey' seems far more fitting for you, I suppose."
Betty was currently holding Puck up while playing. Seeing Gojo get up so soon after sitting down, she immediately began her cold mockery.
"Monkeys are pretty cute too, aren't they?"
"Thanks for the book; I'm all done." Gojo placed the book on the table. "See you tomorrow, then."
"Who wants to see you tomorrow!"
"Betty will not permit you to enter again, I suppose!"
Hearing Gojo's words, Betty spoke up in dissatisfaction. However, Gojo merely waved a hand with his back turned and sauntered out leisurely.
"Brother!"
"Don't let this annoying fellow come over tomorrow!"
Watching Gojo leave the library, Betty pouted at Puck.
"Hehe, I know, I know," Puck said, rubbing his head sheepishly. He didn't have much of a choice today; who told him to talk big earlier, only to end up turning Subaru into such a mess?
The door Gojo opened to exit was no longer Subaru's room, but a corridor near the first-floor hall. Just as he stepped out, he saw Felt through a window. She was sitting on the outdoor steps, staring blankly into the distance out of sheer boredom.
"What's up? I haven't seen you all day," Gojo said casually, walking out of the mansion and sitting down beside Felt.
"Nothing. It's just pretty boring," Felt said, resting her chin on her hand while gazing at the scenery.
"Missing Old Man Rom?" Gojo thought for a moment before asking.
"I'm not," Felt replied without turning her head. "I'm not a kid anymore; how could I..."
"Really?"
Gojo reached out, turned Felt's head toward him, and looked at her seriously. Felt struggled, trying to swat Gojo's hands away to save herself. However, she was no match for him and eventually gave up, looking dejected.
"Missing your family isn't something to be ashamed of."
"Old Man Rom must be missing you a lot right now too," Gojo said breezily, letting go.
"I told you, that's not it!" Felt said, her tsundere side refusing to admit it.
"I just feel like it's boring here. Also, how much longer are we staying?"
Gojo rubbed his chin in thought. "Probably a bit longer."
"There are still some things here that I'm quite interested in." Gojo looked at Felt. "I think you should take this chance to relax properly. After all, life wasn't exactly easy before this, was it?"
"Once I've cleared up some things, we can go back. Or... we could have Old Man Rom move in and live with us."
"Move in? Live with us?" Felt asked, bewildered. Her face was a mask of confusion.
"Don't overthink it. Just enjoy yourself for now."
"I'll tell you about the rest when the time is right, but not now."
"Seriously! If you're not going to tell me, then don't bring it up in the first place, you jerk!"