The Secret of Magic

“…Fú Nī Yà?”

Albert suddenly called out to the young girl, who was only halfway across the room.

“What is it?”

Fú Nī Yà inquired, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Your hair, your hair,” Albert said, a helpless look on his face, as he gestured to his own hair, then asked, a hint of confusion in his voice, “How did you come out without drying your hair?”

‘Drying my hair…?’

Fú Nī Yà tilted her head in confusion, only realizing she hadn’t dried her hair when she noticed the water droplets clinging to her clothes.

“Ah, I forgot…”

Fú Nī Yà’s eyes widened. Then, as if a thought had struck her, she glanced behind her.

On the floor, a distinct trail of water marked her path, a clear consequence of her undried hair.

“I’m sorry, Albert… I’ve dirtied the floor.”

Fú Nī Yà bowed apologetically, a blush creeping up her neck.

“It’s nothing, really,” Albert said, shaking his head. Then, with a touch of curiosity, he asked, “But why didn’t you dry your hair?”

“Well…”

Fú Nī Yà scratched her cheek, an awkward expression on her face.

Partly, it was because she had rushed out, and partly, of course, because her soul was still that of a boy.

In her previous life, a quick towel-dry was all her hair ever needed; nature would take care of the rest. She hadn’t accounted for the sheer volume of a girl’s hair, which nature simply couldn’t handle in such a short time.

“Ah, you…”

Seeing Fú Nī Yà’s embarrassed expression, Albert shook his head helplessly and beckoned her over.

“Come here, I’ll dry your hair for you.”

“Eh!?”

Fú Nī Yà froze, taken aback.

‘Dry, dry my hair!?’

‘Let a man dry my hair!?’

“Why are you still standing there?”

Seeing Fú Nī Yà remain motionless, Albert urged her on.

“Oh.”

Fú Nī Yà nodded reluctantly, murmuring inwardly ‘I’m not gay’, as she walked over and obediently sat on the sofa.

Albert moved behind the sofa, gently rubbing the towel through Fú Nī Yà’s hair.

As the fabric near her neck was damp from her hair, Albert could easily glimpse Fú Nī Yà’s delicate collarbone and the faint, milky white skin beneath.

Yet, Albert felt no particular stir from this sight. Having endured so much in his previous life, his heart had long since reached a state of detached tranquility.

Fú Nī Yà, for her part, didn’t notice anything amiss with her chest. Having only become a girl less than a day ago, it would have been too much to expect her to perceive such subtle differences.

Nevertheless, even as a newfound girl, Fú Nī Yà instinctively knew that having someone else dry her hair in such a manner was deeply embarrassing.

Fú Nī Yà’s ears burned crimson with shyness, and her eyes darted about, searching for anything to distract herself.

Just then, her gaze landed upon a book Albert had placed on the small coffee table in front of the sofa.

“’Introduction to Basic Magic’…?”

Fú Nī Yà took the book into her lap, tilting her head curiously as she read the title on the flyleaf.

Albert quickly straightened her head, explaining as he continued to dry her hair.

“Yes, exactly. I called you over just now because I wanted you to look at this book.”

“Look at this book?”

Fú Nī Yà grew even more perplexed upon hearing this.

This world, she knew from her predecessor’s memories, was home to both Battle Aura and magic.

This was information gleaned from her past self’s memories.

Then again, in a world where even elves existed, wouldn’t the absence of magic be far stranger?

Still, she found it odd that Albert seemed intent on teaching her magic.

According to her past self’s memories, learning magic in this world demanded talent, wealth, and diligence in equal measure—qualities a half-elf s*ave like herself had no right to possess.

In the House of Aethelina where her past self had resided, the strongest leader was merely a Fourth-tier Mage, considered only mid-level in this world.

While she possessed a system that even she couldn’t fully comprehend, hinting at a promising future, she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else. So why, and on what grounds, would Albert want to teach her magic?

Was it because he was a good person?

Even if he was, this seemed excessively benevolent.

As Fú Nī Yà pondered, Albert casually flipped to the first page of the magic book and addressed her.

“Can you understand it?”

“Hmm… let me see.”

Hearing Albert’s voice, Fú Nī Yà looked up, dismissing her wandering thoughts, and began to read the contents seriously. After all, Albert’s actions posed no harm to her, and it would be a waste not to look—it was a magic book, after all!

If she understood it, she could use magic!

The thought of soaring through the skies, burrowing through the earth, and transmuting objects into gold once she mastered magic filled Fú Nī Yà with a sense that her previously dim future was now brilliantly illuminated.

“Magic elements are divided into six categories: Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, and Darkness. Based on different applications of these elements, magical disciplines are divided into eight schools: Evocation, Conjuration, Transmutation, Abjuration, Illusion, Divination, Necromancy, and Arcane. Evocation controls energy, Conjuration manipulates space and time, Transmutation alters life, Abjuration handles weight with ease, Illusion beguiles minds, Divination communicates with all things, Necromancy reverses life and death, and Arcane is all-encompassing…”

The more Fú Nī Yà read, the brighter her eyes sparkled.

These things sounded incredibly powerful just from a glance!

If she could just learn even a little of this, a wonderful tomorrow would surely be within reach!

Meanwhile, Albert couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, noticing how engrossed Fú Nī Yà was in the book.

He had originally intended to take some time to research magic and necromancy-related spell schools that were relatively safe to learn. However, the moment he opened a magic book, he would feel drowsy.

It seemed he truly had no affinity for magic.

Not even after being reborn.

‘Then I’ll let her decide for herself,’ Albert thought.

“Fú Nī Yà, with all these magical disciplines mentioned in the book, which one do you want to learn?”

“Which one do I want to learn?”

Fú Nī Yà tilted her head in confusion. Then, with a hint of hesitation, she looked at Albert cautiously and asked, “Um… Albert? Why… why are you so good to me?”

“Why am I so good to you?”

Albert stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then asked Fú Nī Yà.

“Do you want to hear the cruel reason, the realistic one, or the sentimental one?”

“Hmm…” Fú Nī Yà blinked curiously at his words, then boldly declared, “Actually… I want to hear them all.”

“Is that so…”

Albert, having just finished drying Fú Nī Yà’s hair, put away the towel and said with a smile.

“The cruel explanation is that I paid a hefty price to acquire you. If you remain as useless as you are now, it means I’ve incurred a loss. Therefore, I need you to learn magic, become more useful, and help me recoup the cost of your purchase.”

“What if I can’t learn magic?” Fú Nī Yà asked curiously.

“Then I’d have to find a way to sell you off at a high price to recover my losses.”

“Uwe!?”

Fú Nī Yà’s eyes widened in astonishment, but then, seeing the smile playing on Albert’s lips, she suddenly realized he was merely joking.

“Heh heh…” Albert chuckled at the girl’s adorable reaction and continued, “The realistic explanation is that while magic may seem precious in your eyes, Fú Nī Yà, for someone of my standing, it’s something readily available. Except for magic books of eight rings or higher, giving the rest to you is no big deal.”

‘Readily available, huh…’

Fú Nī Yà murmured almost unconsciously.

A memory from her past self had suddenly surfaced in her mind.

About five years ago, the leader of the House of Aethelina (TL Note: Aethelina is a proper noun, likely a place or organization name), a Fourth-tier Mage, ventured into a newly discovered secret realm by an adventurer’s guild to obtain a magic book. There, they were ambushed by a magical trap and gravely wounded.

At the time, everyone in the House of Aethelina had gone without sleep for three days and three nights to care for their leader. Only after the leader awoke did they finally relax and get some peaceful rest.

A mere Fourth-tier Mage, yet for Fú Nī Yà and her companions, they were a pillar supporting their very sky.

A magic book of unknown ring level was worth this mage risking their life for.

But for Albert, magic below the eighth ring was a gift he could casually bestow.

“That’s so unfair…”

Fú Nī Yà couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Indeed, it’s incredibly unfair…”

Albert, too, sighed softly, a complex expression on his face.

The coming era was one where deities would descend, manifesting as transcendent beings, wantonly stirring up turmoil across the land.

At that time, Albert’s forces had been severely crippled by Fú Nī Yà, leaving him barely able to protect himself in the northern territories of the Holy Kingdom of Lohiris. Thus, he could, for once, genuinely empathize with Fú Nī Yà’s feelings in that moment.

“Eh? Albert?”

Although he could empathize, Fú Nī Yà didn’t see it that way.

To her, this “unfairness” worked in Albert’s favor.

Only by maintaining such “unfairness” could nobles continue to monopolize the power of magic and Battle Aura, thereby solidifying their own status.

Fú Nī Yà gazed at Albert with surprise, never having expected him to agree with her words.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because for you, Albert… isn’t this advantageous?”

“Just because it benefits me, does that mean I can’t oppose it?”

Albert retorted.

“Hmm… not exactly.” Fú Nī Yà’s mind couldn’t help but recall those from her previous life who had spontaneously opposed their own class. “Albert… are you that kind of person?”

“What kind of person?”

Albert asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

“N-nothing!” Fú Nī Yà quickly shook her head. “Right, Albert, what was the last reason, the sentimental one?”

“The sentimental reason, huh…”

Albert stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s simply that I’m actually a good person, and I couldn’t bear to see a certain half-elf’s pitiful appearance at the auction, so I bought her back.”

“How fake!”

Fú Nī Yà pouted.

“Indeed, how terribly insincere… How could someone possibly waste a hundred thousand gold coins for such a reason?”

Albert shook his head with a sigh.

“So, in the end, Albert, you still haven’t told me the real reason why you’re so good to me, have you?”

Hearing Fú Nī Yà’s words, Albert paused, then gave a wry smile.

He hadn’t managed to fool her after all.

‘Quite clever, she is.’

“Well… even though I don’t know why you’re so good to me, Albert, for now, you’re at least a decent person, so I won’t press the matter,” Fú Nī Yà said, standing up and stretching. “But… I hope that one day, Albert, you will truly be able to save others for a sentimental reason.”

“…”

Albert fell silent, a rare occurrence for him.

The young girl smiled at him.

Though still youthful, Fú Nī Yà could perceive a starlike radiance emanating from Albert.

It was the unique stellar brilliance of a hero, a radiance Fú Nī Yà knew she could never attain.

Such a brilliance she had only ever glimpsed as faint remnants in ancient books.

Now, she saw it in Albert.

She believed that one day, this faint glow within Albert would transform into a sun, warming the hearts of countless people.

To be fortunate enough to follow such a person—wouldn’t that be truly wonderful?