Saaaaa—
As time passed, the sensation in Nerha’s limbs gradually disappeared.
Four minutes remained until the access authorization refreshed.
If he failed to get out within those four minutes, Chloeia would immediately report everything about Nerha to the family.
Even if he possessed entry authorization, attempting to smuggle out research papers was no minor matter. The Radeus family would investigate him thoroughly, and his already fragile standing would collapse in an instant.
Crack! Crack!
Disturbing sounds echoed throughout his body, as though something inside him were splintering apart.
His body was dying moment by moment, yet strangely, Nerha’s expression looked calm instead.
‘He’s… smiling?’
Chloeia’s brows twitched as she watched the corners of his lips rise.
Although she hadn’t used her unique elemental magic, the amount of mana she had poured into the spell easily reached the equivalent of a fifth-level technique.
“Then… I suppose… I’ll see you at the entrance.”
Craaaack!
With the sound of ice splitting apart, Nerha slowly turned and began walking toward the exit.
‘H-He’s moving?’
Chloeia was stunned.
She had estimated the odds of Nerha overcoming this trial at less than ten percent.
The direct descendants ranked among the highest within House Radeus were monsters even she rarely saw, beings completely incomparable to the current Nerha.
To someone like him, who had only just begun to awaken to magic, surpassing those people would normally be impossible.
‘He has to show something beyond his current level. Some kind of possibility. Otherwise he has no chance at all. But considering his past achievements… it should’ve been impossible.’
He needed to prove he was not some mediocre mage struggling at levels one and two, but someone capable of reaching far higher.
Whether it was grit, effort, talent, or something else entirely.
Deep down, Chloeia had been hoping the reckless brat who dared extend a hand toward her would show her something worthwhile.
Crk! Crk!
Nerha desperately circulated mana throughout his body, forcing every ounce of latent potential to erupt outward.
‘This is going to kill me.’
The magic Chloeia had cast wasn’t merely cold—it was a binding curse that restrained movement itself.
To break free from it, one had to transform the mana inside their body into blazing yang energy and circulate it endlessly.
Normally, achieving such a feat required reaching the realm of transcendent mastery.
But Nerha had already passed beyond that level long ago.
With every step he took, pale steam began rising from his entire body.
Watching this, Chloeia’s mouth slowly fell open.
“H-How…?”
As far as she knew, there were only three possible ways to escape this curse.
Either use at least fourth-level Dispel or Anti-Freezing magic…
Or possess the physical body of a knight capable of using body reinforcement techniques.
‘Or manipulate mana so precisely that you coat your skin with it and completely block the cold.’
In truth, the methods became increasingly unrealistic.
Even Chloeia herself would struggle to protect her body from this freezing curse through mana control alone.
‘There is also the possibility of transforming one’s internal mana into a fire attribute through elemental conversion, but…’
She immediately dismissed the thought.
Manifesting an element was one thing.
Converting the attribute of one’s mana itself belonged solely to the realm of Archmages.
“Huff… huff!”
“Am I… seeing things?”
Thirty meters already.
Exhaling white breath, Nerha steadily advanced toward the entrance one step at a time.
‘This isn’t something you can explain with determination alone. Did I… misjudge his abilities?’
Chloeia stared blankly as Nerha’s figure slowly moved farther away.
Without even noticing the passage of time, she remained fixated on him until—
“I made it.”
Only after Nerha successfully reached the entrance to the hidden thesis archive did she snap back to reality.
Frost clung to his blue-tinted eyelashes as he curved his lips into a faint smile.
“I won… the bet. Time hasn’t… passed yet, right?”
“Ah? Ah!”
Only after hearing his declaration did Chloeia hurriedly check the time.
Five seconds remained before the authorization expired.
She frantically moved her hands, renewing the archive’s access just moments before it lapsed.
‘…Whew!’
After narrowly averting disaster, Chloeia swallowed hard as she looked at Nerha, who had collapsed to the floor in exhaustion.
‘What monstrous talent.’
There was no doubt in her mind.
Nerha had cleared the condition through mana control that completely surpassed common sense.
Otherwise, this situation made no sense at all.
‘A mage can only perfectly control the mana throughout their entire body after reaching at least level six.’
Before that, even controlling the mana flowing between the heart and both hands was difficult enough.
And on top of that—
‘If he broke a fifth-level binding spell with mana barely equivalent to level one or two… then his actual control ability must be…’
A chill ran down her spine.
For the first time, a possibility she had never imagined crossed her mind.
‘Could it be… he deliberately abandoned leveling up and spent all those years focusing solely on mana control?’
It was common knowledge that mana control improved as one’s level increased.
But the reverse was also true.
Even if someone learned higher-level spells, they were meaningless without the control ability necessary to manifest them.
Chloeia had seen countless mages stagnate for years because of that wall.
‘To climb even higher…’
The intellect Nerha had displayed until now was far from that of a failure.
If judged as a beginner, he belonged firmly among the ranks of geniuses.
A man who endured the disgrace of being called a dropout while staking his life on an impossible goal.
A schemer laying down an enormous foundation for the future.
“I intend to become the head of House Radeus.”
‘…He actually meant it?’
“Hey, I’m dying over here… mind using some healing magic?”
Tremble—
“Ah!”
Though the curse had been lifted, the aftereffects still ravaged Nerha’s body.
Only then did Chloeia realize the disgraceful state she had fallen into, and she hurriedly unleashed recovery magic upon him.
—Recovery!
Warmth spread through his body alongside the healing spell, and only then did sensation slowly begin returning to his limbs.
‘Pathetic… To think I can barely endure even this.’
During the Demonic War, he had operated effortlessly within the far harsher climate of the Northern Sea.
‘At this rate, if I don’t strengthen this body soon, situations like this will become troublesome again… Mm…’
As the tension finally released, overwhelming drowsiness crashed over him.
He could resist it through willpower if necessary.
But now that everything was over, he had no reason to bother.
Beyond his fading vision, the last thing he saw was Chloeia staring at him with a complicated expression.
Then Nerha quietly surrendered himself to sleep.
“Mm….”
By the time Nerha regained consciousness, the sun was already setting.
“You’re awake?”
“…Yeah.”
Chloeia looked down at him calmly.
The confusion she had shown earlier was completely gone, replaced once more by her usual expressionless face.
“To be honest, I was truly shocked. Young Master Nerha, I never imagined you would actually break that curse and win the bet.”
“Is that so?”
“While you were asleep, I examined your body briefly. Even being generous, the total amount of mana within you is barely at the third level. And you weren’t hiding any artifacts either…”
“You’ve got bad habits.”
“Please consider it proof of how unbelievable this was.”
A faint smile appeared on Chloeia’s lips.
From that smile alone, Nerha realized she had reached some kind of decision.
As she gazed around the surrounding bookshelves, she spoke quietly.
“My goal is to escape from House Radeus.”
The unexpected declaration made Nerha blink.
“With your skill, that doesn’t sound particularly difficult.”
“If I were alone, perhaps.”
“…”
The resignation in her tone could only mean one thing.
“You have family tied to them.”
“Yes. My clan remains leashed by House Radeus.”
The Frost Clan of the North, characterized by the same blue hair and eyes as Chloeia.
Their northern specialties and exceptional magical abilities made them extremely valuable to House Radeus in countless ways.
“Can it be done?” she asked.
Nerha smirked faintly.
Someone among the head family—perhaps even the patriarch himself—was undoubtedly responsible for suppressing the Frost Clan’s freedom.
But regardless of who it was, none of it would matter once he became head of the family.
“Fine. When I take the position of family head, I’ll grant freedom to you and your clan.”
“Freedom alone won’t be enough.”
“…Hm?”
Chloeia’s expression turned firm.
“I expect proper compensation for the hell I’ve endured these past ten years.”
“…”
“And if possible, I’d like to choose the compensation personally.”
The icy woman from moments ago had vanished completely, replaced by someone openly obsessed with money.
Nerha suddenly recalled an old friend from the East who often used a certain phrase in situations like this.
“Counting your chickens before they hatch.”
This was exactly that.
Wearing an awkward expression, Nerha nodded.
“Well, fair enough. I’ll compensate you properly, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you. And no changing your story later.”
“You’d better not stab me in the back either.”
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
And so, the contract between Nerha and Chloeia was formed.
Immediately afterward, Nerha touched the back of his head with a strange expression.
“By the way… what exactly is going on here?”
He had stayed quiet because Chloeia started talking the moment he woke up.
But right now, the back of his head was resting squarely on her lap.
With a gentle smile, she said,
“Hehe. I heard boys your age are fond of something called a lap pillow.”
Though honestly, men of any age would enjoy resting on a beautiful woman’s lap…
“Doesn’t your thigh hurt? I must’ve been lying there for hours.”
“It’s definitely starting to go numb. So you should get up now.”
“Tch.”
Feeling slightly disappointed, Nerha slowly lifted himself upright.
Even after recruiting Chloeia as his subordinate, Nerha decided not to leave the archive.
To begin with, fewer than five people visited the place on most days, making it the perfect environment to train and research without worrying about prying eyes.
“I brought them.”
Besides analyzing Karuan Radeus’s thesis, Nerha had not neglected properly studying magic itself.
“These are the essential first-level spell formulas. And these are recommended books on elemental magic applications and control techniques.”
“Thanks.”
Normally, borrowing books required strict supervision.
But although Chloeia was not part of the direct bloodline, she was still an extraordinarily talented mage.
As such, she held considerable authority within the family.
While she lacked the power to interfere in major family affairs, borrowing low-level magic books from other archives was well within her authority.
“Sigh… To think I’ve become someone running errands for another person.”
“The ones who suffer together during the hard times end up sharing greater rewards later.”
“…You do realize that’s exactly the kind of line scammers use when they want free labor, right?”
“Is it?”
Chloeia narrowed her eyes slightly.
Nerha had meant the words sincerely, but apparently all he had accomplished was making her trust him less.
“Still, I can trust your judgment. Thanks to you, my growth will become much faster.”
“Then stop talking and show me actual results already.”
“You’ll see them soon enough.”
