Chapter 1642: The Core Principle and the Bridge ( 1642 )

Meanwhile.

Inside the portable building.

Liana stood at the sink, rinsing a plate under the running water, her silver hair tied back loosely, a few strands falling against her cheek. She soaped it slowly, working the cloth over the surface, then rinsed it clean and handed it to Gloria.

Gloria took it, wiped it dry with a clean towel, and set it on the rack.

"Liana?"

"Hmm?"

Gloria set the dried plate into the rack and reached for the next one.

"Do you think Celine and Lyzia can master the basics before the vacation ends? Before Young Master departs for the other continent for his mission?"

Liana kept scrubbing, her voice calm.

"Mm. I do."

Gloria placed another clean plate onto the rack, her brow furrowing slightly.

"You really think they can? Celine’s mana is different from everyone else’s. Her understanding of magic and casting is... different. She learned under a completely different system, with different rules, different limitations. She doesn’t even know how to convert ambient mana yet. And Lyzia..."

She paused, reaching for another plate. "Lyzia relies too much on incantations. She’s been trained that way for years. It’s ingrained in her. Breaking that habit won’t be easy."

Liana let out a soft chuckle. She handed the next plate to Gloria, her voice calm and confident.

"Young Master is a genius inventor. He’s mastered every element. He’s created more original magic than any of his brothers combined. His way of teaching isn’t like the others. He doesn’t follow traditional methods. He doesn’t waste time on lengthy theory or repetitive drills. He finds what works for each person and builds from there. So just trust him. I’m sure he’ll find a way to help both Celine and Lyzia."

Gloria nodded slowly. She placed the plate onto the rack, then reached for another.

"Mm... that’s true. I still remember most of Armand’s personnel were once like that. Magic users, military officers, even the household staff. We all used incantations. Shorter and faster than most, but still incantations. Both of us were like that too, but even faster. But after Young Master showed us the way of instant casting..."

She paused, her voice softening. "It changed everything. He didn’t just teach us the technique. He taught us how to feel the mana, how to let it flow without forcing it. He didn’t make us memorize more spells. He made us understand what we were already doing."

Liana’s hands moved through the water, slow and steady.

"He knows how to tailor his teaching to each person. He won’t force Celine to learn the way Lyzia learns, or force Lyzia to learn the way Celine learns. Just like you and me. We both learned in different ways, didn’t we? He didn’t teach us the same way. He found what worked for each of us."

Gloria tilted her head, her brow furrowing slightly. She set the dried plate onto the rack and reached for another, her voice dropping into a quiet mumble.

"But... Mrs. Erinette and Sir Alf... they used incantations before, didn’t they? I remember seeing them cast spells with words. Not the long, drawn-out chants that most mages use, but still... words."

Liana smiled. She finished rinsing the last plate, turned off the water, and handed it to Gloria. Gloria took it and wiped it dry with the towel. Liana dried her own hands on a clean cloth, her movements slow and thoughtful.

"I don’t know much about it," Liana said, her voice calm and measured. "But I did see them do it a few times. Just one word, maybe two, when they cast. Not full incantations like the academies teach. More like... a single word, spoken sharp and clear, and the spell would fire."

She folded the cloth and set it down on the counter.

"So I don’t know if that was an incantation or something else. It didn’t sound like the chants we were taught. It sounded more like... a command."

Fransesca’s voice drifted from the table behind them, soft and calm.

"It’s not an incantation."

Both of them turned toward her. Fransesca set her teacup down with a soft clink and rested her elbow on the table, her cheek on her palm.

"Alf and Erinette don’t use incantations the way the academy teaches. Not the way mages from other nations chant their spells. Their words are... intimidation. A declaration. A warning. When Alf says a single word, it’s not to cast the spell. It’s to tell his enemy exactly what’s about to happen. The spell itself is already formed. The word is just... the final breath before the strike."

She paused, her eyes drifting toward the window.

"Alf, Erinette, and Hesbeirn all learned from Garius. He taught them his way of casting. But his way is different from everyone else’s. It’s harder to learn, harder to adapt to, because it requires a kind of absolute control over mana that most people can never reach. That’s why it’s so difficult for the Armands, or anyone else, to learn the way he casts. His style isn’t something that can be taught easily. It has to be felt, understood, and mastered on your own terms."

Liana bowed slightly, her hands clasped in front of her.

"Forgive my curiosity, Lady Mother. But if Young Master did not invent instant casting himself... did he simply refine what Father-in-law already used? Or did he create something entirely new? And then taught all of us to cast without incantations at all?"

Fransesca smiled. She lifted her cup and took a slow sip before setting it down again.

"Not quite."

She traced the rim of the cup with her fingertip.

"Garius created the core principle. The foundation. He was the first to discover that mana could be commanded without words, without gestures, without any external catalyst. Original magic comes from that principle. The refusal to accept that power needs permission. But his method is harsh. It’s brutal. Powerful, yes. But raw. It required an almost impossible level of control. Very few could learn it, and even fewer could master it."

She tilted her head.

"But Honey Bun is different. He did not copy his father’s way. He did not try to become him. Instead, he took a different path entirely. He built his own foundation. He devised his own formulas. His own magical codes. His own structured systems. He broke the process down into something that could be studied, practiced, and understood. He turned what was once instinct into something that could be learned. He built a bridge between the genius and the student."

She smiled softly.

"That’s why the Armand personnel could learn it. That’s why you and all the girls could learn it. Because Javier didn’t teach you to copy him. He gave you a way to reach it on your own."

Gloria nudged her glasses up, her voice quiet and careful.

"Pardon me, Lady Mother. But if Father-in-law created the core principle, and it’s so difficult to learn... is he the only one who can truly use it?"

Fransesca let out a soft laugh. She raised her knuckle to her lips, her eyes glinting with quiet amusement.

"Not really~ There is someone other than him who could use the same. In fact, he might use it even better than Garius does."

She glanced toward the window, her eyes drifting toward the sand where the distant sounds of Mimi and Buddy’s chase drifted through the air.

"But knowing him~ He doesn’t bother using it unless he has to. He doesn’t see the point in showing off strength he doesn’t need to prove. He’s always been like that. Lazy in his own way. Brilliant, but unwilling to flaunt it. Unless it’s necessary, he’ll never use it."

( End Of Chapter )