"Do you want me to teach you magic, my Lady?" Thomas said, a bit surprised. Morrigan nodded. Her emotionless eyes looked at Thomas.
Thomas paused for a moment, then smiled slightly. "As you wish, my Lady. Let’s begin your lesson at noon."
Morrigan nodded again, though her expression remained neutral, she was secretly excited.
"You have six days left until you go to the Academy. During this time, I’ll teach you as much as I can, my Lady." Thomas bowed professionally, a hint of satisfaction on his lips.
Afterward, Morrigan had breakfast following her bath, then lunch.
She went to the library, where Thomas had asked her to meet him. The library had been filled with the most modern and advanced books on the Duke Alfred’s orders, with the old ones discarded.
Morrigan arrived at the library shortly and entered. The library was a simple place with elegant designs, filled with many valuable books.
"It seems you’re ready, my Lady." Thomas gestured for Morrigan to take a seat.
Morrigan nodded and sat down, dedicating all her attention to learning.
"First, you must learn about the three types of Mana, my Lady." Morrigan was momentarily surprised, one eyebrow rising in curiosity. Thomas chuckled at her expression. "I had the same look when I first heard it too."
Thomas smiled as if recalling old times, while Morrigan impatiently shifted. "Explain."
Thomas refocused and continued," "The three types of Mana are as follows: 1. The impure Mana that naturally forms from our souls, 2. The Mana we receive from the gods in exchange for a price, 3. The pure Mana pumped into the environment by the core of the world."
Morrigan was surprised by these terms. In stories, wizards always just uttered magical words to cast spells.
Thomas raised three fingers and continued. "The first humans lacked Mana. They only used the pure Mana from their surroundings."
Morrigan listened seriously. "But using pure Mana continuously affected their souls and caused mutations. This led to our souls producing impure Mana."
"Contrary to what most fools believe, Mana was not granted to humans by the gods." Thomas rolled his eyes as he said this. "The Mana from the gods, which is the second type, is Mana we received as a debt."
As he explained this, Morrigan felt Thomas’s anger towards the gods. "For example, the Goddess of Light is known for granting Mana in exchange for the eternal servitude of her followers."
Morrigan interjected, "But wasn’t the Goddess of Light a good goddess?"
Thomas laughed, as if he had heard a funny joke. Morrigan grew annoyed, not understanding why Thomas was laughing. "Did I say something funny?"
Thomas stopped laughing and returned to his professional demeanor. "I apologize, my Lady, but what you said was indeed quite amusing."
"The Goddess of Light enslaved people in a way. Anyone who made a pact with her met a bad end, including Arthur Pendragon." Morrigan was somewhat surprised by Thomas’s explanation but found it reasonable.
"Never forget this, my Lady." Thomas’s eyes became serious for a moment, and Morrigan was surprised to see his expression turn to deadly seriousness. "No matter what, even if you are dying, never make a pact with the Goddess of Light."
Morrigan and Thomas stared at each other for a while until Thomas returned to his old sarcastic and professional demeanor and laughed. "I know you’re not a fool, my Lady."
Thomas then continued, "According to ancient records, the first pact made with the gods was with a princess in the early years of the Age of Gods."
"The story of Princess Anastasia is well-known. Many literary enthusiasts love it," Morrigan, having heard this, became interested in Anastasia’s story. "Princess Anastasia was to make a political marriage with a prince from another kingdom, but for Anastasia, who wanted a love marriage, this was a disaster."
"She begged, cried, and asked for help from the gods for seven days. Eventually, a god offered to help her." Morrigan raised one eyebrow in curiosity. "Was it the Goddess of Love?"
Thomas laughed and shook his head. "No, the god who offered help to Anastasia was the God of Plague and Disease."
"The God of Plague?" Morrigan recalled who this god was. The God of Plague was one of the Evil Gods mentioned in the sacred texts of the Goddess of Light.
According to divine texts, the God of Plague frequently inflicted suffering, chaos, and turmoil on humans, and in the end, the Goddess exiled the God of Plague to the dimensional prison known as Abbys.
When she felt ready, she spoke the spell. "Leth!"
Contrary to Morrigan’s expectations, a stronger red beam than Thomas’s Leth hit the flower, turning not only the flower but also the vase and the stand underneath it to dust.
"Did I succeed?" Morrigan questioned herself, surprised. Thomas adjusted his glasses and looked at Morrigan with a satisfied grin. "As I thought, you are truly a unique case, my Lady."
"Thank you, I suppose," Morrigan said, still delighted by her success with the spell.
"If you wish, we can continue with our lesson, my Lady," Thomas coughed, and Morrigan’s joy was interrupted. She didn’t object and sat back down.
"Our next topic will be the Elements," Thomas explained. "There are four primary Elements, and countless other different Elements such as Space, Ice, Lightning, and so on..."
"But only two are special."
"Light and Darkness, right?" Morrigan asked. Thomas shook his head. "The attribute of Light can only be acquired through a pact with the Goddess of Light or, if you’re lucky, you might be born with it."
"And Darkness?" Thomas seemed slightly annoyed by Morrigan interrupting but continued. "Compared to the Light attribute, Darkness is more common."
"Light-based spells are beneficial for healing, protection, and support," Thomas struggled to keep his disdain in check. "So, according to foolish weaklings, the Light attribute is extraordinary."
When it came to describing the Darkness attribute, Thomas looked proud. "In contrast, Darkness is more aggressive, refined, and destructive."
"You’re quite proud of that, aren’t you?" Morrigan rolled her eyes at Thomas’s strange childish side.
"Anyway, let’s move on," Thomas straightened up and continued. "The Goddess of Light can grant the Light attribute through a pact, and she can also perform powerful attack techniques."
"What about the God of Darkness?" A silence fell over the room at the mention of the God of Darkness. Morrigan was surprised by Thomas’s serious expression.
"The God of Darkness is the only deity who has never made a pact with a human," Thomas said with a serious tone, and Morrigan listened attentively. "It is said that he is a powerful and ancient god, older than even the universe."
Morrigan raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Has he ever intervened in the human world?"
Thomas shook his head. "No, he has never revealed himself even once, but everyone knows who he is."
Morrigan agreed. The God of Darkness was almost always the villain in horror stories.
"What about Morgana? Wasn’t she chosen by the God of Darkness?" Thomas’s expression darkened when Morgana was mentioned. "No, no. Morgana was an incredible woman who grew on her own. The God of Darkness did not intervene with her."
"Morgana was a unique monster who started the Age of Chaos. No one could rival her except King Arthur." A respectful expression involuntarily appeared on Thomas’s face. "While Morgana gained power on her own, King Arthur was a fool who relied on his stupid sword."
Thomas’s voice was filled with disgust when he spoke of Arthur. "Aside from that, other details are not important for now."
"Finally, our last topic will be history," Thomas said, smiling at Morrigan’s troubled expression and continued his explanation. "The First Age was known as the Age Without Gods. It was a time when people were undeveloped, and even Fire had not been discovered yet."
"Then, 1,200 years later, the discovery of pure Mana occurred. In this era, people experienced incredible advancements, their souls underwent mutations. During this period, Wizards began to emerge, and kingdoms started to form."
Thomas observed Morrigan’s reaction for a moment. Contrary to what he expected, she listened with excitement.
"Following this era came the Age of Gods. Suddenly, the Gods revealed themselves to humans and demanded offerings and worship," Thomas said. "In a short time, people accustomed themselves to the presence of the Gods and underwent another reformation."
As Thomas was about to continue, he heard Morrigan yawn. He chuckled and looked at her. "It seems that’s enough for now, young lady."
Morrigan wanted to protest, but fatigue had taken over her body. "How long have we been here?"
"Without us noticing, it’s already dinner time," Thomas said, and Morrigan was surprised to realize how quickly time had passed.
Morrigan stood up and stretched her body before heading off to have dinner.