“Hmm, since you’re involved deeply in this, I guess it would be alright for me to tell you.” Seraphine decided, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

  “She suffers from mana rejection.” She said matter-of-factly, oblivious to the nearly audible clack of Aurelius’s jaws dropping.

  “...But she’s a sage!” Aurelius cried out in disbelief.

  “How loudly do you want to announce that?!” Seraphine responded in shock, giving Aurelius a small smack on his head.

  “Yes. She’s still alive only because she advanced herself to the level of a sage.” Seraphine continued, checking her surroundings to see if anyone managed to overhear their conversation.

  “She prefers to keep her condition… private. And she’s completely buried the paperwork for her condition in the archives too after becoming a sage…” Seraphine explained.

  Mana rejection was a rare disease that occurred in people as a result of a birth defect, with those affected born with an imbalance in the elemental attributes of the body, with affected individuals becoming unable to stabilise the soul within themselves.

  Unlike most diseases and illnesses, mana rejection was something that was almost impossible to cure, or deal with.

  Most affected individuals would slowly lose fragments of their soul as the body attempted to rebalance the instability by a rejection of the soul entirely, succumbing to a complete loss of identity and eventual death.

  “So what can she do with a brain box?” Aurelius asked skeptically.

  “It’s quite simple. Since a brain box can substitute a portion of the brain’s activities, it is possible to extend the lifespan of the affected individuals by simply replicating that portion and removing it from the body.” Seraphine explained, grimacing slightly at the explanation.

  “...What the hell?” Aurelius muttered out loud.

  What kind of insane approach was that?!

  “Well, I mean I sympathise with the fact that she didn’t go through with it, especially with the fact that the brain box is merely a life extension tool, rather than a more permanent solution that ascension to archsagehood is.” Seraphine explained glumly.

  Aurelius nodded at the thought, becoming a little more empathetic to the struggles of Sage Yeltz. Despite her numerous flaws, it was obvious even to Aurelius that Sage Yeltz had put in the hard work and faced her potential death with a face braver than the majority of the population.

  Seraphine observed Aurelius critically, setting aside her fried rice.

  “Also, you mentioned that your soul blueprint can amplify and compress magic.” She continued, tapping her finger on the table rapidly.

  “I think if that’s true, your soul blueprint may be able to completely cure the condition called mana rejection in the future.” She declared.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Aurelius frowned at this, unsure how that could possibly make sense.

  “You can stave off death from mana rejection if you stabilise your soul through the process of becoming a mage.”

  “However, the imbalance is impossible to eliminate. And those inflicted with the condition become a mage of one of the elements that help to balance the distortion, or contract a spirit of the same element.”

  “The issue is that magic is inherently external. It must exist in a complete separation from oneself and the outside.”

  “If it is possible to compress and make the process efficient enough, a soul shape may be possible where you can create a constant output of the elemental magic to internally balance the disease.” She explained.

  “So I will admit, Aurelius. I’m happy that you’ve shown up to support Sage Yeltz. You represent a truly unique hope for the sage, and for the future of those she relates to.” She said, leaning closer on the table to scrutinise his face.

  Aurelius instinctively flinched backwards, surprised by the sudden movements.

  “But I also know that she’s not always the most kind to strangers, or the most understanding of those around her. She obsesses over her work and growls like a madwoman with a scowl constantly on her face.”

  “But I need you to understand. She’s someone worth saving.” Seraphine said softly, narrowing her eyes at Aurelius.

  Aurelius stared back, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

  At the same tim, he understood the gravity of Seraphine’s words. The cure to the curse plaguing Sage Yeltz was in his hands, and he could be the person responsible for advancing the agenda of magic to greater heights, and to better the world that he lived in…

  And after a short, awkward silence, Aurelius could only muster up a single word.

  “...Ok.”

  ???

  “Ok, you’ve become a little tiny bit better.” Mr. Tona said, sending a bunch of cold water into Aurelius’s face for the umpteenth time.

  “Puah!” Aurelius gurgled, shaking off the wetness of his clothes.

  “You! Damn! Please stop!” Aurelius managed between the sloppy curtains that his hair had made in front of his eyes…

  “What, I didn’t do this in your previous life?” Mr. Tona asked, fidgeting with a lint stuck to his coat in the process.

  “N-No, you d-didn’t, you old, senile m-man!” Aurelius shivered out, shaking away the remnants of the ice-cold water from his back.

  “Ah, right. You were still a student…” Mr. Tona mused.

  “We’re done for today. Do report to Yeltz and keep her happy and occupied.” He said, taking a drag of his cigarette. “As for me, tell her I have a date with my wife.”

  And with that, he snapped himself away, teleporting immediately out of the gym.

  “...He forgot to dry me off.” Aurelius muttered in irritation.

  “What could that man possibly be referring to by… previous life?” Pultris asked, frustration evident in his voice.

  “Like I said, I’m not bloody telling you.” Aurelius muttered, tapping on his charm to shut the ridiculous angel out of his life.

  “Wait-” Pultris called out, his plea for an answer being cut off unceremoniously.

  “Do not trust the angel of corruption, they say.” Aurelius mused thoughtfully, using an interesting basic magic he had recently learned to dry himself off.

  “Manus, ab aqua me tege; casum naturae concede. Manus, aqua me protege; casum ad naturam redige.” Aurelius muttered.

  He was only able to use this spell with a whole mouthful of mnemonic triggers, but at least he had become able to cast it…

  Aurelius felt his skin and clothes smoothen out and… become dry as desert, becoming completely repellent to the water around his body.

  The water droplets that left his clothes and his body simply rolled down, unable to find purchase anywhere around his body.

  The magic was an application of water magic, where water was made to gather by infusing water into them. In this process, the water droplets become attracted to each other. In this process, the basic magic is able to create a property wherein the surfaces that the water is on becomes hydrophobic, allowing it to just slip down unimpeded.

  With that, Aurelius started to make his way to Sage Yeltz’s office, shaking off the droplets of water with a slow jog.

  Today was the day where Sage Yeltz would be showing them her version of a soul box.