As the lessons in swordplay came to an end for the day, he went back to exploring the mansion left in his possession. The amount of halls seemed endless, bringing him to check out the rooms, discovering guest stays and storage rooms.
'There's way too many rooms to count,' he thought.
Grasping a handle of one door at his random choosing, he opened it without any reservations. As it swung open, he discovered an occupied chamber, with a short, silver-haired girl in the middle of getting dressed.
While she certainly wasn't on par with Irene in terms of volume, there was something to be said about her pale, smooth skin.
[Iris Galant] [CLASS: Maid] [Designated Lv: 5]
"Ah—my bad," Leon apologized.
By the reddened complexion of the youthful woman, he didn't press his luck, quickly shutting the door. While exploring the halls, he somehow found himself accompanied by a man in a black suit with messy, black hair and dazzling blue eyes.
"Good evening, Master," the youthful man of princely features greeted him with his hand over his heart, taking a slight bow.
["Salvatore Mecalin"] [CLASS: Butler] [Designated Lv: 16]
"'Sup?" Leon responded before coughing to correct himself. "I mean—good evening, Salvatore."
Beside him, Salvatore matched his pace, "Lady Beatrice is waiting for you in the lecture hall. I would very much advise you not to keep her waiting—she has a very bad temper with those things."
"Right, thanks," Leon said, vaguely recalling experiences with the one called Beatrice. "Is that all?"
Salvatore smiled, waving his hand, "Well, if I may…"
"Ah—?" He stopped, letting the butler do whatever it was he was trying.
With a masterful motion, the princely servant brushed his hand over Leon's hair.
"There, I fixed it," Salvatore said. "You had a few strands sticking out of place."
"Oh. Thanks?" Leon said, not sure if it was worth stopping over.
Through some amount of exploring the vast mansion, he found his way to the lecture hall. As soon as he opened the doors, he felt the air change; dense with dignified mana.
"You finally decided to show up. Well, earlier than last session, so it's an improvement."
Addressing him was a woman with flowing, dark-azure hair sat beneath a prominent, pointy hat. She has a mole beneath her right eye, somehow only enhancing her bewitching beauty.
["Beatrice"] [CLASS: Grand Witch] [Designated Lv: 27]
"Sorry, I've been distracted today," Leon apologized with a small laugh, entering the lecture room meant only for himself.
The rows of desks seemed a bit unnecessary, seating himself directly in the middle. Around the chamber of learning, a globe with continents completely unlike that of Earth was fixated, along with shelves of books and odd concoctions.
"I expect you to show some progress today, young lord," Beatrice addressed him with a hint of sternness.
"Of course," he said with a ready smile.
While he sat himself down to listen and learn to the expert in magecraft, there was a small challenge.
"Magic is all about understanding and visualization. You must understand the feeling, appearance, and purpose of each magic you wish to manifest," Beatrice explained, standing beside a blackboard as she tapped a wand against it.
—The challenge was, the beauty of his instructor was a bit too distracting. Each movement she made caused her rather—respectable—chest to bounce, with her emerald eyes keen on making certain his attention was kept.
"Are you listening, young lord?" Beatrice asked with a smile.
"Yeah—feeling, appearance, and purpose. I've got it," Leon confirmed, tapping the side of his head.
"Then, show me," Beatrice said, looking right at him. "Conjure a fireball."
"Right here?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow.
Beatrice nodded, "It goes without saying not to burn down your own home, so keep it constrained to a harmless form."
"Alright…" He accepted, standing from the desk.
As the eyes of his instructor watched him, he called upon the vague memories stored within his mind. It was like viewing an archive of his experiences, recalling them each with crystal-clear clarity.
'The way my mind works, it's different now—the way I can understand and perceive…It's all so clear,' he realized.
Throughout his body, he let the heat of mana flow into his limbs, focusing it in his palm. The toasty temperature of fire against his skin; the crackling embers; the orange glow—
In his hand, a healthy sphere of fire manifested, bringing a soft light into the hall.
"Splendid," Beatrice remarked, putting her hand to her chin. "I can feel the richness of your mana. Mm, yes—this is why I chose you as my student."
The way the witch spoke with flushed cheeks and a wide grin was as if she felt pleasure from observing magic. To him, it was hardly more of an effort than solving a math equation, not finding the significance in the feat.
"That's the most basic form of magic, right? Just saying, I can handle higher spells," Leon confidently claimed.
Beatrice tapped her onyx wand against her cheek before pointing it right at him, "That's quite the tall claim in front of one as learned as myself."
From a distance of at least five meters, he found the wand somehow reaching right in front of his cheek, lightly tapping his nose. It seamlessly expanded before retracing with a flick of the witch's wrist.
"I will admit you're a genius, young lord. Still, to reach the pinnacle of magecraft requires more than a sharp mind," Beatrice explained.
"Well, let's see…Test me, teacher!" Leon challenged, standing up from his seat.
With the gifts afforded to him in his new life, he wanted nothing more than to put them into practice. It seemed his words struck a chord with the witch, who held a giddy smile as if trying to contain her excitement.
Beatrice coughed to compose herself, "Well…if my student is so passionate, then who am I to deny such a splendid mind?!"
'Wait, I didn't bite off more than I can chew, right?' He questioned.
With a gulp, he watched as the witch tapped her wand against her chin in thought before opening her mouth as if discovering a brilliantly devious idea—
"Let's add some stakes! We will each cast "Wardrobe Delete" on one another!" Beatrice declared, pointing her wand at the young man.
Leon raised an eyebrow, "Wardrobe…delete?"
"Yes! We will let our magic clash, and if you manage to overwhelm my casting, you will pass the test. Don't worry; I will be holding back," Beatrice informed him with a smile.
'When you say it like that, it makes you sound like a deviant!' He thought.
Beatrice spoke as if reading his mind, "It's not as depraved as a spell as it sounds. It only removes the top layers, not one's undergarments."
"Right…" He said, not feeling too much more confident in the magic.
While it was a bit questionable to say the least, it was proper motivation for him—staring right at the witch's chest.
'I've got the hormones of a teenager—that means I am absolutely, one-hundred percent motivated to see that,' he resolved.