I Reincarnated as a Cringeworthy Villainous Noble, but Got Obsessed With Magic

Chapter 21: Patricia Ermynard

“If it’s not hitting on me, then what is it?” she asked.

“I’m drawn to your strength. Where did you acquire that strength? Do you have a mentor? Who are you?” I replied.

Wait a minute, déjà vu. Oops, this is starting to sound like when I first met Nova. I can’t afford to get entangled in something like that again. Being in her shoes is something I deeply regret. I definitely don’t want to be lumped in like that.

So, I pondered how I should follow up… but the girl with heterochromia just tilted her head, her only response a curious expression. She didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by what I was saying.

“Why did you think I was strong?” she asked.

“The quality of your magical power is different. You excel at magical manipulation more than anyone else here,” I explained.

“More than you, right?”

“Hmm… You see it, do you?” I replied, surprised.

I’m not trying to hide it, but whether someone is skilled in magical manipulation isn’t something that most people can perceive. I have the ability to enhance my vision with magic to discern it, but based on what Zero said, not many people have mastered that technique.

So, it means she has reached that level or possesses some other unique skill. Of course, there are prodigies like Yuno who can pull it off at a glance, so I can’t make a blanket statement.

Anyway, except for me, who has undergone special training, her magical manipulation skills are top-notch. In fact, in terms of magical manipulation alone, she might even surpass me.

“You can see magical power too, huh? Impressive,” She said.

“You don’t seem very surprised. But… what’s the nature of your magical power? I’ve never seen anything like it,” I inquired.

Seeing her up close, I understood the anomaly. Most people’s magical power feels like a thick, viscous substance, clearly announcing its presence. Even though exceptions exist, like Nova, who uses exceptional techniques to make their magical power presence faint, magical power is typically thick and sticky energy.

However, the girl in front of me was different. Her magical power wasn’t less noticeable; you could feel it distinctly. Yet, it flowed like a smooth stream, lacking the usual viscosity.

So, you might wonder what’s the big deal? Well, based on my conjecture, if you can smoothly and swiftly manipulate magical power from flow to activation, that means you can cast spells incredibly quickly.

Mages, all mages, manipulate magical power to cast spells. The thickness of the magical power affects how fast you can channel it. Imagine if your magical power flowed like a smooth stream.

It would be fast. No doubt, spells would be cast in an instant. With this in mind, I concluded that she was powerful.

“That goes for you too, right?” she asked.

“What?”

She casually replied, her gaze roaming over my body, “Your magical power seems ordinary at first glance. But it’s eerily efficient. Most skilled mages use around 15 units to cast a spell that consumes 10 units of magical power. But you probably use exactly 10. It’s clearly strange.”

“I haven’t consciously tried to reduce magical power wastage, but now that you mention it, I realize it’s relatively low,” I admitted.

“I’ve never seen anything like it either.”

For some reason, she let out a faint smile, the first expression I’ve seen besides her default emotionless one. Though, she’s so consistently expressionless that it’s hard to tell if it’s a significant change.

“I’m Patricia Ermynard. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Xenon Lestinata. Nice to meet you too.”

It seems I’ve managed to form a friendly connection with Patricia. As for the secret behind her strength… well, I’ll figure that out eventually. I don’t want to pester her too much; I definitely don’t want to become like Nova.
　
“I’m done here.”

As I tried to return to my seat, I noticed a chestnut-haired man standing right in front of me.

He was clearly giving me a hostile glare.

“Do you need something?”

“Need something? No way! The moment you sit down, you start chatting with that girl over there like we don’t even exist! Aren’t the early admissions students interested in regular students? Huh?!” He was clearly furious.

“I’m not ignoring you guys. If you’ve been admitted to the Royal Academy, it means everyone here has potential. You’re no exception. What caught my interest was Patricia’s established strength at this point. This is a time when many struggle to define their fighting style. Frontline, rearguard, support, distraction, everyone needs to find the way they fight. But Patricia, from what I see, already has a solid conviction and self-assurance. She probably has a set style. And most importantly, the quality of her magical power is different. It’s clear that her effort and training methods differ from others. I’m not belittling Royal Academy students; I’m just intrigued by Patricia’s exceptional qualities. I don’t mean to underestimate anyone here. People can become strong with effort. It’s just that when something catches my interest, I can’t help but investigate. That’s all. Do you understand?”

The boy seemed taken aback. “Uh… yeah, I get it. My bad.”

I didn’t entirely understand what had just transpired, but he retreated, appearing somewhat intimidated. I overheard comments from his group like, “That guy’s dangerous… He’s insane.”

I found it puzzling. All I did was correct a misunderstanding. I never intended to belittle anyone, and I believe people can change over time, potentially becoming incredibly strong in the future. Being admitted to the Royal Academy indicates that they still have untapped potential, and I acknowledge that.

“Well, everyone has their pride, and they might resent the early admissions policy. But that’s something to address later.”

“Seems like you’re not interested in much beyond magic,” Patricia remarked.

“Not exactly. I do understand the importance of human connections, like friendships,” I replied.

“And those friends are probably related to magic in some way, aren’t they?”

I hesitated, caught off guard. “Well…”

“See, I knew it,” Patricia teased, her expression playful.

I felt like she could read me like a book, which was a bit embarrassing. I waved it off and turned on my heel.

“Anyway, I have to hurry! I’m almost late!”

Amidst the commotion, someone shouted about being late, and I wondered if it was Yuno who had reappeared.

ーーーーーーー
Author Note:

…Puhaha! (Author’s ego-possession)

No dueling here! Let’s not have that, Xenon-kun.

He won the standoff, or rather, he made the other guy back off.

The silver-haired odd-eyed girl, isn’t she interesting?… Isn’t she interesting?!! (Pressing the point)