Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 11

Two days later, I, Eddie, truly came face-to-face with Sylvia.

The setting remained unchanged: the private study reserved for the heir of the Kirhausen Family, where Shane had been tutoring me daily.

The only difference was that the tutor who entered to teach me today was not Shane but Sylvia.

“It’s been a while, Eddie,” she said.

“Yes, it’s been a while, Teacher Patman,” I replied.

Sylvia smiled at me.

I smiled back at her.

A subtle tension lingered in the study, mingling with the familiar scent of tea leaves.

It was the same tea Sylvia had offered me on the first day I was brought here, before she attempted to use Insight on me.

‘The connection process… and creating a Well,’ I recalled.

Today, I knew exactly what Sylvia intended to do to me.

She planned to manipulate my mind, forcing me to unconsciously release my mana in front of Marcel.

Then, she aimed to turn me into a ‘Well’ from which Marcel, the ‘Deer,’ would absorb my mana.

In short, theft.

I swallowed a bitter laugh as I recalled what I had uncovered through Tracker.

This was the Kirhausen Family’s scheme.

Marcel’s current mana capacity was far below what was expected of the heir to the Kirhausen Family.

Of course, as the saying goes, “even a rotten fish is still a fish,” and Marcel, being a Kirhausen, far surpassed the average for his age.

Yet, for the heir of a prestigious magical family, his level was absurdly weak.

Moreover, Marcel’s cousins, all bearing the Kirhausen blood, possessed exceptional mana.

‘Furas must see this as a serious threat to his position as the current head,’ I thought.

Thus, they devised the ‘Well and Deer’ technique.

Like a thirsty deer drinking from a well, it was a method to absorb another child’s mana into Marcel.

Even I, who had mastered and studied every type of ability in my past life, had never heard of such a technique.

I speculated it was a new technique developed in the sorcery world after my death.

What intrigued me was that the current Kirhausen head kept the Well and Deer technique a secret from Marcel himself.

Marcel believed the concoction he had been regularly taking for over a year was merely a tonic to boost his vitality.

He was unaware it was a preliminary step to purify his mana, preparing him to become the Deer.

I was still reeling from the shock of this discovery.

‘The head of the Kirhausen Family is scheming to steal someone else’s mana to implant it into his son’s body.’

It was pathetic and utterly foolish.

‘Yes, it was strange from the start that the Kirhausen Family would bring in a Tail. It wasn’t about selecting a Tail—it was a screening process to find Marcel’s Well.’

In a way, I was destined to be chosen in the final selection.

The most crucial factor for becoming a Well was compatibility with Marcel’s mana.

But bringing me in was the Kirhausen Family’s grave mistake.

‘Because I’ll never let things go their way.’

I steeled my resolve once more, meeting Sylvia’s violet eyes.

Sylvia, as if preparing to begin her work in earnest, parted her lips slightly.

“Eddie, how’s your preparation for the entrance exam going? It must be tough learning from the basics,” she said.

“Well, it’s a bit unfamiliar since it’s all new material. But I’m doing my best,” I replied.

“Good, that’s commendable. Always aim to keep up with at least half of Young Master Marcel’s level. He’s so exceptional that even that would be enough,” she said.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind, Teacher Patman,” I responded.

A light conversation before the full-fledged Insight.

I munched on the cookies served with the tea, grabbing handfuls.

‘Reverse consumes an enormous amount of mental energy, so my sugar levels must be dropping,’ I thought.

This Insight would be far more intense than the last.

The previous time, she merely peered into an orphan’s mind, but this time, she aimed to completely manipulate my mind to make me release my mana.

Then, Sylvia softly cleared her throat.

And in the next moment—

“Eddie.”

With a gentle voice, Sylvia’s eyes glowed violet.

At the same time, I swallowed the lingering sweetness in my mouth and began to draw up my mana.

It was time for the mana I had strengthened through frequent visits to the Pantheon and the Seed of Infinity to play its role.

“…”

I felt the creeping intrusion of her Insight in my mind and let my eyes go blank.

My unfocused gaze and slightly parted lips gave the appearance of someone whose mind was completely open.

But contrary to my vacant expression, my mana surged actively, beginning to manifest Reverse.

Saaaaak—

Soon, my eyes glowed golden.

Reverse began to devour Sylvia’s Insight.

“Uh… ngh…” Sylvia’s lips parted slightly, a groan escaping as pain surged from her mind being overtaken by Reverse.

“Ugh…!”

With a stifled groan, violet veins—mana circuits—began to surface along Sylvia’s neck, denser than blood vessels, soon covering her face.

In response, golden mana circuits started to appear on my clenched fists.

‘As expected…’

It wasn’t easy.

Circe’s Insight was a top-tier spell in itself, and my current abilities were not even a tenth of what they were in my past life.

Crack.

I tightened my grip, pouring more strength into my fists.

Just as I braced for a grueling battle of power—

Thump.

A jolt resonated in my chest, and my mana circle began to unleash mana at a ferocious pace.

‘The Seed of Infinity is reacting.’

Sylvia was quickly overwhelmed.

My golden gaze blazed, meeting her violet eyes.

“Gasp…!”

With a final groan, Sylvia’s eyes turned golden.

My Reverse had begun to implement Insight against her.

Now, Sylvia’s mind was like a blank canvas laid bare before me.

I started planting new memories in her mind, as if painting a picture.

The memory that she had successfully manipulated my mind to make me a Well.

As the new memory took root in her mind, I withdrew Reverse.

At the same time, the golden glow in both our eyes faded.

And then—

‘It worked.’

Seeing my blank eyes, Sylvia flashed a triumphant smile.

She was convinced she had succeeded in making me a Well.

‘Now, if I complete the connection with Marcel, Furas will trust me even more,’ she thought, picking up a teaspoon.

With a light ting, she tapped the teacup, producing a clear sound.

My eyes blinked, regaining focus.

“That was an enjoyable conversation, Eddie. I hope you and the Young Master can enter with excellent grades,” she said, smoothly concluding a conversation that never happened.

“…Ah… Yes. Thank you, Teacher!” I replied, my performance even more natural than hers.

***

The next day, my study schedule changed.

Unlike before, when I focused solely on written exam preparation, I began learning magic in earnest.

“You’ve prepared enough for the written exam. Now it’s time to start preparing for the practical,” Shane said, teaching me basic magic spells and their implementation.

But I had already learned, through manipulating Sylvia’s memories, that preparing for the practical exam was just a pretext.

Teaching me magic was for the sake of completing the ‘connection’ between the Well and the Deer.

They needed my mana to intertwine with Marcel’s for the ‘connection’ to begin.

I knew all of this but threw myself even more eagerly into the practical training.

In truth, the moment of connection was exactly what I had been waiting for.

And a few days later—

I stood on the training ground’s sparring stage alongside Marcel.

***

“…What’s this? Not even a word of explanation, and suddenly this?” Marcel grumbled, clearly displeased that I was joining his practical training.

But—

“The Master ordered that a supporting child would greatly aid the Young Master’s training,” the butler said, silencing Marcel’s complaints.

He merely stared at me with a stiff expression.

On the other hand—

‘He really knows nothing. Not that he’s the Well, nor that this training is a ruse for the connection.’

I gazed at Marcel, who climbed the sparring stage with a hardened face, with a peculiar look in my eyes.

I didn’t know why the family kept the technique a secret from Marcel, the one directly involved.

But one thing was certain.

‘Starting today, that guy Marcel will become very useful.’

I faced Marcel on the stage.

He had seemed indifferent moments ago, but now on the sparring stage, he wore a serious expression.

‘Ho… He takes magic seriously, doesn’t he?’

Unfortunately for him, today Marcel wouldn’t be able to showcase his skills as he wished.

Because today’s spar would be decided by me.

‘Good. I’ve perfectly infiltrated.’

I gave Marcel a meaningful smile.

Last night, after outwitting Sylvia with Reverse, I had slipped into Marcel’s room while he was in deep sleep and infused my mana into him.

Of course, I confirmed that my mana had settled into his main mana circuits, and the result was…

A resounding success.

The selection process had already confirmed the compatibility between my mana and Marcel’s.

Moreover, my mana, rooted in the Soul and willpower, was of a high-tier level.

Thus, the mana now actively flowing through Marcel’s body was like an extension of my own limbs, moving according to my will.

‘I have no intention of letting them drain me. But a bit of acting is necessary.’

I planned to make the Kirhausen Family believe I was a ‘high-performance Well.’

That left only one thing.

A perfect performance, enacted through the mana within me and Marcel.

“Here I come,” Marcel said.

“Yes, Young Master,” I replied.

Marcel and I aimed our wands at each other.

The type of magical spar we would perform today was ‘Sorbonduce.’

It was a sparring method where two mages simultaneously cast spells at each other, engaging in a contest of strength.

Swish—Shhkt—

As the spar began, our wands moved in unison.

I cast a 1-star water attribute spell, while Marcel cast a 2-star wind attribute spell.

Soon, the spells of the two young mages clashed head-on.

KWAAAA—CHAAAAK—

The family members, including the tutors and butler, watched with satisfied smiles.

From their perspective, this was the moment the connection between the Well and the Deer was finally achieved.

But their smiles didn’t last long.

“Hup!!”

With a short inhale, I drew up my mana.

And then—

CHAAAAK—!

“Argh!”

“Young… Young Master!”

Marcel, drenched in water, tumbled off the sparring stage.

It was an unexpected turn of events.

The tutors rushed to Marcel, their faces pale.

An overwhelmingly one-sided victory.

They checked Marcel for injuries, unable to hide their shock.

‘…Impossible. How could this…’

‘The Young Master’s magic… was overwhelmed in an instant. By that boy…’

Not only the servants but also Sylvia and Shane turned pale.

The ‘connection’ between the two had surely been established during the spar.

But they were utterly bewildered, not expecting such a vast gap in their basic abilities.

‘Just a few days ago, we taught him only a handful of spells… How could this…’

‘The difference in basic ability… is this extreme?’

Sylvia and Shane quietly bit their lips.

But something interrupted their thoughts.

“One more time.”

“What?”

It was Marcel’s resolute voice.

“I’ll spar with that boy one more time. Everyone, step back.”

Wiping his wet face with a towel, Marcel strode back onto the sparring stage.