Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Magic Family

Chapter 10

Was it the stamina from swordsmanship training?

My energy, drained after the pocket dimension, recovered quickly.

No, it wasn’t just recovered.

With my trained stamina, my energy was stronger than before.

And it wasn’t just stamina or energy that had grown.

“Forty-one… forty-two… forty-three…”

Counting the nuxes filling the room, I tallied slowly.

After the pocket dimension, my nux count had risen to 63.

A leap from the 12 on my first reincarnated day.

Two reasons for this mana growth.

Confronting the high-level pocket dimension magic.

And consuming the Seed of Infinity.

For now, the pocket dimension likely had a greater impact.

The Seed of Infinity isn’t an item with immediate big effects.

As its name suggests, it fosters infinite mana growth.

Initially, it slightly increases mana capacity, but the growth amplifies as a magician’s skill improves.

Ultimately, it could grant near-infinite mana depending on the magician’s ability.

“Good. This should be enough.”

I withdrew the nuxes filling the room.

Over 60 nuxes at 14 was a level even my past self hadn’t achieved.

With the Seed of Infinity consumed, regaining my past life’s mana was a matter of time.

Now, the key is entering Pantheon.

In the dark room, I drew my wand.

Swish- Swish-

In the quiet night, the Swish echoed.

One horizontal, one vertical swing, then I whispered a chant.

“Fiona Robella.”

Fssst- Sssssst-

Small sparks rose in the air, forming a human-sized rectangle along a path.

To maintain focus, I closed my eyes and raised my mana further.

When I opened them…

A worn wooden door stood before me.

Finally.

The revealed Pantheon’s Gate.

With golden eyes, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Simultaneously, the gate vanished from the room.

***

A stormy night sky with thunder and lightning.

A lone magical tower stood on Pantheon, an island where black waves crashed against cliffs.

My secret tower, Pantheon’s Laboratory.

Step, step.

Descending the spiral staircase, my footsteps echoed in the grand laboratory.

“…”

Records of a lifetime of magical research and experiments.

Tools and materials for crafting secret techniques.

This was where everything I achieved in my past life was stored.

And above all…

The original will I wrote before my death is kept here.

I approached the dusty desk at the laboratory’s center.

My gaze fell on the bottom drawer.

Inside was the original will of Edmund von Kirhausen.

It detailed the distribution of family power and wealth after my death.

In the past, I’d shown a copy to Damian and relatives.

But it lacked true authority.

The real, sealed original was in this drawer.

Even Damian didn’t know this.

Keeping the true, Magician’s Seal-stamped original separate was a plan between me and my lawyer.

And… after my suspicious death.

As expected, Ivan’s family forged the will to seize the family and misappropriate my estate meant for Noah.

Thus, this original will was the strongest evidence to reclaim everything Ivan’s family illegally took.

“…”

Swish.

My hand reached for the drawer.

But…

Zzap-!

As my hand neared, a powerful protective spell activated, attacking the intruder, but I, anticipating it, took no damage.

“Good.”

I couldn’t open the drawer, but I smiled, satisfied.

The protective spell’s integrity meant no one had touched the original will.

The only tool to open that locked drawer was one.

My past life’s wand, Calea.

Calea wasn’t among the pocket dimension’s secret techniques. That means… it’s well-displayed at the Imperial Central Museum. That’s fortunate.

Proud of my past choice, I left the laboratory.

With the records and will intact, it was time to summon the secret techniques.

Outside, lightning lit the stormy sky and black sea.

Staring at the ocean, I drew my wand.

Swish- Sssst- Ssssak-

Golden arcs traced in the air.

The completed Taion Summoning Circle appeared, calling the secret techniques from the Chamber of Summoning.

Paaaaat-!

Light burst, and five secret techniques appeared before me.

I had reclaimed all the secret techniques the current Kirhausen tried to steal.

Now, I had to decide.

“…”

Stay as Kirhausen’s tail, an insider in the family?

Or leave, gather forces, and build a foundation for revenge?

The former made it easier to gather evidence of the current Kirhausen’s wrongs.

But I’d have to serve as Marcel’s tail.

The latter allowed me to grow stronger quickly on my own.

But…

The question is whether there are forces left to gather.

My gaze fell on Clode among the secret techniques.

“…”

My expression darkened.

If I chose the latter, Clode would be my greatest asset now.

Clode was a magical gem of covenant made from my mana essence and that of my five disciples.

If they were still alive, they’d be the perfect foundation for gathering forces.

But if the current Kirhausen, which killed me and Damian, had grown this much…

There’s a high chance something’s wrong with Palamedes.

Palamedes.

The force I founded with my five disciples.

Their defining trait was inclusivity across professions and races.

Magicians, knights, shamans, summoners, gifted beastmen.

Bound by one thing: a passion for magical learning.

Following my creed that anyone who wants to learn magic should, they were troublemakers and revolutionaries, growing powerful enough to threaten the magical establishment.

But now?

I hadn’t heard a word about Palamedes.

Kirhausen’s dominance suggests Palamedes couldn’t check them.

They were likely disbanded or hiding under Kirhausen’s surveillance.

So…

The decision was made.

Right. It’s too soon to act recklessly. I need to stay in the family until I gather enough information to strike.

Deciding to continue as a tail, I opened Pantheon’s Gate again.

With my power reclaimed, it was time for an information war.

I’ll extract every bit of information I can as a Kirhausen insider.

***

I began gathering information in earnest.

I started by casting the tracking spell Tracker on a family servant.

Tracker let the caster hear sounds the target made or heard.

Its potency meant residual mana could be detected, so I couldn’t cast it on many recklessly.

Especially in the highly guarded current Kirhausen.

So, I chose the deputy butler who guided me on the first day.

Not a magician, holding a mid-level role, and unlikely to meet the powerful head alone.

The perfect target.

A week after casting Tracker…

While studying under Shane’s guidance, I finally accessed internal family information.

The deputy butler… and servants?

[Don’t let him skip it. The connection process is nearly complete, so take extra care with the young master’s medicine.]

[But… the young master’s been very reluctant to take it lately.]

[Teacher Patman’s influence must be wearing off. Deliver today’s medicine to her after preparation. It’s better if she persuades him directly.]

[Yes, understood.]

Marcel’s medicine.

The connection process.

And Teacher Patman, Sylvia.

Words I couldn’t make sense of.

“…”

Rolling my pen, I pondered what I’d heard.

Then…

“!!”

A new voice came through Tracker.

It was Butler Ronan.

After giving brief orders about family matters, Ronan spoke about Marcel’s medicine.

[No need to bother Teacher Patman. If the young master refuses again, tell him we’ll have to report to the Master.]

[But, Butler, sir… that’s too…]

[It’s all for the young master. Besides, Teacher Patman needs to make the assistant a conduit in two days. We can’t let her waste mana.]

Hm?

The pen in my hand stopped.

Sylvia… making me a conduit in two days? What does that mean?

Turning a person into a conduit.

A phrase I’d never heard.

But from the context, it was clearly a spell using a Circe’s Insight.

…Suspicious medicine forced on Marcel at Furas' orders. An upcoming mysterious… connection process?

And…

Making me, the tail, a conduit using Insight in two days.

As expected. They didn’t need an enrollment assistant. They’re up to something else.

Crack-

The pen tip broke under my grip.