Ever since he had been adopted to the House of Marquis Highon and shown the difference between his and his step-sister, Cyril started his study to learn magic to obtain his own strength.

After all, having a strong foundation in magic would give him some advantage in aristocratic society.

He did have a talent for magic which his step-sister didn't. Born with higher mana than most people, he began to study hard—But, because of it, a disease was developing within him.

——Mana Overdose Syndrom.

Humans can only store mana in their vessel, but it can't generate mana from it. Instead, it can be recovered by absorbing small amounts of mana outside their body.

Thus, a human body can't store more mana exceeded of their vessel. Once the vessel is full, their bodies will reject and would not absorb any more mana.

And the state when the vessel is full, but the body still judges that there is a lack of mana and continues to absorb mana on its own—that is mana overdose.

It may be similar to overeating. Just as the satiety center does not function properly, causing the body to seek food, Cyril's body didn't recognize his vessel was full and still absorbing more mana. And the excess mana which ate away his body was the cause of mana overdose. Therefore, he needed to regularly release the excess mana that could not be contained in his vessel out of his body.

According to his doctor, the symptoms were caused by repeated reckless training.

When he had developed this disease, Cyril fell into despair. He was sure that he would be abandoned by the Marquis family.

However, Marquis Highon has prepared a magic tool for Cyril which can absorb and release his excess mana. That was the brooch he always wore on his lapel. The excess mana in his body will be absorbed and discharged from his body by wearing it.

As long as he wore that brooch, he should have no trouble carrying on with his daily life.

Then, why this is happening…

Wandering through the forest behind the dormitory, Cyril chanted a short incantation.

Freezing the tree before him, and turning it into an ice statue. With the use of spells, the amount of mana in his body will be reduced, giving him temporary relief. However, once again, Cyril's body quickly absorbed more mana.

His recovery speed was clearly faster than usual. Way too fast, actually. No matter how many spells he used, the mana in his body did not empty out. In fact, it's only increasing.

The excess mana that overflows from the vessel would eat away the human body, followed by their head throbbed with pain. and nauseous feeling.

Kneeling down, Cyril grasped the brooch on his lapel as he crouched down.

A custom-made brooch that Marquis Highon—his adoptive father—had prepared for him.

With this item, he should be able to absorb your mana.

With this item, he should be able to control your overdose.

With this item… he should be able to meet Marquis Highon's expectations.

I have to live up to his expectations!

Cyril had been living a life that could hardly be called aristocratic, but he wanted to live up to the expectations of his adoptive father, who had accepted him into the Marquis family.

He also wanted to live up to the expectations of the second prince, who had needed him and had chosen him as vice president.

And more than that…

——He wanted to live up to their expectation.

That was why Cyril should not be crawling on the ground here.

But contrary to his intention, his body absorbed more mana on its own. Cyril chanted a quick incantation and unleashed his ice spell.

So after freezing the rock in front of him, it should have eased his symptom… or so he thought, but his body kept absorbing mana.

Although his mana absorption often went haywire when he was sick, this rate was still abnormal.

Why! Why! Why did this happen!?

He had to chant quickly and use the next spell, but his pulse was erratic and his breathing was deranged. In this situation, he couldn't chant and use a spell.

"Haa… Haa…."

Cyril scratched the ground and convulsed, breaking out in a cold sweat.

His eyes went black and his consciousness became distant, and that's when…

He heard the cat's cry.

＊ ＊ ＊

With Lynn's wind magic (which was moved slowly at Monica's insistence), the group of Monica, Nero, and Lynn, who had escaped from their dormitory room, following the traces of mana into the forest before reached the shadows of the trees where Cyril was.

He was writhing in agony, firing off a barrage of ice magic. Clearly, he was not in a normal state.

"His condition looks strange for training magic in secret."

Monica nodded at Lynn's words.

"I think… Lord Ashley is having mana poisoning."

"Mana poisoning?" spoke Lynn and Nero in sync. Apparently, neither of them knew anything about such a disease.

"C-Compared to spirits and dragons, the human body is less resistant to mana, so their body will worsen if they take too much mana in… And that state is called mana poisoning… In the worst case, it would lead them to death."

Monica had seen a few people with the same symptoms when she was still enrolled at Minerva.

"Lord Ashley probably…has a constitution that absorbs mana easily. These people usually use magic frequently to reduce their mana or wear magic tools that absorb excess mana…"

This was probably why Cyril constantly converted his mana into the cold air or made some ice block in his glass. That's how he was releasing the excess mana in his body.

He was so concerned about the brooch on his lapel that it was probably a magic tool for absorbing that mana.

After hearing Monica's explanation, Lynn form a circle with her index finger and thumb and looked at Cyril through her finger.

"I have confirmed his mana flow. The brooch on his lapel seems to be collecting mana that was released outside his body and returning it to his body."

"I knew it! That magic tool is malfunctioning!"

That magic tool has functioning contrary to its intended. That brooch needs to be removed as soon as possible.

However, if Monica approached, Cyril would ask why Monica was here.

Although Monica was going out wearing a hooded cloak, if she gets close enough to touch the brooch, he will notice her presence.

As Monica hesitated, Nero meowed bravely.

"Guess, I'll take care of it for you!"

＊ ＊ ＊

Nero jumped out of the shadows of the tree and pounced on Cyril, caught the brooch on his collar with his mouth.

"A cat…?! Stop it… don't touch that…!"

Cyril flailed his arms to resist, but Nero easily dodged him to remove the brooch. Which he then distanced himself from Cyril afterward.

"Give it back… Give it baaaack!"

Shouting hysterically in bloodshot eyes, Cyril chanted a quick incantation.

The path that Nero's heading toward was instantly blocked by a wall of ice.

Ugh!

Nero hurriedly changed his path and tried to escape into the forest… but the wall of ice spread vigorously to block Nero's escape path.

Without realizing it, Nero and Cyril were surrounded by a wall of ice.

This is bad… And I'm not very good with coooold.

The chilling air flowing around his feet made Nero shrink back.

Even so, he kept the brooch in his mouth and wouldn't let it go.

"Give it back… Give it back to me…"

Cyril approached Nero with bloodshot eyes.

In between his ragged breathing, he heard Cyril spoke in a low voice.

"That brooch… was a present … from my father-in-law… to get his acknowledgment… I have…"

Cyril's eyes that clouded with obsession have lost his reasoning.

Looking at his figure, Nero couldn't help but felt pity for him.

Why are all humans so stupid?

Perhaps he has his own reasons for being obsessed with this brooch. But it had nothing to do with Nero.

Cyril chanted a quick incantation. More than a dozen ice arrows float up around him.

Each of them was as thick as my arm and they were more like stakes than arrows. Whatever it was, a direct hit would not end well.

"I've been… acknowledged by …… my father-in-law and… his highness… even so, why would…"

Cyril's feverish eyes looked hollowly at Nero.

Even then, what appeared in his eyes was not Nero.

While his whole body was being consumed by mana, wallowing in fever, what he saw was visions of someone Nero didn't know.

"Why…"

His neatly shaped face twisted into a pained and somewhat tearful expression.

"Why… Why would you not acknowledge me… Mother?"

At that moment, the ice wall collapsed without a sound.

The ice wall and arrows that floated around Cyril were burning engulfed in flames.

The ice that Cyril had created melted and disappeared in less than a few seconds, and the flames that had melted the ice gathered in one place as if they had a will of their own, eventually becoming a flame serpent.

And standing on the other side of the crumbling ice wall was a petite witch with her hood pulled up tightly over her eyes.

And she was one of Seven Sages, a user of no-chant magic.

Monica Everett the Silent Witch.