Hearing that a cat was going to teach him magic, Rino did not know if he should be honoured or highly amused. He settled for both, much to Noir's annoyance. The cat slapped its tail on his face and clawed his skull lightly while nipping on his cape.

They returned to the farmhouse, and Rino lit the place up and tidied the space a little so that Noir could use the space for whatever magic the cat wanted to teach him. Rino wasn't going to claim that he knew everything about magic. However, there was very little that he could learn after becoming the best in his previous world. Unless magic laws worked differently in this world, Rino did not think Noir's lessons would be very effective.

However, he wouldn't turn this golden opportunity to spend time with the cute cat together. It has been about a week since he last saw Noir. The last time Noir left, he did not leave Rino any note or trace. It was unbearably lonely after that despite being surrounded by so many shadow summons.

"What are we going to learn today?" Rino played along.

Ace huffed. Even as a cat, he could still read the amusement and inner thoughts of Rino. He might not hear them directly, but the lich's actions told him everything he needed to know. The powerful magician did not think a mere cat would be able to teach him anything new.

Ace vowed to make Rino change his mind by the end of the lesson. Rino might be an inventor, scholar and a great magician who invented his very own rune language. However, when it came to the origin of magic, this human was still as clueless as every other mortal.

"Listen well, twerp. I will not repeat myself."

Assuming the personality of a strict mentor, Noir hopped onto the table and waited for Rino to sit so that they were near eye level.

Rino took a seat and showed the cat the same respect he would show to a magic teacher. This reminded him of his past when he was first picked up by the magician tower. He spent many years of his childhood attending lectures after lectures until the old magicians could teach him no more. He had a few teachers in his life, but none of them was as adorable as Noir, so Rino found himself struggling to pay attention.

"Do you know the origin of mana?" Noir slapped its tail on the table when he saw Rino's hands creeping to pat him.

Rino snapped out of it and assumed an upright position like a model student. He tried to recall the simplest explanation of where mana originated that he knew from his previous life. However, he wasn't so sure if it was the most accurate explanation now. Noir's earlier question made him question many of the fundamentals he once knew.

"According to the texts, mana is the gift that the Gods gave for those who accumulated good deeds in their previous life to bless those who could wield magic. In some cases, like dark magic, mana is also known as lifespan. It could be used to exchange for magical power."

"Superficial explanation. How did you even become a lich? That is only the tip of the iceberg. Young ones like you are getting worse by the generation. How infuriating!"

Hearing Noir complain about his explanation made Rino blink. Sometimes, he felt like this cat wasn't just a grouchy black cat. It wasn't anyone's pet either from how free-spirited it behaved, coming and going whenever it pleased. The lich only heard Noir speak once about its master but nothing more. He wondered what happened to Noir's actual owner and what this cat actually was. It was more intelligent than Mutt, and it was no surprise. Everyone knew that cats were superior. However, knowing more than the ex-court magician was something not everybody can claim.

"What do you think mana is then?" he asked neutrally.

Noir rubbed a paw to his head almost in a facepaw gesture.

"Mana is the source of life. That much is accurate. However, your explanation of its uses is wrong. Also, mana is not a gift to those who could use magic. It might come from Gods, but that's not why it exists. I thought you would have a better idea after enslaving so many souls, but I guess you're as empty as what's in your skull."

Noir's hints pointed Rino in the right direction, and after a while, Rino formed several new theories about mana.

Could mana not be a gift caused by a repayment cycle of good and evil but the actual soul itself?

Was that why air could become charged with mana like how some gemstones could store mana? Now that he thought about this more seriously, Rino could see the possibility of imbuing mana in water. However, he had no idea if the effects of infusing the water with mana would be the same as inspiring the plant to reach its maximum potential using nature magic.

Noir was pleased that Rino learned fast. He did not believe in spoon-feeding information, so Rino had to figure the rest out by himself to find the answer now that he was on the right track. Instead, the black cat yawned and cast a magic circle, blasting that on Rino as a demonstration for the actual lesson.

Startled that he would be attacked in his own home, Rino could not put up a shield or dodge that yawn attack. However, it did not hurt. The lich examined himself in confusion, and Noir blinked lazily.

"That's an enchantment. You don't see or feel a difference because it's not directed at you. Check the cape again. See how that is just an ordinary piece of fabric that cannot store mana? however, it is still possible to imbue it with magic."

Rino stopped counting his ribs and looked up. Then, he inspected the mantle and noticed that Noir added an additional spell to his existing spell. It was now waterproof.

"It works for anything that cannot retain mana within. What do you think?" Noir asked smugly and took off, jumping from the table now that lessons were over.

Rino sat there dumbly and looked at his multi-enchanted mantle. They could only enchant stones and precious gems in his previous world, affixing them on sceptres to make powerful wands. He never knew enchantment magic could be used so diversely.

What was it about Noir's magic that made it possible to charge objects with zero mana retaining capacity?