บท 14: (14) Checkbook
The evening sun half peeked from the horizon, slowly vanishing with an orange hue.
Sitting on the fountain, Nicokel stared blankly into the sky. Sweat gathered on his body, however, unlike his usual way of training to total exhaustion, there was still some strength left within his body.
'My mind has reached the limit before my body...I feel annoyingly bleak...almost like I might lose my consciousness any moment.'
Throughout the past week, from the moment the medicine-like food started losing its effect, Nicokel suffered from similar situations many times.
Nicokel's body didn't recover to its peak condition like before and the strain it went through in the morning showed itself.
For this reason, Nicokel began training only two times a day and then left out time in the library. Now that he had awakened mana, his training regiment again rose to three sessions a day.
'All of those foods have lost almost all of their effects on my body. Changing them to something else won't change a thing either. My body has just grown a natural resistance to their effects.' Nicokel sighed to himself.
Nicokel had to look for magical herbs if he wanted to increase his recovery speed now. Unfortunately, he didn't have a lot of money in his hand. The past host's money was almost used up by ordering clothes for himself.
'I had no choice but to order clothes to be made in bulk, to suit my current body a while ago; I received tons of letters inviting me to parties too, but I ignored them all.'
Nicokel couldn't care less about these social meetings.
'The allowance provided by my biological father is not enough. I got a checkbook slip handed to me by the head butler, but just the amount stated in it won't be enough. I can try once I get this month's allowance, which should be a week from now. If only the past host had saved up some money....'
Nicokel had not liquified the money yet, as he had to visit the bank in the city personally. The banks of this world worked similarly to the mid-era banks, back on earth. But it was still better having one than not.
The only problem that was in the way now was — knowledge.
In the general section of the library, there was no book showing any information on magical herbs. It was apparent that information about them was on the deeper level of the library.
'Actually, I need to quickly get permission to enter the deeper level of the library. I want every information I can get about mana, I am just a blank paper regarding them.'
Getting up, Nicokel decided to meet the head butler. Though his body ached, it wasn't anything unbearable.
The process of finding the head butler wasn't hard, Nicokel found him just by asking the servants he met on the corridor.
"How may I help you, young master Nicokel?" The head butler who appeared to be in his thirties, spoke respectfully — His eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"I have awakened my mana, so I should be qualified to look at the books in the deeper level of the library, right?"
"...Yes. But, you will have to wait till tomorrow. As per tradition, I shall ask Lord Verskein about this matter. Only when the lord allows it will you have the qualification to enter deeper " The butler didn't doubt Nicokel's word in the slightest.
Almost all the apprentice knights had watched Nicokel's awakening of mana. The head butler who received the report of all the administration in the mansion, of course, knew of this matter well.
"I see. Right, hand over my allowance for this month early, I need it." Nicokel extended his hand toward the butler.
The head butler was used to Nicokel asking for an early allowance, hence his expression didn't change.
"It seems your old habits haven't changed." The butler had seen the immense change In Nicokel's daily routine. Hence, he was quite glad and curious about it.
"I guess."
Hearing Nicokel's nonchalant reply as he led him to his office, The head butler gazed at him from the corner of his eyes.
'It all happened from the day young master Nicokel was hurt by Lady Allesia. He hasn't put his hands on any of the trainee maids and has even been working hard non-stop. Just the changes in his body shows how much hard work he has put into it.'
The incident was nothing good, As Nicokel clearly tried to assault Allesia. However, the changes that brought in him, strangely made the head butler proud.
The head butler had seen all the young masters grow from a very young age. But among them, Nicokel was the only one who showed such huge growth.
"Why are so many people visiting the mansion these days?" Nicokel spoke a question he had since morning.
"Lord Verskein will be returning from the battlefield in a week or two, so we are preparing a welcome worthy of the duke. Lord Verskein is coming back after pushing back the enemies, after all." Awe could be vividly felt in the butler's voice.
Nicokel nodded his head and tilted it, feeling a gaze on him.
Looking past the head butler, Nicokel saw Trenae staring at him fixedly. When their eyes met, Trenae's lips curled up to a scornful smile.
Nicokel turned away from her knowing that nothing good would come facing her.
'What might she be planning? She is totally planning on doing something bad to me. Sigh...that is why I don't like dealing with such women. They pull people not related to them into danger, just because they are a little agitated.'
Nicokel had seen hundreds of such women back on Earth.
Ignoring the gaze, Nicokel entered the head butler's office that appeared tidy.
Writing down the amount on a checkbook slip, The head butler put the Verskein family seal on it and passed it to Nicokel.
"Please use it carefully, Young master Nicokel."
Nodding his head, Nicokel returned to his room and changed into normal clothes.
'Just by willing it, the mana strengthens any part of my body somewhat. Nevertheless, I feel like I can't perfectly control my mana, a large portion of it gets wasted. I will have to practice every day to improve on it, and not to say I have my talent.'
With his mana awakened, Nicokel could both feel and see mana. Using his talent, it wouldn't be too hard to learn how to properly control mana.
And hence, Nicokel went back to just watching the knights train from tomorrow.
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