”I can’t use it, so I have no idea how fast you can draw from it, but I filled it with mana for you,” Wolfe told her.
“Oh, thank you. That’s, well, how do I put it? That’s a lot of mana. How fast can you draw enough to fill that? Even the Patriarch can only use a very tiny bit of mana, so I have nothing to compare to.” Cassie asked.
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Cassie fell into deep thought, staring at the talisman which would so greatly improve her abilities. She knew from her sister’s experience that Commoner students were often robbed during their early days at the academy, and would have a hard time proving that the lost items were theirs to begin with, so she would have to do something to protect this talisman.
Without it, she should be able to pass her first-year entrance exam easily, but she didn’t know if she would be strong enough to earn any respect from her classmates.
Elder Maria had told her many times that strength and confidence were what really matters in the academy, you could increase one to make up for a little of the other, but eventually, you would need pure strength to pass your classes.
Until the first year was up, you would have to do it alone since the bond with a new Familar took time to grow, and guardian candidates wouldn’t get the magical armour with the mana-collecting inscription on it until they graduated. Unless you got lucky with a very powerful Familiar, that was.
Working with Wolfe hadn’t been like that, though. She felt more powerful the moment that he touched her, even before she started drawing his mana.
Maybe they could do it again and make a backup talisman? Cassie’s core clenched at the memory of the last attempt, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment at having been seen in such a state.
“Should make a second talisman? A backup in case this one gets stolen or damaged?” Wolfe asked, thinking the same thing as Cassie but oblivious to her internal dilemma.
“That is actually a good idea. If I wear one and keep the other hidden, nobody will suspect me until after the first one is lost. It should get me through the early days at the academy, which Grandmother said were the worst for Commoners. Until they prove themselves or find a safe spot in the social order of the Academy, the new Witches can have it pretty rough.
Have you prepared yourself? I heard from Grandmother that the Guardian candidates from the Noble Families are ruthless. They run off so many of the Commoners from their Academy that the second-year students have trouble finding enough candidates and often have to share them for combat training. Melody wouldn’t talk about much of her time at the Academy, so I don’t know how things are now.”
Wolfe had somewhat expected that, but he was a very strong fighter even before he had learned that building his mana capacity helped strengthen his body. Surely some of the Noble’s sons would have been granted items with similar effects, though, so he might not have any advantage.
“I am preparing as well as I can. I am almost there and should be ready before we leave.”
Wolfe’s smile relaxed Cassie a little. Looking back at her past, she could see that he had all the confidence that she was lacking, which made her a bit bitter. His scarred face and previously broken nose showed that he didn’t have an easy childhood, but he was still confident, whereas she had simply gone along with everything and sacrificed her pride as a survival technique.
“Let’s start on that second talisman, then. If we make another pair of amulets, you can give your grandmother one as a gift before you go. She seems like the sort that appreciates handmade gifts.” Wolfe continued, picking up a piece of wood to begin the work again.
As he worked, Wolfe drew more mana into himself, and by the time they were both finished their carvings, he was back up to almost half capacity.
Wolfe stopped Cassie before she could start filling in the circle on her talisman with the marker, knowing that she would need assistance to finish without exhausting herself.
“Wait for a second. If I place you here and put my hands against you while you write, you can draw mana from both of us at once.”
Wolfe picked the slender brunette up as he spoke and placed her in his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting the bottom of her cardigan to place his bare hands against her skin.
As expected, the tingle of mana sparked at the contact, but it quickly faded after a few seconds of contact.
Cassie’s breathing was still rapid, though, and her face was flushed, but she didn’t make any attempt to move from her new position.
Instead, she clenched her jaw and focused on the talisman, beginning to draw. Wolfe had to resist the urge to tease her while she worked, but the additional contact made controlling the mana flow into her much easier.
The moment of truth was drawing the final rune when the Circle flashed with purple light and tried to draw all the mana out of his body. This time Wolfe was prepared and held back the force, releasing the flow over five seconds instead of having it all gone in an instant.
That also seemed to help Cassie, though the happy noises she was making as mana flowed through her weren’t helping Wolfe maintain his own composure.
“You’re still conscious this time. Would you like to do the last one while we are here, or should we wait?”
Cassie’s breathing steadied, though she was squirming a little in Wolfe’s lap, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Let’s do the last. And next time, we are finding a less embarrassing way to do this.” Cassie muttered the last under her breath, but not so quietly that Wolfe’s sensitive hearing couldn’t make it out.
This way was far better than any other option he had thought of. He would have to think of more excuses to hold her in his arms, even if it meant bribing Elder Maria to make up some nonsense about it being necessary.
As long as they were getting along, he was certain he could get the old woman on his side.
There was no stored mana in Wolfe’s body for the final talisman, and he had to draw it as they went. That meant there was no large surge at the end, but there was a long draw of mana to complete the spell, which climbed to a gentle glow, fainter by far than either of the others but still impressive from what Cassie had seen in her research of the subject.
Cassie was exhausted at this point and curled into his chest, breathing heavily as he held her upright.
They were still in that position, with Wolfe leaning against the headboard of the bed when Elder Maria came to tell them to get ready for dinner.