“Urgh...!”

The first thing Ian realized as he came to was that he felt sick. The nauseousness kept making him dry heave.

What happened? He touched his chest, but there was no blood or wound. He couldn’t feel any pain. Nevertheless, something had definitely happened.

“What’s wrong, Ian?”

The voice made his heart jump and sickness vanish. It sounded very familiar and nostalgic, tickling his left ear.

“M-mother...?”

His mother had passed away a long time ago, yet it was her voice—the voice of Vanessa Paige. He had never expected to see her again.

Did I succeed? Or could this be the afterlife? Ian turned toward the voice to see her mother’s face, then grasped her hand and looked around.

“Next!”

“Jess from L-Lloyd Village!”

“Lloyd? Where is this?”

“It’s very far away...”

“Erm, go in.”

“Is there r-really a mage inside?”

“Wouldn’t you find out if you went in?”

“Y-Yes!”

Ian and Vanessa were surrounded by thousands of children, all lined up. Soldiers were keeping the crowd under control. Before them, there was a white tent with the Ivory Tower’s flag waving above it. Seeing this much made Ian realize one thing: I made it.

His small hands were more confirmation—he had traveled back to before the foundation of the Greenriver Empire. The mage was able to tell the exact year because all the children were in line for the mana reaction examination, himself included.

The examination is compulsory when you’re twelve years old. Ian had been forty-two before he returned. This meant he had traveled thirty years back in time.

I came back farther than I expected. Thirty full years. Not ten or twenty. Far from being a bad thing, this was perfect.

All I wanted was to wash the blood off my hands. He had researched time magic and Dragonian—the ancient language of the dragons—to atone for the massacres his magic had caused, even if it meant changing history. However, being poisoned by the emperor had changed his mind.

I won’t get stabbed in the back again. He had conceded too much in the name of friendship and had endured too much in the name of loyalty, only to be tragically betrayed by his best friend, Emperor Ragnar. He had used Ian his entire life and, in the end, had killed him.

This time, it will be different. But first, he had to regain the power of an eighth-class mage and beyond. He had already done it once. When I’m powerful again, I will be ready for more.

“Next!”

As he found his resolve, it was his turn for the mana reaction examination.

“I’ll be back,” he reassured his mother, who seemed worried. He told the soldier in front of the tent, “Ian from the Mogrian Village.”

“Mogrian... Oh, you’re Vanessa’s son?”

Ian’s mother was the castle’s kitchen maid. Despite her lowly job, she was quite beautiful, so many soldiers tried to flirt with her. No one ever took her seriously, even more so since she was a widow.

“Go in, but don’t bug the mage with your questions.” The man gave his mother a lustful look that his younger self wouldn’t have noticed.

I’ll deal with that look first. Making that promise to himself, Ian entered the tent.

A young mage was there with four knights guarding him.

“Sir Aaron, how many children are left?”

“Still half a day’s worth to go.”

The man sighed in frustration. He had already tested hundreds of children and his exhaustion was evident in his voice.

This brings back memories. When Ian had been an apprentice, he also had to conduct examinations. He had been on a small country estate, however. It hadn’t been this hectic.

This place is different. It was the Mogrian territory, one of the four large estates. The number of children this mage had to test must have been in the thousands.

“Right, child. Come closer,” the mage called out to Ian pleasantly. He seemed humble, which was unusual for a mage. Most mages were quite arrogant, like Ian.

They’re even more arrogant than nobles. Mages were so rare that commoners seldom met them, though most mages never got above first class. Nevertheless, their status rivaled that of low-ranking nobles. Even high-ranking nobles feared any mage about the fourth class.

How many mages a nation has shows its power. Hence, this extensive mana reaction examination was held to find every single mage, even if it only turned up one child.

“Could you lower your head for me, please?”

The first test was to find if he had a mana brain. It was a part of the brain that could manifest magic, and only born mages had it.

“I’ll lightly stimulate your head with some mana. You may feel a little dizzy, but it’s temporary, so don’t worry.” As he spoke, the mage placed his hand on Ian’s head.

Ian felt a bit lightheaded, as expected. It meant his mana brain was getting stimulated.

“Good. Could you turn around to show me your back?”

The second test was to find a mana heart, the organ that created, circulated, and stored mana. That was where Ian had plunged his dagger.

“Hmm.”

All he had to do was prove he had a mana heart and he would gain immediate access to the magic academy. A part of Ian was hesitant, however, because he was afraid he may be missing something.

“What’s wrong?” the mage asked, sensing Ian’s hesitation. As if he had remembered something, he said, “I just found a mana brain inside you. That means you’re on the brink of changing your life! Of course, you need to also have a mana heart. Now, do turn around.”

The mage thought this child was probably going to be the first candidate to pass this year. He thought telling him that this could change his life might encourage him. Yet Ian’s ambition was for more than that.

Just being admitted to the magic academy isn’t going to cut it. Ian needed something more. He knew he didn’t have enough mana, but he was running out of options. Should he try something a little bolder?

“Excuse me, sir,” Ian said, having made up his mind. He thought his young voice sounded awkward. “I have something I want to show you.”

“If it’s a letter or something like that...” The mage had encountered children who offered him letters or gifts “out of respect” before.

Ian had experienced it as well, so he understood the mage’s position. “No. Nothing like that.”

However, Ian had something else to show him. Something that was going to make his worth skyrocket… Magic. With a whoosh, a flame the size of a fist appeared in Ian’s hand. It was just first-class beginner magic, the Fire Ball.

“The Fire Ball...?”

Seeing the mage taken aback satisfied Ian. A small ball of water appeared in his other hand, called the Aqua Ball.

“Two spells at the same time...?” The mage’s eyes widened.

The four knights in attendance were also shocked. A child was capable of this magic? One who had never even gone to the magic academy? Just as his mana reaction was examined? Yet he was able to cast two spells at the same time? This was unprecedented.

“I’m not sure how or why,” the child replied.

The mage’s face looked desperate for an answer.

Ian was looking right back at him without a flinch. He continued, “This skill just came naturally.”

“What?” What was this child talking about? The mage was suspicious. “Did anyone teach you how to do this?”

“No. Nobody did.”

“Are you sure?” the mage asked, casting interrogation magic. The spell checked for biological reactions like heartbeats and eye movements, to see if someone was lying. “Answer carefully. If you lie, you could be charged with treason. You could be putting your family, and even your neighbors, in grave danger.”

The mage wasn’t threatening him. Mages had to follow strict rules, mandated by the empire and the Ivory Tower. Unaligned mages were considered criminals, so teaching magic without permission was considered treasonous. All mage activities were regulated by an agency, and Ian knew this very well. He also knew the mage had activated the interrogation magic on him.

“I would never lie to someone like you.” This itself was a lie, but Ian had found a loophole.

I never learned this from anyone. It’s the truth. He had learned how to control mana and different kinds of basic magic during his past life, on his own. He had learned them in the three months between his mana reaction examination and the day he had entered the academy.

Being a genius is a good thing. And Ian was a genius, the first eighth-class mage in existence, ever. He had developed into a genius as his career progressed in his past life. This time around, however, he wanted his genius acknowledged from the beginning.

Laughter escaped the mage’s lips. He had a lot of questions. The interrogation magic didn’t seem to work. Was it possible that the child was controlling his instincts to avoid it?

That’s nonsense. The mage could tell it was impossible. Unless they had received intense training as a spy, nobody could entirely hide biological reactions while lying.

This can mean one of two things. Either the child in front of him was the greatest spy ever or... He’s as talented as the Primal Mage.

This was a legend the mage had heard before. Commoners thought magic came from dragons, but mages believed in the Primal Mage. Although neither alternative was believable, the mage’s thoughts leaned toward the latter.

“S-stop it!”

“Shush! Don’t you know an important guest is inside?”

The sound of an argument came from outside, interrupting them—the voices of Ian’s mother and one of the soldiers guarding the tent.