Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 19

‘Am I… dead?’

‘Why the sand… Oh, I’m dead.’

Jeremy and Derrick barely lifted their trembling eyelids.

They had been certain the statue would crush them, but they felt no pain.

And then there was the fine white powder tickling their faces.

It seemed they had died instantly and crossed into the afterlife.

With that thought, they slowly raised their heads.

Before them was—

My back, standing between them and the statue.

“…”

I slowly lowered my hand, which had been extended toward the falling statue.

Around me, the statue, reduced to fine particles, swirled like a sandstorm.

“What… how did this…”

Jeremy stammered, looking around.

The statue’s upper half was gone.

There was no sound of it hitting the ground.

And above all—

They were alive, unharmed.

Thud. Derrick’s legs gave out, dropping his wand as he collapsed.

Trembling, he couldn’t stand.

‘That… that guy… saved Jeremy and me…? With that insane level of mana…?’

Derrick stared at my back, eyes still reeling from shock.

In that fleeting moment, turning a massive statue to dust with mana alone.

And despite the sudden mana expenditure, I stood without a single breath out of place.

“What… kind of guy is he…?”

Derrick muttered in a trembling voice.

The other children watching from the plaza were equally stunned.

They looked between the halved statue and me, whispering.

“Isn’t that guy a Kirhausen Tail…? And he did that…?”

“No way… He didn’t swing his wand or chant a spell…”

“He turned that huge statue to dust just by emitting mana…? Is that even possible…?”

The examinees, administrators, and professors who rushed over at the screams were all in shock.

Feeling hundreds of eyes on me, I bit my lip.

‘Damn it… In my haste, I used the first spell that came to mind…’

The spell I had used was my past life’s unique magic, Attribute Disruption.

A transformation spell that seized an object’s properties with mana, instantly altering its composition.

Like Reverse, it wasn’t registered in the magical world, had no chant, and was exclusive to Edmund.

This was a disaster.

‘Using my past life’s unique magic in front of so many people… what a mess…’

But I had no choice.

The thought of someone dying made my mana circle react before my mind could.

To others, it likely looked like I shattered the statue with raw mana emission.

No one would think a 14-year-old could cast a unique spell.

But my luck ran out there.

“…”

I slowly scanned the crowd around me.

Examinees, administrators, professors—all staring with open mouths.

And among the shocked onlookers, I met the most intensely trembling eyes.

“…”

Marcel.

I hoped he hadn’t seen everything, but—

‘No chance.’

His shocked and confused expression told me it was too late to cover up.

***

The final responsibility for the plaza incident fell on Derrick.

His interview, the final exam, was put on hold, and House Jenkins was informed.

Meanwhile, though I had clashed with Derrick, I faced no penalties since my actions saved Derrick and Jeremy.

In the infirmary, hearing the decision, Derrick quietly bit his lip.

Jeremy, beside him, raised his voice in frustration.

“This is outrageous! That Tail provoked you first, and they let him off while you…!”

“…”

Derrick, fuming silently, clenched his fists.

‘Damn it…’

Thinking of the note still in my possession, his lips grew paler.

***

The chaos was quickly resolved, and the final exam, the interview, proceeded.

Marcel and I performed flawlessly, as prepared by our tutors.

Delayed by three hours due to the incident, the interview went as planned.

I breezed through it and followed Marcel to the transport ship landing site where Verdi waited.

As expected—

“…”

“…”

Silence hung between us as we walked through the academy grounds.

Since witnessing the plaza incident, Marcel had kept his expression stiff and hadn’t spoken a word.

It wasn’t just the shocking power of my mana.

“Is that him? The one who…”

“Yeah, a Kirhausen Tail.”

“A Tail? Why would Kirhausen pick a monster like that as a Tail…?”

“Shh, he’ll hear.”

The constant stares and whispers followed us since the incident.

Everyone was curious about my identity and Kirhausen’s intentions.

But Marcel, ignoring the onlookers, walked on calmly.

‘A wise response. In this situation, a single word or glance could fuel rumors.’

I was relieved by Marcel’s thoughtful judgment.

For the family’s prestige and my own sake, his silence was best for now.

But the problem was what came next.

Given Marcel’s temperament, he would likely distance himself from me to process his thoughts.

And I couldn’t predict how far those thoughts would go.

The situation unfolded as I feared.

On Verdi back to Shainborough, and even after arriving—

Marcel didn’t spare me a word or glance.

I watched him quietly as he entered the mansion, greeted by the servants.

***

Tap—Tap—Thwack—!

In the quiet, dark training ground, rhythmic strikes echoed.

Marcel struck a training dummy with smooth, precise movements.

Despite the chilly weather, his body was drenched in sweat from swinging the wooden sword.

“Hoo…”

Wiping sweat, Marcel caught his breath.

Then, he resumed his stance, aiming the sword at the dummy’s vital points.

Thwack—! Tap—Thud—!

The steady strikes filled the training ground again.

Hours of training left his grip sore and muscles aching.

But the more his body hurt, the clearer his tangled mind became.

Whenever his chest felt heavy or his thoughts grew complex, Marcel often came to Shainborough’s Fifth Training Ground with a wooden sword.

Pushing his body to its limits naturally cleared his mind, enabling rational thinking.

Usually, First Knight Commander Tares sparred with him during these visits.

But today was different.

Marcel faced a wooden dummy, not Tares.

His悩み were too deep to share even with Tares.

‘Who is that guy…?’

The scene from earlier replayed in Marcel’s mind.

Though it happened in an instant, every moment was vivid.

‘My eyes couldn’t even follow his movements.’

To move that fast and calculate the spell’s range in that brief moment… it defied Marcel’s understanding.

That left one conclusion.

‘That shocking power was just from emitting mana.’

Thwack—!

Marcel’s sword struck the dummy’s neck.

He froze in that stance, staring at the sword’s tip for a long time.

“…”

Unlike the training ground’s silence, Marcel’s mind was loud.

‘I’ve never heard of such power. No mage our age has that level of mana.’

Even after shattering the statue, I showed no surprise.

That meant the shocking power wasn’t a fluke or burst of potential.

It meant I could wield even greater power but had chosen not to.

Marcel slowly withdrew his sword from the dummy’s neck.

“…Ha.”

A wry laugh, like a sigh, escaped him.

“If he’s been hiding his strength on the family’s orders… then Father truly sees me as half a man.”

***

A week passed before the entrance exam results were announced.

I, Eddie, and Marcel spent our time together as usual, following the same schedule.

Of course, the awkward silence between us persisted.

During meals, studies, and training, Marcel didn’t spare me a single glance.

But his attitude only served to lay bare his thoughts to me.

‘Sometimes, no reaction is a reaction. Especially for a thoughtful guy like him.’

Even after sorting his thoughts, Marcel didn’t ask me anything.

I easily deduced why.

‘He can’t bring himself to ask, “Did the family order you to hold back in front of me?”’

Asking that would mean admitting how his mana was treated within the family.

Moreover, despite the incidents during the entrance exam, the family hadn’t taken any action against me.

This meant they didn’t see my unexpected mana as a problem.

It was the perfect situation for Marcel to misunderstand the dynamic between the family and me.

‘Marcel doesn’t know this incident has only increased my value as his Well. So his misunderstanding can only grow.’

As I predicted—

Marcel, seeing me continue my brazen act even after revealing my strength, was convinced.

My acting was at the family’s—his father’s—behest.

And to solidify that misunderstanding, I deliberately played up my innocence.

“So, can I learn 2-star spells now, Teacher Fondes?”

“You barely managed a couple of Nux spells, and you want 2-star magic? No matter how great your potential, practical magic isn’t so easy to master.”

“Oh… I see.”

My shameless act continued, whether Marcel was watching or not.

Watching me, a scene naturally came to Marcel’s mind.

The moment Furas smirked, hearing my response in the main hall.

‘That smile on Father’s face… it wasn’t mockery, but a genuine smile. And he suddenly told me to keep Eddie close…’

As time passed, Marcel’s thoughts solidified toward ‘Father favors Eddie.’

And as that conviction grew, anxieties swelled in his mind.

‘Will I spend my academy years being treated like a fool by my assistant?’

‘Does Father distrust me so much that he keeps a suspicious kid by my side?’

‘If he held back during the exam… what’s the point of my entrance score?’

Dark waves of anxiety slowly soaked Marcel.

Days later—

Two admission letters bearing Lieferden Academy’s seal arrived at Shainborough.