"Oh be careful not to eat too much of that young Michael," a lazy voice called from across the table. Magnus had yet to get any food and seemed to be busy staring at him for who knew how long. The source of thɪs content is novel·fire·net Michael swallowed what remained in his mouth, feeling a hint of trepidation. "Why?" "It’s magical beast meat," he replied with a small grin, "specifically, a Crimsonback Bull." Magical beast meat? He exclaimed inwardly with shock. Isn’t it impossible to eat magical beast meat? Consuming the foreign mana within its flesh can lead to mana corruption... Michael put down his knife and fork, his face turning pale with worry. Having experienced foreign mana invading his body before, he knew exactly the kind of pain and torture it brought. "Don’t listen to him Michael," Melody said, her cold voice echoing over the table. "Chef Heston is renowned through the nation for his ability to properly prepare magical beast meat." She shot a glare towards the amused Magnus across the table. Magnus shrugged lazily, letting out a chuckle. "Hey, I never said it was inedible—just to not eat too much." He could tell that the two definitely had a history thanks to their back and forth, but Michael could not care less in that moment. All his thoughts were focused inside his body, specifically his meridians where his mana had begun to calm down. Unlike when he had absorbed the chaotic mana, or faced the violet mage’s foreign mana—there was no destruction or pain. In fact, Michael felt nourished, as if his meridians were a parched desert, finally graced by the rains. It doesn’t seem dangerous... he thought cautiously, as long as I don’t eat too much, it could even be beneficial right? Michael decided to try a little more to test it out. Once again his mouth was filled with the amazing flavor and his mana danced with glee, with no signs of danger in sight. Perhaps seeing that Michael was being rather cautious, Rose spoke up from nearby, "Apparently there are records of mages eating every kind of magical beast," she said matter-of-factly, "until now, the way to prepare them had been lost." This is the second time I’ve heard someone mention knowledge has been lost, he thought in his heart. The first time being the headmaster during his grand speech. "When you say lost, what exactly do you mean?" Michael queried, dabbing the side of his mouth with his napkin. "Ah right, you guys haven’t even had your first history class yet." Rose chuckled, placing down her knife and fork. "I won’t spoil you with the details, but magic society used to be a lot more developed than it was now." She stated matter-of-factly. The other students around the table either nodded in agreement or were too busy with their feast to be paying attention. Rudy was one such person who was busy digging into the magical beast meat with reckless abandon. Michael’s interest was piqued, his thoughts instantly moving to the contents of his storage ring. He had yet to find any records of the language used on the pill bottles or the magic scrolls—and it seemed this was related to the reason. "Apparently most of it was lost during the great war," she continued, moving a lock of hair behind her ear. "You’ve heard of the mana-scarred lands in the south right?" Rose asked. Heard of it? I almost died there... he thought dryly. "Yes I’ve heard of that place," Michael replied, hiding his emotions. Beside him, Rudy paused mid-bite, his mouth still full as he turned to look at him. Thankfully though, he kept his mouth shut, choosing to continue eating instead of revealing what Michael had revealed earlier in the room. "Mm, well the mana-scarred lands are one of three wastelands across the continent—contaminated beyond repair because of the great war a thousand years ago. All records before that time were lost, including many spells and information on the Arcana." Rose added, as if narrating something that was inconsequential. "So when the headmaster said he wants to regain what was lost, that’s what he meant..." Michael replied, his eyes losing focus briefly. "Essentially yes," Blake spoke up this time, adjusting his glasses. "Apparently before the great war, Arcanist mages were everywhere—meaning our ancestors knew of ways to strengthen their souls and brave deeper into the Arcana, regardless of one’s birthright rings." Michael trembled at the words. Could it have something to do with those pills in my storage ring!? "I know it might sound fanciful—almost like a fairy tale, but there are certain records that suggest the claims are legitimate. So much so that the Arcadius family created Arcadia Academy with the sole purpose of researching these methods," he explained expertly. All Michael could manage was a nod, his mind too preoccupied with the new information he’d received. The battle he’d seen in the mana-scarred lands, the dead violet mage and the storage ring he’d received from the corpse—all these things seemed to be tied to the great war that Rose and Blake had explained. Could I be holding onto the key to unlocking the potential of all mages in my storage ring? He thought, his eyes moving to the ring on his right hand imperceptibly. The weight of this new information settled upon him, making it hard to think. "Alright, that’s enough you two," Magnus ordered, his chin resting upon his hand lazily, "Let’s not overload the first-years with information on their very first day." Both Rose and Blake didn’t argue. It seemed that a few words from Magnus was enough to cow them. "I guess they’ll learn most of this in class anyway," Blake replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Thank you for the information," Michael replied, finally able to regain his bearings. He turned to his food, but his appetite had diminished a little after the conversation. It turned out that it was likely he was holding something extremely valuable. While one’s first instinct might be to give it over to the academy for research, Michael wasn’t so sure just yet. After all, exposing the storage ring might expose other things about his identity. Until he could trust and verify the academies trustworthiness, it would be safer to keep this a secret. It’s only the first day. I still have four years until I graduate, there’s no need to rush. Perhaps I’ll even develop a method to replicate the pills in that time? He thought to himself. Of course he first needed to find out what the pills were, and their effects. But for that—he would need valuable knowledge, something that only the academy could grant him. Michael poked his fork into a large piece of chicken and shoved it into his mouth with renewed enthusiasm, chewing voraciously.