While Count Tould dealt with his unwelcome guest, Gravel and Iris, guided by the castle's servants, traversed the corridors of the stronghold. They ascended a spiral staircase that wound around a massive central pillar, arriving at a spacious reception room on the second floor.
Diara had accompanied them as far as the second floor, but, citing fatigue from days of driving the wagon, she declined to stay in the reception room and followed a servant to her quarters to rest.
Gravel sat in a chair by the window, placed on a rug woven with blue and black threads. While sipping tea brought by the servants and nibbling on dried fruit served alongside it, he surveyed the paintings and decorations adorning the walls. At that moment, another servant approached and placed a thick book bound in brown leather on the table, stating it was brought on Count Tould's orders.
The book's cover bore no title, but it featured an illustration that hinted at its contents. The drawing depicted a human figure, with various large and small dots marked across it, likely indicating the positions of the 88 mana veins. Gravel's lips curled into a slight smile as he flipped open the book and began reading.
With his eyes fixed on the pages, he occasionally reached for his tea, sipping it as he delved deeper into the text.
"Whether a knight of the Steel Path or a mage following the Way of Mana, one draws natural mana into the body, storing it within and refining it through breathing and meditation, allowing it to flow through or accumulate in the mana veins…"
Since there was only one copy of the book, Gravel summarized key points aloud so Iris, seated across the table, could follow along.
"Training through breathing and meditation rather than combat… No, wait, it says a trained body is also important, so combat shouldn't be underestimated either."
Gravel continued flipping through the pages, reading on.
Across several pages, the book explained that the stronger the physical body, the easier it is to channel and harness mana, and that mana is influenced by the mind and will. The importance of will was illustrated with an example: if a knight of the Steel Path resolved to wield only a sword and no other weapon, that determination would influence the mana within their body. This would make it easier to master techniques like Sword Sing, where mana is emitted from the sword, or Singing Sword, where the mana flow is controlled and compressed to envelop the blade.
The book also noted that while "Singing Sword" was the most common term among those who walk the Steel Path, other names existed. For instance, the Anthro called it the Unbreaking Claw, while others referred to it as Mana Sword or Shining Blade, among various other names.
"A singing sword… That's a poetic name. The idea that the resolve to wield only a sword can influence mana… It reminds me of something similar in magic. The more one adheres to a single element, the more their mana takes on that element's properties, increasing efficiency and power. But could it be, as the book suggests, that sheer willpower alone can make a difference? Does this mean even destructive intent or killing intent toward others could affect mana?"
The book sparked numerous thoughts, filling Gravel's mind with new ideas and information to process.
Gravel flipped back and forth through the pages, completely engrossed. Iris, considerate of his focus, quietly refilled his teacup from the warm teapot.
In the quiet reception room, the only sound was the rustle of Gravel turning pages. Iris sipped her tea or gazed out the window by the table, passing the time unless Gravel spoke to her.
The servants of House Tould approached cautiously, mindful not to disturb Gravel, who was absorbed in the book as if determined not to miss a single word. They checked to ensure he had enough tea or dried fruit.
"I need to copy this down."
Gravel paused his reading and retrieved a few sheets of paper, a small ink bottle, and a pointed pen from the pouch at his waist.
The open book displayed a diagram resembling a human figure, dotted with small marks indicating the positions of the 88 mana veins—the same image as on the cover, but with one difference: each dot was connected by lines, with tiny text labeling the names of the mana veins.
The following pages detailed the names and effects of each mana vein, categorized by arms, legs, torso, and head, accompanied by additional diagrams.
"Iris, I'm going to copy this diagram of the mana veins' positions. It should help clarify some of the questions we've had about mana movement and control when using or teaching swordsmanship."
With his eyes fixed on the book's diagram, Gravel's hand moved swiftly, the pen scratching across the paper as he spoke to Iris.
"Would you like me to help?" Iris asked, standing and peering at the pages Gravel was copying.
"No, it's fine. Copying it myself is helping me organize my thoughts. I want to do this."
"Then I'll copy it too, just like you, Lord Gravel. Could you share your writing tools?"
"Hm? Sure… I have plenty of pens and ink."
Gravel placed a pen and an ink bottle on the paper.
Scratch, scribble, swish.
The sound of their pens moving across the paper filled the room.
Since arriving in this world, Gravel had vaguely sensed the existence of mana veins through instinct alone. Now, the book provided precise knowledge of their locations. As they copied the contents onto paper, both Gravel and Iris channeled small amounts of mana through their bodies, confirming the positions of the mana veins as they wrote.
"So many questions I've had are starting to make sense. What about you, Iris? I bet you're gaining even more insight than I am."
"Yes, as you said, Lord Gravel, just knowing the positions of the mana veins makes it possible to explain so much that I couldn't before."
Iris replied, her eyes wide with excitement and the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.
"Iris, when using Maan-Mes, you circulate mana from the major vein at the Southern Crown through the Cup and Raven before channeling it into the sword, right?"
"Yes, though to reduce power and sustain it longer, I sometimes use the Furnace vein instead of the Cup."
The two continued their enthusiastic discussion about swordsmanship, like excited children.
"If I apply this to magic… the casting speed and power would increase beyond comparison."
Gravel wondered if the mages of this world didn't also use combinations of mana veins, but the latter half of the book explained why they did not.
When infusing mana into a magic circle, mana must remain stable to avoid surges, dispersion, or backflow. Thus, mana transformed through mana veins is unsuitable for spellcasting, as it requires precise control. Practitioners of the Way of Mana focus on increasing the amount of mana in their bodies and channeling it stably through the mana veins, making their approach to mana fundamentally different from that of the Steel Path.
"I need to try circulating mana through the veins myself."
Gravel pushed his chair back and stood, moving to an open space beside the table. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began.
The book noted that controlling mana becomes challenging when combining three or more mana veins.
"Three veins might be easier to control than I thought…"
Lips gently closed, Gravel exhaled slowly through his nose, circulating mana through three veins. To his surprise, the mana rotated within his body faster than expected.
"It said to train by repeatedly circulating and controlling connected veins…"
Five, seven, fifteen, twenty-five. Gravel increased the number of connected mana veins, circulating mana through them.
He inhaled slowly, and the air around him seemed to ripple. A faint, colorless shimmer, like a burning flame, distorted the space around him.
As he exhaled, the energy emanating from his body paused, then converged toward him as if drawn to a single point before vanishing.
"Now that I think about it, the names of the mana veins felt familiar because some are named after constellations. Though some are completely unfamiliar…"
Gravel stopped his circulation training and looked at Iris, who was seated with her eyes closed, breathing slowly, seemingly practicing the same mana circulation.
"Speaking now might disturb her, so I'll just watch for a bit…"
Iris appeared to be increasing the number of connected mana veins, just as Gravel had. A shimmering aura began to form around her, similar to what had surrounded him. Moments later, her brow furrowed, and sweat beaded on her forehead, suggesting she was struggling to control the mana.
"Is Iris getting used to circulating the veins too? Wait… what?"
Gravel was startled to see the aura enveloping Iris flare outward with the ferocity of a blazing fire.
The chairs near the table shifted, and the paintings on the walls rattled as if they might fall.
"Iris! Are you okay?"
"Yes?" Iris responded to Gravel's voice, and the mana that had filled the room moments ago converged toward a single point in her body and vanished.
"Oh, I called out because I thought you might be having trouble with the circulation training. So, how's it going? The mana vein circulation?"
"Identifying and circulating the 88 mana veins was easy. But to use certain combinations in combat, I think I'll need to practice while moving."
"Yeah, it's definitely different from magic… But since circulation training can be done anywhere, maybe we can practice it while escorting the statue to Ves-Dinas and taking on guild quests there."
If it weren't for Diara's request, Gravel would have wanted to stay in a city with an adventurers' guild to study mana vein training and its applications. But he figured it would be fine as long as it wasn't delayed too long.
"Until dinner, teach me about the combinations and applications used in swordsmanship. Even just knowing them beforehand will help."
Gravel returned to his chair and addressed Iris.
"I'll write them down first, then explain." Iris replied.