4th Day (2) | Well Then... Let's Build A Well! (2)

"M-Magic...?!" Anastasia echoed, her voice laced with disbelief.

"That's right~," he affirmed with a smile, directing his attention not just to Anastasia but also to Bella and Martha. "As you all might know, magic—or, more formally, Arcana—is one of humanity's greatest tools. It's the very foundation that allows us to wield and mold mana to our advantage~."

"I-Indeed, Sir Sebas," the mistress nodded, regaining her composure. "You speak of Arcana—the practice of using mana, a natural energy inherent in all living beings. Through training, one can harness this energy for various purposes... including the very use of Arcana itself."

"Well put, Lady Ana. If I'm not wrong, you've undergone advanced Arcana training as well in the Academy, haven't you? You even got the highest score in your first year's midterm exam."

"T-That is correct, Sir Sebas," Anastasia admitted, though her brows furrowed slightly. "...Though, how do you know such details about me?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, eyeing her smiling butler with suspicion. However, her sharp gaze only elicited a light chuckle from him.

"Don't be so tense, my lady," he teased, tilting his head playfully. "Let's just say I did my homework for my future master~."

"I-I see..."

"Well, moving aside from your accusation toward me—"

"I was not making an accusation, Sir Sebas."

"—what's important now is that the nature of magic and mana could help us with our water dilemma," he continued smoothly, ignoring the redhead's indignant huff.

"S-Sir Sebas, I'm sorry to ask the obvious question, but," Bella interjected, raising a nervous hand as if asking for permission, "h-how exactly are we going to do just that?"

"Yeah... how then, Sir Butler?" Martha followed up on Bella's question, crossing her arms.

The brunette knight then stepped closer to the chalkboard, scrutinizing the rough sketches on it carefully... as if trying to figure out the supposed location of an actual water source herself.

"As far as I know, I've never heard of using magic to locate a water reservoir. If that were possible, every mage in the kingdom would already know about it—including the ones I've worked with before."

"Well, you're not wrong in that regard, but..." Sebas paused, a knowing smirk creeping onto his lips. "That only applies in normal circumstances~."

"N-Normal circumstances?" the knight echoed, her brows knitting together in confusion.

Sebas responded with a sly smile, as if he alone held the secret to the unknown.

He took a few slow steps to the side as the ladies watched him in quiet yet anxious curiosity, their confusion growing by the second.

The butler spread his arms wide—presenting the very sight behind him...!

Before them stretched the vast expanse of Anastasia's current territory—a wild, flatland meadow guarded by the towering log border walls...!

"Ladies," Sebas began, his voice carrying a weight that made them instinctively listen, "The Garden of Hell is teeming with mana... far beyond what you might expect."

"W-What do you mean, Sir Sebas...?" Anastasia asked, her brows furrowed in bewilderment.

"Simply put, my lady," he continued, "as we all know, mana has always been thought to exist only within living beings. Humans, animals, monsters—we all carry it within us, naturally flowing like the blood in our veins. Even plants, though lesser in comparison, contain traces of mana to sustain their growth."

"That is correct... but what does that have to do with your claim, Sir Sebas?"

He smiled once more; his gaze swept over them before he lifted a hand, gesturing toward the land again.

"Here... in this forsaken land... even the earth, the water, and the very wind around us are brimming with mana!"

Silence.

Bella and Martha exchanged a confused glance. Neither of them was particularly adept in Arcana—especially Bella, who had little-to-no training in magic.

Martha, at least, possessed a warrior's instinct, allowing her to sense mana to some degree and utilize basic body enhancement techniques. But even then, her abilities paled in comparison to a true mage's mana sensing.

On the other hand, their mistress, Anastasia, who had undergone mage training, stared at the butler as if he had gone senile.

"That's absurd, Sir Sebas..." she murmured, shaking her head. "Only magical artifacts or specially enchanted objects can store mana. The idea that raw earth, water, or even the air itself could do the same… that shouldn't be possible."

"It's possible, my lady. The land beneath your feet, the very water that you three bathed in, and even the air you're breathing right now—every part of this region is infused with magic."

"That couldn't be possible, Sir Sebas..." the redheaded noble challenged in disbelief, "if what you're saying has any sort of truth, then why have I myself not noticed it...?"

"It's because you've been trained to sense mana the same way—by detecting fluctuations, movements, and signatures that contrast against a baseline. But here, the baseline itself... is mana."

"...What?" She stiffened, her lips parting slightly.

"To put it simply…" Sebas took a step forward, tapping a finger against his temple. "Imagine standing in an empty, silent room. If someone whispers in your ear, you can hear it clearly."

"...Okay...?"

"But now, imagine standing in the middle of a roaring storm—would you still hear that whisper?"

"...Are you saying... the mana here is so overwhelming that it drowns out all other sources...?!"

"Exactly." Sebas snapped his fingers. "The mana here is so thick—so overwhelmingly present—that your 'normal' senses are drowning in it. Normally, mages detect mana because it stands out against the surroundings—but here, there is no contrast. Just an endless, seamless flood of mana."

Anastasia fell silent; her eyes widened at his revelation. She was still grasping the very concept he'd just spouted, still unsure if he was truly telling the truth or if this was just another one of his maddening riddles.

"…Then how are we supposed to sense it at all?" She finally broke the silence with a wary breath.

"Well, that's the trick, isn't it?" Sebas smiled knowingly. "The key isn't trying to search for the mana itself... but learning how to filter it."