Fortunately, Neron's surprising behavior didn't last very long.
After welcoming me and embracing me—which was extremely awkward—he returned to his seat as though nothing had ever happened.
Once he sat, closed his eyes, heaved a deep sigh, and looked at me for the umpteenth time, he finally returned to normal.
'Weirdo…'
*************************
"How long were you standing there? I'm amazed. I couldn't even detect you…" Neron remarked.
We were both seated, demarcated by Neron's large headmaster table.
"Trade secret. Hehe. Besides, it wasn't like you were even trying." I chuckled.
"Welp, fair point…"
Knowing his personality, even if I didn't reveal myself, it wasn't like I could harm him. Any amount of carelessness on Neron's part was inconsequential.
'While we're on that topic…'
"I see there's no form of defensive measure in your office. Why?"
I thought it was strange.
The whole Academy was saturated with protective Magic, yet Neron's domain was completely bare.
Why was that?
"Welp, I figured that would invite trouble. No one would want to target a very fortified place, right? So, if I make it easily accessible, I can have more trespassers." He explained.
'In essence, you're just bored…?' I nearly rolled my eyes in amusement.
"Headmaster, uh?" Containing my laughter, I looked around the very spacious office.
Several medals and awards littered the place. A mini-library occupied the left corner of the room, while the right had a shelf dedicated to some pretty neat Magic Tools and special awards.
The office was nicely furnished—as expected of Ainzlark Academy's top brass—and it had an air of ease.
"Please, don't bother with that." Neron sighed, resting his back on his chair.
"It's been very boring and uneventful as the head…"
His complaint couldn't exactly be taken at face value.
'I'm certain many would argue with that logic…'
Neron only considered the job to be stale because of the kind of person he was. Being the Headmaster of such a large-scale area meant a great deal of responsibility and pressure.
However, Neron was smart to a fault. His intelligence was miles ahead of his age—which was also deceiving. His management ability and innovations were capable of keeping the administrative affairs of Ainzlark Academy in order.
His Magic skills and teaching capabilities also made him the perfect fit for the role. From the nature of his Magic, he also never experienced exhaustion and several other limiting factors.
Since he could also employ the use of thousands of Familiars, Neron could keep a constant watch over Ainzlark. No task was difficult or time-consuming for him, so he probably thought of everything as monotonous.
'I know because… I would feel the same way!'
Neron was similar to me in many departments.
Three of the greatest factors that tied us both were our thirst for knowledge, our love for magic, and the unconventional methods used in our endeavors.
Which was why—of all the people in the Kingdom—there was no one I trusted and respected more than him.
"Now that you're here, I'm sure I can relieve myself of boredom a little!" Neron gave a slight smile.
I recognized the glint in his eyes. It was the same one that found expression in mine.
—Curiosity!
"How strong have you gotten?"
Our voices overlapped as we asked the same question.
Both of us smiled the moment the question was raised.
There was only one way to accurately find out.
"RESONANCE."
>VWUUUUUUSSSSHHHHHH<
Instantly, we infused our energy and connected our selves to each other.
'It's time to see for myself…'
I closed my eyes, and then opened them to witness a new world—the reality within Neron's inner self.
My eyes bulged in complete shock.
I was flabbergasted beyond belief.
It was an impossible sight!
'T—this is…!!!'
Before my eyes were several hundreds of thousands of Mana Cores—all white and occupying the vast expanse that surrounded me. That wasn't the most surprising aspect, though.
As I watched, with the interval of some seconds, new Mana Cores were forming.
'N—no… this can't…'
They burst into life—like blooming flowers, or surging stars.
It became meaningless to count them.
'T—then… if these are the Cores… how about…?!'
My heart felt like it couldn't handle any more, but…
… I had to see!
'How many Subcores does he have in each of them?!'
**********************
'Just what kind of monster have I created?'
Within each Mana Core—at least the ones I had time to explore—were at least five hundred thousand Subcores.
They littered the Mana Core space like stars in the night sky.
It was unbelievable!
Compared to the Neron of the past, this being was completely in a different league. He has attained a realm that was beyond my expectations.
'He's… he's….!!!'
**************
Neron was shocked—nearly to the point of being frightened.
That was the first emotion that found expression within him the moment he laid eyes on Jared's internal space.
'I—impossible…!'
It was something that defied logic.
Jared's Mana Cores—unlike his own—were arranged in constellations.
They had patterns, links, and a network that was so organized that it made his own inner domain seem so unkempt.
The Mana Cores were a thousand in number, however, Neron knew that their quality and efficiency would surpass his own by far.
Instead of quantity, Jared went for quality.
Every single one of the thousand Mana Cores was white, and Neron had to assume that it was probably the limit of what his body could handle—or at least very close to it.
Within each Mana Core was a number of Subcores that were also arranged in an impeccable fashion. Jared's Subcores were a total of a thousand as well.
A thousand Subcores within each Mana Core.
The Core network was so intricate that Neron knew it must have taken a great deal of time and effort to achieve.
'It's perfect… flawless!'
If that was all he had seen, perhaps Neron's heart would have been able to bear it. However, there was one fundamental thing that completely shattered Neron's sense of Mana Cores and the system in which they operated.
"This… can't be…"
Neron said this, but his eyes and every sense of his astral body were experiencing the phenomenal sight of pure magnificence.
It started from Jared's Primary Mana Core—if it could be called that at this point.
The spherical cluster of energy was cleanly divided into two parts.
An equal half was white.
And the other side was…. Completely black!
The energy that poured out of the black side attracted Neron's attention, however… the moment he drew closer to it… he got pushed away.
Instantly, the shocked man could feel the Resonance breaking apart.
However, before he completely vanished from Jared's inner domain, he could tell what manner of energy the black substance was.
'Miasma! Jared has already…!!!'
Something that even he had thought to be impossible was achieved by his protégé.
The boy—Jared Leonard—had finally fused Mana and Miasma to form something else… something beyond his current understanding.
'A—Amazing…'
