Mother handed us each a glass of water before leaving. She’s been alone, putting up the holiday decorations. We offered to help, but she refused with a strained smile. We insisted—her response was even firmer: she locked us in our room.

Curious. She vehemently opposes us staying home all the time, yet when it comes to preparations, she’d rather do it alone. Hypocritical? Maybe not the right word, but it’s the first that comes to mind.

I got up from the floor and helped Isolde do the same. We finished the water and returned the empty glasses to Mother.

"Go take a bath. We’ll need to leave soon. Your father will be waiting for us at the festival," she said, smiling as she walked away toward the sink.

A bath, huh?

In my past life, history books claimed Victorians rarely bathed—only on special occasions, as if water were a sacred commodity reserved for pivotal moments. This world is different. Here, bathing is a daily routine, and if there’s an important event, you take another bath before heading out.

"Alright…" I replied, still catching my breath from training. "You first, or me?"

Isolde had already grabbed her towel before I finished speaking.

"Fine, you go first."

"Huh? Aren’t we bathing together?"

Her confusion was genuine. Apparently, she hadn’t realized we’re not little kids anymore. Bathing together now would be… awkward.

"Don’t you think we’re a bit too old for that?"

I sat on the bed, waiting for her to leave. Her reaction was immediate: cheeks puffed out in a childish pout.

"Mmm… fine."

I smirked as she stomped off, annoyed. That habit of hers—throwing tantrums and pouting—might become a problem later. Not everyone will indulge her whims.

With the room to myself, I picked up the Paradox Scriptures. I still hadn’t studied healing magic. Not because it didn’t interest me, but because the sheer complexity was overwhelming. Too many branches, too much information, too many ways to fail.

Still, today I decided to try.

"Let’s see…"

Muttering to myself has become a recent habit. It helps me process information, cement it in my memory. Oddly, I also retain what Isolde says aloud when she studies magic and combat. Maybe that’s what they call auditory learning.

Sounds useful.

I wonder if I’m a visual learner too. That’d be even better.

Setting aside tangents, I focused on a topic that caught my eye: Blood Magic. It’s under healing magic, suggesting applications in regenerating red and white blood cells.

Blood healing magic: 

• Regulates, purifies, and manipulates blood, improving its quality, removing toxins and diseases.

• Creates and controls artificial blood for offensive/strategic combat purposes.

Interesting. Creation and control of artificial blood. Does that imply a direct link to mana and Syrix?

Key fuctions:

Total blood detox: Eliminates poisons and infectious diseases.

• High-velocity bullets: Pierces objects.

• Blood-fueled strikes: Concentrates blood to enhance physical attacks.

• Disrupts blood flow to immobilize/weaken.

This is… too much.

The issue isn’t just understanding it—it’s applying it without reducing theory to useless knowledge. But if I grasp the relationship between mana, Syrix, and artificial blood synthesis, maybe I can do something with this.

Something tells me mastering this branch of magic would open endless possibilities.

And that?

Definitely worth trying.