The Last Thunderborn

Over the past week, Ranav had been diligently practicing magic, refining his control over both fire and blessing magic. His progress was evident… he could now effortlessly cast a compressed fireball, create a wall of fire, unleash a flame burst, and wield a blazing fist with his fire magic. His blessing magic had also shown remarkable achievement. Unlike other types of magic, it didn't provide him with direct power or benefits, but instead, it enhanced others significantly.

When Ranav cast Empower on Midnight, his beast core immediately shifted in color from deep green to normal green, amplifying his magical strength. Another spell, Holy Field, granted Midnight an enhanced clarity of mind, allowing him to understand magic more deeply. Under its effects, his mana recovery accelerated significantly too. Even small creatures, such as butterflies and insects that entered the field, exhibited unusual behavior, unwilling to leave its influence. One of the greatest advantages of blessing magic was its persistence… once cast, its effects remained in place until Ranav stopped the casting.

Midnight's improvements were astounding. His control over air magic had exceeded expectations… he could now launch wind blades from his hooves in all directions and, under Jessica's guidance, learned how to create a coat of air around himself. This enabled him to run at incredible speeds, even while carrying Ranav. However, there was a drawback… Ranav found himself suffocating due to the enclosed airflow. To counter this, they adjusted the technique, placing an air shield in front of him instead of fully encapsulating him within the air current. Although this slightly reduced their speed, it allowed them to travel comfortably without Ranav struggling for breath.

Midnight's shadow magic had also improved significantly. He could now conjure a Shadow Wall… a semi-transparent dark barrier that, while incapable of completely halting incoming attacks, could significantly slow their speed, reducing the impact of frontal collisions.

Perhaps the most unexpected development was Midnight's newfound ability to mimic human speech. Though he still struggled to form complete sentences, he had begun speaking in broken words, like a child learning to talk. It turned out that he wasn't speaking in the traditional sense but manipulating air magic to generate sounds resembling human speech. Jessica and Ranav marveled at this discovery, realizing that magical beasts had an instinctive understanding of their own magic. In the future, it was entirely possible that Midnight would develop spells beyond anything they could imagine.

Aside from training, Ranav occasionally went out with Paramita to visit shops or indulge in local delicacies. At other times, he also guided her in mastering light and darkness magic. Their joint practice sessions were intense, and as a result, both of them made significant progress… although at the cost of numerous plants and small creatures that perished under their relentless training.

That night, while Ranav was reviewing his progress and planning his next steps with Jessica, a maid knocked on his door.

"The Countess has requested your presence downstairs," she informed him.

Upon arriving at the lounge, Ranav found the Count and Countess engaged in a discussion. Paramita was seated with them, listening intently. As soon as he entered, the Countess looked up.

"Come here, Ranav. There's something for you," she said, extending a package toward him.

Curious, Ranav walked over and accepted the package.

"Take a guess. What do you think is inside?" she asked with a playful smile.

Ranav examined the package, weighing it in his hands before shaking his head. "I have no idea," he admitted.

The Countess chuckled. "You wanted me to help you acquire a communication device. Well, there are two in that package. One is for you, and the other is for your family. Since your sisters have awakened, they will be able to use the device to contact you anytime."

Ranav was momentarily taken aback. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I'll pay for them," he said, reaching for his pouch of gold coins.

The Countess, however, stopped him with a raised hand. "Hold on. There's no need for that. Consider it a gift from your uncle and me. If you insist on repaying us, then do so by continuing to teach Paramita magic. I've observed her progress over the past few days… it's nothing short of extraordinary.

"At first, I believed that attending a magic school would be sufficient for her development. After all, both your uncle and I are mages with six elemental affinities; I assumed that if she ever needed guidance, we could provide it. But after seeing the results of your training, I've realized that with your help, she can advance much faster than we ever anticipated.

"I had initially thought that your rapid progress was solely due to talent, but now I understand… it's your relentless dedication to practice. Your magical progress has deeply influenced Paramita, and I am convinced that if you continue to guide her, she will become as proficient as you. Your uncle shares my sentiment."

Ranav hesitated. "But… these devices cost 2000 gold coins."

This time, the Count spoke up. "Just take them. As your elders, we can give you gifts without expecting anything in return. And to us, 2000 gold coins is nothing… it's a mere drop in the bucket compared to our family's income."

"You're thinking from the perspective of your family's finances, but you need to broaden your view. As a future mage, your earnings will far exceed this amount. If you continue progressing at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if you reach the rank of Archmage by the time you turn thirty. And do you know how much an Archmage earns annually from the kingdom, even without taking on any missions?"

Ranav shook his head. "No."

"Five million gold coins," the Count replied. "That's just for staying at home. If they participate in missions or join an organization under the King, they earn even more."

Ranav was stunned. He had thought himself wealthy after acquiring 18 million gold coins from Kuldeep Krushna… something Jessica had counted previously. Yet, an Archmage could surpass that sum in just four years by doing nothing! The realization made him feel financially insignificant once again.

The Countess continued, "In this kingdom, communication devices are strictly regulated by the Mage Association. Only its members are permitted to purchase them, and every device is linked to a unique energy signature that allows authorities to track criminal activity. Association members can buy devices for their family members, but all purchases must be registered under their name."

"Since your uncle and I are always under the kingdom's supervision as we are in important government positions, we didn't buy them directly for you. So, instead, we used your master's name to acquire these two devices. Technically, that makes your master the official owner of both."

She pointed to the package again. "Now, let me show you how to use it. Open it."

Ranav unwrapped the package and retrieved one of the communication devices. It looked identical to the ones he had seen with his master, Paramita, and others.

"First, mark it as yours," the Countess instructed. "Put a drop of your blood on the device."

Ranav did as he was told.

"Now, channel a small amount of your mana into the rune at the top."

As soon as he infused mana into the rune, it glowed, and he felt a strange connection to the device.

The Countess took out her own device and lightly tapped it against Ranav's. Immediately, a new rune appeared on the side of his device.

"That rune represents my device," she explained. "And here… look at mine… this is your rune. Simply touching another device is enough to register its rune and establish a connection."

"Now, how to call others?" She demonstrated by sending mana into Ranav's rune on her device. Ranav's device lit up almost instantly.

"Send your mana to my rune to receive the call." Se said as Ranav followed. Almost instantly, a floating window appeared above both of the devices, showing the Ranav and Countess's real-time image to each other.

"See? That's how we can communicate." She said. Ranav heard her voice both in reality and from the device.

Ranav, intrigued, asked, "Is there a way to disable the video function?"

The Countess nodded. "Yes. If you touch your main rune, the video will pause. Touch it again, and it will resume. However, if you want a device that transmits only audio, you'll need to purchase a different model. But since both types cost the same, most people prefer this version."

Ranav smiled, realizing just how useful this device would be.