The element attribute awakened after enlightenment is solely related to the user themselves and is not influenced by the guidance method or the learning content during the enlightenment phase.
During the enlightenment phase, what one learns is merely how to sense magic, mobilize magic, and so on.
Therefore, whether Muen ultimately takes after her father or her mother is anyone's guess.
However, the day of her awakening is drawing closer, and the answer will soon be revealed.
On the second day after obtaining the library key from Roswitha, Leon brought Muen there.
Upon entering, rows of well-organized bookshelves stretched endlessly, impossible to take in at a glance.
Leon sighed slightly. There were at least tens of thousands of books here.
For a private library to rival the size of a large public library, Roswitha certainly had a generous hand.
Thinking of this, Leon couldn't help but wonder—so many books… could that dragoness really finish reading them all?
But on second thought, with the Dragon Clan's lifespan stretching easily over a thousand years, it was a feat beyond the grasp of human imagination.
A thousand years of time would be more than enough to finish these books, even with intermittent laziness.
Leon pulled his thoughts back, holding Muen’s little hand as they walked past aisle after aisle of bookshelves.
While the collection was vast, it was meticulously categorized, offering every genre imaginable.
There were even novels of every kind—about love, ghosts, myths, and legends—it had everything.
But Leon wasn’t there to cultivate his interests or while away the hours.
He had to both teach Muen the basics of magic and address his own problem of magical depletion.
Leon selected several introductory books on magic and then took Muen to a desk near the floor-to-ceiling windows.
He picked Muen up and sat her on his lap, then opened one of the books he had just chosen, titled *Introduction to Dragon Magic for Younglings.*
“Oh, oh! I know this book! Sis read this one too back then~” Muen said excitedly, pointing at the table of contents.
Leon laughed and patted her little head. “Now it’s Muen’s turn to follow in your sister’s footsteps. You need to study seriously, okay?”
“Okay~”
After all, she was the younger sister of a genius. Even if she was a bit ditzy on normal days, that didn’t mean she’d be clueless when it came to serious matters.
Leon had great confidence in his little darling.
As he flipped through the book, he began explaining some fundamental knowledge about magic to Muen.
Regarding basic theoretical concepts, the teaching methods of Dragon Clan and humans were identical.
“Magic is a composite power. It is formed by the combination of the user’s physical strength and mental strength and is then guided through the magic circuits within the body to ultimately produce the desired effect,” Leon explained to Muen in the simplest terms possible.
The little dragon girl listened earnestly. The tuft of hair on her head swayed gently as she asked, “Daddy, what is mental strength?”
“Mental strength is just a term. You can think of it as ‘willpower,’ ‘determination,’ or ‘a strong desire for a specific goal.’ Of course, that’s just a simplified explanation; the actual concept is much more complex.”
As Leon spoke, he picked up another book.
“For example, when Daddy uses his hand to pick up this book, isn’t he using some amount of strength?”
Muen nodded.
“At the same time that Daddy exerts physical force, he also produces an intention—‘I want to pick up the book.’ It’s the combination of these two factors that allows Daddy to complete this simple action.”
Muen blinked her big eyes and gave a soft “oh,” then followed up with another question. “But, but what if Daddy’s intention to pick up the book isn’t very strong? Wouldn’t you still be able to pick it up in the end?”
A simplified explanation does inevitably leave room for loopholes.
Of course, Leon had deliberately left such a gap, hoping Muen would think critically and ask questions. That way, the concepts would leave a deeper impression.
“Well, you’re right, Muen. But that’s only true for something as simple as picking up a book. In this case, the strength of intention—or mental power—doesn’t play a very significant role.”
Leon continued, “But if it’s something more complex, like casting a spell, then the strength of mental power becomes highly important for the final outcome. Now, let’s consider two extreme scenarios.”
“Okay! Daddy, go on,” Muen said, her attention fully absorbed.
This was far more interesting than listening to bedtime stories for young dragons!
“One person is healthy and in good mental condition. The other person is just as healthy physically but, for some reason, strongly resists using magic.”
“Now, let’s give these two people the same goal—casting Dragon Flame.”
“Muen, who do you think will perform better?”
“The first one!” Muen raised her hand.
“And why is that?”
“Because Daddy just said that magic is formed from both physical strength and mental strength. So, if their physical strength is the same, the strength of their mental power will determine how effective the magic is.”
Leon chuckled and gently pinched her cheek. “Exactly. The strength of one’s intention to cast Dragon Flame determines the actual effect of the magic in the end. On the other hand, when I mentioned earlier that someone was unwilling to use magic due to a certain reason, that was merely a vague description.”
Muen tilted her head. “What do you mean by that?”
“There can be many reasons why someone is unwilling to use magic. For example, they might have just finished a battle and want to rest as soon as possible. Or perhaps their friends have been defeated, and they too feel the pressure from their opponent. There are countless possible reasons. That’s why, when learning magic, there are also specific courses dedicated to training mental strength and willpower. You’ll encounter them in the future.”
“Oh, oh, I get it. I’ll remember that!” Muen said earnestly.
“Of course, just having enough mental strength isn’t enough. Physical strength is also a crucial component. You’ve been doing physical training lately, and that’s excellent,” Leon praised her.
The little dragon girl wagged her tail proudly. “Well, of course~ Muen doesn’t want to fall too far behind Sister!”
Good girl! Starting the competition so young—this daughter of his was bound to outshine the other Dragon Kings someday!
After explaining a bit more, Muen started practicing on her own.
Finally, Leon had time to work on his own matters.
He walked to the shelves containing magic-related books and carefully selected volumes he might find useful.
The refresher he had just given Muen on how magic works gave him a new line of thought.
“If magic is made up of physical and mental strength, then I have plenty of both. Why is my magic still in a state of depletion?”
He muttered to himself, mulling things over as he browsed the shelves.
“Is it an inability to generate magic…? No, that’s not it. I was able to briefly use lightning-elemental magic when refining the Black Dragon Bolus and sparring with Roswitha. That means I’m capable of producing magic.”
“Then what in the world is going on…?”
The entire morning passed as he combed through numerous ancient tomes on magic. He did manage to find precedents of magical depletion, yet none of their solutions seemed effective when he tried them.
What a headache.
It seemed this problem would take a long time to solve, Leon thought silently.
At lunchtime, Leon took Muen to the dining hall.
Roswitha was already there.
“Mama~” The little dragon girl sweetly called, her tuft of hair swaying as she ran over.
Roswitha smiled and scooped her into her arms. “Was the morning’s study tiring?”
“Not at all! Daddy explained everything so well. Muen listened super carefully~”
Roswitha nuzzled her daughter’s cheek. “That’s wonderful. Muen, you must awaken soon. Mama’s looking forward to the day you discover your innate element.”
As she spoke, she lifted her eyes and cast a meaningful glance at Leon.
Leon snorted lightly, knowing exactly what this mother dragon was thinking.
Whether Muen awakened to fire or lightning wouldn’t make much of a difference to her future studies, but it would significantly affect the family dynamics.
Noa had already awakened to the lightning element, making her a trump card for Leon in his ongoing victory laps over Roswitha.
If Muen also awakened to lightning, Leon might just go ahead and pop a champagne cork in Roswitha’s face.
However, if it turned out to be fire, the queen would gain some ground, reclaiming a bit of leverage in the household. That way, the smug Dragon Slayer wouldn’t have free reign to gloat indefinitely.
Their competitive spirit was peculiar, much like how regular couples might still argue over which parent their child resembled more.
Lunch unfolded leisurely.
Midway through the meal, Anna approached holding a letter.
“Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty, Your Highness. This is a letter from the academy.”
Anna handed the envelope to Roswitha.
Roswitha opened it and read quickly from top to bottom.
Leon set down his fork. When it came to matters concerning his daughters, he was particularly attentive. “What does it say?”
Roswitha handed the letter to Leon. “The academy has invited us to attend Noa’s essay competition award ceremony.”