Since discovering that his magic power had been completely depleted, Leon had always focused his research on solving the issue of "how to restore magic."
In other words, throughout his efforts to resolve this problem, he had consistently assumed that he was "incapable of gathering magic power."
But that wasn’t actually the case.
There was nothing wrong with his physical strength, mental endurance, or magical circuits, which meant Leon could, in theory, gather magical power normally.
In fact, this magical power should have been more than enough for him to cast all kinds of large-scale lightning spells with ease.
Yet the reality was that every time he tried to gather magic, he could only manage to use trivial, almost childlike magic, as if he were playing house.
Even something as simple as using lightning to write a birthday greeting in the night sky required the assistance of a magical array.
Why did this happen? Perhaps the problem didn’t lie with Leon himself, but rather that… something was quietly stealing his magic.
So now, thinking back, since becoming Roswitha’s captive, what new "things" had appeared on his body?
That’s right.
The Dragon Mark.
Leon had previously never considered the Dragon Mark as part of the issue.
After all, in his understanding, the Dragon Mark was just a kind of auxiliary magic used among the Dragon Clan to signify loyalty and strengthen intimacy between couples.
After his awakening, Roswitha had taken advantage of the Dragon Mark’s symbolic meaning and functionality to bind herself to Leon, ensuring he could never escape her grasp.
The mark only came into play during their struggles for "dominance" in their relationship.
At all other times, it remained quietly hidden on their respective chests, having no impact on their daily lives.
But after exhausting all other possibilities and finding no solution, Leon was left with no choice but to shift his sole remaining focus onto the Dragon Mark.
Even Roswitha didn’t seem particularly knowledgeable about this thing.
How could a 200-year-old dragoness who had never been in a single relationship understand the nuances of the Dragon Mark’s workings?
When the Dragon Clan came for vengeance, logic wasn’t exactly their strong suit. She probably just threw every possible method of torment she could think of at Leon without fully considering whether she understood the Dragon Mark or whether she was even competent in using it.
Besides, if she had known that the Dragon Mark was stealing Leon’s magic, she would have relished the opportunity to mock him.
Something along the lines of, "No wonder you’re so fiery—you must have funneled all your magic into the Dragon Mark."
The mere thought of Roswitha making such remarks gave Leon chills all over his body.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and refocused his attention.
After redirecting his research toward this new avenue, Leon quickly came up with a hypothesis that was entirely different from his previous assumptions:
His magic wasn’t depleted, nor was he incapable of gathering it. Instead, the magic he gathered was being silently absorbed by the Dragon Mark.
It was time to test this hypothesis.
Leon glanced toward Muen.
His precious daughter was still deeply focused on solving her problems.
Withdrawing his gaze, Leon headed for the library’s restroom. Once inside, he locked the door behind him.
Standing before the mirror over the sink, he unbuttoned the collar of his shirt to reveal the Dragon Mark on his chest.
In its normal state, the Dragon Mark was silvery-white in color. When "missing" the other person, it turned light purple; and when the two partners were fully entwined—man with woman, human with dragon—it glowed a deep violet.
This little Dragon Mark sure ran hot.
"If it really is the Dragon Mark quietly stealing my magic… then—"
Leon attempted to gather magical energy. Blue arcs of light flickered and danced in his palm.
He closed his eyes, quietly sensing the flow of magic coursing through his body’s circuits.
Palm, arm, shoulder—and finally… chest.
Leon slowly opened his eyes, his gaze settling on the sparks flickering at the Dragon Mark on his chest. His brow furrowed slightly.
"As expected, a portion of the magic is flowing uncontrollably into the Dragon Mark… but…"
Leon noticed something peculiar.
It was true that a portion of his magic had flowed into the Dragon Mark.
But compared to the total amount of magic he had just gathered, the portion absorbed by the Dragon Mark wasn’t substantial.
If he were to quantify the magic he’d gathered as 10, then just 2 was left for casting spells, with another 2 flowing into the Dragon Mark.
But where had the remaining half gone?!
Leon buried his fingers in his hair, trying to kickstart his brain into overdrive.
The logic seemed sound—something within his body was indeed stealing magic.
But this so-called "something" wasn’t just the Dragon Mark.
Or rather, the Dragon Mark was merely one small part of the equation—a mere accomplice, insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
As for the true culprit stealing his magic, someone—or something—else was responsible.
"What could it be…"
Leon folded his arms over his chest and began pacing back and forth in front of the sink.
He carefully reviewed every detail of his life since waking up.
But apart from the Dragon Mark, there was nothing new added to his body.
And yet, the magic he had just gathered had indeed been uncontrollably drawn toward his chest.
What detail was he still missing?
...
After a brief bout of frustration, Leon steadied himself again.
He leaned forward, gripping the edge of the sink, and stared into the mirror at his reflection, forcing himself into calm contemplation.
"The Dragon Mark does absorb a portion of magic, but it’s so minuscule that it’s negligible."
"And if the Dragon Mark actually had a significant impact on magical energy, Roswitha would have removed it long ago. She wouldn’t have let it linger."
"So now it’s almost certain: my magic isn’t depleted—it’s being secretly consumed by something inside me that I don’t yet understand."
"But… if it’s inside my body, and it’s been draining so much magic, why haven’t I experienced any adverse reactions apart from being unable to cast magic?"
"And furthermore, what’s the purpose of it absorbing my magic? Is it beneficial to me—or harmful?"
Questions piled up before Leon like a mountain, leaving him mentally exhausted.
He let out a weary breath, ran his fingers through his hair, and leaned back against the edge of the sink, folding his arms as he brooded.
On one side was his desire to avoid disappointing his master, who might think he’d gotten rusty over the past two years. On the other was the fact that his daughter’s winter vacation was approaching quickly, and he had promised to teach her more advanced magic.
Leon needed to figure this out—fast.
Closing his eyes, he massaged his brow for a moment, then arrived at another potential way to navigate this predicament.
If he couldn’t confront the core issues he’d just identified head-on, why not… sidestep them for now?
Leon lifted his head sharply and turned his focus to the Dragon Mark reflected in the mirror.
"The thief draining the magic in my circuits steals the majority of it, leaving me unable to store magic in my circuits and creating the illusion that it’s been depleted."
After magical initiation, every mage is able to store the energy they’ve gathered within their circuits by circulating it. This method avoids the need to gather magic on the spot every time and improves efficiency considerably.
But for Leon, even the smallest trace of magic left in his circuits would be stolen by the "thief," who would then divvy it up with its accomplice, the Dragon Mark, in an 80–20 split.
Good.
That’s the crux of it!
"If I can’t find the thief… I should at least be able to locate the Dragon Mark, right?"
Leon poked at the mark on his chest. "You’ve been stuck to me for so long—in addition to doing Roswitha’s dirty work, isn’t it about time you proved your worth?"
Dragon Mark: Meow meow meow?
