Investing in the Three Villainesses Gives Me Infinite Returns

Seeing Monica awake and looking at him with those familiar eyes, Elias felt a quiet sense of relief settle in his heart.

After everything that had happened inside the spatial rift and the trouble waiting for him outside the manor, simply knowing that she was conscious was enough to ease some of the tension he had been carrying.

He walked farther into the room and reached toward the curtains, opening them just enough for pale moonlight to enter.

The silver glow spread across the floor and walls, blending with the faint illumination emanating from the magical formations surrounding Monica’s bed.

Elias then pulled the nearby chair closer and sat beside her.

Monica examined him from head to toe before her gaze settled on his armor.

”You came here without even taking off your armor,” she said, raising an eyebrow. ”Is something wrong?”

Elias looked at her for a moment before nodding.

”I want your help,” he said.

”My help?” Monica blinked before letting out a small laugh. ”How can I, who cannot even control my own body, help you? You do not mean you want me to relieve you of your fatigue, do you?”

Elias immediately shook his head.

”I mean no such thi—”

”Tch,” Monica clicked her tongue before turning her face slightly away and muttering, ”Boring.”

Elias fell silent.

He stared at her for a few moments, unsure whether she was deliberately provoking him or simply enjoying herself.

Monica eventually looked back at him, and curiosity replaced the teasing expression on her face.

”What do you want then?” she asked.

”I want you to teach me magic,” Elias said.

The instant those words left his mouth, the room seemed to fall completely silent.

Monica’s expression gradually darkened.

”Are you joking?” she asked.

Elias shook his head.

”If yes, then that is a very bad joke,” Monica continued, her eyes narrowing as she stared at him.

”I am not joking,” Elias said calmly. ”And I do not know anyone besides you whom I can ask to teach me.”

Monica stared at his face for several seconds before letting out a bitter laugh. Instead of answering immediately, she shifted her gaze toward the window and watched the moonlight falling across the floor.

”You see, I got the important task of lying on this bed with one seizure between life and death,” she said dryly, ”so it sounds pretty difficult to add more things to do.”

Elias remained silent for a moment before leaning slightly forward.

”At least we have to try,” he pressed.

Monica sighed.

She slowly turned her head toward him and studied his expression before finally giving a small nod.

”Alright,” she said. ”We will do that.”

A faint smile appeared on Elias’s face.

Monica noticed it before asking, ”Have you awakened your mind’s eye?”

Elias tilted his head.

”What?”

Monica gave him a deadpan look.

Elias frowned.

”What is a mind’s eye?” he asked.

Monica sighed deeply.

”Do you know about the aura core?” she asked.

”Of course, I do,” Elias said. ”An aura core forms within the body of an Exalted and stores their aura. If I remember correctly, it forms at the center of the chest.”

Monica nodded.

”Similar to how swordsmen use an aura core, mages use a mind’s eye, and spiritualists use a spirit bridge,” she explained.

Elias’s expression became more attentive.

”The mind’s eye allows us to store mana inside our body and cast spells,” Monica continued. ”Even zero-circle magic spells require an awakened mind’s eye.”

”Oh...” Elias mumbled as he absorbed the information. ”How do I awaken it?”

”It is not that hard, really,” Monica said. ”You simply have to pierce through the wall set before your mind’s eye with your mana. Once you are successful in doing so, you can use it to cast spells.”

Elias listened carefully before standing from his chair.

”How do I do it?” he asked.

Monica slightly shook her head.

”Sit cross-legged on the floor.”

Elias followed her instruction immediately, lowering himself onto the floor before crossing his legs and straightening his back.

Monica watched him for a moment before continuing.

”Now collect every bit of mana that is flowing through your body and move it to the center of your forehead,” she instructed. ”Make sure the mana does not scatter.”

Elias nodded.

He closed his eyes and slowly focused his attention inward.

At first, the mana flowing through his body felt scattered and difficult to grasp, but Elias gradually gathered it together, drawing every trace toward a single point. The mana moved through his body according to his will before slowly converging toward the center of his forehead.

The moment the gathered mana reached that location, an intense pressure suddenly appeared inside his head.

Elias’s brows furrowed.

The pressure continued increasing until it became a sharp, throbbing pain that spread across his forehead and deep into his skull.

He clenched his teeth.

’This hurts.’

Sweat quickly formed across his forehead and rolled down his face, but Elias refused to stop. He could feel something standing before his consciousness, something massive and solid that prevented his mana from moving any farther.

It felt like a wall.

A wall had been erected inside his mind, separating him from something hidden beyond it.

Elias gathered more mana, and the pain intensified.

His head throbbed violently, and his body trembled slightly as he continued forcing his mana toward the invisible barrier.

”Do not let the mana scatter,” Monica reminded him quietly. ”Keep pushing.”

Elias tightened his concentration.

More mana gathered at the center of his forehead, pressing against the invisible wall with increasing force.

The pain became almost unbearable.

His breathing grew heavier, and sweat covered his face and neck as he continued pushing against the barrier.

He could feel the wall resisting him.

It wasn’t merely difficult to break through; it felt as though the barrier had been designed specifically to prevent his mana from passing through.

Elias gritted his teeth.

’I have to break it.’

He gathered every remaining trace of mana he could control and pushed it forward.

The invisible wall trembled.

Elias’s eyes remained tightly shut as he poured more mana into the pressure.

Crack!

A tiny fracture appeared within the wall.

Elias immediately focused on it.

More mana surged forward, and the fracture spread.

Crack!

Another crack appeared beside it, followed by another, and another, until the entire invisible barrier began to tremble beneath the overwhelming pressure.

Elias pushed harder; the pain reached its peak, and then the wall shattered.

BOOM!

The invisible barrier broke apart inside his mind, and a strange sensation suddenly spread throughout his entire body.

The pressure disappeared, and the pain vanished.

For a brief moment, Elias felt as though his consciousness had expanded beyond the limits of his own body.

A faint golden dot appeared at the center of his forehead before vanishing.