Chapter 3. Mana Heart

I sat in a cross-legged position and placed my hands on my lower abdomen. I closed my eyes and felt the mana dissolved in the air. To accept the mana, I would have to clean the dust-filled path of mana.

“Hup!”

I gathered my mind. Breathing slowly, I began to purify the contaminated path of mana. I sent mana along the slowly clearing path to check each of the broken pieces.

‘Huh? Something's different?’

The properties of the pieces were different from what I knew. Was it because a lot of time had passed? It wasn't an impossible story, as there are trends that come with each generation. Just as countries and cultures changed, swords and swordsmanship had also changed. So, the Mana Heart could also change. It wasn't 10 or 20 years, but 300 years that had passed.

“Kugh!”

I shot condensed mana to burn the broken pieces. A blue stream of light connected the pieces. The broken pieces began to heat up and shake. My heart pounded. Intense pain washed over me.

‘This hurts more than I thought.’

I had suffered various injuries while fighting in numerous battles. Sometimes my chest was pierced, or my side was torn out completely, injuries so severe that I teetered between life and death. The pain back then was hard to describe. But the pain now was similar to that.

No, it felt even worse.

“Keuk.”

My thread of consciousness became incredibly thin. The broken pieces spun wildly around my heart. The blood in my body rushed to my head. If I continued like this, I felt like I would lose consciousness.

‘I can't die again so soon after being revived.’

If I lost consciousness, I wouldn't be able to control the broken pieces and could suffer fatal internal injuries. For now, rather than burning the pieces, I should find out why they are just spinning around without burning.

Controlling my breath, I gradually reduced the amount of mana I was shooting at the broken pieces. The movement of the pieces subsided. I imbued my will into the mana and carefully examined the broken pieces.

‘A magic circle?’

The broken pieces connected by mana formed a hexagram. In that case, these were not pieces of a Mana Heart. They were pieces of a Mana Circle. Because a Mana Heart cannot be used to cast magic.

‘Magic left behind with a broken Mana Circle…’

It was 'Memory of Oblivion,' a magic that leaves a part of one's memory right before death.

Many mages used it to reveal the cause of their death. In that case, the owner of this body, Maximilian Caesar, must have had some grievance... Anyway, it's surprising that he was a mage. I thought he was a knight because there was a sword and plenty of books on swordsmanship in the room.

That aside, to get rid of the broken pieces, I have to open the Memory of Oblivion.

Otherwise, I can't get rid of the pieces protected by magic.

‘Ah, crap. How did I open it again?’

Usually, it's found in the body of a dead person. So, I could just thoughtlessly push mana into it and force it open. Even if the magic circle spun and swallowed the heart, it didn't matter since the person was already dead. But I was different. I was alive and well, so if I forced it open, my heart would be torn apart.

‘Alfred said there was a way to open it…’

I searched my memory. There was a time when a living person had held a Memory of Oblivivon. Alfred had unraveled it back then.

-Your Majesty, are you listening?

-Your Majesty! This could happen again. If I'm not here then, Your Majesty might have to do it yourself.

-No! You have to do it yourself. Yourself! If you're on an expedition and there's no one to solve it, are you going to call me? Someone else? I'll tell another guy too. Still, you have to know! Does it make sense for Your Majesty not to know?

-Haa… A person should listen when someone is talking. Ah! I'm not doing it! I quit. I'm quitting everything, whether it's being the Prime Minister or whatever!

Thinking of Alfred made me frown. He really had a foul temper.

-Your Majesty is worse in that regard.

Though he seemed to see it the other way around.

Anyway, at that time, Alfred had said he had solved the Memory of Oblivion and boasted that it would open a new path for magic. He said it would be an opportunity to understand the God of Light, Lucius, who does not accept vows. I just thought, 'I see,' back then, but now that it's my problem and not someone else's…

‘I'm getting desperately antsy.’

I wracked my brain. Squeezing my muscles was nothing, but trying to squeeze my brain felt like death.

-If your head is bad, your body suffers. The brain is a muscle too, so just memorize it. You won't understand it anyway. Since it's a muscle, if you keep using it, something will stick.

If your body is weak, your head suffers. Alfred was a guy who didn't know much at all. If you don't understand, you can just memorize it. How did I memorize it back then…

‘Reverse the spell sequence!’

Alfred had said so. If you don't know the formula, just reverse the spell sequence. Then you can easily solve magic devices or magic traps. Though I think I mostly just powered through it with my body.

Let's recall the spell sequence. From what I remember, it was easier than other spell sequences. He said there was no reason for it to be difficult as it was meant for others to see. It just felt difficult because the accessibility was low due to it being a god who does not accept vows.

“Hoo.”

I calmly exhaled. He had said that for the Memory of Oblivion, it was important to fold the two triangles into one.

‘You make the mana like a thread and lift it up. Yes, that's how it was done.’

I maintained a triangle with the broken pieces and stood it up at a right angle. I turned the other triangle in the same direction. The broken pieces folded into a single triangle. And they began to emit a pure white light. Along with the light, the contained memories flowed into my head.

-Mother!

It was someone's death. No external injuries were visible. She was just cold and lifeless, having coughed up blood. A child who looked like Maximilian Caesar was wailing. But no one around him comforted the child.

-I won't let them get away with this. I will have my revenge!

The child burned with a desire for revenge. But he was too weak to achieve it. At school, the child was severely bullied. Even if he did nothing, even if he just walked, he was bullied. He was beaten up constantly without being able to put up any real resistance. It was enough to make me, who was watching, angry.

-I told you not to do this!

The last image was darkness. Something had been put over his face, so he couldn't see anything. But he could tell he was being held by his arms and legs and dragged somewhere.

He struggled. The feeling of fear, that he might die, was vivid. The ones holding him sneered, saying, ‘We told you we'd let you live if you stay still?’ But he didn't stay still. He wasn't a child young enough to be fooled by such an obvious lie.

‘So the Mana Circle was broken at this time.’

The kidnappers forced Maximilian Caesar to sit somewhere. And they forced him to say words that were tantamount to treason. Of course, he didn't. He wasn't ignorant enough not to know that the moment he did, it would be irreversible. But he couldn't avoid having his Mana Circle broken.

‘So this is what you wanted to show me.’

It seemed he was asking me to find the person who put him in a state no different from death. It seemed he was pleading for me to resolve his grievance, as he was dying without being able to do anything.

Alright, if it's this kind of grievance, I should resolve it. I'm taking his body, so why can't I do at least that much? So, rest in peace. I will soothe your soul.

Fshhhhh.

The magic circle, having fulfilled its purpose, turned into dust of light and disappeared. The broken pieces disappeared with it.

I collected my breath. I used mana to check the condition of my body. It was in an excessively clean state. It seemed the impurities in my body had disappeared along with the magic circle. It was a very good state to create a Mana Heart.

‘This time, let's make a better one.’

As Leonhardt, it was my first time, so there were regrets. So this time, I plan to shake off all the regrets of that time.

I focused the mana circulating in my body to the area below my right chest. The mana flowing through my veins gathered at one point. I held my breath. I bound the mass of mana, thinking of the shape of a Mana Heart.

‘Get rid of the turbid energy.’

I expelled the contaminated parts from the massed mana. It had to be purer than before.

The purity of mana is important. Even with the same amount, the power that can be produced differs depending on the purity. So, I will not worry about the size and pursue purity.

‘Before, I only cared about the size, so there were many regrets.’

The turbid energy continued to escape. The mana I had initially gathered became the size of a pinky fingernail. But its purity was second to none.

‘Good.’

I placed the mana crystal in its proper position. The blood vessels connected. A Mana Heart, so small that anyone who saw it would laugh, was born.

“Hah, it's done.”

I opened my eyes. It was deep in the night. I had started before lunch with the intention of finishing before dinner, but much more time had passed than I thought.

My whole body was soaked. A foul smell also stung my nose. It seemed that waste products were discharged along with the impure energy. The floor was also dirty. It would be nice to call someone to clean this up, but I had no strength left in my body. It must have been a more arduous task than I thought.

“Let's just rest for a bit.”

Things will sort themselves out when morning comes. So for now, I'll sleep and tomorrow's me will take care of it…

* * *

“No, what is this…”

I opened my eyes to a voice close to horror. It was the same person who had held onto me and cried on the day I woke up. He had said he would stay by my side due to the 5th Queen's will. Rodius? I think that was his name…

“Rodius?”

I called out his name just in case.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

It seems he was Rodius.

“Yeah, I'm fine. But where have you been?”

“You still don't remember?”

“Memory, well… when a person is gravely ill, that can happen, right?”

“I went to see His Majesty. I went to inform him that Your Highness had awoken and to plead for him to send a royal physician.”

“Really? You must have gone far.”

At my casual remark, Rodius made a worried face.

“Why?”

“I did not think you would have forgotten even the location of the capital.”

“I’m… a bit weak with geography. It'll get better with time. Time heals all wounds, they say.

Isn't that right? Rodius.”

I said I was fine, I said it with a bright smile, but the worry on Rodius' face deepened. Why couldn't he believe me when I said I was fine? I felt like I had done something terribly wrong.

“Rodius. You don't have to make that face. I'm really fine, I tell you.”

“Your Highness. My name is not Rodius, but Rodrigo.”

You should have told me from the start, then I would have called you correctly. Making a person feel awkward…

“Was it? I must have misheard before.”

Feeling awkward, I scratched my head.

“Was it Horea Rodrigo?”

“It is Joaquin Rodrigo.”

I shouldn't have said anything.

“Did something happen overnight? The floor is a mess…”

Rodrigo asked, looking at the floor.

I thought for a moment about what would be a good answer. If I said I met the original owner of this body, promised revenge, and fixed the body… he would probably think I was crazy.

“I had a bit of a fever, and then this happened. Maybe it's because my body is trying to recover? Ha, ha.”

My laugh was awkward, but it was a decent enough act. Rodrigo seemed to be taking it seriously too.

“May I have your hand for a moment?”

“My hand? Why my hand?”

“To check your physical condition.”

“Do we really have to do that? Can't I wash up a bit before that? It smells a bit foul in here.”

“It will only take a moment.”

It seemed he was trying to check my condition by flowing mana through my body. I let out a short sigh and looked into Rodrigo's eyes. This was the person who had cried so sorrowfully, saying it was such a relief on the day I woke up. A person who had stayed by the side of the insignificant Maximilian Caesar. Even though there was nothing to gain. Then I should be able to trust him for now. Though I don't know what the future holds.

“Here.”

I held out my hand.

“Pardon the intrusion for a moment.”

Rodrigo took my hand and sent his mana through. At that moment, I created a thin mana membrane around my heart. If his mana brushed against it, it would feel like the pieces of a broken circle.

I couldn't help it. After being thoroughly backstabbed by someone I had trusted my whole life, I've come to doubt everything. That damn Mathias.

“Hmm.”

Rodrigo's expression was quite serious. He even tilted his head as if something wasn't working right. It seemed he wasn't the type to handle mana delicately.

I surreptitiously sent some mana into Rodrigo.

‘Huh?’

I felt a Mana Circle, not a Mana Heart.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Rodrigo asked, looking at my surprised face. It was clear he hadn't felt the mana I sent. It was also strange that he had a Mana Circle but couldn't feel it. Shouldn't a mage be able to sense this much? Especially since it seemed to be a 2-circle one.

“I was just wondering what kind of person Rodrigo is.”

“I am a knight who protects Your Highness.”

“Huh? A knight?”

He has a Mana Circle, not a Mana Heart, but he's a knight? Something is very strange.