Chapter 12: Awakening

Part 1

It had been about two weeks since the semester started. The Swordsmanship Department had decided to go through with the event that had caused a small commotion when it was first proposed, and its students had doubled-down on their training so they could raise their respective price tags as high as possible. But there was another hot topic garnering as much attention in the Institution as the school festival was, and the two main actors of that topic were the two students who had met up at the training hall as soon as lectures were over and were currently facing off against each other —Arhad and Ianna.

Ianna was wearing fingerless gloves to protect her hands. The injury she had received when she had first sparred against Arhad wasn’t actually that bad, but it still hurt a bit when she grabbed something.

Instead of letting her injured hand rest, Ianna had started training several times harder than she normally used to as soon as she had woken up after her nap on the day she had first sparred against Arhad. She probably wouldn’t have minded it so much if she had lost their first match, but they had ended in a draw, so her pride and her desire to at least maintain their tie —her desire not to be defeated again— filled her heart to the brim.

She hadn’t made the mistake of immediately swinging around her sword just after her injury, of course. Instead, she had studied swordplay reports and had trained up her muscles without rest. There were many famous books about swordplay lining the Institution libraries’ bookshelves, and the Swordsmanship Department’s training facilities had all sorts of training equipment installed in them.

Unlike back when she had trained in the mountain behind the Roberstein manor alone and away from prying eyes, Ianna did not need to care about who saw her training at the Institution. The decision to attend the Institution instead of the Theodore Academy, where she was sure she would have had to deal with many annoying matters, was one of the best decisions Ianna had ever made.

She did feel as though she was being negligent in her studies because she was too absorbed in her training. The rigorous training left her muscles torn and screaming, and she was so tired that she started nodding off if she sat down for more than a few minutes at a time, so she generally spent class sitting in the back and dozing off.

Ianna had also started to neglect her appearance, which she had always tried to keep tidy. Her skin was filled with scratches because she was rolling around the ground all the time, and her crimson hair, which she usually kept tightly tied up, would always get dirty and lose its luster when she started training no matter how thoroughly she washed it. Still, she did not want to care about trivial matters like her studies or her appearance under her current circumstances.

She had tied with Arhad! This very fact made Ianna go insane while training.

Human hearts were crafty, and Ianna’s heart went mad over her greed for the chance at victory that was dangling in front of her even though she had decided to give up on it long ago and had told herself as a child that she would not be greedy to win. Beating Arhad was the one thing that could make Ianna, who was normally rational, think emotionally instead.

And, as if the situation was being understanding of the state of her heart, the last several times they had crossed blades after that had also ended without a clear victor. And so, Ianna only continued to increase the rigor of her training.

Other Swordsmanship Department students saw her and whispered amongst themselves, wondering if she was out to murder someone. She was like someone who was staking her everything into training up her body. It made her difficult to talk to.

Of the many theories floating around about her recent change in behavior, the most plausible was that she was aiming to win the swordsmanship tournament. Ianna had been the victor of the underclassmen swordsmanship competition, and her ghastly training made her upperclassmen nervous.

But the reason why she was training so hard every day wasn’t to win the tournament, but because of these brief moments she had every day after classes were over.

Ianna pulled her hands smugly through her fingerless gloves and clenched and unclenched her fists a few times. She grasped her wooden sword and her red eyes, from which her burning desire to win was pouring out like lava, watched Arhad carefully.

Students were not allowed to spar with real blades unless they were specifically permitted to or they were participating in a competitive event. She preferred to use real blades, since it added to the tension in the air, but sparring with a wooden blade wasn’t so bad either if Arhad was her opponent.

Ianna licked her dry lips and, as though she was scolding herself, repeated,

“I will break your sword this time for sure, Sir.”

Arhad raised up his wooden sword and pointed it at Ianna, who’s fighting spirit was ablaze.

“You really are you, Ianna. No matter how the circumstances may change.”

Arhad’s lips curled into a strangely twisted smile. On one hand, it felt almost like a scoff of disbelief at the fact that they always ended in a draw, and on the other, he almost seemed angry about Ianna’s unending desire for victory.

“What do you mean?”

Ianna tilted her head slightly to the side as she heard his seemingly random comment.

“It’s nothing important. I just meant to say that you never change no matter what. It was a compliment.”

Or so he said, but his golden eyes were slowly filling up with a peculiar fighting spirit. His fighting spirit had a hint of hostility in it and seemed to have been induced by the feverish desire for victory Ianna was showering upon him, and he seemed to genuinely want to defeat her.

“Shall we start?”

The tip of Arhad’s wooden sword pointed to Ianna’s face. He moved his sword ever so slightly and stared at Ianna, who looked like she was about to begin hacking away at him any moment now, and closed his eyes.

“……I’d thought that I’d emptied my heart, but……”

I suppose there’s nothing I can do about the fact that seeing you like this still makes me both anxious and angry.

Arhad’s quiet whisper did not reach Ianna, who was concentrating only on their swords.

Just then, the tip of Arhad’s wooden sword pointed to Ianna’s face yet again. Ianna, who was only looking at his sword, could tell that Arhad was using his sword to tap at the direction of her face. Arhad smiled a chilling smile when she looked away from his sword as if she was asking what on earth he was doing.

“Today, I will break both your sword and that high and mighty attitude of yours, my arrogant little junior. Please prepare yourself.”

Ianna laughed. It was weak, but the way Arhad’s fighting spirit was bordering bloodlust delighted her. She savored the fact that his fighting spirit was being directed at her. It made her feel like he was finally acknowledging her as a rival he had to face with his full might, and not just someone he could toy with. And, she also liked the way that Arhad seemed to be shedding layer after layer and showing her more and more of his true nature as time passed.

‘That’s right. It doesn’t suit you to be timid.’

There was nothing she could do about the fact that she welcomed it gladly whenever Arhad acted more like his past self. He had played the biggest role in her life, and her memories of him were still vibrant in her mind.

“Roanne has no future. You’re wasting your life by staying there. Come to me.”

“Choose me. I will make it so that none may ever ignore or insult you again. I will give you power and glory —anything you could ever wish for—, so come under my banner.”

“I love seeing you wield your sword. You seem to overflow with vitality when you do.”

“You truly are inflexible! I see that you won’t even listen to a single word I say!”

“What did I do wrong? Why must you be so hostile to me?!”

“You only see your sword, and you see me only as an enemy to bring to my knees…….”

“You don’t want me to pity you and let you win on purpose? Don’t worry. I will never let myself be defeated on purpose. I like winning too. And besides, I know exactly how bad your temper is, so how could I ever dare?”

“I will only continue getting stronger, and I will always defeat you.”

“Why do I, an emperor whom all should envy, cling so heavily to you like I’ve lost my mind? I want you so badly it’s driving me insane. You and your sword are radiant. You have something I’m looking for……something I don’t have.”

“……You really don’t know when to give up, do you?”

“I will never allow myself to be weaker than you. My strength is the only worth you see in me! I’m sure that you will come to acknowledge me one day if I keep forcing you to your knees like this.”

“……What are you to me?”

“Why must I……?”

“What are you?!”

“…….”

“I find myself less inclined to give up as time passes. Is it because of pride? What is this? I hate you so much for doing this to me, and yet, I…….”

“I’m losing my mind.”

“If you won’t be mine, then I’d rather…”

“This is my last. If you’re still as stubborn as you always are the next time we meet, then I will kill you.”

‘And then he really did kill me.’

“You infuriate me. Die.”

“……You really are a woman who deliberately drives people insane.”

“I have never met anyone as greedy as you. I’m remorseful, you say? Nonsense. I don’t regret the days when I pined for you. But this is the end of my unfulfilled desires for you, as well as the end of your damned stubbornness! I will never again have any reason to see you or long for you!”

“So hurry up and just die already! Just burn, so that I’ll never have to see even your corpse!”

“Shut up, you infuriating woman! What do you think will possibly change if you say that now after you’ve thrown yourself headfirst into battles to the death all this time?!”

Smaack!

Ianna reflexively blocked with her wooden sword and returned to her senses upon seeing the flash of golden eyes before her.

“What are you so busy thinking about even after we’ve started? Or are you simply planning to lose in such a ridiculous manner?”

His tone was fierce. Ianna, who had been reminiscing about the Arhad of her last life, felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Why was it that the last image she had seen of Arhad in her past life seemed to linger, as if it was the Arhad from back then who was standing before her now……?

Smack!

Ianna beat back hard against Arhad’s wooden sword as she cleared her mind of her unrealistic thoughts.

His true nature, which he normally kept concealed, was simply showing through. She must not delude herself into thinking that the past Arhad and the current Arhad were one and the same.

But the afterimage of the Arhad she had known for decades did not vanish from her mind so readily. She could not help but keep comparing the two even though she had determined to only use the past as reference. Everything concerning Arhad kept making Ianna think emotionally instead of rationally. Like just earlier.

Why did she keep comparing his past and present selves? But Ianna herself knew best. It was because she had wanted to be as a sword not to the new Arhad who had started over from a blank page, but to the Arhad who had been so exhausted as he finally gave up on her that day.

It was because he wasn’t the same Arhad who had been resigned and in despair as he pierced his blade through the heart of the one he had so desired that Ianna had felt bittersweet when she had first officially taken his hand in this life —he almost felt like a different person altogether.

Perhaps that was why she was still searching for the past Arhad in the Arhad standing before her now. She had bullied him into treating her more causally for similar reasons when he was being so cautious. Which was why it delighted her to see him grow colder.

……I feel so silly for treating Arhad like two separate people. And it’s also rude to him. Ianna smiled bitterly.

Smack! Smaack!

The sound of two wooden blades clashing furiously against each other echoed throughout the training hall.

Ianna and Arhad were swinging their swords as if their lives were on the line. The fighting was fierce, and neither intended to back down. They were both so skilled it was difficult to hide their merits. Each of their sparring sessions were timed, so their swords continued to clash against each other until time was up and they always ended in a draw.

“Who are those monsters?”

Ianna and Arhad remained unaware because they paid no heed to the gazes that fell upon them, but they had recently achieved celebrity status in the Institution due to all the rumors that were circling about them.

The destruction they had caused to the third training room the day after the Swordsmanship Department’s orientation had gained infamy. It had raised a huge fuss because there were traces of real blades having been used in the training grounds, and Arhad and Ianna had eventually confessed their involvement after Filliger had made had announcement that the entire department would be punished if the culprits didn’t voluntarily turn themselves in. Both Arhad and Ianna had lost points in class and had faced disciplinary action.

But then, a question had cropped up. Arhad was not supposed to be able to use mana, so how had they fought so furiously that they destroyed the magically reinforced training room so thoroughly that it needed to have construction work done?

“I attacked him with my fortification. Sir Arhad infuriated me, and I couldn’t stop myself.”

People took Ianna’s word at face value because she had previously turned four men into eunuchs in an instant.

But, why had they fought? There had been so many pink rumors spreading about them before break that most people ignored the fact that the training room had been practically destroyed and giggled as they wrote their fight off as a fierce lovers’ quarrel.

However, the few students who tried to break the training hall out of curiosity immediately paled in complexion upon finding out that it was by no means a small feat. And the smiles had been wiped off their faces as they saw Ianna and Arhad spar in the training grounds every single day.

They didn’t use real blades or mana, but their fights were incredible at even a first glance. Perhaps a normal civilian would have seen the amazing speed at which they battled and simply be astonished. But those who majored in Swordsmanship and had an eye for swordplay saw their sparring and learned something invaluable.

Even their professors dropped by to see them and watched with their jaws dropped, as though they had been bewitched.

They were rampantly applying high-level sword skills that weren’t befitting of their young age. And they were using them so naturally that no one could question the fact that they both had a very rare talent.

There was a difference between the two, of course. Arhad’s swordplay preferred power and large attacks, whereas Ianna’s swordplay relied on her flexibility and speed. Ianna flowed seamlessly from one attack to the next and pushed in like a terrifying dagger as she sought out the cracks in Arhad’s guard. She gauged her opponent’s movements swiftly and either evaded or blocked in response, and she even took her opponent’s recoil into account as she attacked —it was like every second for her had been prolonged into ten.

A chilling and high-handed wind blew with Arhad’s each and every attack. The fact that he was able to generate such wind pressure when he wasn’t using every muscle in his body or making large movements indicated that the muscles of his body were tempered to top shape.

As if to prove the point, Arhad’s sweat-drenched upper body was built with a perfect harmony of muscles. Other warriors could not fathom how his body worked. How had he trained that his body was the perfect ideal that every warrior strived for?

Arhad’s swordplay was amazing, but he was known as ‘a swordsman with amazing talent but will never make it far’ because his illness meant that he could not use mana. Arhad had never displayed the true extent of his skills before, so, while those who had an eye for things knew vaguely that he was incredible, most students did not.

But his sparring with Ianna swept all their mistaken impressions of him away. He was giving off an intense pressure that seemed to suggest that he could completely bisect multiple enemies in just one blow. They didn’t think they could beat him even if they used fortification against him. And yet, Ianna was countering him so calmly.

Arhad was twenty-one, while Ianna was barely sixteen. No one could predict how their match would have ended had they been the same age. Just what sort of good deeds had she done in her past life that she was so gifted already at the young age of sixteen in this one?

Others could only see the two of them and think that they had surpassed the realm of genius and had simply been born to wield the sword. There was no way for them to make sense of the situation otherwise.

No one knew who would win the upcoming swordsmanship tournament. They reason why people weren’t sure that either Ianna or Arhad would win despite their display of skill was because they had shown off their skills so suddenly out of nowhere and because of the fame and dignity of skilled students who were older than them.

They had deluded themselves into believing that, even if they were skilled, Ianna and Arhad were both underclassmen and their upperclassmen were probably stronger and more likely to win.

But the skilled upperclassmen in question though otherwise. They were in anguish as they thought to themselves, ‘There’s no way I can beat them.’

“Still……I’ve never seen Arhad make that face before.”

“Me neither.”

Two people began whispering between themselves.

Arhad was difficult to approach. This was because he always seemed restrained and rarely let his emotions show, and because he was always composed and mature. On top of that, he also seemed relaxed and austere, as though he was always keeping his greed under control, and this made him appear highly charismatic.

Moreover, his looks were eye-catching no matter where he went, and the decadent and dangerous aura he seemed to give off whenever he was deep in thought was more than enough to make any girl, or sometimes even men, blush scarlet.

Arhad was constantly surrounded by people who wanted to be friends with him, like bees swarming around honey. He was a mysterious and charming man who seemed like he would have an amazing backstory. On the other hand, however, he also seemed somewhat inhuman. It was almost like he had no emotions at all.

But his emotions were showing through now. His strikes seemed to border bloodlust as he continued to attack Ianna like a starving lion about to devour his prey.

At first, Ianna had seemed to be simply obsessed with victory while Arhad was coldly accepting her antics. It had been nothing out of the ordinary. But Arhad’s sword grew wilder and the expression on his face grew fiercer as the days passed, as though he was slowly being dyed in Ianna’s fervent desire to win. Beads of sweat were pouring from his face, as if to prove that he was giving it his all to face off against Ianna. His golden eyes were colored by the ferocious and stubborn will to break the woman standing before him.

And yet, there was also a part of him that seemed to be enjoying himself.

Someone muttered,

“He looks human…….”

These words spread through the air like a drop of ink in water. They had been said so naturally that no one asked the speaker what they were talking about. This was partially because everyone was so focused on the fight, but mostly because they had all been thinking along similar lines without realizing it.

“Phew.”

They had ended with yet another draw. Arhad let out the sigh he had been holding as he picked up a towel from the back of a chair and tossed it to Ianna, who caught it and used it to wipe away the sweat on her forehead.

Ianna walked up to the sink as she continued to wipe the sweat off her face. She turned the faucet and stuck her sweaty head under the rush of cold water. She wanted to dump an entire bucket of water over herself, but even she had enough self-awareness to know that she probably shouldn’t do that in a place where many men were ogling at her.

Shh…….

Ianna spun her ponytail into a bun so the cold water could reach the back of her neck.

Her heart was beating furiously. It wasn’t because she was physically exhausted, however, but rather because of the new goal that had fiercely taken root in her heart. She might be able to best Arhad if she tried a little —just a little, perhaps even a little more— harder. She would train again today until even the moon couldn’t light up the night and her body was so exhausted she might collapse. She was dead set on this.

Snap.

The hair tie holding up her hair broke apart. It was impressive that it had managed to keep up with nearly two hours of fierce sparring. It had only lasted this long because it had been an expensive hair tie made from good material.

Ianna’s crimson hair flowed down into the wet sink. She scooped her hair back up and wrung it dry.

It was cumbersome. She wanted to cut it all off. But she didn’t because Isphee had begged her in tears to keep her hair —she could braid it or tie it however she wished, but it was Isphee’s dearest wish that she didn’t cut it. Supposedly, long hair was the emblem of a woman, or something like that.

It was preposterous. Ianna had absolutely no intention of being someone’s wife and sitting around all day with meek modesty, so what use did she have so this so-called emblem of a woman? But Isphee was dear to her, and this was Isphee’s wish, so…….

Ianna was walking her own path. The reason why she was clinging to her hair all things despite was……because of her affection for Isphee, with whom she had thought she had cut ties with when she had left the Roberstein manor.

What was Isphee doing now? She was probably doing well. Not only was she kind, but she had originally served under Sarachè. And what about Karnitz? He had made rapid progress before she left, and he was skilled enough that any noble would give him preferential treatment and high wages, so both he and his mother were probably also doing well.

Ianna’s feelings would fade with time, and they would only remain in her memories. But that wasn’t important at the moment.

Ianna grabbed the sink with both hands and glared at her soggy hair as it continued to flow down past her face.

Should I just cut it all off? Ianna thought seriously.

“Phew.”

Arhad was standing next to her. He had set his water bottle aside, poured some water over his head, and was washing his face repeatedly with cold water. Ianna stole a glance at him, but their eyes met because Arhad just so happened to look up at the same time.

Drip, drip.

Drops of water fell down to the floor, breaking the silence between them.

Slowly, Arhad opened his mouth and said,

“Why don’t we make a bet?”

“……On what?”

“The loser will have to fulfil one of the victor’s wishes. And the wish can be anything. I feel like I would work harder with that on the line.”

Arhad filled his water bottle and drank heavily from it. Ianna thought it was a fun idea. She didn’t necessarily have wish for him, but the chance that she could demand anything from Arhad regardless of his protests was attractive to her.

“Very well. It’s not too bad an idea to make a serious attempt at winning the Institution’s swordsmanship tournament.”

Arhad’s Adam’s apple abruptly stopped bobbing up and down. He brought his water bottle down and looked to Ianna with an awkward look on his face, but Ianna didn’t notice because she was carefully washing her face with cold water as she slowly grew excited. She continued to wash her face even after all the sweat had been washed away.

Could she beat Arhad during an official match? Just the very idea of it made a keen sense of satisfaction crawl up her spine and fill her head, causing her to flush. She would have simply passed it off as a mere delusion before, but not anymore. If she just trained just a little harder —just a little…….

Arhad smiled awkwardly as he looked down at the back of Ianna’s head with mixed feelings.

“I won’t be participating in the tournament.”

Ianna’s hands stopped in their tracks. Her face immediately cooled down. Ianna turned off the faucet and straightened herself up before looking to Arhad. Ianna stared at him openly as she silently urged him to explain himself, and Arhad understood what she wanted and continued,

“I am planning abstain from the tournament with my illness as an excuse and hole myself up at home —so I won’t be seeing you at the tournament at all, Little Ianna. That’s what I do every year.”

Ianna’s eyelids twitched. She hadn’t really wanted to participate to begin with, and she felt even less inclined now that she knew that Arhad would not be participating. Her once-excited heart deflated like a punctured balloon.

Arhad was her only rival who could make her heart beat so furiously. Without him, the tournament was simply another boring hunting ground. It would be no different form the swordsmanship competition last semester.

“You called it an excuse —does that mean you have another reason for abstaining?”

She did not let the word slip past her. Arhad wiped away at the water running down his face with the back of his hand.

“It’s not something I want to discuss out here. But, in short, I can’t let myself be seen on the world’s stage quite yet. There are people after me.”

Ianna immediately thought about the Bahamut imperial family when she heard what he had to say. She had only cared about what had happened to Bahamut’s history after Arhad became emperor. She did not know how strong the empire was before that. She didn’t know what kinds of preparations Arhad had made or what hardships he had overcome. All she knew was that the Bahamut Empire had been so strong after Arhad had been crowned emperor that the rest of the continent had been as powerless before it as fish caught in turbulent waves.

“Are you referring to your father’s household?”

“Yes. They’re searching for me frantically, and they have men on the lookout for me even all the way in the South. Though, most of their men don’t even know that they’re actually working for them.”

“Wait.”

Ianna quickly dried her hair off with her towel and dragged Arhad over to somewhere more secluded. Theirs was not a topic they should be discussing out in the open where many ears could be listening.

Next to the training grounds was a forest with a small clearing where several dozen trees had been cut down so people could relax in it. Most students immediately went back to the dorms to wash up and rest after their afternoon training, however, so the forest was usually quiet. A refreshing breeze blew through the trees from time to time.

Ianna leaned against a tree and carefully continued drying off her hair with her towel as she said,

“These ‘men’ you speak of wouldn’t happen to be the Black Fox, now would they?”

“They are.”

“I knew it.”

Ianna had cut straight to the heart of the matter, and Arhad had not dodged her question. She continued,

“That’s amazing. Your father is the master of the Black Fox. But they must have some leads about you if they’re looking for you. What are they?”

“They don’t know my gender or what I look like. But they think that I have either black or green hair and either black or blue eyes. But these leads are useless, since looks can be changed any time with dyes or magic. I can even alter my voice, as you should already know, so they won’t be able to find me based on physical clues.”

Wouldn’t that mean he could wander the world as he pleased? Trying to find Arhad with only those leads amongst the countless number of people in the world would be like trying to find a particular grain of sand on a beach. Or so she had thought until Arhad added,

“So the first clue that they’re focusing on is that I turn twenty-one this year. And the second, is that I have a genius level of control over mana.”

She could understand the first clue. But the second…….

“What do you mean by the second clue? Your father’s household doesn’t even know what you look like, so how would they know that you’re skilled at controlling mana?”

“Anyone who inherits the house’s bloodline is born with the ability to control mana to their heart’s desires. Like so.”

Arhad condensed some mana at the tips of his fingers. The mana obeyed him like an obedient dog. The mana Arhad had condensed rolled down into his palm like a little ball. It was squashed when Arhad pressed against it, it stretched out when he pulled at it, and it split evenly in two when he cut across it’s center with his other hand. It dispersed into the air when he threw it, and it condensed into a ball inside his palm again when he closed his hand around the empty air.

Ianna failed to hide her astonishment as she froze stiff with anticipation. She had always thought that mana listened to her obediently, but she had never once considered it to belong to her. And yet, Arhad was controlling the mana as if it was simply another part of his own body. And the mana, too, was completely obedient to his every command as if he was its owner. This wasn’t something that could be accomplished through effort. It was an absolute talent.

Was Arhad a level ahead of her in terms of mana control? Ianna quietly resolved to do more mana training.

“To be able to control mana as easily as breathing takes a special talent. I don’t even need to try when I control mana. It obeys me like it’s a part of my own body with just a thought. I’m not ‘controlling’ the mana, I am ‘governing’ it.”

Governing……. Ianna muttered quietly to herself.

“The mana is no different to me than is my own hand. You could even call it my third arm. Everyone related to me by blood is able to control mana a cut better than any other, though we all differ in how great out individual levels of control are.”

“Are you suggesting that it’s genetic in nature?”

Arhad affirmed, and Ianna fell silent. There were several cases in which entire households had inherited the talent to control mana. It was unfair, perhaps, but it was still understandable. She was most astonished by the fact that Arhad’s enemies —the imperial family that was after his life— were all powerful monsters, just like him.

The Bahamut Empire —from times immemorial, she was the only country to use her overwhelming military might and rule over other nations and call herself an empire. She had accumulated far more wealth, territory, influence, and retainers than any other nation.

Was the reason why Arhad had been able to usurp the imperial throne because he had overpowered the imperial family, or had there been some other reason?

“People that powerful are frantically searching for me to kill me. That is why I cannot stand before them until I am absolutely certain of my own power. It’s also why I don’t use mana in front of other people.”

It was true, now that Ianna thought about it more carefully. He had fought the bandits and monsters along their expedition to the South with only his swordplay, and, as far as Ianna knew, he never used mana whenever he sparred against anyone in the Institution. She had only seen him using mana once when they had first sparred against each other.

‘I’d thought it was because he could deal with them even without using mana, but I see now that he was doing it to survive.’

“I am pretending to be a skilled swordsman who is lousy with mana at the moment. But I’m still pretending to have some talent with it. And so, there is no reason for me to participate in the swordsmanship tournament. It would only invite needless danger.”

Arhad smiled regretfully.

“I understand. But…”

Ianna replied quietly as she stepped away from the tree she was leaning against and grabbed Arhad by the arm. The wind was blowing fiercely. Her towel fell to the ground, but no one paid it any heed.

Arhad looked to his arm that Ianna was holding before looking back up at her. Her red eyes looked to him quietly.

“…Why are you telling me such important information? Why do you trust me? You never know what might happen next.”

She knew that this was his way of laying the groundwork to win her over with, but she feigned ignorance.

It had been some time now since their spar had ended in a draw. She had shown him how strong she was, and there was no way that Arhad wouldn’t have realized that she would be an immense asset if he brought her over to his side completely to assist in conquering Bahamut. So, why was he only laying out the bait and doing nothing else? Ianna was starting to grow frustrated and wished that he would hurry up and just ask her to help him already. Then, she could pretend to be bewildered and pretend to ponder over her decision, before asking him everything she was curious about without any hesitation and finally agreeing to work with him.

Arhad hesitated for a moment —she couldn’t tell if he knew that she was feigning ignorance or not— before he quietly closed his eyes and smiled.

“Why do you think I’m attending the Institution to begin with? Don’t you think it would have been better if I hid away somewhere and lay low while gathering my strength instead of potentially exposing myself to prying eyes?”

“Yes.”

“Yet the reason why I’m attending anyway is not only because living like a hermit would prevent me from knowing what’s happening in the world or grasping how powerful I am…….”

Arhad reached out. Ianna did not avoid him, and his hand rested lightly against her damp hair. There was a green leaf in his fingers when he slowly drew away. He continued,

“…But because this is a place where I can scout out people of skill who can assist me in my endeavor.”

A peculiar look crossed Ianna’s face as the light in her eyes grew more dignified. She had always secretly wanted for this, of course, but was it really……?

Arhad hesitated. His lips quivered and he faltered, but he ultimately grasped the leaf tight and, with a voice with both a hint of a tremble and the hint of unease, said,

“People like you, Ianna.”

Yes!

Ianna made a fist before she could stop herself. She hid her excitement and feigned nonchalance as she brushed back her tangled hair.

“What is it that you want me to assist you with?”

He had neglected to include the most important part. She continued,

“Do you want my help in eliminating the household that threatens you? I will help you as a matter of course, if that’s the case. I couldn’t simply watch someone as amazing as you get yourself killed, after all. But is that all you wanted?”

Arhad smiled before he could help himself as peace entered his quivering heart when Ianna readily agreed as if it was nothing despite the serious nature of their conversation.

Of course that wasn’t all he wanted. But it was much too early to tell her everything on impulse in a place like this with no preparation whatsoever.

If he could, he wanted to say,

‘I will become Bahamut’s emperor, and I wish for you to stand at my side. And……I’d like for you to help me gather the Demon’s fragments scattered all over the world and eventually go to Pandemonium with me.’

He truly wanted to. It was only two sentences, but there were so many things implicated beneath his words that he couldn’t say it so recklessly.

Leaves continued to fall down on Ianna’s moist hair as the wind blew. But Ianna was only looking directly up at Arhad —it was difficult to tell whether she was aware of the leaves in her hair or not. Arhad walked up to her and carefully tended to her hair as he said,

“You don’t know anything about me.”

He knew that Ianna was no coward, but not everyone could simply shoulder his ambitions to become emperor or the secrets he was keeping hidden. He continued,

“I said I’d tell you everything, but there are still a mountain of things that are difficult for me to speak about.”

Ianna had not decided on her future yet, so he did not know whether she would be amused and agree to assist him or if she would feel burdened by the scope of what he wanted to ask of her and start avoiding him. He had to draw her in slowly, so that she wouldn’t feel burdened —no, so that she had no choice but to stay with him even if she did feel burdened. He had to make her get accustomed to every fiber of his being, as if he was trying to seduce her with his charm. He would make her completely his.

Arhad slid his hand down the length of her hair and tugged gently at the ends before letting go. The task of making this woman, who knew nothing but the sword, his was arduous. But he was certain that Camastros was the best place to start.

“For now……let’s just focus on crushing the Black Fox. I’ll tell you more bit by bit as we work, and I only pray that you won’t be too alarmed.”

Arhad’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Ianna was his only true goal in life. Everything else came second. She was the very last piece of the puzzle he had been searching for. Quietly, Arhad continued,

“Come to the Grey Magic Tower —Camastros is scheduled to hold a meeting soon, and we will be working actively again. Besides, you still need to meet Lord Heinrich, no?”

~~*~~

Part 2

“Little Ianna!”

Herrace was panting heavily as he ran up to Ianna, who was organizing her books now that all her lectures for the day were over. The fact that Herrace, who should have been nowhere near the building where her last lecture had been held in, was here before her like this not too long after her lecture was over meant that he had come running for her as quickly as he could.

“My grandfather’s called for me because he’s done with his research!”

Ianna nodded slowly. She had already known this because she had heard from Arhad yesterday.

One of the Ten Archmages, the Institution’s dean, a member of Camastros, Herrace’s grandfather, Lalatua’s teacher, and Arhad’s supporter.

Ianna was very eager to finally meet him.

“Let’s go see him together after lunch.”

She decided to bring Herrace along and learn more about the curse of mana too while she was at it.

“Sure thing!”

Herrace clenched his hands into fists. Nothing would be solved just because Ianna got to meet Heinrich, but Herrace could not help the fact that his heart was beating furiously with anticipation.

“Sir Arhad was planning to see Lord Heinrich today too —would you mind if he joined us for lunch?”

Herrace tilted his head to the side upon hearing what Ianna had said.

“Sir Arhad? I don’t mind, but why is he meeting with my grandfather?”

Ianna looked back at Herrace with a puzzled look on her face.

“Lord Heinrich took care of Sir Arhad when he was younger……isn’t it only natural that he would want to say hello?”

“Wait, really?”

Herrace looked shocked while Ianna looked baffled. Herrace only knew Heinrich in just a small portion of the latter’s capacity, and he did not know what Heinrich was scheming with Arhad —in fact, he didn’t seem to have been aware about Arhad at all.

Then again, Herrace had been raised in House Bendham, while Arhad had grown up in the tower. Besides, Arhad’s past was a secret that could absolutely not be allowed to leak, and his plan to conquer Bahamut wasn’t a topic that one would normally disclose to an innocent child.

Herrace and Ianna made their way to the cafeteria. At first, it had always just been Ianna, Eiji, Herrace, and Taro eating together after classes because they were all in the Swordsmanship Department together and had classes in the same buildings, but more people had been joining them as of late.

“Goodness, I’m thirsty.”

Lalatua had decided to join them today. She had already taken up a seat at a large table and was fanning herself with a lofty hand with today’s special menu —beef steak and fruit salad— laid out before her.

Rikijen or Priscilla sometimes joined them too, and no one found it awkward since they all knew each other.

“Here you go!”

Taro, who was sitting next to her and focusing on her every word and action, immediately got up and brought her a glass of water.

“Why thank you. It’s just what I wanted, Taro.”

Lalatua had given up on removing Taro, who’s behavior never changed to matter how many spells she threw at him or how often she berated him with her words, from her presence and had apparently decided to treat him as a convenient servant to order around. There was a hint of affection in her tone now when she called him a rustic country bumpkin.

Lalatua took the glass Taro had offered her and sipped away at her water. Taro grinned with his mouth wide open as he watched Lalatua’s white throat move when she drank the water he had given her and thought she was beautiful. He almost looked so moved he might burst into tears.

A serious illness. Or so Ianna determined.

“This meat is so tough to cut up.”

“Let me cut it for you!”

Taro immediately leapt up when Lalatua whimpered and began cutting away at the meat with a knife like he was intent on making mincemeat out of it. Eiji, who was sitting across from them with an ugly look on his face that suggested he wanted to gag, spat out,

“Look here, Princess. I’m pretty sure Taro wasn’t your servant, the last I checked?”

“Goodness —Eiji. The thought has never crossed my mind. I’ve never once asked him to do anything for me. He’s the one doing things for me of his own accord.”

Taro picked up her empty glass like it was a precious jewel when Lalatua finished her water and placed it on the table. Eiji followed Taro up as the latter made to put the glass away with a big grin on his face, and he jabbed Taro in the sides while nagging at him for being pathetic.

“Take it easy. Are you her servant or something? Haven’t you ever heard of playing hard to get?”

Taro’s eyes immediately rolled in Eiji’s direction.

“What’s that about?”

“It means you’ve got to push and pull. Like this! Push! And pull!”

Eiji shoved Taro forward and dragged him back. Taro stared blankly back at him, wondering what the hell he was doing. Eiji beat at his own chest as he felt like his pent-up frustrations were about to explode.

“It’s nice that you’re so good to her, but the Princess won’t notice your charms unless you turn her down a few times too. Jeez, it’s killing me to watch you keep acting like this. Are you planning to be her servant for the rest of your life? To my experience, girls will either ignore you outright or take you for a pushover if all you do is pull. You have to push her away as a part of your charm too. Why is everyone around me so damn clueless about playing hard to get —ughh! This is so frustrating!”

Taro smacked Eiji across the back of his head to calm him down before he could start pulling at his hair in a fit of madness.

“‘Kay, I get it, I get it. But if I push Lady Lalatua away, she ain’t never gonna take a second look at me again.”

Eiji listened to what the listless Taro had to say and faltered. He turned to look at Lalatua, who was happily humming away, and sighed.

“I guess you’re right. Just what on earth was it that made you fall for someone like her……?”

“Look here, ya scoundrel —don’t talk bad about my Goddess! Yeah? Hey!”

Taro spotted Ianna and Herrace, who were simply observing the situation because they couldn’t find it in themselves to laugh, and waved. Eiji saw them too and feebly beckoned them over. Ianna walked up to them and pat Taro on the back.

“Your condition only worsens as time passes. You’ve chosen the thorny path, I see.”

She didn’t think Lalatua’s and Taro’s relationship now was all that different from the relationship they had shared in the past. She didn’t know the back story since she hadn’t known them well back then, but they had only ever been as mistress and servant to the public —nothing more, and nothing less.

Taro raised an eyebrow when Ianna started consoling him out of nowhere. Herrace stood in front of Taro and made a tight fist.

“I’ll cheer you on, Sir. Do your best! In my opinion, you’re the only person who can handle her.”

“Y-ya think?”

“I can hear you, Herrace.”

The blood drained from Herrace’s face and he immediately went silent when Lalatua called out in a singsong voice from afar. She continued,

“Come on over, Little Ianna. Come sit with me.”

Lalatua dragged over a chair with her skinny arms and beckoned Ianna to sit after Ianna and Herrace had gotten their meals. Lalatua’s tender affection made her feel awkward, but Ianna did not turn the other girl down and sat down in the chair Lalatua had pulled over.

‘Why is this princess so interested in me?’

They had never interacted in the past outside of the times when Lalatua had come to utter nonsense at her and had tried to convince Ianna to surrender to Arhad and become his.

Just then, she felt someone’s presence behind her.

“So this is where you were, Ianna.”

It was Arhad.

He greeted Ianna gently and then greeted everyone else in turn. His gaze froze when his eyes turned to Lalatua.

“Lalatua? Why are you here?”

“……Goodness, if it isn’t Arhad.”

Lalatua propped her elbow against the table and tapped her white fingers against her cheek as she rested her chin in her hand. She continued,

“It’s been a while. I’d heard that you came back to school last semester, but I missed the chance to see you.”

Arhad looked away from her and sat down opposite of Ianna.

“That would be because you’re always in the laboratory. Still, I’m rather shocked to see you here with everyone. Especially Ianna.”

Arhad looked to Lalatua dubiously, and Lalatua tilted her head to the side questioningly at the slight hint of wariness she felt from him.

Herrace had a strange look on his face as he turned to Lalatua and asked,

“You know Sir Arhad, Miss?”

“Yeah. We grew up together in the tower under Teacher’s care.”

“How come I didn’t know?”

Lalatua furrowed her brows ever so slightly at Herrace’s bewilderment and stabbed at the meat that Taro had cut up for her with a fork.

“Of course you didn’t know. That man over there is a monster that Teacher raised in secret inside the tower.”

“Wait, what? Who’s this good-lookin’ guy over here?”

Taro, who had just come back from putting the glass away, saw Arhad and was taken aback. Taro had only heard about Arhad before but had never actually met him, since he was too busy chasing Lalatua around and he rarely showed up at the training grounds.

Lalatua looked between Taro and Arhad in turns before placing her delicate fingers over her mouth and smiling with a subtle hint of spite in her eyes.

“We’ve known each other for a very long time. We’ve watched each other grow up since we were both young, so I suppose you could say that we share no ordinary relationship. Hoho. But goodness, in any event, you’ve gotten more attractive since I last saw you, Arhad. It’s remarkable, really.”

Taro bristled up when Lalatua complimented Arhad’s looks. Arhad brushed Taro off when the latter showered him with hostility and simply cut up a piece of his meat and brought it to his mouth.

“Please refrain from saying such baseless things. Though, I suppose it is true that we’ve watched each other grow up. Remember how you used to bully me out of jealousy and ended up in tears every day when Lord Heinrich scolded you for it? Your spiteful pranks tended to backfire from time to time, like the time you ended up singeing your hair and getting covered in ashes, or the time you fell into water and ended up looking like a drowned rat. It was quite the show.”

“Hmph!”

Lalatua snorted and stabbed at another piece of meat.

“In any case, he’s a monster. He was practically a blank page, but he was still absurdly good at avoiding spells like he somehow always knew when he was in danger. And now he’s even more of a monster than he was before. It’s no fun at all.”

“Lalatua.”

Arhad looked up and censured her silently with his eyes. He continued,

“That went a bit too far.”

“Whoops, was that a secret? Hoho.”

Lalatua giggled mischievously. Ianna recalled what Lalatua had been like in the past.

Lalatua El Mardial was a genius mage who had been haled as the Mad Magician of the North. She had opposed Arhad as a part of the third party during the war between the allied kingdoms and the Bahamut Empire. And she had visited Ianna behind closed doors from time to time during the war to suggest that Ianna surrendered and became Arhad’s.

‘She knew Arhad from when they were young? How are they related?’

According to their conversation, Lalatua knew that Arhad had grown up in the tower in secret, and she also probably knew that Arhad had unparalleled talent in controlling mana. Was she really nothing more than Heinrich’s disciple?

Still, though they were clearly acquainted, Lalatua and Arhad didn’t seem to be very fond of each other.

Ianna began looking between Arhad and Lalatua in curiosity when Arhad promply told her,

“Please don’t misunderstand, Ianna. We simply grew up together as Lord Heinrich’s disciples.”

“Oh my?”

Lalatua’s eyes sparkled as if she had found a fun new subject to experiment on. She wrapped her hands around her lovely cheeks. She looked very pretty as she moved her lips as if she was trying to seduce someone.

“Arhad, you wouldn’t happen to be in love with Little Ianna by any chance, now would you?”

“…….”

“Let’s stop the joking there, Princess,”

Ianna admonished Lalatua, though Arhad neither confirmed nor denied. Ianna stole a glance at him. And lo, he was simply eating his meal as if Lalatua’s nonsense hadn’t even been worth responding to.

Lalatua nibbled at her fork as she observed him with narrowed eyes.

“I have never seen that man justify himself to another before.”

“Justify himself? He was simply seeking to avoid a misunderstanding —it was a bit excessive to impose such feelings between us.”

“Hmmm, but still…”

Lalatua was staring at Arhad dubiously when their eyes suddenly met outside of anyone else’s notice. There was a menacing glint in his golden eyes. It was his way of warning her not to provoke him any further. A blood vessel popped out from Lalatua’s temple.

What an insolent man. It was only a jest —but now he’s threatening me? That man, who’s always indifferent about everything else? Wait, so does he really like Little Ianna? He’s not being bashful because he actually likes her, or is he?

It was preposterous. Despite what Lalatua had said, there was no way that the man sitting before her could ever possibly feel that way. Lalatua had known Arhad since they were young, and she had always been uneasy around him and regarded him as a monster because he was all but dead emotionally.

Still, it would be dangerous to ignore his warning and keep joking around as she pleased. He was a monster, after all.

Hoho. Lalatua pouted and looked away before beaming at Ianna and clinging to her.

“All right, all right. But anyway, why are you being so stiff, Little Ianna? You can just call me Lalatua. I’ve practically been disowned from the Mardial royal family, so there’s no need for you to call me by my title. Hmm?”

Taro rubbed his nose as he watched Lalatua grin brightly and play affectionate with Ianna and fantasized Lalatua being affectionate with him in the same way. Then, his fierce-looking eyes drooped in sorrow as he realized that it would only ever happen in his fantasies.

Ianna breathed a sigh as she watched Taro’s antics.

“Why are you so nice to me, Princess?”

Immediately, Lalatua replied,

“Because I like you, Little Ianna?”

“Why is that?”

Lalatua intoned and blinked her long lashes —as she pondered over Ianna’s question.

“If I had to say why, it would be because I like strong and composed people. And I like them even better when they’re egoistic too. I was deeply moved when I first heard about how you maimed a bunch of trash, you know? I thought it’d be fun if we became friends.”

Ianna didn’t know if Lalatua had always been like this or if there was something off about the way she had grown up, but Ianna couldn’t help but be certain that something about Lalatua’s personality was rather twisted.

Everyone except for Eiji, who had said he was extremely busy today, made their way to the Grey Magic Tower, which was basically the principal building in the Institution, afterward. Taro came along like thread following his needle because he chased Lalatua around everywhere, and Lalatua never said a word about it —perhaps she had simply become too accustomed to him by now.

The magic tower was at the heart of the Institution, and it was tall enough to tower over every other Institution building. The magic tower’s exterior consisted of old-fashioned grey bricks, but Zicara Valgenta, the first dean of the Institution, had been the greatest archmage of the time, and the magic tower was filled with heaps of old research materials, reagents, artefacts, and other materials that could only be found in ancient times.

The Roanne royal family, which technically owned the Valgenta Institution, had elected prodigious mages as dean for generations. The royal family also did not collect the tower’s relics, but rather transferred their ownership to the Institution deans and tasked each dean with the duty to further develop the kingdom’s magic.

The mages who became dean could fulfil their personal desires for high-level research, and they handed down all of their research materials to their successor when they stepped down from the position. And so, the magic tower was a great repository of research materials. It was even said that every mage on the continent dreamt of being able to live for even just one month in the Institution’s magic tower.

The group was waiting on the first floor of the tower after they had put in a request to meet with Heinrich, and they heard back from him not too long after.

“Come on in,”

said considerately the benevolent old man whose white beard reached down to his chest.

Ianna studied Heinrich from the back of the group. She had only seen him before from afar during the induction and closing ceremonies, and he was now standing close by. Heinrich was wearing a tidy robe, as mages generally did, and seemed like he would simply laugh quietly no matter what anyone said about him —he gave off a very gentle impression, unlike Maimayè Leviagè, whom she had met at the Magic Tower of Fire.

“Grandfather!”

Herrace immediately ran up to Heinrich. Heinrich was skinny but tall, so he could still embrace his grandson as if the latter was just a young boy. Relief flooded Herrace’s face, as though his grandfather’s arms were the safest place in the world.

“I missed you, Grandfather.”

Heinrich smiled gently as he stroked Herrace’s wheat-colored hair.

“You little rascal —it’s been so long since I last saw you, but I see you’re still just like a young pup. When will you grow up?”

“I’m here too, Teacher.”

“Come in.”

Lalatua curtsied as if she was a noble lady attending a ball. Heinrich beckoned over his favorite disciple. She lowered her eyes coyly and ran up to him, only for Heinrich to sternly pinch her on the cheek as though he was simply scolding a troublesome child.

“Oww.”

“Have you been good? You haven’t destroyed anything again?”

Lalatua, who was generally haughty, sulked like a little girl throwing a temper tantrum.

“Goodness, Teacher. You could make someone think that I walk around leaving behind mishaps in my wake. Also, that hurts.”

Heinrich chuckled as he let go and turned to the rest of the group.

“Thank you all for coming to visit me. You’re…….”

Heinrich’s gaze fell on Taro. He laughed again and nodded as Taro stared blankly back at him.

“Hmm, I see. You’re the spitting image of someone I know. Are you from the desert?”

Taro flinched.

“I-I am, but…?”

“Will your father be visiting for the school festival?”

Taro scratched his head.

“Prob’ly. But gosh, that noisy old man’s really knows a lot of people……. I’d never expected that you’d know him, Lord Heinrich.”

“He is famous, is he not? I should ask him to have some tea, or perhaps even a meal, with me if he visits.”

“Looks like ya know my old man pretty well.”

It was readily apparent that Taro’s father was very well-known if even Heinrich was acting that way. Ianna studied Taro’s appearance.

‘Is he a noble? I didn’t think he was, considering how he normally acts…’

A brief look of puzzlement crossed Ianna’s visage before her eyes met with Heinrich’s, who had turned to her next.

“And this young lady here…….”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ianna, and I am from the Swordsmanship Department.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard much about you. I’ve been wanting to meet you at least once, Little Ianna.”

Heinrich beamed. The slight hint of goodwill behind his smile told Ianna that either Herrace or Arhad must have put in a good word about her. Heinrich continued,

“Now, why don’t you all make yourselves at home and sit down —the looks on your faces suggest that you’re all here because you have something to tell me.”

Heinrich gestured to a set of sofas centered around a small table and bid everyone to sit down. The group sat down, and Heinrich personally poured them each a cup of warm tea before taking his own seat.

“What did you want to tell me?”

Lalatua picked up her teacup and languidly replied,

“I wanted to learn from you again, Teacher, since it’s been a while, but I can wait since you seem to have a lot of guests today.”

“I see. And Herrace? Is there another reason why you’re here to see your grandfather, other than simply because you missed me?”

Herrace gulped nervously before his grandfather’s kindly smile.

“I wanted a proper explanation for my illness.”

Heinrich’s warm eyes clouded up somewhat as he looked toward his beloved grandson. A sad smile crawled across Herrace’s face as he continued,

“Could you please tell us, Grandfather?”

Heinrich stirred his tea without a word.

His grandson, Herrace, was his only remaining flesh and blood. But, because of his greed…….

Heinrich knew the cause behind Herrace’s illness, but he could not speak of the details out loud. He could not risk exposing Arhad’s identity. And also…he didn’t have to the courage to risk Herrace hating him after hearing what he had to say.

Heinrich blinked his eyes, which grew blurrier with each passing day, as he surveyed the students sitting around the sofas. None of them were the type to spread rumors. It should be all right to disclose just a little. Arhad had given him his approval to do so yesterday, though his intended recipient had been limited to only Ianna.

But it should be all right, yes? Heinrich snuck a glance at Arhad, and Arhad, in turn, nodded back ever so slightly as if he had understood.

“Very well. In that case, I will tell you about mana today.”

Ianna was intrigued. She had heard so much about the standard theories revolving mana in both this life and her last that she was sick and tired of hearing about it and had been studying for other subjects during her Mana Studies lectures. And yet, she had an inkling that Heinrich was about to teach her something new.

Lalatua’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in closer to Heinrich.

“My oh my. What about mana will you teach us about?”

“I’m sure you’ll all know what talents are involved in mana control if you haven’t been sleeping in your Mana Studies classes, yes?”

“Affinity, willpower, receptivity, and volatility.”

“Indeed. If we were to compare these talents to water pouring out from a faucet…….”

Heinrich got up and walked away, and the group followed suit. Arhad, however, did not and stayed on the sofa to finish his tea. Heinrich walked up to a sink meant for washing one’s hands in. There were several cups of different sizes lined up next to it.

“Keep the obvious fact that water will pour out from the faucet when I turn it on in your minds as you listen. Now, I am holding up a cup.”

Heinrich picked up a cup and turned the faucet a little, prompting the water to begin trickling out.

“The water coming out from the faucet is the mana that gathers fundamentally when you control mana —in other words, affinity. Your affinity is determined at birth, and there is no way for you to change it. Everyone has a different affinity level. And…”

Heinrich turned the faucet further so that water was gushing out.

“Mana can be forcefully drawn in and maintained to supplement for your natural affinity.”

Then, he turned the faucet the other way and turned it off.

“Willpower is the ability to get rid of the mana you were maintaining and keep it away after you’re done controlling it. And next…”

Heinrich put the cup he was holding under the faucet and turned it on again. Water flowed into the cup.

“This cup is your body’s capacity to handle mana, or your receptivity. You can improve your receptivity little by little with training, and you can train yourself to have a very large capacity with enough effort.”

Water continued to pour into the cup until it eventually overflowed.

“Water spills out of the cup after it reaches its max capacity, and mana overload puts a heavy strain on the body. And lastly…”

The cup was emptied as Heinrich poured, sprinkled, and dribbled the water out.

“The ability to freely change the shape of the mana is volatility.”

Anyone who studied mana would know this. Heinrich and the rest of the group returned to the sofas.

“That was rather basic, no? Now, today, I will tell you about mana’s origins and about how mana is actually controlled.”

Mana’s origins. Ianna’s eyes glistened. Could it be……that Heinrich knew about divine power?

It was possible, since Arhad had known about divine power too. Ianna opened up the notebook she had brought along and readied her pen.

“First, I’d like to sing you all a song.”

Heinrich cleared his throat and started singing.

Grandfather, why is the Demon called the Demon?

It is because the Demon opposed the good and merciful gods.

Why did the Demon oppose the gods?

It is because the Demon was born to hate them.

Why was the Demon born to hate the gods?

It is because the Demon was awakened by the evil the gods threw away to be good.

Grandfather, why did the gods throw away evil to be good?

It is because they wanted to live forever in their beautiful world.

Why did the gods want to live forever?

It is because they feared a fate that was destined to end.

Why did the gods fear the end?

It is because they didn’t know what would await them there.

Heinrich collected his breath once his song was over and smiled bashfully.

“It’s been a while since the last time I sang. In any event, I studied this children’s song and several myths that had been passed down through a certain minority group in the North since ancient times and came up with a theory.”

He slowly brought his teacup to his lips.

“Mana is an imperfect energy that filled the world when the Demon’s heart exploded.”

“Goodness, the Demon? It’s heart? Exploded?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of this.”

“It is only natural that you’ve never heard of this before. The minority group who used to sing this song died out, and I’ve been researching this theory alone since most people regard mana as a gift from God and I would be branded as a heathen if I proposed that it was actually the Demon’s power.”

“What is the basis for your theory? What does the song you sang have anything to do with it? Teacher? Gosh, please don’t just keep drinking tea like that.”

Everyone awaited Heinrich’s next worlds with great interest, including Lalatua, who urged him to continue with sparkles in her eyes.

Ianna had stiffened up when Heinrich actually started talking about the Holy Age.

There were many stories and songs about the Holy Age scattered across the world. But, for the most part, they either showered the God Laos with endless praise or fantasized about how the Holy Age used to be, like how evil the Demon was, or how Laos had defeated the Demon —but they were all without proof.

But the song Heinrich had just sang was different. It was a song that brushed upon how the Demon had been born. Towe and Innis had said that mana had used to be called demonic power because it was the Demon’s energy and that it was the incomplete energy that remained behind after the Demon had taken the trait of life out of divine power —and Heinrich had accurately pointed this out.

The world loved and respected Laos, and the Demon was but another tool for people to idolize Laos with, and those who took an interest in and studied the Demon would be regarded as heathens.

So, what kind of people were the minority group who used to sing that song? Were the contents of the song true? What did it mean? The gears in Ianna’s head were spinning furiously.

“The Holy Age —an era in which the gods and the Demon had lived and had left no traces behind of in the Age of Magic. They say the world and everything that would one day compose it was chaos in the beginning. And the chaos was said to be turbulent, as if it would burst open at any moment.”

Ianna was shocked. Just how many secrets of the Holy Age did Heinrich know? She sat up straight and perked her ears.

“One day, four large fragments broke away from the turbulent chaos. They were the earth, wind, water, and fire.”

The four fragments that Heinrich was referring to were likely the four spirit kings —Towe, Innis, Kagomyne, and Shweia.

“The four fragments used the power of origin —divine power— to create a beautiful world around the chaos.”

Ianna clenched her hand in surprise.

“Divine power?”

“What is divine power?”

Heinrich beamed as others began asking him questions.

“Is this your first time hearing of it? It’s the energy that comprises everything in the world. We call it divine power because it is said to be the power used by the gods who lived in the Holy Age. Divine power has two traits to it. The trait of life, which all living beings need to live and act, and the trait of power, which allows us to manifest all sorts of abilities.”

He was right. Ianna looked up at him.

“I will tell you more about divine power later, but let me continue for now. A countless number of fragments continued to burst out from the chaos after the first four fragments created the world. Each of these fragments carried divine power —life itself.”

And a variety of gods were born with the successive fragments as their hearts. The fragments continued to pour out from chaos and become gods.

Ianna was astonished as she heard Heinrich’s story. His theory, which had been based on a children’s song and the myths from a certain minority group, matched what Towe and Innis, who had actually lived in the Holy Age, had told her. It became exponentially more likely that Heinrich’s hypothesis was correct.

“The chaos grew smaller, and only the lifeless portions remained in it by the time the world of the gods was complete. No more fragments burst out from chaos after that.”

“Huh.”

“I don’t know how the gods lived. Nor have I ever felt the need to know. I am only interested in the Demon.”

Heinrich emitted a faint bloodlust as he mumbled about the Demon. It had only lasted for a moment, and the group was so captivated by his story that they did not notice it. Only Arhad, who hadn’t really been listening, perceived it, but he simply continued to maintain his silence.

“It is said that the gods threw away all that threatened them into where the chaos had been —where only the lifeless portions of chaos remained. The last fragment ate what they discarded, grew into a heart that didn’t carry life, and became the Demon……or so the myths say.”

Curiously, Herrace asked,

“What did the gods throw away?”

“The negative emotions and memories that tormented them.”

Heinrich took a sip of tea and continued,

“The Demon was born by drinking what the gods had thrown away and was driven mad by an uncontrollable emotional turbulence and the destructive desire to break and burn. In addition, the Demon was born without life and is said to have always been tormented by the desire to extort it from others. Don’t you think it was only natural that the Holy Age would come to an End after the Demon was born? Let me ask you this.”

Heinrich put his teacup down on the table.

“Do you think that the Demon was qualitatively any different from the gods?”

“Hmm, I think they were fundamentally the same. The only difference is that the Demon didn’t have life.”

Heinrich nodded when he heard the answer that Lalatua had pondered.

“Indeed. Think back to what you heard in the song I sang you. The gods feared the end —death, that is— and that is why they threw their evil away……. And in turn, their evil was absorbed by the Demon. Put another way, the gods themselves created the Demon. The priests of the temples say that it was the Demon who brought about the End, but the truth is that the gods had simply reaped what they themselves had sown.”

The group had strange looks on their faces as they listened to Heinrich’s story.

“Is this true? This theory doesn’t seem to have been taken directly from the legends.”

Lalatua bit at her thumb’s fingernail. It was something she did habitually when she was deep in thought.

The stories Heinrich told her reminded her of what she had felt when Heinrich had told her stories of the past around a fire as a child. As a child, she would have simply found his story fun and said, “Wow, really?” and moved on, but the story left a lasting impression on her now that she had grown up and thought like a mage.

Heinrich beamed.

“I spent a lot of time in the North when I was younger. The North in an interesting place. It’s rare, but you can even find traces of the Demon there. And those traces were more than enough to be as the basis for my theory.”

Everyone gasped. It was well-established that no traces of the Holy Age still remained in the world. But, some still existed in the North? What kind of place was the North? —they knew next to nothing about it, much like the four corners of the world, because it was controlled by Bahamut, a hostile nation.

“I can’t tell you the exact details due to certain reasons, but I believe that all of this is true. Now, shall we continue the story? The point is that the Demon always wanted for more life, which it lacked, and I believe that this is where the principles behind mana control began.”

Heinrich took a deep breath and stiffly continued,

“I told you earlier. That life is one of the traits of divine power. The Demon didn’t have life and needed to steal divine power from other gods in order to live, and the Demon also coveted life and was able to separate the trait of life out from divine power out of desire. The residue of divine power that was left behind after the trait of life was taken from it is mana. Its true name is demonic power.”

Heinrich continued his story.

The mana, having lost its owner, dispersed throughout the world after the Demon vanished, whether by death or by seal, during the events of chapter 1 verse 1 of the Holy Book of Laos. The scattered mana wandered around the world, having lost its destination. Mana was drawn to those with a lot of lifeforce because it wanted to satisfy what it lacked.

“In conclusion, mana is the power of the Demon, who coveted life —or divine power—, and that is why it gathers around those with a lot of divine power. This explains the principles behind affinity. The more divine power you’re born with in your heart, the greater your affinity.”

Ianna’s eyes glistened. Everything that Heinrich had said was true. Heinrich let out a long sigh after he had concluded his drawn-out story.

“Teacher, are you suggesting that we all have this divine power too?”

“Yes.”

Heinrich firmly affirmed Lalatua’s question and used this thumb to point to his own heart. He continued,

“Divine power is consolidated inside our hearts.”

“But it’s a separate energy from mana? I can’t really tell.”

Lalatua placed her hand over her heart as she tilted her head to the side. She could not feel anything other than the mana floating in the air around her. And she rather disliked the idea that there was some strange energy lurking inside her heart. All her heart was doing was beating to its rhythm.

“Like I explained to you, divine power is fundamentally the same as mana —it simply lacks the trait of life. It’s normal not to be able to differentiate it from mana, since the two are so similar. And it won’t feel foreign to you since you’ve had it inside you since you were born. If I was to speak of a hypothetical situation that would help you feel the presence of divine power……hmm, I suppose it would have to be when it is stolen from you by force.”

Heinrich raised his withered hand and moved around his fingers.

“It’s natural to have hands, so you wouldn’t necessarily be aware of its presence on a daily basis. You would only take its existence to heart if it was forcibly cut off and you felt the resulting sense of loss. I would think that you would feel your divine power when it’s taken from you for similar reasons.”

Ianna agreed. She had felt something be shaved away whenever the spirit kings entered her body and ate away at the divine power around her heart.

“My, how chilling.”

Lalatua’s red lips curled into a smile as she rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms. Her cheeks were flushed. She was usually relaxed and haughty, but learning new information always gave her a sweet thrill.

Lalatua had excellent deductive abilities. She had already taken her teacher’s words to heart and had carved his every last word into her bright head.

Her teacher never spoke out about things he wasn’t certain of. Especially when he was talking about the research he had devoted his life to instead of developing spells that would more effectively raise the value of his name.

Lalatua enjoyed magic. She was much happier studying the pedantic arrangements that mana took whenever magic was performed than she would be if she was shopping around for pretty dresses decorated with lavish lace like any other docile lass. She had more fun researching new arrangements of mana than she did memorizing history or other schools of thought.

As such, magic had captivated her full interest, and she was deeply in love with it. She loved magic so much that she cared little about human relationships, even familial ones.

Lalatua admired her amazing teacher. He was a great prophet. She had wanted to be like the archmage ever since she was young. She looked lovingly back at Heinrich as an uncontrollable curiosity colored her violet eyes.

“The divine power we possess belonged to the God Laos. There is no refuting the fact that we are the God Laos’ creations. Both the myths and history have declared this as fact.”

“But Teacher —according to what you’ve just said, there were many gods other than the God Laos during the Holy Age.”

Lalatua asked,

“What made the God Laos so different from the other gods that he was able to survive past the End and create all life?”

Ianna cheered Lalatua on in her heart. Lalatua had asked Heinrich the very question that Ianna herself was most curious about.

“You ask a difficult question. We can only speculate based on the stories that have been passed down, since no records of the Holy Age were left behind. I researched the relationship between mana and divine power and the traits they possess, and I don’t know much else about the Holy Age beyond that.”

“Then, let me ask about divine power instead. If divine power is life itself, then does having a lot of divine power not only mean that you’ll have a high affinity but also that you’ll have a long lifespan? That would mean that those who are able to control mana should have a longer average lifespan than those who can’t, but the latter often outlive the former. There are too many inconsistencies if you simply assume that divine power is a measure of one’s lifespan. So what exactly is divine power’s trait of life?”

“Hoho, slow down.”

“But I’m so curious. I’m so curious I might die!”

Lalatua became like a child begging for candy when —and only when— she was with Heinrich. Heinrich laughed heartily and shook his head as if there was no helping it. Just one look at him made it more than obvious that he loved and was proud of his disciple, who soaked in the details of his theory like a sponge absorbing water.

Taro, who was watching as Lalatua and Heinrich bonded as disciple and teacher, wondered, ‘Is the dean my real rivial?’

“If you ask me what exactly divine power’s trait of life is, then I would say that it is the energy that maintains the body and the soul and allows for action.”

Lalatua furrowed her brows.

“By ‘soul’, are you referring to the ghost-like entities the priests from temples and those who study the occult prattle on about with their dirty tongues?”

“Ghosts? Hmm. I suppose they could be similar.”

Lalatua placed a hand over her mouth as if she was feeling uneasy. There was nothing more unpleasant to her than that which could not be investigated.

“I can accept the existence of divine power, but souls? I would have never thought that you of all people would ever utter such a disagreeable word, Teacher…….”

“You fussy little rascal. The existence of souls is debated within the academic field of magic. I, however, am certain that souls do in fact exist.”

“Hmm.”

A peculiar look crossed Lalatua’s mien. Her uneasiness had turned into a queer suspicion when the teacher whom she so revered had declared his certainty.

“Souls exist on a different dimension from our physical bodies…… You could call it a psychological body of sorts, and every living being has their own unique soul. A soul is born not too long after a fetus develops a heart in their mother’s womb.”

Divine power was what granted the body vitality and what allowed the soul to maintain its ego. And divine power was consumed which each physical or psychological action taken. One’s lifespan could not be measured by only the amount of divine power one had because everyone consumed divine power at different rates and longevity was influenced by additional factors other than divine power. This was Heinrich’s answer to Lalatua’s question.

“Hmmm……. But, a psychological body? If souls really do exist, then what functions do they have?”

“A physical body can take physical actions, such as walking, running, or brandishing a sword. Physical actions also include the actions that take place inside the body, such as digestion or bowel movements. So, what does a soul do? Souls perform all of the psychological actions we take but can’t see with the naked eye.”

Heinrich explained that living beings consumed divine power in everything they did and added that the body and the soul were so heavily intertwined that the body could not function as a body without the soul, and the soul could not function as a soul without the body.

“Teacher, could you please give us an example of these actions that exist but can’t be seen?”

“These actions include things like the ability to feel emotions like joy and rage, the ability to think and remember things, or the ability to have the will to do something. Every talent required to control mana, save for affinity, is made possible by the soul. You draw mana in by the act of willing it, and you control mana through the combined acts of thought and will. Receptivity can be separated into the body’s receptivity and the soul’s receptivity, though people generally only refer to the former. But the soul has its own receptivity, and someone who tries to control more mana than their soul is capable of handling will go insane.”

The others were sitting quietly as they listened in on Heinrich’s and Lalatua’s discussion. It was more than enough for them to simply listen.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard of Ensheila’s, the Mage of the Azure Skies, who is said to be the strongest mage of our time, mana is blue? There are many people other than Ensheila who can give mana color.”

The most prominent theory as to why mana sometime took on a color was that souls had unique colors, and mana was dyed in the color of someone’s soul if it fully submitted to their control. In other words, it meant that one’s soul affects one’s ability to control mana —or put even more simply, that mana was influence by people’s souls. Heinrich added on the chilling words that, while the controlled mana was never consumed, it did consume divine power to control it.

“Now, let’s end this story here. This is my ‘theory of mana control’ that I took a long time to put together while researching. Why don’t we try organizing this information?”

Controlling mana involved four talents: affinity, receptivity, willpower, and volatility. Affinity was made possible because mana characteristically coveted divine power, and it was an innate talent that could not be changed. But the other talents could be acquired through training.

“Lalatua, reduce my theory of mana control to its core points and tell me how the four talents are affected in one sentence each.”

“One’s affinity depends on how much divine power one has. Receptivity depends on the durability of the body and the nature of the soul. And willpower and volatility both also depend on the nature of the soul……?”

“Good.”

Lalatua jumped up.

“I’ll be leaving now. I need to go and organize everything I’ve learned today. I’ll be back to learn more later.”

Lalatua sped out of the room as soon as the words had left her mouth.

“T-then, me too…….”

Taro hesitantly stood up and followed after her after an awkward farewell. Only Ianna, Arhad, and Herrace were left in the room with Heinrich now.

Silence draped over the room. Ianna was quiet because she was busy organizing her thoughts, Arhad kept quiet because he simply wasn’t interested, and Herrace was quiet because he was staring down blankly at his teacup.

“And so, Herrace, did you understand?”

Heinrich looked to Herrace awkwardly.

“I got……the gist of it. I have a lot of divine power, which is why my affinity is so high that mana rushes toward me so ravenously, but my soul isn’t able to control the mana —is that right?”

“…….”

Heinrich quickly threw a complicated look at Arhad. Arhad, however, firmly shook his head no. Heinrich smiled bitterly as he returned to his senses and nodded back knowingly.

“……Yes, you have a very high affinity, Herrace.”

Heinrich got up from his seat and walked back to the sink. His turn the faucet all the way, as if he was venting his frustrations on it. Water gushed out of the faucet like a small cataract. He stared at the water sorrowfully for a moment before picking up the smallest cup on the shelf nearby while Herrace watched him absentmindedly. Heinrich continued,

“And this here is your current receptivity.”

Heinrich brought the cup down beneath the faucet. The water filled it immediately and quickly began to overflow. Heinrich turned the faucet a little bit in the other direction. But the water was still gushing out and spilling out from the cup.

“So much mana draws to you naturally that it’s impossible for you to control it or rid yourself of it with your own talents. So much mana is drawn to you that it makes it impossible for you to even train up your willpower, receptivity, or volatility. This little cup here is you.”

Herrace brought a hand up to his mouth as he looked to the small cup. His eyes and nose had turned red.

“The gods blessed you so excessively that the Demon grew envious of you and turned your blessing into a curse —and that is the curse of mana.”

“…….”

“You will probably live a long life if you don’t try to control mana, but your body will be ruined by the overload if you keep trying to. So……why don’t you give up on it now?”

And don’t ever forgive this grandfather of yours, Heinrich added quietly in his heart.

Herrace dabbed at his eyes with the edge of his sleeves and smiled feebly back at Ianna, who was staring at him.

“Little Ianna. So this is my situation. Divine power……it’s nice that I can still live a long life, I suppose……. The amount of divine power I have will decrease as I get older, so I guess I might be able to use mana freely then. Haha.”

Herrace tried to make a joke that didn’t sound like one at all. Ianna raised an eyebrow and looked back at him without a word. Herrace looked away.

“……Do you really think my illness can be cured? I’ll head back first. Please feel free to keep discussing.”

Herrace sprang up and left the room as if he was fleeing it.

“Sigh…….”

Heinrich’s long sigh echoed throughout the spacious room.

“There’s something I’d like to ask.”

Heinrich and Arhad looked to Ianna when she finally spoke up. She continued,

“You said that divine power is consolidated inside the heart. The medicine that Herrace takes that temporarily stops his heart —is it something that also takes away divine power, on top of being an emergency measure to make the mana disperse?”

“In a way, yes. The medicine is a reactionary measure to make the mana disperse, but each dose also disperses some of the divine power in his heart as well,”

Heinrich gloomily replied. Divine power was centered on the heart. When the heart stopped temporarily, a little bit of divine power would disperse into the air, and mana would lose interest in the seemingly dead heart and scatter. It was a dangerous but effective countermeasure. It was a medication he had given his grandson only after multiple experiments.

“Are you decreasing the amount of divine power he has to lower his affinity?”

Heinrich wordlessly pressed his hand against his forehead. The truth……was that there was one more secret he could not speak of. The reason why Herrace’s affinity level was so abnormally high wasn’t only because of his divine power. But he could not speak of this reason without Arhad’s permission, and neither did he want to.

“……Yes. There is no other way.”

“Lord Heinrich, are you giving him that medicine even though it decreases Herrace’s lifespan?”

“He would die if he brushes against mana even by accident otherwise.”

“I see. That would complicate things. But is this truly the only way? For now, I’ll ask Herrace not to use mana until we can find another way. He should prioritize training up his body first.”

Heinrich smiled as Ianna lost herself in thought and began muttering to herself. It wasn’t simply complicated —it was hopeless.

“Little Ianna. Thank you for caring so deeply about my Herrace. I’m grateful just to know that you want to help my grandson.”

“…….”

“Oh, but we should address why you’re really here now, no? Come now, Shawn. Come on out.”

Part 3

Heinrich changed the topic and called someone hither. Then, a black shadow jumped in from the window. Ianna stared at the newcomer with interest. They were at the topmost floor of the magic tower. Regardless of what methods he had used, he had to be exceptionally skilled to be able to enter through the window like it was nothing.

“It’s been a while, Lady Swordswoman. Do you remember me?”

Ianna was familiar with the husky and disagreeable voice, the black robes, and the white mask with a black teardrop painted below the eyes. He was the man with the teardrop on his mask that she had met during the slave auction. The way he was strutting around made him seem like the typical backstreet thug. He bowed his head low and continued,

“Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name as a member of Camastros is Shawn.”

“Hello.”

Ianna, too, bowed from the waist as she greeted him. The man with the teardrop mask —Shawn— was a Camastros spy who leaked intelligence from the Black Fox. It was obvious that he was one of Camastros’ top brass, judging by how close he was with Arhad.

It was only natural for a newcomer to be polite to her superiors. Arhad, however, had her stand back up straight. Ianna looked back at him in confusion before Arhad firmly shook his head no.

“You needn’t be so polite to that bastard. You’re under my direct command, after all.”

“God, you, you’re so……ugh.”

Shawn clicked his tongue before letting out a sigh. Arhad ignored him and nodded at Heinrich. Heinrich smiled and walked up to one of the many bookshelves spread across the room and pulled out a few books. The bookshelf made some noise, like a spring being wound, before it moved to the side while shaking.

A small enclosure appeared behind it. Heinrich slowly picked up one of the boxes hidden inside before bringing it to Ianna.

“It’s always a joyous event when our numbers grow. I welcome you. These are meant to signify that you’re a part of Camastros now.”

Ianna carefully received the box and opened it up. She found a set of black robes, a white mask, and a pair of rings seated neatly inside.

“You will need these to act as a member of Camastros. The black robe was customized for defense. And you see the rings, yes? The golden ring is imbued with a spell to alter your vocal cords. It changes the way your voice sounds by physically altering your vocal cords, so it will feel a little strange. And your voice will be changed at random. The silver ring is imbued with a spell to change your appearance, and will turn your hair and eyes brown. And lastly, only you will be able to take the mask off once you’ve put it on. No one can take it off your face by force.”

Ianna picked up the white mask and stared deeply into the pattern that had been drawn beneath the eyes.

“Every member of Camastros wears black robes and white masks, so we tell each other apart by the patterns drawn on the mask that only we can differentiate. I took the liberty of drawing yours on in advance because Little Arhad tells me that there is only one symbol that is suited to represent you. A sword.”

A sword —it was the very thing that described Ianna’s existence best.

“But you can tell me anytime if you’d like to change it.”

Ianna stole a glance at Arhad, who looked like he was pleased with himself, before closing her eyes and bringing her mask to her chest.

“No, I like it. Thank you.”

“In that case, I’ll start explaining what Camastros’ goals are. Our first objective is to publicly dismantle the Black Fox’s power and influence. I’m told that this is why you joined us……. But that isn’t our only goal. Our second objective has to do with Little Arhad’s family situation, but he will explain things to you personally when he thinks you’re ready for it.”

Ianna had been long since ready, but she chose not to refute him. Everything would fall into place when the time was right.

Shawn, who seemed delighted as he saw Ianna standing beside him while holding her mask to her chest, said,

“As you already know, Arhad —or ‘Ro’, as we call him in the organization— is Camastros’ leader. There are seven Camastros executes in total. I, codename ‘Shawn’, am our strategist, and Lord Heinrich, or codename ‘Hill’, is in charge of our rear support. There’s also Gold, Rust, Caesar, Van, and Giselle. They’re all incredible people.”

Shawn nodded as he continued,

“We have about three hundred members —Gold and I lead ten members each, Lust and Caesar are in charge of eighty each, and Van, Hill, and Giselle have command over forty members each. Ro has command over the entire organization. But we’re actually a lot stronger than our numbers may suggest……if you consider the other forces, both large and small, that our members lead outside of Camastros.”

It sounded more amazing the more she heard about it. Ianna was curious as to just how far Arhad’s influence truly reached.

“One thing that you’ll have to keep in mind is that members of Camastros are strictly forbidden from disclosing our real faces, voices, or names to each other while we’re working. And you aren’t allowed to ask anyone about their identity either. Members of our organization only know each other by our codenames —but not by our real identities. You’re a bit of a special case, Miss. But you must never tell anyone in the organization who Ro and Hill really are.”

Ianna nodded as she took Shawn’s words to heart.

“Normally, when a member has something to tell the rest of the organization, they’ll tell their team leader, and their team leader will tell the executive they’re working under in turn. Then, the executives will contact me. You’ll be treated somewhat like an executive, Miss, so I’ll teach you how to get in contact with me. But you can also talk to Ro directly. And you should also ask Ro if there’s anything you’re curious about.”

Heinrich walked up to the calendar hanging on the wall while Shawn explained to Ianna about what she needed to be wary of and how to contact him, flipped over a page, and nodded.

“It’ll be October soon. We are holding a meeting at our base on October 1^st. You will start working as a member of Camastros then, Little Ianna. Oh. What will your codename be? Is there an alias that you’d like to use?”

“Not in particular…….”

Ianna thought hard for a moment before she settled on an abbreviation of her real name.

“I’ll go with ‘Ann.’”

Ianna walked back to the dorms with Arhad —she decided not to turn down his goodwill— after promising that she would accompany them to Camastros’ base on October 1^st.

They were walking along the slope as the grass danced in the wind when Ianna suddenly stopped. She had spotted Herrace’s back as he was curled up in a ball with his head in his arms. Ianna looked at him for moment before saying,

“You know how to control divine power, right?”

Arhad, who had also stopped to look at Herrace, fixed his gaze on Ianna. He kept his mouth closed for a bit before he finally replied,

“……Yes.”

“Could you please show me how?”

Ianna looked to Arhad with narrowed eyes when he didn’t answer, and Arhad turned away to escape her gaze. She continued,

“Please.”

Arhad flinched, but he ultimately sighed a little while later.

“……It’s difficult for me to turn you down.”

Arhad brushed back his hair in frustration and Ianna grinned in content. Arhad threw one last look at Herrace before leading Ianna somewhere far away.

“Controlling divine power is related to controlling mana, so we’ll start by going over that first.”

Calmly, Arhad continued,

“Divine power is generally transparent. It only changes color if a soul exerts control over it or if belongs completely to a soul. But newly born beings barely have any sense of identity. This means that their souls are weak. They still have divine power in their hearts because they’re alive, but the divine power is colorless, like mana, because their souls don’t exert any influence over it. And so, you can’t say that the divine power actually belongs to them.”

Ianna listened attentively to what Arhad was saying.

“But living things mature as time passes and their souls grow stronger and begin to take on a more distinct color as their egos grow stronger. Once a living being has matured to some extent, the divine power in their heart takes on the color of their soul and becomes wholly theirs. When divine power belongs to someone, it adopts their consciousness and can only be controlled by that individual unless it’s stolen by another. Mana is a part of the divine power that belongs to the Demon. Normally, no one would be able to use it without the Demon’s permission. But the Demon…….”

Arhad contemplated for a moment before he shook his head.

“No one knows what exactly happened, but in any event, the Demon isn’t conscious. Mana still belongs under the Demon’s control, but it became transparent and can be controlled by anyone with a strong enough will because of this. After all, someone who isn’t conscious can’t stop others from using or taking what’s rightfully theirs.”

“And that’s how affinity and willpower are established.”

“Indeed. But controlling mana is no different from simply borrowing the mana. It’s not yours, so you still have to return it to its rightful owner. This is why mana returns to the air once you’re done controlling it. Also, it’s impossible to have complete control something that doesn’t belong to you.”

“Belonging…….”

Curiously, Ianna asked,

“What happens if you do take ownership of the mana?”

“You wouldn’t need the four talents to control mana if it belonged to you. Mana would circle around its owner and move as their hands and feet with even just a thought.”

“How interesting. And how would one take ownership of the mana?”

One corner of Arhad’s lips curled up and he smiled as though he found Ianna’s question absurd, as her eyes sparkled.

“……You would have to rob that right from the Demon. But it’s only possible to rob someone of their ownership of divine power if your ego is stronger than theirs. And the ancient Demon had an incredibly strong ego, so it’s nigh impossible in this case.”

“Hmmm…….”

“So that concludes the basic explanation.”

Arhad raised up his thumb and gathered some mana around its tip. The transparent mana swirled as it sucked in the air around it. He continued,

“I drew in some mana with my affinity and willpower. But the mana is still transparent, right? The color and opacity of mana signifies how much control you have over it.”

The mana gradually began growing blacker.

“Mana takes on a color, and that color grows more vibrant, depending on your will to control it and your mental fortitude……in other words, it takes on a stronger color the stronger your soul is. Mana takes on the color of the divine power inside your heart when you reach the peak of mana control, and it comes into complete alignment with your divine power.”

Shhh.

A black energy that was similar to, but still different from, mana seeped out from the tip of Arhad’s finger. Ianna’s gaze was immediately drawn to it. It was faint, but she could feel divine power coming from the swirling black mana. Ianna’s eyes glistened as she raised her senses to their peak and observed the strange energy she could feel emitting from Arhad’s body.

“At this stage, the divine power in your heart naturally seeps into the mana even if you don’t purposefully draw it out. The divine power shares it’s lifeforce with mana, which lacks it, and in turn, you become able to control mana as if it truly belonged to you. But it’s incredibly dangerous. More than a few people have reached this stage of mana control and have either reduced their lifespans or have lost their lives entirely.”

“Why is that?”

“You still have to liberate the mana when you’re done and reabsorb your divine power back inside your heart, but the mana won’t want to let go so easily. You would then enter into a struggle of power against the mana…….”

The black energy was absorbed back inside Arhad and disappeared. And the mana dispersed back into the air.

“Most beings living in the Age of Magic aren’t even aware of the fact that divine power exists, so they simply die once they reach the stage where the mana changes color and enter into a power struggle against it. But…”

Arhad clenched his hand into a tight fist.

“If you go past this stage and you know how to easily separate the mana from your divine power, and you’re aware of the fact that divine power exists…….”

Arhad raised his palm toward the heavens. Ianna broke out in goosebumps the very moment he did.

Poow!

A black blaze erupted from him. The mana in the air, which had been moving around limply like it always did, completely stilled as soon as the blaze appeared. But it only lasted for a moment and the mana began buzzing around.

“Then it’s fully possible for you to draw out the divine power in your heart and control it. Take a good look —this is the divine power you were so curious about.”

Bzzzzz…….

The mana immediately began vibrating louder. It shook violently, like the earth during an earthquake, as mana began pulling into the black blaze —the divine power—with the force of a tempest.

Ianna staggered as she stood beside Arhad, the eye of the storm. She couldn’t breathe. The pressure was incredible. She felt like she, too, would be sucked in along with the mana.

Pshhh!

The blaze that had erupted from Arhad was absorbed back into his hand. As it vanished, the mana that had been drawn toward him dispersed while leaving behind a cloud of dust.

“……That was……incredible,”

Ianna said with a tremble in her voice as she combed down the mess her hair had become. Arhad crossed his arms and looked down at her.

“The only difference between mana and divine power is the presence of life —they’re fundamentally the same thing, so if you can control mana, then you can also control divine power. Or rather, controlling divine power might even be easier, since divine power will absolutely obey its owner’s wishes. And, any power manifested by divine power will be stronger than anything manifested by mana because divine power is complete whereas mana isn’t.”

“…….”

“So, what are your thoughts now that you’ve seen divine power in action? Do you think this is all there is to it?”

“It’s a very dangerous power.”

“It is. Mana will rush toward divine power like crazy once it’s been brought outside your body. It’s entirely up to you whether you decide to absorb the mana and rid yourself of it later after you’re done using it or if you decide to put safety first and push it away. But you’ll find this game of tug-of-war more than a little difficult. Also…”

Arhad pointed to the left side of his chest.

“Divine power adheres to the heart very tightly, so you’ll need a lot of training to be able to draw it away. And you must always remember to absorb it back inside you again once you’re done using your divine power.”

Ianna stared holes into Arhad’s hand. Not only was Arhad highly proficient at controlling mana, but controlling divine power seemed to come easily to him too. Ianna clenched her hands into fists.

‘I must learn how to control divine power.’

Ianna had been carefully studying the subtle changes in the energy Arhad was giving off as she listened to his explanation.

‘I’ll try it out for myself later today. And I think that controlling divine power might even be able to do something about Herrace’s problem too.’

Arhad grabbed Ianna by the arm while she was lost in thought. Ianna returned to her senses and looked back up at him. His gaze was wintry.

“I know what you’re thinking right now. You’re thinking about trying to control divine power for yourself, aren’t you? And you’re also thinking about how it might be applied to Herrace Bendham, no?”

Ianna was startled by the fact that Arhad had hit the mark. He continued,

“Don’t.”

Arhad grabbed her tighter. Ianna frowned a little and gasped quietly from the pain.

“Don’t you think that Lord Heinrich would have considered this idea already? Not only is feeling divine power something no ordinary person can do, but separating mana from divine power is an extremely high-leveled skill that even the most skilled mana controllers will find extraordinarily difficult. Nine times out of ten, you could even die just from attempting it.”

“But…”

“Listen to me. Divine power is an energy that your heart clings onto in order to keep you alive. Not only does it put a huge strain on your heart when you use that energy by force, but you might even die if you make even the smallest mistake. So, just listen to me, for once. And stop calling on those damned spirits!”

“Ah……!”

Ianna scowled heavily and yelped in pain when Arhad suddenly grabbed her even harder.

“Why do you think I taught you how to control divine power and even showed you an example of how it’s done? It’s because I want you to stop being interested in it. Even I don’t use divine power because there are too many factors at risk. If you handle too much divine power and let it slip away from you because of one small mistake, then your lifespan will be cut down just like that!”

Ianna, who had been trying to shake Arhad off because her arm hurt, forgot herself for a moment in her indignation and glared up at him in irritation.

“Are you worrying about me right now?”

“…….”

“You don’t need to. The spirits told me that I would still have enough divine power to enjoy a full human life even if I called for them as often as I pleased. And I am greatly interested in being able to use divine power, since it has the potential to vastly enhance my abilities.”

“But still, —don’t.”

Arhad was unyielding. Ianna furrowed her brows. She absolutely did not want to concede this. And so, she refuted,

“You said that controlling divine power puts a huge strain on your heart —is that why your heart is in such a bad condition right now?”

“……Sigh. I always find myself at a loss for words because you only ask the most difficult questions whenever you open your mouth.”

Arhad let out a deep sigh and let go of Ianna’s arm. Ianna found his strange attitude suspicious and latched onto him.

“Wait. Are you serious? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. Anyway, just don’t do it,”

Arhad answered half-heartedly and walked away. Ianna stared dubiously at his retreating figure.

“Phew.”

It was nighttime. Her white breath escaped from her lips. Ianna looked up to the brightly glowing yellow moon in the sky before looking back down and continuing down the path she had been walking.

Ianna wasn’t the submissive sort who would keep herself from doing something just because someone had told her not to do it. She absolutely could not give up on the incredible power laying dormant in her body. Arhad had said that it was dangerous, but she was certain she could handle it with grace. Perhaps she was being arrogant, but that was simply how she felt.

Ianna arrived at the personal training rooms that were granted to the students with the highest grades in their year. She turned on the magical lights and stood at the center of the room. She stood with her feet shoulders-width apart and stretched her hands out forward.

‘Come to me.’

Mana immediately began gathering around her when she expressed her will.

‘Slowly.’

The mana slowed down to a crawl as soon as she willed it.

‘Stronger.’

Ianna took deep breaths as she closed her eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, she dyed the mana crimson and focused her full concentration on her right hand. And then, after a little time had passed.

“……!”

Ianna broke out into goosebumps as she whipped her arm aside. The mana immediately dispersed, and Ianna clenched her hand into a fist.

‘Finally!’

Delight colored her face. She had felt her divine power seeping quietly out from the palm of her hand. She had never noticed it before because it had always seemed so natural. It was like how you were never cognizant of your own organs until they started hurting.

She could not feel her divine power very well because she wasn’t trying to control it. It was so natural to have divine power that you couldn’t even feel it unless you were aware of it.

But now she could feel her divine power because she was consciously trying to.

“Hwoo, hwooo…….”

Ianna took several deep breaths before repeating the same process again and again as she let her consciousness fall into the rhythm of her body. Now, why don’t I try feeling it for real this time? The life trickling out from my heart. The flow of divine power.

Badump.

Her heart thumped as it spurted out blood. The blood followed down the paths of her blood vessels, spread throughout her body like the roots of a tree, circled around her entire body, and returned to her heart. Over and over again, her heart palpitated with life.

She could feel her divine power.

Ianna trembled.

Her heart was clinging tightly to her wavering divine power. Her blood tumbled back inside her heart. It picked up her crimson divine power from her heart and carried it to the rest of her body. Her blood started its journey of life on a wide path. It passed through every vessel in her body as it circulated through her. And then, it conveyed the divine power it was carrying to her bones, muscles, flesh, and organs……to every element that composed her body.

‘Nice!’

Ianna brought her mana control up to a higher stage. The mana grew more crimson the harder she focused. A different kind of crimson energy slowly, ever so slowly, began seeping out from her hand when Ianna reached the peak of mana control. The energy she emitted mixed into the mana and turned it more vibrantly crimson.

Ianna opened her eyes and gazed at the familiar color.

Divine power. It had burst out from Horby and Lebony and poured into her, had been gnawed away at by the spirits, had been stolen from the monster by Arhad, and Ianna had seen Arhad controlling it with her very own eyes…… She was only able to differentiate and truly feel the mysterious energy now that she had experienced it several times.

She had been using it up until now as if it was only natural. It was so distinct and so nearby, and yet she hadn’t even realized that she was using it unknowingly…… Ianna was exasperated with herself.

Shhhhhh—

The mana obediently dispersed when she stopped exercising control over it. And her divine power returned to her heart. Ianna clenched her hand into a tight fist. She felt like she could control her divine power.

‘Slowly —let’s take this slowly.’

Ianna closed her eyes and carefully reached out.

If she did what she usually did while controlling mana, but targeted her efforts at divine power instead…… If she recalled the energy that had seeped out from her and sent it outside her body……

Sweat poured down from Ianna’s face like rain. It wasn’t working very well. Her heart had a firm grip on her divine power. Trying to will her divine power outside was a far cry from having the spirit kings eat her divine power by force. It felt like she was trying to peel off her own skin.

Ten seconds, one minute, ten minutes, one hour…….

A lot of time had passed. But Ianna’s focus never faltered. And eventually, her divine power surrendered to its owner’s will.

She forcibly pried her divine power away from her heart. Her will to pull away her divine power was too strong, though, and more divine power than just the power she had pulled away flowed toward the place she was focusing on —like the divine power being circulated by her blood or the divine power giving the rest of her body life.

Bzzzzzz—

“…….”

It was hot. It was incredibly hot.

She felt the wind making a mess of her hair. Her entire body was shivering, and her legs grew so weak she almost wanted to sink down. Her heart hurt like it was being squeezed, and she felt like every blood vessel in her body had grown rigid with tension.

But the cozy sense of relief that she felt in her palm. It was…….

“Oh…….”

Ianna slowly opened her eyes and looked to her hand. She starred at the humming energy that was resonating with her heart like she was captivated by it.

It looked like a hot and brightly burning flame. And yet, it was stronger and more dynamic than any fire.

Shaaaaa…….

Mana was drawn into the flame like crazy, but it was then overpowered and sucked into it. The way that the once-transparent mana swirled around and dyed crimson was both a grand spectacle and a true marvel.

‘I did it!’

But just as Ianna had thought that her efforts had finally borne fruit.

Boom…….

Her vision grew murky. Her sight was being shrouded in darkness. Everything became black, save for the crimson energy in her hand.

And then, her heart whispered to her.

[Whom will you Judge?]

Her heart hurt so much she thought it might explode.

“……!”

The divine power Ianna had gathered in her hand scattered as her concentration broke from the immense pain that had come upon her so suddenly that she hadn’t even had the chance to scream, and the vast amount of condensed mana voraciously chased after the scattering divine power and caused an explosion.

Baaaaaaaang!

Ianna was flung to the floor and rolled a few times before finally hitting against a wall. She suffered cuts and bruises all over her body as pieces of debris scraped her.

“Ack! Ah…… Ugh…….”

But her back and her cuts weren’t the problem. Ianna felt like someone was grabbing at her heart and twisting it. All she could manage to do was to curl up. She felt like her body had been torn to tatters and her heart was being wrung out like a wet towel. She was in so much pain she nearly lost consciousness.

Divine power began flowing out from her heart again as she trembled while being sprawled out like a corpse. Her heart quickly, yet thoroughly, sent divine power though every nook and cranny of her body again. It was only then that she could finally breathe, and she stayed there for a while trying to collect her ragged breathing.

……She had overdone it. Ianna quivered and raised her head as a cool wind blew into the sealed space inside the room. She looked at the results she had brought about and scoffed. The personal training rooms had been enchanted with more layers of reinforcement than the training grounds were so that skilled students could practice their mana control to their heart’s content, but one of the walls in the room had been completely blown away. The cold wind was blowing in from the empty hole she had created.

‘It hurts…….’

She didn’t even have the strength to get up and look around. She gave up on getting up, because she couldn’t move, and began thinking instead.

What was that? Judge someone? Ianna was determined to figure out what it was even though she was a complete wreck. And then, she thought about Herrace.

‘Would it be possible for Herrace to control divine power?’

Ianna tried to prop herself up with a trembling arm as the strength returned to her little by little. First, she would have to get used to controlling divine power herself —everything else came afterward.

“Ack!”

But Ianna cried out in pain and fell back to the floor. Her arm hurt like crazy. She looked down at her arm and paled. Her arm, including the hand in which she had gathered her divine power, had been ripped apart. Her bones were broken in three separate places, and chunks of her flesh were missing altogether. She turned forward to find the pool of the crimson blood she had spilled on the floor. To think that she hadn’t noticed a wound this bad until only now. Ianna thought she was something else as she groaned.

“You fool……!”

Someone swiftly picked her up just then. Ianna lost her focus for a moment because her field of vision was suddenly elevated and the scenery changed dizzying before her eyes as the winds whipped around her due to speed. But she was familiar with the voice, familiar with the scent……and familiar with the strength that was holding her up.

“You always do what you want even when I tell you not to……!”

“Oh.”

Ianna looked up at Arhad, who was glaring down at her as he erupted in fury.

The wind was whipping against her face. Her body was throbbing in so much pain that she couldn’t even ask him to put her down out of courtesy. All she would be able to do was to writhe in agony if Arhad put her down.

“Do you even know what you did to yourself? You cut down your own lifespan just now,”

Arhad said through clenched teeth, but Ianna didn’t answer. She knew. She had felt the vitality leaving her when she brought her divine power outside her body, and she had felt something go snap— in her heart, as if her blood vessels had exploded.

Her body had grown so unbearably exhausted, in contrast to the delight she had felt as she confirmed her divine power. And her divine power had dispersed, almost like it had been breaking down, the moment she lost her focus and had instantly vanished into the air. It meant she had lost that life.

“……Is that so?”

Ianna, who had been staring blankly as Arhad’s features contorted in fury, closed her eyes from the fatigue. To be honest, this was her first time being carried by someone, and it stung at her pride a little to know that she had no choice but to rely on another. But her body, and especially her arm, hurt so much that she couldn’t think properly, and all she wanted was to collapse on the spot.

Besides, Arhad’s arms, which remained steadfast even while he was carrying her —and she should weight quite a bit—, were comfortable, and she wanted to entrust herself to him. Ianna bit hard at her lip as she tried to bear the pain, and she buried her face, moist from cold sweat, into his chest.

“What do you mean, “Is that so”?! I went out of my way to tell you not to do it, and then you do it anyway. Just how obstinate are you?!”

Arhad was so furious that he clenched his jaw because he was at a complete loss for what else to do. He continued,

“Fine. What use is there in crying over spilt milk? You’ve experienced it yourself, so you know how dangerous it is now, right? It was a valuable experience. So please, just stop.”

“I……don’t want to.”

“Are you serious?!”

“……I don’t want to regret anything,”

Ianna mumbled. There was revulsion in her voice. She continued,

“Regretting……is the last thing I want to do. I don’t even want the word itself to have anything to do with my life. If I’m to give up on something because it’s dangerous, even when it’s something I can do if I try hard enough, and I regret giving up on it later, then I’d rather face it head-on even if I break myself in the process……. This isn’t impossible so long as I try hard enough, is it……? I can do this for certain if only I try hard enough, no?”

Arhad stared down at her, unable to comprehend. Ianna detested the concept of regret so much that it almost seemed like she had been traumatized by it. But everyone who lived regretted at least one or two things in life. After all, no one could reclaim time once it had passed.

“Why? Everyone regrets. And you can only move forward if you regret and reflect on your actions. Did something bad happen to you?”

Ianna closed her eyes.

“……Who can say? But in any case, I don’t want to relinquish this opportunity to learn more about my own body. I absolutely refuse to let go of this chance to grow stronger. I will live out each day being devoted only to the present. I might not know what’ll happen in the future, but at least I won’t regret anything in the present.”

She would live every moment of her life only in the present. Perhaps others would ridicule her for being a fool who thought nothing about her future. But there was no way that the countless splitting paths of her future would only remain dark if she gave her all to living in the present.

Besides, she had a solid goal, and there was no reason to believe that anyone who walked the present without letting go of their goals would fail to reach the future they desired.

……So long as their goals had nothing to do with human emotions, that is.

Ianna forced the train of thought out of her head.

To grow stronger than Arhad and be as his sword who could see the same things that he did. To uncover the secrets hidden in her body. Those were the reasons why Ianna was living her current life, and her choice to control divine power was both inevitable and strongly aligned with her will.

Ianna gently lowered her quivering eyelids as her consciousness grew dim. She knew that it had been wrong of her to be so reckless when she still couldn’t properly fulfill any of her wishes. But she would still press on and continue trying because it was something she couldn’t avoid if she wanted to achieve her goals. And then, her mistakes were sure to transform into something she had done right and would one day be of use to her in the future.

Arhad stopped in front of the infirmary near the training grounds. He felt the rebound from his sudden halt because he had been running as swiftly as a savage beast speeding through the woods, and he kicked up a cloud of prickling dust from the ground.

He grabbed Ianna tighter with one arm and pressed her into him while he grabbed at his clothes with the other. He wrapped her smugly in his clothes because he was afraid that the wind or dust brushing past them might affect her wound.

“Perhaps it’s not that you have strong convictions, but that you’re simply foolish.”

Arhad, who had not spoken up in a while, finally opened his mouth after he had snuck inside the infirmary. His voice sounded somewhat suppressed, like the last time he had forced his anger down.

“Is……that so?”

“It is. You’re foolish, and you’re selfish. I will never understand you, and just looking at you makes me angry.”

Arhad laid Ianna down on one of the infirmary beds carefully, contrary to the vexation coloring his voice. Ianna cracked open her eyes and took in her surroundings.

“The infirmary……? You could have just taken me back to my dorm.”

“Like that?”

Arhad smirked and opened up a bottle of clean water before pouring it directly on Ianna’s arm, which was hanging down from the bed.

“Urk!”

Ianna clenched her teeth at the smarting pain, but she could not stop the groan from escaping her lips. Arhad bound her arm tightly with cloth to stop the bleeding and applied some anesthesia.

“Do you even know what kind of state your arm is in right now?”

Ianna looked to her arm with blurry eyes. Now that most of the blood had been washed off it, she saw that her arm was in tatters, as if she had been directly hit by an explosion spell. She could see the white of bone, and her flesh and muscles were ripped apart as if they had been bitten off. It looked much worse than the bruising she had gotten while protecting Finn. Ianna thought of Towe and Innis.

“I’ll give you some first aid for now, I’ll be taking you straight to a doctor tomorrow. You’ll suffer the aftereffects if you don’t get this treated immediately.”

Ianna saw Arhad bringing over more clean cloth and bandages with a stern look on his face and shook her head no because she didn’t want to cause him worry.

“You needn’t worry. I can make a complete recovery.”

“……Ianna!”

Arhad threw the things he was holding to the floor, grabbed Ianna by the face, and forced her to look up at him. Ianna opened her eyes wide in surprise and promptly frowned because she was still in pain, but Arhad ignored her and glared down at her in rage as the rationality left his eyes. He continued,

“There really won’t be an end to this if I keep letting you do as you please. I never thought you’d be so thoughtless! You’ve already thrown away some of your life into the ether, and now you want to call the spirits and have them eat some more? What are you, —a philanthropist?”

Ianna flinched because Arhad had been right on his money. Arhad’s lips twisted into a sneer.

“Fine, let’s say that you call the spirits this one time. But then, you’re going to go and waste more of your life trying to control divine power again once you’ve recovered, and you’ll call the spirits yet again when you get hurt again! Again, and again, and again —you’ll just keep doing it again! What is it that makes you so confident? You’re a human living in the Age of Magic. Just how long do you think your lifespan is, and why are you so reckless about spending it? Is it because you trust what the spirits told you? I really can’t understand where you’re coming from!”

“Arhad…….”

“You want to grow stronger? You can only get stronger if you’re alive. You want to devote yourself to the present? Is that why you’re wasting away your life like this without a single thought about the future?”

Arhad grabbed her tighter. Blue veins began popping out from his rough hand. There was a frosty light to his golden eyes as he looked at Ianna in the darkness. He continued,

“……You really are so incredibly selfish!”

Arhad spat out his words and let go of Ianna’s face just before his grip grew strong enough to break it. He clenched his quivering fist tight.

Ianna ignored her aching face and looked to Arhad, who had a hand over his own face because he was failing to keep his emotions under control, in bewilderment. His golden eyes were darting this way and that in rage and apprehension. Ianna couldn’t understand.

“Why are you calling me selfish……?”

‘Selfish’ was a word used to describe someone who brought harm unto others out of egotism. Perhaps she had caused Arhad worry by shaving away at her own lifeforce, but she didn’t think she should be criticized for being selfish because her actions had not brought him harm. After all, only she would die if she pushed herself too hard. She continued,

“I don’t understand why you’re calling me selfish.”

She could understand why he was worried. But did her actions really warrant his rage? She hadn’t hurt him. So, why was he calling her selfish?

You’ve even killed me before…….

Ianna blinked, and she mumbled to herself as her sleepiness, which had receded temporarily due to momentary alarm, fell upon her again and her vision grew dim.

“……I seem to understand you less and less…….”

Slowly, Ianna closed her eyes.

~~*~~

Part 4

“…….”

Arhad pulled over a chair and sat down next to Ianna, who was asleep, once he had finished giving her first-aid. He gathered his hands together and stared at her for a while before weakly closing his eyes. She was truly a stubborn woman who refused to meekly agree to stop until the bitter end.

He could understand why Ianna had asked, as if in a daze, why he was calling her selfish before she had fallen asleep. It was only reasonable that she couldn’t understand. Ianna’s first and foremost priority was herself, like she had always been. Ianna was a woman who did what she wanted without paying any heed to the opinions of others, and she was also a woman who did not readily understand when people were only trying to care about her. So it was plausible that she couldn’t understand why a man whom she hadn’t even known for a full year yet would get so angry for her, even if she knew that he cared about her as his junior.

Still, he had only just managed to turn things back, and so he really couldn’t have her keep acting like this.

“Whew…….”

Arhad crinkled his nose and smiled, finding himself absurd for thinking this way.

“I’m pathetic. Truly.”

He had clung onto hope because of just one thing Ianna had said, and he had been granted the ultimate chance at the heart of the Lotso Mountains. Perhaps he had grown deluded despite knowing that she no longer remembered him, since he had erased all traces of time, because of how distinctly different she was from her past self. He found himself ridiculous for hoping that Ianna somehow remembered what she had told him during her last life and was trying to keep her promise, for seeking to explain her actions in accordance to his hopes.

“A grave sickness, I suppose…….”

Arhad sighed and stroked Ianna’s cheek, which was still damp with cold sweat, with the back of his hand. He had grown greedy. He should be grateful just to be able to be with her like this.

If Ianna was going to keep recklessly jumping headfirst into things like this, then he would much rather stick close to her and teach her how to control divine power himself. Ianna was sure to learn quickly even if he only gave her a few pointers.

That much wouldn’t pose a problem. Ianna had more than enough talent, and, more importantly, she was Ianna. She had been the strongest god who reigned above all others once…….

Arhad’s golden eyes dimmed. Her controlling divine power wasn’t the problem. The problem was her ability, which she couldn’t remember but definitely still retained. Hers was an absolute power that could cast her target into eternal extinction. It was an almighty power that Arhad could feel the omens of even all the way from the topmost floor of the Grey Magic Tower, where he had been sitting while gazing into the night because sleep evaded him.

Great power came with a hefty cost. It would put a huge strain on her heart if she used her ability, and her divine power would be consumed violently. The greater the power, the greater the cost —and Ianna’s ability was the greatest of even the most powerful abilities. Ianna might even drop dead if she accidentally used her power without knowing what she was doing.

Which was why he could allow her to control her divine power, but he must never let her use it. He had no idea how he was supposed to explain any of this to her, but Arhad decided to teach Ianna how to control divine power for the time being.

He was nervous about what might happen if Ianna suddenly regained her memories of the Holy Age, but there was nothing else he could do about it. They should have both perished at the End if things had gone her way, but they had not thanks to Laos.

He had completely failed his first chance, and this second chance, which he had only won by sacrificing his heart in exchange, was truly his last. And yet, Ianna was rushing straight to her death by shaving away at what little divine power she currently had.

Arhad, who had been dithering before Ianna’s tattered arm, eventually gripped the edge of the bed as he got up.

“If you’re going to shave away your lifespan, then I’d rather…….”

Darkness settled into Arhad’s golden eyes. The uneasiness he felt in his heart seeped into his pupils like ink spreading across a white page and settled there.

It should be all right to use just a little. Erasing just a small amount of time from a limited region as small as one arm shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. Arhad placed his hand over Ianna’s wrecked arm and closed his eyes.

Just then, all the mana floating in the air around him suddenly ceased movement like it had been dragged in place. It seemed to observe Arhad as if with intent.

Shaaaa…….

A moment later, the mana jolted violently and began drawing into and circling around Arhad like a turbulent wave. It seemed to welcome Arhad joyously, like a lost puppy that had finally found its master again.

There was a peculiar current in the air, and a profound gust of mana slipped through the current and swirled like a raging storm. Then, the gust of mana began rushing in toward one point. That point was Arhad’s heart.

Bam!

Mana weighed down heavily against the air. Then, the mana started being dyed into light from where Arhad’s heart was. The light was as brilliant as a field of wheat glimmering in the sunset. The golden mana began coalescing together like threads being woven into cloth. The light twisted and twined into lines, and the lines wove golden geometric patterns in the air. The patterns were both as showy and as resplendent as a butterfly’s wings, and yet they were also as ferocious and as unsightly as a monster’s sharp fangs.

The patterns were similar to magic circles, but unlike magic circles, they were not artificial but ever so intricate and natural —as if it was supposed to have been like that to begin with.

Bam!

Arhad’s heart sank down. The golden mana slowly, but densely, began pouring into his heart. His heart, beating so fiercely it might explode, distorted the fabric of space-time around it as it beat.

Mana was controlled, but never consumed. It returned to nature once it was liberated, regardless of how many fortifications it had created or how many magic spells it had manifest. Even if it was made into an adamantine fortification that could cut through anything or arranged in a pedantic way that turned it into rock-solid ice, the mana would eventually disperse back into the air with time.

Mana was neither created nor destroyed. That was the established theory. And yet, the mana that was drawn into Arhad’s heart glowed brightly and disappeared. The mana was being consumed by his power.

Slowly, Arhad opened his eyes again. His golden eyes were glowing vibrantly. And then, something strange began happening to Ianna’s arm, which he was still holding.

Her bones were reset, and her torn muscular fibers reformed and wove back into each other. The chunks of flesh that the explosion had ripped off her wound began to reappear. The wound closed back up without leaving behind a single trace like the closing of a gaping mouth.

It had brought about the same result as what would have happened if the spirits fixed Ianna’s arm, but the process had been completely different. The spirits would have reconstructed the body with new matter, but Arhad had erased some of her arm’s time instead.

His heartbeats grew louder and faster the longer mana was flooding his heart. Meanwhile, his countenance grew deathly pale.

Shhh…….

Arhad let go when Ianna’s arm had finally returned to normal. The golden mana lost its focus and scattered into the air. The vivid golden light immediately began dimming, and the mana’s color became muddied as it grew father away from Arhad until it finally became transparent.

“…….”

Pshh…….

Yet another crack formed on a glass-like structure that was on the brink of shattering. He vaguely heard something clattering, as if a sharp fragment of the twisted scarring had splintered off and fallen.

Drip.

Dark red blood spilled out from Arhad’s firmly closed lips and dribbled onto the white bedsheets below.

Drip. Drip.

He bled from his eyes too, and his blood dyed the whites of his eyes red and drew crimson lines across his pallid cheeks. Something was leaking out from his heart alongside the mana as he bled. It was blackish because so many different colors had been jumbled into it……but it was divine power.

Arhad groaned as he felt the divine power escape his body. He picked up the towel lying beside him and wiped away the blood.

It hurt, but it had not placed too heavy a strain on his heart because he had only used a little of his power and briefly. He was relieved. He could really die if his heart cracked any more than this, so he couldn’t use his power anymore, but…….

Arhad looked to Ianna. She looked much more at ease now as she slept.

His displeasure was lifted from him. Arhad carefully stroked Ianna’s cheek as he smiled wryly.

“Perhaps I’m a bigger fool than you.”

Arhad grabbed the blood-soaked towel and went outside.

~~*~~

“Mmm…….”

Ianna moaned as she woke up. She squinted as she looked out the window. She had apparently slept for a while, and it was already morning.

Ianna tried to get up, but she ultimately laid back down in the bed because her entire body was numb, and she placed her hand up against her throbbing forehead. Then, she immediately felt that something was off. Her eyes shot open and she stared at the hand she had brought up to her head.

‘Where’s the wound?’

Ianna immediately sat up and studied her arm. Unbelievably, her arm had completely healed and was back to normal.

She almost wondered if it had all just been a dream. But she confirmed it was not because she still had scrapes all over her body and a bruise across her shoulder. Ianna quickly got up and left the infirmary. She immediately found Arhad, who was training with a wooden sword in the training grounds outside with his back to her.

Arhad, who had felt her presence without having to turn around, belatedly said,

“Are you up?”

“What did you do to me?”

Ianna abruptly demanded. Hers had not been a wound that could be completely healed in just one day, no matter what kind of medicine she used. Her flesh had been torn and chunks of it were missing, and she had even seen white shards of bone in several places.

Her intuition had told her that only the spirit kings could heal her wound without leaving behind any aftereffects. And yet, it had been healed completely overnight. What did that mean?

Arhad glanced back at Ianna.

“You make it sound like I did something bad to you.”

“Please don’t change the topic.”

Ianna clenched her hands into fists. She continued,

“It was you, right? You treated me? But how……?”

Arhad stared at Ianna in her bewilderment before lowering his wooden sword.

“How?”

“My wound wasn’t something that could be treated so readily even if a highly skilled healer treated it with only the best medications. It’s practically a miracle that it healed overnight. You didn’t use the spirits, did you……?”

“No, it wasn’t the spirits.”

“Then what did you do?”

Arhad didn’t reply. He simply tried to change the topic yet again.

“I’ll be there to teach you the next time you try to control divine power. You’re you, so I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it quickly enough.”

“Stop changing the topic!”

Ianna forgot to be polite. Arhad looked slightly alarmed before he slowly walked up to her. Ianna glared at him as she clenched her fists tighter. She continued,

“What did you do?”

“…….”

The mask of composure Arhad had been wearing shattered like glass. There was only wintry indignation behind it. The expression on Ianna’s face was just as chilling, though there was something distorted about it. Arhad continued,

“Why do you want to know?”

“It has to do with me. I’m curious as to how you treated me, and you have an obligation to tell me.”

“I’m sure you’ve already guessed the gist of it, judging by that look on your face?”

“You didn’t use divine power, did you?”

There was no way to explain this phenomenon other than by the use of divine power. Ianna grew frustrated as she instinctively realized that Arhad had used his divine power. And her hunch had proven right.

“I did. There are an infinite number of abilities that can be performed with divine power, and I used it to heal your arm. But I can’t tell you how I did it.”

“Wait.”

Ianna stopped Arhad from continuing as she recalled how her heart had hurt so much she hadn’t been able to breathe. She continued,

“Didn’t you tell me that using divine power puts a huge strain on the heart?”

“It does. You can only use divine power by using your heart as a medium.”

“I thought you had a heart condition.”

“I do.”

Ianna’s eyes drew sharp slants as she glared. She pulled him down by the collar and glared savagely into his chilling golden eyes.

“Divine power is life, and using it puts a strain on the heart. In conclusion, does that mean you’ve shaved off some of your lifespan because of me?”

“I suppose it does. I’ve probably lost a few months,”

Arhad replied as if nothing was wrong. Ianna found it hard to breathe. Her insides were seething. She grabbed his collar so tightly that a blueish vein popped out from the back of her hand. Her red eyes blazed with such rage that they almost seemed to be spewing out embers.

“I never asked you to do that for me…… Why would you use up your life for me?!”

Ianna screamed uncharacteristically. She was so angry she thought her head might explode.

“This was my mistake. It was up to me to use my divine power to heal myself if it came to that —who do you think you are that you think you can use your own divine power to heal me?”

Arhad’s collar wrinkled in her grip.

“Did you think I’d just bow and thank you for using your life in my place? Never! I’m not grateful at all. It was pointless meddling, and your meddling is burdensome!”

Ianna emphasized every last word she shouted before shaking Arhad off and turning away from him. Her face was contorted with extreme rage.

She had suffered so much when she was younger that she was fed up with it all, and she had drawn a clear line in her heart between herself and others. She despised it when others hurt her, but she also disliked it when she hurt others. All in all, Ianna fundamentally believed that she should bear the full responsibility for her actions and that others should do the same.

There were rare circumstances in which she would cross the line and help others. She would provide assistance even if it meant assuming the risks if someone she generally favored was in trouble or if she was in a situation where she had no choice but to help others. Even when someone wasn’t in her favor, she would be willing to help if there was something she could gain from it or if helping them would at the very least pose no harm to her.

To the contrary, however, Ianna did not feel the need to sacrifice herself to help someone who was fully capable of dealing with their own problems, even if she shared a lot of goodwill with the other party.

And so, she could not comprehend why Arhad had done this for her. She thought that he was being foolish. Her injury was the consequence of her own actions, and she should have resolved it on her own. The price of her actions was by no means whatsoever something that another should have paid for her.

But there was nothing she could do about it now. It had been foolish, but Arhad had used his divine power of his own accord and had paid the price for it. In any event, he had done her a favor, and she should be thanking him in return and asking him to never do this for her again. And then, all she had to do was repay this debt that she owed him someday in the future.

……So why was she so angry?

Ianna was so furious she could not bear it. Hot rage erupted from her heart.

‘What was that? A few months?’

She thought her head might really explode. She sarcastically spat out the words that had been boiling inside her.

“If you had the time to be worrying about me, then you should have been worrying about yourself instead!”

……Indeed. The real reason why Ianna was so upset was because Arhad had used his divine power because of her. She was always concerned about the condition of his heart, even if she pretended otherwise. She was so insanely angry because she was worried for him.

He was afflicted with a bizarre illness that meant that he had to steal life from others, as if he was short of it! He had called her foolish yesterday, had he not? He was the dull-witted fool here. The true fool who didn’t realize how precious life is was not Ianna, but Arhad.

A sword is supposed to cut down its master’s enemies even if it means chipping away at itself —it should never inflict harm on its own master. I should have stopped Arhad from doing something like this, but I was sleeping soundly like an idiot!

“Don’t ever do something like this again! You’ll never see me again if you use your divine power for my sake a second time!”

“And if I say no?”

Ianna had shouted before walking away in irritation, but she stopped when she heard Arhad’s voice.

“……What?”

Craack!

Something was thrown aside and sounded like the splitting of firewood. Ianna turned around, only to be suddenly dragged upward by the collar.

“I’m the one who decided to use my own life —what’s it matter to you?”

Arhad, who was giving off the same amount of anger that had been directed at him, said in a quiet but chilling voice that seemed to freeze the air around them. He had been being careful because he was afraid that Ianna might leave him, but now his actions were oozing with a rage that he could not hold back. His wooden sword was tumbling around in pieces behind him. He continued,

“Why are you so selfish?”

Ianna’s gaze was bewildered because his actions were so sudden, but Arhad locked his eyes with hers and his gaze was filled with the light of fury. His grasp on her collar tightened.

“You’re so selfish, and it infuriates me so much it’s driving me insane.”

Ianna stared calmly back at him for a moment, finding him absolutely absurd, before making a fierce scowl.

“Let me go!”

She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him off, but his grip on her collar only tightened in return. His grip on her collar was so strong that she was worried that he might tear her clothes at this rate. He wouldn’t let go no matter how strongly she grabbed at his hand.

Ianna realized the difference in size between her hands and his —his hand was so much bigger that she had to use both hands just to wrap around one of his— and scowled. She could never best Arhad in a pure contest of strength. Her face flushed in humiliation as her pride was wounded, and Ianna grit her teeth together as she glared icily up at him.

“I said let go!”

“Answer me. What does it matter to you how I choose to use my life that you’re so angry with me? Isn’t it a bit ridiculous that you’re angry with me when you’re the one using your divine power so haphazardly by recklessly calling for the spirits at every turn, when you’re the one who refuses to heed my counsel?”

“What does it matter to me?”

Ianna, who had been barely keeping herself from punching Arhad in the face, forgot even that impulse when she heard what Arhad had to say and she gripped his hand tighter before she realized what she was doing. They weren’t long, but her fingernails dug into Arhad’s skin. She continued,

“I simply used by power for myself and of my own accord. But you sacrificed yourself just to fix my arm. I could have fixed it on my own! Are you still trying to suggest that this has nothing to do with me? Are you seriously suggesting that I have no reason to be angry?!”

“……Sigh.”

Arhad’s features distorted.

“Are you so angry simply because you didn’t want my help? You really don’t know how to think about anyone but yourself. You only care about yourself, and you never look at anyone else —it’s almost like you’re living with your eyes closed……!”

“You keep calling me selfish, but I haven’t done anything to warrant your censure!”

Sparks flew from Ianna’s eyes. She continued,

“Listen well……. I absolutely don’t want anyone to sacrifice themselves on my account. Especially if it’s someone I care about, like you!”

Her blazing fury became awkwardly stiff for a moment. The strength promptly left Arhad’s hand, but Ianna failed to notice as she continued to grab him so hard his hand might break, and she spat out everything that was on her mind.

“I wield the sword because I want to, but the reason why I want to get stronger is to make sure that my will can never be broken, to make sure that no one can take anything from me, and to protect what is mine…… And so one day, I……!”

So I’ll be able to stand by your side, because you wanted me so badly it drove you insane! All of my life’s goals boil down to you! So how could you shave away your lifespan just for the likes of me?

Ianna snapped her mouth shut in alarm just before the thoughtless words could escape her. Then, she grit her teeth together. It was only then that she realized that she had been uncontrollably lashing out in emotion, and she attempted to calm herself down. The situation settled down somewhat when she did, but there was still a hint of repressed rage hiding in her voice.

“……So I can be of assistance to someone who……desperately needs my sword.”

Ianna awkwardly wrapped up her tirade. Her words ended up being sudden and not at all suited to the situation at hand because they hadn’t been what she had truly wanted to say, but Ianna feigned ignorance and coldly brushed Arhad’s limp hand away from her. Her panting, leftover from her rage, fell upon the silent training grounds.

The fact that Arhad had used up some of his lifespan for her made her angrier the more she thought about it.

“I don’t care what you do with your divine power —the important part is that you used it to treat my arm! You put a strain on your heart, on your body, when you aren’t even healthy!”

Ianna was so engulfed by her vehement emotions that she did not stop to think about how Arhad had treated her arm. She was simply erupting from her frustrations that he had used up his divine power, like how it consumed divine power to ask the spirits to recreate the body, to fix her arm and had put a strain on his heart when he already had an underlying heart condition.

“You’re right. I don’t like getting help from others, just as you said. I never want anyone to sacrifice themselves for me. Nor do I want to rely or bring harm upon anyone either! So please don’t ever do anything like this again. I don’t want your help, and neither am I grateful for it!”

Ianna tried to leave again after she had irritably said her piece, but she heard Arhad’s composed voice calling after her.

“I haven’t sacrificed myself for you. There is nothing for you to be angry about.”

“You still……!”

Ianna glared up at him, and Arhad looked back at her with a cold and stiff look on his face.

“I did it for myself.”

“What?”

“What if I said that I wanted you?”

Ianna instantly stiffened up. Arhad reached out toward her again, and she did not evade him. He grabbed her right hand with his left and pull her in close. There was excitement and anticipating swirling in his golden eyes as he took in her staggering figure.

“Like I’ve told you before —I want you to assist me. But fine. Shall I be clearer with you? I want you to do more than simply help me —I want you to stay by my side throughout the long and arduous journey I have ahead of me. Come north with me after you graduate from the Institution.”

Ianna, whose head had been filled only with fury until then, found herself at a complete loss for words when Arhad started coaxing her and a mess of thoughts and emotions tangled up her mind. She had been seething with rage, and Arhad’s coaxing was poured over her so suddenly that all she could do was gape without saying anything back —and then Arhad grabbed her hand tight.

“I know that you were aware. You’re not clueless. I’m sure that this clever little head of yours has already figured out how fond I am of you and that I’ve been wanting to pull you into my affairs……considering how I’ve been acting toward you until now and the fact that I’ve been openly telling you so much about everything. Isn’t that why you’ve been trying to feel me out too?”

She had technically known about this since before her rebirth, but she didn’t refute him because it didn’t change anything. And it was true that she had been nudging him along while feigning ignorance, but to think that Arhad had been aware of this too. Besides, was he seriously trying to coax her in a situation like this?

Ianna closed her eyes to hide her bafflement before opening them again. She kept her hand in Arhad’s tight grasp, since there wasn’t much she could do about it anyway, and straightened herself out before looking back up at him.

“That’s……true, but what does that have to do with the current issue at hand? We were talking about how you used your lifeforce to fix my arm…….”

Arhad gripped her hand tighter.

“In that case, let me make this easier.”

Ianna furrowed her brows when her hand started hurting and tried to slip away, but, without a hint of hesitation, Arhad continued,

“I am enamored by your sword.”

His words were more straightforward and resolute than ever.

Ianna’s pupils wavered for a moment when she was hit directly with Arhad’s sincerity from up front. She faltered even though she had always seen him act like this in the past, even though she had always heard him say things like this.

“How can a sword, a mere piece of sharpened steel, dance so vibrantly as if it was alive, as if it was the happiest thing in the world and delighted in the fact that it was being wielded? My heart skipped a beat when I first saw you wielding a sword, and your sword stole my gaze away. I wanted to keep hold of that moment when I saw you wielding your sword forever, if only I could. I wanted to make it completely mine.”

Ianna could do nothing but freeze up on the spot without another word because of the poised and tenuous tone of his voice and because the fever she felt from the hand he was holding were so painfully sincere.

“I wonder why? The sword is a common weapon wielded in this era, where sword and sorcery are revered, and there are countless other swords that are more glamorous than yours and countless other swords that are fiercer and more dangerous than yours, as if they meant to rend through bone and flesh with every strike. There are many other such swords that steal my gaze, so why is it that it’s only your sword that makes my heart beat so furiously……?”

Arhad carefully unfolded Ianna’s right hand, which he was still holding, with his thumb. Ianna flinched, but Arhad ignored her and brushed against her palm. Unlike the relatively smooth back of her hand, Ianna’s palms were rough, calloused, and blistered from all the training she had undertaken. Her hands weren’t as pretty as a lady’s should be, but they were strong. Arhad quietly looked down at her hand.

“When I began asking myself that, it drew my attention to your right hand —the hand you use to hold your sword. I found that your hand was much smaller and slenderer than any sword-wielding man’s, but they were also much rougher. And then…….”

Slowly, ever so slowly, his gaze climbed up from her hand to her wrist, then up her arm, until he finally stopped at her face. Ianna’s red eyes and Arhad’s golden ones crossed paths.

“I saw you.”

It wasn’t that Ianna didn’t look away from him —she couldn’t. She could not look away, not when the sincerity that was being directly showered upon her at this very moment was uncolored by prejudice, hostility, excuse, or obstinacy.

“You laughed like you were truly having fun as you wielded the sword. I only realized as I watched the way your vivacity seemed to dye your surroundings in your color. And as I kept watching you, sharpened like a sword yourself, I realized that your sword only exists because of you, that if I wanted to have your sword, what I needed to seek wasn’t just the swordplay that you exhibited by moving around your hands……but rather you, the wielder of your sword. Yes, I…”

Arhad chose his next words carefully, unlike when he had been so unhesitant to say that he had been enamored by Ianna’s sword, before he finally continued,

“I fell for the sword that you are.”

Ianna’s heart skipped a beat with a heavy thud. But the sound never escaped the confines of her body, so Arhad continued speaking without noticing it.

“I could tell with just one glance that you would one day become someone of immense ability who would be renown throughout the whole world. And I also realized that you are the one and only person who can match my skill. But what’s most important, is you.”

Arhad carefully brought up Ianna’s right hand. Then, he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand with his dry lips. His lips only made contact for but a moment, but they made a deep and lasting impression on Ianna just the same.

“I am hoping you will help me. I need you for my great work. No……I misspoke. I’d like for you to continuing staying by my side even after my work is finished. I want for you to keep walking with me, to keep conversing with me, and to keep sparring with me……just as we have been.”

Arhad’s fervent gaze poured onto her as Ianna’s arm went rigid, as her body stiffened, and as her face froze into an expression of bewilderment.

“And so, I hate it when you use up your lifeforce for such absurd reasons, and it makes me angry. I’m sure you prefer a short but exciting life, but I can’t stand for that. And that’s why I’ll keep stopping you from rushing headfirst to your death and why I’ll keep treating you when you get hurt even if it means shortening my own lifespan. This is purely for my own desires…….”

Arhad gripped her hand tight.

“……You’re so selfish. You only care about yourself.”

“…….”

“I apologize for misunderstanding and thinking that you were angry simply because you didn’t want my help. Were you worried for me? Is that why you were so furious? But then, why can’t you understand that I’m angry because I’m worried for you too? Why do you keep ignoring me and only see things your way?”

Ianna opened her eyes wide. She couldn’t reply because her mouth was frozen shut, and Arhad brought her hand back down again.

“You said that you wanted to grow stronger for someone who needed your sword. The person who has always needed your sword and will always need your sword is me —I’m certain of this. And you told me this earlier too. That you wanted to help someone ambitious. It might be dangerous, but I will promise you a life that will never bore you or cause you remorse.”

A small seed of anxiety blossomed in a corner of Arhad’s heart as Ianna only continued to stare at him with an unfathomable light in her eyes without a single reply.

“I’m sure you’ll need some time to think since all of this must seem so sudden to you. And I’m aware that I might sound like I’m trying to catch clouds. But the rest of my story would take up too much time to tell, and I can’t tell you in a public place like this anyway. Still, let me know when you want to hear the details. I’ll tell you anything you wish to know.”

“……All right…….”

Ianna only just managed to crack her mouth open and reply. Arhad’s countenance, which had paled somewhat out of anxiety, immediately brightened.

“And I don’t mind if you ask me more about divine power either. I’ll teach you everything I know. I’ll even give you pointers on how to control it. But in exchange, I’d like it if you didn’t be reckless and try to practice on your own. And, stop summoning the spirits whenever you please. I’m not trying to force you into anything —this is simply a request of mine.”

“……I……understand.”

Ianna dropped her gaze away from Arhad. She nodded and took a step back. The corners of Arhad’s lips curled up into a smile not only because he had succeeded in turning Ianna mute but also because he had drawn out a favorable answer from her. Ianna looked up and stole a quick glance at him before turning to the side.

“I understand, for now. But I’m a bit tired at the moment, so we’ll continue this discussion later,”

she said stiffly before pulling her hand back and quickly walking out of the training grounds. Arhad stared at her retreating figure and he watched her go before looking down into his palm, in which he had been holding Ianna’s hand just moments ago. And he smiled.

~~*~~

“…….”

Ianna kept walking until Arhad’s gaze couldn’t reach her anymore. She hid in the shadows of a building far away from the training grounds and leaned her back against the wall. She sank down as the strength left her legs. She swept up her hair with both hands as she sat and bit hard at her lips.

“I love your sword.”

“I am enamored by your sword.”

“I want you to stay by my side.”

She had heard Arhad say this to her so many times in the past that the words might as well have been glued to her ears. She had heard these words so many times that she had thought it was only natural for Arhad to be fond of her even after they’d only just met.

There was no reason why she should be so shaken up by his words again.

So, why was she having such difficulty breathing —as if something was physically obstructing her mouth—, and why was her heart beating so furiously?

“……!”

Her brows furrowed into slopes, and her eyes, usually steadfast and firm, were wavering like the ripples created after a pebble had been thrown into a lake. A blush, which had started at her cheeks, had enveloped her entire face. Ianna breathed heavily as she buried her face into her hands.

She knew why. It was because she had never once listened seriously to what he had to say in the past. She had covered her ears and closed off her heart, and she had only ever kicked him away.

And so, she found it hard to breathe when she finally opened her heart to Arhad and confronted his sincerity. Now that she had tasted his complete sincerity, unfiltered by her obstinacy, the fact that this man who desired her so would always stand by her side, the fact that this was not a fantasy but the present reality she must face, seemed to empty out her mind.

Ianna had built up everything that she was with her sword. Those who had once scorned and disregarded her now acknowledged her, or rather, her sword. There were countless people who wanted her skills and tried to appease her. But no one had also seen her as a person alongside her sword.

Ianna had never cared, of course. It had made her feel as though people were materialistic by nature, but she was, in effect, her sword, and so it simply served to raise her self-esteem whenever people acted that way.

Moreover, Ianna had always distanced herself from others after she had given up on them. Even when she was with someone, Ianna always kept enough distance between them that it wouldn’t affect her when they left, and she only ever stood alone. She had never held any expectations of other people, and so it was only natural that it didn’t matter to her that no one saw her or wanted her for who she was.

……But, there had been someone. Someone who had even wanted her. Arhad had been that someone, but he might as well have not existed. After all, Ianna had made no effort to truly see him.

……She had thought that she hadn’t cared even if someone like him didn’t exist, but it looked like she had been wrong.

Ianna had felt her true form, which she had been masquerading as a sword, had been completely exposed when she had been met face to face with Arhad’s sincerity.

And the fact that someone like him existed, that he would always be by her side from now on, filled her heart so suddenly with warmth that she found it difficult to breathe.

She had thought she was alone, but she had unexpectedly found someone at her side. He had immediately made his presence more strongly known and had reached out to her the very moment she realized that someone was there with her. He had approached her as swiftly and as unhindered as lightning and had pulled at her ankle. And she found it hard to breathe, as if she had been pulled under the surface of a lake.

Why was it? She thought that she had cast everything aside, but the truth made her so happy…….

Ianna ducked down as her face flushed red all the way to her ears. She seemed so pitiful now for having been so entrapped in her stubbornness and animosity that she had only ever ignored him in the past.

She had been no different from any other in the past. Just as no one had ever spared her a second glace, she, too, had never taken a proper look at Arhad. She had ignored and hurt the man who had only ever confronted her with the utmost sincerity. And she had even insulted him on top of that. There was no greater insult than to ignore someone’s genuine sincerity.

And she was still the same even now.

She had vaguely been aware of it in the back of her mind, but she had ignored it until now out of stubbornness —it was only now that she truly saw Arhad’s concern for what it was.

‘You fixed my arm even at the cost of sacrificing some of your lifespan because you were worried about me, because you didn’t want to see me hurt. Yes, you didn’t do it out of necessity but simply because you want to keep me by your side. You see me for who I truly am. And that’s why you grew angry and called me selfish for failing to acknowledge your sincerity.’

His sincerity.

Ianna lowered her eyes in shame.

‘Did I ever truly understand your sincerity? Had I simply thought that I would be as your sword out of mercy because I was too lost in my own euphoria?’

And that had been why she had not been able to immediately agree to his proposal.

She would still become his sword, of course. Her heart was set on that, and her resolve had only grown stronger. But now, she was overcome with the idea that she had been making much too light of Arhad’s feelings. Now that she had actually confronted him, she found that his feelings were far deeper and far more ardent than the vague impressions of them she had initially imagined. So much so that she was actually embarrassed.

Ianna felt as though she would have to reorganize her thoughts yet again. She could not truly be his sword, could not completely become his, as she was right now. Her own heart was too lacking in comparison to how large Arhad’s was.

She wanted to know what Arhad was really thinking.

What was he thinking when he first saw me?

What does he think when he sees my sword, when he sees me?

Ianna was suddenly curious as to what he thought. She had heard what he had said, but it wasn’t enough. More —she wanted to know more.

What does my sword mean to Arhad?

Why was he so fixated with me in the past, and why is he so fixated with me even now? —she had used to accept it as only natural, but now the question left deep doubts in her heart.

—“Awakening” End

—Continued in Volume 4