Chapter 7

"Your Highness, the Queen."

"......"

"All of my subordinates possess exceptional skills."

"But you said that your subordinates from the Black Moon Guild only have C-rank abilities."

"......"

C-rank. It might sound low, but it's far from that.

However, the unease didn't dissipate.

"They possess secret techniques that are unrelated to their ranks. If you continue to insult my subordinates—"

"Oh, I was just expressing concern. If you're truly confident—"

She cut off her words with a faint smile.

It was a sinister smile, not unlike Shari's.

"David, we can easily neutralize that lowly one's variables. But if not, you'll have to pay the price."

"I understand."

She put away her smile as if there was no need to say more and sipped her tea.

"It doesn't taste very good."

Liness muttered calmly and handed the teacup to Shari.

"Let's go back."

"Yes."

"Perhaps a disobedient dog should be put down quickly."

"Whenever the time comes, I will act on your command."

Shari's face showed no emotion as she gave her calm response.

5. Unusual Rehabilitation Training

"Um... Your Highness David? Why are we here...?"

In the part of the prince's palace where the most weeds grew.

Amy, who had followed me to a corner of the garden, asked cautiously.

Servants shouldn't ask questions freely.

But her asking such a question could be seen as a sign that my efforts were paying off.

People should be allowed to ask questions, I think.

It's a mindset I can have because I'm not a native of this world.

Of course, Amy is also perceptive enough to know when to stop, which is why I encouraged her to do so.

I casually cleared the bushes and entered the inner area, ignoring the boy's question.

The neglected garden had become a wild place.

It's quite amusing how this space in the inner palace has been ignored for so long without anyone touching it.

"Go back now. If anyone is looking for me, come and tell me first."

"Yes."

"If anyone asks, don't tell them I'm here."

Amy nodded enthusiastically a few times, understanding the meaning behind my words, and then retreated.

"Alright... Let's start, then."

I adjusted my athletic wear and slowly sat down in the middle of the bushes, cross-legged.

Lying down wouldn't have been a problem, but I didn't want to lie on the overgrown weeds.

It's quite a messy place.

I took a comfortable posture, and only then did the surroundings come into a stable view.

I silently took off my glasses and closed my eyes.

Then, I whispered the incantation in a small voice.

"Operation Field."

At the same time, the faint mana remaining around me began to slowly harmonize with my will and the surroundings.

Unlike the divine power etched into my soul or the naturally growing spirit mana, mana is a bit more finicky.

If left alone, it would take years to overcome the mana shortage, so I took special measures.

A natural space where mana gathers the most.

By creating a unique space that spreads thin mana and connects with the surroundings, the floating mana began to slowly flow into my body.

Like air entering the lungs and leaving after leaving nutrients, the mana entered my body, leaving only the pure mana needed, and then left again.

This is a groundbreaking mana breathing technique, or rather, a breathing technique close to a miracle.

The significance of this technique, which removes all impurities that naturally accumulate during the process of storing mana and leaves only the amplified pure mana, is quite significant.

At least, if I consider the level of the mages on this continent, the ancient hero, the ill-tempered woman Odin, who developed this mana breathing technique, would be shocked and try to uncover its principles.

This technique would allow them to accumulate in a few days what would normally take months.

Of course, I have no intention of making this method public, and even if I did, very few people would be able to use it.

In the end, it's a breathing technique that only the talented can perform.

Unlucky?

If you feel wronged, be born with talent!

Cough!

I can feel the serious influence of Odin in my approach to magic, even to the point of surprising myself.

While reflecting on myself, my body steadily repeated the process of accepting and exhaling mana according to the breathing technique.

Compared to the method of simply accumulating mana, this seems very slow, but once the impurities are reduced, the speed will increase dramatically.

When performing the breathing technique, try to capture all the incoming mana!

This is a basic common knowledge in general magic.

Breaking this common knowledge and creating a reverse breathing technique, her level is truly commendable, regardless of her personality.

No one would have thought that such an effect would follow from such a slow speed.

Perhaps it was because she spent a long time doing nothing but research that she came up with this method. Or maybe she was a genius in her lifetime. I can't ask.

If I asked a pointless question, she would probably hit me on the head with her staff, calling me unlucky and self-absorbed.

I shook off the trivial memories from the Hall of Heroes and refocused.

Once the mana was gathered.

This time, it's not about accumulating but waking up the dormant mana, so the speed at which usable mana accumulates in my body will be astonishing.

* * *

The effects were quick to show!

Over a few days, a certain amount of mana, divine power, and spirit mana began to flow together in my body.

Those who understand the concept of mana might call me a madman who wants to die.

Divine power and mana repel each other, and the same goes for spirit mana.

This is why priests can't use magic, and mages can't use divine magic.

But I handle all three.

How did I do it?

I inherited the research of two madmen and two eccentrics who studied together.

The ill-tempered saint Daphne, who has a rough mouth and loves alcohol.

The ill-tempered mage Odin, who swings her staff like a blunt weapon and threatens to burn everything if provoked.

The necromancer called Deathlord, who might actually be the real saint with her kind heart, Lo Ias.

And the divine physician Hippocris, famous for uncovering almost everything about the human body.

The miracle created by these four crazy women manifested in me.

The Hall of Heroes was such a place.

Many heroes arrived, but only the best in each field remained.

Even if they were mortal enemies in life, spending so much time together inevitably led to friendship.

Perhaps they interacted with each other because they were lonely.

For example, the saint Daphne and the archer Apollo.

They were mortal enemies in life, with Daphne often threatening to kill Apollo.

Despite their constant bickering, they didn't hate each other, perhaps because they developed a grudging affection over time.

Of course, the overly affectionate Apollo is someone I don't want to be involved with.

When working with Daphne, she sometimes told me stories from her life, and I realized their relationship was quite a spectacle.

I remember an incident where, in the middle of the night, Daphne came to work with me, got drunk, and brutally stomped on Apollo's crotch after tearing his joint apart.

-What? You touched Ias? Damn it! Didn't I tell you that if you mess with me, you'll regret it? You can't be satisfied with just one in life, you damn bastard?!

Daphne had a very rough mouth, but there was a sense of tsundere in her.

If I had to describe it harshly, she was a tsundere with a foul mouth.

She often cursed at me but would bring me drinks.

Of course, Apollo was an exception.

'Ha.'

I laughed involuntarily, breaking my concentration, and then refocused on gathering mana.

The rebellious mana, which had been resisting, followed my guidance, flowed through my body, and left, leaving only the pure mana behind.

* * *

As the mana began to gather, the growth rate accelerated.

Focusing on creating a circle as I absorbed mana, time flew by in an instant.

Creating a circle isn't a simple matter like in novels, where it's completed in a short time.

Of course, a typical mage might do it that way.

However, their growth would be much slower.

"Huff..."

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and slowly moved the pure mana.

Typically, mages create a circle in their heart and rotate it.

But such a method couldn't withstand the conflict between divine power and spirit mana.

It's fortunate that my body hasn't exploded yet.

In this regard, my current state is quite dangerous.

If the amount increases even slightly, I won't be able to handle it and will die.

That's why I came up with the blood channel circle.

What do you mean?

The blood channels that run throughout the body.

I create a precise circle along the lines of these blood channels and rotate it.

It's almost like body modification, and even a slight deviation could lead to death from bleeding, but for me, it's just a matter of retracing my memory and reopening the path.

I told Amy not to come near and to keep others away, but I was still a bit uneasy.

After all, there are eyes watching me.

They can't openly watch, so they'll hide and observe from a distance, but the overgrown weeds will prevent them from seeing exactly what I'm doing.

Of course, this alone is enough to raise suspicion.

As I slowly circulated the mana, a subtle vibration began to cover my entire body.

I can move easily, so I firmly fixed my posture to prevent the vibration from disrupting my body.