Chapter 20

Chapter 20

#20. Spring of the Northern Region (1)

Crack! Crack! Crunch!

The remaining mages and knights of Sigma bit down on the poison concealed in their molars at the very end.

“Damn it! Damn it to hell!!”

Witnessing this, the traitor Doyle screamed in disbelief.

“You traitor! You will never die easily!”

Though completely bloodshot, the battered Valkyrie attempted to intimidate Doyle despite her state.

“No… Nooo… If I commit suicide like this… Me too… ME TOO!!”

Valkyrie’s resolve failed to reach the traitorous Doyle.

“Grrrghh…?”

As the lead mage of Sigma bit down on the poison and instantly perished, Doyle’s face began to rapidly turn a pale purple color.

It seems there was some magical connection between them.

“Shit! They weren’t supposed to die so easily!”

Watching Doyle’s futile end, Knights Karot and Roji gritted their teeth in frustration.

But their regret was short-lived.

Even on the brink of collapse from exhaustion and sweat, Valkyrie didn’t forget Priority Zero.

“Hurry! Search their bodies! We need to deliver this to Sir Arad! Grrgh…!”

Thud.

With that cry, Valkyrie collapsed right where she stood.

“Valkyrie-sama!”

The two knights, who were searching the dead mages and knights of Sigma, rushed to Valkyrie’s aid in surprise.

“I’m fine… Just hurry with His Highness! Deliver the Empire’s potion to Sir Arad…”

Valkyrie shook her head vigorously while breathing heavily.

I approached her quickly.

Officially the only Swordmaster of the North, but perhaps due to her exhaustion, she didn’t even notice my approach.

Behind her, I maintained some distance just in case.

“There’s no need to worry about His Highness. I’ve done all the healing I can.”

Approaching the exhausted old knight who had given his all, I told him what he most wanted to hear.

“His Highness… How is he? Even if you can’t wield a sword anymore, it’s fine! If you save me, I’ll grant you anything you desire!”

Hearing my voice from behind, Valkyrie turned around in shock and said.

“The treatment has been successful. Now it’s up to His Highness to fight through this himself.”

“Ahhh… Is that so? Then it’s settled. His Highness will surely overcome this. For now, I’ll rest my eyes… I feel so dizzy…?”

After this exchange, Valkyrie lost consciousness.

Judging by her breathing, it seemed she had fainted from sheer exhaustion.

“Phew…”

“Is it really over?”

Finally able to relax, Knights Karot and Roji collapsed on the spot, trembling uncontrollably.

“Everyone, please enter the carriage.”

Since everyone was in poor condition, I had to get Ariana and the knights into the carriage.

* * *

“Is this normal…?”

“There’s more to be surprised about…”

“It looked so small from the outside?!”

Entering the carriage, Knights Eopte, Karot, and Roji gazed around with wide eyes at the interior.

They then groaned as they carried the unconscious old knight into the carriage.

“Just lay Sir Valkyrie here.”

After placing the sleeping Ariana on my bed, I instructed the three men.

This way, six of us were inside my carriage expanded by subspace mana circuits: Ariana lying on the bed, Valkyrie on the floor, and Eopte, Roji, and Karot awkwardly sitting around.

‘Geez, the smell is terrible…’

It wasn’t noticeable outside, but being in this enclosed space made the stench emanating from everyone quite unbearable.

“I think our priority should be getting out of this abyss, so I’ll drive the carriage for now.”

Ultimately, I couldn’t bear staying inside any longer and decided to go outside.

“Hmm… So what do we do?”

“Just rest for now. We can take turns driving the carriage.”

“Understood.”

“We have bread and beer here if you’re hungry.”

“Eat, eat!”

As soon as I finished speaking, the three started devouring the bread and beer like possessed beings.

“…”

Watching their gluttonous display with a dazed expression, I sighed and said,

“While resting, absolutely do not touch anything.”

“Of course!”

Crunch crunch crunch

Glug glug, kyah ha!

Leaving their barbaric sounds behind, I exited the carriage.

Ahh! Phew!

The fresh breeze cleared my mind which had been clouded by the foul odor.

I then walked to the front of the carriage.

“They seem much calmer now.”

Miraculously, both horses were still alive.

Though they foamed at the mouth and fainted a few times during the battle, they were relatively calm now that the situation had ended.

“Let’s go! You don’t want to stay here longer, do you?”

Sitting on the driver’s seat, I spoke while adjusting the reins, and…

Neigh

As soon as I finished speaking, the golden carriage began to leave the ashen Magic Realm.

Inside the moving golden carriage.

Having taken turns with Knight Roji, I now tended to Ariana inside the carriage.

My face was covered with a mask sprayed with perfume to endure the internal stench while checking on the Duke.

For some reason, everyone seemed strangely immune to the smell.

Is it because they’re medieval people?

Or is it because they’re superhumans who can endure it? Regardless, it’s quite impressive in many ways.

“Why are you wearing a mask?”

Just then, an elderly voice came from behind me.

Valkyrie, who had awakened earlier, was standing there eating bread and drinking beer.

“I have a cold, you see…”

I had to tell a white lie since I couldn’t say ‘You all smell like homeless people.’

“Cooold?”

The knights heard something they shouldn’t have.

That reminded me…

‘Ahh, right. Adults in the North don’t catch colds, do they?’

Specifically adult Northerners.

Living in such a cold region, those prone to illness usually don’t survive to adulthood.

‘And there’s also the benefit of having Druid ancestors.’

Because their distant ancestors were Druids, Northerners naturally possess passive resilience and stamina.

“Hahaha! Finally, you look human to me. Yeah, the cold of the North is tough unless you’re a native.”

“Take a good rest. From now on, we’ll drive the carriage.”

“No… There’s no need for that…?”

“What nonsense? Rest absolutely! You deserve it.”

“…”

But thanks to this white lie, my only chance to breathe fresh air disappeared.

‘Damn! There aren’t even any windows in this carriage!’

Due to very limited materials and equipment, the carriage expanded by subspace lacked windows.

‘They say the enemy within is the most dangerous…’

We might suffocate from our allies’ stench before encountering monsters or the Empire.

“How is His Highness?”

Unaware or indifferent to my thoughts, Sir Valkyrie naturally asked about the Duke’s condition.

“He has stabilized greatly.”

“But why hasn’t he woken up?”

“Because the injuries were quite severe.”

While answering the question, I secretly speculated, ‘Could it be because of the stench?’

“I see.”

“By the way… Sir Valkyrie.”

After confirming Ariana’s condition, I cautiously and quietly opened my mouth.

“Speak.”

“Did His Highness ever study magic?”

“Huh?”

At my question, confusion spread across Valkyrie’s face.

“I observed His Highness’s Dantians without permission during the healing process and discovered a Circle in His Highness’s heart. In fact, it’s a 2nd Circle.”

“What…?!”

Upon hearing this, Valkyrie focused his spirit on Ariana’s Middle Dantian with astonishment.

“This… can’t be…!”

Then he showed a reaction acknowledging the truth of my words.

‘So Valkyrie didn’t know either… Meaning the Circle in the heart must have appeared recently?’

I thought while looking at Ariana’s body, especially her heart where the Middle Dantian is located.

‘When the Lower Dantian was destroyed, did the Mana Core in the Lower Dantian transfer to the Middle Dantian where the heart is?’

Soon after, I figured out the reason.

Knights create their Core in the Lower Dantian to handle mana.

Clerics store divinity in the brain where the Upper Dantian is located.

Mages and witches engrave a Core called a Circle in the heart where the Middle Dantian is located to use magic.

Ariana’s lower abdomen was pierced by Doyle’s sudden attack. That’s where the Lower Dantian is.

Naturally, the Core in the Dantian would have been damaged.

‘Now that I think about it, it was strange. There were no signs of mana reflux despite the Dantian being pierced. I thought it was due to the potions Valkyrie injected… But there was another reason.’

Indeed, remarkable individuals make remarkable moves. To divert the Core’s collapse to the heart at such a critical moment…

‘Of course, it’s unlikely Ariana did this intentionally. Her body probably reacted on its own without her knowing.’

“Then, what happens to His Highness?!”

Sir Valkyrie, Eopte, and Karot anxiously questioned upon hearing my speculation.

“We won’t know until His Highness wakes up.”

“About the sword… Can His Highness wield a sword again?”

Valkyrie inquired about Ariana’s sword.

“If you’re young, retraining will suffice. A new Core can be created in the Dantian. In fact, thanks to the newly constructed Dantian, His Highness will likely possess a superior Core than before.”

“Really…? This… Should I try it too…?”

As soon as I finished speaking, they acted like madmen obsessed with swords, ready to commit seppuku if it meant becoming stronger.

“If you follow His Highness’s example, you’ll likely die or become disabled. I won’t take responsibility for that. And there’s no guarantee I can recreate the elixir I made back then.”

“Hahaha! Joke, joke. Then what about the Circle engraved in His Highness’s heart?”

“Being a 2nd Circle, His Highness can learn simple life magic. Creating small fire or ice, generating light, or using telekinesis to move light objects should be possible.”

Meanwhile, Sir Eopte listening alongside Valkyrie showed an envious reaction.

“Wait, does that mean… Our Highness has become a Magiknight?”

“Should we try learning magic too? Ask the witches to create Circles in our hearts?”

Knight Karot felt the same way.

“Now that I think about it, why haven’t we considered learning magic until now? Even mastering 2nd Circle magic would be quite helpful?”

“When learning swordsmanship, our Mentor always advised against magic. Now that I think about it, we never understood the reason.”

Both looked at me simultaneously.

Their gazes resembled seeking the truth from a sage.

In reality, I was currently like a recluse sage or magician emerging from hiding to the world.

“Only a very small number of unique constitutions can possess two Cores in the body. Without this incident, His Highness wouldn’t have activated this unique constitution either.”

Looking seriously at the pure-hearted knights, I shook my head and replied.

“Moreover, having two mana-containing Cores in the body… It disrupts the physical balance. Trying to look cool might cause bodily collapse.”

“Yeah. That’s why normally one focuses mainly on either swordsmanship or magic.”

Sir Valkyrie shared the same opinion.

“Then, what happens to His Highness?”

“Isn’t having two Cores in the body a big deal?”

Upon hearing this from me and Valkyrie, Eopte and Karot belatedly showed worried expressions.

“Just ignore the Circle in the heart. As long as it doesn’t grow further, it’s fine.”

The prescription was simple.

In reality, the extremely rare Magiknights existing on the continent live similarly. They focus primarily on one and use the other strictly as support.

“Anyway, we need to hurry. Someone needs to examine His Highness’s condition more thoroughly.”

“Don’t you know everything?”

“I don’t know everything. Matters related to the Circle in the heart are best handled by Mages.”

While carefully examining Ariana’s body as much as possible, I continued speaking.

“Most importantly, the elixir I created is extremely primitive and incomplete. Half-baked, you could say. Even if the treatment seems successful now, we can’t predict what side effects might occur later.”

“We need to rush to the High City. The Great Witch of Spring needs to examine His Highness’s condition.”

“That would be best.”

“I’ll tell Knight Roji to increase the speed. I’ll also guard from the carriage roof in case any monsters or adventurers approach.”

“I’ll help too! Sir Valkyrie!”

“Me too!”

The knights, whose strength had recovered, eagerly opened the rear door of the carriage and climbed onto the roof one after another.

‘Are they trusting me too much?’

With the knights gone, only two remained inside the carriage: Ariana lying on the bed and me tending to her.

‘Phew… At least now I can finally breathe properly.’

Fortunately, the air inside the carriage improved significantly once they left.

‘Could they have gone outside because of the smell too?’

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