Chapter 384
Chapter 384: Let’s Raise Your Circle Too. (1)
Most of the secret organizations of the Duke’s faction that were hiding in the capital have been exterminated.
Some escaped outside the castle, but they were all captured and killed by the Kingdom Army and Ghislaine’s forces led by Gillian.
The nobles, who were worried about the lack of justification, sighed in relief upon seeing the monsters appear.
“I never imagined the Duke would collude with heretics to create something like that. It’s good we dealt with it this time.”
“It’s a very fortunate turn of events. The kingdom will be in an uproar.”
“With so many witnesses, the Duke won’t have anything to say.”
The nobles were discussing future matters while continuously wearing smiles.
The power of religion is more potent than expected. Once the Duke was linked with heresy, they could pressure the Duke faction nobles, disregarding any flimsy justification.
Thus, Ghislaine’s reputation rose once again. People were even talking about him as a Saint.
Of course, hearing such rumors made Porisco pout persistently.
“What? That guy’s a saint? Oh please, if he’s a saint, then I’m a goddess.”
What kind of sainthood belongs to someone so reckless?
However, it did grant him a great opportunity to significantly bolster the church’s influence. Such matters need to be acted upon before other sects do, as it enhances one’s own prestige.
“Quickly, gather all the Temple Knights from the front lines! Tell the priests to return as well! I will confer with Marquis Branford and reassign everyone! Ah, leave those in Penris alone.”
The Juana Sect in Ruthania was already under Porisco’s control. He was commanding everything on behalf of the now puppet Archbishop.
While everyone was bustling about, Ghislaine finally held the Dragon Heart in his hands.
Marquis Branford said, looking somewhat uncomfortable, “This isn’t something you just give to anyone, so make sure to use it wisely.”
“Don’t worry. It will surely be of great help,” Ghislaine grinned as he examined the Dragon Heart.
Since it was not a complete Dragon Heart, its size was rather small—about the size of a child’s fist.
However, the power contained within it was formidable enough to tempt anyone.
Using it would surely enhance Penris’s military capabilities at an even faster rate than before.
“Truly, you are the Marquis. You handled this matter so swiftly.”
This was a treasure of the royal family. Although it was brought forth after discussions with the chancellor, no one would oppose the Marquis’ decisions.
The king was bedridden and barely clinging to life, so all matters of the kingdom were in the Marquis Branford’s hands.
In reality, this civil war was almost a showdown between Marquis Branford and Duke Delphine.
As Ghislaine was leaving after the pleasantries, a question suddenly fluttered into his mind.
“Don’t you have thoughts of becoming king, Marquis?”
Had he become king earlier, the kingdom might have been more peaceful. Perhaps Perdium could have avoided destruction in his past life.
Of course, knowing the events of his past life, Ghislaine was aware of how the Marquis would respond. Yet, he still wanted to hear it from Marquis Branford himself.
The Marquis chuckled at his question, “Don’t speak such nonsense. My duty is to protect the royal family.”
“I expected as much,” Ghislaine replied, smiling back, before turning his body.
Everyone has something they want to protect and be responsible for throughout their lives.
For Marquis Branford, that was this kingdom and the royal family.
*
“They might not just be mere accomplices but could be pulling the strings behind the scenes…”
On his way back to the territory, Ghislaine continued to mentally sort through the situation.
If he hadn’t met Raviere this time, he might still have thought that the Duke’s faction was merely improving the Mana Circulation Method and spreading it around.
But Raviere had claimed that he had begun his own research.
“The ones Aiden mentioned are likely members of the Salvation Society.”
Aiden, who had beheaded him in a past life, was a foreigner, and there was no reason for him to come all the way to Ruthania.
But if he was associated with the Salvation Society, then everything started to align.
The Salvation Society wasn’t merely helping the Duke’s faction during the war; it meant they had been acting behind the scenes all along.
“What on earth are they aiming for?”
If it’s just about toppling the kingdom, there would be no need for the Salvation Society to intervene. The Duke’s faction alone could have done that long ago.
This implies that there must be another objective.
And based on his experiences so far, Ghislaine could deduce a few facts.
“There’s something in the Forest of Monsters.”
When Harold reacted immediately the first time they touched the Forest of Monsters, it couldn’t have been without the Duke’s orders.
Additionally, there was something strange in the information he had acquired in his past life.
“There were parts suppressed in the map of the Forest of Monsters.”
It was hidden information that even ordinary high-class officials couldn’t access; Ghislaine had been unaware of it. It was the area completely blacked out on the map of the Forest of Monsters.
Even when they previously captured the Grexes, he felt something was off, but now he was certain that area had something to do with the Salvation Society.
“It seems those who need the Forest of Monsters have allied with those who want to take over the kingdom.”
But right now, the Forest of Monsters was in his hands. Ultimately, it meant that those fools would have to settle things with him if they wanted to take control of it.
‘Since the civil war is just around the corner, they will surely get entangled while fighting. There’s no need to search for them first.’
While organizing such thoughts, Ghislaine arrived at the territory. As soon as he got there, he called for his retainers.
“We’re creating a new Mana Convergence Circle.”
Claude tilted his head in confusion.
They had been constantly creating Mana Convergence Circles using the abundance of Runestones in the territory.
It was necessary to improve the capabilities of the knights and wizards alike. Naturally, they weren’t going to be stingy about it.
“What is this new Mana Convergence Circle?”
“I’ll be adding this a little bit at a time,” Ghislaine said, pulling out a small piece.
Everyone stared at it with curiosity, but only a few who could sense mana stiffened their expressions.
Claude, who couldn’t feel even an ant-sized bit of mana, examined it from all sides and asked again, “What is that?”
“Dragon Heart.”
“Pfft!”
Claude burst out laughing heartily.
He knew what the Dragon Heart was. It was a treasure obtained by slaying a dragon.
And Ghislaine had never caught a dragon. No matter how strong a lord was, he was sure he’d be reduced to a bloody mess fighting against a dragon.
“What the heck, what kind of joke is that? Wendy, look! That’s a Dragon Heart,” Claude called out to Wendy, unwilling to be fooled. However, her expression had solidified.
Strangely, when he looked around, those capable of handling mana all had the same stiff expression.
Only Gillian, who had followed Ghislaine to the capital, showed no change in expression.
“Is… Is that really a Dragon Heart?”
“I told you it is.”
“W-whoa! What is that! Where did you get it?”
“I brought it back from the royal treasure. Pretty amazing, huh?”
As Ghislaine proudly spoke, all the retainers were shocked.
The Dragon Heart is a treasure that even a king would hesitate to part with. What kind of business had he managed to pull off to bring something like that back?
Ghislaine briefly explained what happened in the capital to his retainers. While listening, they found it hard to believe.
Suddenly, a bizarre heretical cult pops up, and monsters appear too. It felt like a made-up story.
Of course, Ghislaine didn’t care whether the retainers believed him or not. That wasn’t what mattered.
“In any case, since that’s happened, we have a lot to prepare. Quickly gather all the mages and create the new Mana Convergence Circle. I will decide how much goes into each magic circle and distribute it.”
Even a piece smaller than a fingernail contains tremendous magic. It would surely be a great help to the knights’ training.
Whether the events in the capital were true or just the lord’s bragging, the fact that he had obtained a piece of the Dragon Heart stood.
Excitement filled the air as they rushed out of the training ground, chattering away.
Amidst that, Ghislaine called Vanessa aside.
“Do you have enough realization and knowledge about the 7th Circle?”
“Well, I think so… but I’m not sure due to the lack of magic power.”
Vanessa replied, fidgeting nervously.
She had obtained plenty of 7th Circle magic books from the Tower of the Bloody Flame and conducted numerous experiments with Runestones like before.
However, her magic power was still less than that of a 3rd Circle, so she couldn’t feel confident.
Ghislaine took out the small piece of Dragon Heart and said, “It’s okay. If you absorb this, you’ll definitely be able to raise your level.”
“B-but, Lord. Such treasures should be used for many people…”
“No. Our territory needs one more strong individual. I’m going to start right away, so get ready.”
Even if Vanessa refused, Ghislaine wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he had obtained it for her sake in the first place.
He couldn’t keep letting her fight while leeching off the magic of other wizards. The other wizards had their own duties to attend to.
Unable to resist Ghislaine’s insistence, Vanessa reluctantly went to the training ground and took her seat.
“This time I won’t need to assist you. But just in case, I’ll stay close.”
“Y-yes…”
Taking a deep breath, Vanessa placed her hand on the Dragon Heart.
She just had to absorb it using the Mana Circulation Method Ghislaine had shown her, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
“Ugh!”
An enormous surge of magic flowed into her body from that little piece.
Typically, mana circulation involves absorbing a bit of ambient mana to enhance one’s own magic. There’s a limit to how much one can absorb at once.
But the magic from the Dragon Heart burrowed deep inside her body all at once. Whether she could endure it or not depended on the user’s will and skill.
It was tough to withstand the influx of such dense magic that couldn’t even be compared to that in the atmosphere.
“Ugh…”
Still, Vanessa gritted her teeth and endured. If she lost focus, the mana would leak back out.
‘I can do this.’
‘I have to hold on.’
‘I… I need to become stronger.’
This was different from when she first arrived. She was now an essential force in the territory and a teacher for the wizards.
However, Vanessa wasn’t merely enduring out of a sense of duty.
‘I need to protect the territory…’
Since coming to this territory, her life had changed, and she had found people she loved. She didn’t want this place to be trampled by anyone.
Just like when she first went to war.
Vanessa wished to protect this place out of her own will, not because of someone’s request or command.
Growwwww!
The absorbed magic began to surge and thrash around her body like it wanted to break free. Vanessa tried with all her might to control it.
It felt as if she were about to lose consciousness. Her body felt like it was going to swell and burst.
‘I can… do this…’
It was different from naturally gathering magic through mana circulation. She had to pay a price to forcibly increase her magic by using a treasure.
Blood started to flow from various parts of her body.
In the arduous process, she felt her consciousness teetering on the brink of darkness. She tried to hold on, but it was incredibly difficult.
‘Is this… failure?’
Certainly, treasures like the Dragon Heart weren’t something anyone could absorb.
Just as her consciousness began to slip away.
Ghislaine’s voice jolted her back to her senses.
“You held on well, Vanessa.”
Boom!
Vanessa’s eyes snapped open wide. At the same time, immense magic radiated outward.
That magic spread even beyond the training ground, startling others.
“Ah…”
Vanessa realized that she had changed. She felt so full of power it was as if she might explode.
Previously, she had cast spells by absorbing the magic of others. Though it was painful, the purity of the magic hadn’t been too high.
But now, this power rolling around inside her was far purer and cleaner than when she absorbed others’ magic.
The purity of magic is also linked to efficiency. The higher the purity, the faster one can manipulate their magic.
“This is… the power I’ve gained…”
As she muttered to herself and slightly raised her hand—
Zing—! Zing—! Zing—!
Dozens of magic circles appeared in mid-air all at once. The magic contained in each circle was of at least a 4th Circle caliber.
Seeing this, Ghislaine smiled in satisfaction.
‘Just like in my past life.’
Her long-awaited specialty, the multiple castings that had not been properly demonstrated due to a lack of magic, finally revealed itself.
The talent to cast several 1st Circle spells simultaneously, dozens or even hundreds at once.
In short, Vanessa could single-handedly fulfill the roles of numerous wizards.
“Lord…”
Vanessa looked at Ghislaine with a face full of emotion.
Ghislaine spoke playfully, “Did you know it took three days?”
“W-what? Three days?!”
She was taken aback. It felt like quite a bit of time had passed, but to think three days had gone by while sitting down!
She had been so engrossed she hadn’t noticed the time.
Yet, Ghislaine had been right there watching over her the whole time.
“I-I’m so sorry. You must have been busy, and I caused all this…”
“It’s fine. This is the birth of a new superhuman in our territory. It’s no trouble at all.”
Ghislaine genuinely felt happy. Vanessa had officially become a superhuman in the kingdom.
And this power would be immensely beneficial in the wars ahead.
As the two of them exchanged pleasant smiles, people rushed into the training ground.
“Young Master! What’s going on? What happened?”
“Who ate all the good stuff alone!”
“Vanessa! Did you really reach the 7th Circle?”
Belinda, Kaor, Alfoy, and others hurriedly arrived. They had felt an incredibly powerful surge of magic and rushed over.
Seeing them, Ghislaine suddenly remembered something and pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a small shard of Dragon Heart, smaller than his thumb.
Then he strode up to Alfoy and said, “Alfoy.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s raise your circle too.”
“Eh?”
Alfoy looked at Ghislaine with a bewildered expression.
