Chapter 57

Eleanor took out several small vials next.

“This is medicine that helps mana flow smoothly through the body. There are no side effects, so don’t worry.”

She popped the cap open and handed it to Estelle.

“It doesn’t taste bad either.”

Estelle looked at Eleanor once, then at Reina, then at Damian, and gulped the medicine down in one go.

“Next, just place your hand on this orb and wait calmly. This orb has the property of drawing in mana.”

“It’s like a magnet.”

“A similar principle.”

When Estelle placed her hand on the transparent orb, not long after, the orb flashed and a white light burst out.

At first it was pure white, then blue light mixed in, filling the transparent orb completely before flooding the entire room and blocking everyone’s view.

“…W-what is this!”

“Estelle!”

Damian called out to Estelle urgently.

Crunch.

The sound of the measuring orb cracking echoed.

“Estelle, take your hand off!”

Startled, Estelle froze and couldn’t pull her hand away.

“My lady!”

The orb went beyond emitting light and began releasing an overwhelming, aggressive force.

Reina pulled Estelle into her arms and leapt away from the orb.

At the same moment, a sharp bursting sound rang out and the orb shattered into pieces.

As the orb broke, all the light vanished.

“W-wow… I’ve never seen a case like this in person. I suspected it, but to actually see it…”

Eleanor rose unsteadily, cold sweat dripping down her face.

“Eleanor Beanz, what is the meaning of this?”

“This was absolutely not an act of terrorism, Your Grace. It’s just that…”

Eleanor looked straight at Estelle, who was trembling in Reina’s arms, her face pale with fear.

“It seems the young lady possesses unprecedented talent. Mana, aura, or even divine power. Though since she’s half Finecke, divine power is unlikely.”

“My lady, are you alright?”

Reina asked softly as she soothed Estelle in her arms.

Estelle stared at the shattered remains of the measuring orb on the desk.

“…I broke it. What do I do. Wasn’t it expensive?”

Instead of worrying about herself, the child worried about the cost of the orb. Damian frowned slightly at the sight.

“I could pay for thousands of these without issue.”

“Hahaha, the important thing is that no one was hurt.”

“But…”

Estelle looked at Reina holding her tightly, then at Bonita standing behind her.

“Don’t Reina and Boni need to be measured too?”

“My lady, we’re fine.”

“…”

Guilt twisted Estelle’s face.

Eleanor cleared her throat loudly.

“Everyone, don’t worry!”

Then with a ta da, she pulled another small measuring orb from her bag.

“I brought a spare just in case something like this happened. Good thing I did, right.”

Damian stared at her with disbelief.

“So you anticipated something like this.”

“Well, Your Grace has exceptional power. If your power had been mana instead of aura, you would’ve unified the mage tower by force already.”

“Then what about Estelle?”

“If her power is mana like yours, she’d be capable of unifying the mage tower by force as well.”

“…”

“She might even surpass that. The results were far greater than yours back then. Incredible. This isn’t something that would bring any good if it spread elsewhere. Half would try to suppress her, the other half would swarm in hoping to gain something.”

Eleanor placed the orb on the table and gestured toward Reina.

“Let’s set that issue aside for now… shall we?”

Reina drank the same medicine Estelle had taken earlier.

“Doesn’t it suit your taste? It’s not a flavor people usually dislike.”

“Mm, my stomach just feels a bit unsettled. It’s fine. I think it’s because I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“Well, if that’s all, then that’s a relief. Now, just like the young lady did earlier, place your hand on the orb.”

Reina nodded and placed her hand on the measuring orb.

“…”

“…”

“That’s strange.”

Nothing happened at all.

“T-this isn’t broken. I checked it myself before bringing it.”

Eleanor shook the orb and inspected it anxiously, but there wasn’t even a hairline crack.

She let out a small sigh.

“Any citizen of the empire normally has mana. Reina Botn, do you perhaps have some kind of secret surrounding your birth?”

“There’s nothing like that.”

“Why is there no reaction? Having no mana at all is about one in eighty million. It’s not just low, it’s completely absent. I’ve never seen a case like this…”

Eleanor muttered that she’d seen far too many special cases in one day.

Then she looked at Bonita beside her.

“Could it be that your daughter also…”

“Oh, Boni definitely has mana. All the magic tools in our house were activated by Boni. Right, Boni?”

“Yeah.”

“Then Reina Botn really is an exceptional case. Did you ever suffer from a serious illness as a child?”

“No.”

Reina shook her head lightly.

“Living in the empire with no mana at all must be difficult. Later, I’ll tell you about ingredients for medicine that can help enhance mana. There are newer ones being distributed recently, but the old ways are often the best.”

Eleanor looked at Reina with a complicated expression, then shifted her gaze to Bonita.

“This time it’s the little lady’s turn. Boni?”

Bonita hesitantly approached the table, drank the medicine just like before, and placed her hand on the orb.

“…Oh.”

Unlike Reina, a faint blue light began to swirl weakly inside the orb when Bonita touched it.

Even that small reaction reassured Reina that Bonita wasn’t the same as her.

But that was all.

Unlike Estelle, the light flickered once very weakly, then faded out with a soft pop.

“…”

Bonita stared at the unresponsive orb for a long time.

She couldn’t bring herself to remove her hand.

No one could tell her to stop.

Especially Reina and Damian, who knew what Bonita’s dream was, couldn’t look at the scene lightly.

Eleanor had already grasped what Bonita wished to become from their earlier conversation.

“Reina Botn, may I speak with you outside for a moment?”

“Yes.”

Eleanor and Reina stepped out of the room. Dean was waiting outside.

“Reina Botn, you remember what I told the child earlier, right? About pursuing a dream if there’s a possibility.”

Reina lowered her gaze and nodded slowly.

Eleanor spoke carefully, as if she didn’t want to say this.

“That also means that clinging to a dream with no possibility is even more miserable.”

“But…”

“She’s young, so she can dream for now. But Reina Botn, I know how miserable it is to cling to a dream with no chance.”

“Should I tell her to give up already?”

“You should tell her before the dream grows. The bigger it gets, the more it hurts when it breaks.”

Reina bit her lip hard in anguish.

“Since she’s young, her dreams might change often. It could just be a passing wish to hold a sword.”

“You can still become an excellent swordsman without using aura.”

Dean interjected then.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, but not all knights need to use aura. So…”

Eleanor cut him off sharply.

“That child is a girl.”

“Pardon?”

“A girl. Unless she has better conditions than others, there’s no reason for her to draw a sword.”

The playful tone Eleanor had shown earlier was gone. She spoke reality with a serious, pained expression.

“There are plenty of male knights with the same skill. Why would they choose a woman? The mage tower only started changing eighty years ago. And even now, it’s full of prejudice. What about the knight order?”

“…”

Dean looked stunned.

Eleanor continued.

“Reina Botn, there are many other paths in this world. Paths you can walk even without outstanding talent…”

Reina kept her head lowered as she listened to the cruel reality Eleanor laid bare.

“…Is mana inherited from one’s parents?”

“It’s not entirely unrelated.”

Reina raised her trembling hands and stared at them.

‘If she weren’t my daughter, she wouldn’t have had to face a reality like this.’

Of all things, a child born without any mana.

“Is there really no way to fix it with the medicine you mentioned?”

“That only supplements mana slightly. If it could dramatically increase mana, everyone in the empire would be making and drinking it daily.”

“There’s truly no way at all?”

“No.”

“…”

“Mana is something you’re born with. It can’t be changed.”

Reina felt more devastated by Bonita’s result than by her own.

“Did you know? Parents are mirrors of their children. In the end, your daughter will grow up just like you!”

Those words she had heard back then became sharp shards once again, piercing Reina’s heart over and over.

This result felt like proof.

Proof that Bonita would live the same life she had.