Claud watched on in silence as everyone enjoyed their meal, his own plate spick and span. The smiles on their faces belied the grim reality that was about to descend upon everyone in Licencia, the fact that a Moon Emissary was arriving. Were they faking their cheerfulness? Or did he actually manage to convince them that they shouldn't be worried?
Claud didn't know.
He turned his gaze to Lily, who had a content look on her face as she munched down on her food. She had gotten over the most difficult part of her ordeal, and her actions were now but a bygone memory, something that she lamented, but found necessary to do. If anything happened to him at this juncture, she would be sad, but Claud knew that she would understand.
"I'm going back to my room," said Claud. "Thanks for the meal."
The others glanced at him, but they didn't say anything else.
Claud preferred it that way.
Washing his dishes and utensils, he returned them to the dish rack and headed back to his room. Closing the door behind him, Claud sat on his bed, his legs crossed.
"Say, Crown. I'm probably going to do something stupid again."
A velvety box rolled out of his pocket, before tilting its head. Claud could almost hear 'Why are you doing this?' from the little guy, and he smiled in response. "I don't quite know. There's something inside me, telling me that I'll regret it if the Moon Emissary makes it to Licencia. It's odd, since I've already argued that we shouldn't do anything, but…"
He looked up at the ceiling. "The mind wants one thing, but the heart wants another. I suppose this is the best use of the phrase, right?"
Crown hopped onto his thigh. "Meep."
"I know. But I can't just drag Lily into this." Claud closed his eyes and ran through the information. The Moon Emissary would arrive at Licencia in a day, according to Risti. If Claud used his mana, he could intercept the foe and smack it once with Absolute One.
"Meep…"
"Yeah. Can you take care of her? I'll put you in her care. If nothing happens to me and I return safe and sound, it'll be great. If not, watch over her for me, okay?"
The box jiggled a few times frantically, but Claud simply patted it twice. "I need your help, Crown. I need to become a tri-folder. Can you help me with it? It won't take too long, and with it, my chances will be higher. Far higher."
Crown stopped jiggling around in protest, before tilting itself backwards. It reminded Claud of a person looking up at someone, and his lips curled on its own. Crown was, as always, a cute little thing.
"Divine Life Companion, huh." Claud rubbed its head. "Can you help me?"
"Meep."
"Thanks." He took out a skillstrip for Presence Nullification and tore it into two. Throwing the remains aside, Claud closed his eyes and reached out to his lifeforce. With Crown's help, the green light that represented his life began transforming into a blue flame that drew long lines on his limbs. At the same time, his previous mana circuit lit up at the same time, combining with the new one under construction. The patterns on both circuits were special, unique, and as Claud examined the two circuits closely with his mind's eye, he understood why it was called 'Mana Circuit Superimposition'.
Both mana circuits were interacting in a way, combining to grant him a mana pool that transcended the sum of its parts. The synergy between both circuits as the newer one neared completion grew stronger and stronger, and as the final two years of life burned itself onto his body and soul, something fell into place.
With a small crack, the invisible barrier that divided both mana circuits fell apart, and a burning pain assailed Claud's mind. The two mana circuits were melding together, making use of the synergy to become one, to become something greater.
The sounds of blood rushing through his head grew louder and louder, in concord with the escalating brilliance that his mana circuit was giving off. Claud could now only see a vast gulf of darkness before him, and yet, he could tell what was around him. His room, Moon Mansion, and even Moon Street. His awareness seemed to have grown in a way that shouldn't have been possible, an awareness that extended out not from his mind nor his heart, but his spine.
[Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 2.00]
[Authority increased.]
[Your skill, Mana Organ, has changed into Mana Hub!]
[Your Mana Control Proficiency has increased to Expert!]
The burning pain fled as four separate rectangles appeared in his vision. Claud looked at them, and nodded. He was now officially the strongest person in the Moon Lords, save for Nero, but…he wasn't going to stop there. With Crown's help, he just needed to spend half the lifespan anyone else would need to burn their next mana circuit. For a one-folder to become a bi-folder, they would need two hundred years.
Claud just needed one hundred. For a bi-folder to become a tri-folder, they needed three hundred.
He, in turn, just needed a hundred and fifty years.
Claud took a deep breath. He now knew why the lifespan required increased every level by a hundred — he wasn't just drawing one mana circuit; the process also involved redrawing the other previous mana circuits to synergise with the new one.
"Let's move on," said Claud. "I have 228 years of life left. Once I'm through with this, I'll become a tri-folder."
Crown quivered. Claud could taste the anxiety the little guy exuded, and he reached out to rub the box once. "Don't worry, little guy. I'll still have seventy-eight years of life. More than enough time for me to regain whatever I've lost. Don't worry, okay?"
"Meep!"
"Good." Claud closed his eyes. "Help me with this."
Once again, the emerald light that represented his lifeforce turned into a scorching azure, branding itself onto his body and soul without hesitation. Something, however, seemed to be very smooth during this process, as if his efforts a few minutes ago had stimulated the current process. Before long, at a far faster speed than the previous round, the third mana circuit had taken form, melding with the underlying circuit and integrating itself inside without much fuss.
"This is…unbelievable," Claud muttered. "Of course! My mana control…the increase must have helped drive the process along!"
As those words left his mouth, the two blurred circuits sharpened into focus once more, turning into a complicated set of blue light. Once more, an enormous power surged through his body, and Claud felt his awareness expand once more. He could now…feel the city, but fortunately, all the sensations he felt were being rerouted to his spine, which made sense of it for him.
Another set of rectangles popped up in his vision.
[Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 3.00]
[Authority increased]
[Quest function unlocked!]
[You have not met the requirements to increase your Mana Control Proficiency to Master.]
[You have not met the requirements to evolve your Mana Hub skill.]
Claud stared at the rectangles in consternation. He understood them, but there were a few things that he hadn't wrapped his mind. What requirements were needed to increase Mana Control Proficiency and to evolve his skill?
After a while, he decided to drop the thought. There were many mysteries in the world; one more wouldn't matter to him. And besides…at the rate things were going, he might just find out anyway.
"Meep…" Crown rolled onto its side, before jiggling happily. "Meep!"
"Yeah, I know." Claud picked the little guy up. "Thanks. You've worked really hard."
"Meep. Meep!"
Claud blinked. "Wait, you were benefiting from the process?"
"Meep!"
"…I should keep burning my lifespan and lifestones, huh?" Claud rubbed his nose. "It's nice to be the man in the middle."
Crown bounced onto his knee once more. It was a pity that he couldn't loan Crown out for use — he'd tried to have Lily make use Crown's miraculous ability to cut lifeforce expenditure by half, but it didn't work for her. He hadn't expected it to work, but still…
Reining in the immense volumes of mana inside him, Claud took a deep breath. He had pushed himself to far greater heights, elevating himself into a powerhouse of a region…a paper one, anyway. He had a feeling that he missed out on quite a few things, like the journey and the milestones within, but he now had lots of mana.
Stilling his mind, Claud watched in silence as the effects of Presence Nullification wore away. No one would probably believe the sheer amount of strength he had attained in the past thirty minutes, but…
That was fine. Claud was more than content to serve as the final trump card of the Moon Lords, in the event that someone tried to plot against them. With his strength, his Mana Control Proficiency and his Absolute One, he could walk freely in the region without much fear.
Clenching his fist, Claud got up. He was never an indecisive person, and the time had come to end this threat in the making. "Crown, stay here until I get back. If not…treat Lily well, okay? Look after her."
"Meep…"
Patting the little guy, Claud opened the door.
He had no intention to return, though. Crown would understand, and...and...