"How long was I unconscious for?" Karyl inquired.
"Oh my, don't even mention it. You've been out for a whole week. If Young Master Jake hadn't found you in the library, it would have been a disaster," Ruben replied, waving his hands dramatically in response to Karyl's question.
Jake? Right... It's about time he took an interest in the library. Maybe my actions hastened his involvement.
Jake, the fifth child of the MacGovern family, was the youngest before Karyl's arrival, a boy just a year older than himself. Karyl recalled Jake's face, whom he had barely spoken to since he came to the mansion.
He was a fragile boy.
For a son of the MacGovern family, Jake was far too frail. Even though the second-born, Tiren, was also distant from combat, he possessed a sharpness that Jake lacked. Raised in a monastery from infancy, the orphan Jake didn't quite fit in with the mansion.
"I should thank him," Karyl thought aloud, not rushing to conclusions. If he stayed in the mansion, their paths would inevitably cross.
No, whether he likes it or not, I'm going to make it happen. I have a reason to help him, after all.
"You should. Young Master Jake is different from the other masters. He's kind even to us servants." Ruben commented.
I know.
"The others don't quite approve of him, especially after this incident. Oh, but please keep this conversation between us." Ruben added.
A chuckle escaped Karyl. "Don't worry."
A week, huh...
"Did anyone else visit?" asked Karyl.
"Huh? How did you know? Someone from the royal palace did come by the day before yesterday," Ruben replied, his lips twitching with curiosity.
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"Really?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure what it was about."
Karyl bit his lip. I missed something important. It was unfortunate, but unavoidable. After all, obtaining the Dragon's Heart was always going to be unpredictable.
"Understood. You can go now. I will visit the lady myself, so there's no need to inform her."
"Are you sure you're alright?" Ruben asked worriedly.
"Yes. If anyone asks, tell them I requested it," Karyl replied. He knew that waking up would draw his brothers' attention again. But he had things to check in the limited time available, particularly his own body.
***
The room grew silent. Karyl began to explore the throbbing veins in his body with a sense of wonder. It was a relief that, despite Ruben's departure, there were no noticeable external changes when he looked in the mirror. However, he knew something was different. His transformation—a complete renewal of his body—had been successful.
Below his abdomen, the magic blood was palpable, brimming with energy. Having never had magic in his previous life, he couldn't make a direct comparison, but his instincts, honed from his mastery of the sword, told him the amount of magic within him was extraordinary.
Dragon magic was beyond human categorization. Karyl's heart raced with the excitement of approaching a new realm he had never reached before. He exhaled slowly, directing the foreign energy circulating rapidly within him from his head to his shoulders, then down to his fingertips and back to his lower abdomen.
"Ow—" A grimace distorted his face as a tingling sensation gave way to an intense, burning pain.
Why? He could clearly feel the twelve channels spread throughout his body and the magic blood filled with magic.
But... Only two were connected. "Ugh!" Another groan escaped him. Trying to direct the magic from the magic blood to the other ten channels was unbearably painful.
Looking at his arms in confusion, he wondered if he had missed something. Could it be...
Karyl was different from those born with inherent magic. Normally, magic is stored in the magic blood points through the channels. But Karyl, due to the dragon's heart, his magic blood held a magic volume several-fold greater than what the channels could store. The intense pain was a result of his body not being able to fully accept the dragon's heart.
I still need to open ten more channels. I have a long way to go. The amount of magic was too much for the channels to handle. Karyl's very existence defied the current system of magic.
He turned his head, noticing a small dagger on the table. To control the overwhelming magic inside of me, I need... A weapon capable of handling it. The only method available to Karyl, who was unfamiliar with even basic Class 1 magic, was unquestionably the sword. This was what he excelled at in his past life and even now.
He unsheathed the dagger Agnel. It was inscribed with complex characters in an ancient language of a tribe that was unfamiliar to him. He only knew that the name 'Agnel' was also part of this ancient language. Gripping the sword in a familiar stance, he began to draw the magic from the magic point to his arm, infusing it into the dagger.
I can do this. Karyl looked at the dagger with trembling eyes.
"Ah...!" Suddenly, the magic within him erupted uncontrollably. The thin layer of magic enveloping the blade's edge expanded explosively, extending the blade's aura as long as a long sword. He gripped the sword tightly, shocked by the intense surge.
This is...
But there was something even more astonishing. Karyl gazed at the blade that was emitting a faint glow. Despite his extensive battle experience, this was new to him. It wasn't a mana blade used by imperials.
Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning.
His mana blade belonged to none of these elements. It was completely colorless.
It was not a mere mana blade like those used by the Imperials. Karyl recalled Narh Di Maug's words.
The mana of the dragons. The sharpness of the blade, an aura that didn't belong to any known element, it was pure magic itself.
What should I call this? Karyl couldn't take his eyes off the blade. His magic sword was devoid of any elements. Just looking at the blade, which seemed like it could slice through the air itself, sent shivers down his spine. It was the first and only of its kind in the history of the continent: the Aura Blade.
***
"Phew..." Karyl stood amidst the commotion in the Malten Forest behind the mansion, long before dawn.
Seems like going deeper is not an option, he thought, wiping the sweat from his brow with a hint of regret.
I'm starting to get the hang of it. The Agnel in his hand gleamed as the Aura Blade extended from it, radiant and steady.
Fifteen days had passed since then.