TAPGB - Chapter 32
The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride
I reflexively ran to him.
[Why does it look like this! Who did you fight with? Did another dragon appear?]
No human being could hurt him like this. There must have been a fight with a dragon or something similar.
When I brought my hand to his face, Caesar visibly dodged it. And then he looked at me with cool eyes.
"It's none of your business."
[...]
Strange. Had Caesar ever rejected me?
Moreover, what does this attitude of clearly drawing a line mean?
"You said you couldn't do healing magic, right?"
[Uh? Uh...]
"I will teach you, so learn. And starting tomorrow, I'm going to teach him magic."
That's not his name. Caesar said this while pointing at Lucian with his chin.
"Brother, what did I do wrong?"
Lucian must have felt it too and began to cry. Caesar's fingertips trembled, but his cool eyes remained the same.
Caesar looked at Lucian's purple neck for a moment and muttered.
Be healed.
As the dragon spoke, Lucian's entire body was illuminated with light, and soon he was completely healed without a single bruise.
Lucian touched his neck, which was no longer throbbing, and looked up at Caesar with confused eyes.
"With this, I paid off my debt."
Lucian's heart sank. His words seemed to say that he and they were now strangers.
"Do you hate me? It's my fault. Don't hate me...?"
Finally, Lucian burst into tears. I was fidgeting between Lucian and Caesar.
Caesar's eyebrows twitched and he stroked his head upward.
"I don't hate you."
"... Lie."
"Hating also requires emotion. What are you in the first place? You are nothing to me."
[Caesar!]
I asked if there was a need to speak so harshly, but Caesar frowned and turned his head away.
Why on earth is he doing this? What happened in the basement that caused his sudden change in attitude?
Caesar is also Caesar, but I felt like I needed to comfort Lucian first, so I turned my head to Lucian. But I had no choice but to stop.
Because Lucian had empty eyes.
Like me, who was speechless, Caesar also trembled at the sight. But he clenched his molars and turned away from Lucian.
Lucian looked at Caesar blankly and then walked up the stairs with his head down. It was clearly visible that he was deeply hurt. I had to run right away and comfort him, but for some reason, I couldn't move.
Bam!
I heard Lucian's door close. At the same time, Caesar groaned and collapsed in his seat. I looked down at him.
[... Why are you being so cruel to Lucian?]
"..."
[How worried Lucian was about you. This is the kid who kept telling me I shouldn't hate you.]
"...He has really good speed."
[Don't be sarcastic and speak straight! Are you planning to stay away from Lucian forever?!]
"... I almost killed Lucian."
Leah trembled at those words. Caesar was looking up at me, his eyes filled with despair. He also suffered just as great a wound as Lucian.
"No matter how crazy I was at the time, that fact doesn't go away."
[... Lucian said he thought you were possessed by something.]
"It's not wrong..."
Caesar wiped his face and clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth and suppressed his growing emotions.
"I'll tell you what happened in the basement."
Caesar explained what happened in the basement. At one point, he was caught up in the thoughts of some ghost and was on the verge of losing his sense of self. He said he almost killed Lucian in the process, and that he ran away to the forest because he felt his condition would worsen if he stayed here.
[What is the fantasy you saw?]
"It must be a memory of a ghost. I don't really want to remember."
Moreover, Caesar couldn't remember anything clearly because he saw so many different scenes overlapping each other.
"Leah, never go down to the basement and seal it. I'm in this situation too, but if Lucian goes down, he'll be in even bigger trouble."
[Yes, I understand.]
"I don't know when something like this will happen again, and if I attack Lucian again..."
Caesar pursed his lips.
"At least Lucian knows how to punch me and run away. So, starting tomorrow, let's teach them how to defend themselves, whether it's magic or swordsmanship."
[... If you care about Lucian so much, why did you do that a little while ago?]
Caesar paused and avoided my gaze.
"Even if I wasn't crazy, it's true that I tried to kill Lucian. I can't be friends with Lucian anymore."
[Is that why you hurt Lucian on purpose?]
"..."
[I understand how you feel, but your method is wrong. That is not for Lucian's benefit, but rather a way to hurt him.]
Caesar's eyes wavered. I sighed and sat down to make eye level with him.
[Think carefully about what it really is for Lucian.]
Caesar pursed his lips and then walked away, saying he needed to rest.
I let out a frustrated breath as she saw Caesar limping around with his arms around him.
***
Two days after the basement incident occurred. In an awkward atmosphere, the three had to go about their daily lives as usual.
Yesterday, Caesar had to take a short break to recover, and today we are going to teach Lucian magic, so we need to check if he has any magic talent.
The problem is that only Caesar can confirm that talent.
Lucian and Caesar held hands without making eye contact.
Caesar checked Lucian's mana.
"... Fortunately, you have the qualifications. As long as you have good mana sensitivity, you will be able to learn enough magic."
[That's a good thing. That's right, Lucian.]
"..."
It was the magic he had wanted to learn so much, but Lucian turned his head expressionlessly. And then he withdrew his hand from Caesar's grasp.
Caesar's mouth hardened for a moment. But he wasn't angry and continued class right away.
"All magic is based on using the mana in the body to create a magic formula. The amount of mana each person has is different, but it can be gradually increased by using something called a mana circle. We are going to create a mana circle today."
To create a mana circle, you must first feel the flow of mana in your body.
There was no way Lucian could feel the mana flow right away. Someone needs to help as an assistant...
"Leah does it."
Lucian rejected Caesar and took a stance towards me. I looked at Caesar with an embarrassed expression.
Caesar's eyebrows rose subtly.
He's holding it in well now, but considering his temper, it would quickly explode.
[Lucian, I'm a ghost so I don't use the mana in my body. So you have to do it with Caesar this time.]
"It doesn't matter because I'm doing it on my body, not Leah's body."
It's not wrong, but...
Burning blazing-
'Doesn't the back of your head sting? Caesar is staring at you now, ready to eat you.'
I had no choice but to grab Luc9an's shoulder and turn him back.
[If you want to finish it quickly, you have no choice but to master it quickly, yes?]
"... Yes."
Lucian looked at Caesar with a sullen expression, then turned his head and gently grasped his fingertips. The veins on Caesar's forehead stood out and he held Lucian's palm tightly.
"I don't plan on spending all day with you, so just follow along."
Oh my, it finally exploded.
Lucian's lips protruded as Caesar sarcastically sneered. Eventually, Caesar used his mana and scanned Lucian's body.
Lucian flinched as he felt something stirring inside his body.
"What you feel now is the mana flow. Remember this feeling."
When Caesar opened a path, Lucian followed him and memorized the path.
He repeated this several times, and Lucian also practiced finding the path on his own.
"You've learned it all now, right?"
"Huh."
"I'm going to create a mana circle from now on. I will infuse you with mana, so you can think of it as passing every single one of them through your mana flow and binding into your heart."
[Lucian, you may not succeed right away. It's natural, so don't be too disappointed, and if you're tired, you can take a break. Dragon mana may not be suitable for humans.]
"No. You will succeed right away."
[You have good motivation.]
Lucian's expression, which had been rough at first, soon became as shiny as usual.
Thinking it was a good change, Leah nodded towards Caesar. Caesar calmly handed over his mana to Lucian.
Lucian flinched. Soon his face became distorted and sweat beaded on his forehead.
If learning about the flow of mana a little while ago felt calm, like a small babbling stream, this felt like a waterfall suddenly pouring down, forcing the stream to turn into a river.
Thud, thud, thud!
Lucian felt the mana flow being torn apart and was forced to expand. The pain was so severe that Lucian moaned.
"Ugh......!"
[Lucian, you don't have to force it. Originally, it was difficult to create a mana circle all at once.]
"I have to take a short break and come back again...."
Caesar also agreed with my words and tried to let go of Lucian's hand. But Lucian grabbed his hand and his eyes flashed.
"Oh, not yet... I could.. !"
Me and Caesar made eye contact. Caesar, who was thinking deeply, nodded his head.
"Okay, let's end this situation right now."
Caesar infused mana again, and Lucian endured the pain and collected mana near his heart.
Lucian applied so much force that Caesar's hands turned white. Caesar realized that Lucian was in a lot of pain.
[Lucian, now draw a circle with the collected mana!]
"Continually rotate the circle! This is the last time!"
“Aaaah!”
Following .e and Caesar's advice, Lucian screamed and formed a mana circle.
At first, the shape was distorted and almost disorganized, but Lucian focused all his attention on his heart.
“Khaak!”
Suddenly, Lucian began to cough up blood. Caesar opened his eyes and focused on Lucian's mana flow.
"... The mana circle is too large. Lucian can't handle it."
[What? You should have put in the right amount of mana!]
"I put in just the right amount! but...The problem is that my mana is too strong for a human body."
If this continues, it is only a matter of time before a mana surge occurs. Lucian's body has not yet created a mana circle, but if a mana surge occurs, Lucian's body will not be able to withstand it.
Either get this out properly or...
[Lucian! We will create two mana circles!]
"What?! Are you out of your mind?"
[Lucian doesn't have the power to drain mana! This is the only way.]
I collected as much pure mana as possible and put it into Lucian's body. And it served as a guide for Lucian to create a new mana circle.
[Lucian! Can you feel my mana?]
"Yes...!"
[Only half of the mana circle currently spinning will follow my mana. You can do it, right?]
"Do it, I'll try."
Lucian was already exhausted. In addition, his internal organs were so damaged due to hemoptysis that it was difficult for him to gain strength. Nevertheless, Lucian did not give up until the end and followed Leah.
The huge mana circle got smaller and smaller and began to draw another circle.
[Yes! That's it! More, just a little more... Until there!]
“Hmph!”
Lucian cut off the mana in the middle. The two circles intertwined and began to spin. But it quickly lost its shape.
Because it had to rotate at different speeds, in different directions, and maintain its shape, it was quite difficult for a beginner who could barely sense the flow of mana.
[It's okay, Lucian. You can do it. Just follow me.]
Rather than withdrawing her own mana, Leah followed the flow of Lucian's circle to help keep its form from collapsing.
Lucian, who was grumbling at first, seemed to have gotten the hang of it and slowly drew a mana circle.
Eventually, two perfect mana circles began to resonate and rotate.
"Now, Lucian! Do you remember the magic circle I told you about?"
When you first create a mana circle, you must immediately implement magic on the spot. By using magic, mana is discharged to calm the overheated mana circle.
Just before creating the Mana Circle, Caesar taught me about light magic.
The magic spell is simple, and even a 1st circle wizard can easily implement it.
Lucian corrected his spinning vision and copied the magic circle drawn on the blackboard.
A magic circle began to form at Lucian's fingertips.
"Light!"
After completing all the magic circles, Lucian shouted loudly, and his eyes flashed for a moment, and a light brighter than the sun filled the room.
The whole world turned white.
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