28 - Odd
Kael did not move immediately.
Perched lightly on the balcony railing like a curious predator observing prey, he tilted his head slightly as he watched the quiet bedroom. The curtains were drawn. The room was dim. Yet to Kael, darkness meant nothing. Mana painted the world in far more vivid colors than light ever could.
And right now, the room was glowing. Soft currents of mana drifted through the air like invisible mist. They flowed from the surrounding environment, from the ground beneath the estate, from the very atmosphere itself.
But something strange was happening.
Those currents were not dispersing naturally. They were being pulled. Drawn inward. Kael narrowed his crimson eyes. "... oh?"
He hopped silently from the railing and stepped onto the balcony floor. No sound. No ripple. Even the wind seemed unaware of his presence.
Inside the room, Mariana slept restlessly beneath her blankets, completely oblivious to the Archmage only a few steps away from her window.
Kael pressed two fingers lightly against the glass.
A small magic circle flickered. The window unlocked itself with a soft click.
He slid it open just enough to slip inside.
The moment he stepped into the room, the mana fluctuations intensified. Like a whirlpool. Kael raised an eyebrow. "... this is worse than I thought."
He slowly walked closer to the bed. With each step, the density of mana increased. Threads of glowing energy drifted through the air like strands of silk, spiraling toward a single point.
Toward Mariana. More precisely, toward her chest. Kael stopped beside the bed.
He looked down at the girl sprawled beneath the blankets. Golden hair scattered across the pillow. One arm hanging off the side of the bed. A very unladylike sleeping position for a noblewoman.
"... this?" His voice held mild disbelief. "This is the monster we sensed?"
She looked completely ordinary. No visible magic circles. No active spell formations. No aura of a trained mage.
Just a sleeping girl who looked like she had exhausted herself running from imaginary dangers. But the mana did not lie. Kael crouched beside the bed. His gaze sharpened. "... let's take a closer look."
He lifted a hand. Mana gathered at his fingertips. Then he pressed two fingers lightly beneath his right eye. A spell activated.
Mana Sight.
The world shifted instantly. Colors exploded into existence. Every magical current, every lingering enchantment, every particle of arcane energy became visible. The brooch on the bedside table glowed faintly.
A simple defensive artifact. Nothing impressive. Kael ignored it. His gaze slowly moved toward Mariana. And the moment his mana-enhanced vision focused on her, he froze. "... oh."
The girl's body was glowing. Not faintly. Not subtly.
It was like staring at a star through human flesh. Mana flowed through her veins like liquid light. Brilliant. Pure. And impossibly dense. Kael leaned closer. His crimson eyes widened slightly. "... that's new."
He had seen Archmages before. He was one. But even Archmages did not look like this. Normally, mana gathered around the body of a powerful mage like an external aura.
But Mariana was different. The mana was not surrounding her. It was being absorbed. Drawn inward. All of it. Every stray particle of mana drifting through the room was slowly spiraling toward a single location. Her heart. Kael's gaze fixed on her chest. And there, he saw it.
A radiant core of condensed mana pulsing gently inside her heart. Each heartbeat sent waves of magic flowing through her veins like rivers of light. Bathump. Mana surged. Bathump. More mana gathered. Bathump. The surrounding environment responded.
Kael felt a thrill run down his spine. "... you're kidding." He had only read about this phenomenon in ancient magical texts. A Mana Core Birth State. The first stage of something far greater. His grin slowly widened. "Well now..."
That confirmed it. Without a doubt. The girl sleeping in front of him possessed the potential to become something that had not appeared in centuries.
"... a Demigod candidate." His voice was barely more than a whisper.
If she awakened properly... if she learned to control this power... she would surpass Archmages. Surpass the limits of mortal magic. A being closer to magic itself.
Kael leaned back slightly, observing her with newfound interest. "... and you don't even know it."
Mariana stirred slightly in her sleep. She rolled onto her side, hugging her pillow tightly. "... no death flags... no tragic endings..."
Kael blinked. "... what?"
Her brow furrowed as she mumbled in her sleep. "... avoid the Crown Prince... survive... happy ending..."
Kael stared at her. Then he snorted quietly. "... you're dreaming about survival strategies?"
This Demigod candidate is... odd.
He stood up. His investigation was complete. There was no need to stay longer.
Besides, if the girl somehow woke up and saw a strange man standing over her bed in the middle of the night, that would definitely cause complications. Kael lifted his hand. Mana gathered around him again. A teleportation circle formed beneath his feet.
Before activating it, he glanced at Mariana one last time. Still asleep. Still completely unaware that the most powerful magic users in the empire had just discovered her existence.
Kael smirked. "... this will be fun." Then, he vanished.
Far away.
At the peak of the Magic Tower. The circular chamber shimmered as Kael reappeared inside the teleportation circle. The other four Archmages immediately turned toward him. The silver-haired Archmage spoke first. "Well?"
Kael stretched lazily. "You were right."
The old Archmage leaned forward slightly. "Archmage potential?"
Kael chuckled. "Higher."
The tattooed Archmage's eyes narrowed. "... define higher."
Kael's crimson eyes gleamed with amusement. "Mana core formation. Internal absorption. Environmental draw."
He leaned casually against the table. "... Textbook Demigod candidate."
Silence swallowed the room. Even the candle flames stopped flickering.
The silver-haired Archmage's voice dropped to a whisper. "... impossible."
Kael shrugged. "Believe whatever you want."
The old Archmage gripped his staff tightly. "Who is it?"
Kael's smirk returned. "A noble girl." He paused deliberately. "... from the Forebros Grand Dukedom."
The Archmages exchanged stunned looks.
Meanwhile-
Miles away in the peaceful Vernon estate. Mariana suddenly sat up in bed. Her hair was a tangled mess. Her expression confused. "... huh?" She blinked sleepily.