Chapter 83: Mana Manifestor
Chapter 83: Mana Manifestor
Ella definitely looked surprised. Her eyes widened, and her ears stood straight up. Seeing that, Ras let out a small chuckle. But then he belatedly remembered that she seemed to have some discomfort regarding magic, and his expression changed.
“Are you okay?”
“Mhm. But Ras oppa really is a mage.”
Ella nodded repeatedly before speaking in a slightly dazed tone.
She clearly remembered hearing that Ras was learning magic.
Not only that. She had heard everything: how Ras spent all this time learning Rune Language, how he succeeded in using basic magic, and even how he planned to try using fairly strong magic before coming here. But somehow, it had never felt real. Yet now that she had seen it with her own eyes, it truly hit her.
“Well, yeah. Why? Are you scared?”
“No. It’s not like that.”
Ella shook her head firmly at Ras’s worried question. And judging by how she looked him directly in the eyes, it did not seem like she had suddenly become afraid of him.
Ras felt relieved inside.
Of course, he remembered that Ella did not particularly like magic.
But he was already a mage, and he planned to continue living as one in the future. That was why he had carefully talked to her about magic all this time. And the reason he specifically brought her here today was the same.
Ras liked Ella, but even if she disliked it, he had no intention of giving up everything he wanted unconditionally.
So even if he could not make her like magic, he intended to keep emphasizing that he was a mage so she would gradually become accustomed to it.
Afterward, Ras asked for Ella’s opinion and used magic several more times.
He was satisfied. Not just because it felt refreshing to freely use magic, but because he was satisfied with his magical ability itself. At this level, he felt like he could easily deal with thugs or even robbers.
In fact, he was more worried about accidentally crossing the line into excessive self-defense. Unlike Korea, the Republic of Smite recognized self-defense relatively easily. But that did not mean it was acceptable to burn a simple troublemaker to death just because they picked a fight.
No, even if the courts acknowledged it, public criticism would still be unavoidable.
In any case, through this experience, Ras gained confidence that he had the ability to protect both himself and Ella.
And another unexpected benefit was that today’s experience made him think he could create a pretty good game. The shooting range was more interesting than he expected.
He realized anew that simply standing still and firing projectiles at targets without even needing to run or dodge could still be enjoyable.
But he was not planning to make something as simple as a shooting game. He did not think such games were bad, but since he came from a more advanced world, he wanted to create something at least a little better.
“Boss. Are you finished? Shall we head back to your residence?”
“Yes. Please.”
Ras asked Radmi to drive them home, then immediately sank into his seat and fell deep into thought.
Meanwhile, while Ras became absorbed in planning a new game, Ella looked at him with a complicated expression.
She had hidden it all this time. But now that Ras was a mage capable of using magic like that, she wondered whether there was any reason to keep hiding it.
It was something she had already agonized over repeatedly.
Back when Ella first observed Ras from afar, she already thought he seemed decent. Not enough to say she fell for him, but she did think he seemed like someone she would not mind dating.
First of all, he was young, neat, and his appearance was not unpleasant either.
In truth, perhaps because she herself was pretty, Ella had high standards and tended to strongly shut down advances from the opposite sex. The reason she developed favorable feelings toward Ras so easily was probably because she had been cornered so badly back then.
In any case, after various events led them to stay together, she gradually came to genuinely like Ras. Since Ras constantly pursued her so aggressively, it also felt somewhat like she had been swept along without realizing it. But now, it was true that she genuinely liked him as her boyfriend.
That was why Ella did not want to keep secrets.
But after spending so many years living on the streets as an orphan, she knew well that human hearts were realistic. No matter how strong someone’s feelings were, reality could inevitably change them.
That was why she had suppressed the urge to tell him everything until now. In fact, it was because she truly came to love Ras. She did not want to see him suffer.
But now that Ras himself had become a powerful mage, there was no longer any reason to hide it. The only thing that bothered her was that she had kept silent for so long. But if not now, she would never be able to reveal it. She hated the idea of continuing to live while keeping secrets from Ras.
After much deep thought, Ella finally made her decision.
That evening, Ras was diligently working on his design documents. It bothered him slightly that Ella went straight to her own room the moment they returned. But since she occasionally spent time alone like that even normally, he did not think too deeply about it.
Besides, Ras himself wanted to quickly organize the inspiration that had just come to him.
After organizing things to some extent, he checked the time and realized it was already slightly past dinner. Ella had probably already finished eating, so he was considering going to the nearby grocery store and roughly buying whatever when—
Knock knock!
“Who is it?”
“Oppa. It’s me.”
Ras was slightly surprised, but he had already grown accustomed to situations where someone knocked on his door. And as expected, he heard Ella’s slightly husky voice.
“Oh. Come in.”
As he opened the door, the first thing he thought was that perhaps Ella had not eaten yet either and had come to ask him to eat together.
So he thought the timing was good and looked at her with a smile. But for some reason, Ella hesitated for a moment before saying something completely different from what he expected.
“There’s something I want to tell you...”
Ras wondered what was going on, but seeing her unusually serious expression, he first brought her to the table and sat her down. Then, to give her some time, he headed into the kitchen to prepare tea.
There was no decent tea available. Ras preferred carbonated drinks like Zyle over tea. He stared at the empty cabinet for a moment, wondering what to do, before remembering the instant coffee he had bought long ago. He bought it simply out of curiosity, but after finding it terrible, he stuffed it away.
Ras recalled the unpleasant taste and hesitated, but since Ella was not particularly strict about coffee flavor anyway, he decided to simply dump in a lot of sugar.
“So. What’s going on?”
Ella could not answer Ras’s question immediately and instead took a sip of the unbearably sweet coffee. But she did not really taste it at all. Instead, her ears twitched atop her head as she agonized for quite some time before finally forcing her lips open.
“The thing is... actually, I’m a Mana Manifestor.”
A Mana Manifestor referred to someone who either possessed powerful mana from birth or accidentally awakened mana due to some circumstance before formally learning magic.
Ras froze briefly because of the unexpected term. But it was not a major problem. He already knew such people existed, and Ras himself was currently a spell user with mana.
If Ras himself had not possessed mana, perhaps he might have felt slightly jealous.
“Hmm. Which type are you?”
“What do you mean, which type?”
“You know. Whether you’re the kind born with strong mana, or someone who awakened it accidentally.”
“Ah...”
Ella felt slightly relieved by Ras’s completely normal tone, but she still could not fully relax and continued watching his reaction carefully. Moreover, the question he just asked could be considered sensitive depending on the situation. But since she had already revealed it, she did not want to lie now.
“Th-The strong mana type.”
“Mhm.”
Ras reacted as though it was simply natural. Though inwardly, he was admittedly a little envious.
Having strong mana did not necessarily mean one could use powerful magic. But it did provide many advantages, such as making it easier to resonate with existences and allowing someone to use very basic magic without borrowing power from those existences.
Ella felt relieved at Ras’s reaction. Even just this much already accomplished her goal. But since she had started talking anyway, she decided to reveal even the things she had never mentioned before.
“Do you remember when I said I almost ended up going to some organization before?”
“Mhm.”
“That was because I’m a Mana Manifestor. And that organization was the Mage Gang.”
“Ah...”
Only then did Ras realize what Ella was talking about. She was confessing the hidden details behind something she previously brushed aside as a secret.
But beyond thinking, So that’s what it was, he did not feel much else. After all, she had openly said before that she was hiding something. And the secret itself was not some horrifying thing that made him uncomfortable.
Of course, the words “Mage Gang” were slightly intimidating, but Ras was no longer an ordinary civilian who trembled helplessly before gangs. This was a capitalist country, and Ras was a businessman and a rich man. He was not someone mere criminals could recklessly touch.
And from their perspective, it made sense that Ella, who possessed strong mana, would seem like desirable talent. But that did not mean they absolutely had to obtain her.
After all, orphans with mana were more common than one might think.
After thinking that far, Ras concluded that there probably was not any real problem, then shifted his thoughts toward why she chose to confess this now.
And he quickly guessed the reason.
After seeing him use fairly powerful magic, she likely concluded that he would not fear or discriminate against her for being a Mana Manifestor.
Indeed, people in this world possessed a vague fear toward Mana Manifestors. And in reality, some Mana Manifestors truly could wield powers similar to magic.
Of course, Mana Manifestors were still ordinary people. So they did not casually harm others. But even so, if someone fundamentally different from you possessed the power to easily hurt you, most people would instinctively avoid them.
It was simply unavoidable because it related to survival instinct. Ella had worried that Ras might look at her that way.
But now Ras himself was also someone who used dangerous magic. And if the level he displayed earlier at the shooting range was genuine, then they were no longer a human and a lion.
They were lion and lion.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say they had become human and human again.
After understanding Ella’s feelings to that extent, Ras quietly placed a hand atop her head.
He felt sorry for how afraid she must have been all this time. And at the same time, he found it lovable how she had finally opened her heart and relaxed after seeing Ras as someone like herself.
Ras stroked her head, then carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He worried slightly that perhaps he acted too much according to his feelings, but fortunately, Ella did not reject him.
Having finally opened the last lock on their hearts, the two naturally became physically closer as well.
For a long time, they embraced each other, feeling one another’s warmth and scent, and as though by mutual understanding, the two eventually headed toward the bed.
After learning that Ella was a Mana Manifestor, Ras tried recommending that she learn magic as well. But she shook her head and firmly refused.
“I hate magic.”
Since she once drew the attention of the Mage Gang, she learned much about them as well. Through that, she heard rumors about frightening and cruel acts performed through magic, and she had even witnessed some herself.
Of course, she was not foolish. She knew magic itself was merely a tool, and that everything depended on the person using it. But even if she understood that rationally, her feelings toward magic did not change.
Ras thought her talent was a waste, but he decided not to persuade her. Just because someone had talent did not mean they had to walk that path.
And he also cautiously asked about her ability. Ella looked reluctant, but she still explained it. It was not anything extremely unusual. It was simply a power that converted mana into physical force and created impact.
“It’s not as strong as the magic Ras oppa showed before.”
Since it was an invisible attack, it was certainly fairly threatening. But in the end, its power was only about equivalent to a wooden club or steel pipe. In a world with guns, it was difficult to consider it especially overwhelming combat power.
No, actually, an ability that allowed someone to endlessly swing invisible steel pipes without using physical strength or stamina probably was powerful combat ability after all. It was not a weapon of war or anything, but it was definitely the kind of ability organizations like gangs would covet.
Ras decided to simply understand it as Ella possessing the power to protect herself.