Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Chapter 12 Exchange (5)
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He raised the ring up to eye level and peered at it closely.
“Three stars. The activation word is…….”
Mana stirred faintly near Ahel for just a moment, and immediately after, he gave a strange smile as he spoke.
“It’s the name. The true name of the mana possessor.”
In that instant, it had accidentally revealed that K wasn’t my real name.
But it wasn’t a huge problem.
“K is my name too.”
It was a code name, so it wasn’t a lie.
“You can have multiple names. Bennett has a title too, of course. No need to explain it away.”
“Glad you understand.”
“Ah, speaking of which, let me explain something too…….”
Ahel kept his smiling face but suddenly lowered his voice.
“I figured it out while examining the magic tool. That your mana is lightning-aligned.”
It wasn’t all that surprising. Ahel had approached me already suspecting something about my mana.
‘Probably tied to that whole lingering scent thing.’
Letting my attribute be revealed was a risk I’d accepted the moment I handed over the ring.
I smiled back at Ahel.
“Didn’t plan on hiding it.”
“You should hide it though?”
But his response completely threw me off.
“Cases like yours are incredibly rare.”
Even a few years back, fifth-grade mana users numbered fewer than a hundred across the entire continent.
“With all four elements layered together, the scent is bound to be intense. You’d better learn how to conceal it fast.”
Only then did I recall what I’d learned in middle school science class.
‘Lightning……comes from thunderclouds, right?’
Thunderclouds typically form from rising currents of heated ground air.
For the energy building there to come down, it needs the ground as a trigger.
‘Yeah, when you put it that way, it all fits.’
I couldn’t have pieced it together on my own yet, but Ahel’s explanation brought it up to a level I could grasp.
It even explained why I hadn’t noticed any issues when using my skills.
‘So mana detection is a low-grade spell usable starting from first grade?’
The price tag alone was enough to qualify it as such.
‘And the effect is just spotting nearby mana.’
That lined up perfectly with what Ahel had said about mana, attributes, and magic.
Verifying the theory was simple.
I just had to show Ahel the butterflies that appeared whenever I activated mana detection.
“Is this a low-grade spell?”
Flutter, flutter.
The moment Ahel saw the red butterfly slip from my pocket, he nodded.
“Exactly.”
Over a dozen blue-glowing butterflies emerged and circled around him.
Their leaking light was enough to disrupt the surrounding darkness.
“Detection spells just open a channel so mana can sense other mana.”
Even without spells like this, people sensitive to mana often pick up on the presence of living things in hidden spots.
So it wasn’t like forcing fire to ignite where none should burn, bucking the natural flow.
If anything, it was closer to an expansion than a disruption.
Ahel waved his hand to scatter the butterflies, then continued his somewhat vague explanation.
Now it made sense why I could use mana detection and sensory expansion even without an attribute.
But solving the mystery didn’t exactly thrill me.
For some reason, Ahel’s eyes seemed to gleam even more than before.
I instinctively leaned my upper body back a bit, and his eyes crinkled deeper at the corners.
He placed the ring on his palm, covered it with his other hand, and began muttering in a suggestive tone.
“If word gets out, everyone and their brother will come begging for a trade.”
It was only natural—cases where a handful of mana could wield all four elements were practically unheard of.
“And if you refuse……it might turn into a forced trade with no mutual agreement.”
As he muttered that, he lifted his hand. With a flash of light, my ring dropped right in front of my eyes.
Unlike a falling stone, I reacted fast and snatched it out of the air.
‘Exactly.’
It was a warning that unilateral theft could happen without my consent.
If someone as powerful as Rashar orchestrated it, I’d be helpless.
After dropping that rather chilling warning, Ahel wore an innocent smile.
He even propped his chin on both hands and shoved his face right up close like some wide-eyed kid.
“My business is done. If you ever feel like trading, let me know later. I’ll stock back up on mana once I’m back at the outpost.”
“Sure, I’ll think about it.”
“Thanks for the time.”
“Feels like my line. It was a pretty informative chat.”
“Good to hear.”
Ahel had smiled the whole time from start to finish as he dealt with me, then promptly stood up.
“I’ve got one more question. Mind if I ask?”
But I grabbed his attention before he could leave.
Instead of questioning it, Ahel just turned back to me.
As if to say, go ahead and ask.
With his silent permission, I asked the one thing I’d wondered about since first laying eyes on him.
“Why do you wear that thing?”
Tap, tap. As I touched my own neck, Ahel answered with a mischievous, impish grin.
“It’s a kind of promise.”
“……What do you mean?”
“A promise not to ignore agreements with others.”
Kuku. The moment that tiny laugh tickled my ear, the odd sensation sharpened into perfect clarity.
I watched his back as he headed toward the campsite and clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘Scratch that about us getting along.’
Ahel and I didn’t mesh well. The conversation had just flowed easily.
He’d tailored it all to win me over.
‘All I can read is what he shows.’
In that not-so-brief exchange, I hadn’t gleaned anything beyond the purpose he’d openly stated.
I couldn’t even guess what went on in his head.
Impossible to judge him or understand him when his true feelings were such a black box.
‘Normally, someone this opaque isn’t a good sign.’
With Jaehyuk or Rashar, there was at least a baseline understanding of the other person.
This guy’s temperament, likes and dislikes.
Being able to judge them meant they operated within the bounds of common sense I could fathom.
‘Meaning they share my fundamental way of thinking—same breed.’
Ahel, on the other hand, gave me that constant sense of wrongness during our talk.
I couldn’t make sense of his actions, his smiles, his thoughts.
It meant his entire thought process was utterly alien to mine.
From experience, guys like that were dangerous at an alarmingly high rate.
‘Better steer clear.’
I watched his back as he rejoined Rashar’s group, then gave a short tongue click.
‘Gotta stay cautious for a while.’
Fortunately, once this mission wrapped, I wouldn’t have to see him again.
Just keep him at arm’s length until then.
* * *
Normally, we’d rest for the night and set out at dawn.
But Ahel waking up changed the plan.
We’d use spatial transfer magic once his mana recovered.
‘No pointless marching means no more fights, huh.’
Fights were how I got more mana to devour!
Recalling Rashar’s explanation, I inwardly chewed over my regrets.
Even after waking, we weren’t leaving and just kept resting—such a waste of time.
So I was browsing the shop window.
No more trekking meant fights were unlikely from here on.
Time to put the mana I’d stockpiled to use.
I eyed the shop window with a serious expression.
That’s when the voices of Rashar and Ahel, conversing not far off, started growing louder.
“At least you woke up before we hit the Karoph Woods.”
“With our numbers halved, it worked out. Less mana drain.”
“……You know that’s not what I meant.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“How long do you plan to keep acting like a brat?”
Back and forth.
“Until I get sick of it. If those guys were still alive, we’d need way more mana, and the odds of us all croaking in the polluted zone would’ve shot up. So yeah, it worked out.”
“Ahel, I’m not about to defend those guys, but your attitude right now…….”
“Hey, how about we ditch Hesserma on this trip too? Just say she died tragically!”
“Ahel!”
Rashar finally bellowed.
“You insolent……!”
Hesserma, suddenly dragged into it, flushed beet red and snapped back.
But Ahel brushed it off like it was nothing.
“Who was it that pulled that insolent stunt first, huh?”
“Shut your mouth, you traitorous bastard!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m the filthy, repulsive traitor, so I’ll leave you behind.”
“Ahel, if you do that, I’ll drag you to trial myself.”
“Trial? Big whoop. I’m the one casting the spells, so I’ll do what I want.”
“Ahel Beletia!”
Even with Rashar’s warning, Ahel just dug in his ear with a finger.
“No need to yell. I can hear you fine.”
He blew on the finger for show and sneered.
“What’re you gonna do about it? I’m not sad they’re dead. Not even a little pitiful. If anything, it feels damn good. Just the thought of ditching Hesserma here has me thrilled.”
Ahel’s voice had gained a fair bit of its crisp ring back compared to last night.
“And in that spirit!”
He suddenly turned to me and bowed at the waist.
“I’m deeply grateful to K for tossing out those worthless lives.”
I hadn’t picked and chosen who to save, but the way he put it made it sound like I’d deliberately excluded some.
‘That bastard.’
Why drag me into it when I was just sitting quiet?
I glared at him, face twisted.
But Ahel didn’t even glance my way as he kept going.
“Of course, some impurities tagged along in the process, but don’t worry. I’ll handle dumping the rest.”
It was absurd, but he sounded dead serious.
‘He really wants to leave Hesserma behind and use the transfer magic.’
What the hell had happened between them to make things this ugly?
Ahel’s barrage of insults and mockery aimed at Hesserma showed no sign of stopping.
Even I, a mere bystander, had to shake my head in disbelief.
Rashar issued several warnings, but he had zero intention of halting.
“Don’t forget—you brought this on yourself.”
Rashar finally let out a deep sigh and muttered.
As thick mana radiated from her, Ahel let out a scream and started thrashing.
Before I could even process the situation, Rashar barked in a hard voice.
“My patience ends here.”
After a long pause, Ahel—panting roughly—groaned out a response.
“Y-Yes, got it.”
Giggle, giggle.
I thought I’d misheard.
‘What kind of head are you living in to laugh at a time like this?’
I swallowed dryly in sheer disbelief.
That’s when Ahel, sprawled on the ground, looked my way and tapped his own neck.
I understood the gesture, and my expression hardened.
He’d just demonstrated the collar’s purpose.
Probably some kind of pain-inflicting control device.
I averted my gaze from his and clicked my tongue.
‘He didn’t flip out just to show me that.’
It was more like he’d used the outburst to casually clue me in on his curiosity about the collar.
Realizing that only solidified my resolve to keep my distance.
No reason to stick close to a guy who’d explain something like that in such an unhinged way.
I shook my head, tore my eyes away from him, and refocused on the shop.
I planned to regroup before facing whatever new mess awaited.
‘Who knows what’ll go down at that outpost.’
Better reinforce my strength while I had the chance.
Damned system