Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Awakening and Arrival
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Loan and Bella headed for Ferrara on a ship arranged by Knight Commander Bagelis.
His seniors from the Practical Division were nowhere to be seen at the docks.
It meant they had already begun their mission.
Loan wished for his seniors' safety, yet at the same time, he felt guilty, wondering if he was the only one traveling in comfort.
This was because Bagelis had provided an unexpected convenience for him and Bella.
The ship was less than half the size of the one he had first sailed on, but with only Loan, Bella, and the crew aboard, it was incredibly comfortable.
Though she had yet to awaken.
Perhaps thanks to Loan consistently enveloping her in Convection and breathing mana with her, Bella was slowly recovering.
Loan sat by Bella's side as she lay in the cabin bed, scooping up ice cream.
It was the very same ice cream made from Rhodesian milk that Philippa had brought while being scolded by Bella on the first day of their voyage.
Today, it tasted a little sad.
Loan suddenly placed a hand on his chest.
As always, he found solace in his swirling heart.
'Perhaps sadness is as unnecessary an emotion as anger.'
He knew it wasn't something he could control with willpower alone.
Still, to prevent sadness and anger from repeating.
To keep them from happening to more people.
He thought he needed to steel his resolve.
The vision from five years ago, deeply etched in his mind, was now accepted by Loan as his destiny, and all the coincidences and connections that followed felt like inevitable preparations for it.
Lost in thought, Loan continued to eat his ice cream.
He breathed with Bella.
And he would gaze at the sea for long stretches, recalling his journey from Versa to Ferrara, and then to Rhodes.
Two missions had defined that time.
Commander Adrian's words, telling him to simply go and have fun at the social gathering.
They held a profound meaning—to experience, to strive, to cultivate—and just as the Commander had foreseen, they left Loan with an unforgettable experience and deep reflections.
The mission given by Vice Commander Oscar was the same.
Thinking back, he was grateful.
When they were short-handed, sending him specifically to pursue Bella had been a considerate gesture, allowing him to resolve any lingering feelings.
Fortunately, though not perfect, he had gained and achieved much.
The facts.
The forgotten wheat field, the dwarven underground city, the first passage, the bound demon, the creators of the Stone of Goetia, the 72 demons, the demon army, and the army's absorption.
Just revealing the information he had learned on his own would be recognized as a significant contribution.
His personal enlightenment and achievements were also incomparable to before he left.
The concept of splitting Convection into fine threads and mixing it with elemental magic enhanced Loan's abilities so dramatically that he wondered why he hadn't realized it sooner.
'It's not just a slight improvement; I'm completely renewed.'
It could be used for both offense and defense.
It could even be applied to movement techniques, which was how he had managed to cross the sea.
Its effectiveness and efficiency were so outstanding that it could be used as a primary skill alongside Sheville.
'Getting inspiration from the demon Naberius is a fun memory, too.'
The 'Sphere,' manifested around a stationary caster, was the embodiment of ceaselessly moving power contained within the principles of nature.
He then constrained this power within an artificial form.
A destructive attack that bound the outward-stretching mana into a single thread, controlled it to its absolute limit, then snapped it to unleash it all at once.
That was the second secret technique he realized through the demon: [Arc of the Void].
'It's still too incomplete to be recorded as a secret art.'
Of course, anyone intelligent enough to master the 'Sphere' could probably manifest the 'Arc' for a brief moment just by transforming its shape with their will.
Even if they couldn't pour out Convection itself like projectiles as he did, they could still create an excellent area-of-effect attack by utilizing thrown weapons.
However, creating a formula to systematically organize it was a separate issue, and the existence of the core 'mana attractant' and the method to handle it would also be obstacles to popularizing the technique.
'There's a lot to figure out.'
Furthermore.
"Hmm..."
Loan twirled the necklace in his fingers.
It was still consistently drawing in mana, but it wasn't a fundamental solution.
Aul and the necklace were meant to function as support tools.
'I need to be able to do it myself, without external help.'
That is true growth.
He had seen the potential with the necklace, so internalizing that ability was his true goal.
Loan returned to the thoughts he'd had when creating the necklace.
'I had an epiphany seeing how mana, with its power originating from rotation, attracted itself.'
A necklace created by rotating a magic tool at extreme speeds to artificially amplify the interaction of mana.
From circulation, he gained enlightenment and manifested the [Infinite Void].
Everything began with the shape of a circle and returned to it.
A circle. A sphere. Rotation. Circulation. A ring.
So, the correct answer was—
the gift from Pauline, which allowed him to draw in mana faster through breathing and purify countless particles of dark mana.
'Could this power settled in my heart be the fundamental mana attractant?'
There it was.
However, since he knew nothing of the power's origin or principles, he left it as a mere possibility for now.
Even so, it was an incredibly exciting thought.
Then, a day before their arrival.
Another joyful event occurred.
"Loan...?"
Bella had regained consciousness.
She wasn't yet able to sit up completely, but she had no trouble conversing with Loan.
However, her memories were rather jumbled.
"So... you're saying we didn't meet at the shelter?"
"No. That's not your memory, Bella."
It seemed that fragmented and misplaced memories belonging to Amy, Bella, and presumably the demon Asmo were jumbled together.
"It's so confusing. Though I suppose I brought this on myself."
"A powerless human can't resist a demon. You only accepted the contract because it stole your body and preyed on your weaknesses, clouding your judgment. Don't worry about it anymore. You're just a victim who was harmed by a demon, Bella."
"..."
"Your memories will gradually get better, too. You might recover even faster once you see the people from your guild."
"Ah..."
Deeply moved by Loan's prepared words, Bella recalled her guild members, and her eyes quickly welled up with tears.
When she heard that Loan had promised them he would bring her back, she finally burst into tears.
Even after hearing his warm words, her regret for her actions did not easily fade.
It was mixed with her feelings of guilt toward Loan and her guild members.
She vowed through her tears.
"I am in your debt. I'll spend my life repaying you."
"Don't say that."
After that day's conversation.
Bella began to eat heartily and move her body with renewed vigor.
She recovered her strength in just a day, a recovery that seemed a bit fast even to Loan.
Her memories seemed to have grown a little clearer.
She started talking to herself more, which seemed to be part of a process of sorting out her memories by speaking them aloud.
"It's strange."
Bella said as they stood side by side on the deck, watching the approaching port of Ferrara.
"What is?"
"The memories of three beings are all mixed up, but all the memories of you, Young Master Loan, are good ones."
"Even the demon's?"
"Exactly."
"That's funny."
"Should I tell you about them?"
"Not really. But I am curious about the other memories."
Bella tilted her head.
"Other memories?"
"Amy's memories of Le Tell. All the memories the demon has. Things like that would be good."
"Personally, those are things I'd rather not recall."
Bella's expression suddenly darkened.
Loan couldn't know exactly how she felt, but he tried to imagine constantly recalling the horrific vision he had seen and having to describe it to someone.
It wouldn't be easy, but with a clear goal, it might be possible to overcome.
She seemed to need some motivation.
"It's because they would be helpful to the Union. I'm sure the information you provide will contribute greatly to the peace and stability of the world."
"Wow..."
"Yes? Why?"
"Hearing that my head contains such grand things feels like a huge burden."
"Well, what you went through wasn't exactly ordinary."
The two of them briefly reflected on their respective memories.
And at the same time, they both shook their heads.
Bella said.
"Memories don't just pour out in a stream, so I'm not sure how well it will go."
"There is a way, but..."
Loan trailed off slightly before shaking his head again.
"Never mind. Just tell me what you remember, slowly, as it comes to you. We have time until we reach Ferrara Castle."
However, it seemed that wish would be difficult to grant right away.
Because familiar faces could be seen at the port, which was now right before them.
"Mister Richard? Gaston? Sasha!"
The employees of the Bella Guild were waiting for them at the port with a carriage and horses.
Their appearances were extremely haggard.
It didn't seem to be just because of their long journey.
Loan waited for the Bella Guild members to enjoy their reunion of tears and laughter before asking.
"How did you know we would be arriving? And did you have any trouble on your way here?"
The man who had asked Loan to bring Bella back, Richard, answered.
"The mustached gentleman who was with you informed us of your arrival. We were on a tight schedule to return to Versa, and he even provided an escort, so we thought we could save some time, but..."
"A Union member escorted you?"
Loan asked, cutting him off, which was unlike him.
He looked around, but there were no Union members in sight.
Even if they were hidden, he would have detected them with his mana, but he didn't sense any powerful individuals.
There were, however, quite a few of Ferrara's Royal Guards.
"Yes. Things have gotten much better, but Ferrara itself is in a very chaotic state right now, so it's not easy to travel freely."
Loan already knew this from his notebook.
It said that there were frequent disturbances, both large and small.
It was only natural.
The Duke who supported the nation and his daughter. Three heirs of influential families who attended the social gathering. All of them were dead.
People trying to seize the duchy, people who had lost their reason to anger and grief, those trying to profit from the chaos, and those who simply enjoyed the turmoil were all mixed together.
No matter how active the Union was, it would be difficult to calm the situation easily.
The fact that all of this was because of a single demon left Loan dumbfounded once again.
"But why isn't the member visible?"
"The Union is short-staffed, so only one person came with us. He insisted that he absolutely had to come, so reluctantly..."
At that moment, one person came to Loan's mind with vivid clarity.
Was that why a sense of unease had been creeping up on him as the conversation continued?
Loan asked slowly, cautiously, in a low, subdued voice.
He wanted to confirm if the person was alive or dead first.
"That member... is he dead?"
He had braced himself, but the response was unexpected.
"Goodness, no. Forgive me for saying this, but I've never seen such a monster."
"..."
"Everyone from guys in suits to bandits and robbers came at us one after another, and he crushed them all by himself. He got even wilder after hearing news of you, Young Master Loan. Said he needed achievements too."
"Then why do you all look so..."
"That's because we couldn't take the normal roads. He insisted on choosing only the roughest paths, as if he were hoping for an attack."
"So where is he now?"
"He was here until a moment ago, but when he heard there were some robbers nearby, he dashed off in a flash, leaving even the Royal Guards behind. He looked incredibly excited."
"That Union member. Is he by any chance around my age?"
"Ah, yes. His name is Lucas."
"Ah..."
Loan sighed with both exasperation and relief.