Dragon Heart
[This must be the dragon heart.]
Adel directed Cratel's slaves to dismantle the dragon's corpse.
"Kalderet, even you, a newborn god, seeing one for the first time?"
[Well, I've seen plenty of dragon hearts, but a heart that devoured a god? That's a first. Especially from such an arrogant lizard.]
"I see."
Adel smirked at Kalderet's words.
Thud—
Thud—
Thud—
The heart, extracted from the body, was still beating surprisingly.
[It's probably due to the power of a pure-blooded god. Even with the flesh destroyed, it relentlessly breathes life into it.]
Kalderet pointed at the dragon heart in Adel's hand.
[But look at the light flowing from it—it's fading bit by bit. It won't last much longer. Now that the body is gone, the divine power might consume the mana within the heart. Better extract it quickly.]
Adel nodded at his words and slowly drew up his divine and mana power.
Clank—!!
Shrrrrk—!!!
As he channeled his mana, the gauntlet on his arm unfolded.
[Slowly. If you can emit divine power, you can extract it too. Focus and don't lose the sensation in your hand. Think of transferring the power from the heart into a vessel that can hold Nephrem.]
As Kalderet instructed, Adel released one hand from his grip on the heart and slowly swept his arm through the air, as if pulling something out.
"Hoo…."
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
More focused than when battling the dragon, Adel held his breath and drew out the divine power from the heart.
[Good. Well done. You could absorb Nephrem's divine power right now, but that might scatter the mana inside the dragon heart.]
"Yeah, I get it."
Adel transferred Nephrem's core into the Platinum Ring.
Being a fitting vessel, the core seeped into the ring without resistance.
"What matters to me now is mana. Absorbing Nephrem carelessly could overwhelm my body with excess divine power, just like Shan."
[A wise choice.]
"What now?"
With Nephrem's core gone, the vigorously beating heart stopped, its surface quickly turning dark red.
[Simple.]
Kalderet flashed a strange smile.
[Eat it.]
"…."
Adel grimaced at the heart oozing sticky mucus.
"This?"
Hummmm….
A tingling sensation spread through his body, and Adel slowly closed his eyes.
Sizzle…!!
Steam rose around Adel in the large bathtub he'd had Karono prepare in advance.
The water, filled to his chest, evaporated from the intense heat.
[Don't trap the heat—release it all. A dragon's bloodline differs from a human's. Extract the unnecessary heat and gather only the pure mana.]
…This is dragon mana.
Adel recalled the heat of Garon's descent flowing through his veins on the plains.
This felt different.
The dragon's mana was hot yet cold.
Two opposing sensations, but as he drew out the heat, a core of mana as frigid as ice revealed itself.
Shwaaaaa—!!!!
The mana core sucked into his entire body, as if reclaiming the vanished heat.
[Here we go. Let me help.]
As the mana core began absorbing heat again, Garon promptly filled it with his own divine power.
[Lucky, I suppose… or is it fate? Thanks to you forcing that descent with me, your body can now withstand my heat.]
Indeed, unlike the scorching heat from the dragon heart, Garon's flames caused no discomfort.
[Now.]
The bathtub's water fully evaporated, turning the room into a kiln baking pottery—cracks spiderwebbed across the walls and floor.
Then Kalderet's low voice rang out.
[Kekeke, definitely tastier than that heart from moments ago.]
With eyes closed, Adel focused his mind, sensing the energy swirling within.
As he spread his hands and brought them together, a small vortex formed between them.
Shwaaaaa—!!!
The vortex burrowed into his body, and the room-filling heat vanished as if it had never been.
"Hoo…."
Adel exhaled deeply.
He felt his veins expand throughout his body, and the energies of his contracted gods flowed more clearly than before.
[Congratulations. In terms of mana quantity alone, you've reached the level of an 8-class mage—the pinnacle for humans.]
As Adel slowly opened his eyes, a new world unfolded before him.
Faint mana auras like heat hazes shimmered around objects, and the air carried the scent of mana.
[Still, it's just a bigger vessel. Without learning magic, you can't wield it properly….]
"A dragon heart holds its master's lingering will. Even if not all, Shan's spells are engraved within. I can learn them bit by bit."
Adel knew something more crucial than learning dragon magic from absorbing the heart.
[At least you won't be crushed by divine power anymore.]
"Right."
He nodded at Kalderet's words.
"I've got more to do now. Magic aside, Kalderet—from now on, I need to master your blessing."
The power of creation he'd never learned in his previous life.
Adel felt he could finally take the first step.
[Keke…. My teachings aren't easy. Steel yourself.]
"Just what I wanted."
He chuckled.
"Young master. Karono."
A voice from outside the door.
The honorific made their hierarchy clear.
"The feast preparations are complete."
"Hm."
Adel slowly rose at his words.
* * *
"Eat. It'll help you recover."
Cratel's liberation feast stretched late into the night.
At first, the slaves hesitated, awkward with their reclaimed freedom, but the aroma of roasting meat drew them all in. With full bellies, they seemed to find the courage to face the world again.
"Th-thank you."
Yura accepted the grilled dragon meat with a stiff expression.
"Your brother?"
"He seems okay. He took the potion you gave and fell asleep."
"Hm. Thank Karono over there. It was a potion only gladiator winners got. Though Shan's intent was probably to heal them just enough to kill more offerings."
Yura swallowed dryly at Adel's words.
"Thank you so much for helping. Without you, Adel, my brother would be dead by now."
"You got lucky. Or… getting caught by a bastard like Mahal was the bad luck."
She gave a bitter smile.
"Anyway, care to explain what happened? Why's your brother a boy?"
"…Pardon?"
Yura tilted her head, not grasping the question.
"Ah, right. That's not it. Your brother being male isn't the issue. The point is, didn't that Mahal creep do something weird to him when he bought you?"
"Something… weird?"
"Ahem, not the really weird stuff. Like forcing him to swallow some red-black bead or whatever."
Adel cleared his throat at her flustered face and pressed.
"There was. The noble who bought us… he made me swallow a dark red bead."
Yura shuddered at the memory of Mahal.
[Little one. Calm down. He's already half-dead thanks to Adel. He won't mess with you siblings anymore.]
"…Pardon?"
[If you want, I can make him fully dead.]
She stared at Adel in bewilderment at Kalderet's words.
"Not wrong."
Adel casually popped grilled dragon meat into his mouth.
"So keep going. Mahal's no idiot—he probably didn't implant a demon spirit stone in a boy. What happened?"
"Yohan… did it for me. We knew it was a demon spirit stone. My wisp warned me."
"And?"
"He could fool Mahal with his ability. He's a wisp user like me. He can create illusions through the wisp's light."
"Even low-grade spirits—two spirit mages could've escaped easily?"
Yura bowed her head at Adel's question and shook it.
"We were drugged by the slave trader then. Couldn't move a muscle. Using illusions with just mental strength was a miracle."
"So he tricked Mahal and swallowed the demon spirit stone instead."
"…Yes."
"Unlike me, his half-sister, he's a far superior spirit mage. Yohan has direct bloodline."
Yura smiled bitterly.
"If he hadn't come to the forest to see me…."
Adel pieced it together from her words.
The Razell tribe lives in the gorge. Coming to the forest means Yura was exiled or fled from the village.
The reason was clear from "half-brother."
"So what if you're half-siblings? Yohan followed you, left the village to see you. Be grateful your brother didn't forget you like your father did."
"But because of me…."
"There are people you call siblings without a drop of blood. And that's better than a life of inevitable fratricide, right?"
"…Pardon?"
"Whatever. Some people are like that. Don't mind."
Adel realized he'd unnecessarily vented his own situation to this young girl.
She looked his age, but his lived experience dwarfed hers.
Who knew the Mad Dog would go this far for his sister… I thought torture and killing were all he knew.
Adel felt hope that in this life, he could shape Yohan into someone entirely different from the one he knew.
His combat prowess goes without saying. As an ally, he'd be invaluable.
Mad Dog Yohan.
Adel knew his abilities better than anyone.
With the Holy Kingdom's power, he wielded mid-god Leon of the Sun's blessing. But his terror in war wasn't just the blessing.
The fairy power only the Razell tribe could wield.
Like Yura, he has talent for wisps.
Low-grade spirits weren't potent even among spirit mages.
But Yohan was different.
He contracted Spitt, king of wisps.
Wisps, agglomerations of all living souls, lacked physical power but wielded illusions.
Yohan hid the sun with Leon's power and blanketed battlefields in Spitt's illusions.
Blinded, hallucinating enemies were mercilessly slaughtered.
But maximizing Spitt requires light-based divine power like the Holy Kingdom's blessings.
Now, Yohan would have no ties to the Holy Kingdom.
"Lucky."
Not a perfect light god, but I have one from the same lineage. And higher rank than a sun god. He might surpass his past life's peak.
"Yura. Want to save Yohan?"
Adel asked her.
"O-of course! I'd do anything to save him!!"
"It's not impossible."
"How?"
He placed the Platinum Ring, housing Nephrem's dormant core from Shan's heart, on his palm and spoke to her.
"Become a Saintess."