The Silver Moonlight Restored
Yusefin Airid remembered her natural color vividly.
The Airid of the Spectrum. True to their family's epithet, direct descendants of the Airid line were born with their own unique color of mana.
Yusefin's color was silver.
A cold, serene silver-white, like a handful of ash scattered across a silver tray bathed in moonlight.
Her father, Oswald, used to look at that beautifully shining color and rejoice, calling her a brilliant talent who would lead the family in the future.
It was only two years ago that the light began to fade.
At first, she thought it was merely fatigue. But the gray spots that started at her fingertips gradually spread across her entire body, dulling her hair, and even the mana she took such pride in was dyed a dull ash-gray.
The Black Sickness. A rare disease never before reported to the academic society, it was nothing short of a death sentence for a mage of the Airid family.
“Is there truly no way?!”
Her father, Oswald, relentlessly hounded the family's mages in his desperate bid to find a cure.
It was around that time that the black mages approached them. Infiltrating the very heart of the Airid estate under the pretext of curing the Black Sickness, they assured Oswald that with just a little support, they could cure her.
Black mages were heretics of the magic world who violated taboos, clear and undeniable villains. Joining hands with them was an inexcusable, grave crime.
Oswald was well aware of this. Yet, unable to stand by and watch his only daughter die, he ultimately swallowed his pride and took the devil's hand.
“…I am sorry. I am a foolish father…”
Oswald had said to Yusefin.
And then, he turned a blind eye. If turning away from one's own sins was a step toward becoming an adult, Yusefin wanted no part of adulthood.
“It is a suppressant.”
Yusefin remembered all too clearly the sacrifices required to make that medicine. She had taken the suppressant knowing full well what it cost. She had forced herself to ignore the fact that her own life was rooted in the graves of others.
In the end, she realized that she, too, had climbed the steps of adulthood that day.
…How futile.
Even if the black mages developed a cure and rid her of the Black Sickness, her mana would never regain its brilliant silver hue.
Once mana lost its color, it could never return to what it was. The same went for Yusefin's emotions. From that day forward, she closed her heart and shut out the world.
She had felt absolutely nothing when she was rescued from the abandoned mine in Rodel, when the Benheim mages gathered around her in concern, or even when Oswald held her, apologizing over and over again.
But…
“…Raygan.”
Even Yusefin could not help but be deeply shocked the moment she saw the face of the person who had come to treat her.
Raygan von Benheim.
He was a familiar face.
The man who had stormed into the abandoned mine in the Mist Valley and saved her of his own accord.
And now, he had walked right into the Airid quarters, claiming he would cure her Black Sickness. It was incomprehensible. Why would Raygan, the son-in-law of the Benheim family, come to treat her, the successor of the Airid family?
“From now on, I'm going to extract all of your mana, purify it, and put it back.”
Raygan spoke calmly.
Yusefin was less shocked by the sheer extremity of the treatment than by her father's silent compliance.
Oswald stood by the doorway, watching the scene with anxious eyes. To think her strict, arrogant father would entrust his daughter's life to the son-in-law of another family.
That fact, too, was unpleasant.
“…Don't treat me.”
And so, she flatly refused.
“I don't deserve to live. There's no value in risking your life for someone like me. You'll only put yourself in danger.”
Yusefin was already no different from an accomplice to the black mages. What value was there in a life prolonged by stepping over countless sacrifices?
Moreover, the treatment Raygan proposed carried immense risk for the practitioner as well. Extracting and purifying mana from within the body—it sounded simple, but a single mistake was a gamble that could collapse the mana cores of both parties.
Thud.
Raygan, however, took off his coat with complete indifference, as if her opinion didn't matter in the slightest, and pulled the Airid prism from his breast pocket, placing it down.
“I told you to stop. If this goes wrong, you'll…”
“Man, you sure talk a lot. Must take after your old man.”
“……”
Yusefin's eyes widened at the sudden, blunt remark.
Raygan let out a sigh.
“You know, I once knew a woman who talked just like you. She told me she was a lost cause, so I should run away and survive on my own. Very wise. In fact, it was the right decision.”
Raygan placed the barrier stone right next to the prism. Then, he looked up and stared straight into Yusefin's eyes. A strange light flickered in his pale blue eyes.
“But the thing is, I'm not a particularly wise guy. And I'm definitely not the type to turn a blind eye to someone dying right in front of me.”
“……”
“So shut up and let me draw out your mana. Whether you want to live or die doesn't matter to me. There's a problem right in front of me, so I'm just going to solve it.”
Yusefin stared blankly at Raygan.
Why was this man so full of certainty?
There was absolutely no reason for a complete stranger to risk his life for a sinner like her.
“Won't… turn a blind eye.”
Yet, those words echoed in Yusefin's mind.
Unlike Yusefin and her father, who had turned away from the black mages' atrocities, Raygan refused to look away.
“……”
Suddenly, memories of the Mist Valley came back to her.
Before his battle with the mercenary Barg, Raygan had said he had no intention of dying.
And he had done exactly as he said. He had defeated Barg without sustaining a single scratch.
His tone now was just like it had been then.
Raygan was absolutely certain that this highly dangerous treatment would succeed.
“How can you be so confident?”
“Confident or not, I wouldn't have started if I couldn't fix it.”
“……”
It was an unfounded, almost arrogant confidence.
But Yusefin instinctively knew she could not break this man's stubbornness.
“Fine. Do whatever you want.”
“I was planning to anyway.”
* * *
“She's asleep,” Lunia said.
She had just put Yusefin Airid to sleep using magic.
For a mage, falling asleep—becoming completely defenseless against external interference—was akin to a state of suspended animation. There was a reason mages always set up defensive wards around their camps.
I let out a deep sigh as I looked at Yusefin's sleeping face.
“Seriously, I'm trying to save her life, and she still throws a fit.”
I turned my head to look at Lunia, who was standing behind me.
“Alright, Lunia. You know your role, right?”
“Yes. While you purify the mana, I will use the prism to match the wavelength and inject the mana back into her body. As quickly and precisely as possible.”
“Good. As long as you understand.”
The key to this procedure was speed and precision.
The moment I extracted Yusefin's contaminated mana, her mana core would enter a vacuum state. Lunia had to fill that void immediately. Normally, this would be impossible. But not for me.
Injecting someone else's mana was a taboo, but matching the wavelengths through the Airid prism would minimize any rejection response.
Above all, Lunia's mana was the purest on the continent. Since my own body had accepted it once before, Yusefin shouldn't face any major issues either.
“Lunia, let's begin.”
“Okay.”
I placed my hand on Yusefin's chest. At the same time, Lunia took Yusefin's hand from the other side and began drawing up her mana.
Under the watchful eyes of Oswald and Stern, the two family heads, we began the resonance.
Wuuuung—
First, I opened my mana core. I flung open the empty side of the two chambers divided by the barrier.
Mana flows from high density to low density, from top to bottom. Through the connected mana circuits, the stagnant mana inside Yusefin's body slowly began to flow into mine.
“Damn, this is awful...”
The moment Yusefin's mana coursed through my body, a terrible, jarring sensation assaulted me.
It was the exact opposite of when I had accepted Lunia's mana from the leyline in the past. It felt like sticky tar was being forced through my veins.
This is... definitely a curse.
I was certain of it.
This was a curse crafted by black mages. Mana contaminated by curses always felt like this—a foul-smelling residue of mana mixed with the unique impurities and grudges of dark magic.
Having fought countless Curse Mages in my past life, the sensation was all too familiar.
Actually, this is for the best.
Since I recognized the energy, I also knew how to purify it.
I circulated the Benheim mana cultivation technique. I guided the contaminated mana into my first core. There, I spun the core entirely, separating the impurities.
Then, I passed it through the barrier.
My body—specifically, my mana core itself—was acting as a massive filter.
Sssss.
I thought I heard a burning sound coming from my mana core.
The contaminated mana completely filled my core. My blood vessels felt like they were about to burst, and my bones twisted as if they were being crushed. A metallic, bloody taste welled up at the tip of my tongue.
But I didn't stop. Instead, I spun my core even faster. What I needed right now was speed.
“…Lunia.”
“Yes, I know.”
In response to my signal, Lunia injected the refined mana through the prism into Yusefin's body.
Lunia's mana turned into a silver light, filling Yusefin's body, and the contaminated mana pushed out by its force flowed into mine.
Pui.
Unable to hold it in, I spat out a mouthful of blood.
In addition to my own mana, Yusefin's mana was swirling inside me. In other words, I was currently enduring the mana of more than two people within a single body.
Naturally, a human body could not accommodate mana beyond its limits. At this rate, my core would inevitably collapse.
But I had one more trick up my sleeve...
Flash!
I squeezed the barrier stone in my hand.
The barrier stone, which had already been purified and emptied, served as an excellent fuel tank.
I channeled the excess mana that surpassed my limits into the barrier stone to store it.
Yusefin's mana flowed through my body, and the empty space left behind was filled by Lunia's.
Meanwhile, the mana exceeding my body's capacity was directed into the barrier stone.
The entire process was carried out swiftly and precisely.
But with high speed came a heavy toll. My mana core expanded as if it were about to explode at any second.
It was severely overheating from purifying the contaminated mana.
The metallic taste in my mouth gave way to a burnt flavor.
But I didn't stop.
If I stopped here, everything would be in vain.
“Lunia, push it in a bit harder.”
“Are you sure? If we go any faster, you'll...”
“I'm fine. I can handle it.”
Lunia hesitated for a moment before nodding, pushing Yusefin's mana out with even greater force.
Though the contaminated and cursed mana flooded my body, the process proceeded without a hitch. My mana core performed its role as a filter flawlessly.
Sssss—
How much time had passed?
The color of the mana flowing from Yusefin's body gradually began to pale.
No, it wasn't fading. It was reclaiming its original color.
“…Ah.”
Lunia let out a soft exclamation. Her gaze was fixed on Yusefin's hair.
Yusefin's hair, which had been the same ash-gray as mine, was now shining with a brilliant silver light.
They said the direct descendants of the Airid family possessed their own unique colors, and in Yusefin's case...
“It's silver.”
It was a radiant silver-white.
* * *
Watching the miracle unfold before his eyes, Oswald's jaw dropped.
“…Heh.”
Extracting and purifying the mana from within the body.
When he first heard that proposal, Oswald had naturally been furious.
But Raygan's argument had been logical and coherent, and because Yusefin's condition had deteriorated to the point where they had to grasp at any straw, he had ultimately permitted it.
He had to believe it, yet he couldn't.
It would be more accurate to say he had despaired of it.
Yet, a miracle had occurred right before his eyes.
“To think he could pull it off so flawlessly…”
Oswald had been prepared for Yusefin to suffer significant aftereffects even if the treatment succeeded. He believed that even if her mana core was ruined or her mana circuits were permanently damaged, it would be enough as long as she survived.
But his fears were unfounded. Raygan's treatment was perfect.
The skill with which he drew out and filtered the contaminated mana was so bold and swift that even Oswald, a 7th-circle mage, could only marvel in astonishment.
And what of Lunia Benheim, who assisted him? Her precision in filling the void with refined mana without allowing even a split second of delay was on par with that of a veteran mage.
Their mastery of mana manipulation was so mature that it was hard to believe they were only 4th and 5th-circle mages.
Flash—
Finally, a silver radiance filled the room.
The treatment had ended in success.
A healthy flush returned to Yusefin's pale cheeks, and her dull, ash-gray hair regained its brilliant silver luster once more.
“…Stern.”
Oswald called out to his friend beside him.
Stern stood with his arms crossed, looking at his daughter and son-in-law with immense pride.
“What is it, Oswald?”
“…The future of your family is exceptionally bright.”
It was a heartfelt sentiment.
To harbor two such monstrous talents.
Perhaps the golden age of the Benheim family was only just beginning.
“It is nothing.”
Stern let out a bitter chuckle and lit a cigar.
“Besides, the Airid family has reclaimed its future as well, has it not?”
“…Yes. That is true.”
Oswald nodded, staring at Yusefin's silver hair as she lay on the bed.
His daughter had survived. The family line would not end.
As both the family head and a father, it was a moment where he should have been leaping with joy.
Yet, the heavy weight pressing down on a corner of his chest did not vanish.
“Stern.”
“What is it now?”
“Do you find me pathetic?”
Oswald's voice trembled slightly.
He had joined hands with devils under the pretext of saving his daughter. In return, he had turned a blind eye to the sacrifices of countless innocent lives. This was a sin he could never wash away.
“……”
Stern did not deny Oswald's self-deprecation. Nor did he offer any words of comfort.
Instead, he stubbed out his finished cigar against the wall and spoke flatly.
“You did do something incredibly foolish. Though, if my own daughter, Lunia, had fallen ill with an incurable disease, I might have become just as foolish.”
“Is that so?”
“…Well, even so, I wouldn't have joined hands with black mages.”
Stern added dryly.
Oswald let out a hollow laugh.
Stern and Oswald. The two oldest family heads in the Great Mage Coalition, and lifelong rivals.
Because of that, Oswald could read the reprimand—and the tiny shred of empathy—hidden within those words.
“You really are a difficult man to like.”
“We have always been that way.”
Oswald glared at Stern briefly before letting out a deep sigh.
When he raised his head, Raygan was already standing before him.
His entire body was drenched in sweat from pushing his mana core to its absolute limit, and his steps were unsteady.
Yet, Raygan casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke.
“Your daughter will be fine.”
“Yes. It seems so.”
“Then let's finish our conversation.”
Oswald didn't need to hear the rest of Raygan's words to know what he meant.
“You have to pay the price for colluding with the black mages. Isn't that what being an adult is about?”
He had no intention of running away. No, he must not run away.
For that was the final path to becoming a father his daughter wouldn't have to be ashamed of.
Oswald nodded slowly, deeply.
“…Yes. As I must.”
The grave sinner of the magic world, Oswald Airid, was finally ready to face his sins.